My family runs an adventurer's guild.

Even more outrageous is that Hydra seems to be hoping to use this thing to wipe out the Sorcerer's Guild in Kamar-Taj... If they really have such determination, they might as well just randomly drop nuclear bombs, start a global nuclear war, and play a wasteland survival game.

Of course, with the dramatic changes in global public opinion, Hydra seems to have a legitimate hope of taking power now – it is still very difficult for the entire organization to be whitewashed, but individuals within it can run for office as far-right politicians.

Therefore, actions as disruptive to the system as "Project Insight" are most likely unlikely to be carried out, or at least will be postponed for some time. Even if the Hydra bigwigs within S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to do it, the other Hydra bigwigs currently active in politics would probably stop them—the authority of the government comes from the system. If you destroy the system yourself, then the US president becomes like a republican president, unable to command those below, and what kind of person is he?

In this case, whether the Winter Soldier and Captain America will continue their love-hate relationship, and whether S.H.I.E.L.D. will disband, becomes an unknown.

It's hard to say whether the plot of Avengers: Age of Ultron will unfold as before—perhaps, after Tony Stark becomes the Sorcerer Supreme, there will be no more artificial intelligence life forms like "Ultron" and "Vision"?

However, it's hard to say. After all, there are many smart people in the world, but just as many fools. Some of them are even high-ranking officials—for example, a certain Chinese tycoon bought more than 20 properties in the United States to invest and preserve his wealth. After he died, his son went to the United States to inherit his estate, only to find that those properties had already been confiscated due to unpaid property taxes… How did someone with such poor financial acumen become a tycoon?

Similarly, if the Hydra bosses are sufficiently incompetent, even with all the right timing, location, and support, they could still mess things up...

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Next, the story and setting of Guardians of the Galaxy are all far from Earth, and Phil probably won't have much interaction with them.

Then there's the plot of *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*. Phil Coulson, who faked his death and was resurrected before the Battle of New York, is probably still traveling the world with his special team, recovering all sorts of supernatural artifacts, hunting down escaped alien soldiers, vicious superpowered thugs, and desperate office workers infected with a strange alien disease. There's also a Hydra agent lurking in the team; it's unclear whether he'll eventually become the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

As for the struggle between Kingpin, Mrs. Goose, and Daredevil in Hell's Kitchen, New York... it hadn't even erupted by the end of 2012. And even if a fight did break out, it would only involve selling drugs under the cover of night, carrying out violent demolitions, spreading cults, and inciting fools to self-harm. In the larger context of national political struggles, it wouldn't even make a ripple and could be completely ignored.

In short, their vision is too narrow—how could mere gangsters possibly influence the White House and Capitol Hill?

Even if it's a superpowered version of the Young and Dangerous, it's still a Young and Dangerous character that can't be brought to the table!

Despite Kingpin's constant talk of business and his cigar-smoking, tycoon-like demeanor reminiscent of Monopoly, his company's total assets are only around $100 million. He can only spare a few tens of millions of dollars at most, and he can't even afford a Quinjet fighter jet.

His so-called political protection was nothing more than bribing a few police officers and judges; he couldn't even get a district councilor to speak on his behalf.

Compared to those truly powerful conglomerates with connections to government and business, Kingpin, which appears fierce, is far too superficial and lacks sophistication.

Being aggressive and lawless, seemingly arrogant, is actually a despicable act.

True big shots never kill without shedding blood, and sometimes they even use the law to drive people to their deaths!

As for Lady Gao, she didn't seem much richer than Kimihira either. I wonder how she managed to live from the Sengoku period of Japan to the present day. If she had acquired a few more screens or teacups when she was chatting and laughing with Tokugawa Ieyasu, they would be national treasures by now!

Anyway, no matter how much they fight in Hell's Kitchen, it won't affect Xavier's School of Magic, which is dozens of kilometers away.

After all, the United States of America is not like neighboring Mexico, which has been badly exploited, where gangsters can openly massacre police stations, target mayors and councilors, and, more importantly, remain unscathed afterward. If such a powerful and ruthless gang could truly thrive in the United States, it would undoubtedly be agents and informants from S.H.I.E.L.D., the CIA, the NSA, or the FBI in disguise…

The infamous Hell's Kitchen is, from a player's perspective, just a beginner's village. The equipment, items, and money you can find there, as well as the helpers you can find, might be somewhat useful for novice players, but for experienced players, it's just a piece of cake.

However, even if Hell's Kitchen is temporarily razed by force, as long as the social background and economic relationships that breed crime remain unchanged, the same dark criminal gangs will soon grow up again, at most just moving to another place to do their illegal business.

Just like the "violent neighborhoods" outside Paris and the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, no matter how many times the government and police crack down on them, or what relief, improvement, and control policies are introduced, they quickly revert to their old ways once the crackdown is over...

Just as Phil was lying on the sofa, reading newspapers and magazines and idly letting her mind wander, she suddenly felt a surge of magical energy, like ripples on water, spreading throughout the room…

The next moment, a circular portal with sparks flying from its edges suddenly appeared in front of Phil's sofa. On the other side of the portal was a dumbfounded, shirtless monk, and faint shouts of "Hmph! Hah! Hey!" could be heard coming from behind him.

"...Ah...I'm sorry, sir, my magic skills are still not very good, and I'm not proficient enough in using it. I connected to the wrong place!"

The shirtless young monk opposite him hurriedly apologized and then canceled the portal, restoring the room to its original tranquility.

But after being disturbed like this, Phil lost interest in continuing to read the newspaper. Instead, she jumped off the sofa, rushed to the balcony, leaned over the railing, and looked outside. She couldn't help but exclaim, "...Those musclemen from Kamar-Taj, what are they doing practicing teleportation again? Aren't they afraid of making a hole and falling into the White House?"

Author's message

P.S.: Recently, Western media outlets, mimicking the Romanian legend of the "Piercing Duke," have given the Saudi Crown Prince the nickname "Mr. Bone Saw" (abbreviated MBS), which inevitably evokes images of Crossbones from Marvel. It's also said that there was a villain with this moniker in the original Spider-Man.

Chapter 286, No drawing circles on the ground!

"...Hmph! Hah! Hey!"

"...Hmph! Hah! Hey!"

The once tranquil and elegant lawn in the courtyard of Xavier's Magic School was now filled with noisy shouts and a pungent stench of sweat.

A group of shirtless men and women wearing only vests and shorts were lined up in neat rows on the lawn, practicing their boxing stances.

Under the bright sunshine, all these people, regardless of gender, were burly and muscular, with sweat dripping from their vigorous exercise, making them appear shiny and radiant. Even in the cold winter wind, they exuded a palpable heat.

Accompanied by the instructors' whistles, they stood up straight, shouting and yelling as they struck various poses, punching, kicking, jumping, spinning... Every punch and kick was delivered with all their might, truly powerful and swift, like flying sand and stones.

There was also a burly Mongolian man with a round face dressed in black kung fu clothes, who walked back and forth in the crowd with his hands behind his back, scolding from time to time, "...you young lads, if you want to master superior magic, you must stand in a horse stance as immovable as a mountain, and your punches must be as loud as the wind and thunder!"

Remember! Magic is weak, fists are strong! You youngsters, if you don't undergo rigorous training and forge your bodies into steel, how will you ever defeat the demons and monsters of the myriad realms and restore peace and order to the world?

—Although he had an East Asian face, this Mongolian man was giving a lecture in English with a slight Indian accent… As a result, the magic apprentices from various American countries who were watching and listening, as well as other bystanders, were all bewildered and felt quite uncomfortable.

Good heavens, you guys from Nepal, are you trying to learn superior magic or superior martial arts?

Or is it that, in the minds of the "Earth-native" magicians of Kamar-Taj, magic and martial arts are actually the same thing?

The mage tower on Earth is actually a martial arts dojo.

No, no, no, looking at so many shiny bald heads, it should be compared to the Magical Shaolin Temple...

Good heavens, this is absolutely mind-blowing!

The witches and wizards in the fairy tales I read as a child didn't look like this at all!

These earth magic spells with a curry flavor are so low-class! I'd rather learn the more sophisticated and high-class magic from another world!

—Ever since Tony Stark, Iron Man, visited Kamar-Taj and, with the immense magical power of the Seven Gods and his own extraordinary magical talent, easily subdued a group of weak "masters," receiving the Eye of Agamotto from the Ancient One and becoming the next Sorcerer Supreme, Tony decided to arrange exchanges between Kamar-Taj and the sorcerer students at Xavier's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to strengthen Earth's defenses.

The ultimate goal is to merge the two magic systems, and the minimum goal is for them to understand each other and at least be able to cooperate in combat.

When they learned that Earth also had its own magic system that had been passed down to this day, the magic students from various countries in the Americas in New York were initially overjoyed and full of curiosity, mentally matching them with the magicians and witches in fairy tales.

However, when the group arrived at Xavier's Magic School, these Americans rushed over excitedly, only to be utterly astonished...

These Kamar-Taj sorcerers have such a bizarre art style!

There were no pointed hats for mages, nor flying brooms. Instead, they were all muscular women and men dressed in training clothes. Apart from holding a few mysterious and antique magic books, their appearance was vastly different from the traditional image of a "refined and slender" mage!

No matter how you look at it, these guys from Nepal seem more like kung fu kids, don't they?

Then, the way these Kamar-Taj sorcerers cast spells is also very ridiculous.

First of all, just like the otherworldly magic taught by the cat Firi, the magicians of Kamar-Taj also need to cultivate their mental strength and enhance their souls through secluded training and meditation, which means accumulating enough mana.

However, when it comes time to use these mana, the Kamar-Taj sorcerers cannot directly guide and utilize the scattered magic around them to condense fireballs or create lightning. Instead, they must use their bodies as bridges, communicating with other dimensions through their mental power to borrow the power of other dimensions to unleash magic—roughly equivalent to each spell being a summoning spell, such as summoning electric whips or magic blades from another world.

Because of this roundabout approach, Kamar-Taj sorcerers cannot rely solely on chanting spells in battle; often, even their hands are insufficient. Instead, they must engage in a complex series of hand gestures and movements to successfully cast spells. This is especially true for large-scale spells requiring the cooperation of multiple people—to outsiders, it resembles a group performing a public square dance.

Next, because the magicians of Kamar-Taj draw their magical energy from another dimension, even if they successfully "form a hand seal," the magical energy they summon is very unstable, difficult to throw, and unsuitable for ranged attacks.

Therefore, most of them choose to cultivate both magic and martial arts, using magic to shape their weapons or directly infusing magic into their personal weapons. Once they encounter a battle, they wield magical weapons such as electric whips, fire swords, and lightning spears, roaring as they charge forward, each strike drawing blood and each punch landing with flesh.

In short, these Kamar-Taj mages are all melee mages, or rather, magic swordsmen. Magic is just a minor auxiliary tool for them; their truly lethal attacks come from wielding mage knives... which is why they all look like gangsters or martial artists.

Of course, although the overall art style is rather bizarre, there are still some rather high-end and sophisticated things among the commonly used magic in Kamar-Taj: the first is to "draw circles" to open portals, and the second is the magical mirror space.

In the "traditional Western fantasy" magic of Phili's world, teleportation is a very advanced form of magic, and perhaps only one in ten magicians can master it. Moreover, most of them can only achieve instantaneous travel between two teleportation arrays, and cannot teleport freely at will.

However, for Kamar-Taj sorcerers, the skill level for the spell "Portal" is very low. From the apprenticeship stage, they must first learn to draw circles with their slingshots to open portals, and they can usually master it in just a few months. Almost everyone can teleport freely.

Then there's the Mirror Space, which they typically use as prisons and arenas, a cool spell that creates something from nothing. It's precisely because of the widespread use of portals and Mirror Spaces that Kamar-Taj mages have to strive to improve their melee skills. For example, if a Kamar-Taj mage is casting a spell on a distant enemy and a portal suddenly opens beside them, they're doomed if they don't have melee abilities…

Therefore, many students at Xavier's School of Magic were very interested in this kind of magic that involved drawing circles and teleporting.

Unfortunately, although exchanges have begun, Kamar-Taj remains secretive, only willing to demonstrate some of their basic tactics to Xavier's School of Magic, refusing to share the core technologies of the Mirror Dimension and portals, much to the disappointment of the Xavier's School of Magic students.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In short, due to academic exchange, this group of kung fu fighting Kamar-Taj magic apprentices who "don't look like magicians at all" came to Xavier's School of Magic on the outskirts of New York, and their bizarre style dazzled countless whales.

Then, unsurprisingly, these melee mages caused a lot of trouble...

In fact, if the magic apprentices at Kamar-Taj were merely practicing stances, boxing, and square dancing at Xavier's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it wouldn't necessarily cause any conflicts or disputes. Although they might find Kamar-Taj's unconventional magical style a bit hard to accept, the American magic apprentices there didn't consider them aliens, nor did they harbor much dislike for them.

After all, compared to ordinary people, these magicians are already outcasts!

If they were truly as devout, conservative, and xenophobic as the Amish, resisting all new things, they wouldn't have come here to learn magic.

Moreover, there are actually quite a few martial arts dojos with various signs in modern Europe and America, and Europeans and Americans are already used to it.

On the contrary, after interacting with the Nepalese magic apprentices at Kamar-Taj, the Xavier School of Witchcraft and Wizardry apprentices developed a subtle sense of superiority, much like well-off urban middle-class people seeing poor relatives from the remote countryside:

These Kamar-Taj magic apprentices from Nepal are so poor!

—As a sorcerer order obsessed with the secrets of other dimensions but with a very outdated concept of asset management, the daily income of the Kamar-Taj Sanctuary mainly relies on the land rent from several estates under the Ancient One's name, which sounds very old-fashioned, cheap and low-class.

Moreover, as a poor mountainous country on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, Nepal has always been a poor place, so how much money could it possibly get from renting from tenant farmers?

(In ancient Indian literature, there are many records of impoverished Nepalese people robbing the Ganges and Indus River plains. Wang Xuance, the "strongest diplomat" of the Tang Dynasty, was able to conquer a country in India by himself, thanks to the great assistance of these Nepalese, who had been thieves for many years.)

The Nepalese in ancient Indian epics are roughly similar to the Huns and Mongols in the Chinese imagination.

Not to mention, since the end of the 20th century, Nepal has become increasingly impoverished, engulfed in a massive revolution and civil war, with 70 percent of the country's land becoming guerrilla zones for the Red Army—under these circumstances, it became even more difficult for landlords to collect rent.

In addition, the local prices are vastly different from those in New York, making the rent received seem even more meager after being converted into US dollars.

Even the masters who reside at the New York Temple only receive a lunch allowance of 200 rupees (two to three US dollars, depending on the exchange rate) per day. If it weren't for Xavier's School of Magic covering all their room and board expenses, the apprentices would probably have to work as dishwashers to support themselves after arriving in New York!

Of course, if they were truly desperate for money, the Ancient One and his disciples, driven to desperation, would naturally resort to any means necessary, using teleportation magic to embezzle funds from the homes of the wealthy and bank vaults to tide them over, and ensuring that no one could find out.

—I've been diligently protecting the Earth for hundreds of years. What's a little gold and silver from you rich dogs?

However, when their financial situation was not as dire as it is now, the masters of Kamar-Taj were usually quite principled, preferring to live a simple life with plain food and few desires rather than recklessly amass wealth for personal gain... so they naturally appeared relatively poor.

In contrast, the magic apprentices from various countries in the Americas at Xavier Castle enjoy extremely generous treatment thanks to large government grants and generous donations from many tycoons—tuition and fees are waived, food and lodging are free, and they also receive a monthly allowance of three thousand dollars.

Since some of the apprentices were already adults, and even had families to support, the bank provided them with preferential interest-free student loans (specifically for magic apprentices), relieving them of all worries and allowing them to focus on studying magic at the school. Under these circumstances, the apprentices of Xavier's Magic School felt superior to their "poor predecessors" in Nepal and were naturally more tolerant.

Therefore, despite their different art styles and concepts, there were no conflicts between the magic apprentices at Kamar-Taj Sanctuary and Xavier's School.

However, in the Marvel universe, regardless of whether they are good or evil, most superhumans seem to possess a stubborn and reckless streak. The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj are no exception—after leaving the sparsely populated foothills of the Himalayas and moving to Xavier's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry near the bustling metropolis, the masters of Kamar-Taj still organize their apprentices to practice drawing circles and opening portals every day while wearing protective gear.

And that's when the trouble started...

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Standing on a balcony at Xavier Castle, Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., squinted as he looked down at the neatly arranged crowd below.

The Kamar-Taj magic apprentices, dressed in training uniforms, each wore a ring called a "suspension ring" on their finger, intently drawing circles. Some merely created sparks in the air, while others drew portals connecting to distant places.

Seeing this, Nick Fury's dark face turned even darker, like ink, while Captain America Steve Rogers, the first headmaster of Xavier's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, stood awkwardly to the side, seemingly at a loss for what to do.

"...Captain Rogers, how could you allow them to practice opening portals here? Do you know how much trouble they've caused lately?"

Nick Fury reprimanded Captain America in this way, while Phil, sitting in the corner, looked completely indifferent, just waiting to watch the show.

"...Last Saturday, someone opened a portal into the subway tunnel, which startled the driver and caused several trains to stop suddenly, resulting in delays."

This Monday, some guy here somehow managed to open a portal into the French consulate's garage, not only catching the consul's wife having an affair with a driver, but also somehow causing a fire, creating quite a stir, and even getting a letter of protest onto my desk.

This very morning, some bastard opened a portal to a luxury yacht off the coast of New York, scaring a young model so much that she fell naked into the sea. Luckily, she didn't become shark food, but she also gave a 70-year-old lecherous man a heart attack on the spot, and he almost didn't make it..."

The bald, one-eyed black bureau chief yelled, "...Next time, do you want to open a portal into the Federal Reserve's vault, or the White House Situation Room?"

"...Chief, it's no use talking to me! These magicians and apprentices from Nepal don't listen to me at all."

Captain America shrugged helplessly. "...You need to find Tony. He's the Sorcerer Supreme, protected by the gods!"

"...Then what are we waiting for? Bring Tony over here quickly, I need him to teach these little bastards who abuse magic a lesson!"

The charcoal-haired bureau chief roared, "...If he doesn't take care of it, I will!"

"...I'm sorry, Chief, Tony isn't here right now. He's in England scouting locations for a magic school in London..."

Chapter 287, Three "New" Magic Schools in the Marvel Universe

As is widely known, drawing circles while wearing a slingshot to open a portal is one of the signature spells of the Kamar-Taj sorcerers.

Only when they mastered drawing circles could they become a group of "martial arts" melee mages capable of instantaneous teleportation across the entire map (limited to Earth).

Otherwise, without teleportation, they would just be a group of slow-moving, ranged, and poorly healed kung fu masters.

—If you want to abandon ranged attacks and focus solely on the ultimate move of "teleporting and then slamming into the face," the prerequisite is that you need to teleport fast and accurately!

Therefore, on Earth in the Marvel universe, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj are arguably the most elusive group of people—one moment they're sunbathing on a Hawaiian beach, the next they might be watching penguins in Antarctica, and the next they might be shopping on the Champs-Élysées in France…

Similarly, the reason why the traitorous Kamar-Taj sorcerer "Panda Eyes" Kaecilius and his followers were not caught after committing crimes and fleeing was because they were also proficient in spatial magic, able to draw circles and traverse space at any time, escaping to any corner of the earth...

If such an elusive person were to put on a little disguise, how could Kamar-Taj possibly catch him with their limited manpower?

Unless Kamar-Taj is willing to step out from behind the scenes and engage in deep cooperation with official organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D.... but that's simply impossible!

Therefore, Kaecilius, who has sided with Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, is still able to roam freely all over the world.

Getting back to the main point, no matter what kind of craft you are learning, there will usually be a long process of practice making perfect and going from unfamiliar to proficient.