"Divine Emissary, could there be some misunderstanding?" The Master asked with a forced smile as G'iah approached him.
"Misunderstanding?" G'iah sneered.
She took out her phone and read aloud the information Lucas had just sent.
"Mind Society, founded three years ago, with a cumulative total of 155 people missing, suspected of being sacrificed to infernal beings. Among them are 3 New York Police Department officers, 2 Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, and 150 vagrants."
Pausing, G'iah asked, "Did I get that right?"
The Master chuckled, a smile appearing on his lips. "How many innocent people die in a natural disaster, an earthquake, a wildfire? Have you ever hated the sky, have you ever hated the earth?"
"Instead of letting these people die in vain, why not let them merge with the Exalted One and share eternal life?"
As he spoke, the Master seemed to convince himself, and he smiled, asking, "Isn't that right?"
This twisted logic made G'iah snort with laughter, while Strange, within the magic circle, was chilled to the bone.
No wonder this Mind Society didn't ask for his valuables and even provided food and lodging. It turned out they wanted his life.
Thinking of this, Strange struggled to get up, but found his legs as if glued to the ground, unable to move no matter how hard he tried.
Strange turned to look, his three roommates were in the same predicament.
"Keep your twisted logic for your god."
G'iah glanced at the magic circle, seeing the mysterious creature within it about to break through space and emerge. She no longer wasted time and punched the master again.
The punch grew larger in the master's eyes, quickly filling his entire world.
With another bang, the Master's head exploded just like the devotee's earlier.
Afterwards, G'iah tore down the portrait that resembled Lucas, then ripped up the other one.
Having done all this, G'iah turned and walked towards Strange and the others.
Seeing this, Strange became even more terrified, but his legs remained immobile.
However, he regained his composure at the critical moment and quickly explained, "We are innocent, we haven't killed anyone."
"Mm, I know." G'iah nodded.
Then she came to Strange's side, squatted down, and reached out with a clawed hand to grasp at the ground.
Crack... Crack...
As if a mirror was shattering, G'iah's right hand passed through the ground and entered an extradimensional space, grabbing the swimming mysterious creature, then pulling it out and throwing it onto the ground.
It was a short, thin, hunched, ancient demon.
"A mere demon, daring to offend My God."
G'iah delivered another simple, unadorned punch, killing the demon on the spot.
Then she cast a sidelong glance at Strange and the others. "You may leave. Remember, keep your mouths shut."
Strange's three roommates mumbled in agreement, scrambling to their feet and running out.
Appearance is justice.
Seeing the true form of the mysterious creature under the magic circle, they now firmly believed what G'iah had said.
G'iah took two steps, then noticed Strange had barely managed to stand but hadn't left. She asked, "Why aren't you leaving?"
Strange asked evasively, "Is your God that lord?"
Although he had just narrowly escaped danger, a loss can turn into a gain.
Analyzing G'iah's words and actions, Strange made a bold judgment.
This woman in front of him was the true apostle of that Lord.
"That Lord? What Lord?" G'iah frowned, puzzled.
"It's..."
Strange recounted Lucas's deeds one by one, and G'iah gradually showed a look of understanding.
Seeing this, Strange became even more convinced of his judgment.
He quickly asked, "Can you take me to see him?"
G'iah shook her head, refusing, but then suddenly paused and changed her mind. "I still have things to do and cannot take you there, but I can tell you some information."
"He is the Sorcerer Supreme, the Guardian of reality, and his dojo is in Kamar-Taj."
Kamar-Taj?
Strange vaguely felt the name was familiar. He lowered his head, pondering for a long time, but couldn't recall it.
"Where is Kamar-Taj?"
Strange looked up, only to see himself alone in the hall, with roars and exclamations occasionally coming from afar.
These roars and exclamations jolted Strange, making him realize his situation, and waves of lingering fear surged in his heart.
He ran towards the dormitory, wanting to retrieve his luggage, but stopped after two steps, changing direction and running outside.
He carried all his important documents with him, so there was no need to risk it for a few clothes.
— — —
Bang!
A heavy door slam echoed.
After more than a day's absence, Strange returned to the cramped apartment he had recently rented, still shaken.
He leaned against the door, curled up on the floor, his hands trembling as he clutched his head.
Gradually, he calmed down and began to review the entire incident.
The Mind Society was, without a doubt, a cult organization that used that Lord's name and worshipped some demon.
The female super-powered individual who later appeared to destroy the Mind Society, judging by her actions, should belong to the righteous faction. She referred to that Lord as her God, so the information she provided should be accurate.
But...
"It's still better to double-check."
Muttering, Strange took out his laptop and long-pressed the power button, but the laptop didn't respond.
A sudden unease welled up in Strange's heart. He quickly connected the power, then long-pressed the power button again.
First, the keyboard glowed, then the screen lit up.
"So it was just out of power." Strange chuckled.
After a long streak of bad luck, he seemed to be turning things around.
With just two crackling sounds, the computer screen quickly flashed dazzling linear lights, followed by the entire screen turning green.
Strange thought, 'If the computer's broken, it's broken. I can just go to an internet cafe.'
He stood up silently, took some loose change from his backpack, and left.
Before long, Strange found an internet cafe near his apartment.
He first searched for the keyword 'Mind Society', wanting to see how the official reports would cover this cult and the female super-powered individual.
However, the name Mind Society was too common, and the online information was very chaotic. Strange flipped through pages continuously but couldn't find any useful information.
He thought for a moment, re-entered the keyword 'Sixth Avenue, New York', and finally found news about a mysterious superhero cooperating with officials to dismantle a cult organization.
Strange quickly skimmed through, confirming that the authorities categorized the female super-powered individual as a superhero, not a super-powered criminal.
After that, he was about to close the page and search for another keyword.
Just then, the corner of his eye caught a small line of text in the report.
"Kamar-Taj Group announced a donation of 20 million dollars to compensate for all public and private property damage caused by the female superhero."
Strange remembered!
Kamar-Taj, the colossal entity that had miraculously risen a few years ago, spanning across various countries.
This news was like a shot in the arm for him.
He perked up and began searching for the Kamar-Taj Group.
Kamar-Taj Group, full name Kamar-Taj Sorcerer Group, primarily engaged in technical cooperation or product application related to aerospace.
Although he didn't quite understand why a company founded by sorcerers would primarily operate in the aerospace field, he didn't want to delve into it.
After a quick browse, he was convinced that Kamar-Taj was that Lord's enterprise.
The reason was that he had checked the personal profile of Wong, the CEO of Kamar-Taj Sorcerer Group.
Wong, sorcerer, Kamar-Taj librarian, Sorcerer Supreme's and Sorcerer Supreme candidate's right-hand man, and head of Kamar-Taj's external affairs.
Filled with excitement, Strange dialed Wong's number.
"Your phone has been disconnected."
Strange: "..."
Lucas: "..."
Watching Strange stand up, jot down the phone number, and head towards the public phone booth outside, Lucas couldn't help but fall silent.
He had seen several versions of Strange, and had even personally killed one, but this was the first time he had seen such a disheveled Strange.
Soon, Wong's call connected, and a sweet female voice sounded from the other end of the line.
"Hello, this is Kamar-Taj Group. How may I help you?"
Clearly, the number on the webpage was not Wong's private phone.
Strange didn't mind. He got straight to the point, asking, "I want to know where Kamar-Taj is."
Strange had casually searched earlier to see if there was a place named Kamar-Taj, but unfortunately, all the results were news about the Kamar-Taj sorcerer Group.
"The headquarters of Kamar-Taj Group is located on the east side of Manhattan, New York City, New York State, United States."
"Thank you."
Hanging up the phone, Strange was half-convinced, somewhat unable to believe that things had gone so smoothly.
Looking at the few coins left in his pocket, Strange quickly calculated, confirming that it was enough for a round-trip subway fare.
He immediately set off again.
Lucas: I told you to find Kamar-Taj, not the Kamar-Taj Group.
— — —
Kamar-Taj Tower, first floor.
As expected, Strange was stopped. No matter how he explained that he was guided by a female superhero to find the Sorcerer Supreme, the receptionist smiled, shook her head, and refused him, saying, "We don't have a Sorcerer Supreme here, only sorcerers."
Upon hearing this, Strange retorted, "Sorcerer Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme's right-hand man. It's written in the CEO's personal profile on your official website."
"Is that so?" The receptionist was a little surprised.
She quickly logged onto the official website to search, and indeed, it was as Strange said.
After a moment of hesitation, the indecisive receptionist decided to report the message to the CEO's secretariat.
"Your name?"
"Stephen Strange."
"Manager, a Mr. Stephen Strange at the front desk is looking for CEO Wong. He claims to be looking for the Sorcerer Supreme."