Chapter 1145

"I'm very sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." Schiller lay with his upper body on the desk, holding the phone in one hand and propping up his face with the other, saying leisurely to the other side: "Are you referring to someone plagiarizing my thesis? Which publication did he publish it in? I will write a letter over there."

"... A murder case?" Schiller blinked with some confusion, but then, he switched the phone to his other hand, took out an account book from the side with his free hand, and said to the other side: "If it were usual, I would be very happy to go take a look, but I've been a bit busy lately; my bookstore is busy stocking up."

"What? You don't know yet? I opened a bookstore on 8th Avenue, the Flourish and Blotts Bookstore at the corner of Tail Alley. Today is the first day of business, but, considering you're very busy, I won't hold it against you for not coming to show your support on the first day..."

Hearing what Bruce said on the other side, Schiller frowned, then said: "I do have some impression of that mysterious V you mentioned. He sent me a pig's ear and a small card with a strange pattern drawn on it, but I have to finish the work at hand first. After all, being a detective is just a side job; in Cat Getan, doing this line of work won't fill your stomach."

"Rest assured, I believe that besides going to tourist spots to play a human statue, you can also make some substantial contributions to Cat Getan's public security. How about starting with this case?"

"... No time to write a thesis? It doesn't matter. Your adopted son has had such a serious accident, so academic matters can be put aside for now. You can send the leave request to the bookstore or the Rodriguez Manor. After I sign it, I'll send it back to you."

"What?... My God! You really misunderstand me!" Schiller turned to the side, propped the elbow of the hand holding the phone on the desk, and said with some dissatisfaction: "In your eyes, am I really that cold-blooded?"

Just then, Schiller heard the crisp sound of a wind chime at the entrance of the bookstore, as well as the creaking sound of the door hinges when the door was pushed open. He covered the receiver of the phone and shouted loudly: "Harley, who is here?"

"How would I know?" Harley also shouted back, responding: "It's an Englishman wearing a top hat... What did you say your name was? Constantine? That's really interesting. Has anyone ever told you? Your personality seems a bit strange."

Harley, holding a stack of books, stared with bright, piercing eyes at Thomas, who had just pushed the door open and entered. Thomas felt his hair stand on end from being watched, until Schiller pushed the door open and walked out.

Schiller stepped forward to shake hands with Thomas, smiled, and said: "You've finally arrived. The first batch of books hasn't been put on the shelves yet. Is there any news about the second batch?"

"Yes, I managed to order a rare collector's edition." Thomas appeared very happy. The two of them walked one after the other through the merchandise area composed of many tall bookshelves and arrived at the reading area next to the stairs leading to the second floor.

This was a small space formed by the stairs and the wall. Both the side of the stairs and the adjacent wall were embedded with bookshelves, which were filled with books. The floor was covered with a warm-colored carpet, and two single sofas and a small coffee table were placed on the ground.

"I believe customers will definitely not refuse to have a cup of tea here." Thomas said while surveying the surrounding environment. He stretched his limbs on the soft sofa, rubbed the side of his neck with his hand, and said: "Local European book dealers are very difficult to deal with. In the past few days, I wore out my tongue just to get these good goods from their hands."

After finishing, Thomas took a book out of the bag he was carrying and handed it to Schiller. He also took an identical one for himself. After opening it and touching the pages, he said: "These aren't those pieces of junk that only look good on the cover. Look at the thickness of this paper and the print quality. Even as a hardcover edition, it doesn't lose to some complete sets of collector's books."

Thomas looked at Schiller with a smile. When Schiller was sizing him up, he discovered that he was very different from that rotten mage Constantine. The melancholic temperament on him didn't come from a decadent life, but rather more like the sentimentality of a literary worker.

Schiller shook his head gently. He didn't know how Constantine did it. It seemed that after he split his soul into two, this soul acting as Thomas didn't leave any traces of him. This was simply incredible.

Suddenly, Schiller heard a commotion at the entrance of the bookstore. Both Schiller and Thomas stretched their heads to look, wanting to see what had happened. Just at this moment, Zatanna, dressed in a magician's outfit, rushed in, and Harley followed closely behind.

"John... oh, no, I mean Thomas, leave here quickly! I just discovered traces of tracking magic at your residence. It's very likely that your former enemies have found you. Come with me quickly, I'll take you to the sanctuary!"

Thomas widened his eyes, then revealed an angry expression. He looked at Zatanna and said: "You lunatic, how long are you going to keep following me?! I've already hidden in Cat Getan, can't I still get rid of you?!"

Zatanna revealed an extremely helpless expression. She looked at Schiller's somewhat confused expression, glanced at Thomas, then pulled Schiller behind the bookshelf, lowered her voice, and said to him: "You quickly help me persuade him. This is no joke. That group of mages really wants his life!"

"He thinks you're a stalker?" Schiller asked.

"Not only that, he thinks I'm his ex-girlfriend, unable to let go of him, chasing him all over the world. He thinks I'm a lunatic crazy for love... Damn John, when he comes back, I'll let him know the consequences of making things up about me like this!" Zatanna said through gritted teeth.

Schiller revealed a smile. Zatanna sighed, but then looked at Schiller again, saying somewhat anxiously: "You also know how many people John's style of doing things will offend. It's not like enemies haven't come to his door before, it's just that they were all resolved by him. But now, Thomas definitely has no way to deal with these magical world matters."

"Fortunately, I have a sanctuary in the spirit world, which is still quite safe. Recently, I've been trying every possible way to get him there, but he just won't go with me. That group of people has already chased very closely. If he doesn't leave now, he will really be in life-threatening danger!"

Hearing Zatanna's sincere words, Schiller also hesitated a bit. After all, except for Zatanna, almost no one had any understanding of the magical world. Thomas had lost the ability to use magic, and facing those evil mages who would stop at nothing, he might really be in danger.

Since that was the case, it would be better to let Zatanna take him to hide, and let that group of people think that Constantine had already fallen. This way, Thomas could have a peaceful life in the future.

Thinking of this, Schiller nodded, then turned back, intending to persuade Thomas. But before he could even open his mouth, he heard a harsh "clatter" sound from the entrance.

All Gothamites were very familiar with this sound; it was the sound of glass being shattered. The battle-hardened Zatanna reacted the fastest to this, and she shouted loudly: "Get down quickly!"

Everyone instinctively bent over. With a "bang," a huge fireball streaked over everyone's heads and hit the wall of the stairs.

Zatanna quickly turned around, reached out and pointed at the wall, shouting: "Extinguish Flame!"

Then, she rolled to the side, hid behind the bookshelf, took off the top hat on her head, waved it vigorously toward the front, and a large group of bats composed of magical radiance flew toward the entrance.

Schiller pulled Thomas and Harley to hide behind the sofa. When he poked his head out to look, he discovered that several people in black robes were standing at the entrance, their hands all condensing with magical radiance, and one look told him they were not ordinary people.

Thomas opened his mouth wide in shock, and he shouted loudly: "What was that just now? Does magic really exist?!"

"Does that even need asking?" Harley replied immediately, her tone revealing excitement.

"Northern Mage Tower!" Zatanna walked out from behind the bookshelf, staring fixedly at those few people and said: "You are crazy! You actually dare to violate the rules of the magical world and take action in the human world at will! You will be sanctioned!"

"Naive little girl, the inheritance of your Zatanna family is almost extinct, and you're still talking about some bullshit rules?!" The leading mage let out a cold laugh and said.

"The Council won't let you act so recklessly!" Zatanna's tone contained a hidden threat. She glared at that group of people and said: "Aren't you afraid of being judged?"

But unexpectedly, the person in the lead let out a treacherous laugh, and then said: "Do you think that without the support of the Council, we could have come all the way here? Do you think you represent the will of the magical families? You are dead wrong!"

"Zatanna, you naive, stupid woman!" A cold female voice came from behind the leader: "Don't look at us with that kind of gaze. We are the warriors searching for a way out for the magical world, and you are the rebel!"

Before Zatanna could answer, the leader spoke up and said: "All the magical families have long had enough of the days of paying a painful price. We are searching for a new way out for the mages in the human world! As long as we can find enough powerful strength, we can naturally get rid of those unfair prices forever!"

"Zatanna, you can't stop us! How do you think we dared to come find Constantine? The Council has long issued a wanted order for him. We need his soul to exchange with Gabriel for a way to get rid of the price!"

"Why is it that you just don't understand, that damn Gabriel is a dead liar!

" Zatanna roared: "He bewitched the members of the Council. He actually has no way to get rid of the price at all, you bunch of damn idiots!"

"I forgot to tell you." That woman spoke again, her voice becoming colder and colder, making Zatanna feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar: "This time, the wanted order isn't just for Constantine, but also for you and your father."

"... What did you say?!

" Zatanna asked in disbelief.

"Everyone knows that the Zatanna family doesn't need to pay a price to cast magic, but you never share this method with us, watching us fall into pain, watching our families broken. You are the greatest enemy of the magical world!"

Speaking to the end, this woman's voice had changed its tone, more like a kind of crazy screaming. She stared fixedly at Zatanna's face and said: "You won't be hurt by magic, you won't age, you can master powerful strength, and you can enjoy the life of an ordinary person. This is simply unfair!

!"

"You have been selfish for so many years, that's enough. Don't you claim to want to dedicate your lives to the magical world? Now, it's time to offer your souls in exchange for the freedom of all mages!

!"

As the words fell, radiance rose up. In an instant, brilliant magical light and shadow erupted within the small bookstore. Arcane, fire, frost, flickering, shields, magical duels—countless brilliant moves that opened the eyes of ordinary people filled the entire room.

"My God, did you hear what she said just now? The magical world!" Harley screamed. She turned her head in a flash, stared at Schiller with burning eyes, and said: "You actually still have connections with the magical world!"

Looking at the expectation in Harley's eyes, Schiller's head began to ache again.