Time passed unknowingly within the Octopus Dimension, while in reality, on Earth-404, more than half a day quietly slipped away.
Returning from the Octopus Dimension, Lucas couldn't help but stretch, feeling refreshed as if he had just had a good sleep.
Fortunately, Sorcerer Supremes are all Masters of time management. Otherwise, twenty-four hours a day spent in the Octopus Dimension absorbing and converting energy wouldn't be enough.
Back in the bookstore's lounge, Lucas found an envelope hanging on the door.
Opening it, there was a registered check and a letter.
The payee field on the check specified Lucas, the owner of Lucas Bookstore.
The letter explained the origin of the check: Stephen Strange sent it after he woke up and learned that Lucas had called the ambulance for him.
The check amount was the previous bill Lucas received plus twenty percent.
"He's quite polite, but..."
Lucas looked at the handwriting on the letter and strongly suspected that it wasn't written by Strange himself, but by his girlfriend Christine.
Smiling, Lucas put away the envelope, feeling even more pleased.
Lucas was now pondering a question: should he accept a disciple on behalf of his master, or should he directly take a disciple?
Speaking of which, it seemed he hadn't personally taught others magic for a long time.
Thinking of this, Lucas couldn't help but hum a tune.
Pushing open the door, Lucas met Gwen's gaze.
At this moment, Gwen was furiously writing at a table in the bookstore's lounge, occasionally typing on the keyboard.
She saw Lucas enter and smiled. "You're back. Did it go smoothly?"
Gwen knew that Lucas had to go out one day each month to collect the accumulated energy.
Lucas hummed and nodded, then walked behind Gwen and asked, "Gwen, what are you busy with? Writing your graduation thesis?"
Lucas was a bit excited. As someone who had been rained on, he wanted to see Gwen also get rained on and experience the hardship of a thesis.
However, Lucas was destined to be disappointed.
Gwen slowly shook her head. "No, I've already completed my graduation thesis, credits, and courses. I just need to wait for the graduation exam. Right now, I'm busy with the work Professor Connors assigned."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. He remembered that Gwen had been following Connors's project for a long time.
Could it be...
"Did you apply for Connors's graduate program?"
Gwen raised an eyebrow, a bit smug. "That's right, and I've been accepted."
Pausing, she added, "Wanda also got accepted into Stanford University's psychology master's program. Lucas, your academic qualifications are starting to drag this family down, and in the foreseeable future, it will only get worse."
Lucas was speechless, but then he suddenly thought of something and asked, "What's Wanda's mentor's name?"
Gwen replied, "Yao."
Lucas: "..."
Ancient One really knows how to have fun, her retirement life is truly comfortable.
Seeing Gwen busy with her studies, Lucas didn't disturb her. He sat quietly beside her and continued reading his book.
If universities established a magic major, Lucas believed he would definitely be invited to be an honorary Professor.
Things were different now. After several years of research, he, Lucas, had figured out the connection between the underlying energy flow principles of magic and the gestures of spells.
Nowadays, he could not only see through and replicate various spells at a glance but also knew how to express them in the language of a sorcerer.
While Lucas and Gwen were doing their own things and getting along harmoniously, another couple was not so harmonious.
At Strange's mansion, a one-sided argument was unfolding.
The disputing parties were naturally the owner of the house, Strange, and Christine, who had come to visit him.
At this time, Strange was unshaven and unkempt.
Because his hands were severely injured in the car accident, he could no longer hold a scalpel to work, and even holding a razor was very difficult.
After a surgical plan derived from consulting many documents was rejected by the chief surgeon, who then hung up the phone, Strange was so angry that he swept his laptop off the desk.
Just then, Christine pushed open the door. She looked at the messy scene and asked, "He refused?"
Strange shook his head. "Quack."
Then he got up and said, "There's a new technology in another country. They cultivate and upgrade donor stem cells, and then use 3D printing for the chromosome scaffold, but I need to raise some money first."
Christine interrupted, "Strange."
Strange ignored her and continued to speak, "Not much, the cost is only two hundred thousand."
Christine interrupted Strange again, suggesting, "You always spend as much money as you earn. You're completely overdrawn now. Shouldn't you consider giving up?"
Perhaps Christine's talk of giving up stimulated Strange. He gesticulated excitedly with his trembling hands. "No! Now is absolutely not the time to give up. You see, I'm not getting better at all."
Christine comforted him, "You're not treating a disease anymore, so why are you still so persistent? Some things are beyond our control."
However, Strange at this moment could no longer hear any other voices. As a neurosurgeon once renowned throughout the U.S. and even the world, he could not accept his hands being crippled and his career being completely over.
Afterward, the two had a one-sided argument, and Strange angered Christine away.
Before leaving, Christine accidentally dropped a bill when picking up her handbag.
Regarding the letter the bookstore received today, if Lucas had observed more carefully, he would have discovered that...
Not only was the letter ghostwritten by Christine, but the check was also issued by her.
In the following days, Lucas observed Strange several times.
The more candidates for Sorcerer Supreme, the better, especially with the impending chaos of the Multiverse.
However, what made him helpless was that Strange seemed to be going down the wrong path of a dark sorcerer.
After several experimental treatments, Strange, who had no savings habits, successfully went bankrupt.
This desperate scientific genius surgeon had no choice but to turn his last hope to the supernatural powers he had previously scoffed at.
Due to Lucas's several grand gestures, supernatural powers had become rampant on Earth-404.
Strange thus embarked on a path completely different from that of Earth-199999.
"We all forget that we are our own best doctor. All the medicine in the world cannot compare to your own enlightenment. Only by letting go of external things can you become a new person."
A gentle voice echoed in a church, and Strange listened, mesmerized.
After the lecture, Strange found the master and asked if there was a way to heal his hands.
The master just smiled and handed a book to Strange.
After a quick glance, Strange asked, "Who wrote this book?"
The Master smiled. "I wrote it."
"So you wrote it."
The master smiled again. "I wrote the words, but the person who realized the truth was not me, but someone else."
Steve pressed, "Who is he?"
The Master smiled yet again, pointing a finger to the sky. "The apostle of the Exalted One in the mortal realm, that one."
"That one?" Strange exclaimed, confirming again.
"Yes, that one." The Master nodded.
"Please help me, Master." Strange was overwhelmed with excitement.
He wanted to grasp the Master's hand, but found his hands trembling, unable to hold on.
"Only you can help yourself, Strange. Let go of external things and practice with devotion."
The Master smiled meaningfully, patted Strange's shoulder, and then left.
So, who was that one?
Curious about the identity of "that person," Lucas patiently continued reading.
Strange, led by a devotee, walked towards a side hall of the church.
The side hall contained several rooms. The devotee walked to a room, pushed open the door, and inside was a four-person dormitory with bunk beds and desks.
The devotee pointed to an empty bed and said, "Mr. Strange, this will be your residence from now on. Your three roommates are currently praying and will return later. I wish you all harmonious coexistence."
Strange nodded repeatedly in thanks. "Thank you."
This four-person dormitory was naturally far from comparable to his previous mansion, but for Strange, who was now bankrupt and almost a vagrant, it was nothing short of a sanctuary for his body and mind.
After touring the dormitory and helping put away his luggage, the devotee then took Strange to visit the cafeteria, where he had a full meal.
"Thank you." Strange nodded repeatedly in thanks again.
The church cafeteria offered many dairy products, eggs, vegetables, and fruits, but no meat.
Regarding this, the devotee explained, "To purify the body and mind, and to offer pure faith to the Lord, believers must abstain from sexual activity, meat, alcohol, and tobacco, and must not own property."
Hearing this, Strange hesitated, but remembering that he had nothing left, he nodded silently.
Seeing Strange's scruffy beard, the devotee then took him to another side hall and called someone to help Strange clean himself up.
After washing and grooming, Strange looked at himself in the mirror, feeling reborn, as if he had transformed back into Dr. Strange before the car accident.
Afterwards, the devotee took Strange on a brief tour of the church's other buildings, then told him to go back and rest, and to prepare himself for tomorrow's prayers.
From beginning to end, neither the master nor the devotees asked Strange for any valuables.
This greatly eased Strange's vigilance.
However, the master and the devotees also did not tell him the specific method to heal his hands.
So Strange asked again, "What do I need to do to heal my hands?"
The devotee smiled and replied, "Pray devoutly and await God's response."
This answer clearly did not satisfy Strange. He frowned and pressed, "When will God respond? What if he never responds?"
The devotee smiled meaningfully. "God does not respond every time, but he also does not remain silent forever. Furthermore, the master can communicate with God."
"Strange, if you are very urgent, I can arrange for your dormitory to participate in the master's prayer ceremony tomorrow. But remember, you must be devout, abstain from alcohol, gambling, lust, and meat."
"Tomorrow? Thank you, I want to participate." Strange nodded repeatedly in thanks again.