Chapter 26 The Crown Casino Goes Live

Right now, Mei Mumu was at a loss. This parallel Marvel world had changed too much. It was true that Kaecilius sought dark power and eternal life, but why on earth had he come after the original Doctor Strange before gaining Dormammu’s power, and now was even coming after Mei Mumu? Mei Mumu had used the Avengers to take Kaecilius down a notch, but couldn’t confirm the outcome. This left his understanding of the situation frustratingly vague.

It was as though a whip lashed relentlessly at Mei Mumu’s back, driving him forward. After all, in the original timeline, Kaecilius would soon attack the three Sanctums, and even bring down the Ancient One—a mighty tree that could have sheltered Mei Mumu. Time waited for no one! Besides, the effect of the “Magical Apprentice Khadgar” card lasted only three hours; taking away the paused intervals and travel time, Mei Mumu had less than an hour left. One could say that every second in this hourglass was worth more than gold.

Unable to explain why he had come to return the book after just ten minutes, Mei Mumu could only bluff his way through. He pressed his hands on the table, striking a defiant pose. “Wong! I have no intention of challenging your authority. Every person is unique, with their own experiences, lifestyles, and learning methods. I was able to earn double doctorates in medicine and science because I have a photographic memory and can read at lightning speed.”

Wong stared at him, expressionless. Mei Mumu continued to defend himself: “There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘The best steel should be used for the sharpest blade.’ My study habit is to dedicate three hours each day to high-speed reading and absorbing knowledge from books, then spend the remaining twenty-one hours doing whatever I please. That’s why I never missed a single university ball.”

Wong’s face remained impassive, as if to say, “Go on, keep making things up.” Mei Mumu had no choice but to persist. “If you think I’m not genuinely reading, but just flipping through books to memorize their covers and pretend to be erudite, you’re dead wrong. You can test me on anything I’ve read. Go ahead, pick any book and ask me if I remember it.”

At last, a flicker of expression crossed Wong’s face. He waved a hand dismissively, and though his distaste was obvious, he hadn’t forgotten his duty. “When it comes to learning the mystic arts, nothing is more detrimental than skimming the surface. If your foundational knowledge is shallow, you’ll never apply what you’ve learned flexibly. Testing your mastery is the Ancient One’s prerogative. I’m only authorized to give advice and prevent you from entering the restricted section meant for full-fledged sorcerers.”

Mei Mumu winked. “I’m a genius at learning. For those three hours, I’m unbeatable.”

Wong let out a cold laugh. “Are you saying you can teach yourself Sanskrit without a teacher?”

“If I can’t figure something out domestically, I ask Baidu; if it’s foreign, I ask Google. There’s always online translation!”

Wong hadn’t grown up in the internet age. Having joined Kamar-Taj at age three, he’d become an excellent sorcerer, but lacked much modern knowledge. Mei Mumu’s words left him speechless.

Wong’s round face turned ashen. “Oh? I’d love to know which online translator can handle the oldest form of Sanskrit—Vedic?”

Damn, he’d forgotten about that. Vedic is an ancient language of the Indo-Iranian branch. The Sanskrit formed in the 4th century BCE has been grouped by linguists with European languages as part of the Indo-European family. Tracing back 3,600 years, Vedic is as ancient as oracle bone script. If an online translator could handle that, Mei Mumu wouldn’t mind giving Google a million-dollar bonus.

Just then, the voice of the Lady of the Scales suddenly sounded in Mei Mumu’s mind. “Hmph! So what if it’s just Vedic? A great Emissary of Fate shouldn’t be held back by something so trivial. Here, I’ll be your soul-synch translator! Does Wong the Fatty think he can cause trouble? He’s itching for a beating! How can I let that slide?”

Huh!? Why was she being so reasonable all of a sudden? Still, if you don’t seize the moment, the chance is wasted!

Mei Mumu raised an eyebrow. “How about a bet? Give me any magic book in Vedic, and if I can recite it correctly within ten minutes, you can’t stop me from entering the sorcerer’s section to study.”

Wong’s fat cheeks trembled with displeasure. “Aren’t you being a bit too confident, Mr. Mei?”

“Are you betting or not?” Mei Mumu drew out the words, deliberately raising his voice in a provocative challenge.

Wong had initially intended to refuse. He remembered the Ancient One’s instruction—if Mei Mumu’s progress was truly astonishing, then the restricted section could be opened early for him. Perhaps, just perhaps, there really were such geniuses in the world.

With that thought, Wong stepped back with his right foot, turned, and gestured politely. “First row of the sorcerer’s section—take your pick. If you can read it, you win. But if I win?”

“I’ll be a model student, borrowing at most one book from you per day. Whatever rules apply to others, apply to me.” Mei Mumu had learned how to talk to these battle sorcerers: rules and discipline. Only those who abide by them are most appreciated.

Unfortunately, Mei Mumu was destined not to be a goody-two-shoes student. Since Wong had given way, and with the Lady’s guidance, Mei Mumu strode confidently into the restricted section, casually selecting a magic book chained to an iron shelf.

He flipped open a page. “Hmm, this… doesn’t seem too difficult. It shares quite a bit with modern Sanskrit. This must be…”

As if speaking off the cuff, Mei Mumu began reciting line after line of Vedic. His pronunciation was so clear and precise that even Wong was left in awe.

Still unconvinced, Wong listened closely for more than ten seconds, only to realize in shock that not only had Mei Mumu made no mistakes, he’d also avoided all the usual errors beginners make. The trills, the retroflexes, the sandhi—all perfect. For a moment, Wong nearly mistook Mei Mumu for one of the most erudite monks of ancient India.

Three minutes passed with not a single error.

Wong gaped in disbelief.

Instead, Mei Mumu stopped and, with a look of humble (but mischievous) inquiry, asked, “So, do I qualify?”

Wong finally came back to his senses, grinding his teeth and muttering who knows how many complaints about Mei Mumu in his heart, before slumping his shoulders in defeat. “Follow me.”

Mei Mumu followed.

“This is ‘The General Foundation,’ and this…”