Chapter 710: U: The Infinite Event (26)

"Alright, everyone, place your wands beside your dominant hand, and put notebooks, pens, ink bottles, water cups, and any other containers for liquids into the drawers—don't make me hear another scream because someone knocked over a cup…"

"Peter Parker, what are you still standing there for? Class is about to start—get back to your seat."

The robed Schiller gently tapped the leftmost seat with his wand; Peter, still stunned, turned to look at another Schiller holding files—when Strange grabbed that other Schiller and said, "Don't disturb him during class. Let's go outside."

"Hey! But… no, wait, don't leave yet! Explain this—how can there be two Dr. Schillers… uh, no, I'm going to sit down right now." Peter turned his head while stepping sideways, his legs moving involuntarily toward an adjacent seat.

"Now then, let me teach you about wands. Pick up the little wooden stick beside you—yes, that's right, I call it a wand."

"Professor, can it cast magic?" asked a young magic apprentice who looked like a novice monk, raising his hand.

"Of course. When you haven't yet gained strong control over magic, it will be your best companion," replied the Potions Professor Schiller, nodding.

"But aren't Grand Masters always saying magic shouldn't rely on external tools—that it must come from inner cultivation?" asked another little girl, raising her hand.

"Correct. For Grand Masters, that's true—they've reached such mastery over magic that they need only cultivate their will to make magic obey them as if it were an extension of their own limbs," Schiller nodded, showing great patience, then continued:

"Grand Masters urge you to cultivate willpower because, in the last age, magical power could only be obtained through pacts with demonic gods. Without strong will, one risked being corrupted by the demons' dark forces and using magic to harm this world."

Below, the apprentice wizards whispered among themselves; Peter looked left and right and realized he was the oldest in the entire classroom.

"But now…" Schiller shifted tone, saying, "The traditional pact system is still usable, but it's become outdated. The magic energy used by Kamar-Taj no longer requires each wizard to form a one-to-one pact with a demonic god—it's far safer now."

"But that doesn't mean you can instantly master magic the moment you touch it. Many forces remain dangerous. Yet the pure energy stored inside this little stick in your hand has been refined repeatedly by Grand Masters. Once you learn to use it, you've taken your first step toward learning magic…"

Suddenly Peter raised his hand and asked, "Professor, what if I already have magical energy inside me?"

"Pick up your wand, focus on meditation, sense the energy's vibration, then channel your inner energy into it… yes, like that—don't grip too tightly, relax your wrist…"

Peter closed his eyes and saw light shimmering on his hand; a surge of energy flowed into the wand. He opened his eyes, stared at the little stick in his hand, and said, "That's it? But how do I cast a spell?"

"Come on, everyone, watch me," Schiller tapped the edge of the podium with his wand. "I was just about to explain this: use your dominant hand to gently lift your wand—you may hold it between thumb and index finger, or some prefer to clamp it between index and middle finger…"

The young wizards below followed suit. Since all here were elite talents carefully selected—not only gifted but also possessing strong focus—they listened intently.

Unconsciously, Peter slipped into the learning atmosphere, following Schiller's practice of wand motions and incantations.

Then Peter realized: when the frequency of the incantation matched the wand's motion, magic could be unleashed.

This was far easier to understand than those philosophical explanations about fate.

Discovering a more scientific method to harness magical power, Peter began to resist learning magic less. His physical coordination was far superior to the younger wizards', so he learned the gestures quickly—within ten minutes, he cast his first spell.

Peter lightly swung his wand; its tip traced a graceful arc through the air, then lifted upward as he chanted:

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The paper on the desk slowly rose into the air. Peter widened his eyes in wonder; the wand emitted a faint glow, a ribbon of light connecting its tip to the floating paper.

Peter realized the wand was merely a programmed tool: with the correct gesture and incantation, it activated its internal mechanism to convert magical energy into spells.

The process held no mystery, required no fantasy or guesswork—even very young wizards could master it with practice.

After learning the basic spells, ideas began forming in Peter's mind.

If this little stick could convert magical energy into spells, couldn't a larger machine be designed to convert more energy into stronger spells?

Then, wouldn't even ordinary people be able to cast magic, as long as they had energy?

Peter, consumed with thoughts of cutting costs and lowering barriers, felt he had opened a door to a new world.

As Peter pondered, his super-hearing kicked in—he heard Strange and Schiller's voices outside the door:

"Aren't there already three of me over there? Why is Nick still short-handed? What's he even planning?"

"He says he needs at least five of you. The Solar System Construction Project has drained nearly all S. . . . . . agents. His quarterly accounts aren't done—he even wants to pull people from my side…"

Strange's tone was full of resignation. He added, "Seriously, can't you get ten more of yourself? I don't even need them to know magic—just to teach."

"You know, Kamar-Taj's energy is abundant now, no cost required. Wang has been recruiting freely. There are still many talented children in this world—he brought in over a hundred at once…"

"Some of the most gifted kids are trained directly by Grand Masters using the traditional path. The rest fall under my care. But the first batch of wands just finished production, and ordinary wizards still can't use them. Only you have experience. Since you've already made so many versions of yourself, adding another dozen wouldn't be too much, would it?"

"Do you think this is copy-paste?" Schiller's voice came again. "Each version of me in every dream universe has uniqueness. I can teach wand usage because, in that dream, I was originally a magic school professor. If you bring others here, they'll be just like other wizards—they don't know how to use wands at all…"

The endless string of "mes" made Peter's head spin. He had no idea what was happening—weren't two Schillers already the limit? Were there countless more Schillers waiting outside?

He must be dreaming. Only in dreams could such absurdity occur. Peter shook his head hard, trying to wake himself up—but just then, his spider-sense twitched.

Peter focused and heard a plucking sound—"tap-tap." He knew it was the web-line contacting him. He took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and whispered, "Web-line, what is it?"

"Spider-Man… come back… return to base. The Captain of the Universe has revealed the situation. Hurry back…"

Peter snapped awake. He saw the young wizards scattering after class, shook his head, stood up, waved to Schiller at the podium, and left the classroom.

"Hey, Mr. Strange, can you send me back to New York? I've got something to do."

Strange turned, studied Peter, as if sensing something, and asked, "Need help?"

"Yes. Open a portal for me—I'll handle the rest myself." Peter finished speaking, then suddenly remembered something and sprinted back into the classroom, snatching up the wand from the desk. He asked, "Can I take this?"

"Of course. But remember—this wand doesn't just contain auxiliary magic. It also holds offensive spells. Be careful—don't hurt anyone… never mind, Peter. I trust you." Strange patted Peter's shoulder.

"Don't worry. Professor Schiller already told me everything. I've memorized all the incantations—I won't mix them up." Peter nodded.

Strange opened a portal. A flash of light—and Peter stood on a New York street. He glanced around, oriented himself, then swung off in one direction.

Soon, he spotted another swinging figure in the air. The Amazing Spider-Man landed on a rooftop. Peter followed immediately. Before he could speak, the Amazing Spider-Man said, "Did you get the web-line alert? Something's happened over there."

"Champion Parker and I are both gone. Without leadership, the Spider-Men are vulnerable. If they're attacked, the consequences could be catastrophic. We should return immediately."

Peter nodded. "I still have some magical energy left—but only enough for one final jump. And I'm not sure where I'll land when I return. Still, let's prepare first."

Both Spider-Men refilled their web-shooters and restored their strength. Then Peter placed his hand on the Amazing Spider-Man's shoulder. A flash of magic—and they returned to their original timeline.

The time-jump landing point was random. They materialized in a desolate stretch of cosmic space—no stars, only two lonely, uninhabitable planets.

The Amazing Spider-Man picked up the transporter Champion Parker had given him. Before he could activate it, a figure radiating white light descended into the space. Captain Universe Spider-Man looked at them both and said, "You're finally back. Everyone's been waiting."

"What's going on? Why did Web-line send us an emergency alert? Didn't she just complain about too many messages giving her a headache? What's happened?"

Captain Universe Spider-Man nodded. "Perhaps you know my power comes from Eternity, one of the Multiverse gods."

"Just now, my soul was summoned by Eternity. He gave me a task—all Spider-Men must complete it. In return, he will erase Solus."

The Amazing Spider-Man widened his eyes. "Eternity? Who's that? Is he powerful enough to destroy Solus?"

"Of course. Solus's power is negligible compared to his. If we complete the task, the Heir Family will no longer threaten Spider-Men."

"That's good news. What's the task?"

"Travel across the multiverse and capture every Schiller."