William Carter came to the United States from Liverpool, and he came to this country of opportunity and freedom for the sake of fame, money, and honor.

William was a magician, a British gentleman who performed wonderful feats, he was conceited and arrogant, but his first arrival in the United States was not easy. On this day he received two letters, the first from George W. T. Witherstone's Magic Prop Shop, it was an overdue bill "A pair of magic poker, a magic top hat, two rabbits, a total of $7.1" The owner threatened in a vicious tone: "If you don't pay, you will be pretty!" ”

And another letter from California, William's brother Jack, reads: "William, you have finally come to the United States!" Did your show make a splash in New York City? Unfortunately, I'm not in New York right now, the big city is not for me, I'm going to the west, I don't know if you can find time to meet me. Also, have you been in contact with your mother, my letter here can't be sent to England, and I can't believe she hasn't seen the twin sisters yet. Best wishes. Jack. ”

William tore up the two letters after reading them, and now he was living in poverty, and although he missed his brother very much, he could not go to see him like this.

Performing, only non-stop performances, he needs to gain unparalleled fame from his performances. He wanted to get the applause of the audience, their cheers, their fright, their screams, their expressions of admiration at the incredible magic, which William wanted to see, and he fantasized about enjoying the respect of the people, and came to America with the goal of getting ahead.

Therefore, he continued to accept invitations and performed in major circuses, but unfortunately he has not been famous.

It wasn't until this time that he was about to go to San Francisco for a performance that the "Abernetsey & Parker" circus threw an olive branch at him. William rode the steam train from New York to San Francisco, with circus posters in front of him, and he thought: if nothing else, this invitation to perform from the most famous circus in the United States will make him an instant hit.

However, the train did not fulfill his wish. Passing through the desert, the train overturned the tracks, and William was still leaning on his chair and napping, and he was thrown from one end of the carriage to the other, and the train had an accident.

The survivors screamed, cried and hugged each other, William smashed the windows and stumbled out, the front of the car caught fire, and the track broke at an incredible angle. His brain was dizzy, his eyes were blank, as if he was hallucinating, and his legs were uncontrollable, and he walked towards the depths of the desert in a daze. What's wrong? What happened? Until he lost consciousness completely and fainted.

When William Carter woke up again, he was very badly injured and was found by rescuers in a cave near the desert, and people took him back to San Francisco and took him to the hospital for treatment. Although his life was not in danger, he was burdened with huge medical debts.

The owner of the "Abernetsey and Parker" circus came to visit him, "Are you alright, Mr. William?" It's a shame that this happened, it's so unfortunate. Perform? I'm really sorry, you are in this state now, the performance has to be stopped, what we discussed before can't be counted, you take care of your injuries, maybe there will be a chance to cooperate again in the future. ”

The old fox politely rejected William's request to perform, and William almost fainted: "But—"

"Sir, you must take care of yourself!" The circus owner kept silent about the show and turned to leave.

William was dizzy, he noticed a book with a black cover at the head of the bed, and pointed weakly: "You left something behind." ”

The circus owner looked at him suspiciously, "That's yours, Mr. William." ”

"Mine?"

So William Carter was discharged from the hospital with this weird book from nowhere, a wound, and a butt of bills.

What kind of book is this?

William rented a dilapidated attic as a temporary hiding place, and spent the rest of his time reading the book except for constant letters to the circus companies hoping to put on a show.

"Ancient", "Starcall", "Shadow", "Nightmare"

The words in the book are ancient and incomprehensible, but they have some unimaginable magic, yes, magic, William realized it.

He experimented in the attic, spreading out the books and silently reading the paragraphs on them, day and night, without sleep, and he swore that several times he saw a dark shadow like a thick fog emerge from the book.

William recognized that the opportunity had come, and wasn't that true magic? In the face of magic, the magic skills he prides himself on are all deceptive tricks.

So William struggled to get a circus to allow him to give a show. The boss was dismissive of the third-rate magician, but William was excited, he knew what the show would bring him, and the black fog that appeared out of thin air in the book, like a shadow, was much more subtle than pulling a hare out of his hat.

On the day of the performance, William was in a suit and leather shoes, refreshed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, keep your eyes open, and behold, this is the highest magic, the most incredible magic!"

William spread the book on the table, stared at the countless audience present, and silently said in his heart: Help me, help me!

"Hoo ——!"

A puff of pitch-black smoke emerged from the cracks of the book, like a flame burning. It worked! Many viewers were distracted and missed the amazing scene, but many more saw it, and they let out a cohesive exclamation.

The show was a success! William waved his hand again, and the flames of the shadows rose again, and the scene boiled, and the people all got up, trying to see what strange operation it was, and they cheered, threw flowers at the stage, and applauded without hesitation.

The circus owner was in a state of wonder behind the scenes, he knew very well that there was nothing on the table but the book, and he checked the book carefully, and there was no problem, but the unknown magician showed a real and extraordinary skill, and he stepped onto the stage.

"Peaceful, quiet! Ladies and gentlemen, our performer has put on a spectacular show like no other, a magic extravaganza like no other, a newcomer from New York, but one that undoubtedly surpasses any of San Francisco's famous magicians! Please tell everybody, sir, what is your name! ”

William looked at the audience, and the people stared at him feverishly, and sure enough, the book brought him success. He cleared his throat, "I'm William, William—" but he suddenly stopped, slying into a sly smile. For a moment, not knowing what had happened to William, he changed his words in a charming and confident tone: "My name is Maxwell, magician, great, Maxwell. ”