Chapter 1382: The Call of the Stars (Eight)_1

Before a round meditation window, Stark and Strange both frowned over the black notebook on the table. Stark pinched the notebook with his index finger and thumb, propped it up under his lower chin and inquired with furrowed brows, "So, the owner of this notebook found some companions as well during his adventurous journey?"

"Yes, they referred to themselves as 'Witch, Hercules, Robot, Martial Artist, and Small Creature.' The nicknames sound like some sort of trading card game," replied Strange.

"They all have distinctive traits," Stark remarked, then added, "The diverse skillset seems like it was intentionally arranged that way."

"Undoubtedly, the unique abilities each member has provide greater security for the squad's survival, but they'll soon face even more formidable challenges."

Strange unveiled a smile. After he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers and the black notebook began to float. It hovered next to the side of the coffee table where a map was spread out.

Strange stretched his palm open and five rays of light shot toward the pages of the black notebook. Following that, five lively origami figures sprang out from the pages.

The first one was dressed in a long black robe with a conical wizard's hat, holding a magic wand glowing at the tip.

The second was Herculean, holding a shield, and when he landed on the table, he kicked up dust.

The third was composed of several blocks, with wires connecting the middle and a tracked chassis making noise below. There was a swaying antenna atop his head.

The fourth figure was agile, dressed in an oriental style kungfu robe with the character for 'martial arts' written on his back. Upon landing, he performed a spinning kick.

The fifth figure was a lean, weasel-like creature with a fluffy tail, nimbly darting around the feet of the other members.

A matchstick figure carrying a backpack landed last--in the middle of the map.

Stark scanned over the mini paper figures, saying their nicknames in sequence: "Witch, Hercules, Robot, Martial Artist, Small Creature, and the owner of the notebook, shall we just call him the 'Protagonist?'"

Strange agreed with a nod. His finger lightly pressed against the table. Magic-light shot out from his fingertips like electricity and cascaded down to reach each paper figure's feet.

As the magic light enveloped the paper figures, they appeared as though they'd been given life. They squirmed with surprise, looked at their own bodies, then turned to glance at their companions.

Strange flicked the other end of the magic beam. His finger made a tossing action at the black notebook in mid-air.

Once the notebook and the paper figures were linked by magic energy, they resumed consciousness from their puzzled state. They glanced at each other and gripped their respective weapons, gazing forward at the unknown path laid out on the map.

Stark and Strange both leaned forward, peering at the tiny paper figures' actions on the map. Unaware of the scrutiny they were under from those floating above, the paper figures chittered amongst themselves in lively debate.

"I think you're all overthinking. From the looks of it, that light dot ahead is what we're investigating. We just need to walk a bit more, and we'll get a result suitable to end the investigation. With all this time spent deliberating, I could've already returned."

Wanda had her arms crossed. Her eyebrows knitted together in what seemed like accumulated anger. This obstinate temperament inherited from her father was fully manifested in her at this point. Compared to being careful, she preferred to cut straight to the chase.

"I know, Wanda, you're strong, but my Spider-sense has never been wrong. There's something dangerous up ahead. It could be so perilous that we might not be able to handle it."

Riley's frown deepened. He strode forward a step, assertively stating, "I was the one who got you involved in this mission, so I have to be responsible for your safety. I can't accept any of you getting hurt-even the slightest injury is unacceptable."

"But we're already here," Wanda paced back and forth, perplexed. "We just need to walk a few more steps, and our mission is complete. You're grossly overestimating the difficulty. We shouldn't waste any more time."

"Alright, alright, Wanda." Riley held up both hands in an attempted placation. He said, "I brought you all here to complete my mission. But now I'm considering giving up on this mission and the points. So we can leave now, we have nothing to keep us here."

"You're just wasting our time!"

"I'm not a seer, I couldn't anticipate what we'd encounter here! I'm just considering your safety!"

As both grew increasingly argumentative, others had to step in. Xu Shang-Chi stood with Riley because he genuinely sensed something was wrong.

It wasn't just physically; his heightened intuition made the darkness around them seem overwhelming. He knew he was scaring himself, yet he couldn't help feeling afraid, much like how household items seem human-like when one gets up to use the restroom in the middle of the night.

Jarvis stood with Wanda, and it wasn't entirely due to their relationship. Among them, Jarvis was in the best condition, especially mentally. His newly obtained emotional module, having been in place for not long, was not able to comprehend what others were so anxious about. He felt nothing like that.