New York Sanctum

Sam and the others were very curious about the identities of Mary Shaw's group and the Ancient One's group, but Meng Zu's words—"The more you know, the faster you die"—snuffed out their curiosity.

When they drove to Sault Ste. Marie that evening, they had originally planned to fly back to New York that night. However, the car rental company had already closed, leaving Meng Zu with no choice but to leave the next day.

When they returned the car, Meng Zu had to pay an extra thousand dollars in compensation because of several new scratches on it. Before boarding the plane, Sam asked, "Mr. Meng Zu, the vampires drank our blood. Will we become vampires too?"

"Becoming a vampire isn't that easy. If it were, you'd have turned long ago. After you get back, go to a church and find someone from the clergy. Tell them what happened and have them perform a cleansing for you."

"Why do we need a cleansing?"

"The vampires drank your blood, so there'll be residual dark energy in your bodies. You also absorbed some of the resentful energy from that vengeful spirit. Those things are harmful to ordinary people. The church's cleansing can remove them from your bodies."

"Oh, and use my phone later to notify your families. Tell them to bring the money to the company and pick you up," Meng Zu instructed the four of them.

After flying back to New York Airport, Meng Zu hailed a taxi and took Sam and the others back to the detective agency. Their parents were all waiting there.

The four parents were immensely grateful that Meng Zu had brought them back. Meng Zu humbly said that, for Franklin's sake, it was simply what he should have done.

Anna and the other two really did come from wealthy families. Their parents paid the fifty thousand dollars without even blinking and praised Meng Zu as the finest detective they had ever seen. Even Holmes was no better than him. Of course, that definitely had nothing to do with Anna and the others telling their parents about what they had gone through and how Meng Zu had performed.

After Sam and the others left with their parents, Meng Zu opened the system and found that all the missions had been completed. He had earned 290 Employment Points. This mission really had been a blend of danger and opportunity. Not only had he gained so many Employment Points at once, he had also met the Ancient One and gained a way to contact Kamar-Taj.

After greeting Uncle Yang and Yang Hai, Meng Zu left the agency and went straight home. After eating, he lay down on his bed and quickly fell asleep.

In Sault Ste. Marie, Meng Zu had barely slept at all. Before the mission was completed, he had not dared to truly let down his guard. Now that it was over and he was back in his own home, he finally relaxed for real. His body did not feel tired, but ever since encountering Mary Shaw's group, his mind had remained highly tense. The moment he relaxed, mental exhaustion hit him, and that was why he fell asleep so quickly.

When Meng Zu woke up, it was already noon the next day. After turning on his phone, he found several bounty missions posted by the Continental Hotel, along with several missed calls from unfamiliar numbers.

Meng Zu ignored them. He had something important to do today. Once he was dressed, he drove toward Manhattan.

Arriving at Bleecker Street in Manhattan once more, Meng Zu parked his car, took out the business card the Ancient One had given him from his storage space, and headed toward 177A Bleecker Street. As he passed the restaurant at No. 176, he discovered that a building had appeared beside it. Its address read: 177A Bleecker Street, Manhattan.

Meng Zu thought for a moment, then stepped back to No. 176 and put the Ancient One's card away in his storage space. When he walked forward again, No. 177A had disappeared.

So this thing is a pass, Meng Zu thought as he took out the card.

No wonder the Ancient One had given him this card. Without it, he would never have found the New York Sanctum. Standing before its entrance, Meng Zu saw that it looked no different from the surrounding buildings. It had the same somewhat classical appearance and nothing outwardly special.

Meng Zu stepped forward and knocked on the door. It automatically opened a crack, and he pushed it open and went inside. The moment he entered, he saw a broad staircase leading to the second floor.

Meng Zu curiously observed everything in the room. The space inside was much larger than the building had appeared from outside. Was this spatial magic? As he remembered, Kamar-Taj's sorcerers seemed to be highly skilled in spatial magic.

A huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling of the hall, giving off a soft golden glow. Under its light, Meng Zu felt his entire body grow more comfortable. There was no need to guess—it was a magical artifact.

There were practically no modern electronic devices inside, giving the place an ancient air. Yet it felt only natural that it should be that way. The place was steeped in history, and its solemn atmosphere was immediately palpable. At that moment, Meng Zu felt that the sorcerers of the New York Sanctum lived rather luxuriously.

Meng Zu had experienced this feeling before. He had once protected a wealthy man in Britain, and the castle the man lived in had given off the same impression. Many of the items inside had historical value, but compared to the New York Sanctum, it immediately seemed rather shabby.

Meng Zu looked toward the second floor. He remembered that, in the movie, there was an exhibition room upstairs containing many legendary magical items. Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation was in that exhibition room on the second floor.

The thought made Meng Zu itch to go up and see whether there were any magical artifacts that caught his eye.

Just then, footsteps sounded. Meng Zu turned and saw an old man and a bald middle-aged Black man carrying a staff walk over. The old man studied Meng Zu curiously and asked, "You are Meng Zu?"

"Yes. May I ask how I should address the two sorcerers?" Meng Zu nodded.

"I am Sorcerer Daniel, and he is Sorcerer Ruo Ya," the old man introduced.

"So you are Sorcerer Daniel. The Sorcerer Supreme sent me to find you," Meng Zu said respectfully.

"Mm. The Sorcerer Supreme has already told me about your situation." Sorcerer Daniel turned to the bald Black man. "Sorcerer Ruo Ya, leave him to me. Go take care of your business."

"Then I'll leave him to you, Sorcerer Daniel." With that, Sorcerer Ruo Ya headed upstairs.

Although Meng Zu very much wanted to go upstairs and see whether there were any magical artifacts, he did not dare act recklessly here. He followed Sorcerer Daniel into a room.

Two meditation cushions lay on the floor, with a low table beside them. A tea set sat on the table, and Sorcerer Daniel gestured for Meng Zu to sit.

After Meng Zu sat down, Sorcerer Daniel said nothing and began making tea. Meng Zu also remained silent, quietly waiting. Once two cups had been poured, Daniel said, "Try it. See how it tastes."

Meng Zu picked up a cup and slowly drank it. His eyes immediately lit up when the system notified him that his Spirit had increased by 0.5. This really was good stuff. Could it be spiritual tea?

While slowly sipping his tea, Sorcerer Daniel said, "The Sorcerer Supreme has already told me about you. Although you are not suited to learning magic, you possess a special kind of energy. If you wish to strengthen it, you need to learn meditation so that your energy can gradually grow stronger."

"Then please teach me meditation, Sorcerer Daniel!" Meng Zu could hardly wait.

Sorcerer Daniel said, "First, relax your mind and calm your heart."

Meng Zu took a deep breath and followed Sorcerer Daniel's instructions, relaxing his mind as his heart gradually calmed. Then, before Meng Zu could react, Sorcerer Daniel suddenly struck him in the chest with a palm.