Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 21 Salomon's Arduous Study Life (Seeking Investment!)

The Sorcerer Supreme was quite exasperated by Salomon's disappointing performance, and when faced with Athena's request, he could only reluctantly agree.

The Venerable One also felt that young people should take advantage of their youth to learn more, in any area, as long as Salomon's magic courses were not neglected.

Even the Ancient One had to admit that in the Kamar-Taj homeland in the Himalayas, almost no one possessed much refined artistic taste. At least compared to Athena, everyone else paled in comparison, even the Venerable One who had lived for over a thousand years.

Apart from the collections accumulated over the years from all over the world, there is almost nothing in the headquarters that can demonstrate the rich history and cultural significance of Kamar-Taj.

Even if Salomon eats from Tang Dynasty teacups, it doesn't change the fact that Kamar-Taj has extremely poor aesthetics from top to bottom.

Kamar-Taj emphasizes austerity; clothing is simple, made of dark linen and cotton, and even the food in the dining hall is plain boiled water and vegetables. Does His Holiness really not know why so many people flock to the Hong Kong temple during mealtimes?

Moreover, the gifts Athena gave were very sincere. Either Pegasus or Aegis could provide for one's entire life.

Now that all those things have been given to Salomon, it shows that Athena cares a lot about Salomon, which puts the Ancient One at ease a little. At least she is not worried that Athena will teach Salomon wrong.

However, Salomon had absolutely no interest in learning how to fight with a shield and spear.

In his view, the greatest use of Aegis is to defend against attacks that Seraphim's Shield and the Ring of Raghadore cannot withstand. He doesn't need to throw the shield like Captain America. After the Venerable's modifications, the Ring of Raghadore has become a spell that combines offense and defense, so using another shield would be redundant.

Furthermore, Salomon had great concerns about Pegasus's safety. If he were to ride on Pegasus's back, he would certainly be prepared with a Featherfall spell at all times to prevent any accidents.

Athena's appearance was naturally extremely beautiful, but it was a bit difficult for Salomon.

This isn't to say he had any special feelings for Athena; it's simply because these ancient Greek goddesses seemed to place little emphasis on privacy, showing almost no distinction between men and women. Furthermore, due to his physical development, Salomon often needed to use the spell "Mechanized Mind" to concentrate on his lessons.

Every month, he would take time to go to Mount Athena in New York to study sculpture and art appreciation, perform magic tricks for the children in the orphanage run by Athena, and also study subjects that secular students must take, such as mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics.

The Venerable One was also very pleased that Salomon had found a teacher to teach science.

Adding to the minor languages, alchemy, and potion-making taught by the Sorcerer Supreme, and the daily early morning practice of protective spells and the endless white magic in the Book of Vishanti, Salomon felt he had never been this busy, not even during his college entrance exams.

He also believed that he might be more knowledgeable than the seventh-year students at Hogwarts who were preparing for NEWT—if Hogwarts even existed.

With such a massive course load, if he hadn't been able to use the Scholar's Touch spell to instantly read a book, he might have been too busy to even eat.

Now Salomon has come to understand the hardships those great mages endured when they were apprentices.

Salomon currently possesses two spellcasting systems: one is the Vishanti lineage, and the other is the Toril Crystal Wall system, powered by Vishanti magic. These two systems complement each other, allowing Salomon to progress rapidly during his early stages as a low-level mage.

Sometimes, when he saw the three rings on his right hand, he felt a little incredulous. Logically speaking, the Vishanti should not easily forgive a spellcaster like him who steals magic power, but the Trinity of Vishanti let him go. Salomon could only guess that this was because of the release of the Stigmata, and that Stigmata had some inexplicable relationship with the Kabbalah Tree of Life he saw in his dream. The secrets of it could only be discovered by himself.

To this end, he dug out the research on the Kabbalah Tree of Life from the modern Golden Dawn in the library, trying to find some evidence, which added to Salomon's burden.

If it weren't for his youth, he would be quite worried about his receding hairline. Fortunately, the Venerable One also understood the importance of balancing work and rest, and would give Salomon a day off every week. On that day, Salomon not only didn't have to face the Dark Dimension, but also didn't have to practice alchemy and potion-making. He could lie in bed and sleep all day without anyone disturbing him.

Salomon's efforts were naturally noticed by the others in Kamar-Taj, so when Salomon took out the dimensional bag he had made, no one was surprised. Although the magic was different, it was not black magic. It was just that no one wanted to learn magic that could not enhance combat power. If they wanted to retrieve something, they only needed to wear the sling ring and use the portal.

The Sorcerer Supreme was very satisfied with Salomon's work, not only because Salomon had embroidered exquisite patterns on the leather satchel, but also because Salomon was not focused on magic that could cause destruction or defend himself; he was interested in magic as a whole, not in using magic to fight.

These are two different attitudes. For the mages of Kamar-Taj, there is not much need to learn magic that cannot be used in battle; learning one or two is enough. Salomon's attitude is that he will learn anything, good or bad, useful or useless, as long as it is interesting enough.

Learning magic with these two completely different attitudes will naturally lead to different achievements.

Salomon believed that a mage should be an all-rounder who could handle any situation and always have the right magic to deal with it, rather than a battlefield turret—that was the job of warlocks and spellcasters, and had nothing to do with mages.

If you want to gain a foothold on the battlefield, modern technology can do it, so why bother learning magic?

Salomon spent the winter of 2007 studying diligently until the Spring Festival arrived. This day doesn't hold any special significance for people outside of China, and the Kamar-Taj headquarters doesn't celebrate it, but His Holiness still grants the Hong Kong Temple a holiday so everyone can enjoy the festival.

Salomon was thus given an extra day off on Saturday. Little Master Wang came to see him that day, saying he wanted to take him to Chinatown in New York.

Wang lowered his voice and whispered to Salomon, "Studying magic all the time isn't good. You're still too young, and the tasks the Venerable One has given you are too heavy. You should have more contact with the secular world. I'm not saying anything bad about the Venerable One! I just don't want you to become a bookworm."

After completing the mission in Salem, the young mage successfully signed the contract with the Vishanti. Now, the young mage has become arrogant, and no one says he can't be a mage anymore.

After signing the contract, his magical skills improved by leaps and bounds, and he is now a low-ranking deacon in the Hong Kong Temple. One of the important reasons he came to see Salomon this time was that he wanted to show Salomon how powerful he had become.

Salomon tossed a satchel to the King with a grin; it was a gift he had prepared for the young mage. He had prepared several dimensional bags beforehand, and apart from one each for the Venerable One, Mordo, and himself, he had given away the others. This last one was specifically for the young mage, who, as Salomon's adventure partner, was naturally entitled to receive a gift.

Master Wang was also very satisfied with the gift—now that he had a surplus of living expenses, he could naturally buy some snacks to put in it, and this dimensional bag would allow him to get food anytime, anywhere.

"Let's go," Salomon said. "We need you to lead the way. I can't wait to get some Sichuan food."

P.S.: Two updates today! Please invest!

good night.

(End of this chapter)