Earth-Shattering Gossip

"What Ten Rings?" Salomon asked in confusion.

"Have you read the story of King Solomon?"

"I've heard bits and pieces..."

"It is said that King Solomon commanded the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons, and that the original construction of the Temple of Israel was all his handiwork. But according to speculation, the demons likely assisted in the temple's construction. Those ten rings were proof of a sage acknowledged by God, as well as the means by which he commanded angels and demons," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "King Solomon performed only one miracle. In the end, by his own will, he returned the rings to Heaven."

"What does that have to do with my Holy Marks?"

Under Master Gu Yi's disapproving gaze, Salomon turned his head away... He truly had never read any explanation of the Holy Marks.

"Magic originally stemmed from Idol Theory. By imitating the whole or part of an entity, one may acquire the attributes it possesses. The simplest forms of magic are seeing and hearing." The Sorcerer Supreme tapped Salomon on the head with her folding fan, making him turn back around.

She continued, "Holy Marks are the marks left behind at the execution of the Son of God. But the marks on your fingers are not the Son of God's wounds—they resemble King Solomon's marks instead. I don't know what to call such marks, so I refer to them as Holy Marks, and I call you a saint—this differs from the saints recognized by the Roman Church.

"And based on Idol Theory, you will inevitably possess some of King Solomon's abilities... such as dominion or command."

"So, Master, you're not sure whether I can tame this ring either?" Salomon said resentfully. "It's not that I can't accept this kind of experiment, but please let me know beforehand next time."

"Hush, hush, hush." Master Gu Yi looked to the side. "Nothing too serious happened anyway. Don't mind it, don't mind it."

The Sorcerer Supreme had also told Salomon where the other two rings were. Master Gu Yi had always believed that Salomon was not yet capable of passing the trials brought by the other two rings.

"Why?" Salomon asked.

"Because Kamar-Taj is not the only magical faction on Earth, Salomon. Not all Earth's mages draw their power from the Vishanti," Master Gu Yi said. "Not all mystical arts originate from the Vishanti. Some come from Chthon's Chaos Magic, some from Dormammu's Dark Dimension, and some from all sorts of strange things—even devils and demons.

"And we at Kamar-Taj, the organization known to the outside world as the Mystic Order, have the duty of purging these Black Warlocks."

"All right. Then, Master, could you tell me where Chthon and Dormammu came from?"

"Very well. This is another gap in your basic education. I've always worried that after learning their names, someone might hear their calls and turn toward these dangerous Elder Gods. But this is a private lesson, so no one will disturb us." The Sorcerer Supreme said, "Everything you hear next must be buried deep in your mind."

"I swear by the Vishanti... no, by the source of magic," Salomon said.

The Sorcerer Supreme nodded and began recounting ancient gossip. "Chthon was a lifeform born from the Life God, one of the earliest forms of life on Earth. He was called the Great Shadow Demon, or the God of Black Magic. Other lifeforms born at the same time included Mother Earth Gaea, Seth, and so on.

"Billions of years ago, the natural vitality of Earth's biosphere gave birth to a group of Elder Gods. They then began slaughtering and devouring one another; some even became demons. Chthon was one of them.

"To end this fate, Mother Earth Gaea and the Life God gave birth to Atum. Atum continuously destroyed those corrupted Elder Gods, but later fell himself and became the incomparably powerful God Eater. Even Chthon and Seth together could not contend against him.

"In the end, to escape being devoured by the God Eater, Chthon and Seth were forced to flee into other dimensions. As for Atum's later fate, it is said that he merged with the sun and became the Sun God, though no one can be sure whether that is true.

"The power Atum left behind gave rise to a new generation of gods, including the Norse Pantheon.

"The god-king Odin possessed the immensely powerful Odinforce. He waged war in all directions, ruled Asgard, created the World Tree, and divided the universe into the Ten Realms. At the same time, various deities appeared elsewhere on Earth, including the Earth Pantheon led by the Jade Emperor.

"There was also Mother Earth Gaea. Gaea bore Kronos with another son, Uranus. Kronos's sons included Zeus, and thus came the Greek Pantheon from the storybooks you read."

"I am not entirely sure what happened among them, or why the World Tree's Ten Realms became the present Nine Realms. But in any case, in the distant past, the Celestials—administrators created by The Living Tribunal—came into conflict with these new gods on Earth... In short, before human civilization emerged, these new gods more or less departed from Earth."

The Sorcerer Supreme paused. Salomon hurriedly poured his teacher a cup of tea and kept it warm with magic.

Master Gu Yi nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Next is the Vishanti Trinity. One of them, Agamotto, was the first Sorcerer Supreme. He specialized in foresight and truth, perceived the mysteries of the universe, and forged Kamar-Taj's greatest treasure, the Eye of Agamotto. There were also the Amulet of Agamotto, the Crystal Ball of Agamotto, and so on;

"Hoggoth is an exceedingly ancient and powerful magical entity. His true form is said to be incomprehensible to most mortals, so Hoggoth usually appears before human mages in the form of a tiger.

"Sometimes, he also appears with a human face. The Path of Hoggoth and the Mists of Hoggoth that he created can help travelers pass through the realm of nightmares, while the Spells of Hoggoth can make people sleep and forget;

"The last member of the Vishanti was also an Elder God, named Oshtur. She was another 'daughter' of the Life God, associated with the sky, wisdom, and reason, and was the origin of White Magic.

"When Chthon's existence threatened Earth and even the entire universe, Oshtur gave birth to Agamotto. Yes, Agamotto, one of the Vishanti Trinity. Yet in truth, she was a genderless being."

"Here's a little rumor, too. Mm, not bad, Salomon. Your magic has improved quickly." Master Gu Yi lifted her teacup and felt that it was at just the right temperature. At the same time, she lowered her voice and winked, as though gossiping about someone behind their back.

"It is said that Hoggoth came from an ancient and mysterious race. He was also the last survivor of that race, having existed for millions of years, perhaps even longer.

"One day, Hoggoth encountered Oshtur as she explored different universes. He taught Oshtur many things and helped her understand the value of other lives. Later, he continued traveling with Oshtur.

"So Hoggoth was very likely Agamotto's father... Of course, this sort of thing cannot be told to outsiders."

Salomon's mouth fell open in surprise. Though the conduct of these magical entities could not be judged by human ethics, this was no longer something that could be described as merely a complicated circle, but...

"Master, what does this have to do with my trial?" Salomon asked.

"Of course it has something to do with it." Master Gu Yi said, "While enjoying the afterglow of sunset, the United Kingdom plundered vast quantities of artwork from around the world. These artworks are housed in the British Museum—but unfortunately, they are all connected to those Earth Pantheons.

"Though these new gods left Earth, some power still remains within those objects... Even if it is only a little, it is still an unimaginably vast amount of energy to mortals."

"And if you want to go there and obtain one ring, it means you must face the guardians of that power... That will not be an easy task for you right now. I think you should first learn all the magic you can." The Sorcerer Supreme's tone turned stern. "Remember: even if you obtain another ring, you must not put it on immediately—find the remaining two, then wear them all at once... Your ability will allow you to completely control the Vishanti's magical power."

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