Pegasus

The Sorcerer Supreme's true teachings?

Salomon's expression turned uncertain.

Ever since his journey through the Dark Dimension, he had no longer naively believed that the Sorcerer Supreme's true teachings referred to the magic of the Vishanti.

The Book of Vishanti sat in the most conspicuous place on the library shelves, available for any Kamar-Taj sorcerer to read.

Kamar-Taj was not Hogwarts, where one still had to take final exams. How much magic one learned, or wanted to learn, was entirely one's own business. The Venerable One had made the magic of the Vishanti available to every member of the Mystic Order, without concealing anything.

The portion that had been hidden concerned the magic of the Dark Dimension. Salomon knew how dangerous that knowledge was. Though the library contained some information on how to communicate with Dormammu, the more advanced secret arts had been tightly concealed by the Venerable One.

Seeing Salomon's somewhat uneasy expression, Athena laughed. Young people really were young people.

She said, "Before me, even the Sorcerer Supreme is young—barely over a thousand years old. The Dark Dimension is not much of a secret to an existence like me."

Salomon wanted to run away... He truly could not imagine how the Sorcerer Supreme dealt with this group of long-lived beings.

The knowledge brought by their long lives left everything about ordinary people completely exposed in their eyes. Moreover, Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom. Salomon was absolutely certain that the woman before him was no less accomplished in magic.

"But I respect the Sorcerer Supreme's strength. She has the power to stand on equal footing with the Father God." Even seated on the sofa, Athena resembled an Amazon warrior. Though captivatingly beautiful, her words still carried a fierce aggression.

She said, "I abide by the contract, but that does not mean the other Greek gods are happy to do so. They were merely forced to bow their heads before the Sorcerer Supreme's magic... Haven't you considered it? The Sorcerer Supreme has already achieved immortality through magic, so why is she still training you?"

"You mean..." Salomon narrowed his eyes. In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

The Venerable One's plan to abandon her physical body had long since begun. For over a thousand years, she had shouldered Earth's safety alone.

That responsibility had indeed exhausted her. Coupled with the corrosion of the Dark Dimension, Salomon fully agreed that the Venerable One deserved to quietly enjoy retirement and explore the mysteries of the universe.

But Salomon also thought of Odin—Odin's lifespan was no secret within the Nine Realms. Back then, Odin and the Sorcerer Supreme had fought to a draw, and Earth had become an independent vassal state of Asgard.

Yet now, Asgard's eldest prince, Thor, had not displayed the wisdom expected of an heir. It was difficult to say whether Odin and the Venerable One had reached some agreement. The All-Father might fear that after his death, Earth would break away from the Nine Realms, or that the Sorcerer Supreme would lead the Mystic Order in a counterattack against Asgard. Perhaps that was why the Venerable One had arranged her departure to coincide with Odin's death. Otherwise, it was hard to say whether, near the end of his life, Odin might make Earth an example to demonstrate Asgard's might.

Besides, for powerful beings like Odin and the Venerable One, the death of the physical body did not mean the end of life...

At the same time, Salomon somewhat understood why the Venerable One had chosen him to study the knowledge of the Dark Dimension.

Aside from the Holy Marks, Salomon's personality itself was well suited for it—he was simply too lazy. His almost desireless temperament made him difficult to fathom. If Dormammu tried to tempt him with power, Salomon would not even spare Him a glance. If Dormammu kept whispering in Salomon's ear, he might even unleash a torrent of obscenities, sparing not a single female member of Dormammu's family for eighteen generations.

Whenever Salomon was discovered by Dormammu while traveling through the Dark Dimension, even knowing he could not resist, he would still launch brutal verbal attacks against the Lord of the Dark Dimension. They were destined to be enemies to the death anyway, so why be polite?

But when faced with the Sorcerer Supreme's rebuke, Salomon could only claim that those words had come from the internet. As for why Kamar-Taj's internet had gone down for several days, that had nothing to do with him.

If Dormammu tempted Salomon with knowledge, however, he might actually take the bait. For Salomon, only magic could truly stir his interest.

And the Venerable One was training him precisely in that regard. Restraint and balance—how to properly curb one's curiosity—were what the Venerable One wished to teach Salomon. It was also through balancing the power of the Vishanti and Dormammu that the Venerable One had attained her current strength.

Salomon had also considered Athena's words.

When the Venerable One laid down her burden, the entire multiverse would learn of it. The various demonic gods she had kept brutally suppressed might very well launch a celebration—a gluttonous feast to carve up Earth.

And the next Sorcerer Supreme had not yet fully matured, so Salomon would be needed to hold up Kamar-Taj's banner, just as the Sorcerer Supreme had done in the past.

Even judging with the greatest malice, Salomon could guess the Greek Pantheon's attitude. It was difficult to say they held no resentment toward the Sorcerer Supreme.

When that time came, whether Zeus or Hades, both would tentatively attempt to rebuild Mount Olympus on Earth.

The young sorcerer looked suspiciously at the blonde goddess. He could not tell whether Athena's relationship with the rest of the Greek gods was good or bad.

It was difficult to say that Athena was not a spy sent by the Greek gods to test the Sorcerer Supreme's attitude toward their return. But since the Venerable One had now allowed Athena to remain on Earth, that meant there was still room for negotiation.

"The Sorcerer Supreme's judgment was indeed not mistaken. It seems you have guessed some of it as well." Athena nodded upon seeing Salomon's changing expression. Though she could not read his thoughts, the light of wisdom was enough for her to infer most of them.

She said, "I hope you can continue the Sorcerer Supreme's mission and keep those gods out of Earth."

"I don't think that alone would be enough for you to lend me a hand at the British Museum." Salomon spoke expressionlessly. He did not believe in gifts falling from the sky. Behind every seemingly harmless act of assistance, there might well be a dagger.

"I will still need to live with your permission in the future, and this is a transaction." Athena spread her palm. Resting on it was a small white sculpture, only half the size of her hand. It depicted a lifelike winged horse, its white head fitted with an exquisitely gilded bridle.

Salomon could not tell what material it was made of. Its surface was as smooth as marble, yet it was not as cold as he had expected.

"Pegasus?" That was the only answer Salomon could think of. The only winged horse associated with Athena was Pegasus. "Isn't that the Pegasus Constellation?"

"Do you think that is possible? I told you not to confuse myths written by humans with reality. You should read the books I wrote. Those are the facts." Athena was somewhat displeased, but out of respect for the Sorcerer Supreme and because of Salomon's apology, her expression improved somewhat. She said, "Even Zeus has no ability to arrange the stars. The so-called Pegasus Constellation is even more absurd. Pegasus is merely my exclusive summoned creature.

I once lent this horse to Bellerophon to help him eliminate the Chimera. And now, I am lending it to you. The term is... until the end of your life."

P.S.: Please invest! Look! There's even an extra chapter, QAQ.

Time to eat, time to eat.