That place… John had been there before.
Strictly speaking, as the Wizard King, there was nothing wrong with knowing a bit about the methods of a Hunter.
"The spring is acting abnormally, plus that letter," John murmured, falling deep into thought.
The Magical World has several ancient languages, each with unexpected magical effects. Runes, for example, are the foundation for crafting talismans, with each character possessing a different magical use. The letter he had received used a marking spell written in Elvish—and in that very spring, John had once seen Elves.
"Could it be from there?" he wondered, unable to be certain. He glanced up at the sky. Convergence. If his suspicions were correct, then who was looking for him? Logically, he shouldn't have any enemies who would cross worlds just to find him.
Well, he did kill tens of thousands of troops. That shouldn't count as a deep-seated hatred. Probably.
John put the letter in a drawer, his gaze sweeping over the snowy owl perched on its stand, head tilted. He walked over, reaching out to rub Basil's head. The owl tilted its head away reluctantly, while Riddle, the black owl next to it, remained very well-behaved.
Remembering the dried fish he had at home, John fed some to both owls. Tom, who had been sleeping, jolted awake and rolled over, his tail wagging like a windmill. John handed a piece of fish over, and Tom opened his mouth wide.
He saw the treat that was about to enter the dog's mouth suddenly vanish.
The man and the dog turned to look at Basil at the same time.
The dried fish in Basil's beak had gone from one to two. His expression remained proud and defiant.
What could he do? It was his own owl. He could only spoil it.
John and Tom exchanged a silent look, then John quickly stuffed a piece of dried fish into Tom's mouth. "Don't ask, just eat."
He angrily rubbed the dog's head. Tom, with his fluffy face, ate half a fish. Why only half? The other half had been broken off and snatched by Basil. With this demeanor, he truly lived up to his reputation as the boss of all the owls in Wizard City. Basil was a very jealous owl. If other owls appeared in his territory, they should be prepared for him to come looking for trouble. Harry's owl, Hedwig, who lived next door, had experienced this firsthand. He didn't know if it was because both owls were snowy owls, but they had fought more than once or twice. Every time, Basil won. The rivalry was considered an amusing story at Hogwarts.
After feeding the animals, John remembered he still had things to do. The Ancient One had been willing to let him access the Time Stone. This was a rare opportunity, and John didn't plan to waste it.
He came out of the basement holding something that looked like a scroll tube. It was made of gold, with runes carved on it, and an inlaid magic crystal to stabilize its power. "The energy from one bottle should be enough for me to replicate it."
Among the six Infinity Stones, the Time Stone was considered the most difficult to access. It was guarded personally by the Supreme Sorcerer, the Ancient One. Even the Mad Titan probably wouldn't be able to get it by force. To get the Time Stone later, he had to endure a good beating first. The Time Stone could reverse time, allowing its holder to control it. The Ancient One's ability to know the future was a result of her observing it through the Stone.
Perhaps because the future the Ancient One was currently observing was shrouded in mist, she hadn't refused to let John study it. The current Wizard King and the Supreme Sorcerer were on the same side, an approach beneficial to both. John was also very curious about the Time Stone's abilities. In the Magical World, wizards had Time-Turners that could perform time travel. John himself was skilled in time magic. The Time-Turner in the Magical World affected individuals, and time travel was enabled by a substance called Time Sand. Furthermore, wizards had many regulations regarding time travel, a point somewhat similar to what he had seen with Tony during the last New York War.
"Time travel?" John narrowed his eyes.
...
He didn't drive. After all, it wouldn't be good to be stopped again without a driver's license.
The ubiquitous taxi dropped him off in London. The streets here were different from New York—not the people, but the style. John wore a trench coat and a round hat, a common look in London, and walked with steady steps.
On the streets, even if it wasn't happening in their own country, people were discussing superheroes. After living a normal life for decades, suddenly being told that superheroes existed was confusing, even for those far away in foreign countries. Some thought it was a hoax; others believed superheroes were an unstable factor. Steve and Tony were often brought up. John paused, listening to a group of British people discussing American heroes. Unexpectedly, Thor was very popular here, even surpassing Tony and Steve. That made sense; the former was the evil billionaire, and the latter was America's spiritual symbol. Neither had much to do with the British. But Thor… the Prince of Asgard, a big, strong man with blonde hair and blue eyes, fit well with the environment here.
Kamar-Taj had established Sanctums in three prosperous cities around the world, and there was one in London. John found it quickly. From the outside, the Sanctum didn't seem much different from the surrounding buildings, but John could sense a layer of magic repelling ordinary people from approaching.
"A Muggle-Repelling Charm? It's similar, but not quite the same," John mused, walking towards the Sanctum.
He knocked on the door, waiting for someone to open it. A mage opened the door, his eyes immediately wary as he saw John.
"Who are you?" the mage questioned. He knew the Sanctum's magic prevented ordinary people from coming here, so he could determine John was not an ordinary person. His Sling Ring was already on his hand, ready for battle. As a Sanctum Guardian, his high vigilance was understandable.
John smiled. "I was invited by the Ancient One to visit."
"The Ancient One?" The Guardian's expression changed. In the hearts of the mages of Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One held a supreme position. "Sorry, but I still need to confirm." The Guardian's attitude improved significantly.
John didn't mind and walked into the Sanctum. He hadn't been to the New York Sanctum, but there were truly a lot of treasures inside this one. It gave him the feeling of accidentally entering a museum opened by the Malfoys. Compared to wizards, mages were clearly more orderly. John's gaze swept across the items; they were all excellent alchemical tools. There was even something very familiar—a full-body restraint that could quickly bind a person. Coincidentally, there was a similar item in the Magical World. These were all ancient artifacts. Compared to ordinary people, wizards and mages usually had houses full of antiques. Which pure-blood family didn't have a heritage spanning several hundred years? Families whose existence didn't exceed America's age weren't even embarrassed to call themselves pure-bloods.
The Guardian was now asking the Ancient One for confirmation. And he was doing it with something that felt very out of place for a mage.
A phone.
That's right, even Kamar-Taj had Wi-Fi, so there was no reason for there to be no signal here. Mages were already able to live harmoniously with ordinary people. John thought about the sight of wizards wearing strange clothes on the street, or a group of them surrounding a rubber duck, pondering what astonishing use it had. He could only say that mages were really good in this regard.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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