Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 9 The Price and the Third Ring

The Sorcerer Supreme was always selfless towards Salomon, and although he was the same to his other disciples, he did not mind taking Salomon to see the darkest places in Kamar-Taj.

Like a shadow under the sun, Kamar-Taj is not a particularly "righteous" organization.

"Now you see, the price of magic." The Venerable led Salomon into a courtyard where many ascetics dressed in red robes and smeared with white ash stood. Their bodies were covered in abscesses and deformities that were unimaginable to ordinary people, but the pain and itching did not change the ascetics' expressions. They remained calm and chanted incantations.

"They believe in magic, so they're willing to bear the consequences of magic at Kamar-Taj—or rather, the consequences for me… But how are you going to pay your bill?"

“I think using spellcasting materials is a good idea, teacher.” Salomon forced himself to breathe slowly, trying to avoid inhaling the stench of decaying wounds, while looking at the pustules and wounds with revulsion. He said, “You know that the knowledge the Stigmata have given me is quite special, but I believe I can still pay my bills, and I’m not just going to grow some strange things on my body.”

"During World War II, there was a mage named Monar, who is still alive today. You might meet him again someday. For every girl he saved from NaCui, he would drown a rabbit on his way home." The Venerable closed his folding fan and tapped Salomon on the head. "The price of using magic isn't always physical deformity, but other things, such as emotions, deepest loves, and interests. No one knows what they will have to pay for their bill, and it can't be offset by spellcasting materials."

I have already paid my price, and you will pay yours in the future.

According to His Holiness, embarking on this path means paying the price of one's life. Before Salomon knew it, he had already paid a price to come to Kamar-Taj—perhaps Jezebel's life or something else, His Holiness was not sure.

As for the last ring, the Sorcerer Supreme urged Salomon to get it as soon as possible, and the Sorcerer Supreme also provided a map and... a book?

"Many years later, near an old, sunken grave, a new grave was dug up. The two graves shared a single tombstone. Engraved on it was this inscription: 'A patch of pitch-black earth, a red letter A.'" The young monk read this passage at the end of the book.

The author of this book is Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the greatest Romantic novelists of the 19th century in America. The familiar "black" land in "The Scarlet Letter" refers to Hawthorne's hometown, Salem.

This land was called New England by the Puritans. Passengers of the Albert landed in Salem and initially settled in the town, before gradually building up the city of Boston. From then on, Salem welcomed a steady stream of Puritans, including ancestors of Hawthorne.

This place was also the site of a religious persecution case, the famous Salem witch trials. The Puritans of that era were fanatical in a way that is hard to imagine today, and the presiding judge of the trial was none other than John Hawthorne, an ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

But now, the Salem local government has turned "witches" into a selling point, vigorously promoting tourism, and even has a witch's cemetery. The whole town has a strong mystical atmosphere, and on Halloween, all sorts of strange witches and devils gather together.

Salem even has a witch museum. It's a small museum where Salomon sits in the center, and the walls around her light up one by one, showing scenes from the witch trials.

For ordinary people, the Salem Witch Affair was a somewhat tragic religious joke, but for Salomon, it smelled something indescribable, like the stench of a foreign magic... Perhaps there were some doubts about the Salem Witch Affair back then, and this magic lingered in this land, but it has become increasingly faint over time.

Perhaps the two young witches who triggered the trial were not ordinary people, but the innocent people who were later implicated were enough to give people a taste of the disgusting fanaticism of those Puritans.

Salomon and the young mage's clothes did not attract attention.

As mentioned before, the atmosphere here is very mystical. The descendants of the once fervent Puritans no longer adhere to their beliefs. Every day, many tourists come here to seek out witches, and it is normal to see a few dressed like wizards. There is nothing to be surprised about.

"So where is the ring that the Venerable One spoke of?" Little Wang looked around, staring intently at everyone's rings, trying to find something unusual.

"Oh, it can even move?"

"Why is it still moving?"

“A map, of course.” Salomon pointed to the map he had spread out, on which a small red dot marked the location of the ring. “We need to greet the descendants of those Puritans,” he said.

"You mean those stubborn lunatics?" Little Wang clenched his fist. "Remember the Venerable One's teachings: don't let magic be displayed in front of ordinary people... so fists are still more effective."

"My lord, you can't even use a single Ring of Raghadore. If it weren't for the Venerable One creating so many spells that allow the use of one's own magic, you wouldn't even qualify as a spellcaster." Salomon raised his head, trying to match the locations on the map with the buildings in reality. "And others have guns too. Don't forget, this is America."

Salomon's Ring of Raghadore is one of the commonly used spells in Kamar-Taj, manifested outwardly as two magical shields, one orange-yellow and the other red.

This is the difference in magic output; there isn't much difference in spell structure. However, it is the first spell with a spell structure that Kamar-Taj mages learn after acquiring magic power.

"OK, OK, so what do we do now?" Master Wang's chubby face was full of impatience, and the fat on his cheeks trembled from time to time.

"Use magic, my dear king," said the young mage. "Wait for our target to appear. Did you bring any money?"

The reason the Sorcerer Supreme had Wong follow Salomon was not only because Wong had not yet signed a contract with the Vishanti, but also because Wong was one of the few less rigid apprentices in Kamar-Taj.

Other mages often shout and fight when they see wild mages, but their strength does not match their momentum. Years of guarding have bred arrogance in them, making them look down on ordinary people. In fact, the Sorcerer Supreme personally deals with most of the troublesome targets, leaving some low-level minions to the other mages in Kamar-Taj.

In short, the Sorcerer Supreme is a legendary mage, and apart from a few pillars of Kamar-Taj, the other mages are probably not above level ten. Caught off guard, a single bullet could easily end the life of any mage in Kamar-Taj except the Sorcerer Supreme.

The Venerable Master also noticed this problem: the development of mankind in the last hundred years has been far greater than that in the previous few thousand years.

If Kamar-Taj fails to acknowledge the power of ordinary people, it may suffer greatly in the future. The Sorcerer King is one of the key talents the Sorcerer Supreme is grooming, and broadening their horizons is precisely what he and Salomon need to do.

P.S.: Remember to invest!

(End of this chapter)