Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 4604 - 3684: Reverse Inquiry (Part 2)

"Hello, Mr. Stephen Strange. I am Bens Asente, a member of the United States Congress House International Relations and Security Affairs Committee. This is Ali Tran尼斯, a member of the Solar System Development and Cosmos Affairs Committee. We are the organizers and questioners for this inquiry. We hope you can answer our questions truthfully and cooperate with us to resolve the matters the House is currently deciding..."

The congressman sitting in the center had somewhat graying hair and looked quite aged. Nick whispered a reminder to Strange: "Bens is a holdover from the post-Cold War era, very difficult to deal with. If he asks you questions later, avoid answering if you can; if you must answer, don't follow his lead. It's okay if you go off-topic..."

Strange looked as if he was listening, but Nick wasn't sure. Strange had many typical traits of a magician and exhibited significant characteristics of mysticism. Sometimes it was hard to grasp what he was thinking, appearing almost unable to communicate.

"Hello, gentlemen," Strange nodded, saying, "I'm pleased to have this conversation with you. Do you have any questions?"

His attitude was evidently a bit too friendly. Reporters from behind and the sides, as well as the congressmen seated in front, were all somewhat bewildered. In their impression, magicians should be the kind of people with very eccentric tempers—even when Strange used to be a surgeon, his temperament wasn't great!

"Thank you very much for your cooperation. My first question is: How did you acquire this ability called 'magic'?" freewebnoveℓ.com

"It was somewhat serendipitous," Strange said, "One day, a mage called The Ancient One approached me. He said I had a great talent for magic and hoped I would become his disciple. So, I followed him to learn magic until today."

"Is this magician called The Ancient One a human?"

"Yes, and he is a long-life. I'm not quite sure how long he has lived, but his lifespan is significantly longer than ordinary people."

"Alright. So what did you do with this magic power once you acquired it?"

"Whatever my teacher did, I have been doing the same. Including maintaining the magical defense network, ensuring the normal operation of Karmatiji, and engaging in magical activities in the cosmos, among other things."

"Does this include joining The Avengers?"

"Yes. I received an invitation from Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D to join The Avengers, and I get along well with my colleagues."

"Have you also joined the Solar System Development Program?"

"Yes, I am fully responsible for matters related to magic, including setting up magic portals and using magic energy to assist in equipment operation, etc."

"In all the above processes, do you personally consider magic energy to be reliable?"

To everyone's surprise, Strange shook his head. He said, "This must start with the source of magic energy. I don't want to deceive anyone. In fact, the human body cannot generate any magic energy; all magic energy sources are extra-dimensional entities, commonly known as 'Demon Gods.'"

"Every magician needs to sign a contract with a Demon God to obtain magic energy. We then use our practice to better control this energy and do what we want to do."

"The energy that Demon Gods give us, once it enters our body, is entirely under our control. But they can choose not to give it. So, in any aspect, this can't be called reliable."

Nick kept giving Strange signals, but Strange seemed oblivious, straightforwardly throwing out one hard truth after another.

Congressman Bens adjusted his glasses: "I need to confirm your meaning to prevent misunderstanding. Are you saying: Magic is not human power; the source of magic power can cut off this power at any time, causing humans to lose magic. Correct?"

"Yes, theoretically that's the case. However, they also have benefits to gain from humans, so generally speaking, they wouldn't do this."

"They have benefits to gain from humans?"

"Exactly. Earth is special. Demon Gods must have their deputies on Earth—every Demon God needs one, and there are many Demon Gods in the cosmos. That's why there are so many magicians."

"Then why do they need deputies on Earth?"

"The belief of Earthlings is beneficial to them."

"Are you saying they want to organize an illegal religion on Earth?"

"Not an illegal religion," Strange said, "They didn't come to Earth only in this era. In fact, many myths and legends that have been passed down from ancient times were left by the visits of Demon Gods. The vast majority of gods that humanity believes in today are Demon Gods, including God and Satan."

Bens opened his mouth. Due to Strange's excessive candor, a series of questions he had prepared thereafter were now unusable, so he had to go straight to the point:

"We've heard that you want to establish a magical school in Massachusetts. Since the essence of magic involves signing a contract with Demon Gods, what would the school teach?"

"Of course, it's teaching them how to use the energy obtained from Demon Gods. It's like you buy flour from the supermarket, but you need to cook it to turn it into bread before you can eat it. Baking bread requires skills, and so does magic."

"Alright. I'm afraid I must ask you: Since magic is not reliable, is it too dangerous to establish a school, enroll students, and teach them magic?"