This was a city, a real city, about the size of a large town.
The one who was waiting for the two of them here at Ancient One's order was one of the sorcerers here. He introduced himself as "Wang", a typical Chinese name.
"Kamar-Taj was originally just the birthplace of Ancient One. It used to be an ordinary town … But after the master mastered extraordinary power, it became the holy land of magic. Of course, for the master herself, she is proficient in almost all extraordinary powers in the world, whether it is voodoo or obscure Taoism, it is not difficult for her."
Wang was a very talkative person. Like a dutiful tour guide, he took Saber and Strange through a long, quaint tunnel. The chandeliers on both sides added a mysterious color to the stone tunnel, and as they moved forward, the lights seemed to be swaying.
"I heard that Kamar-Taj receives a lot of terminally ill patients?"
Saber's gaze fell outside the window of the tunnel, where he could clearly see the bright weather that was completely different from the snow mountains outside, and his question also made Wang stunned for a moment. This seemingly unapproachable but actually very good-tempered sorcerer explained,
"Yes, but Kamar-Taj will only accept those who are recognized by it. There are ordinary people here as you said, and not only the terminally ill can enter, some people who are favored by the Sorcerer Supreme can also enter Kamar-Taj, but … There is only one chance in a lifetime, and there are not many of them, and they can't get close to the Sorcerer Supreme's Tower."
"What about the standard? What is the standard? "
Staying in the warm tunnel, Strange slowly regained his mobility. He picked up a wooden stick from the ground and used it to support his body. His expression was a little tired. He looked at the figure leading the way and asked in a soft voice, "What do you think?"
"Ancient One told me that to enter Kamar-Taj, you must believe in the existence of souls …"
"No, actually, that's just a basic condition."
Wang's small eyes narrowed. As he walked, he said, "Not all terminally ill people are worth saving. The meaning of life is very complicated, especially for those of us who are far away from the mortal world. The master believes that only those who still haven't given up hope in the most terrible desperate situation are worth saving a second chance."
"If you've given up, what obligation do we have to save you?"
Seiber nodded in agreement and said, "That's right.
"Only those who save themselves can be saved. Ancient One's philosophy is very correct."
Every sorcerer in Kamar-Taj, whether official or apprentice, has a follower of the Ancient One like a believer. Modu will fight with Saber because he doesn't respect Ancient One enough. In fact, the same goes for King.
However, Saber didn't care about the king's gaze at all. He carried the wooden box on his back and leisurely walked through the tunnel. On both sides of him were hooded men with ascetic temperaments. There were also numerous forks in the road. This was an ancient mage tower. After hundreds of years, no one knew how many secrets this place held. Ten minutes later, the king stood in front of a door engraved with mysterious runes and waved his hand.
"Go, Sorcerer Supreme has been waiting for you for a long time."
Saber pushed open the door and saw two people with their backs facing him, standing in front of a meditation platform with 1000 candles lit. Her hands were hanging by her side, and hundreds of thousands of runes filled the entire room. It seemed that because of her existence, this place was filled with a sense of solemnity and holiness.
But … To be honest, that bald head is really awkward no matter how you look at it!
"It's a little later than I thought …"
Ancient One turned around, holding a book with a metal cover in his hand. There were delicate chains on both sides of the book, and on the surface of the book, there was a huge eyeball, which shone with some kind of special light. When Ancient One's finger passed over the eyeball, the light was like debris, shining in the room.
"Strange is just an ordinary person, so Saber, what about you? Did something happen on the way? "
Saber shrugged.
"I met a very interesting guy and heard some secrets. Well, it was quite rewarding."
Ancient One's gaze that went straight to the bottom of her heart swept through Saber's eyes and quickly moved away. She said softly.
"So, it's the Heavenly Sword Bureau, right? … Well, their huge power is beyond your imagination, cherish this opportunity. "
Saber's expression changed slightly, but he quickly calmed down. Strange has been silent. It seems that this trip to the Snow Mountain has had a great impact on the former neurologist.
"Now that you are here, let me introduce this world to you. Everyone who enters Kamar-Taj has to experience this moment."
Ancient One waved his wide sleeves, and the scene in the whole room suddenly changed, as if reality had been distorted, placing the three of them in the endless deep starry sky. Seiber looked at the starlight surging around him, and with his current eyes, he still couldn't see whether the image around him was real or fake.
"Calm your mind!"
Ancient One's voice sounded in the ears of the two people, like some kind of command, Strange's tired spirit immediately focused, and Saber felt the power that overflowed around his body, but was not affected.
It wasn't until Ancient One glanced at him that Saber hurriedly shook his head and looked at Sorcerer Supreme who was holding the book. She released her left hand, and the book was held in the air by an invisible force, turning several pages out of thin air.
"Pa"
A gray sandalwood fan appeared in Ancient One's hand, and Sorcerer Supreme tapped the book with it, and then said.
"The complex power systems and stories of this world are as vast as the sea. Of course, there is also what you are most concerned about … How to heal your body, I will tell you this question later."
"This world … Ordinary people call it Earth. In Norse mythology, it is called Midgard. In Greek mythology, it is believed to be a big ball carried by the Titan Atlas. The Devils of Hell made it into this world. The Gods of Mountain Paradise think that Earth is their ranch. In China's mythology, Earth was born from chaos, and the people of the Dead Land regard Earth as a disgusting ball of eternal light in the darkness."
The fan in Ancient One's hand crossed a trajectory in the air, and the blue light formed a model of Earth behind her, slowly rotating in the starry sky.
"In the material world, it is the only planet with life that has been explored by civilization, but before the emergence of the current civilization, there were more and more unimaginable forms of civilization in this world … So in the ancient times described by human civilization, it was actually not a desolate world. On the contrary, the world at that time was more lively than it is now."
Her gaze swept across Strange's eyes, and she emphasized her words.
"So you … including me, are actually just one of the tens of millions of life forms in this world. Don't try to explain all of this with science, because your science is still in the initial stage, and you can't complete a self-consistent and self-explanatory big data model. So, at this moment that is beyond your worldview, you just need to listen and then write it down … Understand?"
"The nature of this world is more complicated than you can imagine!"
Sorcerer Supreme's finger tapped lightly on the blue model of Earth, and a total of seven spheres of different colors appeared outside the model.
"Dimension is a magical concept. You can think of it as another dimension that intertwines with the material world. There are countless planets in the universe with life, but none of them can compare to Earth in terms of the complexity of dimensions. It is because of this that Earth is so unique and beautiful. Currently, there are at least seven dimensions that we have discovered!"
A smile appeared on Ancient One's face.
"So let's go back to the question just now. Is the description of Earth in mythology really wrong?"
Saber whispered.
"You mean … They describe Earth from various dimensions?"
"Well, although it's not very accurate, it's true."
Gu One nodded. She looked at Strange, who was already dumbfounded. "Looking at it from different dimensions, the earth indeed presents different landscapes. So I think, other than those arrogant war beasts in Greece, the other mythological descriptions are not wrong. Of course, remember the word 'dimension'. It's very important."
"The power of this world is complicated, Saber, you should know, and you have also seen mutants, magic, witchcraft, divine arts, and the rising power of science and technology in recent years …"
Ancient One's body was suspended in the air, and in a sitting posture, she turned another page of the book in front of her.
"As for myself, what I cultivate is the power of the soul and the power of time, one of the most fundamental powers of humanity and the universe. The power of time cannot be changed, so you need to focus more on the cultivation of the soul. I indeed have no way to directly heal your bodies, but if I can strengthen your souls and 'convince' your bodies, you will be able to achieve self-healing under a higher system."
"Of course, Saber, your situation is special …"
A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of Ancient One's mouth.
"Learning will be slow and strenuous. I hope you are ready, and your soul can't exist without your body, which means you will never be able to use the power of your soul to attack your opponent."
Sorcerer Supreme shrugged.
"But in my opinion, this is actually a good thing. Your use of power has gone a little too far … You should learn to control it, instead of letting it destroy everything that is hostile to you."
"But I don't think there's a problem with me doing this."
Saber tilted his head and looked at Sorcerer Supreme. He respected the power of Sorcerer Supreme, but he lacked respect for Sorcerer Supreme herself.
"I don't think it's a shameful thing to use my own power to destroy my opponent. On the contrary, I only think that doing this is the meaning of power. I can use it to protect my friends and family, protect the things I value … If you have a really good sword, will you not use it to kill people, but put it in the showroom for people to play with?"
"Nonsense!"
Sorcerer Supreme waved her hand, "I don't object to using power to protect yourself in a critical moment, but the more peaceful the world is, the better. I'm just giving you advice. Whether you accept it or not is your own business … Saber, I hope you can recognize one thing clearly. There is no right or wrong with power, just like there is no good or evil with a sword … I don't want to see a person who is controlled by power … Do you understand?"
Saber nodded. He glanced at Ancient One and said jokingly, "Is this a warning?"
Ancient One looked at him with a warm smile on his face.
"No, this is a reminder, but you can also listen to it as a warning, if it can make you remember it more deeply."
"There is no hope at all in a stagnant world … But."
Saber lowered his head and hid his gaze, "I remember … Sorcerer Supreme, I also want to know, how long do I have to stay here?"
Ancient One's fingers holding the fan paused, then turned the pages of the book a few more times. With a wave of her hand, a picture of the human body appeared in the air.
"Everyone has a soul, the body is the foundation of material existence, and the power of the soul is the symbol of the origin of life existence. The body exists to carry the soul, just like the relationship between a river and a river, but the river will always evaporate, and the river will also disappear. After the water dries up, it will no longer exist. This is why ordinary people will grow old and die, but if we continue to inject more river water, the river will eventually converge into a lake or even an ocean."
"This is the essence of the power of the soul … Either evolve or decay, there is no intermediate quantity."
Ancient One glanced at the two of them.
"For example, the riverbed is showing signs of collapse. Either you let the water escape and the riverbed dries up, or you take this opportunity to become a lake in one fell swoop, build a stronger carrier, and complete this natural evolution of the soul."
Ancient One's voice became lighter and lighter.
"Then break through the shackles of the Creator and truly enter the life form that pursues the endless truth … This is the real evolution of living things … So if you have to ask for an exact time, I will say … Wait until the day you fully recover!"
She glanced at Saber and closed her eyes, "If nothing unexpected happens, that will not be a day that is neither far nor near … As I said, it is actually a good thing for you to stay away from disputes."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
