It Turned Out Everything Was True

Tony sat in the car thinking for a long time. It was not until he got home that he snapped out of it.

He silently got out of the car and walked into his room, leaving Happy wondering what was wrong with his boss today.

In his memory, Tony rarely acted like this—quiet and still, rather than constantly running his mouth.

Tony paid no attention to what Happy was thinking. The first thing he did after getting home was head into his laboratory.

He had spent the entire drive debating whether he or Pepper Potts should go to Obadiah’s office and use his computer, or whether he should find a way to break through that computer’s defenses himself.

Honestly, Obadiah’s private data terminal was not particularly difficult to crack.

But the key issue was that it was well hidden, and it was also protected by Stark Industries’ firewall.

If he went himself or sent someone else, then with a little luck, they could find what they wanted in just a few minutes.

But once they were caught, everything would be destroyed. Tony was unwilling to take that risk.

"Forget it. One option is troublesome but safe, while the other is dangerous and could be just as troublesome. Its only advantage is that it’s faster. I’d better play it safe. It’s not like I care about that little bit of time."

Tony finally made his decision. He did not want to openly fall out with Obadiah.

Although the mage had told him everything, Tony felt that he had only heard it from someone else and had been led around by the nose the whole time.

Whether it was true or not, he had to see it with his own eyes before deciding.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., find a way to hack into Obadiah’s private data terminal." Tony quickly gave the order.

"No problem, sir." J.A.R.V.I.S.’s voice came through. "However, due to Stark Industries’ firewall and the corresponding protections on his data terminal, the estimated time required may be ten to twelve hours."

"No problem. Just get it done. While we wait, I’ll think carefully about how to improve my armor." Tony waved dismissively, signaling for J.A.R.V.I.S. to get to work.

To be honest, Tony truly did not want Obadiah to be the one who had betrayed him.

But some things had to be verified. If it really was him, Tony would not show any mercy.

If it was not, Tony would apologize to him properly. As for the mage?

He probably would not trust him quite so much anymore.

Shaking his head, Tony stopped thinking about that mess.

Looking at his armor, Tony began considering how to improve it. Before long, he had several new ideas, and he immediately set about turning them into reality.

"This is where the second test will take place?"

Standing before a forest not far from Kamar-Taj’s training grounds, Noah silently studied the place before him, where runes had been carved all across the ground, and unconsciously rubbed his chin.

The other mages all frowned. Honestly, everything here felt rather strange.

"Are you High Mage Noah Finneal?" Just as Noah was lost in thought, a voice with a regional English accent spoke beside his ear.

"I’m Finneal. And you are?" Noah looked up at the man.

Short blond hair, blue eyes, and an age that was difficult to judge, though he appeared middle-aged.

But Noah quickly identified him. On the left breast of his mage robes was the insignia of a Magic Organization. Noah recognized it as the symbol of the York Magical Association.

"William Moore. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mage Finneal. I often hear your name in Britain."

William Moore revealed a hearty smile and gave Noah a mage’s salute.

"Hello, Mage Moore. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Noah was certain he did not know this man, but he did not particularly care. There were so many mages at Kamar-Taj that he did not know them all either.

"We’ve actually wanted to visit you for some time, but unfortunately, you seemed to be conducting some research then. I never expected to meet you here." Moore’s smile remained unchanged, and he had a somewhat overly familiar manner.

"I was indeed doing some research. The research report may be released at this year’s Kamar-Taj Magic Award." Noah found it strange that this man was so enthusiastic, leaving him with no choice but to respond warmly as well.

In the world of mages, you could certainly act exceptionally aloof, but that would leave you without friends, especially when facing mages of the same rank.

Clearly, since William Moore could stand here to take the test, he too was a high mage.

There was another important reason: he was from the York Magical Association.

The York Magical Association was an ancient mage organization in Britain. Its history could be traced back to Merlin’s era, though the organization had always been extremely low-profile.

Several centuries ago, they had gradually begun to hide themselves away.

Their mages were all quite skilled, and what they excelled at most was Elemental Magic.

The existence of such an organization gave the Ministry of Magic quite a headache.

But the Ministry of Magic noticed that they had little contact with the outside world, and their strict management had kept them from causing any trouble, so it simply stopped bothering with them.

Over the years, all kinds of Magic Organizations had continuously emerged, and many had been destroyed after producing certain "talents."

Yet this Magic Organization still stood firmly at the pinnacle of the magical world. It was clear that the organization was quite impressive.

Moreover, every mage in this Magic Organization was a research fanatic.

It was said that they had tried to let ordinary people learn magic, but after being warned, they had dropped the matter.

"Meditation truly is a wonderful thing, but unfortunately, we have no way of obtaining it for now." William Moore sighed with a smile. "Mage Finneal, is there any other way to acquire this method?"

"There are only two routes. I can’t do anything about it either." Noah grumbled inwardly, then deliberately asked with an odd expression, "You aren’t still thinking about teaching ordinary people magic, are you?"

"Why not? Only then can this stagnant magical world regain its vitality."

"But the magical world is already becoming much more vibrant."

"That is only temporary, Mage Finneal. Of course, thank you for everything you have done for the magical world. When we have the opportunity, we hope to visit you, or invite you to be our guest. What do you think?"

"Let’s talk after the test. Also, don’t stay hidden away in your own world all day. Go out and take a look when you have time. The magical world isn’t what it used to be."

Noah shrugged. Visiting them or going there as a guest did not matter. He needed to do such things anyway.

William Moore smiled and nodded, though whether he would actually take Noah’s advice was another matter.

Their conversation soon came to a temporary halt, because Mordo once again announced the rules and precautions for the test.

After he had finished saying everything that needed to be said, all the candidates lined up and entered the Illusion Realm one after another.

Noah did not hesitate either. After nodding to Mordo, he followed the others inside.

The forest was very open, and the sound of wind rustling the branches continuously reached their ears.

If they had not all been fearless mages, ordinary people would likely have been scared senseless upon entering, especially since there was also a magic array within that could cause hallucinations.

"System, can you decipher these runes?"

Following the example of the mages who had taken the test last year, Noah casually found a tree and sat beneath it. Then he closed his eyes and called for the system.

Since they had to spend the night in the forest and undergo a trial of the mind, it was naturally impossible to remain awake. Sitting was much more comfortable than standing.

"Yes." The system’s mechanical voice sounded. "This is a decomposition rune for Illusion Magic, designed to separate and amplify its power. It can restore the spell to its original state. This is soul magic."

"Really? Then record it. I’m not particularly good at soul magic, and I know relatively few spells for it."

Noah immediately brightened at that. Ever since he had used soul magic once at Hogwarts more than a decade ago, he had barely used it again.

It could be said that this was one of Noah’s weaker forms of magic. In the past, he had not had time to deal with it because he had been focused on improving himself.

Now, however, not only had he completed that improvement, but he had also gradually stabilized his magic power. Naturally, Noah would not miss this opportunity.

He even planned to find a way to accompany that Prince of Asgard to Asgard once he appeared.

There were countless books in Asgard’s Library, including many on magic. Noah had no intention of missing out.

Of course, whether Noah could enter the Library would depend on his relationship with Thor.

"Oh, right, System. Can you help me block it, or even create an illusion that matches what the caster wants to see?" Noah suddenly thought of something and immediately asked.

"I do not know what the caster wants to see, but I can create an illusion that you want the caster to see." The system’s voice quickly echoed in Noah’s mind.

"So… everything really was true?" Tony sat upright in his room, staring blankly at the video playing on his laptop.

In the video, he had already been on the verge of death, but those terrorists had not killed him. Instead, they had recorded the video to threaten someone.

And that person was Obadiah!

Tony had obtained all of this information from Obadiah’s private computer!

J.A.R.V.I.S. had spent more than ten hours cracking it, locating the files, copying the data, and erasing all traces before transferring everything to Tony’s computer.

After watching all the files, Tony took a deep breath. His tightly clenched fists trembled without stop.

He truly did not understand why. Why had something like this happened to him?

But just as Tony was about to do something, he suddenly felt his entire body go numb!

At the same time, a figure silently appeared behind him.