Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 124 (Second Update)

Before leaving the apartment, Salomon summoned three invisible servants, instructing them to finish his unfinished dinner and telling the Cheshire Cat not to steal any. Afterward, he immediately followed Wu Guiyue through the portal back to Kamar-Taj. The Venerable One gathered a group of arcane mages at headquarters, assigning them tasks; most of these mages were deacons of the New York Temple.

When Salomon arrived at the headquarters' training grounds, the New York Temple mage Daniel was leading a team to open portals and travel to various corners of New York. Upon seeing such a large number of arcane mages, Salomon immediately became tense, fearing he might miss something. Seeing Salomon's expression, the Venerable waved for him to relax.

"It's a matter concerning the Merlin School," the Venerable said to Salomon standing beside him. "I know what you're thinking, but Balthazar did run into trouble shortly after you left. You should have taken your phone; Balthazar has already notified you."

"I'm sorry, teacher," Salomon said, bowing his head in apology. He quickly asked, "What happened?"

The Sorcerer Supreme recounted the events without a hint of tension, including the complex love-hate relationship between Balthazar, Hophas, and Veronica. The plot was incredibly melodramatic and clichéd: Veronica chose Balthazar, how Hophas's love turned to hate, how Veronica sacrificed herself to seal Morgan le Fay, and how Balthazar wandered the world for over a thousand years in search of an heir to find liberation. The story read like a prime-time soap opera, capable of drawing tears from countless middle-aged women, a veritable melodramatic anecdote of Camelot back in the day—if it weren't for Lancelot's affair, the saga of Merlin's three apprentices would have been enough to keep the entire city talking for a year.

Compared to the "Spirit Summoning" magic Morgan le Fay had acquired, the Sorcerer Supreme was much more interested in discussing the love-hate relationships among the three members of Merlin's Order. Back then, the Sorcerer Supreme was busy fighting wars, pacifying rebellions, marching, and killing, thus missing many interesting events. Now, the Sorcerer Supreme seemed more like an old man, often reflecting on the past. This left Salomon somewhat at a loss, because even in this situation, the Sorcerer Supreme was leisurely gossiping—although Salomon also enjoyed gossip, as no one dislikes it, but this was not the time to discuss it.

Seemingly sensing his disciple's anxiety, the Venerable smiled and reassured Salomon. "Don't worry, Hofas isn't entirely devoted to Morgan le Fay," the Venerable said. "Why do you think I brought those things up? Hofas helped Morgan le Fay only because of his rivalry with Balthazar, and Veronica even sealed Morgan le Fay's clone with her own body, which means..."

"So, that 'spirit summoning ritual' wasn't Hofmeister's ultimate goal?" Salomon suddenly realized. "Releasing Morgan le Fay wasn't it either? His ultimate goal should have been to free Morgan le Fay from Veronica's body?"

“That’s right!” The Venerable One nodded. “This is Hofas’ ultimate goal. Releasing Veronica and having Morgan le Fay perform the ‘spirit summoning ritual’ is merely one step in Hofas’s plan. As for how to expel Morgan le Fay from Veronica’s body… that’s his scheme.”

Salomon unconsciously stroked the ring. If what the Venerable One said was indeed Hofas's thought, then Hofas was the most steadfast sycophant he had ever seen. He had spent over a thousand years trying to save his beloved, even going so far as to scheme against his own allies.

The Sorcerer Supreme seemed to have used the Eye of Agamotto to see all the possibilities ahead, which is why he was so relaxed after assigning the mystics of the New York Temple to carry out the mission. But when Salomon asked how Hophas planned to scheme against Morgan le Fay, the Sorcerer Supreme asked a very basic question.

"What do we rely on to cast spells?"

"The soul," Salomon replied. This fundamental question was a required course for every spellcaster; without a sufficiently powerful soul, one could not cast powerful magic. Even a novice arcane mage could answer this question. The Sorcerer Supreme slowly walked towards the headquarters library, Salomon following behind.

The Venerable One then asked, "So, what is the consequence of a failed spell?"

"The soul has been attacked by magic..." Salomon immediately understood Hophas's scheme.

Morgan le Fay's clone's soul strength far surpassed Veronica's. After Veronica sealed the clone with her own body, Morgan le Fay's soul quickly gained the upper hand, which is why Balthazar chose to seal Veronica. However, if Morgan le Fay fails while casting an incredibly powerful spell, the resulting magical backlash would be enough to severely damage the clone's soul. At that point, even if Morgan le Fay cannot be completely expelled from Veronica's body, Veronica's soul will once again take control.

"Teacher, you foresaw the end of things again, didn't you?" Salomon asked. "That's why you sent the sorcerers of the New York Temple to ensure things progressed as you envisioned. Just like when you sent me to investigate the Dark Book, it was to ensure Jubilee's complete annihilation."

"You must understand, some things won't happen if you say them out loud," the Venerable said. "Like prophecy. When someone hears a prophecy and takes measures to avoid its fulfillment, it can actually lead to the prophesied outcome. If I had told you beforehand that your target wasn't the Dark Book but Jubilee and Bayonetta, what happened next wouldn't have happened. I didn't tell the mystics of the New York Temple the whole story either; I just broke it down into many tasks and assigned them out. Some people's tasks were simply to ensure someone didn't fall, or to throw a can in the trash. But when countless variables come together, they can guide what we hope for in the right direction."

"You've already told me the outcome of this matter, so it certainly wasn't to involve me in Hofmeister's plan," Salomon asked. "Then why did you summon me here?"

"Balthazar landed on the American continent from New England," His Holiness suddenly brought up a completely unrelated topic, "and you've been to that place too."

“I’ve been to Maine, I’ve been to Massachusetts, and everyone there looks like Truman,” Salomon said. “Okay, I admit I was joking. I guess you mean, did Balthazar land in Massachusetts or Maine?”

"In Massachusetts, he went to Salem and participated in the Salem witch trials."

The Sorcerer Supreme's words reminded Salomon of his impressions of Salem from many years ago. Everywhere there were ancient buildings with black tiles and gray walls, and the pace of life was extremely slow. However, what Salomon remembered most, besides a candy store called Ye Olde Pepper Candy Campanie, was the lingering stench of alien magic (see Chapter 8 for details).

"Many dark wizards are imprisoned in Balthazar's magical artifact, one of whom was captured in Salem. However, for Hophas to release Veronica, he must release that dark wizard first. In fact, this dark wizard is far more dangerous than the others Balthazar has captured. He doesn't know the witch's identity, and the Salem witch trials were caused by her—she drove everyone there insane, but Balthazar didn't kill her because he didn't know what she was. You have only one target." The Venerable stopped in front of the library, turned to Salomon, and spoke with utmost seriousness.

"Find Abigail Williams, and kill her!"

How could I possibly follow the movie plot? That's my focus!

Please vote for me with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets!! It's so hard to keep a book running for so long QAQ

(End of this chapter)