Chapter 140: Continuing the Search

“Sorry, is there something I can help you with?” Stephen Strange asked, looking at the unfamiliar woman before him.

“Um... sorry. I got a little excited.” Wanda removed her mask and baseball cap.

“You’re Wanda, one of the Avengers?” Stephen Strange recognized the recent subject of the newspapers.

“You could say that, or you could say otherwise. I’m here to find the Ancient One,” Wanda replied.

“The Ancient One... she passed away,” Stephen Strange said despondently.

“Has Dormammu visited this universe too?” Wanda suddenly asked.

“How do you know that?” Stephen Strange stared at her in surprise. He had already reset all of time; no outsider should know anything about Dormammu.

“Actually, I’m not from this universe. I came here from another universe in the multiverse.” Wanda had no choice but to tell him the truth. She trusted Stephen Strange’s character.

“What? You’re from another universe in the multiverse? How is that possible?” Stephen Strange asked, astonished.

“It happened like this. A... friend of mine encountered a wormhole while fighting Dormammu and was transported here. With your counterpart’s help, I opened a multiversal portal and came here to search for that friend.” Wanda briefly explained what had happened.

“You mean the version of me from your world helped you reach this universe? And your friend can fight Dormammu?” Stephen Strange asked.

Wanda looked at him and nodded.

“What proof do you have that any of this is true?” Stephen Strange still did not believe her.

Wanda took out a sling ring and slipped it onto her finger. With a sweep of her right hand through the air, a portal appeared between them. On the other side was the familiar summit of Mount Everest.

“The Wanda from this world can’t do this, can she?” Wanda said.

“Ahem... All right, I believe you.” Stephen Strange looked somewhat embarrassed at the sight of Mount Everest again.

“How can I help you?” he asked.

“I want you to help me find my friend,” Wanda replied.

“When did he enter the wormhole?” Stephen Strange asked.

“Eight days ago,” Wanda answered.

“Follow me!”

Stephen Strange led Wanda through a portal from the New York Sanctum back to Kamar-Taj.

The two of them entered the main hall of the library. Stephen Strange placed both hands on the table in the center of the room and turned it. The globe above them lit up.

He continued rotating the table. Suddenly, a black hole formed beside the globe, and Stephen Strange stopped.

“I found it! This should be California. The black hole appeared above a small town in California. Your friend very likely fell somewhere nearby...” Stephen Strange told Wanda.

“That’s wonderful! Thank you so much. Whether it was bringing me here or helping me find Arthur, I owe it all to you. Thank you!” Wanda looked at Stephen Strange gratefully. As expected of the Ancient One’s successor—Stephen Strange had never let her down.

“It’s a shame this world doesn’t have Venom. Otherwise, I could have healed your hands as well.” Wanda glanced at Stephen Strange’s trembling hands.

“In your world, you healed my hands?” Stephen Strange asked after hearing her words.

“Yes. Unfortunately, I can’t heal them for you here,” Wanda said apologetically.

“It’s all right. I actually know how to stop my hands from trembling. I only need to infuse my body with magical energy. But I chose not to. My trembling hands can remind me of my responsibilities at any time.” Stephen Strange remained calm and showed no disappointment.

“Then I’ll be going. Thank you for your help. Goodbye!”

With that, Wanda opened a portal and left Kamar-Taj.

Stephen Strange watched her depart. An Avenger had actually learned magic. The universe was full of strange and wondrous things. He, too, turned and headed toward the New York Sanctum. He still had not finished his studies for the day.

...

In a small town near San Diego, California, Wanda arrived after asking the locals about a meteor that had supposedly fallen there the previous week.

She soon made her way to a bar in town. Bars were always the best places to gather information.

“What can I get you?” the plump bartender asked.

“Just a beer. And may I ask you something?” Wanda replied, handing him five hundred dollars.

“Of course! Ask me anything. I’ll tell you everything I know!” The bartender happily accepted the money. He had never seen a customer leave such a large tip. What incredible generosity!

“You’ve heard about the meteor that fell nearby last week, haven’t you?” Wanda asked.

The bartender breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried she might ask some difficult question. Everyone in the area knew about this.

“I know all about it. A meteor did fall in the wasteland not far from here. But they say it was actually a satellite, and less than two hours after it came down, government agents secured the site and forbade anyone from approaching. Some people say it was an alien spacecraft. And apparently, the Avengers showed up too!” the bartender whispered to Wanda.

“What? The Avengers came?” Wanda asked in surprise.

“Yes. A friend of mine was nearby watching at the time. The government sealed off the area and wouldn’t let anyone through. He saw an Avengers aircraft land nearby,” the bartender said.

“What about the meteor that fell? What happened to it afterward?” Wanda asked anxiously.

“Of course the Avengers took it away. The government has to follow the Avengers’ orders. If it was an alien spacecraft, the Avengers must have taken it back to study.”

Oh no! Arthur falling into someone else’s hands would have been bad enough, but if he had ended up in the Avengers’ hands, they would surely have taken him into a laboratory and dissected him for research.

Wanda could no longer sit still. She stood up and walked outside without taking a single sip of her beer.

After leaving the town, Wanda found an uninhabited place and opened a magical portal leading directly to the woods beside the Avengers’ New York headquarters.

She stepped through the portal and quietly made her way toward the Avengers’ base. Now she had to find a way to get inside.

“Who’s there?”

But the moment Wanda emerged from the woods, someone spotted her. It was Sam’s voice.

“It’s me!”

Wanda took a deep breath, removed her mask, and walked out of the trees.

“Oh, it’s Wanda. What are you doing here? Are you still having a hard time?” Sam asked with concern. Of all the Avengers, Wanda had been the most depressed recently. The previous incident had resulted in countless deaths, and she blamed herself deeply.

Wanda immediately understood. She put on a sorrowful expression and said, “Yes. I was feeling a little stifled, so I came out for a walk by myself.”

“Try not to dwell on it. It wasn’t your fault alone. Don’t blame yourself so much.” Sam patted her shoulder reassuringly.

“Thank you... By the way, do you know anything about the meteor that fell in California?”

At last, Wanda had asked the question she truly wanted answered.

...

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