Qin Xiao returned to the real world. Although the Ancient One's analysis was reasonable and well-founded, he still needed to verify it himself to feel at ease.
However, considering that time is relatively still when traveling between the two worlds, it is very likely that the Ancient One's analysis is the truth.
I went back and first went to see Comrade Shi Aiguo.
As a result, Shi Aiguo burst into laughter with joy as soon as he saw Qin Xiao.
"Hey bro, remember that golden coffin from last time? Melting that thing was such a hassle, I was thinking of finding a rich guy to sell it to, but guess what?"
Shi Aiguo's smiling face was covered with wrinkles, like a chrysanthemum swaying in the wind.
"A Middle East Eastern tycoon took a liking to it, saying he wanted to buy it to use after he died, and offered five times the price of gold! Five times! These foolish, rich oil tycoons! I should make more of these things and sell them to these bumpkins in the future!"
As they were talking, Shi Aiguo pulled out a bank card and handed it to Qin Xiao.
"I, Old Shi, am a traveling swindler. Last time I helped Brother Qin with a favor, it was an easy job with good pay. Afterwards, Brother Qin gave me such a big piece of gold. To be honest, consider it a tip for doing a favor for the boss. I don't mind if it's too much or too little. It's your business if you're generous."
"But then that happened, and this extra money was brought by you. Even if you gave me a pile of gold, I couldn't sell it for this price. The gold was a tip from you, which I accepted. The extra money is back to you!"
This made Qin Xiao look at him with new respect.
He was just more curious whether that Middle East tycoon was really that stupid; if he liked it, he could have just made a piece himself.
"No, Brother Shi, is that rich guy really that easy to fool? He raised the price as soon as he saw the coffin?"
Shi Aiguo stroked his chin and chuckled.
"No, that's not it. I originally wanted to make it look old, like an antique, to brag to people, but who knew... haha! Anyway, I didn't intentionally try to fool him."
Qin Xiao chuckled, "Since that's the case, this money was earned by Brother Shi through his own abilities, so you can keep it for yourself!"
Shi Aiguo couldn't figure out the background of that Middle East tycoon.
The Middle East tycoons around the world are either illegitimate sons of tribal chiefs in the United Arab Emirates, or just one of many disliked princes in a small country.
Many people keep their backgrounds very secret, and Shi Aiguo was unable to find out more.
Qin Xiao had no way to deal with this, as he didn't have that many intelligence channels at his disposal.
After repeatedly declining Shi Aiguo's offer, Qin Xiao finally accepted half the money at Shi Aiguo's insistence.
It was a pleasant surprise, in a way.
However, this was not the purpose of his return. Qin Xiao originally thought that Marvel was just a transitional period, and that he would eventually return to live here.
But now it seems things aren't that simple, and Qin Xiao has no interest in developing any more influence in this area.
Instead, he simply packed a few clothes and a backpack and went to Hong Kong.
Qin Xiao Qin Xiao went there to verify some things; in fact, he had already investigated them while he was in Magic City.
There are no superheroes in this world. It is 2020. There is no pandemic in the real world, nor is there the Snap event in the Marvel timeline.
If this is indeed a timeline within the Marvel universe, then Kang the Conqueror must have created a relatively peaceful and stable timeline to complete the timeline loop.
Although Hong Kong is not large, its population and building density are high. It took Qin Xiao three days to explore the city, which is known as the financial center of Asia.
According to the Ancient One, all timelines follow a predetermined path, but what if this world is the other end of a time loop?
In principle, it's also a branch of time in the Marvel Universe, although it's possible that under Kang the Conqueror's manipulation, there are no superheroes or major events here.
But the template won't change. There's no reason for him to remake all the maps just to delete a few characters!
If this timeline started hundreds or even thousands of years ago and was allowed to develop freely, it would be impossible for so many countries to have almost identical names and histories.
Moreover, Qin Xiao had already found a country called Wakanda online, a small, almost unknown country in Africa.
However, the king was neither the old nor the new Black Panther from my previous life.
But since he was already there, Qin Xiao wanted to be on the safe side and look for any more traces of Marvel.
The Hong Kong Sanctum is one of them. As the Ancient One said, the Hong Kong Sanctum was not built by the people of Kamar-Taj, but by the locals themselves. It was originally an antique shop, which the Ancient One later bought and renovated.
The Ancient One felt that the window perfectly matched the atmosphere of Kamar-Taj, so the construction of the London Sanctum and New York Sanctum was based on the shape of the Hong Kong Sanctum, especially that large round window.
Unfortunately, Qin Xiao did not find the so-called Hong Kong Sanctum.
Yes, it's a pity.
Qin Xiao has developed a deep affection for the Marvel Universe.
He didn't know if, as he gradually completed the tasks, he would eventually encounter a final mission, and if he completed it, the system would leave him.
If the system is gone, will he be able to stay in that world?
However, if this is a closed loop, it's different. In the later stages, whether it's the Time Variance Authority or the development of the Quantum Realm, traveling between the various Marvel universes will no longer be a problem.
Therefore, Qin Xiao still sincerely hoped that this was the other end of the Marvel closed loop.
Moreover, that should be the case. When it comes to time travel, there's no such thing as a series of time travels unless you're given multiple worlds. Using this world as the base world makes sense.
Qin Xiao actually understood that this should be the other side of the closed loop.
But I don't feel at ease unless I find some supporting evidence.
Feeling dejected, Qin Xiao found a tea restaurant, which was the only place in Hong Kong that made him feel comforted. Although the food in many Hong Kong tea restaurants was simple, the taste was really authentic.
It was nearly 10:30 p. m., almost closing time for the tea restaurant.
A few longtime neighbors came into the shop and chatted with the owner, bragging about the past.
Qin Xiao finished his meal in a daze, and when he paid the bill and got up to leave...
The photo album in the old neighbor's hands caught his eye.
It was an old, yellowed photograph.
Judging from the surrounding buildings and the people's attire, this is probably not Hong Kong in the 1960s or 70s.
A dozen or so people were taking pictures in front of a three-story building located on a street corner.
The windows of the small building are the iconic round windows of the temple.
Sorry it's late today. Something came up with the kids, and I've been busy all day. I just got home and quickly wrote this chapter. I'll take the kids to bathe and then finish the rest after they fall asleep!