What did someone who had undergone an organ transplant mean to Uncle Hannibal?
That was right: processed meat.
When Li Ang saw the newcomer, he instinctively felt some resistance. He had simply watched too many American TV shows before.
He worried that this old bastard might have a heart-to-heart with him-and take out his heart and lungs.
Li Ang also knew that the man before him was not Hannibal, but Kaecilius, the future villain in Doctor Strange.
After entering the library, Kaecilius immediately looked at Li Ang, who was holding a magic book.
Li Ang was also studying the man before him. An unrelenting melancholy lingered between Kaecilius's brows.
Ancient One gave him a complicated look, then withdrew her gaze and continued looking at Li Ang. "This is Kaecilius, also my disciple."
"From now on, if you have any questions, you can come to the library and ask Wong."
She really could not trust Kaecilius with Li Ang, because she could sense that Kaecilius's emotions had been very unstable lately.
Li Ang tucked the book into his bag. "Of course."
With the book in hand, Li Ang left the library. Rather than immediately opening it, he flew into the air.
He only stopped once he could take in all of Kamar-Taj. It looked like a small village, with a square right in the middle.
Buildings surrounded it in concentric rings, actually making it look like a formation.
"Look, someone's flying!" Several nearby apprentices noticed him and looked surprised and admiring. Clearly, they had mistaken Li Ang for some mage.
Li Ang tossed his hair showily and flew west, toward the place where he would be staying.
It was a small courtyard residence, with only one room and a modest yard. He pushed the door open and entered a room so bare that even a burglar would have fled in tears.
After setting down his bag, Li Ang checked his phone and discovered there was actually internet here!
That made Li Ang breathe a sigh of relief. If something happened while he was here learning magic and he missed some major event, that would be ridiculous.
With that in mind, Li Ang felt he could not linger here too long, so he opened the magic book and prepared to start studying.
But he had no idea until he looked, and what he saw gave him a shock.
The writing looked like chicken scratch!
Li Ang slapped the book onto the table. "System, buddy, come translate this for me. What exactly does 'a pleasant surprise' mean?"
Learning magic? Even with his enhanced brain, learning a language alone was not something he could accomplish in a few days, let alone these ancient scripts.
If he could not read the words, how was that any different from watching porn without subtitles?
[This system can load a universal text pack at a cost of 5,000 Presence. Exchange?]
"At least you've got a conscience."
Five thousand really was not expensive. At least the current Li Ang could earn it back easily.
After the exchange, a red progress bar appeared before his eyes. Once it reached one hundred percent, it flashed a few times and disappeared.
Li Ang let out a surprised sound. When he looked at the magic book in his hands again, translated subtitles had actually appeared beneath the talisman-like script!
"Holy shit, if I'd had this ability back then, I wouldn't have had to watch mosaics in the Chinese-subtitled section!" Li Ang remarked.
Studying was destined to be tedious. As a certain man surnamed Li had once said, "Study? Study my ass!"
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
In the little square, Li Ang wore the Sling Ring Ancient One had specially given him.
Not far away, Kaecilius sat on the stone steps, watching Li Ang with interest. He wanted to see what this man Ancient One had personally brought back could do.
In the square, Li Ang closed his eyes, sensing the magical energy inside and outside his body with each breath.
Ultimately, magic was about drawing on energy and programming it to affect reality.
Over the past half month, the translation had increased his learning speed many times over. Coupled with the changes the Magic Divine Tree Seed had made to his body, Li Ang could now cast some simple magic.
While Li Ang was sensing the magic, another Black man approached from the side: Mordo.
"Who is he?" Mordo asked.
He had gone down the mountain earlier and had not been at Kamar-Taj for the past half month, so he did not know Li Ang.
"Someone Ancient One brought back. He doesn't seem to have much talent for magic." There was even a hint of sourness in his tone.
Mordo folded his arms and looked Li Ang up and down. Li Ang looked somewhat familiar, and he also felt that his current appearance was very much that of a clumsy beginner.
"Sensing magic isn't that simple." Mordo shook his head.
The moment he finished speaking, Li Ang raised a hand and formed a seal one-handed. A burst of sparks erupted, then formed an orange shield!
Li Ang looked at the magic shield on his hand, joy flashing in his eyes. This was the result of half a month's hard work!
Nearby, Mordo nearly choked on his own saliva. He turned to Kaecilius. "You call that not having much talent?"
He had mastered the Rings of Raggadorr in half a month?
Was this for real?
Kaecilius's eyes widened too. Beside him, Mordo wore an expression that said, "You've got to be fucking kidding me." With progress like that, he claimed the man had little talent?
"How... how is that possible? It's only been half a month!" Kaecilius's eyes were filled with disbelief and suspicion.
"Did he read some forbidden book he wasn't supposed to?"
Kaecilius thought of the divine books sealed away in the library. Otherwise, it was hard to explain how Li Ang had progressed so quickly!
At that thought, a flash of resentment crossed Kaecilius's eyes.
Li Ang knew nothing of this. He could hear the accelerated heartbeats around him, but he could not make out Kaecilius's thoughts.
"Very good." Ancient One's voice came at just the right moment.
After Li Ang dismissed his magic, Ancient One praised him. "Your talent for magic has truly exceeded my expectations."
By Ancient One's calculations, Li Ang should have needed at least a month to learn these spells.
Even that estimate was only because of the magic tree inside Li Ang.
What Ancient One had not anticipated was that Li Ang had the system's language pack, which directly deciphered the ancient text, making it read just like an instruction manual.
"It's all thanks to, uh..." Li Ang had wanted to credit someone's teaching, but on second thought, no one had taught him at all.
Ancient One smiled and raised her hand. A small portal appeared, and she took out a new magic book with practiced ease.
Through the portal, Li Ang could even see Wong's bewildered face.
"This is an advanced magic book. It contains the Dimensional Doorway spell. Once you learn it..."
Li Ang did not listen to the rest of Ancient One's words, because all his attention had shifted to the system.
Text appeared before his eyes.
[Mission eight: Neither demon nor angel] [Cursed with an identity neither human nor ghost, he is forever caught between two worlds. Hatred has become Blade's driving force, as well as his shackles. And as an antihero, how could you let a pack of lowly vampires cause trouble on your turf? Kill Deacon to receive a surprise reward.] [Mission rewards: 10 attribute points, one ten-pull. Bonus reward: random Heat Vision attribute attachment ×1]
"A Heat Vision attribute attachment? Come on, System, translate this for me. What exactly does 'a pleasant surprise' mean?"