Chapter 2: The Game Has Begun

"Don't be so afraid. I promise, I'm a good Genie, unlike those broken cups that twist your wishes when they fulfill them. Besides, you don't have to fight a war of succession before making a wish!"

Ding Hao continued to say to Frank. He discovered that this man had extreme desires deep in his heart, but also possessed powerful self-restraint. As for individual strength, judging from the current situation, it was quite good among mortals. Overall, he wasn't easy to kill—a good seedling for an anchor point.

As long as it wasn't excessive, Ding Hao was truly prepared to fulfill Frank's three wishes. After all, it was just resurrecting a few people.

"Do I have a choice?" Frank said in a deep voice. He had originally wanted to turn and run, but the surrounding air seemed to have turned into cement; it took all his strength just to move slightly.

"You guess~"

Ding Hao replied with a smile. He wasn't the kind of devil who would force people to make wishes. Besides, how could a Genie doing this be called coercion?

"My first wish is that I want one cent," Frank paused and said.

*Clink*

A one-cent coin flicked from Ding Hao's thumb and landed in Frank's pocket. Ding Hao was a bit expectant: if all three wishes were like this, what kind of expression would Frank have when he found out he had missed the chance to fulfill his true wish at the end?

Frank frowned. He didn't feel anything wrong with himself, but perhaps he just couldn't sense it.

Just as Frank was about to make his second wish, he suddenly read a contradictory and complex emotion from the Genie's expression—like the expression of someone encountering some troublesome matter they didn't want to deal with, but which had piqued their interest because it was so interesting.

*Snap*

With a crisp snap of his fingers, Frank regained his freedom, and the surrounding air returned to normal.

"Little friend, leave first. Uncle has a guest to entertain. I'll come find you in a while."

As soon as Ding Hao finished speaking, a portal appeared before Frank. Through the portal, Frank saw one of his secret hideouts. After pausing for less than half a second, Frank walked through the portal with an unchanging expression.

After sending off the little friend Frank, Ding Hao tapped the ground with his toe, and the entire hall began to vibrate. The shattered wine glasses flew back onto the table, looking as if they were fresh out of the kiln, and the corpses lying on the ground stood up along with the return of their flesh and blood, leaning against the walls.

"Do you prefer wine or tea?"

Ding Hao sat on the sofa, two sets of tea sets placed at both ends of the table. Tea and wine slowly descended from the air, filling the cups completely.

"Tea would be better."

After Ding Hao's voice faded, a guy wearing a cloak walked in from the doorway. He took off his hood, revealing a bald head, and sat opposite Ding Hao. At the same time, he tapped the wine glass with his finger, and the two wine glasses vanished directly before Ding Hao's eyes.

Ding Hao could sense that those two cups, along with the wine inside, had been sent to another time, and that period of time had been artificially knotted, establishing a loop. This was a demonstration of power.

Interesting~

"Tea is very good, but you didn't come here to drink tea, did you?" Ding Hao looked at the Ancient One and said. He knew which multiverse he had come to; this place was much more interesting than many other worlds.

Hmm, he must not make a big scene. Otherwise, the Ancient One wouldn't care, but if he provoked real trouble, Ding Hao would be very distressed.

"Visitor from outside the dimension, please state your purpose!" The Ancient One became serious, looking at Ding Hao. She noticed that the wine glasses sent into the time loop were flickering—existing one moment, and not existing the next.

"I'm just here for a trip, to find some amusement in a different place. My mood will be much better," Ding Hao leaned back and said faintly.

The Ancient One's heart sank. She could feel that Ding Hao was telling the truth, but this truth was the most terrifying thing—more terrifying than Dormammu's invasion. This type of guy who was tired of living and only acted out of interest was the most troublesome. No one knew what these people would do just to find amusement.

"Alright, alright, why be so serious? I know what you want to do." Ding Hao had a very interesting idea. He looked at the Ancient One and pointed to his own eyes. "I can see the future too."

"How should I put it? The script you wrote isn't very interesting. By the way, are you planning to make a wish? It's free~"

The Ancient One raised her hands, placing them before her chest. The Eye of Agamotto slowly opened, and the power of the Time Stone coiled around her hands. She was preparing to use her ultimate move.

"Alright, alright, no more fooling around." Ding Hao said, interfering with the Ancient One's control over the Time Stone. The chaotic time power left the entire hall in a superposition of past, present, and future. The layered real illusions could directly crush a person's perception.

"How about this, I have an idea."

Looking at Ding Hao's enthusiastic appearance, the Ancient One silently closed the Time Stone. If they could talk, they would talk first. Mainly, she didn't have the confidence to fight Ding Hao. The energy this Genie had used so far wasn't much, but the quality was terrifyingly high.

"You ultimately want to deal with that purple potato guy." Ding Hao projected Thanos' image.

"As for me, I want to find some amusement. Originally, I would deal with the purple potato guy, and you could just make a wish. But you aren't willing to make a wish, and you aren't willing to let me ruin your plan."

The Ancient One nodded. Only a fool would make a wish to an unknown existence. Heaven knows how the wish would be fulfilled, in what way, or with what meaning. Even if she had a super big creditor, she could be a bit excessive in her actions, but no one knew if this Genie before her became a creditor, whether he would be civilized in collecting debts or if he would vent his anger on others.

"Then how about this: we compete. Neither of us is allowed to intervene directly, including that guy behind you. I'll be watching it; no cheating allowed. We both select a group of people—you can choose first—and finally, we'll see who can truly defeat the big boss!"

Ding Hao said, looking at Thanos' projection, and fell silent for a moment. "No, the villain character is too weak."

The Ancient One, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, became nervous again. The Genie wouldn't be planning to give Thanos a cheat, would he?! That guy already had a cheat from the Goddess of Death, which was outrageous enough. If he got another blessing with a status even higher than the Goddess of Death, would they even be able to fight? Even if they won, Earth would be finished, right?

"How about this." Ding Hao thought of a solution and reached out to copy Dormammu's external image from the timeline. "I'll take a loss. My main target on this side is Dormammu. Of course, to ensure the difficulty is roughly the same, I won't kill it on my side; I'll just beat it until it doesn't dare to come over. Whoever achieves it first wins. How about that?"

"No problem!" The Ancient One agreed very readily.

Facing a troll, the Ancient One also had some experience. This type of person is the biggest trouble in the world when they haven't found amusement, but once they find it, they become much easier to deal with. They will spontaneously maintain the fairness of the "game" and are existences that absolutely will not cheat.

Moreover, if she could kill Thanos while also solving Dormammu, that would be the best thing for the Ancient One. Winning or losing, she would profit! ===== CHAPTER 3 =====