Kathmandu.
After the plane landed, Strange, unfamiliar with the place, first hired a local guide. Under the guide's lead, he embarked on his quest.
The numerous ancient buildings, the weathered eaves and stone pillars, the exquisitely carved and mysterious ancient temples—the ravages of history transformed into solemn grandeur at this moment.
Strange lingered, seeing Kamar-Taj everywhere and every person as a sorcerer.
For this, Strange paid a price. He was scammed out of over a thousand dollars on the very first day his plane landed.
If it weren't for the guide's strong persuasion, Strange would have almost been lured to a remote place to be robbed.
This made Strange realize that the public safety in Kathmandu was no better than in New York, one had to be cautious everywhere.
For several days thereafter, he would drag his guide out to inquire about Kamar-Taj at dawn and return to his lodging at dusk.
"Is Kamar-Taj really here?"
At night, back at his lodging, Strange doubted his life.
He had visited many places in Kathmandu and many temples these past few days, but had found nothing.
"Kamar-Taj is here. I, my father, my grandpa—we all grew up listening to stories of the Kamar-Taj sorcerers."
The guide beside him nodded firmly, which slightly eased Strange's mind.
There could be no mistake. Kamar-Taj was in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
This was told to him personally by the Sorcerer Supreme's right-hand man, the sorcerer and CEO of the Kamar-Taj Sorcerer Group.
It was just that as time passed, Strange's wallet gradually flattened, yet he still couldn't find any trace of Kamar-Taj.
Kamar-Taj.
Creak... Creak...
Under the moonlight, a rocking chair swayed gently, making a creaking sound.
'What's wrong with Strange? Why does he go back to his dorm and hide as soon as night falls?' Lucas thought, sitting on the rocking chair.
He had been skipping work to wait at Kamar-Taj these past few days, wanting to find a suitable moment to bring Strange back to Kamar-Taj and show him what a surprise was.
But he never expected Strange to be so cautious, returning to his lodging as soon as night fell and never going out again.
In fact, during the day, he rarely went to remote places, and even if he absolutely had to, he would hire several extra people.
This made Lucas a bit frustrated.
Evenings were his rest time, he didn't want to work overtime.
(The time difference between New York and Nepal is approximately 11 hours.)
Strange didn't mind working overtime at night, but having been scammed upon his arrival in Kathmandu, he lacked trust in the public safety of this city.
Furthermore, he spent the entire day searching, so by night, he was quite tired and needed rest.
That night, after nearly ten days of searching in Kathmandu, spending a lot but still finding nothing, Strange checked his balance.
The flight ticket cost about 2,500 dollars, he was scammed out of about 1,000 dollars on the first day of landing, and the guide, accommodation, and miscellaneous food and drink totaled about 2,500 dollars, leaving him with about 14,500 dollars.
"Thanks to Mr. Lucas's generosity, otherwise I'd probably be homeless by now."
Shaking his head with a bitter smile, Strange mocked himself.
He had thought that just getting enough money for the flight and coming to Kathmandu would be enough, but he didn't expect the real trial to begin after arriving here.
At this moment, Strange had already come to regard finding Kamar-Taj as the Sorcerer Supreme's test for him.
Thinking of this, he began to meticulously review everything that had happened since he met that female superhero.
Eventually, he discovered a clue: something Wong had once told him.
"Strange, I can tell you where Kamar-Taj is. It's in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Of course, you can also go to the Himalayas within China."
Opening the world map, Strange examined it carefully.
Kathmandu is located at the southern foot of the Himalayas, and the Himalayas form a natural border between Nepal and countries like China and India.
And according to Wong, Kamar-Taj should be located in the direction of Kathmandu near the China border, or even spanning both Nepal and China.
The next day, Strange adjusted his plan. Instead of aimlessly sweeping through Kathmandu's temples, he searched along the border between Kathmandu and China. For this, he even spent a fortune to buy a drone.
The mountain roads were not easy, especially for someone like Strange whose hands lacked strength and who also had to operate a drone, but in the end, he overcame these difficulties.
Another twenty-odd days passed, and perseverance paid off. The drone captured images of an ancient architectural complex nestled on the mountainside of the Himalayas.
"Found it! Found it! Found it!"
Watching the footage transmitted by the drone, Strange's eyes welled up with tears.
Why was he so certain that it was Kamar-Taj?
Simply because he had controlled the drone to photograph that place during the day, and it was empty. But at night, an architectural complex suddenly appeared.
Such a supernatural phenomenon, especially happening in a place like Kathmandu, must be the work of the Kamar-Taj sorcerers.
"Mr. Strange, you really found it?!" The guide was also extremely delighted.
Born in Kathmandu, he had grown up listening to stories of the Kamar-Taj sorcerers.
Or rather, in Kathmandu, in this city of temples, who hadn't grown up listening to stories of the Kamar-Taj sorcerers?
Strange discovered the location of Kamar-Taj soon after nightfall, but by the time he rushed there through the night, it was already approaching dawn.
Taking a breath, Strange took several deep breaths, and after a long while, he calmed his mind before stepping forward to knock on the door.
Thump.
Thump!
Even when Strange increased the force of his knocking, the gate remained unopened.
"Sorcerer Supreme, I am Stephen Strange!"
Helpless, Strange had no choice but to shout loudly, but even after shouting for a long time, the gate still did not open.
Does the Sorcerer Supreme not wish to see me?
A bad premonition suddenly appeared in Strange's mind, and once it appeared, it spread like cancer cells.
"Push the door yourself, walk straight down the corridor, and turn right at the end."
Just then, a voice that Strange vaguely found familiar came out.
Strange didn't have time to think much. He breathed a sigh of relief and followed the voice's instructions.
Creak... Rustle...
With a slight push from Strange, the gate opened with a creak, and some wood chips fell together.
Strange was caught off guard and was showered with wood chips.
At this moment, he understood why his knocking had gone unanswered for so long.
Sorcerers might all come and go in a high-and-mighty manner, not taking the usual path.
Strange coughed a few times, then led his guide inside.
The inside and outside of the gate seemed to be two different worlds.
Outside the gate, the wind was biting cold, and even though he was wrapped in several layers of clothes and had walked through thorns and thistles, Strange still vaguely felt a chill.
Inside the gate, however, birds chirped among fragrant flowers, and the temperature was pleasant.
After a moment of dazedness, Strange finally came back to his senses. He remembered the voice's guidance and walked forward along the wooden corridor.
The guide followed closely, wanting to keep up, but was stopped halfway by a sorcerer apprentice.
The apprentice looked at Strange with slight surprise and said, "The Sorcerer Supreme only summoned Strange. If this gentleman is interested in Kamar-Taj, why not come with me for a tour?"
"Alright."
The guide nodded somewhat reluctantly and followed the apprentice.
Thus, Strange could only walk forward alone.
Although it was early morning, not all sorcerers had returned to their rooms to rest.
Along the way, Strange saw many sorcerers sitting in meditation on pavilions and terraces.
Without exception, when these sorcerers heard footsteps and saw Strange, they nodded slightly in greeting with a hint of respect, murmuring, "Doctor Strange."
"Hello."
In response, Strange could only nod back somewhat awkwardly and silently quicken his pace.
Fortunately, this wooden corridor was not very long, and Strange soon reached its end.
Turning right at the end, he saw a garden, and a figure was sitting on a stone chair in one corner of the garden.
This should be the Sorcerer Supreme, right?
Having arrived here, Strange was momentarily unsure how to speak.
Since the car accident in February, which left his hands nearly crippled, he had spent five months undergoing various cutting-edge technological treatments, without success.
He spent over a month seeking help from supernatural forces, mistakenly joining a cult and almost being sacrificed to a demon.
After that, he found a blessing in disguise, learning about the Sorcerer Supreme's residence. After inquiring about its general location, he spent another month, enduring countless hardships, and finally found it.