Chapter 1677: Bruce Wayne and the Chamber of Secret (Part Three)

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Another fact proved that as long as your teacher is strong enough, you will always be threatened by the phrase "report to the teacher."

Even though Strange was already the renowned Sorcerer Supreme of Space, and even though historians in Space generally regarded his achievements as superior, Strange still harbored an inherent fear of his teacher, the Ancient One.

However, this couldn't be said to be due to excessive cowardice. It was difficult to find a few people in Space who did not fear the Ancient One. Calling her infamous would be an understatement.

Seeing the slightly curious expressions of the others, Strange could only sigh and say, "My teacher, the Ancient One—oh, her real name is 'Yao'—was born in a small village at the foot of the Himalayas about four hundred and seventy years ago. That village is called Kamar-Taj."

"She inadvertently came into contact with magic and, with exceptional talent and immense patience, achieved enlightenment almost without any help. She then embarked on a remarkably illustrious life..."

In the lounge of Kamar-Taj Magic College, three children lay side by side on a large bed that occupied half the room. Each had a pale complexion and a vacant expression. Although magic bubbles were providing sufficient oxygen above their heads, their bodies were naturally more fragile than adults', requiring more time to adapt to everything.

A girl from India named Shirila brought three cups of hot tea on a tray and placed them on a small table in the center of the large bed. She tried to communicate with the three of them using Chinese, an Indian dialect, and English. Eventually, Harley, who was in the best physical condition among them, responded to her.

"Hello, you can call me Harley. Can you tell us where we are right now?"

"So, the Sorcerer Supreme didn’t inform you in advance?" Shirila adjusted the hem of her skirt, sat down next to Harley at the edge of the large bed, and said, "This is Kamar-Taj Magic College. The Sorcerer Supreme said you are new students here and would report today. Originally, Ade was responsible for guiding you, but it turns out you ended up here."

"I am in charge of cleaning the Sorcerer Supreme's study. When I saw you lying here, I was really scared. But don’t worry, this kind of situation isn’t the first time it has happened."

"This college is at a very high altitude, and students need such an environment to train their physiques. Therefore, no magic can completely eliminate the effects of high altitude on the school."

"Most new students spend about two months adapting at a lower altitude at the foot of the mountain, which they call 'preparatory school,' before coming up the mountain. The Sorcerer Supreme was in a hurry when he assigned your cases, so we all thought you had already completed the preparatory stage."

"You mean... this is a magic college?"

Little Bruce mustered all his strength to lift his head and asked with some difficulty.

"Yes, this is Kamar-Taj Magic College."

"You just mentioned... the Sorcerer Supreme. What is his name?"

"I don't know his name, but I know his surname is 'Strange.' He’s an American, unlike the majority here who have different nationalities."

The three children glanced at each other. Little Bruce lay back down and, amidst an almost endless dizziness, whispered, "And there's also Director Strange's part..."

"You mean most people here aren't American?"

"There are some, but since the college was established in Asia and the previous generation of sorcerers were mostly Asian, their activities are also centered in Asia. Therefore, more students come from various Asian countries, like me—I’m from India."

"But your English is very good."

"Because my family is well-off. Although I don't like to mention old traditions, I belong to a high caste, the Kshatriya, so I can study abroad on my own."

"Which other countries are represented?" Harley asked intermittently. After all, they were currently unable to do anything but lie there, trying to understand the information as best as they could.

"Many, including China, Japan, India, Singapore, of course, some Americans and Europeans, and quite a few exchange students from magic organizations around the world." Shirila's voice was very gentle, making listeners feel drowsy. Under her soft-spoken explanation, the three children roughly understood the differences between this magic college and Gotham Magic College.

Firstly, this was an Eastern magic college. Although students came from various countries, at least half were Asian. Due to Strange's connections, there were also many Americans, followed by Europeans and very few Australians.

But this wasn't surprising, as this world didn't have only one magic college. Most major countries had their own magic organizations, some tied to public beliefs and others independent, living in secrecy.

Secondly, the college didn’t follow a college system but rather a standard grade and class system without majors, though there were elective courses. Currently, there were eleven grades in total: five elementary school years, three middle school years, and three high school years. The number of students was also much larger than at Gotham Magic College, now totaling over a thousand.

The Director of this school was the Strange Director they had seen at Gotham Magic College, clearly indicating that the title "Sorcerer Supreme" originated from this Space.

After lounging on the bed for a while and falling asleep several times due to dizziness, the lack of oxygen finally subsided. They felt a bit more alert but were still advised against strenuous activities. So, they could only sit around the small table in the middle of the hard bed, which resembled both a kang and a tatami mat, drinking tea and eating snacks.

Shirila helped them peel sunflower seeds and then introduced, "If all goes well, you should all attend elementary school. How many grades have you completed in the regular society?"

Little Bruce's suspicious nature made him not fully trust the people at this school, so he deliberately shrugged and said, "That's not important. We all don't really like school. Maybe magic college will be more interesting. There probably aren't as many annoying rules here, right?"

Shirila turned her head and looked him up and down. Her light brown eyes appeared very calm. She sighed softly and said, "You'd better not set your expectations too high. Almost every American student here struggles in the first few weeks. The academic pressure here is much greater than what you're used to."

"I've heard that Asian schools are really tough," Barry shrank his neck and said, "High-grade students there have twelve-hour school days. If it were me, I'd go crazy."

Shirila paused her actions, pursed her lips, and said, "I know you might have many wonderful fantasies about magic college, but I'm afraid it's not quite what you imagined."

"What do you mean specifically?"

"You'll know when you attend classes."

Soon, Master Song entered with a few other sorcerers. She clasped her hands together, bowed to the three children, and said, "Sorry, this was our mistake, making you suffer like this. But please don't be afraid; this won't cause you any harm. Once you get used to it, it will actually benefit your heart and lung functions."

"The Sorcerer Supreme has briefed me on your situation. The two boys will attend the elementary school department in second grade, and the girl will go directly to fourth grade. If you feel you can handle it, even excel, you can choose to skip grades later."

After speaking, Master Song waved her hand towards the two sorcerers behind her. They brought over school uniforms, magic wands, and essential supplies on trays.

Kamar-Taj Magic College's uniforms were dark brown, resembling a simplified version of the traditional Chinese hanfu's束袖服 (shù xiù fú). The cuffs and pant legs were tightly bound, and the belts were also secured firmly. Although not as magnificent and elegant as wide-sleeved robes, they gave off a competent and clever impression.

"Sorry, your magic wands can't be activated right now, but you'll have your first magic wand class in about three days. Come with me now; I'll take you to your dormitories."

The three children followed Master Song, walking through long suspended corridors and terrifying wooden boardwalks. After being baptized by wind and snow, they arrived at the second floor of the main building on the far left. Standing in the corridor, Master Song pointed to both sides and said,

"These are the men's dorms, and those are the women's dorms. Each dormitory accommodates four people, but they're not fully occupied yet. You can choose to share a room with others or have a single dormitory."

They then toured the dormitories, which were very different from those at Gotham Magic College. Overall, everything was in Eastern style: wooden floors, walls, and doors, Ming Dynasty-style furniture, solid wood beds. Every corner was austere and hard, not soft at all, yet possessing a special elegance.

None of the three children had ever lived in the East, so they found everything very novel, looking around and touching everything. At least Harley was satisfied with her future life. She stood at the corner of the corridor and said,

"Although I know this is probably another one of those professors' plans, it's actually not bad here, right? And it seems like the magic here is completely different from that in the other world."

Little Bruce stared thoughtfully at the magic wand in his hand, which looked like a small wooden stick. Then he nodded and said, "I agree. We should get familiar with the situation here first, but we still need to find a way back."

"Let's go back and tidy up the dormitory first," Barry said, turning his head to glance at the stormy sky outside. "Then quickly adjust to the time difference, or we won't be able to get up tomorrow morning."

The three then went their separate ways. Little Bruce and Barry went to the men's dorms together, while Harley returned to the women's dormitory alone. She chose to have her own room, mainly because she didn't yet speak any Eastern languages, which was very uncommon in this school. She needed to learn Chinese or Japanese first to communicate smoothly with others.

Just as Harley was fretting over the bed, which was a bit too hard for her, she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

Harley walked over to open the door. A girl who looked much younger than her but was also Caucasian, with black hair and green eyes, stood outside.

"Hello, I heard you moved next door. Are you also from the U.S.?"

"Yes, I'm Harley Quinn. I come from... um, an East Coast city." Harley thought for a moment and decided to omit the word "Gotham," mainly because she was afraid it might scare the child.

"Hello, I'm Helen Stark, a first-year student who just enrolled this year. Since I also can't speak Chinese, I can only live alone. I thought we could be companions. I'm from New York."

"New York? Alright, come in. Do you know any way to make this bed a bit softer? I'm sure my back and shoulders are protesting."

Harley led Helen to her room's bed. Hearing her request, Helen immediately waved her hand and said, "Oh, I forgot you two are transfer students and probably can't use magic wands yet. Let me handle it."

After speaking, Helen pointed her finger, and a purple light shot out from her fingertip. With a "bang," a soft mattress fell onto the bed.

"Wow! That's so cool! Is that your magic?"

"To be precise, it's divine power. I have divine bloodline, but I usually tell them it's impressive 'Wandless Casting.'"

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter =>Chapter 1678: Bruce Wayne and the Chamber of Secret (Part 4)