Chapter 317: Language! (Part 1)

New York, Manhattan, this incredibly bustling and busy district, only grows slightly quiet at night; until the sky darkens completely, the snow gradually stops falling, the air remains cold, a whole day's accumulation of snow piles on both sides of the streets, dyed warm by the lit streetlamps.

In the shop windows on both sides of the street, mannequins are already dressed in beige reindeer sweaters, wearing red-and-green scarves; a string of shiny light bulbs hangs from the top of the windows, and an exaggerated number of gift boxes are placed in the corners.

Although Christmas is still some time away, the merchants occupying the best locations in all of New York have long since prepared for the upcoming holiday shopping frenzy.

The giant Christmas tree in the very center of the central roundabout has been set up according to schedule; only the twinkling light bulbs on it have not yet been lit. The gift boxes are covered in thick snow, not yet swept away, but the crowds taking photos are already endless.

In the reception room on the top floor on the west side of Arkham Asylum, Shiler held a cup, leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the children chasing and playing on the street below; Strange sat on the sofa, tidying up some scattered magazines.

"I wonder who told me yesterday that they would absolutely not wear a reindeer sweater this Christmas." Shiler did not turn his head, but Strange heard the mockery in his voice; he let out a snort from his nose and looked down at the blue-and-white reindeer sweater on his own body.

It was a very ordinary turtleneck sweater: from the collar to the shoulders it was light blue, then white, then light blue again; in the white section there was a blue pattern composed of reindeer and snowflakes. One could say this was an ordinary reindeer sweater that would almost certainly result in a matching outfit if worn out on Christmas.

Strange flipped through the magazine in his hand and said, "When I passed the shop window, I didn't even look at it; I just felt sorry for the salesperson who couldn't sell the stock, so I bought one along the way. As for you, I thought you were the type who didn't like to join the crowd."

Strange turned to look at Shiler; Shiler was also wearing a reindeer sweater. He wore a white shirt underneath, with a dark green reindeer sweater over it, featuring a white reindeer on the chest. The chance of a matching outfit with this sweater was much smaller than the one Strange was wearing, but it could not be said to be completely impossible.

"After all, everyone likes to dress this way; I didn't want to be unique." Shiler took a sip of water and said.

Just then, the "creak" of a door opening sounded; Steve, who walked in, was also wearing a reindeer sweater. He froze upon seeing Strange's and Shiler's attire. Steve scratched his head and said, "I thought you were the type who didn't like to join the crowd."

Because the reindeer sweater he was wearing perfectly combined the Strange-style and Shiler-style designs: red and green, with a white reindeer on the chest.

"I say, Captain, these colors are a bit too old-fashioned. Did you pick them yourself?" Strange looked at Steve and asked.

Steve walked over, sat on the sofa, bent his arm, and rested his hands on his knees, saying, "Nick gave it to me. He said SHIELD should have some holiday atmosphere. It wasn't just me; Seeing Natasha and Hill also received this gift, but they thought the colors and style were too old-fashioned, so they didn't wear them."

"I think it's just right; after all, old-fashioned clothes suit old-fashioned people perfectly." Steve smiled and said.

"I hope that next time I go to the SHIELD base, I won't see a giant Christmas tree covered in golden bells, or eaves hung with all kinds of small colored lights." Strange made the sign of the cross on his chest, and all three of them laughed.

"Nick's aesthetic sense is something I really cannot commend. Although we are all from that era, he obviously doesn't understand that the aesthetic of that era doesn't count as retro for today; it can only be called old-fashioned." Steve shook his head.

"Let's talk about the real matter." Shiler walked over, placed the cup on the table, then went to the other side to the buffet counter, took two other cups, and poured water for the two of them.

"I heard Nick wants to hold a Christmas ball?"

Before Shiler finished speaking, Strange raised both hands and said, "Oh my god, spare me. Doesn't he know how busy we are?"

"Yes." Steve nodded, rubbing the cup with his hand, and said, "You also know he has always been dedicated to uniting these people with special abilities and forming a team..."

"He won't miss any opportunity to gather us together to chat, talk heart-to-heart, and improve cohesion. Although I have no objection to such activities, just thinking about the tedious procedures of a ball gives me a headache."

Shiler and Strange exchanged a glance and said, "The most headache-inducing part should be the dance partner, right?"

Steve sighed deeply. Strange intended to tease him, but thinking of his own love life, he also sighed.

The biggest problem with his love life was that he simply had no love life. Strange complained, "I'm really about to die from busyness. I haven't left the Sanctum Sanctorum for a whole week. Can you believe it?"

"That group of demon gods calls over the slightest thing: from territorial disputes, loan interest rates, and multi-party negotiations, down to lost-and-found, pet boarding, and insomnia companionship. What do they think this place is?"

Strange sighed. Shiler asked him, "Isn't Loki here? Doesn't he claim to be the omniscient one of the universe?"

"Don't you know? Loki and Thor are still on Sakaar and haven't returned. We don't know if they can make it back before Christmas..."

"What are they doing there?" Shiler asked, somewhat puzzled. "Isn't that a barbaric planet?"

"That's right, but you should know Thor's personality. He wants to save the slaves there, and for some reason, Loki is also accompanying his brother in that nonsense. The Ancient One has mentioned it several times." Strange took a sip of water, then frowned at the cup and said, "Why is this hot water? Is there no tea or coffee?"

"It's already 10 PM at night. Are you planning to stay up all night?"

Strange pouted, put the cup down, and said, "It's better if those two brothers don't return; at least we won't have to worry about them causing trouble on Earth. After all, Thor's divine power has already been restored, and Loki is probably close..."

Steve also nodded and said, "That's true. If they had no divine power, it would be one thing, but if their divine powers are restored and they still live among ordinary people, they will inevitably bring danger to them. Nick will have a headache again."

"It seems you two have been very busy recently; only I am an idle person." Shiler went around the sofa, sat on one side, leaned against the soft cushion behind him, took a sip of hot water, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"You should be getting busy soon, because there have been many strange things recently; even Peter is extremely busy."

"What happened again?"

"I have also been busy investigating this matter recently. Perhaps you have heard of the recent supernatural events in Queens?"

"Supernatural events? You mean things like hauntings?" Strange frowned and asked.

"That's right. You also know that New York has many residential areas and many cemeteries. Recently, residents have reported seeing spirits and skeletons near the cemetery, and there are many rumors about ghost fires."

"Doesn't this happen every year?" Strange said somewhat disdainfully. "The hospital where I work loves to spread this kind of gossip: corpses suddenly disappearing from the morgue, seeing ghost fires in the hallway at night, patients who have long been dead suddenly appearing in a certain window. What is there to discuss?"

"The difference is that Spider-Man Peter and his uncle and aunt are among the witnesses this time."

"Their family lives in Forest Hills, Queens. To the west of Forest Hills Park is Forest Hills Cemetery. First, Peter saw something resembling a skeleton while walking his dog; then ghost fires scared his aunt. So he has been busy investigating this matter recently."

Strange fell silent, and Shiler also fell into thought, because they both knew Peter; he was not the type to make a big fuss or exaggerate.

Steve looked at Strange and asked him, "This should be a matter for your magic world, right? Can your magicians resurrect skeletons or command ghost fires?"

Strange propped his chin with his knuckles and said while thinking, "Theoretically, yes. A magician's power actually comes from exchange. If the power of his exchange partner possesses the attribute of resurrecting the dead, then he should be able to control spirits and skeletons."

"But in reality, almost no magician would do this, because it has no meaning. All exchanges must pay a price, and the power gained should be used for more useful purposes. What is the use of resurrecting corpses and spirits? To scare people?"

"Hmm... Can't they attack or something?"

Shiler looked at Steve and said, "Captain, you are a master of martial arts. You should know, what is difficult about skeletons and corpses?"

"They are actually just a variant of humans. One might even say they are weaker than humans. Without magical protection, skeletons have no muscles and can barely withstand any sharp weapon's slash or chop. Apart from being disgusting, corpses are no different from ordinary people..."

"To make these things possess powerful combat capabilities, a great deal of magical energy must be infused." Strange explained. "You must use this power to protect all the bones and the already rotting muscles throughout their bodies, and also endow them with the power of soul fire, giving them the basic intelligence to pick up weapons and fight enemies..."

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"If there is that much energy, one could actually create monsters far more powerful than these things. Once, a dark magician created a dark demon dragon in Montana, and a necromancer commanded a flock of soul-devouring birds to attack a hospital..."

"And skeletons... at least I haven't heard of anyone doing this at Kamar-Taj. Even if protected by magic, these things would require a very, very large quantity to possibly attack a modern human city."

Steve stroked his chin, nodded, and said, "Indeed, if they had such ability, a large-scale monster invasion of the city would be faster. So what do they want to do? Simply scare people? Create panic?"

Shiler shook his head and said, "It doesn't seem so either. If they wanted to create panic, they should target Manhattan or Brooklyn; these two places are the centers of New York. Queens has many mountains and parks, but the population is not dense enough, and reporters don't like to go there."

Just as they were discussing this topic, Steve's phone suddenly rang. He picked up the phone and pressed the answer key; on the other end was Peter's somewhat panicked voice.

"Captain, there are skeletons! The kind that move! Right at Forest Hills Cemetery. Can you come over?!"

"Listen, Peter, calm down. Is the situation very urgent? I'm coming right away..."

"Uh... not very urgent. They can't beat me. I just don't know what to do with them. You tell me, if I go down and punch them, will they faint? They don't even have brains, so they probably can't faint, right?"

Steve looked up at Strange. Strange spread his hands and said, "Alright, I should have had a cup of coffee. It seems I have to stay up all night again today..."