Signing a contract was, of course, something Ethan made up on the spot.
If Thea were to sign a contract with Ethan, she could indeed gain powerful magic like the mages in the Marvel universe who sign contracts with powerful beings from other dimensions.
In that case, Thea would essentially become Ethan's 'subordinate'. However, compared to directly offering faith and 'borrowing' power from a deity, this method of signing a contract imposes stricter constraints on both parties. After the contract is signed, the contractor absolutely cannot violate any clause.
On the other hand, as long as the contract terms are not violated, the contractor can even use these powers against the deity who granted them, and there would be no consequence. The deity also cannot revoke the power.
The most typical example is the Ancient One and Dormammu.
This situation is fundamentally different from that of a faith-based deity and their followers. For instance, Kaecilius, who betrayed the Ancient One, had essentially offered his faith. That's why Dormammu could easily deal with him.
Without a professional like Ethan to explain all this, Oliver's limited knowledge of the mystic arts and Thea's complete lack of understanding meant they wouldn't grasp any of it.
Ethan could have easily tricked Thea into signing a completely unequal contract, turning her into his slave, and it wouldn't have been difficult.
"You should be glad I'm not that kind of person."
Ethan leaned against a table, playing with a very sharp arrowhead in his hand, explaining various concepts to the two complete newbies standing before him.
"I'm telling you this to remind you, when dealing with people who wield mystic power, don't casually make promises or sign anything. It could very well be a massive trap."
"Thank you for the reminder."
Oliver was gradually starting to believe that Ethan truly had no bad intentions. Ethan had too many ways to deal with them, and the fact that he hadn't made a move was proof enough that he didn't want to be their enemy. Simply put, it wasn't worth his time or energy.
Thea also expressed her gratitude, then asked the question she had been holding back: "So how can I learn magic?"
"Diligent study and hard practice… and of course, a certain level of talent."
Magical knowledge relies heavily on talent. For those lacking it, it's difficult to even get started. However, with Ethan's own experience and the few students he had taught over the years, he had accumulated quite a bit of teaching experience. As long as the talent wasn't completely terrible, he could still teach.
Moreover, the two in front of him weren't lacking in talent. Oliver had some exposure to magic, and while he wasn't top-tier, he was better than most.
Thea's case was similar. She wasn't exceptional, but among ordinary people, she was above average.
In most magical worlds, the aptitude of these two would be enough to become apprentices and step into the magical world. Of course, this was also because most mages needed 'cheap labor' and didn't really care whether the apprentices learned anything.
"So... I can learn magic?"
"Yes."
Thea was thrilled. She actually had the chance to learn this legendary knowledge. Excited, she couldn't wait to start immediately.
"What should I learn first?"
In her mind, the first step to learning magic involved reading thick books filled with unfamiliar characters, memorizing complicated and tongue-twisting incantations, and then Ethan would have her recite them one by one.
Although just thinking about it made her anxious, Thea believed she could handle such tasks.
However, reality was completely different from what she imagined. Ethan didn't give her any thick books. Instead, he told her to start by training her body.
"Aren't I supposed to be learning magic?"
"Your body is too weak. If you don't train properly, a fragile body like yours won't be able to sustain your continued training."
Ethan then explained the relationship between body and spirit, saying that if the body isn't strong enough, the spiritual power will also be weak. Training in and learning magic not only consumes spiritual energy but also places heavy demands on physical strength.
"Have you ever heard of a mage dying suddenly while researching magic because their body was too weak? Whether in novels or movies?"
"..."
Thea realized she couldn't think of such an example. So things began developing in a direction that left her speechless:
She had originally wanted to learn some self-defense skills, but was rejected by Oliver and Ethan for being too weak.
Then Ethan said she had a bit of talent and could try learning magic. Learning magic sounded like a good or even better choice, so Thea agreed.
Next, in order to learn magic, Thea had to train her body...
It all went in circles. She felt dizzy and wondered if she was being tricked. But when she thought about it, she didn't have anything worth targeting.
Unable to figure it out, Thea simply began doing basic physical training.
The initial training wasn't too intense and didn't require a special location. She ran long distances at home to build stamina and, under Oliver's guidance, gradually started increasing her strength.
During this time, Oliver also began operating as the Green Arrow. His first target was taken down at a party thrown for him by his friend Tommy Merlyn.
At the same time, Thea was still struggling with dumbbells.
"I think my stamina has improved a lot. Should I keep going?"
Ethan nodded while placing another magic stone into his mouth.
"I've always been curious. What is that thing you keep eating? It looks like candy."
"Yeah, I'm curious too."
Thea was still lifting dumbbells when a sudden unfamiliar male voice startled her, nearly causing her to drop the weights in her hands. The only reason she didn't actually drop them was because they were too heavy. If she let go, they would've landed directly on her foot.
Even though the dumbbell wasn't very heavy, it could still cause injury if it landed on her foot. However, it didn't hit her. Instead, it stopped midair and slowly floated back up in front of her.
"Thank you."
Even though she had seen it several times and already knew that what Ethan showed her wasn't some advanced tech but actual magic, she was still amazed every time she witnessed it. And each time, after the astonishment faded, she became even more motivated to train, hoping she could also wield such power someday.
"Is it another 'insider' this time?"
"Yeah."
Oliver was adjusting his gear. He was no longer surprised by the appearance of these so-called 'insiders'. His secret base was practically a public park. Anyone could come and take a look.
This was slightly different from when Ada had shown up. The man who appeared this time also jumped down through the entrance, but instead of landing hard, he floated down lightly like a feather.
"Magic?"
"Oh, good eye."
A middle-aged man with a beard and tinted glasses slowly walked over. Oliver recognized him as 'Tony Stark', another one of Ethan's companions.
"How many people have you told about this place?"
"You're overthinking it. They don't need me to tell them to find this place. Setting your secret base in your family's abandoned factory basement isn't exactly a smart move."
Anyone who bothered to investigate could find it easily. That was the real reason Green Arrow's secret base had been attacked so many times. It was too easy to find.
Listening to Ethan's evaluation, Oliver began to consider whether he should find a more concealed location. After all, the Green Arrow had appeared the moment he returned to Star City. Anyone who paid attention would be able to find clues.
He had already thought about adopting a disguise, but that could only fool ordinary people. Anyone serious about investigating would still find plenty of leads.
More importantly, many of the people he was up against didn't need any leads. Even if they got it wrong, they would still hurt innocent civilians, and they didn't care about that at all.
"Hey, you still haven't answered my question from earlier."
"What?" Ethan saw Thea also looking at him and realized what they were curious about. "You mean this?"
Thea didn't recognize it. To her, it looked like a gemstone. Tony, on the other hand, immediately identified it as a magic stone.
"Is this the thing you've been popping into your mouth all the time?"
"Why?"
He casually tossed another one into his mouth. Tony watched as Ethan crunched the magic stone and swallowed it, his lips twitching. The sound really did resemble someone eating candy.
"This thing contains energy. You know, I'm still 'growing'."
"So until your body fully recovers, you're just going to keep eating these like snacks?"
"Pretty much."
"What's a magic stone?"
"A type of ore that looks like a gem, but is rich in energy."
"So the thing you're snacking on is basically a rock?"
Oliver stood by in silence. All he felt now was a headache. When Ada showed up, it was just one extra person. But somehow, the moment Tony Stark appeared, the place instantly felt like a wholesale market.
"Tony, what brings you here?"
"Oh right, I almost forgot until you mentioned it." Tony suddenly remembered something. He took off his sunglasses and looked Oliver up and down. "I've finished my business elsewhere, and since I had nothing to do, I came to meet Mr. Oliver Queen. You know I came specifically for him this time."
"For me?" This line was easy to misinterpret. Oliver wondered if he had some past conflict with this man.
"Don't misunderstand." Tony casually explained, "I'm just curious about superheroes without any special powers."
(To be continued.)