Qin Xiao returned to the real world.
Although the Ancient One's analysis sounded logical and well-supported, he still needed to verify things personally before he could truly feel at ease.
However, judging from how time seemed relatively frozen whenever he traveled between the two worlds, it was highly likely that the Ancient One's conclusions were correct.
The first thing he did after returning was visit Comrade Shi Aiguo.
The moment Shi Aiguo saw Qin Xiao, he burst into hearty laughter.
"Brother, remember that golden coffin from last time? Melting that thing down was way too troublesome, so I originally planned to just sell it directly to some rich guy. Guess what happened?"
Shi Aiguo grinned so widely that the wrinkles on his face bunched together like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"A Middle Eastern tycoon took a liking to it! Said he wanted to buy it and use it for himself after he dies someday. He offered five times the value of the gold! Five times! Those oil-rich fools really do have more money than sense. From now on I should make more stuff like this and sell it to those country bumpkins!"
As he spoke, Shi Aiguo pulled out a bank card and handed it to Qin Xiao.
"I, Old Shi, am just a drifter making a living. Last time, helping Brother Qin with that job was easy work and good money. Afterwards, you gave me such a huge chunk of gold. Honestly, I treated it like a tip from the boss. I don't mind if it's more, and I don't complain if it's less. Being generous is your business."
"But this situation's different. The extra money came because of you. If you'd just given me a pile of gold, I never could've sold it for that price. The gold itself was your tip, and I accepted it. But the extra profit? That belongs to you."
Qin Xiao couldn't help looking at him in a new light.
Still, he was more curious about how foolish that Middle Eastern tycoon had been. If the guy liked it so much, couldn't he just have one made himself?
"Wait, Brother Shi, was that tycoon really that easy to fool? He saw the coffin and immediately raised the price?"
Shi Aiguo stroked his chin and chuckled.
"Well, not exactly. I originally planned to age it a bit and pass it off as an antique, maybe tell a few stories about it. But who knew… hahaha! Anyway, I wasn't intentionally trying to scam him."
Qin Xiao laughed helplessly.
"In that case, you earned that money through your own ability. You should keep it."
Even Shi Aiguo himself wasn't entirely sure what background the Middle Eastern tycoon came from.
Among the wealthy elites of the Middle East, some were illegitimate sons of tribal chiefs from the UAE, while others were merely one of countless neglected princes from small kingdoms.
Many hid their identities deeply, so Shi Aiguo couldn't investigate further.
Qin Xiao had no solution for that either. After all, he didn't possess any extensive intelligence network in this world.
After several rounds of polite refusal, Qin Xiao eventually accepted half the money due to Shi Aiguo's insistence.
It counted as an unexpected bonus.
Still, that wasn't the purpose of his return.
Originally, Qin Xiao believed the Marvel world was only a transitional stop, and that he would ultimately return here to live permanently.
But now, things no longer seemed that simple.
He no longer had any interest in developing power or influence in this world.
Instead, he casually packed a few sets of clothes into a backpack and headed for Hong Kong.
This trip was meant to confirm some things.
Back in Shanghai, Qin Xiao had already done some research.
There were no so-called superheroes in this world.
The current year was 2020.
There had been no global pandemic like in the real world, nor had there been the Snap event from the Marvel timeline.
If this truly was another branch of the Marvel timeline, then Kang the Conqueror had likely created a relatively peaceful timeline to maintain the temporal loop.
Hong Kong wasn't very large, but due to its dense population and crowded architecture, Qin Xiao still spent three entire days exploring the city known as Asia's financial center.
According to the Ancient One, every timeline followed a predetermined developmental path.
But if this world was truly the opposite end of a temporal closed loop, then in principle, it would still be a branch of the Marvel universe.
Even if Kang had manipulated this timeline so that no superheroes or major events existed here, the basic framework shouldn't have changed.
There was no reason for him to completely redesign the entire world map just to erase a few people.
If this timeline had diverged hundreds or thousands of years ago and developed independently, then it would be impossible for so many countries to share nearly identical names and histories.
Furthermore, Qin Xiao had already found online references to a nation called Wakanda — a tiny African country almost nobody knew about.
However, its king was neither of the Black Panthers Qin Xiao remembered from his previous life.
Still, since he had already come this far, Qin Xiao wanted to investigate more thoroughly and search for additional traces of Marvel's existence.
The Hong Kong Sanctum was one of those clues.
According to the Ancient One, the Hong Kong Sanctum wasn't originally built by the Masters of Kamar-Taj.
It had once been an antique shop constructed by locals before later being purchased and remodeled internally by the Ancient One herself.
She had especially loved the building's round window, believing it perfectly matched the aesthetic of Kamar-Taj.
That was why both the London Sanctum and New York Sanctum were later designed based on the Hong Kong Sanctum's appearance — especially its iconic circular window.
Unfortunately, Qin Xiao failed to find the so-called Hong Kong Sanctum.
Yes.
Unfortunately.
By now, Qin Xiao had developed deep emotional ties to the Marvel world.
He didn't know whether, as he gradually completed more missions, the system might someday present some ultimate final task.
And if he completed that task… would the system leave him?
If the system disappeared, would he still be able to remain in that world?
But if this place truly formed the opposite end of a closed temporal loop, things would be different.
In the later Marvel timeline, whether through the TVA or advancements involving the Quantum Realm, traveling between Marvel universes had already become possible.
So deep down, Qin Xiao genuinely hoped this world was the other side of Marvel's temporal loop.
And honestly… it probably was.
After all, who ever heard of chain reincarnation without limit?
Unless there were multiple worlds involved, this world serving as the "base reality" made the most sense.
Qin Xiao already understood this in his heart.
Still, without gathering more supporting evidence, he couldn't shake the unease lingering inside him.
Feeling frustrated, he entered a tea restaurant.
This was one of the few things in Hong Kong that comforted him.
Many tea restaurants served simple food, but the flavors were genuinely excellent.
It was already close to 10:30 PM, nearly closing time for the restaurant.
A few longtime neighborhood regulars sat chatting with the owner, bragging about stories from the past.
Qin Xiao absentmindedly finished his meal.
Just as he got up to pay and leave, something caught his attention.
One of the old neighbors was holding a photo album.
Inside was a yellowed old photograph.
Judging by the surrounding buildings and the way the people were dressed, it was probably taken in Hong Kong during the 1960s or 70s.
Over a dozen people stood in front of a three-story building located at a street corner.
And on that building…
was the Sanctum's unmistakable circular window.
—
Sorry for being late today. My child had some issues, and I spent the entire day dealing with it. I just got home and hurried to write this chapter first. In a little while I still need to bathe the kid and take care of a few things. Once the child falls asleep, I'll continue writing and make up for the missed update!
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