American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 457 Magical Reform (Part 1)

It had just rained, and the neon lights reflected off the water droplets on the ground, giving the place a hazy, beautiful glow. Constantine was standing atop a skyscraper.

He took a deep breath and then threw the burnt-out cigarette butt into the puddle.

Constantine hates these kinds of occasions, hates meeting those self-important mages and trying to sell them things he doesn't even fully believe in himself—but hey, Zatanna has a great face. Constantine can find reasons to refuse Kent and Rune, but Zatanna?

That's beyond the scope of my knowledge, my friend.

The door opened, and a woman dressed in a well-tailored white robe stood in the doorway. Her skin emitted a faint purple glow, her ears were pointed, and her beautiful face wore a serious expression.

Constantine remembered this puppet; Rune called it Tyrande, and it was a limited edition.

Pshaw, these mages are all the same. They put on a righteous facade, but they're actually more cunning than anyone else.

"Mr. Constantine," the puppet nodded slightly, "please come in."

Constantine stepped into the room and was immediately struck by how orderly everything in the mage's room was.

Ancient magical artifacts are cleverly integrated into modern design. Silk, tapestries, and human skulls—these seemingly unrelated design elements are placed together without feeling out of place.

If I had to describe this room in one word, it would be understated luxury.

FK! I hate this mage even more now!

"Welcome, distinguished guest from afar. I am Kane," the mage said with a smile and a nod, introducing himself while gesturing to the wine cabinet beside him. "Would you like something to drink?"

The other party didn't even ask what he wanted to drink, but simply assumed that Constantine liked to drink.

This man is very famous, and his information has long been known to the public. Constantine has done some great things in London, saving many people, but many sorcerers still despise his actions.

Despite being a powerful mage, Constantine was always unruly, sneaking around and associating with the lower classes, which seriously damaged the reputation of mages—at least that's what they thought.

Constantine was well aware of his reputation among mages; sending him over to "promote" was tantamount to Constantine offering his face to be slapped.

However, after seeing the treasures in these wine cabinets, Zha Kang actually felt that even if he were really kicked out, it would be completely acceptable.

"Whiskey, no ice, please," Constantine replied, his eyes still darting around, silently assessing the magical items in the room.

The battle between Rune and Naboo directly led to the destruction of the Tower of Fate, with most of its magical items completely shattered. The remaining artifacts were also corrupted by powerful dark magic, making them difficult to tame.

Even Constantine felt that using these dark artifacts was too costly.

Among them, the Helmet of Fate, melted by Rune, was transformed into the shape of eyes under the influence of dark magic. Constantine dared not even touch this item.

After Constantine had seen those terrifying dark artifacts, he found Kane's collection rather uninteresting.

Kane had wanted to see Constantine's ignorant face, but Constantine just had a nonchalant expression, which disappointed him. However, out of politeness, he remained calm and invited Constantine to sit down.

"Dr. Fate said in his letter that you have some—interesting suggestions, considering—um—" Kane pondered the words carefully, and finally uttered a single word with a sigh, "Reputation, I must admit, I'm really curious."

Seeing the other party's helplessness, Constantine just wanted to laugh out loud. He dared to deceive even the demon kings of hell, so where did he get any reputation?

But the mission was urgent. Zack Kang took a big gulp of whiskey, savoring the sensation as it went down his throat. "Let's get straight to the point, I like that. Yes, a powerful mage recently discovered a new spellcasting system. I think you've heard about it?"

"Yes," Kane nodded, a smile on his face, but inwardly he became wary. "Doctor Fate mentioned this to me before, but I really don't understand why he, who symbolizes the order of the magical world, would promote this spellcasting system."

"Because this spellcasting system has fewer side effects —"

Kane shook his head. "Stop, sir. I've studied magic for over forty years, including Tantric Buddhism, high priesthood, and traditional magical methods. My family's lineage can even be traced back to Merlin's time. Do you really think I'm that easy to fool?"

Constantine sighed inwardly.

In terms of its manifestation, most spellcasters in the DC Universe today do not need to pay a price for casting spells, while the spellcasting system that Rune wants to promote requires borrowing from a higher level of being.

Since it's a loan, there must be a price to pay —

Who wouldn't want to use this spellcasting system?

"So, you think it's normal that you don't have to pay a price for casting spells now?" Constantine retorted, a question that made Kane scoff.

"Don't force me to laugh out loud, little guy," Kane said with a sneer. "It took me forty long years to finally become an archmage. Isn't that the price I paid? I could have been like you, having fun with a few women, but I didn't!"

"I studied and practiced day and night, I spent countless amounts of money and energy, who says my magic doesn't come at a price?"

Constantine shook his head. "Come on, your so-called price is different from what I'm talking about. Have you even considered the nature of magic?"

"That's a very big topic, Constantine." Kane's smile widened. "All mages have studied this topic to some extent, and the current mainstream view is that it's a natural phenomenon."

"Just like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, just like the moon waxing and waning—"

As Constantine listened to Kane's words, he felt that an insurmountable chasm had appeared between the two sides. Thanks to the runes, Constantine had obtained far too many secrets that he should not have known, including, of course, the essence of DC magic.

This was an unsolved mystery that had troubled countless monks.

Constantine looked directly at Kane and said softly, "No, the magic comes from a powerful being, but that deity did not willingly relinquish that power—"

"You mean, our magic was stolen from someone else?" Kane narrowed his eyes, leaned forward, and glared fiercely at Constantine. "Hmm, an interesting hypothesis, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's why you don't have to pay the price. But the problem is, he'll be back to collect his debt soon." Constantine took another sip of his drink. "Then you, and most of your friends, will pay the price."

The monk wore a thoughtful expression. He leaned back on the sofa, resuming his previous aloof demeanor. "So, why did you choose me?"

"Because you have resources, influence, and have studied these magical arts," Constantine stated frankly, "and that being believes you might be 'intelligent enough to recognize its value.'"

Perhaps you can refuse, so that Rune can use you to establish his authority.

Constantine appeared relaxed, but his mind was filled with schadenfreude.