Though the Genie's dream of traveling the world to embrace his newfound freedom was admirable, actually achieving it would be fraught with challenges.
The main issue was that the era of Aladdin's tale was far less safe than the future. Bandits could easily be lurking in roadside haystacks.
When the Genie regained his freedom, all his magical powers vanished. If he encountered robbers during his travels, he might manage to hold his own with his agility—but what if they attacked in numbers? His only options would be surrender or, well, surrender.
Thus, Li Ming's gift of the magic carpet was a timely blessing, adding a layer of safety to the Genie's future journeys.Apart from that, after Li Ming and the Genie enjoyed a lavish meal, Li Ming waved his hand to open a Portal connecting to the Cave of Wonders. "Traveling requires money," Li Ming said, pointing to the gold and gems before the Portal. "Though some say budget travel has its own charm, I'll still give you some funds. At least you won't have to worry about your next meal on the road, allowing you to fully enjoy your journey and savor the cultural beauty of exotic lands..." The Genie glanced at the gold and jewels before the Portal, then back at Li Ming.
He had spent quite some time with Li Ming, and as a millennium-old being, there was no human drama he hadn't witnessed. He'd seen countless brothers turn on each other for the right to use the Genie Lamp, making him quite adept at understanding human nature.
The Genie wouldn't claim to fully comprehend Li Ming, but he knew enough to realize Li Ming was far from benevolent. Now, not only had he been granted freedom, but he was also given a magic carpet and allowed to take gold and jewels freely. This made the Genie vaguely aware that Li Ming had something to ask him.
After a moment's thought, the Genie smiled. "Austin, just ask whatever you want. No need for such courtesy."
Li Ming paused, then understood what the Genie was thinking. He shook his head inwardly, amused. His kindness toward the Genie stemmed purely from childhood memories of watching the 'Aladdin' cartoon.
Compared to the protagonist Aladdin, young Li Ming had preferred the comical Genie. Though the Genie before him differed greatly from the animated version, Li Ming couldn't help but superimpose the cartoon image onto him.
If he had to explain his kindness, it was simply nostalgia for his childhood—a purity long discarded into the non-recyclable trash bin.
Li Ming glanced at the Genie. He saw no need to explain; misunderstandings didn't bother him. After all, he was a mage, and the Genie was just an ordinary being. Who was afraid of whom?
After some thought, Li Ming pulled out the Genie Lamp housing Jafar from his satchel. "How can I make sure he obediently fulfills my wishes when I make them?"
"Well..." The Genie stroked his beard, tilted his head in thought, then spread his hands with a wry smile. "It's difficult."
"Difficult?" Li Ming narrowed his eyes. "Meaning it's not impossible?"
"Exactly," the Genie explained after consideration. "The more detailed your wish description, the better. Treat wishing like making a deal with the Devil—only the most meticulous Contracts leave no loopholes for the Devil to exploit. But..."The Genie shrugged and said, "Nothing in this world is perfect. Even the most detailed Contract has loopholes. Besides, when making a wish to a Genie, the final interpretation lies with the Genie—not to mention that ordinary people don't even know what rules the Genie has to follow. So, what do you think you should do to make a Genie obediently comply?"
"That's exactly why I said it's difficult."
In fact, the moment the Genie mentioned "the final interpretation lies with the Genie," Li Ming already knew he had no way to deal with Jafar. Moreover, he and Jafar were enemies—there was no way Jafar would willingly fulfill his wishes.
However, abandoning Jafar, this troublesome Genie, in the "Aladdin" world made Li Ming feel somewhat reluctant.
In the end, after weighing his options, Li Ming decided to take Jafar back to the Marvel world as a collectible. But just in case, before leaving this world, he needed Klee Che to make a wish forcing Jafar to unconditionally keep all of Li Ming's affairs confidential—lest this big-mouthed Genie blabbered carelessly.
Li Ming asked, "There's another question—can any living being rub the Genie Lamp and make a wish?"
"Any living being?" The Genie instinctively glanced at Klee Che. At the scene, Klee Che was the only one who fell under the category of "other living beings," but the Genie had seen Klee Che summon Jafar before, so Li Ming probably wasn't referring to Klee Che.
This made the Genie curious about what Li Ming meant by "other living beings," but he also understood that he was just an ordinary person now. Knowing too much wouldn't be good—especially being curious about the secrets of a dark mage.
Organizing his words, the Genie explained, "Theoretically, any living being who rubs the Genie Lamp will have their wish fulfilled, but the language they speak must be understandable to the Genie. Otherwise, the Genie has the right to refuse granting the wish." After a pause, he added, "In fact, some Genies can understand animal speech, but they can simply pretend not to and refuse to fulfill the wish."
"For example, if a monkey rubs the Genie Lamp, the Genie can choose whether or not to grant the monkey's wish."
At this point, the Genie suddenly remembered something and warned, "Austin, from now on, make your wishes in Arabic. Otherwise, Jafar might pretend not to understand and refuse or twist your wish—especially the latter, which would waste one of your wishes for nothing."
Li Ming found this somewhat amusing and rolled his eyes. "So Arabic is the official designated language for Magic Lamp Genies?" The Genie, however, didn't see anything funny about it and nodded seriously in confirmation.
Well, from now on, if anyone wanted to borrow the Genie Lamp, Li Ming figured he'd better ask if they knew Arabic first. Otherwise, if someone accused Jafar of being a fake, defective Genie, where would Li Ming's dignity go?However, as long as any creature who knows Arabic rubs the Genie Lamp, Jafar must fulfill their wish? Should I teach the Dementors Arabic? They don't need to learn much—just one phrase: "Grant Li Ming one wish." By then, I'll have 365 Dementors, each with three wishes. Heh heh, Jafar, oh Jafar, I'll work you to death.
After indulging in his fantasy, Li Ming continued listening to the Genie explain the details about the Magic Lamp Genie.
Only after the Genie had told Li Ming everything he needed to know—and some things he didn't—did he finally board the magic carpet with enough gold and jewels to last several lifetimes, embarking on his new life.
Once the Genie's figure vanished beyond the horizon, Li Ming turned and walked over to the strange scythe that had been discarded earlier. Speaking in Undead Language, he said, "Wangcai, bring your kin out."
In no time, 365 Dementors hovered above Li Ming, blotting out the sky and moon—a truly spectacular sight. Then, the Dementors scattered, freely searching for food to feast on.
Li Ming didn't bother with where the Dementors went to find food, only instructing them not to feed in Agrabah. He sat down on a sand dune by himself, pulling out an assortment of materials to craft a new home for the Dementors.
Previously, the Dementors had lived inside the scythe. Though cramped, it was a decent dwelling from a safety perspective, especially since the scythe didn't emit Hellfire back then.
But Li Ming's new scythe was different. The entrance was constantly burning with Hellfire, and even with Li Ming's control, there was still a chance the Dementors could accidentally be reduced to ashes.
For example, during intense combat, if Li Ming was busy swinging his Hellfire-engulfed scythe in close-quarters combat, would he really have the presence of mind to worry about whether the Dementors had caught fire?
Of course not. He'd deal with the enemy first and worry about how many Dementors got burned later.
So, considering the Dementors' future safety, Li Ming decided not to inscribe the "Undetectable Extension Charm" on the scythe at all. Instead, he opted to build them a completely new residence.
At the same time, the Dementors' new home would also serve as Li Ming's flying artifact.
This was partly why Li Ming didn't mind giving the magic carpet to the Genie—carving a home for Dementors onto the carpet would have been quite a hassle.
Additionally, another reason Li Ming didn't need the magic carpet was that the mage who originally designed and crafted it hadn't intended it for combat.
From the start, the magic carpet was designed for smooth flight.
To put it simply, the magic carpet was like a luxurious private jet—prioritizing comfort and stability over maneuverability. After all, better agility often meant more turbulence and airsickness.
But Li Ming was a combat mage. Flying on a magic carpet in battle would be no different from painting a target on his back. What he needed was a flying artifact with fighter jet performance, allowing him to dodge danger with agility.As for motion sickness, Li Ming could confidently boast that he would never suffer from it in this lifetime, because the portal had long since trained him to remain unfazed by any kind of dizziness.
Over the next few days, Li Ming devoted himself entirely to the flying artifact until he sensed the quantum energy within him weakening. Only then did he summon back the Dementors that had gone out to hunt.
To be fair, the Dementors were quite satisfied with their new home. The interior space was spacious enough—far more comfortable than the cramped little room less than 10 square meters they had squeezed into as a family of three before. Now, the three of them could even roll around freely inside without bumping into each other.
Of course, this was only possible because the Dementors' Undead Language didn't produce air vibrations. If they spoke in human language at home, the echoes would probably reverberate throughout the room.
As for the exterior appearance, the Dementors didn't mind, but Li Ming did—especially since this was his first time crafting a figurine. It had to look good.
To that end, Li Ming deliberately designed the flying tool to be highly distinctive, modeled after something he had yearned for since childhood—the Somersault Cloud. And not just any Somersault Cloud, but a black, invisible one.
Of course, the performance of this knockoff Somersault Cloud was nothing to write home about—it was leagues behind the genuine article. But given that this was Li Ming's first attempt at crafting a figurine, it was forgivable.
Once the Dementors settled into their new home, Li Ming slung a single-shoulder bag over his back and returned to the skies above Agrabah. With a wave of his hand, he opened the portal.
Back in the Marvel world, the moment Li Ming stepped onto the floor of his RV, he sensed someone surveilling it nearby.
Scratching his head, Li Ming took out his scythe and draped a cloak over his shoulders. Just as he was about to push open the door, a sudden warning of danger flashed through his mind: What's going on? Someone dares to ambush me right outside my own door?