British Museum

"So when I obtain the other ring, I'll need a Hobbit, so I don't succumb to temptation and put on the other ring?" Salomon asked.

"Yes. Put on all the rings at once and completely command the Vishanti's power." The Sorcerer Supreme nodded. "This experiment is meant to verify whether you possess the ability to command the Vishanti's power."

"So I also need a good little fellow who won't say 'my precious.' I know that bone-deep sense of temptation." Salomon secretly rolled his eyes, remembering the searing heat released when the Vishanti's ring came into contact with magic. But where was he supposed to find someone who had never come into contact with magic?

As if she had seen Salomon's concerns, Master Gu Yi readily sold out one of her apprentices. "Master Wong has never entered into a contract with the Vishanti. What he studies now is merely Kamar-Taj's secret arts. He has achieved nothing in Vishanti-based spells and has no involvement with the Vishanti's power..."

Salomon and the Sorcerer Supreme happily settled on their Hobbit candidate. After bidding his teacher farewell, he returned to his room—this time, he had gained quite a lot. He could slowly sift through one great mage's memories.

Until he had mastered that mage's first two circles of spells, Salomon had no intention of leaving Kamar-Taj again.

That's right, not even child protective services would be able to find him. Yes! Exactly! Hurry up and unplug the internet cable in his room! The magical world didn't need the internet.

Well... for now.

Salomon already had a plan. He intended to use the Vishanti's power to cast spells from Toril or other worlds.

The power provided by the Web of Magic was the most basic True Aether, also known as Mana. As long as the spell structure was correct, any type of magical power could be used to cast it.

Of course, since the Vishanti's power was far too radiant, some necromantic spells still required his own power to sustain them.

But things did not go as planned. Just as Salomon was studying spells from the Toril universe, Baron Mordo came looking for him.

As a fellow disciple of the Sorcerer Supreme, this mage was quite friendly toward Salomon. Whenever he saw him, Baron Mordo would bring up stupid things like, "I held you when you were little"... Well, now I finally know why I felt so uncomfortable for a while back then.

The reason Baron Mordo had come to find Salomon was to train his ability to use magical artifacts... Kamar-Taj's magical artifacts might be a little different from those elsewhere.

Take the Tribunal's Scepter, for example... it actually had little to do with the Tribunal. Calling it a scepter would be less accurate than calling it a whip. Then there were Fodo's Boots. Those were not really magical artifacts, but magical curios. Their greatest function was allowing people to double-jump... Not particularly useful, but not terrible either, right?

Even those slick-haired demon men could not pull that off.

"You've already learned how to fight with your body, haven't you?" Baron Mordo smiled like a fox that had stolen a chicken. "Now you need to practice using weapons in battle.

We aren't wizards from fairy tales who cast magic with nothing but a little wooden stick."

"Uh... I don't think there's anything wrong with that, Senior Brother Mordo... Close combat is fine as long as it's enough..." Salomon tried to get out of the training, but Baron Mordo had seen plenty of children trying to cut corners.

He grabbed Salomon by the back of his collar and carried him out like a kitten.

"That is a mistaken notion, Salomon," Mordo said gently. "Creatures from the Outer Dimensions will not give us time to chant spells."

Salomon completely gave up struggling. Though he could not make out the expression on Baron Mordo's dark face, he knew there was no escaping this.

"So, the Sorcerer Supreme sent you here to retrieve a magical artifact, and you want me to be your Hobbit?" Master Wong, who had grown increasingly "sturdy," said unhappily.

To be honest, Salomon had not expected Master Wong to look so old for his age. Master Wong said, "Do you think I'm Frodo? I think I look more like Sam."

"The build certainly fits, my friend, but you can't cook." Salomon said, "Besides, I think I need your fists."

"So you've finally realized that fists are more useful than magic?" Master Wong said happily. "See? Even though I couldn't enter into a contract with the Vishanti, I could still defeat you in training."

"Pah! If you hadn't taken advantage of me while I was chanting..."

It was now 2007. Twelve-year-old Salomon had already studied some Toril spells and Kamar-Taj spells, and had mastered the basics of Flame Sculpting.

The two arrived in London through Kamar-Taj's portal to the London Sanctum. The city seemed to have just been through a rainstorm. The brick-paved ground was slick with water, but the rain seemed to have cleansed London's air. The faint ozone made it much fresher.

Though it still could not compare to Kamar-Taj's crisp, cool air, it was far better than that of many major cities—the only problem was that Salomon accidentally stepped into a puddle, soaking the shoes issued by Kamar-Taj.

"Don't make that face, Salomon. Mordo arranged British citizenship for you. You'll have to get used to this weather." Master Wong seemed rather pleased by his misfortune. "The Sorcerer Supreme also seems to want you to attend an ordinary school. In the United Kingdom."

"More precisely, it's an education in basic logical thinking. Most mages who come to Kamar-Taj to study have attended ordinary schools." Salomon shook his head, lifted his leg, and kept walking. His shoes squelched with every step. "Mathematics, physics, chemistry—the Sorcerer Supreme said these are essential forms of cultivation."

"But I never studied any of that."

"That's probably because you were born at Kamar-Taj. You don't even have health insurance. But I think once you gain magical power, Kamar-Taj will create an identity for you." Salomon concealed part of the truth. The Sorcerer Supreme had told him to tell others that he had already entered into a contract with the Vishanti.

No one could have imagined that Salomon was merely making use of the Vishanti's power—the Sorcerer Supreme was quite familiar with that approach. Master Gu Yi had obtained Dormammu's power in the same way; it was simply being applied to the Vishanti now.

"Besides, this magical artifact needs to be held by someone who is not too deeply connected to magic, or else it may cause backlash." Salomon glanced sideways at Master Wong.

Sure enough, Master Wong still could not let go of the fact that he could not enter into a contract.

"Don't worry." He comforted Master Wong. "The Sorcerer Supreme must have her reasons. Besides, you're already stronger than those guys who can use spells, aren't you?"

"You mean in the sense that I don't need sleep?"

"Uh... that counts too."

"So, what are we going to do?" Master Wong asked with some dissatisfaction.

"First, we walk inside." The moment Salomon and Master Wong entered the British Museum, located at Russell Square north of New Oxford Street, they sensed that something was wrong—the magical power here seemed far stronger than elsewhere.

"Did you find something?" Master Wong had noticed something as well, but he looked around and found nothing.

"Look over there." Salomon pointed at the exhibits: a Shiva Bronze Statue, a Nicobar Islands Wooden Statue, a marble statue of the yakshini "Ambika," a Parthenon Fresco, a Pharaoh Amenhotep III Head, and most importantly, ritual vessels from every Earth Pantheon. Every pantheon was represented.

Though the Sorcerer Supreme had already told Salomon about the divine power lingering in those artifacts and relics, the sheer scale of this power still startled him.

"You mean... we're going to rob the museum?" Master Wong lowered his voice. "Is the magical artifact one of the exhibits here?"

"No, it isn't..." Salomon lowered his voice as well. The two whispered nervously to each other. "It's the guardian here?"

"Haven't you noticed?" Salomon shifted his gaze to the side. "Those spirits?"

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