"So, when I get another ring, I'll need a Hobbit, lest I be tempted to put on the other ring?" Salomon asked.
"Yes, to wear all the rings at once, and completely command the magic of Vishanti," the Sorcerer Supreme nodded. "This experiment is to verify whether you have the ability to command the magic of Vishanti."
"So I'll still need a good person who won't say 'My precious'. I know that kind of temptation that comes from the bones." Salomon secretly rolled his eyes, recalling the high temperature that Vishanti's ring emitted when it came into contact with magic. But where could he find someone who had no contact with magic?
It seemed that the Sorcerer Ancient One saw Salomon's doubts, and she readily suggested an apprentice: "Wang has not yet signed a contract with Vishanti, and what he is learning now is only the mystic arts of Kamar-Taj, with no achievements in Vishanti's system of magic, and does not involve Vishanti's magic…"
Salomon and the Sorcerer Supreme happily decided on the Hobbit candidate. After bidding farewell to his teacher, he returned to his room—this time he gained a lot, and he could slowly browse the memories of one of the Archmages.
Salomon did not plan to leave Kamar-Taj again until he had mastered the first two rings of this Master's magic.
Yes, not even child protection agencies should be able to find him, yes! That's right! Quickly unplug the network cable in the room! The magic world doesn't need the Internet.
Well… for now.
Salomon already had a plan; he intended to use the magic of Vishanti to operate the magic of Toril or other worlds.
It should be known that the magic provided by the Weave is the most basic True Ether, or MANA, and as long as the spell structure is correct, any type of magic can be cast.
Of course, due to the overly bright power of Vishanti, some necromancy spells still require his own magic to support them.
But things did not go as planned; while Salomon was studying the magic of the Toril Universe, Baron Mordo came knocking on his door.
This Master, who was also a disciple of the Sorcerer Supreme, was quite friendly to Salomon, and whenever he saw him, Baron Mordo would always say silly things like "I held you when you were little"… Well, I finally know why I felt so uncomfortable for a while back then.
The reason Baron Mordo came to Salomon was to train Salomon's ability to use magical artifacts… The magical artifacts of Kamar-Taj might be a bit different from others.
For example, the Staff of the Living Tribunal… in fact, it has little to do with the Living Tribunal, it's more like a whip than a staff; and then there are the Boots of Fordo, which are not called magical artifacts, but rather magical curiosities. The greatest use of these boots is to allow people to double jump… not exactly useful, but not that bad, right?
This was something even the demon man with the hair gel hand couldn't do.
"You've already learned how to fight with your body, haven't you?" Baron Mordo smiled like a fox who had stolen a chicken. "Now you need to practice how to use weapons in combat.
We are not wizards in fairy tales who cast magic with a small stick."
"Uh… I don't think there's anything wrong with that, Master Brother Mordo… Close combat is good enough…" Salomon tried to decline this training, but Baron Mordo had seen too many children trying to shirk their duties.
He grabbed Salomon by the scruff of his neck, lifting him out like a kitten.
"This is a misconception, Salomon," Mordo said gently, "Outer Dimension creatures won't give us time to chant spells."
Salomon completely gave up struggling. Although he couldn't see the expression on Baron Mordo's face, he knew he couldn't escape.
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"So, Sorcerer Supreme sent you here to retrieve a magical artifact, and you want me to be your Hobbit?" the increasingly "sturdy" young Wang said discontentedly.
To be honest, Salomon didn't expect young Wang's appearance to look so old. Young Wang said, "Do you think I'm Frodo? I think I'm more like Sam."
"The build is indeed similar, my friend, but you can't cook." Salomon said, "And I think I need your fists."
"You finally realized that fists are better than magic?" Young Wang said happily, "See, even if I haven't signed the contract with Vishanti, I can still beat you in training."
"Bah! If it weren't for you taking advantage while I was chanting…"
It was 2007, and twelve-year-old Salomon had already studied some Toril magic and Kamar-Taj magic. He had mastered basic arcane flame shaping.
The two of them arrived in London through the Kamar-Taj portal to the London Sanctum. The city seemed to have just rained. The cobblestone ground was slippery, but the rain seemed to have purified London's air; a small amount of ozone made the air much fresher.
Although it still couldn't compare to the crisp, refreshing air of Kamar-Taj, it was much better than some big cities—the only problem was that Salomon accidentally stepped into a puddle, and all the shoes issued by Kamar-Taj got soaked.
"Don't make that face, Salomon, Mordo got you British citizenship, you have to get used to this weather." Young Wang seemed a bit gloating, "Sorcerer Supreme also seems to want you to go to a secular school, right here in Britain."
"To be precise, that's basic logical thinking education; most of the Masters who come to Kamar-Taj to learn have attended secular schools." Salomon shook his head, lifted his leg, and continued walking, his shoes squeaking underfoot. "Mathematics, physics, chemistry, Sorcerer Supreme said these are essential qualities."
"But I didn't study them."
"It's very likely because you were born in Kamar-Taj, you don't even have health insurance. But I think once you gain magic, Kamar-Taj will create an identity for you." Salomon concealed part of the truth; Sorcerer Supreme told him to tell others that he had already signed a contract with Vishanti.
No one could have imagined that Salomon was merely utilizing Vishanti's magic—Sorcerer Supreme was very familiar with this. Sorcerer Ancient One obtained Dormammu's power in this way, only now it was being used on Vishanti.
"Moreover, this magical artifact needs to be held by someone who isn't too deeply connected with magic to avoid backlash." Salomon glanced at young Wang out of the corner of his eye.
Sure enough, young Wang was still somewhat bothered by not being able to sign the contract.
"Don't worry." He comforted young Wang, "Sorcerer Supreme certainly has her own intentions, but you're better than those guys who can use magic now, aren't you?"
"Are you referring to not needing to sleep?"
"Uh… that counts too."
"So, what are we going to do?" Young Wang said with some dissatisfaction.
"First, we need to walk in." The moment Salomon and young Wang walked into the British Museum, located on Russell Square north of New Oxford Street, they felt something was wrong—the magic here seemed much stronger than elsewhere.
"Did you find anything?" Young Wang also noticed something, but he looked around and found nothing.
"Look there." Salomon pointed to the exhibits, where there was a bronze statue of Shiva, a wooden carving from the Nicobar Islands, the marble Yakshi "Ambika" statue, murals from the Parthenon, a bust of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, and most importantly, sacrificial artifacts from various Earth pantheons, each divine system represented.
Although Sorcerer Supreme had already mentioned to Salomon about the divine power remaining in those artifacts and magical implements, this immense power still startled him.
"You mean… we're going to rob the museum?" Young Wang lowered his voice, "Is the magical artifact one of the exhibits here?"
"No, it's not…" Salomon also lowered his voice, the two of them nervously whispering to each other, "Is it the Guardian here?"
"Didn't you notice?" Salomon's eyes darted to the side, "Those spirits?"