The teleportation gate to the London Temple is easy to find. Despite the collapsed buildings, the three gates still stand tall, like monuments amidst the ruins.
The mages are busy rescuing the injured and repairing the buildings. When they see the two, they only cast a hurried glance.
Standing before a row of teleportation gates, Su Ming observes briefly. The side with Celestial Dynasty features should be the Hong Kong Temple, given the incense burner and guqin. As for the New York Temple, he's been there before; it's covered in bloodstains now.
So, the entirely unfamiliar scenery is the London Temple.
The two step through the golden ring of fire, and the debris beneath their feet instantly turns into solid wood flooring.
Opulent and magnificent—that's the first impression the London Temple gives.
The tall dome is made entirely of marble, the splendid crystal chandelier lighting up the temple like daylight. The room is filled with stable yet rich decorations, showcasing the might of the old Empire.
A mage with a long white beard waits for them, resembling Gandalf from "The Lord of the Rings." He's quite old, with wrinkles and age spots covering his face and hands, dressed in a brown robe.
He must be some Great Mage, but to watch over the London Temple, he did not participate in the earlier battle at Kama Taiji.
The Three Great Temples always need guardians to prevent opportunists like Dormammu from invading.
His demeanor is friendly, like an old friend: "Welcome to the London Sanctuary. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been good lately, not ideal for sightseeing, but I can lend you umbrellas."
"Thank you." While courteous, Su Ming has no time: "Sightseeing isn't necessary, we have serious business to attend to."
As if the war in the United Kingdom has nothing to do with him, the Elder Master nods calmly and leads them to the gate. With a wave, two black umbrellas fly in from who knows where, and he hands them over with a smile.
"I received a message from the Supreme Mage, aware of your purpose, but I can't leave the Sanctuary. I'm sorry, you'll have to find it yourselves."
"No worries, can you give us an address?"
"It's a mage's abode, so you won't see it even with the address." The Elder Master chuckles, stroking his beard, his wrinkles all bunching up: "But there's a better method. Turn left along the street after exiting, follow the smell, and close your eyes to turn left again when you hit the stench, just crash into the wall."
Stench...
Su Ming's expression turns odd. If any magic user can be associated with a stench, it's likely a shaman or witch doctor, recluse even more than mages; could they really be convinced?
But he doesn't say much, just smiles and thanks the Elder master before opening the door.
"Woosh..."
"Buzz..."
"Bang!"
He shuts the door again.
Outside, it's typhoon weather. As soon as he opened the door, the rain drenched him, and he saw a tree flying at high speed from outside, crashing into a wall next to them.
Is this what you call the weather isn't good?
Su Ming gazes at the Elder Master with deadpan eyes, sensing he might be secretly chuckling, like setting up a prank with a blackboard eraser on a door.
No wonder The Ancient One kept him in London to watch the temple; sending this guy to the battlefield would be worrying indeed.
"Ahem." The Elder Master holds back a laugh: "Just remember to use the umbrella; it has an array that protects you from the wind and rain."
"I won't be returning the umbrella, farewell."
Su Ming dons his helmet, opens the umbrella, and pulls Holloway into the terrifying storm.
They vaguely hear the Elder Master's farewell: "Come visit often!"
Impossible, the entire London Temple is unreliable. Until the stationary mage is replaced, returning is unthinkable.
The two walk through the rain, and the umbrella works surprisingly well. Who knows whose power it borrows, but in the streets where raindrops fly horizontally, they feel none of the gale or rain.
But with the wind so strong, can the smell still be discerned?
The answer is—yes.
After walking a few hundred meters along the street, Su Ming detects a foul stench sharply. Even the gale outside doesn't affect it.
The stench is almost tangible, like a viscous swamp enveloping them.
Deathstroke's specially modified helmet can block toxic gases, but it must retain the ability to detect smells for combat reasons. It's dozens of times more expensive than a regular anti-toxic mask, without sufficient technology here in Marvel to repair or upgrade. Su Ming now ponders whether to add a switch to this feature.
"This is unbearably smelly. The residents around here have it rough."
Living in a stinking neighborhood and unable to find where it's coming from... Compared to that, Holloway's workplace, a nursing home with a faint smell of urine, is practically an Immortal Realm.
The doctor pinches his nose, muffling his voice: "This smells like... a zoo."
"Well, this is it." Su Ming sighs, looking at the azure wall through dense rains: "Close your eyes, follow me."
Just like entering the New York Temple back then, they pass through a magic shield.
A three-story small building, like a standalone wooden house, squeezed among surrounding brick constructions. There is no wind or rain at its entrance, but correspondingly, the stench is even stronger.
Before Su Ming can knock, the door opens automatically, as if black smoke pours out, making Holloway's eyes water from the stench.
"Cough! Which master is inside? Could you please come out to talk?" Su Ming dares not enter this house; it's truly the most effective anti-theft method. Hopefully, there's no cesspit under the welcome mat.
Master, please retract your divine power and come out to talk...
As soon as he finishes speaking, a figure drifts out of the room.
He looks about thirty, dressed neatly in a gentleman's three-piece suit, white vest, white shirt, black suit, topped with a black bowler hat.
He carries a black wooden cane, groomed with a meticulous mustache, his handsome face adorned with a smile, with bright eyes shining.
"Welcome, welcome to my humble abode." He speaks warmly, using magic to adjust his white bow tie.
He is impeccably clean and fresh, starkly contrasting with the house's odor.
Well, at least like this, no worries about contagious diseases from a handshake...
"Come, have a drink inside. The weather indeed isn't pleasant today, is it?" The mage shakes hands with them, making space at the entrance, inviting them inside for a chat.
"Uh... is there magic to block smells?" Su Ming decides to be upfront; otherwise, there's no entering this house.
The mage doesn't seem embarrassed at all, instead smiling as he admits: "You reminded me, I have been using Breath-Holding Magic—learned from the East... a small, simple magic."
He raises his cane, letting it float in midair, and begins chanting incantations. Perhaps to show no ill intent, the incantations are aloud.
But neither Su Ming nor the doctor understands magic; they can only vaguely comprehend the Magic Floating Cloak. Nonetheless, trusting the introduction from The Ancient One, Su Ming removes his helmet, allowing the magic to take effect.
Almost instantly, both Su Ming and Holloway lose their sense of smell.
They smell nothing, feeling refreshed.
Upon entering the room, they find it very neat inside. Although a bachelor's residence, it appears just as a normal person's might, without any trace of magic.
This makes the doctor suspect the mage might have hidden hundreds of corpses under the floorboards as the source of the stench...