While Constantine was conversing with Old Dad and others, Anton, who had not yet left Chinatown, made a call to the High Table.
The High Table acted swiftly, and as a giant in the underworld, they had numerous informants in the City of Angels, Los Angeles.
Minutes later, they relayed information back to Anton.
That morning, at the headquarters of the Black Hand Gang, the gang leader Walong personally welcomed an elderly man with graying hair.
The situation was now clear.
Mephisto had definitely established contact with the Saint.
Upon receiving the message, Anton frowned slightly, confirming that Mephisto planned to collaborate with the Saint, and possibly, these two major demons had already begun to act.
However, Anton was not panicked.
Mephisto' intention to open the gates of Hell and bring his true form to Earth was fraught with difficulties.
The Ghost Rider was just the first line of defense.
On Earth, there was also the Sorcerer Supreme, serving as the second and final line of defense, which was unbreakable.
As for the Saint...
Even if the Saint gathered all twelve spells, Anton could mobilize the entire Justice League under Batman name to obliterate the Saint with thunderous force.
Against the Saint, the abilities of Batman and others might be diminished, but with Wonder Woman present, the worst-case scenario would be avoided.
After all, today Earth, this era humanity, was no longer like the ancient civilizations of old, which were technologically backward and had few superhumans they now had the capability to combat demons.
In this world dominated by Marvel, though the eight great demons led by the Saint were fearsome, they weren't the most terrifying beings, capable only of causing localized panic, not the destruction of the entire human civilization.
Thus, even though he confirmed the information from the High Table, Anton was not in a rush to have Constantine seek allies.
While pondering, an interesting idea occurred to him.
Since Constantine was not fully a member of the Justice League, why not use the original setup in this world?
Let Constantine gather the Ghost Rider, Old Dad, Jackie Chan, Jade, Tru, and others to form a magical squad to handle magical crises.
Essentially, a Marvel universe version of the Justice League Dark.
The traditional Justice League, led by Batman, would handle ordinary events not involving magic, or only lightly involving magic, such as the Battle of New York, the events of Thor 1, etc.
The Dark Justice League, with Constantine as the leader or figurehead, would naturally deal with major magical events, such as the current Ghost Rider incident and the Saint incident, among others.
Both sides would operate independently without conflict and could come together during extreme dangers to face crises, like the inevitable attack by Thanos.
After all, both were forms of the Justice League, both incarnations of Anton, just with different operational scopes.
Ultimately, Batman also had no special abilities.
Regarding magical incidents, beyond just slogans, Batman seems to have little room to play a significant role it might be better to leave the opportunity to other heroes.
At this point, Batman is already popular enough it time to give other heroes a chance to show their capabilities.
Moreover, with Constantine as a link, the Dark Justice League is essentially a branch of the Justice League, right?
As the Justice League magical advisor, playing both sides suits Constantine character.
Old Dad Antique Shop.
Suddenly, Constantine, feigning a reason to step out of the antique shop, pulled out an object, fiddled with it briefly, then returned and said to Old Dad and the others:
"This is not good."
Seeing the puzzled faces in front of him, he continued, "I've received news that the leader of the Black Hand Gang, Walong, was seen this morning welcoming an elderly man with graying hair into their headquarters."
"An elderly man with graying hair?"
Old Dad felt subtly insulted and confused, growing frustrated: "What so strange about that?"
"That old man is Mephisto."
Constantine explained, "If I'm not mistaken, Mephisto has already established a cooperative relationship with the Saint. Just as I suspected, they're planning to work together to achieve their goals."
"What are they likely to do then?"
Jade, curious and not at all fearful but rather excited as if anticipating herself as a Batman-like figure in times of crisis, saving the world, asked, "If their ultimate goal is to take over the Earth, what would they do?"
"First, definitely the spells."
Constantine said, "The twelve spells are the source of the Saint power he wouldn't give up on seizing them. Second, it concerns the Ghost Rider. The main reason Mephisto wants to control the Ghost Rider is because of a contract."
"The Sanctus Gonza contract!"
Old Dad seemed to remember something and blurted it out.
"Correct."
Constantine explained, "The Sanctus Gonza contract has been missing for a long time, supposedly taken by the previous Ghost Rider. Now, only the current Ghost Rider can locate the former rider and retrieve the Sanctus Gonza contract from him."
"What is the function of this contract?"
Jackie Chan asked.
"Sanctus Gonza is a place whose people were once followers of God, each able to hear the voices from Heaven. But later, due to the schemes and temptations of demons, everyone sold their souls to the devil, and that contract contains the marks of all their souls."
Old Dad spoke gravely, "Whoever possesses the contract and recites the oath can control those souls, now turned into vengeful spirits... It a terrifying power that, according to legend, can even open the gates of Hell."
"So, Mephisto wants to open the gates of Hell, and the Saint wants his powers back. Those are the terms of their cooperation."
Jackie Chan suddenly realized.
"Exactly."
Constantine nodded, "Beyond that, there nothing much they would communicate about."
He paused, "However, if Mephisto wants to open the gates of Hell, he must first assist the Saint in recovering the twelve spells.
Our immediate concern should be to prevent the Saint from regaining his powers. The key to all this lies in the spells. Have you gathered all the spells?"
Constantine isn't entirely sure where the story of Jackie Chan Adventures has progressed to.
The spell chapter marks the beginning of the story.
And now, with Tru apparently having become Old Dad apprentice, it suggests that the spell chapter is nearing its conclusion...
Exactly how this conclusion unfolds is something Constantine needs to verify.
"Trouble!"
Jackie Chan expression darkens: "We just gathered all twelve spells, and now the spells are inside District 13."