Chapter 3: Magic (or Principles?)

Ever since Solomon started displaying the ability to use a bit of magic, the Ancient One had him join Kamar-Taj's magical training. 

You see, Kamar-Taj's magic system, which draws power from otherworldly patrons, is akin to the warlocks or arcane spellcasters of the Toril crystal sphere. 

This was no trivial magical profession. In addition to the basic flame spells, the dimensional magic of the Vishanti was a required subject for all Kamar-Taj sorcerers. Moreover, the occult texts the Ancient One had collected from around the world allowed apprentices who had not yet made a pact with the Vishanti to refine their own life force to cast spells outside the Vishanti domain.

Since Solomon had not yet formed a pact and the Ancient One didn't want him involved with the Vishanti too early—plus his age being too young, as refining too much life force would affect his development—he had to participate in another required course for Kamar-Taj sorcerers: martial arts.

"The body is the vessel for magic. Only a strong enough body can contain more magic and cast more spells," the Ancient One would say, and everyone followed her teaching.

There were many generations of families living at Kamar-Taj, so there were quite a few children of appropriate age. Whether they grew up in Kamar-Taj or came as students from elsewhere, everyone had to undergo martial arts training.

"Magic must be trained from a young age. Train the body externally—muscles, bones, and skin. Train the breath internally. The faster you throw a punch, the quicker your magic can hit your opponent, understood? Alright, get into the *Two Forces Stance*, ready!" said Master Zhang, who had come from the Hong Kong Sanctum and was responsible for Kamar-Taj's martial training. As he demonstrated punches, he occasionally threw in some Cantonese phrases, which seemed to confuse only Solomon, as everyone else understood him just fine.

Solomon attempted to mimic the stance but hadn't held it long before Master Zhang smacked the back of his head. "Hey, don't freeze up like a statue! You little brat, your punches are weak, and your form is sloppy. What kind of *Eight Extremes* are you trying to pull off? Go, go, go, take a break and play somewhere else."

Solomon, feeling rejected, pouted and moved to the side.

"Hong Kong Sanctum focuses on martial arts the most. However he tells you to train, that's how you should train," said the Ancient One, suddenly appearing with sunglasses, speaking in an authentic Hong Kong accent that almost made Solomon's eyes pop out of his head. The Ancient One didn't seem to notice at all, though, as only Solomon could see her. She had already cast a mirror dimension spell. "What? Don't want to train *Eight Extremes*? Then go learn Wing Chun."

"Master, I don't understand your accent at all," Solomon said, his face full of frustration. His only impression of Cantonese was "meh ah, meh ah," and he couldn't make sense of anything else.

"Tsk tsk tsk, youngsters these days need to learn more!" The Ancient One shook her head. "Tomorrow, your senior brother will take you to formally apprentice."

"Apprentice for what?"

"Didn't I already say? Wing Chun!"

The next day, the one who took Solomon to his apprenticeship was the son of one of Kamar-Taj's most respected sorcerers, Master Hamir. Solomon's senior brother had a round face and rarely smiled, making Solomon feel somewhat nervous in his presence.

"Thank you, Senior Brother, but..." Solomon shook his head at a poster on the street because his senior brother was trying to give him a toy that seemed age-appropriate. "I don't like Captain America… no, I don't like any superheroes. No Superman, no Batman, no toys at all, thank you."

The truth was that even Master Wang was feeling nervous. His father had specifically warned him last night to keep a close eye on Solomon and ensure nothing happened to him. After all, this was the Ancient One's precious disciple. Although technically all the sorcerers at Kamar-Taj were the Ancient One's disciples, not all were equal—those who could cast magic autonomously were clearly a step above the rest.

Although Master Hamir didn't fully understand what it meant for Solomon to be a "saint," one thing was clear: the Ancient One held Solomon in the highest regard, and to some, Solomon was seen as a potential successor for the role of Sorcerer Supreme.

So when Solomon's gaze wandered to a stall outside the Hong Kong Sanctum, Master Wang had no choice but to pull out his meager worldly savings to treat Solomon to a bowl of wonton noodles. Solomon deftly picked up the chopsticks, which didn't surprise Master Wang; Kamar-Taj served a mix of dishes from around the world.

"Senior Brother, is Kamar-Taj really this poor?" Solomon asked innocently, pointing at Master Wang's tattered clothes.

"It's not Kamar-Taj that's poor. It's me." Master Wang rolled his eyes.

In truth, Kamar-Taj, which had stood for millennia, was not lacking in resources. It had many connections in the mundane world and even ran a service—attracting terminally ill patients for treatment. Although the Ancient One treated everyone equally, regardless of wealth, rich people often came seeking help, leaving behind substantial wealth and influence, which became a significant source of funding for Kamar-Taj. Additionally, fighting dark creatures like vampires or dark sorcerers also yielded riches that went to Kamar-Taj.

After all, even sorcerers needed to make a living. It was rumored that the Ancient One even owned shares in some publicly traded companies. During the American Westward Expansion, she had acquired land in exchange for money and land in New York. It was no exaggeration to say that Kamar-Taj and its front organizations were likely the largest landowners in New York—although they didn't need to use much of it due to their ascetic lifestyle.

After hearing this, Solomon asked, "Then why are you so poor, Senior Brother?"

Master Wang sighed deeply, covering his heart as he explained his past—his father, Master Hamir, had taken all the living allowance Kamar-Taj provided and claimed he was saving it to buy a house for his son's future marriage.

"Not everyone lives in the Sanctum, you know," Master Wang said with a melancholic expression. But after discovering that his father had lost all his savings playing mahjong with Coral Bay's Guardian, Wu Guiyue, he never trusted Master Hamir again. How Hamir played mahjong with only one hand was another story altogether.

"So, where are we headed?" Solomon asked while slurping his noodles.

"We're going to a place that just started accepting apprentices a few years ago. If Kamar-Taj didn't have some ties to the *Hongmen*, I don't know if they'd accept you, this foreigner." Master Wang couldn't resist ordering a bowl of noodles for himself as well. "If they don't, you can always stick to learning *Eight Extremes*. Our enemies at Kamar-Taj can't be beaten with such delicate martial arts anyway."

Solomon scoffed in disdain.

He understood the Ancient One's intentions. She wanted him to form bonds with the world, to foster a love for it. That's why she told him Jezebel's story and encouraged him to interact with the other sorcerers at Kamar-Taj, showing him the beauty of the world.

But Solomon wasn't particularly swayed. Though he had adopted a "go with the flow" attitude, he was, after all, a mature adult with independent thoughts. He liked this world, sure, but what interested him was magic, not much else. As someone who had always dreamed of going to Hogwarts, he found magic infinitely more fascinating than his former life. As for anything else... Solomon, with his personal worldview, believed in a live-and-let-live philosophy. Even if the Ancient One said he was a saint or something, Solomon would refuse to be a hero.

He firmly believed that all problems could be solved with two simple phrases: "None of your business" and "None of my business."

Of course, it wasn't wrong for the Ancient One to place her hopes in him. After all, the world was full of foolish people who would disturb his peaceful life, and when that happened, Solomon, standing on the side of humanity, would inevitably have to fight to protect it.

The Ancient One had already calculated everything perfectly.

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