Chapter 11: Chef Shazam
With the demonic spirits completely annihilated, the vast Sanctuary once again fell silent.
The Old Wizard settled back onto his throne. He closed his eyes, and after a moment of recuperation, color returned to his wizened face, and a bit of life seeped back into him.
By this time, Orin Vale had also reverted to his human form and approached the Old Wizard's side.
"Thank you for your help, outlander," Wizard Shazam said solemnly as he opened his eyes. "Though it is difficult to admit, I must concede that without your help this time, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
"You don't seem surprised by me," Orin Vale noted.
The Wizard offered a slight smile.
"I have lived for nine thousand years. In those nine millennia, I have witnessed the fall of the Old Gods and the rise of the New Gods. I have seen the doomsday of a world and watched the vengeful spirit of God angrily wield the blade of judgment.
"Believe me, when you've lived as long as I have, nothing seems truly strange anymore. You are indeed a being unlike any I have seen before, but not so much as to overly surprise a wise wizard."
Orin Vale thought about it and realized it was true. Wizard Shazam wasn't just long-lived; at his level, he had certainly dealt with multiversal-level entities before. Although he was long past his prime, he wouldn't be shocked by every new alien race he encountered.
The Wizard sighed softly. "But I have grown old, after all. I find myself increasingly lacking the strength I once had. I must find a new successor quickly, or the Sanctuary will soon be left unguarded..."
He paused, glanced at Orin Vale, and sighed again.
"Actually, I think you would be a fine choice. Your willpower still needs tempering, but you have a kind heart, and your soul is pure. What a pity..."
He shook his head and didn't continue, but Orin Vale understood what the Wizard meant.
The Wizard himself was, after all, still a human, so he would naturally choose his successor from among the human race. Orin Vale, strictly speaking, had been reborn as a member of the Ultraman Race after his first transmigration. He was no longer human and thus fell outside the Wizard's pool of candidates.
In truth, even if that were the case, it also came down to a matter of fate. It's not as if no one else in the Justice League could meet the standard of a pure soul and firm willpower, but across thousands of parallel worlds, the Wizard always ended up choosing Billy Batson.
To some extent, the guidance of Destiny was at play.
"I cannot give you the Power of Six Gods, but a wizard certainly can't let someone work for free... hmm." The Old Wizard pondered for a moment, then asked, "Though I have never seen a being such as yourself, my eyes tell me you are a life form of some sort of light-based magic?"
Orin Vale was somewhat surprised. "Light-based magic" must have been the Old Wizard's way of describing it from a magical perspective. Although the Old Wizard's divine power was diminished, his insight was as sharp as ever, discerning the light-based essence of the Ultraman Race with a single glance.
"In that case, this should be of help to you."
Wizard Shazam extended his hand, pinching the air with his index and middle fingers. A flash of sunlight appeared at his fingertips, and the energy transformed into a ruby.
Orin Vale had been about to say that he knew nothing about magic, but after taking the gem and glancing at it, he was immediately astonished to sense a scorching, powerful energy churning within. With just a thought, that energy began to flow into his body, thread by thread, leaving him feeling replenished and refreshed in an instant.
The feeling it gave him was similar to that of absorbing stellar energy.
The essence of an Ultraman is Light—and not just a metaphysical Light, but also Light in the physical sense. In the long-running series, there were numerous scenes of an Ultraman flying close to a star to quickly recharge by absorbing its light, which was the most effective method of refueling.
And this small ruby gave him a sensation similar to basking in the sun's rays.
"This was a gift from the Sun God Apollo, after a great war in ancient times." Wizard Shazam stroked his long beard and smiled. "For all these years, it has been nothing more than a collector's item to me, but perhaps it will be of some benefit to you."
Orin Vale understood immediately. In DC Comics lore, Apollo was the god of the sun, and his divine power was, without a doubt, solar radiation—a fact personally certified by Superman.
In the comics, when Wonder Woman brought Superman to the domain of the Greek Gods, Apollo, displeased with Superman, blasted him. Superman's body energy instantly shot up to 400%. He looked at Apollo in astonishment and said, "Are you hitting me with solar radiation?" before punching the sun god several hundred miles away.
This small ruby seemed to be a similar kind of magical item. It could absorb and store a considerable amount of solar radiation. Although Orin Vale didn't know its original purpose, in his hands, it was a plug-and-play Power Bank.
Like Superman, Ultraman could use solar radiation for power-ups and enhancements. For instance, in the finale of Max, after being fully charged with solar energy, he unleashed a sword of light that pierced straight through the atmosphere—it was unbelievably cool. Orin Vale reckoned this Power Bank might not be as effective as the power-up Max used, but it should have a similar effect. He could keep it fully charged and, when necessary, use it as a trump card to assist a power burst.
This also reminded Orin Vale that a wizard of Shazam's level was comparable to Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme. The Sorcerer Supreme's sanctum housed a room full of artifacts; a mage like Shazam surely had a trove of similar goodies.
Orin Vale accepted the ruby, thanked the Wizard, and after a moment's thought, asked, "So, are you going to stay here guarding this Great Hall and continue looking for a successor?"
The Old Wizard shook his head.
"A successor must be found," he said. "But perhaps not here. I have been detached from the world for too long and no longer understand the world as it is today. If I cannot immerse myself in it and understand the people of this era, I fear it will be difficult to find that one-in-a-million successor."
He smiled serenely as he said this.
"Nine thousand years. Such a long time, protecting the current reality from the hands of demon gods time and time again. It is time for me to make my exit.
"My days are numbered. All I ask is to find someone worthy of this responsibility in the little time I have left, and then I can rest in peace.
"An era of chaos is coming again, but the world will have its new guardians. Who knows? Perhaps they will do a better job than we did. Perhaps they will not only succeed in protecting but also in guiding the Human Race toward the Light."
As the old man spoke, he seemed to give Orin Vale's shoulder a meaningful pat.
Then he rose, left his stone throne, and walked resolutely toward the entrance of the Great Hall.
Orin Vale watched the old man's weathered back in silence, a wave of emotion washing over him.
Wizard Shazam may not have been the protagonist, just a background character, the archetypal wise old man in a hero's origin story. But he had undeniably been a great guardian, protecting generations of people from the darkness for thousands of years, his deeds and name unknown to the world.
Even now, in his twilight years and on the verge of death, his only thought was to pass on the torch and continue protecting the human race.
...Wait a minute.
Orin Vale suddenly caught a crucial detail.
"Wizard... Senior?" he asked, following the Wizard toward the exit of the Great Hall. "Did you say your days are numbered?"
"That's right," the Old Wizard accepted calmly, like an enlightened master who had seen through the vanity of the mortal world.
"Then, may I ask, approximately how much time do you have left?"
"Who can say? No one can be certain about a lifespan. The short end would be twenty or thirty years, the long end forty or fifty, I suppose," the Old Wizard said.
Orin Vale: "..."
Of course. He should have known.
When a nine-thousand-year-old fellow says he's at death's door, his standards are definitely different from a normal human's.
"Uh, well, if you still have a few decades, do you have any plans?"
"I already told you. I need to understand the current world and choose my successor from it..."
"No, I mean more specifically," Orin Vale interrupted. "Because this selection process could take ten years? Twenty? Where do you plan to live during that time? What will you eat?"
Judging from the recent battle, the Wizard's old bones were still quite sturdy, but his magic seemed to be failing him. Before he could choose a successor, his primary problem upon returning to reality would be food and shelter.
They had just stepped through the magical gate and were back in the alley where they started. The Old Wizard froze, clearly not having given the question any serious thought.
So Orin Vale seized the opportunity. "To be honest, I recently opened a cafe in a nearby block, and business is pretty good. I've been thinking about offering some baked goods or light meals in addition to coffee, and I happen to be short a chef..."
The Old Wizard's eyes widened to the size of saucers, his beard bristling with indignation.
"You want me, the Guardian of the Rock of Eternity, the founder of the Council of Eternity, the greatest Wizard... to be your chef!?"
Orin Vale remained silent, just giving him a look that said, "Think about it."
"No, absolutely not, never, impossible, no room for discussion!"
The Old Wizard crossed his arms, raised his head proudly, and declared with finality.
Unfortunately, his aging body, gradually losing its divine power, didn't cooperate. A series of gurgles rumbled from his stomach.
The Old Wizard: "..."
And so, one day later.
The HISHE Coffee Shop on the corner had a new addition: an old man chef in an apron and a chef's hat, who spent his days scowling at everyone with his beard twitching.
"Let me tell you, this place, Gotham, is a land teeming with extraordinary people. The things you'll see and experience in our shop in a single day are more than you'd get in a month anywhere else. If you want to integrate into the modern era, this is the place to be."
Orin Vale said with a cheerful smile to the new employee he'd hired for zero salary, with room and board included.
"By the way, you may not have seen the equipment in the kitchen before, but it's all very easy to use. Here, let me show you..."
"Unnecessary."
The old man proudly raised his head.
"Mere constructs of mortals. For a wise wizard, mastering them is as easy as flipping my hand. I will have them all obeying my commands before nightfall!"
"Uh... okay then, good luck."
However, just two minutes after Orin Vale left the kitchen, he heard a loud "BANG!" from behind him.
It was followed by the smell of acrid smoke mixed with something burning.
Orin Vale: "..."
(end of chapter)
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