#572 - The Holy of Holies

Originally, when Steve first introduced Wong and Strange, Yang Le thought the plot of "Doctor Strange 1" had already ended. However, when he saw the two of them, he realized things were completely different from what he had imagined.

First of all, Strange is still just an apprentice, the kind who has just been brought through the door. The teacher responsible for teaching him is Wong, who is likely one of the only two surviving mages on Earth.

As for the Ancient One, who was originally supposed to be Strange's teacher, according to Wong, she hid the Time Stone two years ago, and even he doesn't know where she hid it.

The Ancient One only left one clue, which was to have Strange go to the New York Sanctum after completing his magical studies. Then, before Wong could react, she kicked him out of the Sanctum.

However, at this time, Wong didn't even know Strange. But it was at this time that Thanos' invasion began. Wong had no choice but to avoid Thanos' army while searching for someone named Stephen Strange.

This went on for a year. New York was destroyed. After moving through three Sanctums, Wong arrived at the Avengers Safehouse established by Steve and the others. Here, he finally met Stephen Strange.

At this time, Strange was at a low point in his life because, while avoiding Thanos' army, his hands were injured as if by fate. Due to the poor medical conditions, he couldn't even hold a scalpel, and even eating was a problem.

It was fortunate that he sought refuge with the Avengers' safehouse. An ordinary safehouse would never have taken in a useless person who couldn't lift a finger, even if he had a brain full of medical knowledge.

The frustrated Strange ran into Wong, who was frantically searching for him. It could only be said that their first meeting was not pleasant. Strange initially thought Wong was a madman until Wong said he could heal his hands and showed him some magic, which eased their relationship.

After more than a year of study, Strange finally completed all the coursework Wong had assigned him not long ago. And it was at this time that Yang Le also arrived with the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers.

The Avengers never dreamed that the clues to the Time Stone, which both Thanos and they were searching for, seemed to be far away, but were actually right in front of them.

Wong was also taken aback. He had originally planned to tell Strange about the Time Stone after he had finished teaching him, but he didn't expect Yang Le to ask about it first.

It wasn't until Yang Le explained the multiverse to him that Wong suddenly understood. As a mage, although he wasn't the Sorcerer Supreme, he knew a little about the multiverse and naturally accepted it more easily than the Avengers.

Although Yang Le had said it first, it didn't matter. After all, Wong was going to say it anyway. He had been keeping it a secret because the time wasn't right, and Wong was afraid that Tony and the others would be impatient and ruin things.

Now that Strange had completed his studies and the team had grown so much, there was no need to hide it any longer. Wong told them everything.

And that's why Strange and Rocket and the others were going out. They were on their way to the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Although the matter was crucial, there was no need to send out all the manpower. This was not only a waste of manpower but also greatly increased the risk of the team being discovered.

The people who were sent out, besides the most important Strange, included the small Rocket and his bodyguard Groot, the stealthy Gamora and her worried Star-Lord, and the Martian Manhunter as a combat guarantee.

The Avengers didn't send anyone because they weren't ready. Their equipment needed to be adjusted or even rebuilt, and someone needed to guard the base camp.

So, after the Guardians and the Avengers communicated in Yang Le's mind and found that the other party was indeed on their side, they reached a consensus to let the Guardians of the Galaxy, who were more experienced in escort missions, be the main force for the first exploration.

After the plan was finalized, Wong couldn't wait to use the Sling Ring to open a portal to New York.

Well, the Avengers' previous safehouse wasn't in New York either. This was because, as the most prosperous city in the United States, it had always been a key search and strike target for Thanos' army. Anyone who was even a little smart had already moved away.

Thanks to the Sling Ring, Yang Le and the others saved a lot of time. However, Wong couldn't directly open the portal near the Sanctum Sanctorum because New York had basically been bombed flat. A sparking portal opening on a flat ground would be as conspicuous as a ray of light in the dark.

Wong could only open the portal in Central Park. Thor and the others had been there to search for supplies a while ago. There was still a patch of trees there that could block the line of sight. The rest of the way, Yang Le and the others had to walk on their own.

This section of the road wasn't long, but because the road surface was rugged and they had to avoid the sight of the searching Outriders, it still took Yang Le and the others more than an hour to reach Bleecker Street, where the Sanctum Sanctorum stood.

Looking at the devastated Bleecker Street, everyone except Yang Le had no confidence that the Sanctum Sanctorum still existed. After all, at a glance, there wasn't a building on Bleecker Street that was more than two stories high.

Looking at the address marked by Wong in his hand and the simple diagram he had drawn, Strange felt that it was impossible to find a Victorian building among a pile of battle-damaged buildings.

The group walked and stopped along the way. There was no way, although Wong gave a detailed address, they couldn't find any identifiable buildings on Bleecker Street at this time. Strange could only rely on his memory to try his luck bit by bit, who told him that he was the only Earthling here on the surface.

Although Yang Le was a fake alien, he had hardly been to Manhattan during his time in New York, let alone Bleecker Street.

Walking and stopping, while also being careful not to be discovered by the Outriders, Rocket was getting more and more impatient. Just when he couldn't help but get angry, Strange in front of him finally stopped.

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"Uh. Guys, I think we should be there," Strange said uncertainly as he looked at the paper in his hand.

"Are you sure?" Rocket's disbelief couldn't be hidden by the fur on his face. "I only see a pile of rubble and ruins."

"What are you talking about?" Strange rolled his eyes at Rocket. "Can't you see such a big building in front of you?"

Strange also looked at the others. He thought Rocket was messing with him, but he found that not only Rocket but everyone else was looking at him with a crazy expression. Strange finally realized that something was wrong.

"You can't see it, can you?"

"We're done for," Rocket covered his face. "This is a wizard who has gone crazy from studying magic."