Chapter 28: The Stubborn Mind’s Training Regimen

"Uh..."

"The last person who saw through the disguise of these archives was quite a remarkable fellow. Unfortunately, he brought his men and strung up the previous guardian of the library, sending the guardian's head flying into the sky." The king's tone was sharp.

"Is it that Casillas I met before?"

"Yes!" The king's face twisted into a fierce expression. "But now, I'm the guardian here! If even a single page goes missing from any book, I'll know it. If anyone dares steal a book, or even half a page, I'll make sure they're decapitated before they leave!"

That was definitely a threat.

Mei Mumu didn't care; he had long since figured out the king's temperament. He was strict about rules, appeared ferocious, but as long as you didn't break the rules, you could ignore that intimidating face—he was actually a national treasure of a lovable creature.

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right!"

Chatting idly, Mei Mumu opened one secret library door after another, silently reading the inscriptions while plotting in his mind:

"Asgard Chronicles"... This should be a biography section. No, that's not it.

"Overview of the Dark World"... Close, but in the original, Casillas didn't mess with this type.

"Siamese Martial Techniques"... Not this one either!

Finally, Mei Mumu came to a book in the center of the shelves. Just as he tried to open the door to this secret archive, he suddenly realized it wouldn't budge.

"This way is blocked! It leads to the true forbidden archives of the Supreme Sorcerer! Any mage who hasn't passed the trial of inner demons and proper training is strictly forbidden from entering." The king said sternly.

Damn! It really was quite different from history.

While grumbling inwardly, Mei Mumu watched helplessly as the king cast a spell to close all the magical doors, then shoved a stack of books so tall it nearly touched the ceiling into his hands.

"You've seen enough—now get out! Because of your talent, I've given you five times the basic books. Until you thoroughly understand these, you won't be allowed back into the Ancient One's archives."

Mei Mumu was utterly frustrated. Knowing the original history, he was well aware how Doctor Strange rose from a broken, failed man to the pinnacle of life—all thanks to the "Book of Cagliostro" that studied time. That book taught Doctor Strange how to use the artifact, the Eye of Agamotto.

Now he hadn't even found the book. How was he supposed to trigger the original storyline?

His mind was full of questions as the king chased him out, his face twisted in pain.

To make matters worse, without realizing it, his three-hour super scholar mode was almost up.

If he lingered any longer, his secret would be exposed.

Sigh! That's enough for today.

Ignoring the curious stares from the crowd of writing seniors and juniors—mere extras in his eyes—Mei Mumu returned to his room.

No sooner had he set down the tower of books than a wave of exhaustion crashed over him.

His eyelids felt unbearably heavy; if he could, he wouldn't mind collapsing onto the bed and sleeping until the world ended.

But he couldn't sleep!

Having overdrawn his mental energy, his whole body felt hollow, like a dying plant thirsting for water, constantly tormenting his exhausted nerves, making rest impossible.

"Damn! I can’t live like this!" Mei Mumu realized he felt worse than an addict in withdrawal. "Am I really supposed to suffer like this for twenty-one hours? That's torture!"

"Would you like me to help you?" Unexpectedly, Miss Balance suddenly appeared again.

"Huh? Am I imagining things, or has your attitude toward me changed lately?" Mei Mumu quipped.

He couldn't see her form, only heard her voice, but sensed a softness in her tone. "...Fine! I admit I've changed my view of you! Because... no guardian of balance would antagonize someone about to become a Fatebearer, a powerful person who holds her destiny."

"Fatebearer?" Mei Mumu heard that term for the second time.

"I can't tell you about the origin or mission of the Fatebearer yet. All I can say is, the more you change this world, overturn its history, the more you'll gain—even break the chains of fate binding you. You guessed right before: according to your original destiny, you only had two years left to live. So... as long as you don’t break the rules, I’ll help you as much as I can. Please... do your best!"

Miss Balance spoke hesitantly, but Mei Mumu still gleaned much new information.

Yet, according to her, his situation was still dire!

Because Doctor Strange's arrival was already in 2016—a late stage for the Marvel universe, with many major events and tragedies already occurred. Even if Mei Mumu achieved all Doctor Strange's accomplishments at this point, reaching or surpassing the original's power, would that be enough to save a galaxy doomed to lose half its life to Thanos?

Mei Mumu’s mind was a mess.

"Sigh, forget all that for now—my head is killing me. Is there anything you can do?"

Miss Balance's voice was clearly uncertain; after a long pause, she said, "Actually, your discomfort is caused by mental exhaustion. Once your total mental energy increases, you'll be fine."

"Damn it, it's not my future self suffering—it's me right now! Isn't there any solution? Or are your promises of 'doing your best to help' just empty words?"

"Ugh, I... I..."

"Enough, just tell me—can you help or not?"

"I can use my authority to exchange a 'Basic Mental Energy Potion' for you, to ease your pain. But it costs a fragment of destiny. Please... make sure you pay me back when you get one! Otherwise, I'll be doomed."

"Fine, fine!" Mei Mumu didn’t care—his pain was overwhelming. Since she was willing to let him owe her, and there was no interest, he’d take whatever help he could get.

A thumb-sized blue bottle appeared before Mei Mumu out of thin air. He uncapped it and gulped it down in one go. An indescribable coolness spread through his brain.

Ah! Much better.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"It's me, Mordo!"

"Oh, please come in." With Mordo suddenly visiting, Mei Mumu had a new idea—could he possibly brainwash this rigid man at this point in time?

In his mind, Mei Mumu asked Miss Balance, "Hey, can you help me set up a private server for World of Warcraft?"

"Huh? What do you want that for?"

"Can you do it or not?"

"I can..."