Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 22 The Components of a Mage's Hermitage (Seeking Investment!)

Salomon's learning period was much longer than that of other mages—not only because he was a disciple of the Supreme Mage, but more importantly because of his age.

Kamar-Taj would never allow a minor to hold a position in the temple, no matter how powerful Salomon's magic was; in everyone's eyes, he still needed to learn.

Therefore, he naturally had no desire for quick success, but instead followed the lessons arranged by the Sorcerer Supreme and Athena day after day. This was very important; the accumulation of basic knowledge would be of great help to Salomon in the future. If Salomon, like Strange, used translation software to read those deciphered sorcerer's books, he would be helpless if he encountered sorcerer's books that needed to be deciphered in ruins like those without internet access.

[Mastering a language cannot decode the secret messages hidden in words or symbols, such as magical runes. These codes are not part of a written language, and reading grimoires requires deciphering; the same applies to a mage's spellbooks and scrolls, and copying them also has a chance of failure.]

Therefore, His Holiness placed great importance on Salomon's linguistic education, and in order to enable Salomon to understand modern society (in His Holiness's view, Salomon only understood magic and not science), the Ancient One specially arranged for Salomon to be enrolled in a school in the London Sanctum, and he would take the exam when he was old enough.

He had already taken the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 exams at the age of seven. With these SAT scores, Salomon could naturally take the entrance exams required at age thirteen—although he never went to school, the London Temple solved this problem with money. This was the first time Kamar-Taj had done something like this, because the school-age children at Kamar-Taj at most practiced martial arts and then went to secular schools. For example, Alice Gulliver, the daughter of Wu Guiyue, the guardian of the Hong Kong Temple, only came to the Kamar-Taj headquarters to learn self-defense.

No minor has ever devoted himself to magical studies as wholeheartedly as Salomon. Although Salomon seemed to enjoy this almost isolated life, the Ancient One was still somewhat worried that this disconnect from worldly society would make Salomon develop a withdrawn personality. Sometimes, the Ancient One even suspected that she herself had passed on her overly detached personality to Salomon.

That won't do. This kind of personality won't be able to deter extradimensional beings that are trying to invade Earth.

The joy of being a shut-in is unimaginable to others. Salomon even changes the posters in his bedroom every three months. Thanks to his language skills, he can watch the latest anime series as quickly as possible, without needing any translation. Others can hardly comprehend Salomon's happiness. As long as he has internet and food, he can stay at home forever. Except for Mount Athena, he doesn't need to go out at all.

This month, his wife is Holo, a girl with a wolf tail and wolf ears, no doubt about it. (January 2008 anime season)

This kind of life seemed extremely abnormal to outsiders. Countless times, Master Wang had tried to pull Salomon out of his room to take him for a stroll. However, Salomon refused each time. The rainy weather in London made him uncomfortable. If he wanted fish and chips or wanted to visit the British Museum, he would go by himself. As for New York, it was better not to show his face there. Who knew when a big, fat green guy would suddenly appear and start smashing things, or maybe even two of them? He had been to Hong Kong quite often, though. He was a regular at the food street outside the temple, and now Salomon could speak fluent Cantonese and communicate with the stall owners.

As for entertainment? What entertainment can compare to magic? My friend, isn't this most magical thing in the world interesting enough? The only thing that makes Salomon a little uncomfortable is having to face the Dark Dimension from time to time.

"When I was your age, I already knew my wife, Adria." Cassirios was very friendly to Salomon. Although he was often very harsh when training Salomon in self-defense, he would patiently instruct him when facing Salomon.

He said to Salomon, who was staying in his room, "You should go out more instead of always immersing yourself in books. The work in Kamar-Taj is not so heavy that it needs your help. You should go to school and meet some girls. Staying in Kamar-Taj all the time will make you look like an old man in his twilight years."

If my child were still alive, he'd probably be about your age now, and I might even risk being sued to let him taste beer... Anyway, staying in your room all the time isn't a good thing. If you want to get some exercise, you can come find me.

Kasirius kept his head down as he spoke, and Salomon couldn't see his expression—was it grief? Or remembrance? But years later, Salomon could only recall the chilling winds blowing from the Himalayas and the cold smell of decaying dust mixed with the room's grime, and the man standing before him with gray hair who had lost everything.

It is said that Kasirius was introduced to the Kamar-Taj by Baron Mordo, because the Kamar-Taj's mission has always been to lend a helping hand to those in need, provided they possess magical talent.

Aside from those personally recruited by the Ancient One, such as Salomon and Strange, almost all other sorcerers started their training in this way. The original Kamar-Taj was established by the Ancient One using this method.

His Holiness's idea is similar to "entering the monastery," because only those who have almost lost everything are attracted by Kamar-Taj's directional lock that protects the earth, so that they are not tempted by worldly wealth and honor, and can wholeheartedly take on the responsibility of fighting in the outer dimensions. That is why Kamar-Taj emphasizes celibacy, with the aim of calming the tormented souls of practitioners.

It's not that this idea is bad. The Ancient One's selection criteria have been in place for over a thousand years, and this system has stood the test of time. However, there are still many apprentices like Kasirius, and not everyone is willing to immerse themselves in the world of magic like Salomon.

Some people are drawn to the ideals of Kamar-Taj, such as Mordo, who was drawn to the idea of ​​the Sorcerers' Order protecting the Earth and voluntarily became a sorcerer to resist the outer dimensions. He has immense respect for the Ancient One, who has been dedicated to fighting the outer dimensions for over a thousand years.

Another group consists of families of sorcerers. These individuals are descended from the original sorcerers who practiced at Kamar-Taj, and are among His Holiness's earliest disciples, such as the King and Wu Guiyue. This group is also an important part of Kamar-Taj. These people have spent their entire lives at Kamar-Taj, and for generations they have received His Holiness's teachings. Some members of these families were once very close to becoming the Supreme Master, but His Holiness outlived them one after another.

Nevertheless, they remained important supporters of the Ancient One.

Those practitioners recruited from the secular world are often not pure enough. They still have regrets in the secular world. For example, Kasirius's purpose is to see his wife again. Or they learn magic only to find a way out and achieve their goals. In Kamar-Taj, there are people who, after learning magic, enter the secular world to become kings and tyrants, or do evil and enjoy material things that are difficult for ordinary people to reach.

Although the Ancient One had no prejudice against material enjoyment, she had also taken bloody action against some of those who used magic to do evil.

In modern times, the Ancient One has done this less often, for a simple reason—with the advancement of the times, modern people receive far more information daily than in the past. If one were to demand that a sorcerer be completely free of distractions, Kamar-Taj might become deserted. The Ancient One is well aware that "too much clarity leaves no room for fish," and therefore has relaxed the selection criteria for new members of Kamar-Taj—it's fine if they come to Kamar-Taj with a purpose, as long as they don't use magic for evil and take on the responsibility of protecting the Earth. Only worshipping Dormammu is something the Ancient One absolutely cannot tolerate.

Now it seems that Salomon's soul is too calm.

So the Ancient One planned to have Salomon do something.

P.S.: This is kind of a setup, combining elements from the manga and the movie. The next chapter will introduce a new event.

Bonus chapters for donations and investments! It's really annoying that I can't recommend myself on Longkong.

(End of this chapter)