The Dawn Trail in the World of American Comics

Zhākāng was in a hurry because it was indeed an urgent matter.

While the atmosphere on the deck of the Black Pearl continued to be lively, he had already entered the captain's room with Mason for a secret discussion. The zombie flying dragon had been collected by Constantine using magic.

Sharp-eyed Mason immediately noticed that Zhākāng was using an item similar to the Voodoo Birdcage, but with a slightly different appearance.

It seemed that he had already mastered the Blackbeard's Voodoo Compendium in these few days.

He truly was a guy who relied solely on talent for magic.

"Take a look at my tattoo!"

As soon as they entered the cabin, Zhākāng rolled up his sleeves to show Mason the devil tattoo on his left arm. The young man took a glance and was startled.

As a D-level member, Zhākāng's tattoo should only have two ghost claws, but now it had "grown" to a size similar to Mason's tattoo.

He had actually become a C-level member without completing any Star Society missions!

Constantine, with a worried expression, held his beloved Silka cigarette and said:

"I think this might be a warning, or perhaps our actions, although not triggering the curse of the Star Society completely, have met certain conditions.

I might die in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts.

Fortunately, I still have some hidden abilities and have paid a price to barely suppress the expansion of this curse. There's also something else, there are 'newcomers' in the ruins of Hogwarts."

"Hmm?"

Mason immediately narrowed his eyes and asked:

"Are they high-ranking members or just rookies? Did they enter the Forbidden Forest?"

"No, I scared them away with Norbert."

Zhākāng played with the dragon statue in his hand and proudly said:

"They should be a group of rookies. It's similar to when Old K brought you guys, there's one guy who looks more powerful, but instead of confronting the dragon, he decisively led his team away.

But when I followed their path, I found something interesting. That world has a kind of magic powder called Flying Powder, right?

Those rookies escaped using that stuff.

They found a intact fireplace in the ruins, and I went to take a look. It seems to be a destroyed magic academy, located within the borders of France.

But it had already been thoroughly looted, not even a hair left behind."

The "Norbert" that Constantine mentioned was the zombie flying dragon in his hand, named by Hagrid as such.

Zhākāng was too lazy to change the name, so he continued to call it that.

Mason nodded and said:

"Hogwarts is a public world specifically for newcomers to practice, so it's not surprising for others to appear. It seems that the barrier you set up at King's Cross Station has been broken.

As for the magic academy...

There are many in that world.

A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled.

Not counting the Hidden Cult, there are three in Europe alone, and each continent has its own heritage. Old K said that Hogwarts is the last unexplored area, while other places have long been emptied.

Can you confirm that this curse won't continue to grow?"

"I can confirm."

Zhākāng threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out fiercely. He glanced at Mason, looked around, and then snapped his fingers.

A green flame flickered beside him, forming a circular arch, and then a goblin-like creature ran out from inside, fearfully holding a Silka cigarette with both hands and handing it to Zhākāng. In Zhākāng's triumphant expression, he used the flame to light the cigarette for the dark magician...

Afterwards, this creature, which looked like a little devil, waved its claws at Mason and disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

"Look, this is the power I obtained from the curse. I can summon a group of hell creatures across worlds. The thing I just summoned is called a imp, and there are even more dangerous and powerful hell creatures waiting for me to summon.

This summoning doesn't require me to sacrifice anything or make a damn contract. As long as I have magic power, I can continuously summon.

It's so convenient and generous.

I've said it before, this curse isn't all bad."

Constantine blew a smoke ring and said:

"I perfected the spell I got from Zatanna. Although it still attracts the attention of that divine devil, I'm sure the aftereffects of the power I obtained using this method are much smaller than the price paid by other members of the Star Society."

"But there's still a price."

Mason was a bit unsure whether he should let Zhākāng perform the ritual for Selina and Charles. Seeing his hesitation, Constantine immediately knew that Mason's kindness was acting up again.

He sighed and said:

"You've had enough, Mason. Since ancient times, can you gain power without paying a price? Batman sacrificed his teammates to gain such dangerous combat experience.

Superman is even worse, he lost his home planet."

"Well, I don't think these two examples are appropriate, but you may have a point. They should decide for themselves."

Mason nodded, skipped this topic, and asked again:

"What do you think about Zatanna summoning you?"

"Well, I think I'll have a 'good time' when I go back."

When it came to this matter, Zhākāng showed a smile that all men understood, and even made a lewd movement with his lower body. But under Mason's gaze, the dark magician snorted.

He blew a smoke ring and said:

"It must be an urgent matter, and I guess Zatanna didn't just summon me. The prominent figures in the magic circle should have been invited as well.

Even Zatanna herself might not be the main organizer, just an assistant to the real summoner.

If I had to guess, I think this might be related to the activities of the Star Society in Gotham and around the world. The magic circle has been mobilized to investigate the roots of those guys.

So, you guys need to keep a low profile recently!

Try not to use the Door of Worlds if possible.

Although the space-time ripples produced when it opens are very weak, they are still real.

If you encounter spellcasters like Doctor Fate or Madame Xanadu, they can easily detect these vibrations."

"So we need to make arrangements in advance and then lie low for a while?"

Mason nodded and said:"But John, after meeting your old lover and being questioned, you won't betray us, will you?"

"Well, to be honest, that's one of my options."

Zha Kang laughed cunningly, rubbing his hands together and making a universal gesture, saying:

"It depends on what you have to persuade me with."

"You're unbelievable!"

Mason sighed and took out the phoenix egg from his luggage, which he despised, and handed it to Zha Kang. Constantine clearly recognized its value and his eyes widened upon seeing the phoenix egg....

But after circling around the egg a few times, he shook his head and said:

"No, this thing has already formed a certain connection with you. It won't have another owner until you die. Did you feed it with your flames?"

Facing Zha Kang's inquiry, Mason sighed and nodded:

"I almost died in its hands."

"Well, you deserved it."

Constantine mocked mercilessly:

"Phoenixes are very sensitive to flames, especially magical flames, which can easily attract them. Your magical fire comes from the power of a divine devil, exactly the kind of energy-rich food that this weak phoenix needs.

Keep feeding it.

As long as you persist long enough, it will eventually hatch."

"Will this persuade you?"

Mason took out a bottle of Lazarus Pool essence, which Zha Kang also liked. After collecting it, he looked at the remnants of a tattered school cap that Mason took out of his luggage.

It had been used as Miss McGee's nest, covered in cat hair.

Zha Kang found it extremely disgusting.

However, the dark magician touched it with his hand and rubbed his chin, saying:

"This thing is interesting. It has its own thoughts. It should have been 'animated' by the great wizards of Hogwarts. But it has also established some strange connections with you.

Besides you, I can't activate it anymore.

Here's some advice.

Sew it up as soon as possible, maybe there will be surprises."

"That's all."

Mason shrugged and said lazily:

"All my good stuff is here. If you don't like it, there's nothing I can do. But at the upcoming Star Trading Fair in a week, I can let you have first pick if you're not picky.

Is that enough to satisfy you?"

"It's fine."

Zha Kang showed a somewhat indifferent expression, flicked the cigarette ash, snapped his fingers, and made Jason Todd, who was standing at the door, walk in with a stiff body and clenched teeth.

It was obvious that Jason was being controlled by some kind of power.

His mind was still clear, but his body was completely out of control, with all his muscles tense.

"This idiot still has the residual power of the Lazarus Pool in his body, and he doesn't know how to remove it. As a result, I easily subdued him."

Zha Kang played with a voodoo doll carved into a human shape in his hand and handed it to Mason, blowing smoke rings, saying:

"If he doesn't listen, use this thing to teach him. With his current understanding of magic, he can't escape. But the dark power in his body will dissipate over time, so you can only use it three times at most."

"No need."

Mason took the wooden stick, snapped it in front of Jason's eyes, and made his body go limp, almost falling to the ground.

The captain of Team K stared at Jason and threw the broken wooden stick to him, saying:

"I believe Jason is a smart person. We, Team K, should love and trust each other. We don't need to control each other with such evil methods.

Once the chain of suspicion is formed, things will become troublesome.

I don't want to fight the enemy while also guarding against bullets coming from behind... John, prepare the blood oath."

"Wait, let's talk about it tonight."

Constantine said:

"I need to rest. The red-haired girl earlier was quite cute. I happen to need a lab assistant. Let her come and help me."

"Hmm?"

Mason raised an eyebrow and elongated his voice, saying:

"Does the so-called 'assistant' include warming your bed and relieving your physiological pressure?"

"What do you think?"

John grinned, showing his sharp white teeth.

But in the next moment, he was choked by the suddenly aggressive Jason Todd, and the dark magician's spine crackled under the pressure of the Red Hood.

"Let go! It's going to break!"

Zha Kang screamed, but Jason remained unmoved.

Mason sighed as he watched this scene and said:

Barbara is protected by Jason. If you want to pursue that girl, you have to pass his test first. Also, I really don't recommend you fooling around before you meet Red Arrow again.

Be a decent person, John.

Haven't you learned your lesson from the trouble caused by your lower body?"

"Tsk."

At Mason's signal, Jason reluctantly let go of Zha Kang, who sneered and glanced at Jason, feeling somewhat wary.

This guy didn't waste a second from attacking to controlling himself at close range. He was a nightmare for all spellcasters.

This bastard Mason has a good eye for picking team members.

"Make a statue of each of the other 'little animals' we have in our hands, just like the one of Norbert, for easy carrying."

Mason looked at the dragon statue in Constantine's hand and asked with great interest:

"Is there any knowledge in the Voodoo Compendium about Blackbeard that I can learn?"

"I know what you want, so I've prepared it for you."

Zha Kang casually took out a piece of paper from his spellbook and threw it to Mason.

It not only contained enchantments and inscriptions related to voodoo, but the thoughtful dark magician also compiled some combat enchantments and advanced inscription formulas from the magical books of Hogwarts.

This is the advantage of having a professional spellcaster in the team. These supernatural powers need a true expert to handle them in order to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Of course, Zha Kang didn't give this knowledge for free. He reached out his hand towards Mason and said:

"Give me another piece of that magic stone fragment, any size will do."

"Don't you already have one in your hand?"

Mason said with some heartache."That's the holy artifact of an alchemist! I don't have many of those."

"What do you think I paid to suppress the curse?"

Zhakang rolled his eyes and pointed to his left arm, saying:

"I've already used mine to save my life. Now I need another one to give to Little Zha and maybe her genius alchemist can figure out something."

"You're not losing out anyway."

Mason said coldly:

"Do you want me to pay for your one-night stand expenses?"

"Do we have to use those Muggle things that affect the sensation?"

Zhakang showed off his newly learned term and proudly said:

"We have magical contraception! You idiot, stop talking and give me a living baby unicorn and a piece of magic stone...

Tsk tsk, this is enough for a proposal!"

A few minutes later, Mason, with a sour face, and Zhakang, satisfied, walked out of the captain's room. The expressionless Two Barrels followed behind them, just like a strong and cold bodyguard.

And Lady Selina, who had interacted with the upper-class people of this world, walked over with a tipsy feeling and handed a luxurious invitation to Mason.

She said:

"The Pirate King's meeting will be held on Turtle Island tonight. Barbosa and other Pirate Kings have agreed to invite 'Wizard Mason' to join the meeting as a spectator.

Look, now you can also influence the future of a world, Little Mason."

"Instead of the boring meeting, I am more concerned about our gains."

Mason played with the invitation in his hand and glanced at the several ships docked around. Jack Sparrow and Angelina Titch were counting the loot with the pirate followers of the K Team on each ship.

Even if each member of the K Team had magical bags brought from Hogwarts, it would still take many trips to transport so many magical materials and treasures.

"Selina, who do you think is wealthier now, me or Bruce?"

Mason suddenly asked.

Catwoman paused, lowered her head and looked at the platinum bracelet on her wrist, inlaid with eighteen different colored gemstones. After thinking for a moment, she said:

"If all of these can be liquidated, you probably have about one-third of the Wayne family's assets."

"Only one-third."

Mason shook his head disappointedly, then remembered something and said to Catwoman:

"Where are Elizabeth Swan and her son? I need to go see them in person."

"They are on a nearby island."

Selina said:

"It's to prevent the pirates here from discovering them. After all, their identities in this world are quite special. Should we go see them now?"

"Yes, no time to waste."

Mason looked at the calm sea in front of him. It seemed that he could see a pair of eyes staring at him through the dark and cold depths of the sea.

He coughed and said:

"A promise is a promise, breaking it has never been the style of our K Team."

Handsome dog Frank