Drop! Drop! Drop!
Master John, who was completely unconscious, slowly felt something tapping on his face, accompanied by a dripping sound. The sensation felt familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
Think hard.
Oh, it's water!
When he realized it was water, John's consciousness quickly returned. He opened his mouth subconsciously, felt the sweet water droplets flowing in, and swallowed.
At the same time, past scenes rapidly surfaced in his mind.
Bloody Living Room, Rooftop, Black-robed Man, Sling Ring, Sacrificial Formation...
Snap!
John's sense of touch returned. He felt the cold ground and the water drops falling on his body. He tried to open his eyes.
"Instructor!"
A familiar face came into view, and John shouted, his voice hoarse. Then, as if remembering something, he quickly looked back at his unconscious companions lying nearby.
John sighed in relief. At least no one had died.
Then, he saw it.
A stiff man in black robes and a huge snake.
His body trembled involuntarily, and he quickly turned to Kaecilius. "Instructor, Snake."
Unexpectedly,
Snort!
Kaecilius snorted coldly. "That is your savior."
The other sorcerers began to wake up. Seeing the frozen black-robed man and the giant basilisk, their initial fright turned to surprise and joy.
Lockhart watched as the sorcerers woke up, then retracted the spell and waved his wand again. Transparent ripples covered the seven sorcerers, drying all the moisture on their bodies, including their hair and clothes. Stains and dust vanished.
Feeling the changes, the sorcerers chorused, "Thank you, Master Lockhart."
Then, turning to their instructor, they quickly added, "Thank you, Instructor."
"Do you have brains in your heads?" Kaecilius scolded with a cold face. "You separated even though you knew something was off."
Turning to John, he continued, "John, why did you order the separation? If it weren't for Master Lockhart, your souls would have fallen into Dormammu's hands."
His tone softened slightly, but there was still a trace of relief. If all these sorcerers had been sacrificed, he wouldn't know how to explain it to the other sorcerers later.
John and the others hung their heads in silence. John had thought the presence of the instructor and Master Lockhart would be enough, but the enemy had set a trap instead of engaging directly.
Kaecilius, seeing their expressions, continued his reprimand with a stern face. Then, he turned to Lockhart with gratitude. "Thank you for your help, Lockhart."
Lockhart smiled. "This is what I should do. Thank goodness nothing too bad happened."
He waved his wand, and the seven Sling Rings from the black-robed man's pocket floated into the hands of their respective sorcerers. They quickly put them on, feeling the resonance of magic and their Sling Rings, a sense of security returning.
Especially John, who had watched his Sling Ring being taken away, the feeling of powerlessness left a deep impression.
Kaecilius reminded them, "Thank Master Lockhart. If it weren't for his summoned beast, you would be with Dormammu now."
"Thank you, Master Lockhart," John and the others said quickly. Seeing the giant yellow eyes and the basilisk hissing, they hesitated but then bowed. "Thank you, Mr. Giant Snake."
Kaecilius nodded slightly and began to reprimand them again, emphasizing vigilance and the dangers of separating without certainty.
Lockhart watched with interest as Kaecilius scolded the sorcerers, thinking back to his own apprentices.
After a moment, he called the basilisk, which began to shrink.
Under the gaze of Kaecilius, John, and the others, the basilisk shrank to the size of a bracelet and wrapped around Lockhart's arm.
The sorcerers were amazed. It was their first time seeing such a magical creature that could shrink to such a size.
Kaecilius, surprised and envious, looked around. Holding the Sling Ring, he gently passed it through the air, creating a red flame rune pattern. The rune pattern floated in mid-air before exploding, sending red flame ripples around.
The Ring of Augustus, originally cast by John and the others, shattered, and the surrounding space returned to normal.
Kaecilius nodded and opened a sparking portal with a swipe of his hand.
"Come on, Lockhart, I'm treating you to lunch today. Order whatever you want."
Seeing Lockhart looking at the messy environment and hesitating, Kaecilius added, "Don't worry, Lockhart. There will be dedicated sorcerers to take care of it."
Lockhart nodded and followed Kaecilius into the portal. John and the other sorcerers entered one after another.
S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson's Office
At a brown desk, Coulson was looking down at a report. A mobile phone lay nearby, and Coulson occasionally glanced at it.
After a while,
Sigh!
Coulson put down the report and sighed. Why was Hell's Kitchen in chaos again? Why were there so many abnormal events happening one after another? Could Kingpin be in charge?
Scratching his head, Coulson saw two extra hairs in his hand and sighed.
Forget it, don't think about it anymore. Just figure out which hair restorer is useful and buy another one. By the way, is there any magic potion Professor Lockhart can use to regrow hair?
While Coulson was thinking,
Suddenly,
Buzz!
The phone vibrated. Coulson quickly picked it up and read the message, a smile spreading across his face.
"Okay, come nearby tomorrow morning and someone will pick you up."
=========================
[Up to 50+ Chapter available and 10 chapter Weakly Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
=========================
In the morning, Queens District, near Vientiane Book Cafe.
Coulson was alone, driving his favorite red antique car - Lola. As he slowly drove into the streets, he sat in the driver's seat, while the passenger seat held some documents.
Touching his earphones, Coulson said in a deep voice, "I've entered the street and am about to arrive near our destination."
A voice came from the headset, "Sir, the positioning system has been turned on and is currently operating normally."
"Okay, report any abnormal situations as soon as possible," Coulson replied, adding, "In case of losing contact, do not take any action and continue to maintain the current status."
"Understood, sir," came the affirmative reply.
Coulson searched for the location of Vientiane Book Cafe. Unfortunately, everything seemed normal, with every shop on the street operating as usual, but Vientiane Book Cafe was nowhere to be found.
He couldn't find it.
Creating a shop out of thin air was one thing, but the absence of any traces at all made the street seem normal, creating a conflict between memory and reality that felt inexplicably weird to Coulson.
Observing carefully, Coulson picked up the documents from the passenger side and stepped out of the car helplessly.
Then, standing at the edge of the street, he closed his eyes, reached out to touch the wall, and walked step by step according to his memory of the street scene.
After special training, he could control the distance of each step and maintain direction accurately.
One step, two steps... step 56.
Step 57 should reach the door. After taking another step, Coulson opened his eyes.
He was standing in front of a cake shop, the aroma wafting out. He sighed helplessly.
So many agents had failed, why would he succeed?
Returning to his antique car, he stood quietly, motionless, always paying attention to changes in the surrounding environment.
After a while, Coulson noticed a handsome young man in a short-sleeved shirt walking toward him.
Instantly wary, Coulson realized he had no recollection of this person.
"Hello, are you Mr. Coulson?" Ian looked at Coulson, examining his thinning hair and comparing it to the bald spot his teacher mentioned, asking affirmatively.
He was the only bald person standing still on this street, so Ian felt sure.
Feeling Ian's gaze, Coulson touched his head subconsciously, and the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
Had baldness become his symbol?
Nevertheless, he nodded. "Yes, I am Phil Coulson. Who are you?"
"I am Ian Norton, a student of Teacher Lockhart," Ian said calmly. "My teacher asked me to pick you up and bring you into the book cafe."
Hearing Ian's reference to Lockhart, Coulson's eyes showed contemplation before he nodded. "Okay, please."
Ian took out a dark card with light golden lines and handed it to Coulson. "Mr. Coulson, as you are an ordinary Muggle, you can't find or enter the Vientiane Book Cafe. But this magic card has a spell cast on it, allowing you to enter."
Coulson nodded, taking the card from Ian. The card exuded an inexplicable sense of luxury, with a frosted texture and an internal fluctuation that felt very comfortable. Its surface was pitch black with light golden lines forming a strange pattern, and in the middle were light golden words - Vientiane Book Cafe, accompanied by a slowly moving golden dragon.
Suddenly, Coulson thought he saw a similar golden dragon pattern on Ian's arm with some words. But upon closer inspection, there was nothing. He wondered if he had been mistaken.
Ian waited patiently, aware of Coulson's observations. He had learned a lot about Muggles, especially Muggle agents, through movies and knew not to underestimate them.
Perhaps sensing Ian's gaze, Coulson gave a gentle smile.
He labeled Ian's behavior as patient. Ian's lack of impatience, even after Coulson's lengthy examination of the card, spoke volumes.
Patience is a hallmark of those who achieve great things.
Coulson looked at Ian, his eyes showing gentleness and friendliness.
Suddenly, he looked past Ian to the street in the distance.
He saw Vientiane Book Cafe, still in its original position, but the facade had changed dramatically. The original white walls were now silvery white, clear as jade, with dark blue lines emerging or flowing inside. The windows had disappeared, and the plaque on top was pitch black, matching the card in his hand. It seemed there was a connection between the two.
Subconsciously pinching the card, Coulson followed Ian to the store.
This time, he successfully entered the Vientiane Book Cafe. Upon opening the door, he was shocked.
The inside was extremely spacious, at least three or four times larger than before. The environment felt very comfortable, relaxing him as if soaking in a hot spring.
To his surprise, there were scattered people in yellow sorcerer robes, each holding a ring, reading books or chatting. Trying to remember their faces, Coulson realized they must be wizards or sorcerers like Lockhart. Ordinary people couldn't enter here.
He attempted to listen to their conversations, but for some reason, he could only see their mouths moving, with no sound at all. It was eerily quiet.
"Mr. Coulson, the teacher is waiting for you in the study," Ian smiled, reminding him.
Aware of Coulson's behavior, Ian wasn't bothered. In the wizarding world, Muggles accessing wizarding information was taboo. He had been reassured by his instructor to put aside all doubts.
"Okay, let's go see Professor Lockhart," Coulson said, looking at Ian with regret.
=========================
[Up to 50+ Chapter available and 10 chapter Weakly Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
=========================
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