What to Do If the Ancient One Catches You Sneaking into Her World

What to Do When Caught Sneaking Across the Border by The Ancient One

I was really foolish, truly. I knew full well that Marvel had a powerhouse like The Ancient One guarding it, yet I still dared to time-travel over.

Lu Qi sat in an antique hall, occupying a chair as he nervously sipped the infinitely refilling tea in his hand.

Before him sat the renowned Marvel Sorcerer Supreme, the bald The Ancient One.

The Ancient One sat there with her eyes closed, as if no one were before her.

Had the Eye of Agamotto on her chest not already opened, Lu Qi would have wanted to slip away.

Looking at the Time Stone exposed inside the Eye of Agamotto, Lu Qi had a sudden whim: if he snatched the stone right now, could he use the Time Stone to escape?

Yet looking at the table between himself and The Ancient One, Lu Qi abandoned this flamboyant method of dying.

Recalling why he had come to Marvel, Lu Qi could not help wanting to slap himself twice.

At the time, he was working overtime. During a break, he picked up his phone and opened an AFK game.

After all, as an office drone, he only had that tiny bit of fragmented time a day, and could not play tactical shooters or Honor of Kings.

Seeing the advertisement icon pop up on the game interface, Lu Qi skipped it directly.

What a joke, with just this little bit of free time a day, and I'm still supposed to watch an ad for you?

Looking at the AFK rewards he received, Lu Qi continuously planned how to allocate points to gain the maximum profit, and then brainlessly chose to max out the highest-tier Dark Realm.

Then, when Lu Qi added points to this Dark Realm $1\text{e}+6$ times all at once, he truly entered the Dark Realm.

Arriving in a pitch-black space, Lu Qi was still dazed when a AFK System popped up before his eyes, randomizing several worlds for him to choose from.

However, of the few worlds provided, Lu Qi only understood Marvel a little bit; he didn't understand the others much at all, like StarCraft, Overwatch, or the legendary Watch-the-Sea.

And so he logically chose Marvel, logically arrived in the Marvel Universe, logically flew toward Earth, and logically got invited by The Ancient One to drink tea.

If I had chosen any other universe, I wouldn't have ended up in this one, Lu Qi inwardly regretted.

Watching The Ancient One's obvious demeanor of observing space-time with the Eye of Agamotto, Lu Qi did not dare to make even the slightest rash move.

After all, who is strongest in the Marvel Universe? He who lacks hair is king.

The white egg before him was the king of kings; compared to him, a certain Egghead was merely the shrimp among shrimps.

Seeing The Ancient One remain silent, Lu Qi suppressed the urge to use the restroom and simply opened the system he obtained from transmigrating to see what the situation was.

Dark System. The name sounded extremely imposing, but its functions were wretched. Just like the AFK game Lu Qi played, this system was an AFK System.

This system gave him a Dark Space at the start, composed of Dark Energy Crystals. The more energy crystals there were, the larger the space.

The Dark Energy Crystals could be mined using units purchased within the system. The initial purchase price for a unit was 10 points, and each purchase of a unit increased its price by 0.1, with no upper limit.

As for what the size of the Dark Space was good for, well, Lu Qi did not quite understand that yet.

However, this familiar routine.

Was it the AFK game he played before transmigrating?

Lu Qi carefully studied it for a moment, knowing the 10 Dark Energy Crystals the system initially had, and looked at the only thing available for purchase at present.

It was a ninja mask with crimson dual eyes.

Lu Qi felt this thing looked very familiar, but couldn't recall for a moment. He guessed it was from some anime, but his last time watching anime was ages ago, and he had long since forgotten those things completely.

Puttng this doubt aside for now, the initial purchase price for this unit was precisely ten points. Without a second thought, Lu Qi clicked the plus-one button next to that unit.

The ten points of energy gifted by the system dropped to zero, the price for the next unit plus-one changed from 10 points to 10.1 points, and the Dark Energy Crystals at the very top became $+0.1$ per minute.

It seemed this unit's mining speed was 0.1 Dark Energy Crystals per minute. Lu Qi wasn't too surprised by this; after all, numbers in AFK games were naturally small at the start, and in the later stages they directly used units like jing, gai, and zi.

What concerned him more was another matter, specifically the note trailing behind the mined energy crystals.

This system unexpectedly didn't increase currency second by second like ordinary AFK games, but came minute by minute.

Only adding currency once a minute, was it really this slow?

If he wanted to progress to the late game, he would have to wait until the Year of the Monkey; I'm afraid this thing wouldn't necessarily reach the tens-of-millions tier even after he died, right?

Exasperated, Lu Qi picked up the tea before him, wanting to gulp it down in one go to calm himself. However, he hadn't expected The Ancient One to hold him in such high regard—the tea inside was nearly infinite, and it directly gave him a face wash as the scalding tea flowed straight down his neck and into his clothes.

Subconsciously loosening his grip, the teacup shattered on the ground, and Lu Qi likewise subconsciously stood up and shook his clothes, his movements inevitably becoming a bit too grand.

The opposite The Ancient One suddenly opened both eyes, looking straight at him.

Lu Qi instantly froze in place, forgetting there was still this powerhouse before him. Watching The Ancient One stop her observations as if interrupted and gaze at him, he quickly and obediently sat back down.

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Cold sweat dripped in streams down Lu Qi's back. Will the big shot think I'm disrespecting her? Will I just throw the match and die? No way! I finally escaped the life of an office drone and haven't enjoyed myself yet—at least let me watch some anime for a while!

The Ancient One gazed steadily at him for a moment, a dark mark suddenly appearing between her brows.

Lu Qi actually knew about this. In order to maintain her life and power, The Ancient One outwardly opposed Dormammu while secretly absorbing dark energy.

Yet Lu Qi couldn't well speak of this matter, for the waters here ran too deep and he couldn't handle it.

Actually, it was just that when watching the movie, everyone only looked at the special effects; who the hell pays attention to the plot behind the movie!

Seeing The Ancient One display the dark mark, Lu Qi panicked even more. Why does it feel like the big shot is about to silence me?

The Ancient One looked at Lu Qi's limited-edition obedient.jpg without uttering a word. Recalling the future she had just observed, she could not help feeling somewhat shocked. Could a mere person like this crush Dormammu's fingertip universe to death in the future?

Despite having a flurry of inner thoughts, The Ancient One's expression remained unchanged. Dormammu was simply too powerful; even she, wielding the Time Stone, dared not claim she could defeat him, yet the person before her could eliminate Dormammu in the future.

Casting spells with dark energy, she saw that this person indeed possessed a tiny trace of dark energy, and it was even purer than Dormammu's, making The Ancient One feel that possibility existed.

The Ancient One picked up her teacup and gestured toward Lu Qi.

Lu Qi thought The Ancient One wanted to make things difficult for him, but he suddenly discovered that the originally shattered cup had somehow reappeared complete before him.

Taking a sip, the tea still endlessly refilled.

The familiar taste made Lu Qi relax; it seemed the big shot was not going to hold his previous mistake against him.

"You have dark energy on you." The Ancient One took a sip of tea and suddenly said.

Lu Qi was chugging tea frantically, and hearing this, he immediately spat it out. He had just arrived in Marvel, how could he possibly be tied up with Dormammu?

The Ancient One openly tolerated not even a sliver of dark energy, so was she really going to frame him, silence him, and destroy his corpse this time!

He had indeed failed to remember the unit values in the system, just as you would never remember whether the in-game currency in an idle game was gold coins or copper coins.

"Don't panic, I won't silence you." The Ancient One continued.

Damn it, I'm being played. How does The Ancient One even know mind-reading? Lu Qi's expression tightened as he recalled all those various egg-related topics from just now.

The Ancient One remembered how Lu Qi had 'honestly' confessed his thoughts in a certain timeline, and couldn't help feeling somewhat helpless. "I won't hold your thoughts from just now against you, nor do I know mind-reading."

Baldy, and you still say you can't read minds!

Lu Qi didn't dare to think about anything now, emptying his brain and attempting to let his soul fly free to view the Multiverse.

"You won't be able to observe the Multiverse like that, but I can help you. However, you must go and take care of your biological needs first, or else unsightly scenes will occur." The Ancient One waved her hand, and a constantly sparking circular portal appeared, leading directly to a restroom in the middle.

Only then did Lu Qi feel that his reserves were extremely abundant, very full, and he rushed over to take care of it in a hurry.

The Ancient One withdrew the portal, waited about a few minutes, and opened the portal once again.

Lu Qi walked out after finishing in the restroom and, not seeing the electric sparks, thought he had been let off. Just as he prepared to make himself scarce and execute a strategic tactical retreat, the portal suddenly appeared.

With a bitter face, Lu Qi returned to the tea room, though he wasn't quite as panicked as before.

Taking advantage of the post-release refractory period, Lu Qi carefully sorted out the current situation. He deduced that The Ancient One truly had no intention of silencing him, otherwise she wouldn't have given him endlessly refilling tea.

With no danger to his person, Lu Qi's thoughts drifted a bit.

Looking at the portal crackling with electric sparks, Lu Qi felt this magic was indeed very convenient, at least for going to the restroom.

Lu Qi, feeling thoroughly refreshed after the release, had just returned to the tea room when The Ancient One arrived before him as if teleporting, striking him right in the chest with a palm.

A light sensation arose, and Lu Qi suddenly discovered he could see the back of his own head.

No, why was he flying? Watching himself gradually rise from the ground, Lu Qi suddenly remembered The Ancient One's budget-burning palm strike.

It seemed he had just been hit?

Watching his body sit down in a chair that appeared out of nowhere, Lu Qi felt somewhat dazed for a moment.

"Have a pleasant journey." The Ancient One looked at Lu Qi in midair and said softly.

Lu Qi suddenly felt a pulling force appear, dragging him to fly off to the side, and then he arrived in a strange space...

The Ancient One returned to the tea table. Since this person had the possibility of killing Dormammu, she would put him to use.

Recalling the interrogation of Lu Qi in that timeline, The Ancient One knew this person harbored no bad intentions; as long as she guided him well, he would not walk a wicked path.

After going through an unforgettable journey, as if his body and mind had been completely reshaped, Lu Qi came to his senses and found that he had somehow returned to the tea room and back into his own body.

Taking a sip of tea to calm his nerves, Lu Qi glanced at The Ancient One.

"How was the journey?" The Ancient One asked.

"It felt alright, just way too thrilling." Lu Qi honestly expressed his thoughts, remembering how hands had grown all over his body—that feeling was too sanity-destroying. It seemed he hadn't retained anything else, and some scenes he saw were simply impossible to process.

No wonder The Ancient One thought Stephen was the best Sorcerer Supreme; Stephen was able to maintain his own consciousness in such an environment, which showed his talent in this domain.

The Ancient One nodded. "Next time, I'll be a little more careful with Stephen."

So I was just a lab rat all along, Lu Qi grumbled inwardly, but his face showed nothing.

"Returning to our previous topic, you have dark energy on you." The Ancient One made a smooth drift, successfully pulling the topic back.

"I didn't want to either," Lu Qi said aggrievedly. "If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't even have known I had dark energy."

I just arrived in this world, and I haven't even looked around much yet.

Lu Qi was extremely baffled as well. It was impossible for him to have been targeted by Dormammu the moment he arrived in this universe.

And speaking of dark energy, it looked somewhat familiar. Hey, why would it look familiar?

Lu Qi was stunned for a moment, and quickly opened the system, looking at the currency displayed on it.

Dark Energy!

So it turned out the system was screwing him over!

The Ancient One watched Lu Qi's facial expression continuously shift, quietly taking a sip of water.

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Lu Qi didn't know what to do now. If you said he came before The Ancient One carrying such a pitch-dark system, wasn't that like lighting a lantern in an outhouse—seeking death?

"Big boss, please spare me, I haven't done anything bad yet! Pui! I won't do bad things!" Lu Qi looked obediently at The Ancient One, and if not for the fact that the tea in her hands could be refilled infinitely, he would have wanted to pour water for the big boss.

"Dark energy is extremely dangerous, but you don't seem to be affected by it." The Ancient One said as she hid the dark mark on her forehead.

Lu Qi had not looked in a mirror since coming here, nor did he know if he had changed, but hearing The Ancient One's words, he felt somewhat relieved for the time being.

As he thought about going to find a mirror to check later, The Ancient One spoke again, "You need to stay here first and be observed for a few days."

What could Lu Qi do? He could only listen to the big boss's arrangements.

Seeing that Lu Qi had no objections, The Ancient One waved her hand, causing a spatial transformation as space shattered like a mirror.

So they had been in the Mirror Dimension the whole time.

Lu Qi expressed his shock, and he had to say as expected of the king of kings, for he had not even known when he entered the Mirror Dimension.

"I will have Mordo take you to your room, and over the next few days, I hope you have a pleasant experience in Kamar-Taj." The Ancient One clapped her hands, and a sturdy fellow walked into the tea room.

Seeing The Ancient One's dismissive gesture, Lu Qi obediently followed Mordo and left.