God-Tier Magic Talent was extremely important to Cassius.
The Phoenix Force, Chaos Magic, and Goblin Force were the three most ancient energy forms. They were familiar with one another and were the best energy sources for cultivating magic. Possessing even a small fragment of one of them granted immense power.
Now, with the addition of the God-Tier Magic Talent, he would make rapid progress in his magical training. Cassius now had both God-Tier Magic Talent and a Phoenix Force shard. He was a natural for magic cultivation; his talent far surpassed even Ned Leeds's.
What was most terrifying was that he didn't need to borrow power from other Dimensional Gods.
In the Marvel Universe, magic was not created from nothing. Instead, it was drawn from Dimensional Gods, and that required a price!
The Masters of the Mystic Arts and the Sorcerers of Kamar-Taj borrowed power from the Dimensional Gods known as the Vishanti. However, the price for borrowing from the Vishanti was very small, so it was considered White Magic.
Black Magic, on the other hand, required a heavy price, even a person's soul. But Cassius wouldn't have to pay any price at all!
"Wait! That's not right!"
Just as he was basking in his excitement, the smile on his face froze. He had just remembered a crucial detail.
"My God-Tier Magic Talent is useless! I don't have a spellbook..."
It was like having a gun without bullets. While he could use the Phoenix Force to counter Wanda's Chaos Magic when they were playing around, that was simply using pure energy to overwhelm hers. He was only using raw power; he hadn't actually cast a spell.
"I need to figure something out!"
Cassius sat cross-legged in his chair, deep in thought. "If I remember correctly, the Sanctum Sanctorum is in New York!"
If he wasn't mistaken, one of the three main Sanctums of Kamar-Taj was in Manhattan, New York. According to the timeline, the future Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, would be there as well! The Sanctum Sanctorum definitely had the spellbooks he needed!
The New York Sanctum was one of the most important Sanctums. In the Marvel universe, it was Doctor Strange's primary base for magical study, research, and protecting the Earth. Its main purpose was to provide a safe place for Doctor Strange and other guardians to train and store knowledge to protect the world from evil forces.
"But getting inside is a problem..." Cassius stroked his chin, lost in thought. If he remembered correctly, a part of the Sanctum Sanctorum was open to the public for tours! You could buy tickets and join a guided tour. Even though Kamar-Taj didn't get involved in worldly affairs, they still needed money. This could be his chance to get close to the spellbooks.
Later that afternoon.
Outside an ancient-looking building in Manhattan.
"Everyone, take your time, don't rush, form a line, and follow me inside one by one!" A plump man holding a small red flag waved it vigorously. With a warm smile, he led a group of people inside. He looked like a tour guide, but his clothes were archaic, similar to the robes of ancient monks. While they looked a little out of place in modern society, everything made sense when they saw a sign on the door that read, "Welcome to the Magic Library Tour."
"That's so professional! Even their work clothes feel so immersive!" A little girl exclaimed, holding her mother's hand with wide eyes. Everything they saw amazed the tourists. The old building was unlike anything they had ever seen.
"Wong..."
At the back of the group, Cassius, dressed in black casual sportswear, looked at the plump man leading the way. He never expected that Wong, the Master of the Kamar-Taj library, would personally come out to greet tourists. It made him feel like the world was a strange place.
Wong led the group into the Sanctum. The air was filled with a sense of ancient history. The first thing they saw was a grand, old European-style hall with a magnificent chandelier on the ceiling. Around the library, many disciples in monk robes were busy cleaning.
"Everyone!" Wong stopped and turned to the tourists. "You can read the books on the first floor, but please be careful not to damage them, or you'll have to pay!"
"They just let people read these magic books?" Cassius was a little surprised and confused as he looked around. But in a moment, he understood why they were doing this.
Even a genius like Doctor Strange needed to be taught by the Ancient One to understand them. These books were gibberish to ordinary people with no talent for magic. The books on the first floor probably weren't that important. Even if someone were to copy them, it wouldn't make a difference. Otherwise, Wong would not have said that they would just have to pay for a damaged book.
Most of the people who came here were magic enthusiasts. With permission granted, they spread out to browse the bookshelves. They were all very curious about the books on how to learn magic. But after flipping through them, most of them just glanced at the pages and put them back. They couldn't understand anything.
Cassius followed the crowd to a bookshelf, pulled out a book at random, and started to read.
Wong watched them quietly from a distance. He shook his head and sighed with disappointment as he saw the blank expressions on the tourists' faces. There were so few people in the world who could sense or master magic.
"What's with that expression? Did you really expect a bunch of kids and chuunibyou teens to understand an ancient book?" Just as Wong was lamenting, a voice suddenly came from behind him, making him jump and his cheeks jiggle. He turned around to see a tall, thin man in a red cape standing silently behind him. He looked to be in his thirties, with a slight yellowing beard. He was a typical British man, and there was an elegance in his every movement.
"Stephen, did you learn how to walk silently?!" Wong complained. He hadn't even noticed Doctor Strange appear behind him.
"I came to take a look," Stephen said arrogantly, his cool gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Even I couldn't teach myself everything, let alone them."
His talent gave him the right to be arrogant; he was the Ancient One's most promising student, after all. In his opinion, what Wong was doing was a waste of time. He had made rapid progress when he first started learning magic, but that was with the guidance of a master. These ordinary people, even if they had a little talent for magic, couldn't learn by themselves without a mentor.
"I'm just trying to find some talent," Wong said, shrugging his shoulders. The chances were low, but you never knew.
"Don't waste your time. While you're at it, get me a sandwich. The money for it..." Stephen said, patting his pockets. He paused and said with a straight face, "Just take it out of the tour money after everyone pays!"
"You..."
Buzz!
Just as Wong was about to say something, a strange sound suddenly filled the air. A powerful hum echoed through the Sanctum.
"Wow! Oh my God, what's happening?!"
"Look! There really is magic in this world!"
"Mom, this is so cool! I want to learn too!"
The tourists watching the books were all shocked by what was happening in front of them. This was their first time seeing magic in real life.
"What's going on?" Stephen frowned, looking in the direction of the sound. When he saw what was happening, his blue pupils dilated.
A brilliant, ancient golden light, like a shooting star, was forming a circular portal in the air. Standing in front of the golden light was a young man with a calm expression. It was a Inter-Dimensional Portal!
And what made their hearts beat faster was... he had opened the Inter-Dimensional Portal with his bare hands! Without using the Sling Ring!