Kamar-Taj
Inside the hall, Xia Zuo leisurely savored his tea, paying no attention to Mordo, who was losing his composure in the middle of the hall. After the Ancient One had said those words earlier, everything Mordo was doing now was futile.
Mordo could do nothing to him. Xia Zuo knew this well, because the Ancient One had permitted him to come to Kamar-Taj, and she would not allow Mordo to attack him.
Mordo's current situation made that clear, so Xia Zuo was not worried at all. He even watched the scene with considerable interest.
"Sorcerer Supreme, please give me an answer. Why are you stopping me? Last time, you were the one who forbade this little thief from learning magic. I was merely carrying out your orders. Why are you stopping me instead?"
Mordo demanded loudly. Although he had his own selfish motives, he also knew how to invoke authority to get things done. He felt he was following the Ancient One's orders, so why was she doing this instead? This was different from the fair and impartial Sorcerer Supreme he remembered.
"Mordo, you really are... utterly foolish. Go back and think about it. Only come before me again once you understand!"
The Ancient One sighed. Why was this disciple of hers so stubborn? Stubbornness alone would not have mattered, but the problem was that he was stubborn about the wrong things. This left her somewhat disappointed. With a slight wave of her hand, a golden ring of light appeared beneath Mordo's feet. It was a portal, and on the other side lay the New York Sanctum.
"No, Master, I won't accept this!"
Mordo shouted, but the next moment, his body fell uncontrollably into the ring of light. The Ancient One had thrown him straight back to the New York Sanctum. She wanted him to think carefully about her intentions.
"You've gone to great lengths, Master," Xia Zuo said slowly as he watched.
He could see the Ancient One's intentions. Normally, with Mordo being so stubborn, she should have made things clear to him. Instead, she had sent him back to the New York Sanctum. This showed that she still held a sliver of hope for Mordo and hoped he could figure it out himself.
On the other hand, the Ancient One had allowed Xia Zuo to come to Kamar-Taj, and Mordo's involvement was meant to do Xia Zuo's future self a favor. If she allowed Mordo to keep clashing with Xia Zuo, that would serve no purpose. This was also to separate Mordo and Xia Zuo. She did not want any further sparks between them; that was not something she wanted to see.
"Sometimes, your wisdom really doesn't seem like something a child could possess."
The Ancient One gave a wry smile. She increasingly felt that Xia Zuo was not like a child. Whether in his conduct or his thinking on various matters, he was remarkably mature, unlike an ordinary child. Still, that was indeed the case: if Xia Zuo really were just an ordinary child, she would not have attached so much importance to him.
"All right, go with this monk next. He'll show you the room you'll be staying in, along with some places around Kamar-Taj, so you can familiarize yourself with them." The Ancient One summoned a monk to take Xia Zuo around and acquaint him with his surroundings.
A while later, Xia Zuo followed the monk to a simple room. After giving him a few brief instructions, the monk prepared to leave, but Xia Zuo stopped him.
"Is there anything else you need?"
The monk addressed Xia Zuo respectfully. Although he did not know Xia Zuo's background, he dared not slight someone the Ancient One had given such specific instructions about, even if he was a child. He would carry out the task she had assigned him properly.
"Could you tell me where the library is? Kamar-Taj should have a place that stores all kinds of magic books, right?"
Xia Zuo asked directly. He had come here to learn magic, but the Ancient One would not teach him personally, so he could only seek another way. The magic library would be a good place to go. At the very least, it would give someone like him, who had no grounding in magic whatsoever, an initial understanding of it.
"Turn right when you leave, then walk all the way to the end. That's where the books are kept." The monk answered Xia Zuo's question truthfully. The Sorcerer Supreme had already given instructions about all this, so there was nothing to conceal.
"Understood. Thank you." Xia Zuo chuckled softly and finally let the monk leave. After tidying up, he stepped straight out of the room and headed toward the magic library. He could hardly wait to begin learning magic.
With the directions the monk had given him, Xia Zuo found the magic library after a brief search and soon arrived before an old-fashioned, elegant door.
Xia Zuo pushed open the magic library's door and stepped into the world of magic.
"Who are you? This is a restricted area. You may not enter without the Ancient One's orders!"
Just then, a deep voice sounded beside Xia Zuo's ear. Turning his head slightly, he immediately spotted a man in monk's robes beside a table nearby. This was the librarian. Unlike the other monks, this man had an East Asian face.
"I'm Xia Zuo. The Ancient One gave me permission to enter."
Looking at the man, Xia Zuo slowly held up a bracelet bearing a sorcerer's emblem. The Ancient One had given him this bracelet earlier. It served as a form of identification and could prove his identity.
"I see. You may read any of the books except the forbidden ones. You can also ask me about anything you don't understand." After briefly examining the bracelet, the librarian immediately understood the Ancient One's orders, and his tone toward Xia Zuo softened.
"Understood. By the way, do you know which books are suitable for someone beginning to learn magic?" Xia Zuo asked. He had no foundation at all, so he had to start with the basics.
"You can start with the Cosmic Compendium and the General Treatise on the Fundamentals of Magic," the librarian said, introducing the books to Xia Zuo.
Following his directions, Xia Zuo took out those books and brought them to a table nearby to read. When he actually began reading, he discovered that the Ultimate Eye, which had shown no reaction for a long time, was responding. This time, the reaction came from the second-to-last Eye Ring-the Second Eye Ring.
He had touched upon the condition for unlocking the Second Eye Ring!
P.S. My heartfelt thanks to [JuliusZhuKingsley] for your fourth tip. I'll remember it. Thank you for supporting this book, thank you!
P.S. Has anyone guessed what the Second Eye Ring's Dōjutsu is? It's very easy to guess!