Wong pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "Come with me."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked off. Strange hurried after him.
After turning a corner, they entered another section. Shelves lined the area, filled with neatly arranged books—all of them bound together by magical chains.
"This area is normally only accessible after officially becoming a mage. But with my approval, apprentices can read these as well."
As he spoke, Wong approached a shelf and waved his hand. The magical chains loosened automatically. He selected a few books and then moved on to another shelf.
"You can start with the foundational compendiums. How's your Sanskrit?"
Wong asked while picking out books suitable for Strange.
"Not bad. I've got online translation anyway~~~"
Strange replied with a cheeky grin. In truth, he barely knew any Sanskrit at all—he relied entirely on translation tools. Though after days of study, he had begun to recognize a few basic terms, if only because he had to type them in manually.
The books in Kamar-Taj were peculiar—no technological device could record their contents. Whether photos or videos, the moment a device was aimed at them, the text on the pages would vanish.
"Good. Vedic Sanskrit—the oldest form. I imagine your translator will be of some help."
Wong placed two books into Strange's arms before heading to another shelf.
Meanwhile, Strange wandered idly through the room, his gaze quickly landing on a few black-covered books bound in dark magical chains.
"What are those?"
he asked curiously. Those volumes stood out the most—every other book was bound with bronze-colored chains, but these were wrapped in black chains and sealed with additional magic.
"Oh, those are Master Ancient One's private collection."
Without even looking up, Wong already knew what Strange was referring to. Among all the books in the library, those ancient volumes were the most distinctive.
"So they can't be borrowed?"
Strange's eyes swept across the covers. Their materials and patterns differed from everything else in the library.
"In Kamar-Taj, all knowledge is shared—but not all knowledge is suitable for everyone."
Wong walked over and handed Strange another book.
"Among these, aside from the Sorcerer Supreme, only Wanda can understand them—and even she can only read two."
He pointed to the top shelf, where two black leather-bound books rested—the two volumes of the Darkhold.
The script used in the Darkhold was one of the oldest languages to ever appear on this planet. Aside from the Ancient One, no one could read it—except Wanda. To her, the meaning of the text came naturally, as if she had been born knowing it. She didn't need to study it at all.
But that only applied to the Darkhold. The other books were completely incomprehensible to her.
Strange reached out and touched one of the books. The magical chain suddenly loosened, allowing him to take it down.
Opening it, he found that the text wasn't any known language of the modern world.
"What is this book about?"
Though he couldn't understand the writing, he felt as if he should—as though it was somehow familiar.
Wong glanced up—and froze for a moment. He hadn't expected Strange to be able to undo the magical chain. After all, Strange shouldn't even know magic yet.
Looking at the cover, Wong said, "That's the Book of Cagliostro. It deals with time."
After placing the last book into Strange's arms, Wong took the Book of Cagliostro back from him.
"I'm the librarian now. If even a single page is missing or damaged from any of the books I've given you, I'll know."
His expression turned serious.
"And you'll become the next Louis XVI."
Given what Kaecilius had done before, Wong now managed the library with extreme strictness. Some of these books contained dangerous or dark magic—if mishandled, they could cause serious consequences. The Darkhold was still missing three pages because of Kaecilius.
"What if I return them late? Will I lose an arm or a leg?"
Strange joked lightly.
"I'll make you the next King of France."
Wong remained completely straight-faced.
Strange sighed. "My colleagues used to think I was pretty funny."
"That's because you paid them."
Wong stabbed him with a perfectly timed remark.
"…Right. Well, it's been a pleasure talking to you, Wong. Truly enjoyable conversation."
Carrying his books, Strange turned to leave, still talking as he went.
"Thanks for the recommendations—and the threats. I think we're friends now."
After he left, a faint smile finally appeared on Wong's face.
"You scared him a bit just now, Old Wong."
Karl and Wanda stepped out from the corner, Karl laughing.
Wong grinned as well. "It's part of an apprentice's training. Only then will they learn to cherish these books. These are all irreplaceable copies—if they're damaged, it's a serious problem."
Karl casually sat down in a chair. A pile of books lay on the table before him. He picked one up and flipped it open.
The script was ancient—but surprisingly, it was written in Small Seal Script, an old form of Chinese writing. Though Karl couldn't read all of it, he understood most of it instinctively.
As he skimmed through it, he realized it was about cultivation—detailing various realms of cultivation and myths about immortals. He hadn't expected Kamar-Taj to even have texts on Chinese cultivation systems.
Soon, Karl was completely absorbed. Wong called out to him a few times, but he didn't respond, so Wong simply stopped bothering.
"Sorcerer Wong, the Ancient One has permitted me to read the second volume of the Darkhold."
Wanda stepped up to the shelf. The moment her hand touched the book, a surge of scarlet energy burst forth, instantly breaking the black magical chains. The Darkhold fell directly into her hands.
This was the natural affinity between the Darkhold and Wanda's Chaos Magic. She could even summon it at will—just like Thor calling Mjolnir.
"Oh, if the Ancient One has approved, then go ahead. Same rule as always—the Darkhold stays here. No borrowing."
Wong casually picked up a book of his own and sat across from Karl.
Wanda, holding the second volume of the Darkhold, sat beside Karl and began reading.
Now, she had gained solid control over her Chaos Magic. It no longer ran wild like it used to.
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