Columbia University.
Finney's enrollment didn't cause much of a stir; he was just like everyone else, even though the Ancient One had told him he could have a significant impact on the world.
Since he didn't plan to live on campus, he wasn't assigned a dormitory initially. However, because the university wasn't close to his home, he planned to rent an apartment.
"Aren't you going to consider me driving you around?"
Skye asked Finney, looking around the new apartment.
"No, I might need to go to the Temple quite often, so it's more convenient to stay outside." Finney shook his head, declining Skye's offer.
Skye didn't insist, nodding and then unexpectedly saying, "Okay, then I'll move in too."
Since he wasn't short of money, the apartment Finney rented wasn't small, and there was indeed a spare room. But he hadn't expected Skye to say that, and was taken aback, asking, "Why are you coming over?"
"You're comfortable here," Skye replied, giving Finney a strange look. "People at the shop keep asking when you're coming back, it's too noisy. It's a bit awkward being home all the time. Since you have school every day, I can surf the internet here without being bothered." Hearing
Skye's answer, Finney was annoyed. He scratched his head and cautiously suggested, "By the way, you're an adult now, not young anymore. Haven't you considered being independent?"
Skye blushed deeply at this, and immediately said angrily, "I... I'll pay the rent, okay? Let's just say we rent together."
Then, as if he had thought of another reason, he added confidently, "If it weren't for Mom and Dad worrying about you not taking care of yourself, I wouldn't be coming. Do you think I want to live with you?!"
"Hmph!"
The girl snorted and went upstairs to tidy up the room, leaving a disheveled Finney standing there.
Finney didn't have much to say about his older sister, whom he had spoiled. Living together was better; New York was so chaotic, and it was sometimes unsafe for a pretty girl like her.
University life was easier than Finney had imagined. His major was relatively unpopular, so he didn't have many classes and had a lot of free time every day.
At school, he was mainly studying ancient Sanskrit. He hadn't actually read most of the books on Kamar-Taj yet because the translation software wasn't very mature.
He had tried to get Skye to help him research and create one, but due to a lack of relevant data, the translation quality was still poor.
Therefore, he had been asking others to translate his reading and studies, but he couldn't keep bothering them, so the efficiency was very low.
It was another bright afternoon.
Finney, who didn't have classes, was in the living room studying diligently with textbooks he had borrowed from school. Beside him, Skye was flipping through a fashion magazine with a bored expression.
But she quickly threw down the magazine in her hand, lay down on the soft sofa, and kicked Finney with her little feet, complaining, "It's Tony Stark again! That guy is everywhere!"
"You've been reading that book for almost a month, aren't you bored? By the way, the weather seems to be getting colder lately, let me go with you to buy some clothes!"
Listening to Skye's incessant chatter like a sparrow, Finney helplessly closed the book, glared at her, and said, "I really shouldn't have agreed to let you move in. And don't you have enough clothes already?"
"I'm buying you clothes." Skye first tried to straighten her little face and correct herself, then said with a grin, "I'll just pick out a few for myself while I'm at it."
Finney sighed, looked at the sky outside, and realized that such good weather had been rare since November.
Looking away from her gaze, Skye nodded somewhat helplessly at the expectant Finney. Her eyes caught sight of the fashion magazine she'd tossed aside earlier, its cover featuring a dashing Stark in a suit. She couldn't help but ask,
"Didn't I remember you used to like Tony Stark?"
Following Skye's gaze to the magazine, Finney curled his lip dismissively and said, "I admired his skills and inventions, but I've discovered he's just a playboy!" "That's hard to say!"
Finney looked at the energetic Tony Stark in the magazine and said with some emotion, "He'll probably become a hero!"
"A hero!?"
Skye looked at him with a strange expression. Tony Stark had many titles: super-rich, scientific genius, playboy, but almost no one had ever associated him with a hero.
"He's very peace-loving."
Finney shrugged. Following the tradition of mentor and student, he didn't really have much of a penchant for spoilers.
"He runs an arms company!"
Skye replied somewhat speechlessly, then didn't dwell on the matter and excitedly ran back to her room to get ready.
After spending the entire afternoon with Skye, Finney arrived at the New York Sanctum in the evening, opened a portal, and arrived at Kamar-Taj.
The cool morning air invigorated him. The experience he had gained in the past few months in Kamar-Taj was equivalent to several years before.
The experience bar, which had been emptied after draining 'Possessed by Evil Spirits', was now unknowingly more than half full again.
However, this pace has slowed down recently. Firstly, he doesn't have enough talent and time, needing to focus more on translating books; secondly, he can't find anyone to grind experience with.
There aren't many mages who enjoy combat, and Mordo has his own things to do lately, so he often can't find anyone to spar with.
While pondering how to solve this problem, Finney walked towards the training ground. On the way, he encountered a slightly chubby figure and greeted him, "Good morning, Wang, you're here today too!"
At this time, Wang wasn't the librarian when Doctor Strange arrived; he was now a member of the Hong Kong Temple Guardians and didn't appear at Kamar-Taj often.
"Good morning, Mage Finney," Wang politely returned the greeting, then walked over to Finney and quietly asked, "Do you have any chicken nugget wraps?"
"Uh, wouldn't it be too greasy for breakfast?"
Although he said that, Finney still skillfully summoned 'Violet Chicken Nugget Wraps' and handed them over.
Wang took the item, smelled it, and gave it a blissful look. Then, unconcerned, he said, "It's alright, I've already had breakfast, it won't affect anything."
"..."
Finney was speechless.
Meeting Wang meant he knew his day's experience was going to be fruitful. Wang's strength was slightly inferior to Mordo's, but he was still a formidable opponent, especially since Wang's fighting style wasn't as agile as Mordo's.
After these past few months of training, Finney had grown considerably, not in terms of magic, of course.
With his increased combat experience and equipped with 'Possessed by Evil Spirits,' he was now considered one of the experts in Kamar-Taj—specifically, in terms of combat power.
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(End of Chapter)