Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1270 Sharpening the Weapon (Second Update)

The Emperor's conversation with Stephen Strange didn't last long. To be precise, there was no conversation at all. He didn't repeat what he had said to Sherlock Holmes to the doctor; he merely glanced at Stephen Strange, who was studying, and then left without looking back.

Compared to Stephen Strange's troubles, there are many more important problems in the world that need to be solved. The reason why the two wardens and the Royal Guard have been staying in the dungeons deep in the Himalayas is to guard those dangerous items that could destroy an entire civilization.

A sealed stone tablet lies buried deep within the dungeon. It existed long before Kamar-Taj was built, and the construction of Kamar-Taj was largely due to the Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, dedicating it to guarding the tablet. Besides the jailer and the royal guard, several other guards, none of whom even Mordo had ever seen, are present here.

These guards were completely shrouded in heavy black robes, concealing even their eyes, making it impossible for outsiders to discern their gender, age, or any other information. They wore incense burners, amulets, and parchment scrolls of prayer, closely following the jailer's guards, who wore black eagle-patterned, gold-embroidered shoulder armor. Since the Supreme Sorcerer had gradually relinquished authority, control of these guards had also been transferred to the Emperor, who in turn delegated control of the dungeon guards to the jailer's guards, bringing in a wealth of technological equipment to create an even more stringent surveillance system.

As Kamar-Taj has been working for years, the number of prisoners deep within its dungeons has grown.

Among them were a silver cross key with Arabian vines; a bloodstained stone spearhead; a black hand covered in black hair and white maggots; a woman in a cheongsam holding a fan to cover her face; a tattered and filthy notebook signed Randolph Carter; a bizarre and terrifying portrait of a ghoul; a swarm of ever-expanding nanobots; a tape containing indescribable screams from the depths of the universe, carrying a mass-spreading mental meme and possessing self-awareness (it might jump up and attack); a crude golden crown crafted by the Deep Ones, inscribed with frenzied blasphemous words; and a half-rotten, foul-smelling humanoid creature with skin as tough as tanned leather, its deformed skull covered in dense, tiny spikes that pierced through the skin to form a bony crown.

These are the smaller prisoners. It is said that the Sorcerer Supreme also retrieved a slumbering colossal creature from the deep sea and imprisoned it in a seal beneath the Himalayas. After the Emperor took over, he began setting up entirely new imprisonment facilities and surveillance systems to ensure that those capable of destroying the world wouldn't escape. Now, the dungeon houses over four hundred prisoners, each capable of independently destroying a civilization and unleashing a devastating storm. The Emperor's visit to Kamar-Taj was to witness the placement and eternal sealing of a sunstone transported from Peru to the Himalayas. This sunstone is not merely a timetable for awakening extradimensional beings, nor a codex of bloody rituals; Kamar-Taj must keep everyone away from it.

Mordo refused to follow the emperor and the royal guards into the dungeon.

He stood at a distance before the arched gate carved from obsidian, faintly hearing eerie, chilling cries emanating from the dark passage. Although a brazier was lit, the light seemed to be suppressed, unable to illuminate anything more than a meter away; the passage remained utterly dark. This downward-sloping passage stretched for several kilometers, and entering it could easily lead to dangers such as oxygen deprivation; simply traversing it was no less challenging than climbing one of the world's most difficult mountains.

Even after living in Kamar-Taj for a long time, Mordo rarely came to this place. This was unlike the occasional rural exorcisms; the things in the dungeon were far more terrifying than the weak spirits occasionally summoned into the material world. No matter how curious Mordo was, he wouldn't willingly seek death. Moreover, no one knew whether entering this dungeon would require memory erasure. For those who had entered the dungeon, memory erasure was a protective measure, not a means of secrecy. Mordo didn't believe his mind could withstand that indescribable terror.

"What should we do with these people?" Mordo pointed to the servants carrying the sunstones, their bodies wrapped tightly in cloth as guards whipped them. Mordo knew these were scum the emperor had gathered from various battlefields; their fate was not worth pitying. In fact, anyone with a basic sense of justice would yearn to kill them upon hearing of their crimes. "Servants? Servants would be best; this punishment pales in comparison to their crimes."

"Servant," the Emperor nodded. "All procedures must undergo a cleansing, and the frontal lobe of the biological brain must be removed. Please organize the files. My Imperial Guards are busy dealing with those old seals. How long ago was the last time they organized those things?"

"Records show that it has not been repaired since approximately the fall of Constantinople."

"We're lucky we can still stand here and breathe." The Emperor waved, gesturing for Hammurabi and Ammon to follow him. A drone slowly flew ahead, illuminating the stone steps beneath their feet. The Emperor gestured for a guard to take the keys and lead the way. "When I return, I'll establish a rotation system. At least every year we'll check to see if there are any problems. That's called being responsible, not causing trouble. Oh, about the crying you heard, it might be one of the ghost musicians I hired..."

"Ha! I didn't expect you to be able to joke at a time like this."

"Be optimistic." The sunstone was slowly carried into the passage by the slaves. Before the dungeon doors closed, the emperor maintained his smile. "We're still alive, aren't we?"

Modu shrugged and said nothing.

Twenty minutes later, Mordo, still standing in the same spot, felt the ground beneath his feet begin to tremble, and the stones around him floated up as if gravity could not restrain them. Only then did Mordo confirm that the Emperor had entered the dungeon and opened the first door. Years of spellcasting and the nature of the prisoners had made the dungeon a place beyond human common sense and intuition. Thick layers of rock could not stop the supernatural phenomena from spreading outwards. Endlessly spiraling staircases and elusive cells were the most common sights. Sometimes, those who entered the dungeon found themselves walking in a corridor with no end in sight. This bizarre terrain was also the best defense for the dungeons beneath the Himalayas. No accurate map in the world could depict the precise path to the depths of the dungeon; only the unpredictable experience accumulated by generations of guards existed.

When you see two lit braziers, turn right.

When you see three extinguished braziers, turn left.

When you hear twelve chimes, take ten steps. When you hear thirteen chimes, take eight steps.

Almost all the methods of judgment were similar to those described above, but the emperor disregarded these patterns. He dispatched a large number of drones to explore all the passages, advancing along all known routes and drawing a three-dimensional picture, striving to create a complete and accurate map. The analysis was not performed by silicon-based chips but by flesh and blood. The data sent back by the drones was analyzed and processed by specially cultivated bio-brains, which then provided conclusions to the user. These disposable wet devices could understand and process some surreal data, which is why the emperor used this seemingly inhumane method to survey the dungeon.

No one will have a problem with this.

The guards had long lost their humanity, and the Imperial Guard never considered it a troublesome matter.

"If it's alright, could you let me lead the way?" The emperor walked ahead on his own. "I'm sure my friends in the dungeon can tell me some secrets I've always wanted to know."

Please vote for me!

I almost forgot to post it, damn it!

(End of this chapter)