The Sorcerer Supreme had always been selfless toward Salomon, and while the Supreme treated her other apprentices similarly, she didn't mind showing Salomon the darkest corners of Kamar-Taj.
Like a shadow beneath the sun, Kamar-Taj wasn't a particularly "righteous" organization.
"You've seen the price of magic," the Supreme said, leading Salomon into a courtyard. Here stood many ascetics, clad in red robes and smeared with white ash. Their bodies bore abscesses and deformities unimaginable to the average person, but the pain and itching didn't change their expressions. They remained composed, muttering to themselves.
"They believe in magic, and so they're willing to bear the cost of it for Kamar-Taj—or, more accurately, for me… But how are you going to pay the bill?"
"I think using spell materials is a good idea, Master." Salomon suppressed his nausea as he gazed at the abscesses and wounds, trying to slow his breathing to avoid inhaling the stench of decay. "You know the knowledge the stigmata grant me is unique, but I believe I can still pay my dues. I'm not limited to growing strange things on my body."
"During World War II, there was a mage named Monar. He's still alive, and you may meet him again. For every girl he saved, he drowned a rabbit on his way home." the Supreme folded his fan and tapped Salomon on the head. "The price of using magic isn't always physical deformity; it comes with other things, like emotions, love, and interests. No one knows what they'll have to pay for their debt, and it can't be offset by spellcasting materials.
I've paid mine, and you will pay yours in the future."
According to the Supreme, embarking on this path meant paying the dues of life. Unbeknownst to Salomon, he had already paid something to reach Kamar-Taj. Perhaps it was Jezebel's life, or something else entirely; even the Supreme wasn't sure.
As for the final ring, the Sorcerer Supreme urged Salomon to obtain it as soon as possible. the Supreme also provided a map and… a book.
"Many years later, a new grave was dug near an old, sunken one. The two shared a tombstone, inscribed with the following: 'An Inky Land, a Red A.'" The young wizard read this passage near the end of the book.
The author was Nathaniel Hawthorne, the greatest American romantic novelist of the 19th century. The familiar "inky" land in The Scarlet Letter referred to Hawthorne's hometown, Salem.
This land was called New England by the Puritans. Passengers from the Albert landed in Salem and initially settled in Salem Town before eventually building Boston. Since then, Salem Town had welcomed a steady stream of Puritans, including Hawthorne's ancestors. This area also witnessed religious persecution, the infamous Salem Witch Trials. The Puritans of that era were fanatical to a degree unimaginable today, and the presiding judge was none other than John Hawthorne, an ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Now, Salem's local government has turned the "witches" phenomenon into a tourist attraction, aggressively promoting it and even establishing a witch cemetery. The town is steeped in occult culture, and on Halloween, bizarre witches and demons of all sizes gather to celebrate.
Salem even has a small witch museum. Salomon sat in the center, while the surrounding walls gradually lit up, depicting scenes from the witch trials.
To ordinary people, the Salem witch trials were a tragic religious joke. But to Salomon, they smelled of something indescribable, like the stench of alien magic… Perhaps there was some truth to the trials—a lingering magic on this land that had faded over time.
Perhaps the two young witches who sparked the trials were not ordinary people, but the innocent people subsequently implicated were enough to convey the sickening Puritan fanaticism.
Salomon and Wong's clothing attracted no attention.
As mentioned before, the atmosphere of mysticism here is very strong. The descendants of the fanatical Puritans no longer adhered strictly to their beliefs. There are many tourists who come daily to search for witches. It is normal to see a few people dressed like wizards, and it is not worth making a fuss.
"So where is the ring the Supreme mentioned?" Wong looked around, intensely examining each display, trying to find something unusual.
"Oh, it moves?"
"What moves?"
"The map, of course." Salomon pointed to the unrolled map. A small red dot marked the ring's location. "We're going to greet the descendants of those Puritans."
"You mean those stubborn lunatics?" Wong clenched his fists. "Remember the Supreme's teachings: magic can't be exposed to ordinary people… That's why fists are more effective."
"Wong, you can't even use a Ring of Raggador right now. If the Supreme hadn't created so many spells that harness your own magic, you wouldn't even be a spellcaster." Salomon looked up, trying to compare the locations on the map with the buildings in the real world. "And they have guns too. Don't forget, this is America."
The Ring of Raggador that Salomon mentioned is one of Kamar-Taj's common spells, manifested as a magical shield in each hand, one orange and one red. This reflects a difference in mana output; the spell structure isn't significantly different, but it was the first spell Kamar-Taj's mages learned after acquiring their mana.
"Okay, okay, what do we do now?" Wong's chubby face trembled with impatience.
"Use magic, my dear Wong," Salomon said. "Wait for our target to appear. Do you have the money?"
The Sorcerer Supreme had asked Wong to accompany Salomon not only because Wong wasn't currently under contract with Vishanti, but also because he was one of the rare apprentices in Kamar-Taj who wasn't rigid.
Other mages often shouted for slaughter when encountering wild mages, but their strength couldn't keep up with their aura. Years of protection had bred a certain arrogance in them, making it difficult to assess ordinary people. In reality, the Sorcerer Supreme personally dealt with most of the toughest targets, leaving the lower-level minions to other Kamar-Taj mages.
Simply put, the Sorcerer Supreme is a legendary figure. Aside from a handful of Kamar-Taj's mainstays, other mages likely haven't even reached level ten. Caught off guard, a single bullet could easily end the life of any mage in Kamar-Taj except the Supreme.
The Sorcerer Supreme is aware of this problem. Humanity has advanced far more rapidly in the past hundred years than in the previous millennia.
If Kamar-Taj fails to recognize the power of ordinary people, it will likely suffer a significant loss in the future. Wong is one of the talents the Sorcerer Supreme is prioritizing, and broadening his horizons is exactly what he and Salomon need to do.
-End Chapter-
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