hotmtlnovel Chapter 3798 The School Doctor's "Daily Life" (3)
Chapter 3798 The School Doctor's "Daily Life" (3)
Chapter 3798 The School Doctor's "Daily Life" (Thirteen)
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the Archmage guarding the New York Sanctum. It’s unlikely he stole it from the sanctum.” The main universe Batman shook his head and said, “Wanda is unlikely to be involved either. They are all relatively tolerant and gentle people, and these qualities are hard to fake. The Hippo Goddess is the same. We haven’t contacted the other professors yet. Maybe we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
Arkham Batman nodded and continued, "Do you think it's possible he's a student? If he really wanted to attack the New York Sanctum, wouldn't it be easier to gain the professor's trust by posing as a student?"
"That's certainly a possibility, but I haven't found anyone suspicious yet. Anyway, let's not rush things. He probably won't make his move right at the start of the semester; we still have time to investigate."
"If we find out who it is, what do you plan to do?" Batman Arkham's expression turned slightly grave. He said, "If he really is a very powerful dark sorcerer, there is absolutely no way we can subdue him by force. The professor and the principal may not trust us either."
“First, the sorcerers at the New York Temple are not to be underestimated. He may not succeed. Second, at least the Supreme Master and Dr. Schiller are aware of our wisdom. If we are certain of something, they will certainly be on their guard. We should be able to persuade them.”
“I knew it. A peaceful campus life was out of the question for us.” Arkham Batman sighed softly. “Hopefully, this Saffir won’t be too difficult to deal with.”
Schiller was reading the script in his office at the university hospital. He was one of the later professors to receive it. He still had a significant role in this film, and the entanglement between the Sorcerer Supreme and Saffir was already beginning to unfold.
Furthermore, the film's setting isn't limited to the school hospital, or even the school itself. Because of a study abroad trip this year to visit the New York Sanctum, scenes of New York streetscapes and the interior of the Sanctum will appear. Additionally, a forest map will be added near the magic school, serving as one of the strongholds of the main villain, Saffir.
As a magic school, a mysterious and ancient forest is naturally an indispensable setting. However, the forest near Ifamoni is actually just an ordinary nature reserve. Although it is quite large and the trees are lush, it is far removed from the concept of a "magical forest."
So recently, Strange and the professors have been busy in the forest, setting up the scenes needed for filming the movie under the guidance of the props team. It's quite a project: in addition to adding more tall trees, expanding the original lake and stream, they also need to add wizard huts, piers, and dungeons, as well as all sorts of dark magic materials and items, and create traces of Saphir's activities.
The initial work went smoothly. The director and props team had drawn up the design sketches, and the mages just had to follow them. The magical plants were also readily available; they had already been cultivated, and once planted in a suitable spot, they looked quite convincing.
The more troublesome part is creating dark magic items and fabricating evidence of Saphir's activities. It's not that the mages don't possess dark magic items, but most of them are indistinguishable from ordinary magical artifacts—they look identical to ordinary magical items and don't fit the public's perception of "evil props." Moreover, these items are quite dangerous, and the mages don't approve of the young actors handling them, so they have to forge them.
However, the mages genuinely didn't know what the "utterly evil" dark magic items in the eyes of ordinary people should look like. Some young mages did have some ideas, but they weren't very professional, and the things they designed were all over the place, with inconsistent styles, and didn't look like a coherent system at all, which the writers couldn't explain away.
There was no other way; they had to find someone more professional. And when it comes to who's the most professional when it comes to black magic items, it's undoubtedly Mephisto, the lord of the Hell dimension. To be precise, he's the progenitor of "evil aesthetics"—because he admires that style, and because he's a seductive devil, people have the impression that "items of that style are all black magic tools."
It's fair to say that even a scrap of plaster from his palace could be a source of disaster for the surrounding area. Furthermore, his aesthetic sense is remarkably consistent; everything he designs falls within a certain framework, clearly indicating the use of a single power system. Therefore, hiring him for design is the perfect solution.
Mephisto was, of course, delighted. He was ecstatic: after thousands of years, finally, humans appreciated his aesthetic sense! Weren't black and red beautiful? Weren't the flow of lava beautiful? Weren't ash and charcoal the best decorations?
Schiller was also summoned at the same time, because they needed to create traces of Saffir's activity. In the established lore, Schiller is Saffir, or rather, Saffir uses Schiller's body, so the traces left behind would naturally be Schiller's.
Because the first film was a huge success, the budget for the sequel was quite ample, and the entire directing team was incredibly enthusiastic. The props and screenwriting teams were even more meticulous, scrutinizing every little detail to ensure that every frame of the film was perfect and could withstand close examination.
For an ordinary film crew, achieving such perfection would likely require a significant amount of time. However, Chris's crew had the help of sorcerers. The various details created by the sorcerers couldn't be considered fake; they were, in fact, genuine.
For example, if they wanted to create something very old, mages could accelerate the passage of time in a specific area, making decades seem like just a few seconds. These signs of aging weren't faked; they were genuine. Even the most discerning viewer wouldn't be able to detect any flaws because it was real.
On the morning of the third day of school, Schiller got up very early. He had already drunk a cup of coffee before dawn. Pushing open the slightly old window, he felt the damp air in the morning mist, carrying a faint, pleasant scent of wood and moss.
The weather was fine today—not very sunny, but rather cloudy with a northerly wind. But that was good weather for Schiller, as he would likely be spending the whole day in the forest. Cloudy, windy weather was better than scorching hot weather.
It was too early; most of the students were still asleep. Schiller went to the dining hall for breakfast and then walked towards the forest with Mephisto. Just as they were leaving through the side gate of the castle, the main universe's Batman, who had just woken up, happened to see them through his bedroom window.
He stood by the window, squinting, staring intently at the two figures as they walked away, then looked in the direction they had gone. When he saw the rows and rows of towering trees disappearing behind the mist, Batman pursed his lips.
Schiller and Mephisto arrived at the forest as quickly as possible. As soon as they approached, Schiller was astonished by the towering trees: "Wait, where did I get here? Is this still North America? How did I wake up in the Amazon?"
Schiller opened his mouth, then looked at Strange, who had just landed and was flying over to greet him, and said, "Isn't this a bit too much?"
The original forest, while boasting numerous beech trees, North American pines, walnuts, raspberries, and other lush vegetation, is now almost entirely composed of thousand-year-old redwoods, abundant ferns, and lichens—the very ancestors of all plants—making it seem like a step back into the Jurassic period. Schiller wouldn't be surprised if a group of dinosaurs suddenly burst forth from within.
“It’s all the director’s and props team’s idea,” Strange said. “We’re not experts in this area, so let’s not make things worse.”
"You didn't get yelled at by Chris, did you?"
Strange's expression was somewhat unnatural. Schiller smiled but didn't press the matter. They trudged together deeper into the forest. There was a path worn into the ground, so walking wasn't too difficult.
Mephisto seemed quite intrigued by the sights. Schiller turned to him and asked, "Does it feel like going back in time?"
“My past isn’t that far back. I’ve never seen a dinosaur,” Mephisto said. “But this place is really set up to look like one. I can feel a strong magical aura. Many of the plants here have a high affinity for the elements.”
“Because they are all cultivated magical plants,” Strange said. “We originally wanted to use some ordinary plants to make do, but the props department rejected that idea. Kamar-Taj put in a lot of effort to cultivate so many magical plants.”
“These mushrooms are quite special,” Mephisto said, looking at the mushrooms growing on some fallen, decaying wood. “I can sense an ancient aura.”
Schiller's expression turned somewhat strange. He said, "Do you know Chi You?"
Mephisto thought about it very seriously and said, "That was during the tribal era, right? I'm not very familiar with him personally, but his mount was quite cute."
Soon, they passed through the dense, tall forest. Beyond the trees lay another world: a calm, still pool appeared before them. The boardwalk built along one side of the pool was not yet finished, winding its way into the depths of another dense forest.
The magical aura here is even stronger. The magic is almost visible to the naked eye, with countless elemental specks dancing on the lake's surface. The air has grown colder, and there seems to be turbulence in the wind.
They walked around the boardwalk to the other side of the forest, where they could see the previous filming camp. After they got there, they began to change clothes—actually, only Schiller needed to change clothes because he needed to disguise himself as Saffir so that the traces left behind would be more realistic.
To avoid being recognized, Saffir wore a black robe when moving through the forest. Schiller put on the robe, pulled up the hood, and then took a long staff. Mephisto followed behind him.
This wasn't Mephisto's request; it's mainly because Saffir uses Mephisto's power, so whatever he does leaves behind ashes. Schiller can't create such traces; only Mephisto can.
“I have a question,” Mephisto said, following behind Schiller and turning to the prop crew in the back row. “Since I look exactly like him and I can use hellish powers, why did we have to call him over? Couldn’t I just perform by myself?”
"No way!!!" Chris's roar came from behind, "Your movements are too exaggerated, you don't have that style at all! Stand back, and come up when I call you!"
Mephisto nearly choked—it was the first time anyone had ever spoken to him in such a tone. But there was nothing he could do; he could only flick his sleeves and angrily run to the back of the crowd.