Chapter 411: Stark Under House Arrest!
After returning home, Quentin Beck smashed everything in sight in a fit of rage. Finally, he cleared out a massive amount of space, leaving only enough room to sleep.
"I'll show you all what real technology looks like." Beck pulled a list out of a folder. If Happy Hogan had been there, he would have recognized every name on that list: they were all former employees of Stark Industries.
Fullus Hospital
"How are you feeling, Gwen?" Felicia asked, sitting beside Gwen's hospital bed.
"Why are you guys here?" Gwen opened her eyes groggily. She felt as if she were trapped in a furnace; her entire body was being scorched by fire, and her head was spinning uncontrollably. In her eyes, the world was warped, spinning slowly and eerily. She couldn't even keep her eyes open for more than a second before squeezing them shut again.
"Gwen, what exactly is wrong with you? A fever shouldn't be this severe, right?" Misty noticed immediately that something was off. Gwen's skin was bright red, and a visible heat seemed to radiate from her.
"I don't know. My parents haven't told me anything." Gwen just wanted to rest. Seeing she wasn't in the mood to talk, the girls left some food and stepped out of the ward.
"I think Gwen's condition is strange. It's more than just a fever," Misty said.
"I agree," Felicia added, standing on a rare united front with Misty.
"Don't worry, she'll get better," Wanda comforted them. Before leaving, Wanda had quietly cast a bit of Chaos Magic to ensure Gwen would at least have peaceful dreams.
"Sigh... in times like these, it's always us girls. Look at the boys—who knows where they ran off to," Misty complained. They were supposed to visit Gwen together, but both Peter and Silas had disappeared halfway.
"Silas aside, Peter is Gwen's boyfriend. How could he leave? Doesn't he know when a girl needs care the most?" Felicia sighed.
"I wonder if Silas would come to see us if we were like this," Wanda suddenly mused, drawing the attention of the other two.
Sanctum Sanctorum
"You have to understand, I am a surgeon," Stephen Strange said helplessly from his sofa. He had just finished his own medical check-up to ensure Silas hadn't messed with his body, and before he could even settle in, Silas had arrived—bringing his brother, Peter Parker, with him.
Apparently, Peter's girlfriend had an unbreakable fever, and they wanted his help. Strange was speechless. Even if his medical skills were top-tier, he was a surgeon. More importantly, his hands were still trembling; he couldn't perform surgery even if it were required.
"But Silas said you know magic?" Peter asked again.
"Mmhmm," Strange nodded. He couldn't deny that.
"Can you use magic to help Gwen's fever?" Peter had seen Silas's magic and wondered if Strange's was stronger. After all, with the Sanctum and the robes, Strange looked like a true Sorcerer Supreme.
"Magic isn't omnipotent. My magic is primarily for defense against mystical threats, not healing," Strange shook his head. If he had healing magic, he would have used it on the Ancient One or his own hands.
"Are you sure there's nothing?" Peter stepped closer, staring intently at Strange. Strange felt a chill down his spine from Peter's intense gaze.
"Look, for Silas's sake, I'll give you a chance to look through the library. If you find something, consider yourself lucky." Strange couldn't take the staring anymore. He figured giving Peter some non-essential books wouldn't hurt. "Wong, can I take him to the library?"
"Of course," Wong said, stepping through a portal.
"Cool~ Is that your magic?" Peter marveled at the glowing sparks. He secretly thought their portals looked much nicer than Silas's "pitch-black" ones.
"Let's go. I'll show you the library," Wong led Peter away.
"Finally. Now, tell me, why did you really bring him here?" Strange asked Silas.
"I just thought Kamar-Taj has so many books, there had to be a healing spell somewhere," Silas chuckled, sitting opposite Strange.
"Sorry to disappoint, but we don't. Otherwise, my hands would be fixed." Strange pulled off his glove, revealing his perpetually trembling hand.
"It's fine. Letting Peter look is the only way to get the idea out of his head," Silas said, taking a sip of tea.
"Are you really just here to scrounge my tea again?" Strange's mouth twitched.
"No way. I'm not that desperate for tea. I have my reasons for being here," Silas rolled his eyes. Strange decided to just ignore him until he left. "You seem to dislike me quite a bit," Silas laughed.
"Correct," Strange answered bluntly.
The Library
"You can read any of these, but you can't take them out," Wong explained, handing Peter a slip of paper.
Peter looked at the letters on the note. "Is this a magic incantation?"
"No. It's the Wi-Fi password," Wong explained. Peter was speechless. Was this really a magical library? It felt a bit fake. "Don't overthink it. We aren't luddites. Also, these are in Sanskrit; you'll need a translator."
Wong handed Peter a translation device. "Connect to the Wi-Fi and do it yourself."
"Thanks," Peter said. Wong put on his headphones and went back to his own reading.
An hour later, the stack of books beside Peter was nearly as tall as a person. "Still nothing." Peter put the last book down. He hadn't found any healing magic, though there was plenty about souls. As a modern teenager, Peter didn't really believe in souls, even if magic existed—at least not until he saw one.
"Sorry, that's all the relevant books," Wong said, opening a portal out.
"Thanks anyway," Peter waved and headed back to Silas.
Wong sighed, happy to finally have some peace, until he turned around and saw the mountain of books he now had to reshelve. "..."
"Have you looked into the future with the Eye of Agamotto?" Silas asked suddenly.
Strange immediately shook his head. "Until I have mastered the laws of time, I won't touch the Eye." The artifact was currently locked away in a very secure location.
"Can I see it?" Silas asked. He had never actually seen the Eye of Agamotto in person; even the Ancient One hadn't brought it up.
"You? Why do you want to see it?" Strange's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Is this really Silas in front of me?"
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