Chapter 16 Divergent Thinking

Mei Mumu distinctly remembered that in the original story, Kamar-Taj had wifi—they prided themselves on not being primitive, after all! How had it become a room spell in his case?

Mordo demonstrated in front of Mei Mumu. He stepped outside, tapped his hand on the air where the doorframe would be, and instantly a golden ripple shimmered in the air. Though the door stood wide open, some mysterious force denied Baron Mordo entry.

Mei Mumu gaped, dumbfounded.

In the next instant, Mordo swiftly recited a spell, and then he passed through the doorway.

“Shamballa?” Mei Mumu savored the word. Shamballa meant a hidden paradise, the pure land sought by mortals.

Yet the wifi password had become his room password—he couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated!

At that moment, the perpetually stern-faced Mordo suddenly burst out laughing. “Alright, Mei Mumu, I admire your intuition. That is indeed Kamar-Taj’s wifi password. Your room is your private space, not a place anyone can enter at will. Your room’s spell password is—Stephen Strange. Once you learn spells, you can change it yourself. What I just said was the Sanskrit incantation for that name.”

Mei Mumu shot Mordo a murderous glare—was he trying to mess with him?

Mordo looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry, that was Master Ancient One’s idea.”

Mei Mumu was stunned.

What did the Ancient One mean by this?

Did she glimpse that future with Doctor Strange and hope he’d become as formidable as him?

Was this encouragement?

A goad?

Or was she telling him, “You may be trash, but at least you’re flammable! Looking forward to your future performance!”

Mei Mumu knew full well that the Ancient One was a genuinely kind and remarkable person, but the previous host of his body had lived in a world thick with sarcasm. His dorm mates were all sharp-tongued. Unconsciously, his own thoughts had begun to skew that way.

Ugh... Mei Mumu’s neck stiffened.

Then, sparks seemed to flash in his eyes.

Yes, he was a substitute. He didn’t possess Doctor Strange’s peerless talent, the kind even the Ancient One envied. What he had was a wooden aptitude and a gift that was more a “variable” than anything else.

How to carve out a path of survival in this perilous world would depend on his own abilities.

At long last, Mordo finished explaining everything and left.

Mei Mumu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lying on the uncomfortable hard cot, Mei Mumu stared at the dusty ceiling and beams, immersing his thoughts into his spiritual world.

Almost as soon as he focused, there was a jolt in his mindscape.

The Scales of Fate appeared once more in his mind, along with the voice of the woman of the Scales: “Hey, ant, interested in redeeming that Mordo? The Scales of Fate never shortchange anyone. If you can prevent Mordo’s fall, you’ll get three Fate Shift Points. Interested?”

“Pah! I can barely protect myself—who has time to worry about Mordo? Do I look like someone who throws himself at trouble?” Mei Mumu replied slyly.

“Five points!”

“Hmph! You think I’m that shameless?” Mei Mumu retorted with false bravado.

“Suit yourself!” the woman of the Scales snapped.

“Alright, five points it is,” Mei Mumu suddenly agreed.

“You—!”

Mei Mumu’s bravado vanished, replaced by a cheeky grin. “Actually, here’s a little secret—my screen name is ‘Integrity.’”

“Damn it, Mei Integrity!” Her voice was full of murderous intent. “Why don’t you go die!?”

“Uh, forgive me, I only accept one kind of death—death by pleasure!”

The woman of the Scales was on the verge of exploding. “To hell with you! Just wait till Thanos snaps his fingers two years from now!”

With that, she vanished without a trace.

Having managed to outwit the woman of the Scales, Mei Mumu felt even better.

At that moment, Mordo’s face surfaced in his mind again.

At first, he hadn’t thought much of him, but the more he considered it, the more interesting this guy seemed.

As a transmigrant, Mei Mumu naturally knew that Baron Mordo was a force to be reckoned with. In the original storyline, Mordo’s faith was shattered when he discovered the Ancient One, whom he revered, actually used dark powers, ultimately leading him down a dark path.

Later, Mordo became Doctor Strange’s lifelong nemesis. But that was in the comics, not the movie adaptation. The film ended with the first Doctor Strange—there would likely be a sequel.

Mordo... what a pity.

After all, the Mordo standing before him now was a righteous man, utterly devoted to vanquishing evil and battling the dark side to the bitter end!

With his talent, if Mei Mumu played his cards right, Mordo could become a tremendous ally.

Not to mention Wong, who in the original story would become Doctor Strange’s loyal companion and assistant.

The three of them could form a brotherhood like Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce!

Wait, something seemed off!

No, there was no Peach Garden in Kathmandu.

Well, perhaps a New Garden Oath of Brotherhood would do!

Still, convincing Baron Mordo would take time. For now, with Mordo gone, Mei Mumu could finally enjoy some peace and quiet.

Just then, he realized something troubling—since waking up, his thoughts seemed to drift uncontrollably.

What was going on?

A voice, distinct from that of the Scales of Fate, spoke again.

“Host exhibits ‘divergent thinking phenomenon.’ Such imagination may result in lack of focus.”

“Host has officially become an apprentice mage. Would you like to use Fate Shift Points to draw for a solution to the ‘divergent thinking phenomenon’? Each draw costs one point.”

The two consecutive prompts left Mei Mumu momentarily stunned.

Divergent thinking, also known as radiating or creative thinking, is a pattern of thought in which the mind explores many possible solutions. It’s marked by broad vision and multidimensional expansion—solving one problem in many ways, using one thing for many purposes, and so on. Many psychologists believe divergent thinking is the main feature of creative thought, the chief indicator of creativity.

So... had the Ancient One’s demonstration enlightened his mind?

Mei Mumu also noticed that the Scales of Fate seemed to have two modes: one sentient and one mechanical. One was more humanlike, the other more practical.

He gritted his teeth and took a gamble.

“Draw, I’m all in!”

Mei Mumu had expected each draw to cost a single point, but suddenly, in his mind, a massive disk appeared with the Scales as its backdrop. He couldn’t discern what was inside; the disk began spinning at tremendous speed.

While he was still in a daze, the disk, spinning at what felt like over a thousand revolutions per minute, abruptly halted, the pointer settling on a strange dynamic humanoid figure.

“Congratulations, Host! You have drawn ‘Ambidextrous Combat’!”

“What the—?!”