New York Sanctum
In a room, Mordo was making the most of his time to train. Being controlled by Xia Zuo last time had shaken him, so he had been training hard these past few days.
Just then, a monk in monastic robes walked in and said to Mordo, "Sorcerer, that child with the unusual eyes from last time is here again."
"What? That brat actually dared to come back here?" Mordo suddenly opened his eyes, a trace of anger in them. He had never expected Xia Zuo to dare show up here again.
"Come, let's go take a look." Mordo immediately set off for the main hall. He wanted to see what Xia Zuo was up to.
In the New York Sanctum's main hall, Xia Zuo stood at ease, admiring the artwork as he quietly waited for Mordo to arrive. Before long, Mordo came hurrying over.
"Long time no see, Mordo. I told you we'd meet again." Xia Zuo chuckled and looked calmly at Mordo, as though he had already forgotten about controlling him before. Mordo, however, could not forget.
"What are you doing here? This isn't a place you should be!"
Mordo frowned at Xia Zuo. He did not want to see him; after all, his anger toward Xia Zuo had not entirely faded. If he could, he would have blasted Xia Zuo out with magic, but he did not dare act!
The sorcerers had certain rules. Unless they faced some exceptional danger, they were not allowed to fight within the Three Sanctums. After all, they were stationed here to protect the sanctums, not destroy them.
"I want to use the New York Sanctum's portal to go to Kamar-Taj." Xia Zuo did not waste words with Mordo. He went straight to the point and stated his purpose for coming.
If Xia Zuo wanted to reach Kamar-Taj, he had only two options.
One was to travel over mountains and rivers, using transportation to reach Kathmandu, where Kamar-Taj was located. Xia Zuo would never use such a time-consuming, laborious method, leaving him only one option: the New York Sanctum. That was why he had come here.
"Impossible. The Sorcerer Supreme already told you last time that she wouldn't take you as her apprentice. No matter how much you beg, you cannot become a sorcerer, so I won't let you use the portal. Now get out."
Mordo was almost laughing in anger at Xia Zuo. The Sorcerer Supreme had already made herself perfectly clear last time, yet Xia Zuo still dared to come here and say he wanted to go to Kamar-Taj. How could Mordo possibly let that happen? What had happened last time was already a lesson, so he would not let Xia Zuo use the portal.
"Just as expected, Mordo. You're really easy to read. That's exactly what I thought you'd say, so I kept something in reserve."
Faced with Mordo's refusal, Xia Zuo was not surprised in the slightest. There was even a faint smile on his face.
He had only just made a fool of Mordo last time, and with Mordo's tendency to repay every slight, how could he possibly help Xia Zuo? Xia Zuo had already considered this before coming. Out of caution, he had kept something in reserve, and it had actually proved useful.
"I won't let you control me."
At Xia Zuo's words, Mordo immediately grew wary and took a step back. Magical power surged through him, instantly gathering in his hands. Faint sparks appeared in the air, forming a strange pattern as the array of a magical shield slowly took shape!
After the lesson last time, Mordo was very familiar with Xia Zuo's ability. Wasn't it just controlling people? He refused to believe he would still be controlled when he was being cautious this time.
Mordo stood ready, keeping his full attention on Xia Zuo to guard against any tricks. What he did not know was that the first ability of Xia Zuo's Geass, Absolute Command, could only work on a person once. His Geass no longer worked on Mordo.
"I never said I was going to control you..."
Xia Zuo looked at the magical array that had already been drawn, a faint gleam appearing in his eyes. This was his first time watching the construction of a magical array in such detail, and he could not help feeling curious.
Hearing Xia Zuo's words, Mordo relaxed his tense body slightly. As long as Xia Zuo did not control him, he refused to believe he could not deal with a little brat.
But just then, a dull thud sounded behind Mordo. Pain shot through his head, and his vision went black. His body turned slightly before he slowly collapsed!
Before he lost consciousness completely, he saw that the monk who had announced Xia Zuo's arrival was still holding a wooden club. What he did not see was the barely perceptible red ring in the monk's eyes.
"I never said I was going to control you. I was going to control someone else," Xia Zuo murmured slowly, finishing the sentence he had left incomplete earlier.
He had said it before: in his eyes, Mordo was nothing more than a clown, not worth taking seriously at all. With a few tricks, taking Mordo down could not have been easier.
"Take me to the portal and open the passage to Kamar-Taj."
Xia Zuo spoke to the controlled monk, who nodded and respectfully led him deeper into the New York Sanctum. They soon reached an ancient-looking door. The monk hurried forward to activate the portal, and after a short while, the door slowly opened.
Xia Zuo stared at the portal without blinking. After all, specialized transportation across space was still very novel to him. Once the portal had fully opened, he could see a stone chamber beyond the door. This was the central hub of Kamar-Taj's portals.
Xia Zuo slowly stepped forward and entered the portal. With a single step, he was in Kamar-Taj. He had finally reached this sacred land of sorcerers.
Xia Zuo slowly left the central transportation hub and made his way outside, where he immediately saw a building with an antique charm. The buildings were also almost all made of solid wood.
Solid-wood buildings like these were a rarity in New York, but they looked perfectly natural here. There were even other distinctive features, none of which New York possessed. Xia Zuo could be certain he had truly arrived at Kamar-Taj.
"Portals really are interesting. I have to learn this spell." Xia Zuo chuckled. This was one of his reasons for coming here: to learn these wondrous spells, which could bring him a great deal of convenience.
Xia Zuo casually toured Kamar-Taj. As he looked around, he spotted a bald woman in pristine white monastic robes in a hall ahead, absorbed in a book. Xia Zuo had met the Ancient One once again.
P.S. Three updates a day. It seems some readers think I'm updating too slowly, so starting tomorrow, I'll try to manage four. But I can't make any firm promises. After all, I only have time to write at night, and I already write until midnight every night. I'll do my best. Please keep supporting me!