King

"Is our organization meant to destroy the world?" Banner asked curiously after Bai Jing hung up the phone.

"Of course not, what would make you think that?" Bai Jing asked, astonished. "Don't you know what the organization does?"

"That's true..." Banner nodded. Thinking about the Order Society's ideals, they seemed more like they wanted to establish a heavenly kingdom on Earth.

But listening to Bai Jing's tone, he sounded like a great demon king bent on world destruction.

"The ideals are good, but maybe because I'm Asian, the higher-ups aren't happy!" Bai Jing said. "How can we white people be saved by a yellow-skinned person? That's impossible! That's probably what the people in charge are thinking!"

"I didn't believe it before either!" Banner shook his head. "Before, you all seemed like people who just focused on studying, didn't talk much, and didn't socialize. The boys were quiet and introverted, while the girls were more cheerful. But, how should I put it, they seemed more interested in me as a person rather than the things I taught..."

Bai Jing nodded. "It might be a stage that a nation must go through when it's rising. People gradually go from lacking confidence to becoming confident."

"Your country has great potential!" Banner said earnestly. "Among the students I teach, Asians study the hardest, and among Asians, your countrymen are the most diligent. With such young people, your country's future will definitely be bright!"

"That's true!" Bai Jing nodded. Unfortunately, he wasn't part of the new generation back then; he was just a commoner, only able to work honestly and contribute his small part to the country by sleeping at home during special times.

Who wouldn't want to be a great scientist or a great businessman!

However, things don't always go as planned.

People are never equal; talent is determined from birth.

"I have something to do, I'm leaving now..." Bai Jing waved his hand. "I'll have someone come fix this glass later!"

"No problem!" Banner nodded, then looked at the two bodies being carried away, sighing with a complex expression.

The New York Sanctum Sanctorum was located in the center of Greenwich Village, which was south of Hell's Kitchen and very close by.

Bai Jing had initially thought this place was like other parts of New York, with its grid-like street blocks, but upon arriving, he discovered it wasn't.

This neighborhood felt like a countryside within the city, but it was elegant, with buildings of various unique styles. The houses weren't the skyscrapers found elsewhere, but primarily mid-rise apartments.

As mentioned before, Broadway was right next to Hell's Kitchen, so many people who came to Broadway to make a name for themselves rented apartments in Hell's Kitchen.

However, these people could generally be described as "Broadway drifters," meaning they were individuals with no fame, no money, and no hope.

On the other hand, the successful artists, playwrights, and actors who made it big on Broadway generally resided in Greenwich Village.

Some famous residents included Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr. (the actor who played Iron Man), and the Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts. The latter starred in the 2001 film Erin Brockovich, which told the story of a female lawyer fighting a major corporation for the rights of ordinary people. The film earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Bai Jing had quite liked this movie in his past life, but he didn't know if this person existed in this life.

He walked through the streets of Greenwich Village, observing the crowds coming and going, the bands performing on the street, the tourists wandering about, and the couples holding hands.

Well, most of the couples were men holding hands with men, and women holding hands with women, as Greenwich Village was the birthplace of the gay rights movement, and homosexuals from all over the world came here for pilgrimage.

In addition, there were the *** movement and the women's liberation movement.

However, the people involved in these movements had now left the village. It wasn't due to government persecution, but because as New York developed, the rents and housing prices in this village soared, making it affordable only for playwrights with achievements like Mark Twain.

Following the map, he arrived at the center of the village, 177A Bleecker Street, where Bai Jing saw a building.

It looked like an ancient castle, three stories high, with seven stone steps at the entrance, perhaps signifying fate. The entrance was a circular archway from an unknown era, and the door was made of wood. The facade had eight arched windows, two on the first floor, four on the second, and two on the third, all in the old-fashioned grid style. However, in the past, these windows would have been covered with paper, while now they had glass installed in the panes.

It seemed the mages had also kept up with the times.

Bai Jing remembered that this Sanctum Sanctorum was protected by a magical barrier that ordinary people couldn't see. Yet, he could see it without any obstruction. He stood on the street and observed for a moment, realizing that most people indeed couldn't see this house.

Even if they could see it, they wouldn't specifically knock on the door, as it clearly looked like a private residence. Why would you knock?

While such a peculiar architectural style might seem strange elsewhere, in Greenwich Village, with its abundance of preserved ancient buildings, it felt quite normal.

Yes, it was indeed an ancient building. Greenwich Village was established in 1644, the same year Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian hanged himself on Coal Hill.

Bai Jing approached the entrance and knocked. Soon, an Asian person with short, flat-topped hair, about 1.7 meters tall, a bit chubby and looking simple, opened the door. He looked at Bai Jing and asked, "Hello, this is a private residence, and we don't allow visitors. Is there something you need?"

Typical tourists would at most ask for water or want to look around, and could be easily turned away.

They didn't deliberately hide the existence of magic, but they didn't actively promote it either. Whether one could join depended entirely on fate.

"I want to learn magic!" Bai Jing said earnestly.

"Hmm?" The person's expression became serious. "How did you find out that magic exists here?"

"I observed it myself!" Bai Jing said. "I just passed by and noticed this strangely shaped house. However, those tourists who love taking pictures completely ignored it. I asked a few people, and they actually said there was no such house!"

"I think this might be the effect of magic!" Bai Jing said. "It must be some kind of magic that affects people's minds or subconscious, making them overlook the existence of this house!"

The person nodded. "I see. Please come in."

Bai Jing was a little taken aback. They believed him just like that?

But then he thought it made sense. The mages lived in seclusion for years and had no experience with the deceit of the human world! Of course, it was also possible that this person had other means to sense Bai Jing's good nature.

Bai Jing felt the latter was more likely.

He followed the person inside through the wooden door.

Inside the door was a spacious hall. In the center of the hall was a long table with two benches on either side, resembling a dining table.

On the table sat a complex handmade artifact, its purpose unclear, perhaps for timing.

The surrounding walls were lined with bookshelves filled with books. These weren't the books found in modern libraries, but rather thread-bound books from before the invention of modern printing, or hand-stitched volumes.

Behind the dining table was a Y-shaped wooden staircase, with two branches leading upstairs.

"This is the Sanctum Sanctorum, a place where you can indeed learn magic!" The Asian person turned around. "You can call me Wang..."

Wang is a surname, not the "Wang" from Saber.

"Oh, oh..." So it was an acquaintance.

"Then I'm Bai!" Bai Jing said, "My name is Bai Kunlun."

"We're even from the same hometown!" Wang's attitude softened slightly. "There is indeed a barrier set up at the entrance, which can make people with weak spiritual power directly ignore this place. If their spiritual power is strong, they can ignore the barrier and see the existence of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Such people are qualified to learn magic. However, these people are naturally intelligent and learn everything quickly. Their talent is not only reflected in magic; they are usually successful people in real life, so they basically won't come to learn magic!"

Bai Jing nodded.

"After all, magic cannot extend one's lifespan, nor can it be used to dominate the world. It also takes up a lot of time..." Wang said, watching Bai Jing's expression.

In fact, their recruitment requirements were similar to those for recruiting monks; they weren't far from requiring detachment from worldly desires.

After all, magic is a dangerous power. Just spatial teleportation alone could trigger a world war in the hands of an ambitious person. Could they recruit just anyone?

Bai Jing's expression remained calm because he had already considered all these conditions.

He was, in a way, an ambitious person, but he didn't place much importance on the power of magic.

It didn't matter if he couldn't learn magic; as long as he knew how to perceive space and time, he could develop various applications with his own strength.

By setting his expectations low, he naturally wouldn't be disappointed.

Seeing Bai Jing's calm expression, Wang felt that Bai Jing had passed the first test.

Well, he could reluctantly take him to see the Sorcerer Supreme.

"Whether you can learn magic or not, my word isn't final. I'll take you to see the Sorcerer Supreme!" Wang said, raising his hand and making a gesture!

Accompanied by a sharp tearing sound, a spatial gate suddenly opened before Bai Jing!

Bai Jing looked at the spatial gate, his expression originally calm. But seeing Wang seemingly looking over, he quickly opened his mouth and put on a look of utter astonishment.

Wang nodded with satisfaction. Although I'm a monk, I also have a heart that wants to show off!

As the saying goes, if violence is not for showing off, then it is meaningless.

This chapter is 2800 words and took 1 hour and 40 minutes to write.

I'm clearly not a slow writer.

Mainly, I was watching a match just now, ate a lot of cucumbers and grapes, and kept running to the toilet.

And I was also looking up information.

I was looking at Google Maps while writing, so there should be no geographical problems, but I still haven't figured out how to post pictures. I'll research it further, but I feel that adding a picture at the end of a chapter greatly affects the reading experience.

And the bullet comments, they're too distracting.

Finally, thank you all for your recommendations and tips. I will list the tips separately later.

To those who recommended, go to bed early. I see some people are still voting at four or five in the morning...

There won't be any more for now. I originally planned to have 3 updates today, but it looks like there isn't enough time.