Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 23 The Vampires of Port Collins (Seeking Investment!)

Salomon possesses some novel but largely useless magic, a fact well-known in Kamar-Taj.

The apprentices stationed at the Himalayan headquarters would sometimes see Salomon sitting on an unseen floating object, holding a sheet in his hand, with howling winds blowing past him. Whenever this happened, Salomon would wave the sheet in his hand, being pushed forward by the wind until he crashed into the wall.

Sometimes they could see Baron Mordo chasing after Salomon. Each time, Baron Mordo looked exasperated, but no matter how much he waved his scepter, he couldn't catch up with Salomon, who was drifting through Kamar-Taj on his sails. Mordo was somewhat dissatisfied with Salomon's focus on those insignificant spells. In his view, Salomon should take advantage of his youth to learn more powerful magic so that he could be useful on the battlefields of the outer dimensions in the future. But when Baron Mordo offered his opinion to the Sorcerer Supreme, the Sorcerer Supreme said that it was Salomon's own choice, and Kamar-Taj would not interfere with anyone's choice of magic. If Salomon chose to learn that magic because it was interesting, the Sorcerer Supreme would not interfere.

The idea that magic that can't fight isn't good magic is prevalent in Kamar-Taj, and Mordo is no exception. Therefore, Mordo constantly tries to correct Salomon's "misconceptions," attempting to get Salomon "back on track" and become a "useful mage." But whenever Mordo tries to catch up with Salomon, Salomon can always disappear into the Mirror Dimension at lightning speed, making him untraceable.

Salomon was naturally impatient with Mordo's inexplicable insistence. In his view, there was no such thing as non-existent magic, only useless mages. Any seemingly insignificant spell could potentially play a huge role. Even during his training in Kamar-Taj, he could fight against many opponents using the Toril Crystal Wall magic and the Vishanti magic—of course, his training subjects were all low-level apprentices. If it were Kasirius or Mordo, they wouldn't give Salomon time to chant spells.

"I didn't want you to go traveling so early, Salomon." The Venerable One added a large spoonful of honey to Salomon's tea. Salomon had never been a fan of the Ancient One's taste; every dessert the Venerable One ate was sickeningly sweet, whether it was orange soda or tea, a spoonful of honey was indispensable. But Salomon obediently drank the tea, which was so sweet he couldn't taste any flavor. He always acted like a good boy in front of the Venerable One.

"I don't want to travel either," Salomon muttered, pouting. "Isn't it nice to stay in Kamar-Taj? And there's internet..."

The Ancient One seemed oblivious to Salomon's protests, pouring herself a cup of tea. The Venerable One said, "I have a task for you, a task that can only be carried out by you alone. The King is now a deacon of the Hong Kong Temple; he has neither the time nor the inclination to know about this. I want you to pursue a book whose clues date back at least two hundred years."

"What book?" Salomon asked curiously, thinking that the book the Venerable One needed to find must be a very important book on magic.

"That book is extremely dangerous," the Venerable said. "It's a long task, and I don't expect you to find it immediately. The last clue I followed led me to a time 237 years ago when a witch used her magic to turn a human into a vampire. The magic that creates vampires all originates from the Dark Book, and the Book of Vishanti is its perfect counter. For every spell in that book, there is a corresponding counterspell in the Book of Vishanti."

The Venerable One picked up his teacup, took a sip of the sweet tea, and continued, "Your destination is Collins, Maine. Don't worry, as for Athena, I'll help you get leave."

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"Cough cough cough! Cough cough cough!" Salomon struggled to break free from the dense branches that were entangled around him, tumbling and crawling, covered in grass and leaves, as he emerged from the bushes, dusty and grimy. He looked around and, finding no one nearby, breathed a sigh of relief, then used a clever trick to clean himself off. His location in opening the portal wasn't precise, but that wasn't his fault; he had only determined his location using a map and Kamar-Taj's planetary defense system, and falling into the bushes wasn't his intention.

Before arriving in Corinth, Salomon had consulted the local legends. He learned that it was essential to do thorough research before facing any enemy, a principle taught to him by the mages in his memories, and Salomon followed it.

Legend has it that over two hundred years ago, Barnabas Collins, the patriarch of the prominent Collins family, a fishing magnate, was a vampire. He was imprisoned in a coffin by the angry locals. This incident, like the burning of witches and the Salem witch trials, was the work of fanatical Puritans, and such events are still occasionally brought up and ridiculed by outsiders. However, based on clues provided by the Venerable One, there was indeed a vampire in Port Collins, leading Salomon to conclude that the vampire was very likely Barnabas Collins.

But Salomon was still somewhat incredulous.

Even the weakest vampire is not someone an ordinary person can subdue. However, the witch the Venerable mentioned made him wary. His goal was to find her, because if she could curse people into vampires, she must have come into contact with the *Dark Book*, or at least possess knowledge of it. Salomon also heard that the Collins family manor had burned down in 1972, and the current Collingwood Manor was a reconstruction and restoration, which aroused his suspicion.

Therefore, Salomon did not rashly go to Collingwood Manor to investigate, but instead went to the local library to look up information first.

In 1972, several significant events occurred in Port Collins. For instance, the discovery of the bodies of 11 workers in the woods beside Highway 9 caused a major uproar, with local media providing detailed accounts. Salomon also found news reports from that time among old newspapers. The reports indicated that the workers' throats had been bitten open, and police believed it was the work of a deranged killer. Furthermore, a black coffin was unearthed at a construction site beside Highway 9.

Seeing the bloody photos in the old newspaper, Salomon's heart quickened, and a shadow of unease settled in his mind. He continued flipping through the old papers and came across another news item. It mentioned the explosion at the Collins family's cannery that same year. The newspaper then described, in a satirical tone, the love-hate relationship between Angelique, the mistress of Angel Bay, and the Collins family, as well as the disappearance of Angelique Butchart after the fire at Collingwood Manor.

Immediately afterwards, it seemed that everyone had forgotten that Angelique Butchard had disappeared at Collingwood Manor, and the newspapers stopped reporting any information about the woman. Subsequent newspapers all stated the fact that Angelique Butchard had disappeared from her own home.

Salomon became increasingly uneasy, so he quickly searched through earlier newspapers.

Although the ink was black and white, the blurry image couldn't obscure the woman's exquisite beauty and captivating charm. Her long, slightly wavy blonde hair and deep red lips garnered her considerable support shortly after Angelique Butchart's mother's death. This woman's shrewd business acumen was strikingly similar to her mother's; she even controlled over 95% of the ships in the Great Beach area, while the Collins family could only scrape by, unable even to maintain a vast estate.

Salomon spent a long time and painstakingly searching through the library's old archives for portraits of the Butchard family, using magic such as enchantment. However, no male members of the family had left any portraits, and there has been ongoing debate about who Angelique Butchard's father was.

Although her hair color was different, Salomon could tell at a glance that Angelique Butchard looked exactly like her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

This is the witch!

Where is she now?

P.S.: I'm looking for investment!

Good morning.

(End of this chapter)