Chapter 108: Morgan le Fay

However, this approach only addressed the symptoms, not the root cause. The staff crafted from high-tech materials was merely a shell. The true power lay in the staff itself, deeply rooted in the soul. The more it was used, the more it bypassed the physical staff and affected the soul directly.

For this reason, over the years, Tina had rarely used the Prime Staff and thus had barely suffered any corruption from the darkness. Yet, she had clearly underestimated the strength of the dark forces. Unable to corrupt her, the darkness targeted her daughter instead.

With repeated use, the Prime Staff gradually took root within Nicole’s body, destined to be reborn from within her. Gu Zhongyan finally understood why no magical fluctuations could be detected from the staff itself—it was merely a shell, an energy output port. The true Prime Staff had always been hidden inside the mother and daughter.

Every time it seemed the staff was generating power, the real source was themselves. No wonder, in the television series, after the Prime Staff was destroyed, Nicole pulled it out from her body—that was the genuine Prime Staff.

It seemed that exploring the mysteries of the Prime Staff was no easy task.

With this in mind, Gu Zhongyan shifted the conversation. “Alright, I now understand the situation with the Prime Staff. But what does Miss Minoru know about Morgan le Fay?”

“Morgan?!” Tina’s eyelid twitched as she quickly looked up at Gu Zhongyan. “You’ve seen Morgan? Impossible, impossible. She cannot exist in this world.”

“Let’s set that aside for now. Just tell me, who exactly is Morgan le Fay? You must be quite familiar with her, right?” Gu Zhongyan pressed.

Tina frowned, as though recalling some unpleasant memories. After a long pause, she spoke slowly.

“Morgan is a powerful sorceress. At first, I only regarded her as an ordinary witch—not a Kamar-Taj sorcerer, but a friend from the mystical side.”

“She was eloquent and adept at understanding your preferences. We quickly became close friends who shared everything.”

“However, I soon realized that Morgan was too mysterious. No one knew where she came from or what kind of magic she practiced.”

“Moreover, she never met me at Kamar-Taj. At first, when we were on good terms, I didn’t notice anything unusual, but gradually I realized she was avoiding my master, the Ancient One.”

“Morgan knew many things, including secrets of Kamar-Taj that even I was unaware of. Among these was the Prime Staff.”

“From some unknown time, I learned about the Prime Staff from Morgan’s lips—an immensely powerful artifact second only to the Eye of Agamotto.”

“Morgan told me repeatedly about the staff’s power. Perhaps that is why, amid the chaos, I stole this artifact—that desire came from within me.”

“Clearly, Morgan wanted me to steal the Prime Staff. From the start, she intended to use me to obtain it.”

At this, a gleam flashed in Tina’s eyes as she sneered coldly.

“But Morgan was too arrogant. She thought she controlled everything and saw me as merely a pawn, unaware that I had already sensed something was wrong.”

“So, taking advantage of her lax guard towards me, I schemed against her and used the power of the Prime Staff to banish her.”

“But she was truly formidable. Even with the Prime Staff, I couldn’t defeat her alone. In the end, I had to rely on the power of Kamar-Taj’s Earth Guardian array to successfully suppress her.”

“It was then, using Kamar-Taj’s power, that I discovered the true source of the Prime Staff’s power: the Dark Dimension. My soul had long been unknowingly corrupted by darkness.”

Pausing, Tina cast Gu Zhongyan a glance, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.

“You mentioned Morgan—is she back? That’s impossible. As long as the Earth’s guardian magic array remains, she has no hope of returning. Where did you hear such a thing?”

Gu Zhongyan pondered briefly, then shook his head.

“Or perhaps, the banishment you thought complete wasn’t as thorough as you imagined.”

Recalling the series, Morgan’s return was precisely because Nicole’s repeated use of the Prime Staff gradually eroded her soul with the Dark Dimension’s influence.

Gu Zhongyan suspected that when Tina banished Morgan with the Prime Staff, Morgan had tampered with it somehow. Once the power of the Dark Dimension accumulated sufficiently, she could use the staff’s power to bypass Earth’s guardian array and return.

“That’s impossible,” Tina dismissed without hesitation.

“How can it be impossible?” Gu Zhongyan retorted. “You said Morgan is powerful, and your understanding of her is limited. She may have left some contingency plan you’re unaware of.”

“Anyway, it’s best to prepare for the worst.”

With this in mind, the Prime Staff’s secrets seemed even deeper.

Though troublesome, Gu Zhongyan felt a surge of excitement.

Whether from the mystical or scientific side, secrets represent knowledge, and knowledge is power. The more secrets of the Prime Staff he uncovered, the higher the level of magic he could access, and the greater his gains.

Of course, nothing is without risk—this also meant greater danger.

Yet, since the Ancient One had tacitly allowed Tina to steal the Prime Staff and had shown no objection all these years, it suggested that the crisis was not beyond control.

With his current strength, there might be difficulties but not death.

Besides, should the sky fall, there would always be someone to bear the weight. If all else failed, he could retreat to Kamar-Taj. Surely, the Ancient One wouldn’t abandon him, right?

After a moment’s thought, Gu Zhongyan looked at Tina. “Thank you for today. If I have more questions, I’ll come to you again. For now, it’s time for you to return to your cell.”

Upon hearing this, Tina resumed her usual calm demeanor, but fixed Gu Zhongyan with a solemn gaze.

“Take care of my daughter. I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry,” Gu Zhongyan nodded. “She’s a teammate I trust. I’ll look after her well.”

“Whether it’s the corruption from the Dark Dimension or any contingency Morgan le Fay might have left behind, I’ll do my best to resolve it and ensure her safety.”

“As for you, and others—if you truly care for your children, teach them all you can. The world is changing faster and becoming more dangerous. The stronger they are, the better they can protect themselves.”

“Let’s go.”

With that, Gu Zhongyan led the thoughtful Tina back to her cell.