Chapter 1076: Regains Consciousness
When facing the threat of Dormammu, the Ancient One chose to accelerate the growth of the next generation of potential sorcerers. Among the many futures that the Ancient One “saw,” their own outcome was not very promising.
However, even if the Ancient One truly perished in this event, he knew that Earth would still endure under Dormammu’s invasion. That’s because Earth is a planet capable of creating all sorts of miracles, nurturing countless extraordinary humans.
“Now, let’s see how Kaecilius will handle the situation. I’m looking forward to it,” The Ancient One, who sent the message, settled back onto his own blanket and murmured quietly.
After the Ancient One sent that message, the selection process for the new generation of Sorcerer Supreme, which had temporarily halted due to the appearance of the traitorous Kaecilius and his followers attacking the New York Sanctum, resumed once again.
Moreover, under the guidance of the Ancient One, all the Sorcerers opened up all their resources to those young sorcerers who showed great potential. As long as their abilities were sufficient, they could learn any magic they were interested in.
With the resumption of the selection process for the new generation of Sorcerer Supreme, Steven Strange, who was not very informed about what had happened outside, could finally enter the major libraries that were previously off-limits.
Strange’s original intention for coming to learn magic was to heal his own hands, and that desire remained unchanged. Therefore, now that he had access to the libraries to study various kinds of magic, he naturally worked hard to learn more magic to achieve his goals.
Meanwhile, as the selection process for the new generation of Sorcerer Supreme continued in the Himalayas, Lin Rui, who lay in the underground medical room of the Stark Industries building in downtown New York, had almost fully recovered.
With the advanced recovery serum provided by the Stark Industry, Lin Rui’s injuries quickly healed, and with the help of the Ancient One, his mental injuries also recovered rapidly.
Therefore, as predicted by JARVIS, Lin Rui slowly regained consciousness after two hours. When Lin Rui woke up, Peter and Tony were still by his side.
“Uh… Huh? I’m still alive?” Lin Rui’s first words after waking up and seeing Peter and Tony in front of him were filled with confusion as to why he could still see them. Wasn’t he supposed to have been killed by Kaecilius?
“Jackson, of course, you’re alive! With us here, we won’t let you leave this world so easily,” Peter exclaimed with excitement, standing by the bedside.
“You… You were finally scared this time, huh?! Let’s see if you dare to be so reckless in the future!” Tony, who was also standing by, said in a tone of disappointment.
“I… I won’t dare…” Upon hearing Peter and Tony’s words, Lin Rui blinked and replied with a newfound determination in his eyes.
The experience of facing Kaecilius made Lin Rui realize that his own strength was far from being able to solve any crisis on Earth alone. Due to a series of recent events, Lin Rui played an important role in them, leading to an illusion that he could always have control over various situations.
This time, although Lin Rui almost died at the hands of Kaecilius, it was still a valuable lesson for him to recognize his own shortcomings. Furthermore, regarding the fact that the Sorcerers, or rather the Ancient One, did not intervene when he faced Kaecilius alone, the newly awakened Lin Rui had already contemplated some possibilities.
Having personally reminded the Ancient One of the situation, when Kaecilius and his followers appeared, the New York Sanctum had already sensed the danger. However, the support from the Sorcerers was delayed, which was clearly problematic.
But at that time, Lin Rui was facing a threat to his life from Kaecilius, so he didn’t dwell on it. Now that he had awakened, he naturally began to think about many things.
“Could it be… that the Ancient One still doesn’t trust me? Or perhaps… he doesn’t want us to intervene in this invasion of Earth by Dormammu?” Lying on the soft hospital bed, Lin Rui blinked repeatedly as he silently contemplated in his mind.
Seeing Lin Rui obediently agreeing, Tony and Peter felt that something was off. In the past, even if Lin Rui had done something reckless and ended up getting injured, Tony would scold him.
However, Lin Rui would always brush it off with words, but his eyes revealed that he didn’t really care. But this time was different. Lin Rui’s current demeanor clearly showed that he had truly gained some understanding.
“Jackson, could it be that you have some lasting effects from your injuries?” While Lin Rui was furrowing his brow, contemplating what might be happening with the Earth sorcerers, Peter asked with concern.
“Huh? Lasting effects? I don’t think so. I feel fine now,” Lin Rui replied, pulling his thoughts away from contemplation and focusing on Peter’s question.
As Lin Rui responded, both Peter and Tony bent down simultaneously, carefully scrutinizing his eyes, trying to see if there were any lingering effects. However, Lin Rui, faced with their close observation, naturally appeared puzzled and calm.
Phew~
“It seems like this incident has indeed made you more sensible.” After observing for a couple of seconds, Tony’s tone softened as he spoke.
Lin Rui: “…” If he didn’t become more sensible now, he’d truly end up dead the next time. He hasn’t had enough of life yet!
“Surprisingly, you’re already awake, and if your recovery is going well, then for the time being, stay here with me. I have a lot of things that could use your and Peter’s help.” Once Tony was sure Lin Rui was fine, he continued speaking.
After Lin Rui’s injury, Tony and the others made it clear that they had cut off ties with the Earth Sorcerers. So, at this moment, Tony certainly wouldn’t let the just-awakened Lin Rui continue to a.s.sist the Earth Sorcerers.
“Huh? Help here? What about the Sorcerers? Is the crisis resolved?” Lin Rui asked with confusion upon hearing Tony’s words.
Lin Rui hadn’t yet realized the severe consequences caused by his serious injuries in this incident. He still thought that his allies were continuing to cooperate with the Earth sorcerers.
After all, he had played a significant role in this collaboration, aiming to contribute during Dormammu’s invasion of Earth and to allow the Earth sorcerers to retain more power. He also wanted Tony and the others to witness the immense power of other dimensions in the universe.
“The Earth sorcerers? Hmph! Let them solve their own problems this time. We won’t provide any further a.s.sistance,” Tony answered directly in response to Lin Rui’s inquiry.
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