Chapter 1646 Rushing Into Death (9)_1

The Holy Sanctuary was as busy as ever today. Strange had finished his day's work, but he was still holding his phone, discussing matters with a client.

He walked outside while talking on the phone, just as he pushed open the door of his office, he saw Shiller outside, about to knock on the door. Strange looked him up and down, quickly said a few words to the person on the other end of the phone, and then hung up.

"What's up? Is there something?" Strange asked.

However, he saw Shiller take a few slight steps back and look him over from top to bottom. That impassive yet focused gaze made Strange break out in a cold sweat.

"You're not a doctor, who are you?"

"You don't seem like someone who would notice this problem instantly," Shiller said slowly. Every syllable was clear, there was no sign of rushed tempo, it was as slow as a record just pressing play.

Strange was taken aback. He felt like he'd been insulted, but he couldn't be sure. He turned his head to one side and coughed a couple of times, then asked, "No matter which Shiller you are, what brings you here?"

"I heard you opened a magical school. May I take a tour?"

"Kamar-Taj?" Strange asked with a frown, quite puzzled, "I thought you weren't too interested in that. The Master Ancient One has invited you several times to visit our accomplishments and you never go, saying it's a waste of your money-making time."

"I've changed my mind." Shiller said in a steady tone, not showing any awkwardness or embarrassment.

"Well, that's not impossible, do you want to go now? Or wait until I'm done…"

"Right now."

Strange took a step back, Shiller's demeanor was somewhat daunting. In order to ease the tense atmosphere, he was obliged to open the portal while talking to Shiller.

"I never thought a dark suit would suit you so well. Why haven't I seen you wear it before?" He asked.

"You simply haven't seen it yet."

Shiller's reply was simple and concise, as if he didn't want to start any casual conversations. After the portal opened, Strange led him through it and they arrived at the grand hall of Kamar-Taj.

Strange noticed Shiller looking around, but only his head was moving. His neck and shoulders remained still, making him appear extremely cautious and emanating a steady elegance.

He knew that if this were the original doctor, he would have likely rushed out of the grand hall towards his destination by now. However, this Shiller in black suit seemed to be in a leisurely mood, and most importantly, appeared to have time.

Strange never thought Shiller would have free time. Shiller usually had two states, either busy with this or that, and if he didn't seem busy, it meant that others would be soon.

Shiller slowly walked up to the pillar that supported the grand hall of Kamar-Taj, carefully observing the patterns on it. Strange stood behind him, stomping his foot in impatience, and couldn't help but ask out loud, "So, are we going to the school now?"

"Lead the way." Shiller nodded at him.

Strange walked towards the exit of the grand hall with Shiller following closely. The scene of two men in suits strolling through the magic temple was somewhat odd, no matter how one looked at it.

Soon, they arrived at the Karmatige Magic Academy, an institution established within Kamar-Taj, occupying only one building. Yet, with spatial expansion magic, it spans eleven floors and accommodates over two hundred students divided into ten groups, each group having between eighteen and twenty-five students.

The majority of the students are disciples found by Kamar-Taj from all over the world, mostly aged seven to twelve. There are also some orphans who were adopted, aged three to five, who usually become magicians when they grow up. If they indeed lack the talent for magic, they would, as adults, find work in the village at the foot of Kamar-Taj mountain, and occasionally come up the mountain to help out.

"This model has been passed down for a thousand years." Strange started to explain, "Magic education is for the gifted. If we carry out mass education like ordinary people, it would not only be a waste of resources but also disrupt the lives of ordinary people. Therefore, even if we establish a larger school, we only admit a very limited number of students."

Shiller nodded, signaling that he understood, then he asked, "What if there are a lot of geniuses?"

"That amount is usually constant." Strange said as they both walked into the school building, "The number of geniuses in each generation who can become magicians is fixed, excluding a very small number of people who have no interest in practicing magic whatsoever, most will learn about the existence of magic at an appropriate age, and if they don't, it means they aren't suitable."

"We have dedicated mages searching all over the world for similar talents. We usually use the Soul Mark Detection Method, where once a person comes into contact with magic, energy will definitely leave a mark on their soul; we have special magical instruments to detect this mark in these people's souls."

"The vast majority of people who encounter magic before the age of seven have a high level of inspiration and are relatively focused, making ideal mage candidates. We will try our best to persuade them, then bring them up the mountain, and get them involved in Earth's magic defense work."

Shiller nodded again, this time with more force, clearly agreeing with this method, then he asked, "So you bring the students here one by one?"

"Yes, because we have portals, it's quite simple. We go to the designated location, use a magic instrument to find the target and open a portal to send them back."

"What if you can't conveniently open a portal? I mean, what if there are some places where it's not convenient to open a portal?"

"Mages can open portals under any circumstances," Strange shrugged, speaking with firm confidence, "This is a basic skill for human mages... okay, of course, we have encountered instances where there were reactions from the magic instrument but no person is found. We choose to use a Search Person spell to send them a letter."

"Do you know this kind of Search Person spell?"

"Of course, it's not a very difficult spell at all, I might even say it's very simple."

"So what do students learn here? What is the difficult magic you're talking about?"

"Obviously, combat magic." Strange pushed open a door to a classroom and continued, "Might makes right. You can't have any god sign a contract that favors you before you fight them, so we mainly teach them how to fight."

Shiller nodded more vigorously, seeming quite satisfied, and then he stood beside the podium of the empty classroom and asked Strange, "Are you the headmaster of this school?"

"Of course not, the headmaster is Master Ancient One. As the Supreme Magician, I'm quite busy, I don't have time to handle school affairs, although I sometimes come back to give them classes."

Shiller raised an interested eyebrow and asked, "What do you teach?"

"Well, some common knowledge about Demon Gods and techniques of dealing with them." Strange answered with a certain level of inconfidence in his tone, but he still explained: "After all, we need to sit down and talk after a fight, negotiation skills are indispensable."

Shiller seemed to be disappointed and asked, "Is that all?"

"I sometimes lead meditation classes." Strange appeared unconcerned. One hand resting on the podium, he said: "As you know, I'm a surgeon. Most of my achievements in the field of surgery are due to my focus."

"Focus is also important in the magical field. I teach the students some skills for calming their minds and improving focus. Although this mainly relies on their accumulative practice, some tricks during the novice period can help them get into the state faster."

Shiller appeared thoughtful as he nodded and asked again, "What about magical zoology and botany?"

"I'm not very proficient at it, but I have some knowledge." Strange gently tapped the podium with one finger, then he turned to Shiller on the other side of the platform with a hint of confusion: "Aren't you here to visit the school?"

"The school is good." Shiller replied, then he stared at Strange with a gaze that sent chills down Strange's back.

It wasn't until about half a minute later that Shiller shifted his gaze and said, "During the time you were in the Realm of Death, the Sanctum and Kamar-Taj were functioning well, right?"

"I suppose, there wasn't much chaos, but why are you asking this?"

"Nothing major, are you free to come to Arkham Sanatorium tonight? I have something to talk about with you."

"What can't you discuss now?"

"You'll find out then."

Gazing at Shiller's retreating figure, Strange felt somewhat baffled, but still he showed up at Arkham Sanatorium that evening, mainly out of curiosity about what Shiller wanted to discuss.

Upon arrival at Shiller's office, Strange saw that a large black hole had opened up in the middle of the otherwise smooth and tidy floor.

The hole took up about a third of the floor, and the inside wasn't entirely black but more like a starry sky with deep blue as the base colour, interspersed with flickering points of light.

"What is this?" Strange asked curiously, stepping forward to the edge of the hole and peering inside.

He was so engrossed in his observation that he failed to notice Shiller had moved behind him and that a black umbrella had appeared in his hand out of nowhere.

Shiller slowly spun the umbrella in his hand, gripping the shaft and pointing the handle downwards like a golf club.

"As you see, this is a trap."

"This is a trap... "

"Swoosh—Bang!"

The black umbrella swung down hard on the back of Strange's head. Instantaneously, he lost balance, his arms flailing as he fell into the large hole before him.

Shiller was standing at the edge of the hole, looking down. Oblivion's figure appeared beside him. Oblivion sighed wearily and said to Shiller, "I've done my best, whatever happens, don't bother me again!"

As Strange plunged down the hole, all he felt was falling endlessly into the abyss, until both time and space had completely disappeared. After some time, he felt he had penetrated some kind of barrier.

He tried hard to focus his attention. His exceptional concentration brought his mind back in an instant, his feet then landed on firm ground. However, he found himself unable to control his body or wake up.

His sense of sight, hearing, and smell gradually returned. After what felt like years, when he finally regained full consciousness, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling, then a figure leaning over him.

His vision blurred for a moment before gradually focussing. What glanced into Strange's sight was a youth with blue eyes and black hair, who was looking at Strange as Shiller did. The youth spoke in a slightly husky, deep voice.

" ... Is this the new magic professor? "

Strange blinked heavily and struggled to get up from the ground, when suddenly the tip of a black umbrella was pressed against his chest again and he was forced to lie back down.

Shiller slowly kneeled down, looked at Strange to the side, his eyes falling first on Strange's arm, then shifting to his face. Shiller said, "Self-harm, eh?"

Strange took a deep breath and roared, "Shiller! Are you so vengeful! Where did you take me to?!!"

Shiller slowly got up, holding the umbrella and gazing down at Strange with a cold look. Then, he spread his arms slightly and said.

"Welcome to Gotham..."