Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 391: Ch.390 Maia

Watching Constantine disappear from the doorway, Su Ming put away the phone on the table.

The candles that had been placed on the small round table had now melted into pools of sticky white wax, resembling traces of vomit.

"Hey, Bobo, Constantine said Tracy survived. Nightshade took her to the Shadow Realm."

Bobo turned his head to look at Su Ming, then looked down at his hands, which were covered in soot and various human tissues. With a sigh, he straightened up, closing his eyes.

"That scumbag... He could have told me earlier, but he just wanted to see me lose my appetite afterward!"

Arabella shrugged indifferently. "Anyway, this is your bar. These bodies need cleaning up sooner or later."

"If Tracy survived, then it's her job to clean up. Hmph, hosting a mage gathering in the bar—she's entirely responsible for the aftermath."

Bobo had already started planning how to exploit Tracy when she returned—like deducting her wages, deducting her wages, and deducting her wages again.

Knowing that she had gone to the Shadow Realm, Bobo felt much more at ease.

The Shadow Realm was a small plane attached to the world. It used to have a demon lord who even tried to manipulate Nightshade's brother into an incestuous relationship with her.

But that guy was dealt with long ago by Nightshade and Enchantress, leaving the Shadow Realm now a barren place of pure darkness.

No enemies, not even a single strand of hair.

"Alright, our next goal is to find the fourth marked individual and deal with them. Arabella, do you have any ideas?"

Su Ming asked the female sorceress, who was currently rinsing the soot off her hands with liquor.

"In infernal magic, there aren't any divination spells. All sorts of prediction tools are immune to Hecate's influence, so the only option now is a more primitive method—contacting every sorcerer I know one by one."

It was certainly a method, but it would take too much time.

Honestly, using network software to create a group chat would be much simpler. Unfortunately, many mages didn't even use mobile phones.

They were born too early and disliked modern technology. For them, communication mostly depended on magic pets delivering letters or magical messaging.

Su Ming rubbed his chin. This plan sounded like it would take forever. By the time they found the fourth marked individual, that person might already have exposed themselves.

"Bobo, I've got another plan. The Shadow Realm gave me an idea."

Bobo adjusted his hat again, pulling out a drink from behind the bar and taking a sip. Then, from his suit pocket, he pulled out the Nightblade.

"This sword... while I'm not skilled at using it for combat, it does have one basic function."

He gripped the sword with both hands, raising it high. It made Su Ming think a bolt of lightning would soon strike down, transforming Bobo into a super-muscular ape.

The lightning did come—a bright white bolt coursing along the blade, an energy that seemed to split the world.

It was the power of Nightblade, a legendary weapon Bobo had seen countless times in the hands of his late friend.

The charred remains of the bar gradually became engulfed in light. A huge rift filled with seven-colored spiritual light opened up before them, making everything around them seem surreal. It felt as though an invisible giant hand had swept them into the rift.

"Whew, welcome to Maia, the realm of magic."

The detective chimp put away Nightblade, scratching his head. He hadn't done much—just instructed the Nightblade to open the portal.

Su Ming looked around. Everything indeed exuded an aura of magical realism. The high-magic plane was like that—everywhere bore traces of magic, as well as that Western pursuit of harmony between heaven and man.

The Western concept of unity with heaven differed from that of Asia. They loved those towering spires with sharp roofs—essentially, the taller, the closer to the sky.

However, this was just a subsidiary plane, so its laws were incomplete. Even though it wasn't like the Dreaming with anthropomorphic animals and objects, many things here still seemed unreal.

"You didn't just send us straight to Hecate's home, did you?" Donna glanced at the flowers by the roadside. All of them were blooming—flowers from different seasons opening simultaneously. The intense fragrance put her on guard.

"Oh, of course not. The magic of Maia is generated by the plane itself. It is the source of power—not stolen, not taken by force—which makes this place safe."

Bobo quickly clarified as he led them towards the busy streets. Currently, they were standing in the palace garden.

The Dark Master liked this place.

Bobo didn't have any magical skills or a way to adjust the portal's position, so this had to suffice.

Su Ming knew a bit about this place, but anything involving magic was often unclear, and he couldn't guarantee accurate information.

The magical plane of Maia was more like the source of fairy magic—represented by those tiny girls with dragonfly wings or the little Irish leprechauns who wore green hats.

Of course, the power of special magical beasts like unicorns and pegasi also came from here.

You could say Maia was still a developing source of magic.

But because Hecate had directly stolen fire from the outside world, dark magic became the mainstream throughout history—because that power was easier to master and didn't require special bloodlines.

The original faerie magic of Earth, on the other hand, was only practiced by a small number of niche mages or non-human beings.

Imagine having a tiny ember left under your own hearth, which made it challenging to start a fire. So Hecate went and stole a volcano from the neighbor.

But apparently, she didn't realize this dark volcano had an owner. Now Stranglehold had come to settle the score.

"This place is nice. Too bad it's not really the time for sightseeing."

Su Ming removed his helmet. The air here was so fresh that breathing it in would make one smile involuntarily.

"No, it's not for sightseeing. We're here to find a friend—a master of prophecy."

The detective chimp led them quickly through the castle, without even considering inviting them inside for a tour. There weren't many passersby on the street, and the locals lived simple lives.

Though they looked mostly human, all of them had some magic creature blood in their veins, which meant that all of them were sorcerers.

The price for their faerie magic was all sorts of primitive urges brought on by the other half of their heritage.

However, because of that, they could accept a talking chimp as the Dark Master and nominal ruler.

Su Ming glanced at Donna, who had been drawn in by the magical snacks on the street—she wanted to try the glowing ice cream.

Unfortunately, dollars weren't accepted here.

"Here, we trade in silver, gold, or gemstones. Sorry, but I don't usually carry those around." Bobo patted his pockets, signaling that he had nothing.

He wouldn't use the Nightblade to force merchants to hand over goods, especially now that they had serious matters to attend to.

"I should've brought a few golden drachmas." Donna looked visibly disappointed. Carrying gold coins around during her college days would have been strange.

Seeing Donna turn back longingly with every step, Su Ming sighed. Since she was being used as bait and putting her life at risk, she deserved a reward.

Managing a team required a balance between strictness and leniency. Using the sense of duty and strategy to keep everyone together—like Batman—wouldn't work for Su Ming.

"I'll buy it. I should have some gemstones... Hmm?"

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