After considering Doctor Strange's opinion on the dark matter, Lin Feng shook his head again, "It's still not possible."
"Ordinary souls cannot linger here for too long."
"As a sorcerer, you should know this isn't like the novels or TV shows depicting ghosts."
"Souls lingering here for extended periods will only lead to their erosion and eventual disappearance."
However, Lin Feng did possess a few items capable of housing souls, acquired through some "zero-cost purchases" from the Time Variance Authority.
But as he had said, he wasn't close with the dark Doctor Strange. Bringing him to the Sanctum and allowing him to meet Christine's soul was already more than enough.
Doctor Strange fell silent again.
"I might have a solution for that…"
"When I was in the Sanctum, I came across a particular book."
"It contained information about souls that proved immensely beneficial."
"I've also attempted to find the realm of death, to seek another path to Christine, but I've never located such a place…"
"Now that you've brought Christine's soul here, as long as you don't send her back, I can employ other methods to minimize her erosion."
"In fact, I might even be able to find ways to keep her soul existing in reality indefinitely."
Hearing this, Lin Feng furrowed his brow.
A book about souls, and the ability to reduce soul erosion in reality?
He mentally reviewed the books he had seen in the Sanctum, but none mentioned anything of the sort. Had he missed something?
"Which book was it? Why didn't I see it?" Lin Feng asked directly.
"Uh…" Doctor Strange scratched his head, looking somewhat flustered and hesitant.
"You didn't see it because I took it from the Sanctum!"
Lin Feng leaned back strategically, almost exclaiming "You're so extravagant!"
What a surprise, a fellow enthusiast!
This revelation instantly erased the faint sense of guilt he had felt for taking the Tome of Illumination from the Sanctum.
However, the Sanctum had its wards. Taking a book from there was no easy feat.
"What book is it? Can I see it?" Lin Feng asked, curious.
"Certainly, please wait a moment." Doctor Strange briskly went inside and returned with… a chest?
Remarkably, it was a chest secured with chains.
Furthermore, various magical sigils were etched onto its surface.
"This book is quite peculiar, hence the need for special precautions," Doctor Strange explained.
He placed the chest on the table and carefully unfastened the chains.
Then, with a series of hand gestures, he cast an unknown spell.
The magical sigils on the chest began to glow one by one, like a puzzle. As the last sigil illuminated, a click echoed, and the chest was opened.
The protective measures were impressive. It was clear that the book Doctor Strange had brought out was no ordinary tome.
Doctor Strange carefully opened the chest.
Instantly, a potent, ominous aura washed over them, carrying a sense of ill omen.
Lin Feng's gaze sharpened.
Ah, a dark magic book.
And the dense darkness emanating from it was more terrifying than all the dark magic books he had seen in the Sanctum combined.
Driven by curiosity, Lin Feng peered inside the chest.
A magic book, exuding a constant swirling black mist, lay quietly within.
Within the mist, streaks of green lightning occasionally flashed, causing one's scalp to tingle.
Darkness, misfortune, despair, helplessness – negative emotions enveloped the book. Lin Feng marveled at the spectacle.
The only book he had seen in the Sanctum with such "special effects" was the Tome of Illumination.
Wait… the Tome of Illumination? Lin Feng suddenly felt a strange sensation, but before he could ponder it further, Doctor Strange urged him on.
"Take a look quickly while you can. After sunset, this book will gain a life of its own," Doctor Strange said, glancing at the rapidly disappearing sun outside, his expression grave.
"It contains some forbidden magic concerning souls, and this is only a fraction of it."
"There are many spells I still haven't deciphered."
"If you like it, you can have this book. Just promise you won't send Christine's soul back, how about it?"
Doctor Strange pushed the chest towards Lin Feng, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Lin Feng gave him a knowing look.
So, he was waiting for me here.
Without answering Doctor Strange's question, Lin Feng picked up the book.
The moment he touched it, the magic book seemed to come alive, giving Lin Feng the illusory sensation of his palm being contorted.
Lin Feng couldn't decipher some of the symbols on the book, but he understood the meaning of two of them.
[FORBIDDEN]
Uh…
Looking at these two words, Lin Feng recalled the Tome of Illumination lying in his spatial storage.
What was going on? This jarring sense of familiarity was quite strange.
Lin Feng's previously absurd feeling grew stronger. Could these two books be related? Judging by their appearance and the symbols, they seemed to belong to the same origin…
He pursed his lips, setting aside further speculation for now, and slowly opened the cover to read the first page.
However, after mere seconds, Lin Feng slammed the book shut with a snap, his expression exceedingly peculiar.
The book's layout and the way its content was presented were almost identical to the Tome of Illumination, and the content was equally vast.
But at the same time, Lin Feng was certain that the Tome of Illumination and this Forbidden Magic Book definitely possessed their own sentience!
This was because within seconds of reading, a woman's roar echoed in his mind.
[Why do you carry the aura of that b*tch, Lumina!!!]
It was this very question that made Lin Feng snap the book shut, unable to continue reading.
Interesting, very interesting! Lin Feng's eyes gleamed with gossip.
There was definitely an extraordinary connection between these two books!
Lin Feng's intuition told him this was absolutely, positively huge gossip, and the most melodramatic kind at that!!
Earlier, in the Sanctum, he had wondered if, given the existence of the powerful Tome of Illumination, there might be a corresponding dark magic book.
At the time, Lin Feng had chuckled, thinking it was not a movie or a novel, so how could such a dramatic situation occur?
As it turned out, reality was proving to be quite dramatic after all.
"Well? The book is yours, and Christine's soul stays with me," Doctor Strange asked again, rubbing his hands in anticipation.
Lin Feng weighed the magic book in his hand, recalling the voice in his mind, and chuckled softly, "Deal!"