Rest assured, I’ll only read for one day (Bonus Chapter for Tips)

"Wait."

Old Wang reached out, and every item bearing magical power fell from the corpses and flew into his hand:

A full twelve Sling Rings, along with several magical artifacts whose quality looked terrible at a glance.

This world’s magical system was truly dreadful. Almost no one understood alchemy, enchanting, or inscriptions. Aside from the indispensable Sling Rings, there were even fewer magical artifacts than mages.

What mage in World of Warcraft dared leave home without a full set of over a dozen pieces of magical equipment, a bag of alchemical potions, a bundle of glyphs, and a huge pile of food, with every piece of gear enchanted and socketed with gems?

Not only were they scarce, but their quality was also worrying.

They merely sealed certain spells inside items made of special materials—simple and crude.

The truly good stuff was all in Kamar-Taj or the Three Sanctums.

Only sufficiently powerful magical artifacts could be called "divine artifacts." The New York Sanctum alone had no fewer than ten.

That was a rogue’s paradise.

I should have chosen rogue back then… Meeting Ancient One’s probing gaze, Old Wang replied calmly, "These are my spoils of war."

The moment he spoke, all the magical artifacts vanished and entered the Heart of Azeroth.

Ancient One had long seen through worldly affairs and understood human nature. She would not fuss with Old Wang over such things, nor did she care for them.

She had already taken life and death lightly, much less worldly possessions.

Leaving Old Wang with her stunning back and gleaming bald head, Ancient One turned and walked into the portal.

"Wang, are you okay?"

As the Mirror Dimension vanished, Skye, Daredevil, and the others hurriedly gathered around him. If Ancient One had looked like an enemy, they would have attacked long ago.

Fortunately, she did not.

"Master Wang, who was she? Her heartbeat and breathing were stable, but her body was extremely weak. Her life state was strange—she should have died long ago," Daredevil said, puzzled.

Ancient One’s physical condition was beyond his comprehension. Someone with such frail life force was somehow still alive. Could it be that what sustained her was not life force, but something else?

Could she still be considered alive?

At those words, Simmons’s eyes lit up at once. She was eager to drag that person back for a thorough study.

Fitz nervously grabbed hold of her.

"I’m fine. Be careful while I’m gone. Kaecilius escaped, and he may come back."

"That was Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme—the protector of Earth and the most powerful mage."

"Continue the brain mapping and memory uploading. Wait for my return."

"The dead deserve respect. Find a place to bury these bodies and lay them to rest properly."

After giving a few instructions, Old Wang took one step forward and, in the blink of an eye, was already thousands of miles away.

Kathmandu lay on the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains, where natural barriers shielded the city from the cold northern winds.

The climate here was pleasant, with sunshine all year round. Known as a "paradise in the mountains," its scenery differed naturally from anywhere else and was filled with exotic charm.

The Sorcerer Supreme truly had good taste in building a sacred land for mages in a place like this.

On the surface, Kamar-Taj was located in a bustling district, but in reality, it belonged to an independent space. Without someone to guide them, no one could enter.

Old Wang could clearly sense the changes in space and time here. Though it was far less enchanting or dangerous than the Caverns of Time and Karazhan, it had its own features. For example, one could see the scenery outside, make phone calls, and even use WiFi.

The portal had opened in a courtyard, where a burly Black man was leading dozens of apprentices through training.

Stern, cold, and meticulous.

The magical boots on his feet and the staff in his hand revealed his identity:

Baron Mordo, Ancient One’s most valued disciple—still alive.

He had entered even earlier than Kaecilius. Young and healthy, strong-bodied and energetic, he was filled with justice, a sense of duty, and… a sense of tragedy.

"Sorcerer Supreme."

Seeing Ancient One appear, all the mages hurriedly bowed respectfully.

The mages had varying attitudes toward Old Wang, who stood beside Ancient One. Some were curious, while others were displeased:

None of us are qualified to stand beside the Sorcerer Supreme. You’re being presumptuous, disrespectful, and desecrating the Goddess!

Naturally, no one said anything. They were all adults; no one would openly criticize him to his face. They could only whisper among themselves after the parties involved had left.

Ancient One smiled and nodded, treating everyone kindly, before leading Old Wang to the library.

Kamar-Taj’s library was not particularly large. Its collection could not compare to national libraries or even university libraries, but every book was a masterpiece, and a large portion were rare or even unique editions.

Any random one taken out for auction would fetch at least seven figures, yet they were priceless and impossible to buy.

Generations of mages had continuously contributed to the library, building it up to its current scale.

It could basically be said that this library contained the richest magical knowledge in the entire universe, recorded the greatest number of spells, and preserved the most detailed and extensive history of magic.

The most important and precious section, naturally, was the restricted area—the private collections of generations of Sorcerer Supremes.

The few shelves were covered in magical protections invisible to the naked eye. Every book was bound by magical chains and could not be read freely.

The pursuit of knowledge was a human instinct, but sometimes knowledge was harmful to those unqualified to possess it.

"Please put it here." Ancient One pointed to a certain spot.

It was an empty space, flanked by a book on either side. They appeared somewhat different from the other books.

"The Book of Vishanti, the origin of all white magic; the Book of Cagliostro, the Book of Time."

Ancient One tempted him. "As long as you are willing to join Kamar-Taj or the Three Sanctums, you may read every book here. Your mind is nearly as strong as mine, and your body surpasses even most Iron Fists throughout history. These two books will be open to you as well. I believe you can restrain yourself."

"You think too highly of me."

Old Wang knew perfectly well that he definitely would not be able to restrain himself.

If he truly got his hands on them, he might toss them into the Heart of Azeroth for an exchange immediately. After all, he was not cut out to be a mage.

But that would lead to only one outcome: being hunted by the Sorcerer Supreme, all the way to the ends of the earth…

Placing the Darkhold in its spot, Old Wang thought for a moment before asking, "If I pay money, or offer something else, can I borrow them or copy them?"

Ancient One smiled and shook her head. "Knowledge is priceless."

"I know there are reading websites online where you can read as long as you pay. I also know there are plenty of pirated websites where you can read for free," Old Wang countered.

Ancient One: "…"

After thinking for a moment, she said, "If you consider this the price of giving up the Darkhold, then my answer is yes. But only here, and you may not copy anything. There is no time limit. Every book in the restricted area has magical protection that forbids copying or transcription by any means."

"What about these?" Old Wang held out his hand, and his earlier spoils appeared in it, with only the Sling Rings left behind.

Those things were still useful.

Ancient One shook her head again. "They cannot compare to the Darkhold."

Old Wang smiled. "I’ll only read for one day."

Thanks to New Martian for the 500 tip, Ziyuan882 for the 100 tip, and Zhong Huohuo for the 500 tip!