Blake returned to the real world. Although Ancient One's analysis was logical and well-supported, Blake felt he needed to verify it himself for peace of mind.
Based on the way time seems to stand still when traveling between the two worlds, it was very likely that Ancient One's analysis was indeed the truth.
Upon returning, Blake first went to visit Comrade Shi.
As soon as Shi saw Blake, he burst into joyful laughter.
"Brother, do you remember that golden coffin from last time? Melting that thing down was too much trouble. I originally planned to find a wealthy buyer and just sell it. Guess what happened?"
Shi's face was full of wrinkles from laughing, resembling a chrysanthemum swaying in the wind.
"A Middle Eastern tycoon took a liking to it and said he wanted to buy it for himself after he passed away. He offered five times the value of the gold—five times! These rich oil barons have more money than sense. I should make more of these things and sell them to these bumpkins!"
As he spoke, Shi pulled out a bank card and handed it to Blake.
"I'm just a wanderer, running errands here and there. Last time, helping you out was easy and profitable. Afterward, you gave me such a large piece of gold. Honestly, I treated it as a tip for helping out. Whether it's a lot or a little, it's your generosity."
"But with a deal like that, the extra money was thanks to you. If you had just given me a pile of gold, it wouldn't have fetched this price. The gold was your tip, and I took that, but this extra money—it's yours!"
This left Blake a bit surprised, giving him a new impression of Shi.
However, he was more curious—was that Middle Eastern tycoon really so foolish? If he liked it that much, couldn't he just have one made?
"Seriously, Brother Shi, was that tycoon really that gullible? Did he see the coffin and just start raising the price?"
Shi stroked his chin and chuckled.
"Not exactly. I was going to make it look like an antique and brag about it, but who knew... Haha! Anyway, I wasn't deliberately trying to scam him."
Blake couldn't help but laugh. "Well, in that case, this money was earned by your own skill, Brother Shi. You should keep it for yourself."
As for the Middle Eastern tycoon, Shi didn't really know his background.
Middle Eastern tycoons from around the world might be illegitimate sons of tribal chiefs from the UAE, or just one of the many princes from some small, less favored country.
Many of them hid their origins deeply, and Shi had no way to investigate further.
Blake didn't have much recourse either. He didn't have such extensive intelligence networks at his disposal here.
After declining several times, Blake finally accepted half of the money under Shi's insistence.
It was a pleasant surprise.
However, this wasn't the main reason for his return. Blake originally thought that being in the Marvel world was just temporary, and that he would eventually return to live here.
But now, it seemed things were more complicated. Blake no longer had the mind to develop any influence here.
Instead, he packed a few clothes, carried a backpack, and headed to Hong Kong.
Blake went this time to confirm a few things. In fact, while in Shanghai, he had already checked into it.
This world didn't have any so-called superheroes. It was 2020, but there was no pandemic like in the real world, nor was there the Snap from the Marvel timeline.
If this world was truly one of the Marvel timelines, then it was likely that Kang the Conqueror had created a relatively peaceful and stable timeline to ensure a closed loop.
Hong Kong, though small, had a high population and building density. Blake wandered for three days before he felt he had fully explored this city, known as Asia's financial hub.
According to the Ancient One, all timelines followed a predetermined path of development. But if this world was at the other end of a time loop, in principle, it could be considered a branch of the Marvel world. Even though, under Kang's manipulation, this world lacked superheroes and major events, the fundamental framework wouldn't change. There was no reason Kang would remake the entire map just to erase a few people, right?
If this timeline had begun hundreds or even thousands of years ago and developed naturally, it would be impossible for so many countries to have almost identical names and histories.
Moreover, Blake had already found a country called Wakanda online—a small, almost unknown country in Africa. However, its king wasn't any of the Black Panthers from his previous life's memories.
Since he was already here, Blake decided to be cautious and see if he could find more traces of the Marvel universe.
The Hong Kong Sanctum was one such place. Ancient One had mentioned that it wasn't built by the people of Kamar-Taj but by locals. Originally, it was an antique shop that Ancient One later bought and remodeled. She thought the window design fit the style of Kamar-Taj, which is why the London and New York Sanctums were modeled after the Hong Kong Sanctum—especially that large circular window.
Unfortunately, Blake couldn't find the so-called Hong Kong Sanctum.
Yes, it was disappointing.
Blake had developed a deep attachment to the Marvel world. He didn't know whether, as he completed missions and perhaps faced some kind of ultimate mission, the system would leave him once it was completed.
If the system disappeared, would he still be able to stay in that world?
However, if this world was part of a closed time loop, it would be different. In the later stages, with the development of the Time Variance Authority or the Quantum Realm, traveling between different branches of the Marvel multiverse wouldn't be an issue anymore.
This is why Blake truly hoped that this world was the other end of the Marvel closed loop.
And it probably was. Time travel doesn't usually happen consecutively unless multiple worlds are involved, so this world, serving as the foundational one, made sense.
In his heart, Blake understood that this world was likely the other side of the closed loop. But without finding more evidence, he still felt uneasy.
Feeling frustrated, he found a cha chaan teng (a local Hong Kong-style diner), the only place in Hong Kong where Blake felt comforted. The food in many of Hong Kong's cha chaan tengs was simple, but the taste was genuinely authentic.
It was nearing 10:30 p.m., and the diner was about to close.
A few old regulars were chatting with the owner, bragging about the past.
Blake was absentmindedly finishing his meal, and as he got up to pay and leave, an old photo album in the hands of one of the regulars caught his eye.
It was a yellowed, old photograph.
Judging by the buildings and the clothing of the people in the photo, it seemed to be from the 1960s or 70s in Hong Kong.
A group of a dozen people stood in front of a three-story corner building for a picture.
And the building's window—was the same iconic circular window of the Sanctum.
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