Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1635 Kamar-Taj: Cold-Blooded Animals

The Eye of Agamotto—Wanda Maximov had heard this name in countless writings. Equally familiar was Agamotto, the great founder of Kamar-Taj, the first Sorcerer Supreme to stand against the incomprehensible, even though information about this sorcerer within Kamar-Taj is scarce. This brilliant first Sorcerer Supreme, with unparalleled wisdom, completed a preliminary discourse on understanding the incomprehensible, much like describing the sky and the Milky Way to a person blind from birth.

The research of the first Sorcerer Supreme laid the theoretical foundation for countless research achievements at Kamar-Taj today. Generations continued to expand upon Agamotto's theories until the Emperor's arrival, which refined the work and brought about another theoretical breakthrough—even though it was merely a tiny fraction of the many completed treatises for him. Many believe that the Emperor, in terms of both theoretical knowledge and psychic talent, is the only psychic in Kamar-Taj history who can rival Agamotto. Wanda Maximov benefited from the new psychic education system established by the first Emperor, but this also created a generational gap between her and traditional psychics like Daniel, to the point that Daniel had to recall the implication of the boot the Emperor had kicked in his backside and try to describe things in the language of the new system.

"Karmar-Taj is built atop one of the most powerful energy nodes. In past descriptions, such planetary energy nodes have been called drakes or something else, depending on the cultural concept. These nodes can originate naturally, like Mount Kunlun, or be man-made, like the ritual circles of the Celtic Druids. In any case, Kamar-Taj is located at one of the main energy nodes of this mountain range, and Kamar-Taj has established many connections throughout the world, linking the energy nodes of the entire planet in another way to power the planetary defense system," said Master Daniel with pride. In the mystical concepts of many cultural systems, similar energy loops exist in both the natural environment and the human body. Physically, these energy loops do not exist and cannot be measured, but to mystics, they are as clearly visible as electrical wires. "This is the masterpiece of the Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto. This system can also defend against attacks from the material universe, but I think this function may not be very practical."

"Let's get started quickly." The Royal Guard, Amphitrite, bowed his head. His face was exposed to the air, his helmet tucked into his waistband. Before Mage Daniel could even take something to chew from his pouch, the beef jerky in his hand was slapped away. "Focus, Mage Daniel. What do you think my job is? You need to be involved in this work, not just throw the manual at Ms. Maximov."

"Did he foresee this too?" Mage Daniel rolled his eyes in annoyance.

He was indeed not skilled in prophetic magic. The ability to hear divine pronouncements, once possessed by his family, or rather, by his Native American bloodline tribe, had gradually disappeared after crossing the Bering Strait. By his generation, the entire bloodline's talent had shifted to alchemy. Although he wasn't adept at prophecy, he didn't need to devour psychedelic mushrooms like his ancestors and distribute their metabolic waste to the tribal chief. Kamar-Taj had far more advanced and sophisticated methods for exploring the future.

"This decision was made based on the fundamental operational logic of the Royal Guard." Amphitriteon, a Royal Guard member, wore a serious expression on his human-like face, magnified to the same size. "I cannot risk the loss of Ms. Maximov and the resulting inoperability of the planetary defense system; therefore, you must participate. Mage Daniel, you must ensure everything goes smoothly."

The multiple "musts" made Wanda Maksimov nervous.

She tried to find something else to lighten the mood, at least to allow her to focus on reading the tattered parchment known as the workbook. The long parchment, written in obscure cuneiform, recounted the initial purpose of the planetary defense system and the contributions of the Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, in a very traditional, almost poetic style.

This is clearly a lengthy text written by one of Agamotto's former disciples, intended to glorify the First Sorcerer Supreme. Agamotto did not directly entrust the planetary defense system to his students, the original ancestor of the arcane families; it was only after Agamotto's departure that those students began to learn from, explore, and emulate their teacher. However, this text is unusual in that it doesn't mention what happened after the First Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, established the planetary defense system. Instead, it details the subsequent exploration and discoveries of this system. Arcane mages of that era faced the bloodiest living conditions, the most terrifying psionic catastrophes and plagues, thus creating an extremely urgent need for massive systems like the planetary defense system.

"The Imperial Guard's code of conduct?"

"Ensure the emperor's survival under any circumstances, at any time, in any place, and by any means."

Mage Hamil stood on the grayish-white soil, the wheels of all-terrain vehicles passing by kicking up high clouds of gray dust. More than one vehicle passed by, almost all fully loaded with cargo, some transporting goods from Attilan Fortress, others en route to the Dark Side Fortress. All the cargo was draped in a gray dustproof cloth to prevent contamination from lunar soil floating in the low gravity environment. The lunar terminator flowed smoothly before him, while the distant Earth was shrouded in a vast shadow. Radio noise crackled in his headphones. Without the protection of an atmosphere, jumbled signals from cosmic radiation emitted sounds at different rhythms—the only sounds humans could detect in a vacuum.

"This is the first time I've worn a spacesuit, and the first time I've stood on the moon and looked at Earth," Master Hamil confessed to Wu Guiyue. "I'm very eager to see how things are in Kamar-Taj. If things are really as bad as he says, then his and the human race's situation is very dangerous."

"I believe he has the ability to solve the problem."

"He is no longer the person we knew. When a person takes on the responsibilities of the Supreme Master, he can no longer be regarded as an ordinary human being," Master Hamil cautioned. "You cannot draw conclusions based on having cared for him or knowing his human side."

"Similarly, you cannot draw conclusions simply because he has assumed the responsibilities of the Sorcerer Supreme." Sorcerer Wu Guiyue gripped the Staff of All Laws tightly, the white jade staff shimmering with an unassuming magical light in the void. "None of us witnessed his decision," she said. "We can only be certain that he will uphold the principles of Kamar-Taj."

"I think he will take more radical measures. I just hope he doesn't go astray and seek the power of nothingness to solve his problems."

"You've been an educator for far too long, Master Hamil. Like Mordo, you always think you have the right answer, which is a common problem for educators," Master Wu Guiyue said. "He once told me that there is no absolute truth in this world. He believes that every decision must conform to the current history and the future development trend to maximize benefits. He believes that the arrival of the interstellar age will inevitably bring more humans into contact with psionic energy and psionic alien races. We all know how cruel this universe is, and the idea of ​​continuing human reason will inevitably face survival challenges. Unless you think that the Inhumans in Attilan who worship the Kree cult can be forgiven, you cannot criticize him, because we all know what kind of difficulties we will face next."

“This is not an accusation, Venerable Wu Guiyue,” Venerable Hamil sighed. “I’m worried about whether he can pay this bill, whether the human race can pay this bill.”

"Only by living can one pay the bill, or default on it." Venerable Wu Guiyue tilted her head, pondering for a moment, before uttering words that worried Venerable Hamil. "If the living conditions are too harsh, then good and evil become indistinguishable; survival becomes the sole objective. Burning bones for food, exchanging children to eat—we cannot judge behavior in extreme circumstances using morality and reason. Can you say that those machine servants are innocent, and therefore we cannot treat those individuals who should have died this way?"

"That won't end well," the monk Hamil said, closing his eyes. "Is our future destined for suffering?"

"Perhaps. But I believe he can restore reason to the world after everything is over. The last civil war in human history is about to break out. We have learned many lessons from history. Without a complete and unified political system and culture, we will not be able to reach the stars. Standardizing writing and cart axles are necessary costs, but they are costs that short-lived humanity cannot accept."

The radio channel remained silent, emitting only a hissing noise.

The piece was placed down again, and the gear-shaped piece representing the machine slowly turned, making a clicking sound.

The comfortable chair almost enveloped him, but he remained alert.

"I cannot be certain who I am speaking to now," the Emperor said. "Can you still hold on, teacher?"

"Yes, the beings behind the veil are not so easily able to manipulate my thoughts and actions."

The Sorcerer Supreme stretched out his hand, pointing to the darkness beyond the lamplight. Night swept over the space, drowning out the starlight that had adorned this boundless darkness. In this spiritual dimension, even breathing was a metaphor, and the night represented humanity's fear of the night. This fear did not originate from the Sorcerer Supreme or the Emperor, for they resided on the surface of humanity's collective unconscious; the flat ground beneath their feet was the foundation for their own consciousness, while the subtly flowing black waters below were the true source of humanity's collective unconscious. The fear came from humanity's collective unconscious; even though the entire human race was unaware of what awaited them, the collective unconscious's intuition sensed a potential threat rapidly approaching.

"They are waiting for fresh flesh and soul. Can you resist them?"

"I cannot do it," the Emperor said. "This temporary catastrophe will inevitably lead to a significant increase in the number of psionic beings among all of humanity. I can only deal with the collapse of the world after the increase in psionic beings. This is barely an opportunity, an opportunity to unite all of humanity. The second phase of the campaign has begun."

"So, you included my death in your simulation model from the very beginning?"

(End of this chapter)