Chapter 45: The Power of Time

The library of Kamar-Taj had never been a mere collection of books. It not only housed the most valuable magical tomes of Kamar-Taj, but also guarded the gateway to the Temple of Time.

Within the Temple of Time, the Ancient One could manipulate the magical arrays to observe every unusual energy fluctuation across the globe and identify them.

There were also permanent portals there, leading to the three sanctums established on Earth.

To put it metaphorically, if the Ancient One’s sanctum was the heart of Kamar-Taj, then the Temple of Time was its central brain.

Fat Wong was not at his post, which could only mean he had gone to support the other sanctums.

Unimpeded, Mei Mumu made his way to the altar where the Eye of Agamotto was kept.

The Eye of Agamotto, casually placed on a pedestal as if anyone could simply take it away, seemed easily accessible.

But that was far from the truth.

So-called artifacts, even if they lacked a clear self-awareness like Lady Scales, still had their own standards for choosing a master. Unless someone wielded power far beyond that of the artifact, no one could force it into doing what it refused.

It was never mortals who used artifacts; it was artifacts that chose their wielders.

Standing before the Eye of Agamotto, which resembled a miniature oval-shaped golden relic, Mei Mumu swallowed hard.

He lacked confidence.

After all, this was a true artifact!

The ultimate treasure governing time!

For a fleeting moment, Mei Mumu thought that if the artifact rejected him, he would simply give up, spend the remaining time before Thanos’ arrival indulging in every vice, and await the end.

He reached out with trembling fingers, slowly approaching the Eye of Agamotto.

No ultimate flash.

No energy backlash.

No deadly beam...

Well, none of that happened.

The Eye of Agamotto was just like a mass-produced handicraft from a cheap market, left in an antique shop for anyone to toy with. Mei Mumu simply reached out and took it.

This...

This was truly... a subtle feeling!

Returning to Fat Wong’s desk, he hung the artifact’s cord around his neck, letting it rest on his chest. Facing the open Book of Time, Mei Mumu took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill his lungs.

“Calm down! Calm down! Otherwise, one slip and it’s all over!” Just to be safe, Mei Mumu prepared a bottle of mental energy potion, then activated the character possession card of “Apprentice Mage Khadgar,” ensuring he was in peak condition.

“Let’s begin,” Mei Mumu muttered to himself.

Following the gestures taught by the Book of Time, he curled his ring and pinky fingers, extending his middle, index, and thumb. With all six fingers extended, he touched fingertip to fingertip—middle to middle, index to index—and began the casting sequence.

In his mind, he recited the lengthy incantation from the Book of Time, focusing his mental energy to the utmost, guiding the flow of magical power.

As if performing a hand sign sequence from a ninja anime, Mei Mumu completed the gestures in one fluid motion. The Eye of Agamotto began to turn slowly.

For the first time, in the hands of someone other than the Ancient One, its mysterious veil was lifted.

With the mechanism’s movement, a gentle green glow spilled forth, casting a faint emerald hue across Mei Mumu’s chest.

Following the Book of Time’s instructions, Mei Mumu continued the spell.

Moments later, a circular magic array, inscribed with hundreds of curves and irregular runes in glowing green, appeared suspended in the air before his chest.

With a sweep of his left hand, as if donning a bracelet, the luminous magical array obediently disassembled, ring by ring, and wrapped itself around his right hand.

He extended his right hand, palm down, and at his command, a green magic circle, the size of a pancake, materialized. Square magical lines connected its edges, forming two squares that rotated gently in opposite directions—one clockwise, one counterclockwise.

Truthfully, Mei Mumu could have skipped ahead and gotten straight to work.

But, erring on the side of caution, he decided to proceed step by step.

Aiming at the leftover flatbread from Fat Wong’s meal, he slowly rotated his wrist clockwise.

An astonishing sight unfolded—

The round flatbread, as if nibbled away by an invisible mouth, began to disappear piece by piece. Within seconds, it had dwindled to a tiny scrap, barely the width of two thumbs pressed together.

When Mei Mumu reversed the magic, turning his wrist counterclockwise, the bread miraculously reappeared, bite by bite, as though the invisible mouth was spitting it back out whole.

“This is... incredible!”

Even though Mei Mumu had anticipated this, witnessing the miracle after successfully activating the Eye of Agamotto with the long incantation still filled him with boundless delight. His heart pounded wildly in his chest.

The final step followed naturally.

Mei Mumu aimed at the missing pages in the Book of Cagliostro and slowly unleashed the time magic. Phantom pages began to grow along the book’s jagged tears, transforming from illusion to reality in just two or three seconds.

This was no ordinary restoration—it was a true reversal of time.

He recalled that, in almost every anime, the three mightiest forces were always time, space, and fate.

Now, the power of “time” rested in his own hands. How could Mei Mumu not be overjoyed?

“Sigh—”

Suddenly, Mei Mumu heard a slightly bitter sigh from behind. Turning, he saw the regretful face of the dark-skinned man, and the somewhat dazed Fat Wong. The two of them were now clad in battle gear, with their magical weapons either securely strapped to their backs or belted at their waists.

There was no scolding, no admonishment—only a sense of resigned acceptance.

“Um, so? Did I... do something wrong?” Mei Mumu asked, feigning ignorance.

Fat Wong shook his head. “No, nothing wrong. Since Master permitted it, she must have foreseen this moment tonight.”

Mordo’s eyes held a trace of envy. “As expected, the Eye of Agamotto has chosen you.”

Their words and attitudes made Mei Mumu feel thoroughly strange. In the original story, the two had sternly rebuked Doctor Strange. Now, they simply accepted it. What was going on?

Mei Mumu was at a loss.

“Have you finished reading the Book of Cagliostro?” Fat Wong asked.

“Almost.”

“Then you must know about Dormammu and the Dark Dimension?”

After a moment’s thought, Mei Mumu nodded.