Obtaining a Magic Gem

David jumped off Iron Eagle the moment they returned to the rooftop of the Empire State Building, gasping for air as he tried to convince himself that the wolves, Horvath, and everything else he had just experienced had all been hallucinations.

Li Feng did not step down from Iron Eagle until Balthazar Blake woke him from his thoughts. He had been reliving the familiar sensation from the subway station, when Balthazar had cast a spell to slow the flow of time around Horvath.

Standing nearby, Li Feng ignored Balthazar getting off Iron Eagle and David explaining how dangerous the Matryoshka Doll was. He merely kept muttering, "Time... where did the Time Energy in my body come from?"

When the storage box containing the Merlin Dragon Ring appeared before David with a bang, Li Feng finally figured out where the Time Energy in his body had come from.

In the Marvel Universe, time was connected to the Quantum Realm. After Purple Chin snapped his fingers, Ant-Man, trapped in the Quantum Realm, had said that five years had not passed for him. The heroes had also used the Quantum Realm to travel back in time and collect the Infinity Stones.

Li Feng remembered that Ant-Man 2 had explained how Ava became S.H.I.E.L.D.'s "Ghost" agent because her father, Starr, had been conducting a secret Quantum Tunnel experiment somewhere in Argentina when an explosion occurred.

Li Feng covered his face and muttered to himself, "I can't be this unlucky, can I? The place I randomly chose to open a door just happened to be where Starr was running his experiment, and I even picked the exact time when the Quantum Tunnel exploded?"

Quantum was time, while the Portal itself gave him the ability to travel through different universes—it was a spatial ability. So was this crossing worlds the result of time and space combining?

Glancing at Balthazar, Li Feng rubbed his forehead and muttered, "Maybe I'm not that unlucky after all. At least I can travel to other worlds. I just don't know whether I can return to the Marvel Universe. Only by obtaining the Infinity Stones of the Marvel Universe will I have the best chance of returning to my original world and hearing my child call me Dad again."

"I just want to go home. Did it have to screw me over this badly?"

David, who refused to believe there were still Mages in this world and only wanted to live a normal life, readily agreed when Balthazar promised that as long as David helped him find the Matryoshka Doll, he would disappear from David's world forever.

Taking advantage of Balthazar using the Air Control Spell to track the Matryoshka Doll, Li Feng walked over to David and asked quietly, "Are you really going to waste your talent and refuse to become a Mage?"

Li Feng did not believe magic held no appeal for David. Magic sounded mysterious, thrilling, and interesting, things that held enormous attraction for young people.

David gave Li Feng a forced smile. "You don't understand how I felt when someone named a mental illness after me. Even transferring schools to escape it didn't help. Somewhere in New York right now, people are probably still discussing David Stettler-type Mental Illness. I just want to forget Arcana Cabana, forget magic, forget all of this, and live a normal life."

Knowing what was about to happen, Li Feng shrugged, patted David on the shoulder, and said mysteriously, "You'll regret it. I'll bet you ten cents."

David shot a disdainful look at barefoot Li Feng, who had appeared without underwear, and muttered, "I don't think you even have one cent."

Meanwhile, Balthazar confirmed that the Horcrux—the Matryoshka Doll—was located downtown. "I can track the Matryoshka Doll, and so can Horvath. We need to get it before he does."

With that, Balthazar prepared to leave the building.

Li Feng knew that the Matryoshka Doll was in Chinatown. Having spent two years in the Marvel Universe's New York Chinatown, he was quite familiar with the place. He did not know whether Chinatown in this world differed from the other one, but that did not matter. What mattered was that he was standing high enough to vaguely see the buildings in Chinatown. That was enough.

Li Feng raised a hand to stop Balthazar. As he cast a Portal, he stared at the distant buildings and said, "Maybe I can help."

The moment he spoke, a Portal opened before the three of them.

Standing before the Portal, Li Feng stood straight from the waist down, leaned slightly forward from the waist up, placed his left hand on Little Belly, and extended his right hand toward the Portal. "What means of transportation can compare to teleportation?"

Balthazar was only mildly surprised. Just because he had never seen a Portal did not mean he lacked experience.

David, on the other hand, was far more entertaining. He pointed blankly at the Portal, staring at the rooftop of another building visible through it.

Balthazar gave the Sling Ring without a Magic Gem and Li Feng a meaningful look, but said nothing as he walked straight through the Portal.

Looking as though he could not believe his own eyes, David shrugged and walked toward the Portal, muttering, "I must be crazy to believe magic really exists in this world."

As soon as the three passed through the Portal, Balthazar heard David's muttering and felt displeased. He was ready to teach David a lesson and spark his interest in learning magic. The Merlin's Heir I had such difficulty finding actually doubts whether magic exists in this world. Once he learns a few simple spells, let's see whether he still doubts it. When he enters the Magic World, let's see whether he chooses to be an ordinary person or a Mage.

As Balthazar entered the elevator, he taught David the rules Mages followed: the first step was putting on a ring, how to cast Fire Conjuration, and so on. Listening to him, David became deeply suspicious that magic was merely science that had yet to be understood.

While explaining magic, Balthazar also watched Li Feng's expression. He was curious. Li Feng clearly lacked the tools necessary for casting spells. All he had was a strange ring with a little Mana in it, so how could he cast spells normally?

Could he be like Merlin, able to cast spells without a Magic Gem?

As for Li Feng, he had no interest in listening to such boring basics. It was not as if he did not know molecules would burn after vibrating. The problem was that he was different from Balthazar and the others.

In this world, ordinary people only used ten percent of their brains, while Mages like Balthazar used all of theirs.

As for Li Feng, he did not think his brain usage had reached one hundred percent. If his brain truly ran at full capacity, would he still be such a poor student? He would have crushed every top student back in his original world long ago.

Still, Li Feng glanced at the ring in David's hand and thought, As long as I get a Magic Gem and learn Merlin's Ring, it won't matter if my brain isn't operating at full capacity. As long as I have Mana, that'll be enough. Then I should be able to make a Fireball or even a Plasma Blast, right?

Before long, the three left the building. Chinatown was bustling with activity. Dragon dances filled the streets, and red lanterns hung everywhere.

Every holiday made one miss home even more, and Li Feng was no exception. He could not help thinking of his wife and child. Looking at the joyful expressions on the pedestrians' faces, he muttered gloomily, "It's New Year's... I wonder if you're doing well. I miss you..."

The lively noise drowned out Li Feng's whisper. David tugged at him and asked, "Austin, what's wrong?"

Li Feng rubbed his face, wiping away the tear at the corner of his eye, and smiled. "Nothing. Where's Balthazar?"

David pointed at a wellness clinic beside them with the words "Acupuncture" written on it. "Balthazar went upstairs to find the Matryoshka Doll. He told us to keep watch for Horvath."

Li Feng craned his neck to look at the stairs leading to the second floor and silently thought, Horvath shouldn't have had time to disguise himself as an old woman and ambush Balthazar yet, right?

Before he could finish the thought, Li Feng covered his face as a man with a braid, bare upper body, and a belt decorated with a five-clawed golden dragon fell right in front of him.

Li Feng knew this man. His name was Sun Long, one of the Mages Balthazar had sealed inside the Matryoshka Doll. In the movie, Horvath had been the one to release him from it.

There was no need to say more. Since Sun Long had appeared before him, Horvath, who was in love with Balthazar, had certainly already been lying in wait inside the acupuncture clinic.

Before Sun Long could get up, Li Feng lifted his foot and viciously kicked him in the head, then tore the Magic Gem from Sun Long's right hand.

He had long coveted a Magic Gem. Now that he could snatch one, why would he be polite? With this Magic Gem, learning spells later would become much easier.

Besides, Li Feng refused to believe Sun Long without his Magic Gem was any different from an ordinary person. Since Li Feng had trained in combat, as long as Sun Long could not cast spells, Li Feng was not afraid of him. Moreover, Li Feng had seized the initiative from the very start, kicking and stomping Sun Long's head repeatedly. If he still let his opponent turn things around, where would he put his face?

To stop the people nearby from meddling in his business, Li Feng shouted while kicking him, "You fucking gamble all day! You gambled away even your clothes, and you're still gambling here! You don't care about your wife or kids at home either! What the hell did my sister ever see in you? Let's see if I don't teach you a proper lesson today and show you what happens when you bully my sister!"

Sure enough, the Chinese people around them did not know whether they should step in. After all, it was hard to say much when an older brother-in-law was beating up his younger brother-in-law over gambling.

From the second-floor window of the acupuncture clinic, Balthazar stared blankly at the unconscious Sun Long and swallowed the warning he had been about to give David and Li Feng to run. Sun Long was practically getting beaten into a concussion by Li Feng. What was the point of warning them? It would be more appropriate to remind Li Feng not to beat someone to death in public.

Balthazar turned back inside, having already detected Horvath's hiding place. He quickly subdued Horvath, retrieved the Matryoshka Doll, then jumped out the window and waved at David and Li Feng. "Let's go."

Li Feng spat at the unconscious, bruised, and swollen Sun Long in disdain. As he turned and dragged the dumbfounded David away, he said, "Trash. If you gamble again, I'll have my sister divorce you."

The people around them looked at Sun Long, whose chest was still rising and falling, then at Li Feng walking away so confidently, and silently thought, He gambled away even his clothes, yet you still haven't made your sister divorce him? You've got a big heart.

David now felt that every impression he had ever had of Mages had been kicked straight into the trash by Li Feng's fists and feet. He stared at Li Feng with wide, disbelieving eyes and silently complained, My David Stettler-type Mental Illness must have gotten worse. Not only am I having hallucinations, they've fucking upgraded. This guy is definitely not the elegant Mage from my imagination. Or maybe his main job is being a barbarian, and he only moonlights as a Mage? Yeah, moonlights. Just like before, when they needed a Portal to travel, Austin only then moonlighted as a Mage.

Li Feng glanced at the second floor of the acupuncture clinic, then turned to look at Balthazar and silently thought, This is the second time you've let Horvath go, isn't it? By the heavens and the earth, I swear you two are having an affair. Forgive my curiosity, but I really want to know what role Veronica plays between the two of you?