Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 117 The Mage's Apprentice (First Update)

Salomon raised his foot and kicked Balthazar hard in the ankle.

"Ouch! You know that hurts, right?"

“To address His Holiness by his given name is a great disrespect, Balthazar of the Merlin school,” he said. “Once we bring you and this wild shaman back to Kamar-Taj, we will inform His Holiness of this matter, and His Holiness will decide whether or not to see you.”

"Hey guys, let's hurry up, this Sun Long is enough for you to finish this job." Balthazar grinned, trying to pull his hand away from Little Wang's grip, but he gave up after a few tries because Little Wang's strength was beyond his expectations.

He sighed, looking rather helpless, and said, "My car is still parked outside, and now I probably won't even be able to pay the ticket. Why are you shaking your head? Haven't you heard of the Merlin School?"

"I've heard of that name, but we don't know if you're Balthazar," said the young monk. "You're quite famous."

This is what he learned in the Temple. Serving in the Temple required memorizing the names of magicians from various schools of magic on Earth, as well as the characteristics of their spells. Both the London Temple and the New York Temple had information about the Merlin School, and even one or two spells.

Salomon recalled the information he had seen and immediately looked disgusted. "That Vacuum Shield and Ion Cannon spell?" Salomon waved his free hand dismissively, "It's pitifully impractical."

"Hey!" Balthazar's eyes widened, and he shouted in dissatisfaction, "The Ion Cannon is a good spell, it's flexible! Although Merlin's elemental magic isn't very good, our strength is polymorphism! I also participated in modifying your Vishanti school's Mirror Dimension, I'm Balthazar, who's lived almost as long as the Sorcerer Supreme! Damn it, I've been gone for ten years, doesn't anyone recognize me?"

"Come back with us first, the common people are gathering here," Salomon reminded Balthazar, implying that they could discuss the merits of different schools of thought later, as if he hadn't started the topic in the first place. Balthazar could only helplessly raise his hand and nod, agreeing to the sorcerer's request. The young sorcerer released his wrist and led him into the alley, while Salomon dragged the dark wizard along behind.

They couldn't just open a portal on the roadside to return to Kamar-Taj; they had to find a more secluded place.

"Hey! Let him go!" A young voice rang out behind Salomon. The arcane mage thought the voice sounded familiar, so he turned around. Salomon saw a guy with short, dark curly hair, wearing a red plaid shirt and a gray hoodie, looking like a typical nerdy engineering student, standing behind them with one hand raised. He looked very nervous, and the large gemstone ring on his finger was emitting a faint glow.

"Let him go, do you hear me?!"

Balthazar sighed. He'd only agreed to go to Kamar-Taj because he didn't want to involve his new apprentice; otherwise, he wouldn't have wanted to meet the Sorcerer Supreme, as it would have been incredibly awkward. "His name is Dave," Balthazar said. "My apprentice… is still in his probationary period. Dave, relax, it's alright, they're not the enemy."

"Okay, uh, sorry." Dave's tense expression instantly turned into embarrassment. He scratched his curly hair rather awkwardly. "Where are you guys going?"

"The Sanctuary of the Supreme." Salomon interrupted before Balthazar could finish speaking.

“He’s coming too,” the arcane mage said. “My lord, open the portal. And Dave, come help lift this dark wizard up; I don’t want him getting his head chopped off by the portal.”

"Cool!" Dave stared in surprise at the portal spewing sparks, then asked Balthazar, "Do we have one too?"

"No," Balthazar replied somewhat awkwardly, but he seemed unwilling to undermine his apprentices' faith in the Merlin School. "We do have some good stuff," he said.

"Is there anything cooler than this?"

"Uh... probably not."

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"Wow! Why is it so cold here? Where are we?"

"Himalayas."

Dave sat in the reception room, asking questions incessantly and constantly looking around at the furnishings of the headquarters. He touched the tables, seemingly full of curiosity about everything.

Upon their arrival at Kamar-Taj, sorcerers quickly took over the dark wizard Salomon and Dave had brought. They would imprison the dark wizard in a special prison where magic could suppress his spells. Salomon had visited the prison once as a child; it held not only dark wizards but also some extremely terrifying monsters. Those monsters left an indelible mark on his young mind, because some of them were truly enormous, encompassing all sorts of forms.

Salomon left the young sorcerer to watch over Balthazar and Dave while he went to report the matter to the Sorcerer Supreme. He had initially assumed the Supreme wouldn't be interested in the Merlin school of magicians, but the Supreme seemed eager to meet Balthazar, saying she was an old friend and that he wanted to speak with her privately. This was a rare occurrence; private conversations only took place when extremely secrets were involved, such as those concerning the Old Gods or ancient mysteries.

Although Balthazar said Dave's apprenticeship was still in its probationary period, there's no such thing as a probationary period when learning magic. Dave had already donned the magical artifacts, which was like boarding the train to Hogwarts—there was no turning back. Once you've witnessed the magnificence of the magical world, no one wants to leave. Dave's formal joining of the Merlin School was a natural progression, and Salomon could only treat Dave as a Merlin School wizard as well.

Therefore, he could only obediently go to the reception room to keep Dave company. As for Little Master Wang, he went to buy soy sauce. If he was late, Aunt Wu Guiyue would be angry; no one wanted to be beaten up by that Wan Tai Staff.

Dave cannot go to the library because he is a wizard from another school, and Salomon cannot show him the functions of the various artifacts of Kamar-Taj. The spells, their construction, casting times, and other such information are the greatest secrets of a school, and Salomon, as a member of Kamar-Taj, would never reveal them to anyone else, let alone artifacts that concern his life.

Kamar-Taj is the only place that possesses the secrets of other schools of thought and other magicians.

Many wizards choose to pass on a portion of their magic to Kamar-Taj, not only as a sign of submission to the Sorcerer Supreme, but also as a precaution. Even if they die without leaving a successor, Kamar-Taj ensures the continuation of their magic. As the oldest and most respected school of magic on Earth, Kamar-Taj enjoys immense credibility in the magical world.

But Dave, who is currently communicating with Salomon, is not a magician at all; he's only just begun and always tries to explain everything he sees using existing science. Salomon can only communicate with Dave using dry, unintelligible words.

"I can't believe I've traveled halfway around the world from New York to get here!" Dave seemed oblivious to Salomon's lack of enthusiasm, still caught up in his excitement. "How does this portal work? Do you guys need to wear dress shoes?"

"No need to wear leather shoes, our magic acquisition mechanisms are different," Salomon replied dryly. "The principle behind the portal is a secret and cannot be revealed."

"Do you need to wear rings? Why do you wear so many rings?"

“The hanging rings are our ritual implements,” Salomon said. “But ritual implements aren’t necessarily rings; they can be other things as well. As for these rings, that’s my secret.”

"You look so young, when did you start learning magic?"

Five years old.

"Do you have many mages?"

"Karmar-Taj is the largest school of magic on Earth, and the Sorcerer Supreme is the ruler of the magical world, as well as the ruler of Earth."

"What about Balthazar?"

"I don't know..." This stumped Salomon. "I've only seen one or two spells from the Merlin school, and I know nothing else."

"I've seen your magic." Despite the cold reception, Dave remained intrigued. "What was the name of that magic that made you disappear all of a sudden? I was on the fire escape ladder, and I thought you'd been crushed to death."

"Stealth Steps..."

"Then what about that battering ram magic? I saw you smash that dark wizard to the ground in one go."

"Battering ram..."

"Alright, Dave. You haven't even learned your first spell yet, so don't ask so many questions. Focus on learning first." Balthazar entered the drawing room, narrowing his eyes as he carefully examined Salomon. "You're Salomon Damonnet, aren't you?"

"Yes." Salomon stood up and bowed. If this guy wasn't exaggerating, then he really was a contemporary of the Sorcerer Supreme. In the magical world, living a long life meant great skill.

"King of...The Supreme Master said you are her rightful successor?"

"perhaps."

"Then you should practice your swordsmanship." Balthazar patted Salomon's shoulder forcefully. "Your teacher is summoning you; she has some things to tell you."

Two updates today, please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)