Ever since Solomon began to use a little magic, the Sorcerer Supreme had him enrolled in Kamar-Taj's magical training.
You should know that Kamar-Taj's system of magic, which draws its power from otherworldly masters, is equivalent to the warlocks of Toril, also known as contractors or magisters.
This is a legitimate magical profession. Besides basic magical flame spells, dimensional spells of the Vishanti lineage are also required courses for Kamar-Taj mages. Furthermore, the Sorcerer Supreme's collection of esoteric texts from around the world allows apprentices who haven't yet successfully signed a pact to refine their life force and cast certain non-Vishanti magics.
Because Solomon hadn't yet signed a pact, and because the Sorcerer Supreme didn't want him to interact with Vishanti too early—and since he was still too young, excessive life force refinement would affect his development—he could only enroll in another required course for Kamar-Taj mages: martial arts.
The body is a container for magic. Only a strong enough body can hold more magic and cast more spells—so the Supreme one said, and so everyone did.
Many of Kamar-Taj's spellcasters have lived here for generations, so children of appropriate age are common. Both those who grew up in Kamar-Taj and those who came from outside undergo martial arts training.
"This magic must be practiced from a young age, training your muscles, bones, and skin externally, and your breath internally. Only when you punch quickly can your magic impact others. Do you read me! Liang Yi Stance, ready!" Master Zhang, who came from the Hong Kong Guardian Temple and oversaw Kamar-Taj's physical training, occasionally spouted a few words of Cantonese as he demonstrated his boxing techniques, seemingly understood by everyone except Salomon.
Salomon had barely begun to strike his stance when the mage, surnamed Zhang, suddenly slapped him on the back of the head. "Hey, you're so cold! You kid, you can't even box! Your backhand is weak, your forehand is useless—how can you possibly practice Bajiquan? Go away, go have some fun!"
Disdained, Salomon pouted and walked off to the side.
"The Hong Kong Temple is the most focused on physical training. Practice whatever they say." At some point, the Ancient One also donned sunglasses and sat nearby. Her authentic Hong Kong accent nearly made Salomon's eyes pop out, but she was completely oblivious. Because no one but Salomon could see her, she had already activated her Mirror Dimension spell. "What, you don't want to practice Bajiquan? Then go learn Wing Chun."
"Teacher, I don't understand your accent," Salomon replied with a scowl. His only recollection of Cantonese was the "meah" and "meah"; nothing else made sense to him.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, young man, you need to learn more!" Master Ancient One shook his head. "Tomorrow your senior will take you to become a disciple."
"What are you learning?"
"Yes, Wing Chun!"
The next day, the master who took Salomon to become a disciple was the son of Hamil, a highly respected master of Kamar-Taj. Salomon's senior had a round face and didn't seem to smile much, which made Salomon a little nervous.
"Thank you, Senior Brother, but..." Salomon shook his head at a street poster, as his senior brother tried to give him a toy appropriate for his age. "I don't like Captain America... Yeah, I don't like any superheroes. No Superman, no Batman, no toys, thank you."
In truth, Master Wong was also very nervous, completely because his father had told him the night before to keep an eye on Salomon and make sure nothing happened to him. He was the Sorcerer Supreme's prized apprentice. While all the mages in Kamar-Taj were disciples of the Ancient One, everyone had a different starting point, and a mage who could cast magic independently was undoubtedly a step above the rest.
While Master Hamil didn't understand the concept of a saint, the Sorcerer Supreme's respect for Salomon remained unchanged. Some believed that Salomon was the next Sorcerer Supreme.
So, when Salomon's eyes fixed on the stall outside the Hong Kong Temple, Master Wong could only part with his meager worldly means and treat him to a bowl of wonton noodles. Solomon picked up the chopsticks again without any unfamiliarity, and Wong didn't care about it, because the food in Kamar-Taj was a hodgepodge with dishes from all over the world.
"Brother, is Kamar-Taj so poor?" Salomon asked innocently, pointing at the odds and ends on Brother Wong's person.
"It's not Kamar-Taj that's poor, it's me." Little Master Wong rolled his eyes.
In fact, Kamar-Taj had stood for a thousand years, so it naturally had no shortage of connections in the secular world. Moreover, Kamar-Taj had also developed a business, attracting terminally ill patients to Kamar-Taj for treatment. Although the Ancient One treated everyone equally, there were always some wealthy individuals who sought treatment. The money and connections these individuals left behind were a vital source of income for Kamar-Taj. Furthermore, the fight against dark creatures, such as vampires and black wizards, naturally resulted in the wealth these individuals left behind.
After all, even magicians need to make a living. It was said that the Ancient One also held shares in several publicly listed companies. During the development of the American West, he purchased land there in exchange for money and land in New York. To be frank, Kamar-Taj and its white gloves are probably the largest landlords in New York—it's just that Kamar-Taj, with its emphasis on austerity, doesn't need that much.
After hearing this, Salomon asked, "Then why are you so poor, brother?"
Master Wong breathed a sigh of relief, clutching his chest as he recounted the past—his father, Master Hamil, had taken all the living expenses allocated to him by Kamar-Taj, claiming he was saving to buy him a house when he got married.
"After all, not everyone lives in the temple," Master Wong said wistfully. But when he discovered his father was spending his living expenses playing mahjong with Wu Guiyue of Coral Bay, the guardian of the Hong Kong Temple, he no longer believed Master Hamil's words. As for how Hamil would play mahjong without a hand, that was another matter.
"Come on, where are we going?" Salomon asked, between bites of noodles.
"The place we're going to has only been openly accepting disciples for a few years. If Kamar-Taj didn't have some connections in the Hongmen, I'm not sure they would accept a foreigner like you." Wong couldn't help but order a bowl of noodles for himself. He said, "If that doesn't work out, you should just study Bajiquan in Kamar-Taj. Kamar-Taj's enemies can't be defeated with that kind of refined boxing."
Salomon curled his lips in disdain.
He didn't fail to understand Master Ancient One's intentions. She wanted Salomon to form a bond with this world, to make him love it. That's why she told him the story of Jezebel and asked him to interact with the mages of Kamar-Taj to let him know the beauty of this world.
This wasn't very helpful. Although he had a mentality of making the best of it, as an adult, he had his own independent thoughts. Although he really liked this world because it was more interesting than his previous life, the interesting part was magic, not anything else. He was a man who had dreamed of going to Hogwarts since he was a child—as for the other things... he was an adult with his own worldview, and he had always adhered to the attitude of "I will not offend others unless they offend me." Even if the Ancient One said that he was a saint or something, if he was asked to be a hero, Salomon would definitely refuse.
He firmly believed that all the problems in the world could be solved with two sentences. The first sentence is "It's none of your business," and the second sentence is "It's none of my business."
Of course, it cannot be said that the Sorcerer Supreme was wrong to put her hopes on him. After all, there would always be foolish people in this world who disturbed the quiet lives of others. When the time came, Salomon, who stood on the side of humans, would have to fight to save humanity.
The Sorcerer Supreme had already calculated everything.
-End Chapter-
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