Mordo's Gift

Back in the Marvel Universe, Li Feng immediately looked at the electronic clock beside the bed. He quietly spat out the USB drive wrapped in Mana and muttered soundlessly in confusion, That makes no sense. We only stayed in the Demon Slayer world for half a month, and I used the same amount of energy to open a Transdimensional Portal and return from the garbage alley where I arrived in the Demon Slayer world. So why did a whole month pass in the Marvel Universe? Time doubled?

Beside him, Mordo rubbed his stomach, which still felt uncomfortable from being squeezed through the Transdimensional Portal. He glanced at Li Feng, who was staring blankly at the clock, and after thinking for a moment, understood what Li Feng was pondering. With a hint of envy in his voice, he said, "Isn't it normal for time to flow differently in two worlds? Have you forgotten what changed after you drank the Holy Water? Your total Mana hasn't changed, but its purity has doubled. And since you still can't perfectly control your Mana output, it would be strange if time flowed at the same rate in both worlds."

I forgot about that.

Li Feng lowered his head to inspect the gift box Aiono had given him and said awkwardly, "What gift did Aiono give you? Take it out and let me see."

"Holy Water." Mordo pulled a canteen from his pocket as he spoke. "Do you want some? I'm much stronger than you, so this stuff doesn't help me much. If I'm fighting Demons, I trust the Magic Artifacts in my hands more. After all, no one knows whether the Holy Water that works so well against Demons in Leono's world can deal with the Demons in ours. I don't want to test its effects with my life in the middle of a battle."

Li Feng scratched his head, thinking that he might someday be able to use Holy Water against the old Demon sealed inside the scroll. Pulling a hip flask from his clothes, he said, "Give me some, just in case I run into a powerful Demon one day."

Mordo accepted the flask and poured Holy Water from his canteen into it. Looking at the wooden box in Li Feng's hand, he said curiously, "I only killed a few Demons with the Gargoyle, yet they gave me precious Holy Water. The Key of Solomon you contributed was far more helpful to the Gargoyle. Let's see what valuable gift Leono prepared to thank you."

At that moment, Ancient One sensed Li Feng's return home through a Transdimensional Portal. Just as Li Feng was about to open the wooden box and see what gift was inside, Ancient One suddenly knocked on the door. "Li Feng, Mordo, welcome home."

Mordo hurriedly opened the door and pressed his palms together in greeting. "Master Ancient One."

Ancient One glanced at Mordo before turning to Li Feng. Raising an eyebrow, she said, "It seems you gained quite a bit in the Otherworld. Your Mana has improved beyond my expectations."

Li Feng scratched his head sheepishly. "I relied on external things to improve my strength, so... By the way, we were about to look at a gift an Otherworld queen gave me. Would you like to join us?"

"Though I don't know what external aid you used to improve your strength, I can see that you've assimilated it well. At least there are no side effects." Ancient One glanced at the wooden box in Li Feng's hand, then waved her hand and created a Mirror Dimension. "Different worlds have different rules. For safety's sake, we should inspect your gift in the Mirror Dimension."

Inside the Mirror Dimension, Li Feng carefully opened the wooden box and frowned at the pure white feather inside.

What's going on? Did Leono know I'm Chinese, so she pulled that 'the gift may be light, but the sentiment is weighty' thing and gave me a feather?

Just as Li Feng was about to take out the feather and see what creature it had come from, Ancient One hurriedly stopped him. "I can sense tremendous energy within that feather, and its energy has been dissipating ever since you opened the box. Close it. I think this wooden box can prevent the feather's energy from dispersing."

As she pondered, Ancient One asked, "Tell me about the world you went to. An ordinary creature's feather would not possess such holy and immense energy."

Mordo glanced at Li Feng and told Ancient One everything they had seen in the Demon Slayer world. But Li Feng could hear some confusion in Mordo's words. After thinking about it, he realized that Mordo wanted to seek Ancient One's guidance on certain questions—such as what was justice, what was evil, and what actions disrupted nature's balance.

He probably feels embarrassed to voice those doubts in front of me.

With that thought, Li Feng interrupted Mordo's account. Pressing his palms together toward Ancient One, he said, "Master, I'm a little hungry. I'll go find something to eat in the cafeteria first."

Mordo understood what Li Feng meant and smiled. "Before we went to the Otherworld, I prepared a gift for you. Don't rush off after this—stay at Kamar-Taj for a while. I still need to show you your gift."

Li Feng instinctively looked at Ancient One. She had already helped Mordo pay the price for taking him across worlds, and now Mordo was offering him another gift. Li Feng felt somewhat embarrassed.

"The gift has nothing to do with the journey," Mordo said, slightly embarrassed. "Back then, you agreed to let Master Ancient One try teaching me Time Spell, so..."

So this is his thank-you gift for learning Time Spell? Li Feng shrugged. "You should wait until you've learned Time Spell before thanking me."

With that, Li Feng stepped through a Portal back into reality and left the room. On his way to the dining hall, he repeatedly examined the wooden box. Holy energy... This must be a feather Leono pulled from her own wing, right? Does this count as a Pseudo-Angel Feather? I was originally planning to use Holy Water to force that old Demon to reveal his spells. Now I can just use the feather instead.

The next morning.

Mordo arrived at Li Feng's door carrying several books and pounded heavily on it. Inside, Li Feng was wrapped in his blanket and sleeping soundly. Rising helplessly, he shouted, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Can't you knock more gently? What if you break the door? I can't afford to pay for it anyway."

Opening the door, Li Feng yawned at Mordo. "What are you looking for me so early for?"

Mordo handed the books to Li Feng. "These are my notes from when I practiced Astral Body spells. I hope they'll be useful to you."

After speaking, Mordo looked around. Seeing no one nearby, he took another book from his pocket and handed it to Li Feng, whispering, "This is the dark spell that Ancient One modified for you."

Li Feng grinned foolishly, quickly took the book, and tucked it into his clothes. Turning back into his room to get dressed, he said, "Thanks. Oh, right—after breakfast, I'll be setting off on my travels again."

Leaning against the doorframe, Mordo watched Li Feng pack his things. "Do you have a destination in mind?"

Li Feng spread his hands. "You know I don't have many friends or family, and I keep traveling to other worlds from time to time. So I'll just go wherever the road takes me. Maybe I'll find somewhere with beautiful scenery and do some research..."

At that, Li Feng patted his chest and gave Mordo a knowing look.

Mordo understood that Li Feng planned to find a secluded place to study dark spells.

Although researching dark spells was dangerous, researching them within Kamar-Taj was even more dangerous. After all, it was surrounded by Mages sensitive to energy.

Mordo nodded in understanding. "I'll take you to New York, and I can give you your gift while we're there. Don't rush to refuse. Trust me—you'll like it."

Li Feng tilted his head toward Mordo and pointed at the books about Astral Body spells. "What kind of gift is so mysterious? Is it more precious than these books?"

"It isn't exactly precious," Mordo said with a shrug. "You'll find out when we get there."

All right, I'll find out when we get there. Li Feng shrugged. "I'm looking forward to it."

After breakfast, Mordo took Li Feng through the Sanctum Portal to New York. The moment they stepped out of the Portal, Daniel, who guarded the Sanctum, approached them. "Mordo, long time no see. And you too, Li Feng. Was the Otherworld fun?"

Li Feng froze. Why do I feel like all the Mages at Kamar-Taj know I can travel between worlds now?

Before Li Feng could say anything, Mordo rubbed his brow and explained, "Don't worry. Only Ancient One, Daniel, and I know that you can travel between worlds."

Then Mordo gave Daniel a bitter smile. "You'll know if you try it. It shattered my worldview so completely that I couldn't put it back together even if I tried."

I'm not that interested in traveling between worlds. During my time guarding the Sanctum, I've already seen plenty of magical creatures from outer space.

Daniel had no idea what Mordo had experienced. He was very curious about what could have happened to overturn Mordo's worldview, but seeing Li Feng's bulging luggage, he guessed, "Are you leaving Kamar-Taj?"

Before Li Feng could explain, Mordo cut in, "There's a saying in the Celestial Empire: reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Li Feng intends to travel while cultivating his magic."

Daniel stepped aside to clear the way and smiled thoughtfully. "Now I understand why you bought an RV. Is it for Li Feng?"

"An RV?" Li Feng turned to Mordo. "The gift you mentioned is an RV?"

Mordo rolled his eyes at Daniel. "I originally wanted to give Li Feng a surprise. Now that you've told him in advance, there's no surprise left."

Daniel spread his hands. "All right, my fault." Then he winked at Li Feng. "I hope you like the RV."

After speaking, Daniel bowed and left.

Leaving the Sanctum, Mordo led Li Feng to a parking lot not far away. He took out a car key from his pocket, pointed at a brand-new compact luxury RV, and said, "I heard before that you wanted an RV of your own. Even though Daniel ruined the surprise, I still hope you like this gift."

Li Feng smiled as he accepted the key. After walking around the RV once, he opened the door and stepped inside.

The interior of a compact RV was not especially spacious, but it was more than enough for single Li Feng. Besides, he believed that sooner or later, he would find a Space Spell. Once he magically modified the RV then, hehe: don't be fooled by how small my RV looks or how few people it can seat—there could be whales living inside.

Seeing that the RV came fully equipped with a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, Li Feng inspected them one by one before sitting in the driver's seat. He said to Mordo outside the window, "I love the gift. Thanks, buddy."

Seeing that Li Feng had already started the RV, Mordo waved goodbye and stepped aside to clear the way. "Kamar-Taj will always welcome you back."

From the driver's seat, Li Feng stuck his left hand out the window and waved at Mordo to show that he had heard him. Then he stepped on the gas and drove the RV toward downtown.

Before leaving New York, Li Feng still had one important matter to take care of.