The Dazzling Library

She looked at Lin Yi, her gaze wavering as though she were hesitating.

A moment later, she made up her mind and spoke again. "I can't see your future. Or your past."

Lin Yi wasn't surprised. If anything, he felt relieved. Some things were better left unseen.

"Then why send me to the Lost Library?"

"Ancient One, do you truly not know the cosmic coordinates where the answer lies?" It sounded like a question, but Lin Yi's tone said he already knew the answer.

"The Forbidden Magic and knowledge in that library would pose an incalculable danger in anyone's hands."

The Ancient One might as well have told Lin Yi outright to learn the knowledge and Forbidden Magic there, but not to use it recklessly.

Lin Yi couldn't make sense of it. Did she enjoy creating threats?

The Ancient One fell silent again before answering. "I can no longer see any future. The danger posed by this change is beyond imagining."

"My past and future selves, and even countless versions of me across Parallel Universes, have reached a consensus."

"Your existence may prove crucial to how everything ends."

"You're gambling," Lin Yi interrupted, getting straight to the point.

The Ancient One didn't deny it. "The future of the universe requires you to learn more."

"And sending you to the library is the only thing I can do now for you and for that future."

"When did this change appear?" Lin Yi asked.

"It was always there. We simply couldn't observe it before you appeared," The Ancient One said.

"I see..." Lin Yi understood. If that was true, what was happening now wasn't a butterfly effect caused by his arrival. It was far more likely that he had crossed over because these events were going to happen.

Then who had the power to pull him in from beyond the fourth wall?

OAA?

That couldn't be right. If something existed that OAA couldn't resolve, what good would pulling me in do?

And these abilities of mine...

"Do you know where I came from?" Lin Yi abruptly changed the subject.

The Ancient One shook her head. "I can't be certain. Your origins point to countless dimensions and countless possibilities. Some possibilities even obstruct my thoughts, preventing me from tracing where you came from."

"And yet, strangely, you are absolutely unique."

"In other words, every choice you make is irreversible. So unless you have no other option, don't use Forbidden Magic from the Dark Dimension," The Ancient One added.

Good! Now Lin Yi finally understood.

He was like a player who had entered a "game." His five-year beginner period was over, and he'd been saddled with a protagonist's role: save another world and explore the unknown.

Hey, where's the logout button? I don't want to play this game!

"That's all I have to say. Remember my words, and return as quickly as you can..." Unwilling to say more, the Ancient One activated a Magic Circle.

After a burst of golden light, only drifting golden particles remained in the air.

The Ancient One really didn't waste time. She couldn't even let me say a couple more things?

Oh well. After hearing all that, Lin Yi suddenly felt a sense of relief.

He'd decided there was no point dwelling on whether some conspiracy was at work. Right now, it would only put more pressure on him.

What he needed to do was steadily grow stronger and meet his daily sunbathing quota.

For now, I should deal with the problem in front of me. And if all else fails, can't I just fly to the sun and soak up its rays for a few years?

When the Teleportation Magic activated, a dazzling golden light flashed before Lin Yi's eyes. The scene changed rapidly, then settled on a brilliantly colored starfield.

"Is this... the Lost Library?" Lin Yi marveled at the sight before him.

The Ancient One's Teleportation Magic Circle had opened directly inside the library.

It looked nothing like what Lin Yi had seen on a screen. There was no outer building, nor was Oubru guarding the library. He stood in a place whose dimensions he couldn't begin to describe.

Beneath his feet, bands of light drifted slowly like nebulae. Above and all around him stretched an endless starfield studded with distant points of light.

There seemed to be no up, down, left, or right. Countless shelves lined with books floated through the space, extending beyond the limits of his sight.

Not everything on the shelves was a conventional book. There were faintly glowing scrolls, stone tablets inscribed with symbols he couldn't understand, and even clusters of energy and streams of information that constantly changed shape.

Magnificent and mysterious. That was Lin Yi's first impression. It was on a completely different level from the animation he'd seen before.

After wandering around for a while, Lin Yi extended his senses and floated up to take a closer look. Once he'd confirmed that there were no living creatures or dangerous traps, he prepared to examine the collection.

Lin Yi took a deep breath, brought out the Time Stone, then took out the coin and pressed it lightly.

Hum!

A golden Magic Circle rose from beneath Lin Yi's feet, and the coin turned into a streak of light that circled him. The Time Stone glowed at the same time, its light following the coin's path until it enveloped his entire body.

A strange sensation came over him. To Lin Yi, it was as if time had been sped up and slowed down at once—profound, yet perfectly clear.

At that moment, the contents of the shelves seemed drawn to the Magic Circle. They lit up one by one, and streams of data carrying profound knowledge began to drift toward Lin Yi.

Not bad. At least I don't have to pull them down and read them one at a time. It's even arranged the reading order for me.

Lin Yi casually caught a book made of thin metal sheets. Its words and images poured into his mind like a tide.

At first, Lin Yi couldn't understand the writing, but the Magic Circle kept analyzing it and converting it into words he could comprehend.

And as Lin Yi deliberately loosened some of the limits on his Super-Mind, he began furiously learning alien languages while he read.

One book, two books, three... ten, a hundred.

Gradually, Lin Yi no longer needed to turn the pages. Wherever he looked, the vessels of knowledge began feeding him information on their own. He absorbed the "wisdom" contained in the Lost Library at an astonishing rate.

Meanwhile, in the New York Sanctum, Strange was growing restless.

"Doctor Strange, what's wrong? Did you drink too much and need the bathroom?" Peter noticed something was off and came over curiously.

Strange clicked his tongue.

"Why are you still here? Shouldn't you go back to Tony?"

Peter was blunt. "Mr. Stark told me to stay with Lin Yi."

In other words, Strange couldn't send him away. Lin Yi would have to say so himself.

Strange was at a loss for words. What, should I wait until the universe ends to ask him? By now, Lin Yi had probably reached the Lost Library.

The door opened, confirming Strange's guess. The Ancient One walked out.

"Strange, you seem worried." The Ancient One sat down where she had been before.

She had noticed Strange acting strangely while Lin Yi was still there. She suspected it had something to do with him.