The portal to the London Sanctum was easy to find. Despite the collapsed buildings around it, the three portals still stood like monunts amidst the ruins.
The mages were busy treating the injured and repairing the damage, so they only gave Su Ming and Holloway brief glances as they passed by.
Standing before the row of portals, Su Ming observed them. The one with Chinese-style features like an incense burner and an ancient zither likely led to the Hong Kong Sanctum. The New York Sanctum, which Su Ming had visited before, was now covered in bloodstains.
The portal that led to a completely unfamiliar scene had to be the London Sanctum.
They stepped through the golden ring of fire, and the rubble beneath their feet transford into polished wooden floors.
The first impression of the London Sanctum was one of opulence and grandeur.
The high marble ceilings and the enormous crystal chandeliers made the sanctum as bright as day.
The rich, stately decorations throughout the room reflected the power and history of the old empire.
A mage with a long white beard was waiting for them. He looked a lot like Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, an elderly man with a face and hands lined with wrinkles and age spots, wearing a brown robe.
He was likely a high-ranking mage, but had remained at the London Sanctum instead of participating in the battle at Kamar-Taj.
The three sanctums always needed soone to guard them, to prevent entities like Dormammu from sneaking in during tis of crisis.
The old mage greeted them warmly, as though they were old friends. "Welco to the London Sanctum. I'm afraid the weather isn't great for sightseeing, but I can lend you umbrellas."
"Thanks," Su Ming replied politely, though he had no ti for small talk. "We're not here for a tour. We have urgent business."
The old mage nodded, as if the war outside had nothing to do with him. He led them to the door.
With a wave of his hand, two black umbrellas flew from sowhere, and he handed them over with a smile.
"I received a ssage from the Sorcerer Supre, and I know why you're here. However, I can't leave the sanctum. You'll have to find what you seek on your own, I'm afraid."
"That's fine. Can you give us an address?"
"That's the residence of a wizard, so even with an address, you wouldn't be able to see it," the old mage said with a smile, stroking his beard, which bunched up into a ball of wrinkles. "But there's a more effective thod. Leave the sanctum, walk down the street to the left, and when you sll sothing foul, close your eyes and turn left. Walk straight into the wall."
Sll sothing foul?
Su Ming's expression beca strange. If a magic user was associated with foul odors, it likely ant they were a shaman or witch doctor—hermits more reclusive than mages. Could they even be persuaded to help?
He didn't say anything further and simply smiled, thanking the old mage before opening the door.
"Whoosh."
"Buzz."
"Bang!"
He imdiately shut the door.
Outside, a typhoon was raging. As soon as he opened the door, a torrential downpour drenched him, and he saw a tree fly past at high speed, crashing into and demolishing a nearby wall.
This is what you ant by 'the weather isn't great?'
Su Ming gave the old mage a deadpan look, suspecting that the man was silently laughing, like soone playing a prank by putting a bucket of water above the door.
No wonder the Ancient One left this guy to guard the London Sanctum—sending him to battle would be risky.
"Ahem," the old mage coughed, trying to suppress his laughter. "Rember to use the umbrellas. There's a magical array on them that will protect you from the storm."
"I'm keeping the umbrella. Goodbye."
Su Ming put on his helt, opened the umbrella, and pulled Holloway into the raging storm.
As they stepped outside, they could faintly hear the old mage's farewell: "Co back anyti!"
Yeah, right. Su Ming thought, I'm never coming back to the London Sanctum unless they change the guard.
The umbrella worked well, though Su Ming wasn't sure what kind of magic it used. Regardless, despite the rain flying sideways in the fierce wind, neither he nor Holloway felt the storm.
But with the wind howling like this, could they still sll anything?
The answer: yes.
After walking a few hundred ters down the street, Su Ming caught a whiff of sothing foul. Even the storm outside the umbrella couldn't disperse the stench.
The sll was thick and overwhelming, like a dense swamp, engulfing both of them.
Su Ming's helt was modified to filter out toxic gases, but it retained the ability to detect odors for combat purposes—a feature that cost several tis more than a regular gas mask. While the technology to repair or upgrade it wasn't quite there yet in the Marvel universe, Su Ming was starting to wonder if he could add an on-off switch for this function.
"This stench is unbearable. I pity the people living around here," Su Ming muttered.
Living in a neighborhood reeking of such a foul sll, yet unable to find the source, was a terrible fate. In comparison, the urine-scented asylum where Holloway worked was a paradise.
The doctor pinched his nose and mumbled, "Slls like a zoo."
"Well, we've found the place," Su Ming sighed, looking through the heavy rain at the green wall ahead. "Close your eyes and follow ."
Just like when they entered the New York Sanctum, they passed through a magical barrier.
The building in front of them was a three-story structure, like a standalone wooden house wedged between brick buildings. There was no wind or rain at its entrance, but the stench grew even stronger.
Before Su Ming could knock, the door opened automatically, and a wave of black smoke poured out, making Holloway's eyes water from the pungent stench.
"Cough! Who's inside? Could you please co out and speak?" Su Ming wasn't willing to step into the house—it was probably the most effective anti-theft system ever. The welco mat wasn't hiding a pit of sewage, was it?
Master, please stop with the tricks and just co out already.
As soon as he spoke, a figure floated out from inside.
He appeared to be in his thirties, dressed impeccably in a three-piece suit with a white waistcoat, white shirt, and black suit jacket. He wore a black bowler hat and held a black cane in one hand, sporting a neatly trimd mustache. His handso face carried a friendly smile, and his dark eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief.
"Welco, welco to my humble abode," the man said warmly as he used a quick spell to straighten his white bow tie.
He was clean and well-grood, a sharp contrast to the stench of the house.
Well, at least they didn't have to worry about catching a disease from shaking hands.
"Please, co inside for a drink. The weather is dreadful, isn't it?" The mage shook hands with them and stepped aside, inviting them in.
"Uh... is there a spell that can block out slls?" Su Ming decided to be direct. There was no way they could step inside otherwise.
The mage didn't look the least bit embarrassed. In fact, he smiled and admitted, "You're right. I've been maintaining a breathing-suppression spell—an Eastern trick I picked up. Simple but effective."
He raised his cane, letting it hover in mid-air, and began chanting a spell. Perhaps to show goodwill, he chanted out loud.
Though Su Ming and Holloway didn't understand magic, the Cloak of Levitation probably did.
Trusting in the Ancient One's recomndation, Su Ming removed his helt so the spell could take effect.
Within seconds, both Su Ming and Holloway lost their sense of sll.
The relief was imdiate. It felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from them.
Entering the house, they found it to be neat and tidy. Although clearly the ho of a bachelor, it was as clean as any regular person's ho, with no obvious signs of magic.
The doctor, however, had his doubts, suspecting the mage had hundreds of corpses buried beneath the floorboards—surely the source of the stench.
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