Chapter 96: Arc 3: Chapter 13: Merlin’s Key

It was another day morning, outside a small hidden shack not far from Maria's farmhouse, Carol Danvers takes a deep breath.

She steps onto the stairs, in front of her, the Skrull Talos, and his Chief Technology Officer whom Merlin had captured before, were using some strange-looking items to build a small, inferior memory-probing machine.

Early before Carols arrived on Earth, she had been captured by the Skrulls before.

Talos had browsed through a part of Carol's memories using a complete memory-probing machine, which caused the Kree's memory suppression to go wrong.

Unfortunately, before they could finish that process, the awakened Carol smashed and destroyed everything.

Just as Talos said, to fully recover Carol's memories is for him to continue what he could not finish before, browse through all of Carol's memories which in turn fully activates Carol's suppressed memories.

This was risky.

Privacy leakage is but one of the most insignificant risks of them all.

If Skrulls could browse memories, does that mean they can also rewrite them?

"Rewrite memories? Don't joke!"

The busy Talos tells Fury who was next to him dissatisfyingly:

"To rewrite memories, we would need an enhanced version of the memory-probing machine. And only in the Queen's fleet does it exist."

"You don't really think that I can rewrite the memories of a superwoman with the trash I found on Earth? The strength of the soul is determined by the strength of the body, do you know how much strength Carol has?"

"She single-handedly destroyed one of my command ships, and my command ship is 100 times bigger than the largest plane you have!"

Talos glances at Carol and says:

"And she's been suppressing her power, once she releases it all, she can even destroy an entire galactic fleet. To change the memories of such a person, even the Queen would have a hard time doing so, let alone me. You don't have to worry about me affecting her, what you should be worried about, is how long it'll be before those Kree who are looking for her arrive on Earth!"

"Mar-Vell's secret has been exposed, we're not the only ones looking for the Light-Speed Engine, the Kree want it too; as for Starforce Carol once belonged to, huhu."

Talos smiles coldly:

"They're not just the advance force of the Kree, they also have the capability to call forward Kree armies for a war...they are the vultures of war, designed especially to drive war."

"Talos is right, Fury."

Carol who had wiped up her tears and cleaned her face had returned to her usual appearance. She crosses her arms and tells Fury:

"Yon Rogg...that man is an excellent commander, he has permission to directly contact Ronan the Accuser's army; once he realizes the Light-Speed Engine may have fallen into Skrull hands, he will call upon Ronan without a doubt to decimate Earth."

"You best be prepared."

Carol warns.

Fury says with a headache:

"You're meaning for me to mobilize the military forces across the planet? Don't make jokes! Even if I could do so, we don't have enough time, we can only hope that we find Mar-Vell's hidden lab before the Kree arrive. Then the rest will be intergalactic diplomacy. And that is not our jurisdiction."

"Intergalactic diplomacy?"

Carol was surprised, she looks at Fury and asks:

"There are intergalactic diplomats on Earth? That shouldn't be...we haven't even stepped out of the Solar System yet, so supposedly we shouldn't have such an organization."

"OF course we do, it's just that not many know about it."

Fury casually replies:

"Their existence is top secret. Also, good use of the word 'we', I like it."

Carol shrugs and stops speaking, she places her attention on the alien machine Talos and his tech officer were working on.

Fury looks on for a while and decides that it's pointless to write it down.

The Skrull's memory-probing needs to be coordinated with their own talents, which Earthlings have no way of learning. So a few minutes later, he blinks at Carol, and the two walk outside the building; Fury looks around and asks with a low tone:

"Are you sure you want those aliens inside your memory? You should know even without me saying that this is a risky endeavor. Any ordinary person would not make such a decision."

"This means that I'm unordinary, Fury."

Carol replies dryly, to which Fury quickly continues:

"No, nono, that's not what I meant. I'm saying..."

"Ha, alright, I know what you're trying to say."

The never joking Carol turns to look at Fury, she lets out a crafty smile, pats on Fury's shoulder, and says:

"Merlin's right, the past me is in pieces, but I'm still me, I know I haven't changed, and it's time for me to find a new life. But first, I have to take back what I lost."

Carol clenches her fists, blue-red energy flickers on her fist as she tells Fury:

"Of course, I wouldn't want to miss the 'farewell ceremony' with the past, like a bullet or something."

"Du Du"

It was then when the Kree communicator on her left arm began to ring, she glances at it then her expression turns ugly. She turns back and tells Fury:

"It's Yon Rogg."

Fury looks at the holographic communicator on Carol's arm, then looks at the pager on his arm, he shrugs:

"Alright, they're not all that different."

He squints his eyes, like an old fox that's in the mood; a few seconds later, he tells Carol:

"Take it! Keep him steady...get some intel from him."

"Alright!"

---

As Carol extracted information from the alien Yon Rogg, Merlin was working in a separate chalet not far from the farmhouse.

"Meow, meow"

The former MVP Goose was casually lying atop the cabinet in the chalet, waving its tail while looking at Merlin's movements curiously. Little Monica was also sitting aside watching brother Merlin perform 'magic'.

Merlin grabbed a cooking wok from Maria's home and took out some materials from his spatial pocket; after mashing the materials, he cooks them along with some odd metals in the wok, causing the chalet to emit a terrible stench.

Like someone was mixing Chinese medicine.

Merlin opens a magic book called <Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks> and places it on the table.

The name sounds unconventional, but it's an introduction to enchantments.

It records over 100 different creation methods of actual enchanted items that have actually existed before, from the most basic flame ointment to the higher-grade Evil Slayer Emblem and Sunburst.

Of course, like most magic books, once higher-grade magic is involved, the creation process of those higher-grade enchanted items becomes vaguer.

On one hand, these high-grade magic items are oftentimes inherited through family, so it's hard for outsiders to acquire the spells and full creation methods.

On the other hand, Merlin's books were only primary textbooks, at best it covers items that 7th-grade young wizards can make, and not what they cannot.

But what Merlin wanted to do now was not high-grade enchantment, it was some basic item enchantment.

Enchantment is in fact a less common technique application in the wizarding world.

Its principle is to 'store' some powerful magic, like scrolls, and allow young wizards and even squibs to be able to release magic.

But storing any magic would weaken its effects, becoming inferior. So this technique was somewhat useless, official wizards are too proud to do so since they can theoretically cast any magic as long as they learn hardworkingly.

Young wizards and squibs occasionally use them, but their prices are often very expensive.

"This..."

Merlin picks up a spoon and stirs the wok, everything inside had turned into a questionable yellow liquid from the long cooking, and it was about to dry up.

Merlin picks up a spoonful of that nasty liquid and smells it; his action made Monica, who was looking from the side, let out a fearful expression, like she was watching a mad wizard going mad, it also made Goose wave its tail more intensely.

"Mmm, sour with a bit of fishy smell, as well as a faint stench. It's done."

Merlin nods and rechecks the creation process of what he was going to make, he picks up a lefthanded glove from the side, which was a gift Betsy gave him in Oakland 2 years ago.

You are reading story The Path of Shadow in American Comics at novel35.com

Speaking of Betsy, wonder how that mercenary is doing now.

"Don't speak for a while!"

Merlin looks back and makes a shush gesture to Monica, the latter nods and covers her mouth with her fingers.

He takes out his wand and injects mana into it, the tip of Lola begins to flicker a dark red glow as if Merlin was holding a torchlight in his hand.

Merlin places the glove onto the table in front of him, coughs, then waves his hand rhythmically.

Monica's eyes widen.

She sees the wok of smelly liquid begin to hover on top of the glove, as if an invisible hand was moving it.

"Magic!"

The young girl with the combed fluffy hair exclaims in her heart:

"Brother Merlin is a magician! This is so cool!"

Merlin lightly taps the wand in his hand forward one more time and mana flows into the liquid in the air, like a final ingredient, or some kind of transforming agent. After the injection of mana, the plain yellow liquid begins to boil and swirl, sparks began to flicker around the edge of the wok.

It spun quicker and quicker, and as the mana absorbed reached the limit of the mana model, a dark blue color begins to shine from the wok.

This is the most crucial step!

Merlin lets out a breath and raises his wand, the odd liquid in the wok hovers into the air following the wand. It kept swirling and slowly agglomerated into an oval shape.

"Portus!"

Merlin uses a deep yet clear voice and chants, the liquid in front of him begins to spread out quickly, but before it could finish spreading, Merlin heavily jogs the tip of the wand downwards.

"Shwa"

The forcibly dragged liquid loses the support of mana and falls onto the glove below like mercury was spilling.

Monica had thought that the spell had failed, so she stands up; before she could talk, a clump of fire abruptly jumps out of the glove, emitting black smoke, and a horrible smell.

Monica screams while pushing the door open, Goose also screamed while rushing out of the chalet.

A few minutes later, Merlin exits the chalet while coughing and holding a burnt glove with pincers.

"Merlin, did the magic fail?"

Monica holds Goose in her arms and walks to Merlin, she looks at the worn-out gloves picked up by the pincers and asks:

"Do we do it again?"

"No, no, child."

Merlin keeps his wand, reaches out, and holds the burnt glove in his hand, he flips the glove, and there was a complex magic circle glowing at the center of the still-intact palm of the glove.

He reaches out and strokes on the little girl's head and tells her:

"It didn't fail...it's not exactly a success either. Theoretically, it can be used at least once."

"Oh?"

Monica also sees the strange runes on the glove, she curiously reached out and touches it, she says to Merlin:

"It's warm. What's this magic called?"

"It's called Portkey."

Merlin looks around and swiftly keeps the glove, he tells Monica:

"It's quite the miraculous magic, but using it without the Ministry of Magic's approval would get me into magic jail...but, I'm doing this to save the world, so maybe those old-fashioned wizards won't come looking for my trouble."

Just as Merlin wanted to explain Portkey's usage to Monica, he sees an indifferent Carol and Fury walk toward him.

"What is it?"

Merlin stands up and looks at Carol.

The latter looks at him, a few seconds later, she lowers her head and smiles a big smile at Monica who was looking at her.

"Auntie Carol! You're back!"

Monica cheered once she saw that smile and pounces into her arms. She holds the little black girl and puts her down while laughing.

"I remember."

Carol looks at Merlin while slightly pouting her lips, she tells Merlin:

"All of it! I know who I am, Merlin."

"Oh?"

Merlin puts both hands into his pockets and looks at Carol while smiling, asking:

"Then, miss, who are you?"

"Carol Danvers."

A smile emerges from Carol's eyes as she says:

"A country girl from Massachusetts who never gives up. Thank you, Merlin."

"No need."

Merlin shrugs, he looks at the chalet behind him and says:

"I haven't been of much help anyway."

"So from now on, you'll have to start helping, Merlin."

Fury continues:

"Those Kree bastards just contacted Carol, they seem prepared, and that they'll send a messenger to bring Carol back."

"What about the password? Is it deciphered?"

Merlin asks another question, to which Carol replies:

"It wasn't a password, they're coordinates. Flight coordinates only pilots understand, Mar-Vell's lab is on the orbit outside Earth's atmosphere."

"Talos' tech officer is retrofitting our jet plane so it can fly beyond the atmosphere. I'm planning on staying for a 'farewell ceremony' with Yon Rogg."

"No, you said that you could fight in space, which I can't, so you escort Fury and the others to the lab! If the Krees plan on pulling any tricks, at least you can keep them covered with your abilities."

Merlin looks at the sky and says:

"I'll stay here and have a talk with the warrior from Starforce."

"This!"

Merlin takes out a burnt glove from his spatial pocket and hands it to Fury, saying:

"Take this! If you find yourself in trouble, throw it."

'What is this?"

Fury looks at the glove in his hand and asks:

"Some kind of magic item?"

Merlin says with a mysterious smile:

"Of course."

"There are doors everywhere, you will be king if you have the key. Fury...this is that key!"

 

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