Chapter 132: The World of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Flying through the night sky, George soon reached Manhattan, landing atop the tallest building in the area. The rooftop was adorned with four massive metal eagle statues, one at each corner.

As it was midnight, his airborne journey went unnoticed, something that would have been far more difficult during the day.

"2010—this world is set in the same year," George mused, looking at a digital billboard across the street displaying an advertisement along with the current date and time.

However, knowing only the time and place wasn't enough for him to figure out the nature of this world.

"This isn't getting me anywhere. I need to go down and investigate."

After circling the area a few times without any discoveries, George decided to head down and find a computer to gather information online. Entering a public internet café as a panda was out of the question, so he resolved to borrow a private residence for his research.

In short order, he located a suitable target—a spacious villa in the suburbs. Landing silently on the balcony, George used the Alohomora spell to unlock the door and strolled inside with ease.

Using his psychic abilities, he confirmed that only one person was living in the villa. The property's isolation from nearby homes meant there was little chance of anyone noticing his intrusion.

"Oh my God!"

The villa's sole occupant, a bald middle-aged man enjoying music and wine in the living room, froze in shock.

A panda had just walked in through the balcony door—on two legs, no less.

If he hadn't lived a clean life, he might have suspected he was hallucinating under the influence of some mind-altering substance.

"Imperio!"

Before the man could react further, George cast the Imperius Curse with a simple gesture, instantly subjugating his will.

As a panda, George was unable to type, so he needed someone else to search the internet for him.

Under the influence of the curse, the man's face lit up with a blissful smile.

"Turn on the computer," George commanded telepathically.

The man obediently got up, walked to his bedroom, and powered on the computer.

"Search for news related to magic," George instructed, following him into the room.

Over the next half hour, several pieces of intriguing information caught his attention:

"The World's Greatest Magician, Drake Stone.""Self-proclaimed heir to ancient dark magic.""Winner of the 2009 Best Magician Award."

Watching a few of Drake Stone's magic performance videos, George's eyes lit up.

"Finally, a lead."

He was certain that what Drake Stone was performing wasn't mere sleight of hand but actual magic. Using magic to perform tricks—it was no wonder Drake had gained worldwide fame as a magician at such a young age.

"Drake Stone... Why does that name sound familiar? A famous magician, too," George muttered, sitting on the bed as he delved into his memories.

As a fan of fantasy and sci-fi movies, George was certain he had encountered the name in a film before. However, it must have been a minor character, as he couldn't recall any significant details.

After twenty minutes of contemplation, realization struck him.

"I remember now! This guy is the modern-day successor of Morgana's lineage from The Sorcerer's Apprentice!"

He quickly connected the dots. The Sorcerer's Apprentice was a fantasy film centered around magic.

The film's story dated back to 740 AD, a time when magic flourished.

Two major magical factions dominated the era: the righteous Merlinian order, led by Merlin, and the malevolent Morgana order, led by Morgana.

Morgana sought to use a resurrection spell to revive powerful deceased sorcerers, building an undead army to conquer the world.

Merlin, determined to save humanity, waged a war against Morgana's forces.

Though Merlin initially had the upper hand, he was ultimately betrayed and killed by one of his apprentices, Horvath.

In a desperate bid to stop Morgana, Merlin's other apprentices, Balthazar and Veronica, intervened. Veronica sealed Morgana's soul within her own body to trap the dark sorceress.

To protect Veronica from being fully possessed by Morgana, Balthazar used a nesting doll-like magical artifact to seal both souls.

Before dying, Merlin entrusted Balthazar with a dragon-shaped ring, instructing him to find his reincarnated successor, the Prime Merlinian, who alone could defeat Morgana and save Veronica.

Thus began Balthazar's millennia-long quest to find the Prime Merlinian. Along the way, he encountered numerous attacks from Morgana's followers, sealing each defeated foe into the magical nesting doll.

Finally, in the year 2000, Balthazar discovered a young boy named Dave—Merlin's reincarnation. Unfortunately, Dave accidentally released Horvath from the seal, leading to a new magical conflict.

After confirming his current world was part of this storyline, George couldn't help but feel excited.

"It's not about the power of this world's magic—its destructive potential doesn't compare to Fairy Tail's, nor is it as versatile as Harry Potter's," George mused.

"What sets this world apart is the longevity it offers."

In The Sorcerer's Apprentice, as long as sorcerers weren't killed, they could live indefinitely. Morgana, Balthazar, Veronica, and even Horvath had lived over a thousand years without aging.

By contrast, the Philosopher's Stone in Harry Potter's world granted flawed immortality, unable to prevent physical aging. Similarly, even the most powerful mages in Fairy Tail rarely lived beyond 150 years.

"Immortality... That's something I've always sought."

Previously, George had considered researching ghostly existence to live on after death. But now, with this world's magic, he realized such measures were unnecessary.

As long as he mastered this magic, death would no longer be a concern.