Ignoring Ron, the Aurors, the well-meaning waitress, and the crowd of dumbfounded mages, Noah returned directly to his office in the London Sanctum.
His office was as clean as ever, which pleased him immensely. At least he didn't have to worry about spiders or unexpected messes here.
Surveying the room, Noah sat in his chair and, after a moment, released his magical power.
There are many ways to identify a mage, but the most direct and effective is by sensing their magical signature.
Less than ten seconds later, two portals appeared before him.
As the circles expanded, Wong and Mordo stepped through.
They looked tired, but more than that, disbelief and joy shone in their expressions.
Especially upon seeing Noah casually leaning back in his chair, their fatigue seemed to vanish instantly.
"You're back fast," Wong said, sighing with relief instead of scolding him.
"I thought you'd be gone a year or more. Damn it-you caused so much trouble and then vanished. Thank heavens you're back so soon."
"Welcome back, Noah," Mordo added. "But back so soon? Didn't you have an important mission? Did you complete it?"
"Don't worry, it's finished." Noah laughed, looking at the two who had essentially grown up with him.
"Actually, I've been away nearly thirteen years. But due to the difference in time flow between universes, only half a year has passed here."
"So that's why," Mordo and Wong nodded in understanding.
No wonder he returned so quickly.
Neither asked what he had been up to.
Noah was Sorcerer Supreme now; many things were truly beyond ordinary mages.
After a quick glance at each other, they updated Noah on what had happened at Kamar-Taj during his absence.
Noah had a general idea from his phone, but he needed the details from those in charge.
It aligned with his expectations. After organizing the Arcane data, they had followed his instructions and made it public.
The effect? Just as Noah anticipated-perhaps even beyond it.
The release had set the magical world ablaze.
Noah already knew most of it, so he wasn't particularly interested. He cared more about the Council's development and how far the Archmages had progressed in understanding Domains.
"As for the Council, no worries," Mordo said. "Everything's running as per your deployment. And remember, in your absence, we decide things together. Though, it's better you're here-decisions can be made directly."
"Of course. Even with authority, you wouldn't dare take over, right?" Noah smiled. "So, has anything happened lately?"
"Nothing major," Wong replied. "Though one thing was interesting-the debate on whether to inform other magical organizations about Domains. Another dispute arose, but Mordo and I suppressed it using your name."
"You really need to think this through, Noah," Mordo said seriously. "Domain magic is far too important. Its difficulty is high, and it shouldn't be shared casually. Honestly, you shouldn't have even given it to us."
Noah smiled, saying nothing. Suitability was ultimately his decision.
Mordo understood; it was a suggestion, not a protest. Wong stayed neutral.
They had long discussed giving Domain magic to leaders of other organizations. A unanimous agreement had even formed.
But the more they studied Domains, the more they realized its terrifying nature.
Humans are inherently selfish-they might reconsider when stakes are too high.
Noah noticed both Wong and Mordo's magical intensity had increased noticeably.
Before he left, they had been at the upper seventh rank. Reaching the eighth rank normally would take a decade.
Yet now, both were within the eighth-rank range, and relatively stable.
Noah frowned slightly. Since when did his Domain have the effect of boosting strength? Why hadn't he noticed back then?
His own increase had been methodical, step by step, with no outside help.
"System, what's going on?" Noah crossed his arms. Calm outside, internally he complained. "I wasn't like this back then!"
"You weren't exploring then. They're learning from your experience and mine," the System replied mechanically. "They rely on their training and realization, while you opened your Domain directly through me."
Fine. One sentence, and Noah shut up.
His situation was different. His strength was already there. Studying more wouldn't give a massive boost-just fill in gaps.
Sighing, he let it go. An increase was a good thing.
"Don't overthink it." Noah looked at Wong and Mordo. "These are small matters. Earth needs unity to resist external forces. This is also a competition with leaders of other magical organizations. Don't let me down."
His words were blunt but unsurprising to them.
Noah always acted with purpose.
Wong and Mordo were confident-they would surpass leaders of other organizations. Kamar-Taj had led outsiders for ages. This was their advantage.
"Don't worry, we won't let you down," Mordo said seriously.
"Your magic is hard to learn. Even we haven't fully mastered it. I can't believe others could learn it so quickly," Wong laughed.
"By the way, who else knows you're back? Your magical release was so low-key, I suspect only us two felt it."
"Someone should be coming soon," Noah shrugged. "I ran into an old classmate on the magical street before returning, and, well... I didn't exactly make a small scene."
"That's just like you," Wong shook his head. "Someone's already here. Deal with it yourself."
Noah didn't need a reminder to sense the approaching presence.
It was someone closest to him.
Ron had likely run back to the Ministry, terrified, to tell Hermione; otherwise, she wouldn't have rushed over.
Thinking of this, Noah stood and patted Wong and Mordo on the shoulders.
"Work hard, you two. Don't embarrass us. How are the others?"
"The others are the same. Besides the increase in magical intensity, the fusion of Domains is still in progress," Wong sighed, looking slightly dissatisfied.
"No wonder you progressed so fast. That's the reason. I always wondered why you kept me under your thumb back then."
"Indeed," Mordo sighed. "The difficulty is too high to imagine, but the benefits are unimaginable. Now I finally know why you were so strong."
You know jack! Noah rolled his eyes. The ones truly benefiting were them. He had opened the magic directly, but never relied on it to boost his own power.
Sighing, he turned away from the two.
At that moment, a portal suddenly swung open.
A woman with long brown hair ran through-and threw herself tightly around Noah.