The Genie gave Li Ming a puzzled look. As far as he knew, while there was more than one Genie Lamp in existence, he was absolutely the only one nearby—could this mage possibly have another lamp in his possession?
As for Li Ming's question, it also left the Genie somewhat bewildered. Two powerful Genies working together to fulfill a single "return home" wish seemed like it had a decent chance of success, but he had never attempted such a thing before. Who knew if it would work? What if it still failed?
How should he answer this? After some thought, the Genie scratched his head and said, "Why don't you give it a try?"
Li Ming glanced at the wine glass in his hand, then squinted at the Portal with a smile. "No rush. The other Genie hasn't made his appearance yet. Let's chat about something else first—like..." He paused, then asked, "Can your magic be taught to others?"
Another Genie hasn't appeared? The Genie followed Li Ming's gaze toward the Portal. I've lived in the Cave of Wonders for quite a while, and I've never seen another Genie in there...
Frowning slightly, the Genie couldn't shake the feeling that Li Ming was scheming something.
Tilting his head, the Genie shrugged. "Theoretically, a Genie's magic can be taught to others. But in reality, some spells can only be safely used by Genies because the cost is too great—ordinary mages like you couldn't bear it." He tapped the bracelet on his wrist and explained, "The reason Genies can endure the cost is because of this thing. Though it restricts my freedom, it also protects me."
Li Ming nodded subtly, his eyes flickering toward Jafar inside the Portal as he stroked his chin. "Perhaps I've thought of my first wish—how about you teach me magic?"
The Genie smiled and shook his head. "It's possible, but I'd advise against phrasing it that way. While Genies can fulfill any wish—" He suddenly remembered that Li Ming's "return home" wish was one he couldn't fulfill, and that wasn't even one of the three impossible wishes. Awkwardly, he corrected himself, "Well, Genies can fulfill most wishes—but that's not the point."
"The point is, when Genies grant wishes, there's usually a lot of gray area. Typically, we take the most direct and straightforward approach to fulfill the summoner's desire." The Genie pointed at Li Ming's forehead. "If you want my spells, the quickest and simplest method would be for me to cram all that vast magical knowledge directly into your mind. And you—"
He spread his hands. "Your brain probably couldn't handle that sudden influx of knowledge. You'd go insane on the spot."
Li Ming rubbed his brow, then pulled out a matchbox-sized Spellbook from his pocket. As he enlarged the long-unused book and handed it to the Genie, he said, "What if you recorded your spells in detail in this book? How would that work?"
The Genie took the Spellbook and immediately recognized its extraordinary nature. Despite its modest thickness, it had more than enough space to record all his magic.Nodding excitedly while rubbing his hands, the Genie said, "A fine book, a fine method indeed. So you're certain this is your first wish?"
The Genie couldn't help his excitement. Li Ming's third wish had already been made in advance—the kind that would grant him freedom. So, as long as he fulfilled Li Ming's two remaining wishes, he would finally be free from the Genie's shackles.
Now, with Li Ming about to make another wish, bringing him one step closer to the promised freedom, it was no wonder the Genie was thrilled.
On the other hand, Li Ming knew well that knowledge was power. If the Genie couldn't send him home, then choosing knowledge was the best possible option, as the journey home required strength.
With that in mind, Li Ming remained silent, simply wiping the Genie Lamp and making his wish—for the Genie to record all magical knowledge into the Spellbook.
The moment Li Ming made his wish, the Genie grabbed the Spellbook and soared into the sky, singing and dancing wildly to vent his excitement.
It seemed this Genie had quite a fondness for singing and dancing.
Before long, the Genie flew back to Li Ming's side, flashing a bright grin. With a pointed finger at the Spellbook, its pages began flipping rapidly, recording the Genie's magical knowledge at lightning speed.
After about a minute, the Spellbook slowly closed.
The Genie handed the book to Li Ming with both hands, grinning. "Respected mage, your wish has been granted."
Li Ming took the Spellbook and began flipping through it, smiling as he said, "Thanks. Oh, and let me congratulate you in advance—once you and the other Genie work together to send me home, the third wish I made earlier will take effect immediately, and you'll be free from then on."
His words made it clear what his remaining wish was, letting the Genie know that his freedom was now within reach.
At that moment, an awkward expression suddenly crossed the Genie's face.
"Uh... I haven't thanked you yet for granting me freedom." Clearly, the Genie had just realized he'd forgotten to express his gratitude to Li Ming, which was rather embarrassing for one of the most powerful beings in the universe.
After some thought, the Genie decided he could still make up for it. Eager to please, he said, "Is there anything else I can do for you? Like..." Glancing around as if scratching his head, he waved his hand and summoned some delicacies and fruits onto the magic carpet. "How about some snacks to go with drinks?"
Li Ming rubbed his stomach. Truth be told, after following Jafar all this way without a drop of water, he was starving. Seeing the food and fruits, he didn't hesitate to dig in.
Taking a bite of lamb chop, Li Ming spoke with his mouth full, "Don't thank me just yet. If you and the other Genie can't send me home together, you might be waiting a long time for that last wish. After all, I consider myself fairly capable—most problems I can handle on my own."
Struggling to swallow the food in his mouth, Li Ming took a large gulp of wine and continued, "Perhaps by the time I make my final wish, you'll have long grown tired of waiting."
The Genie smiled. He had waited alone in the Genie Lamp for freedom for who knew how many years. If it came to patience, he considered himself unmatched in the world.
"Having hope is still better than not having any at all before."
Li Ming paused, his gaze drifting once more toward the Portal. He muttered softly, "Yeah, having hope is better than none at all."
Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, he concealed his emotions before casually tossing an apple to the Genie. Squinting, he asked, "How did you become a Genie in the first place?"
The Genie, who had caught the apple and taken a bite, froze for a moment. A complicated, bitter smile crossed his face as he slowly began recounting his past. Meanwhile, Li Ming used the Genie's story as a drinking companion, gulping down wine in large mouthfuls, occasionally interjecting with his own thoughts and discussing a few points with the Genie.
By the time the Genie finished telling his story, Li Ming had already become friends with him.
Rubbing his full belly, Li Ming glanced at the busy Jafar and, with heavy drunkenness in his voice, said to the Genie, "I can't go on—I've had too much to drink. I need to sleep for a while. Do you want to rest in the Genie Lamp, or would you rather wander around on your own?"
"Genies have no freedom to speak of. Unless it's to fulfill the summoner's wishes, I can only stay inside this brass-colored Genie Lamp."
Just as the Genie was about to return to the lamp, he glanced at Jafar and whispered a warning into Li Ming's ear: "The rule of the lamp is that whoever rubs it gets my service. You'd better be on guard while you sleep." He subtly pointed at Jafar and added, "I can tell he's no good. If he steals the lamp and summons me, I'll have to grant his wishes—even if he wishes to become stronger than you."
The problem is, I need Jafar to steal the lamp. Otherwise, how will the second Genie appear? Feigning disdain, Li Ming pointed at Klee Che and said, "Him? Steal the lamp? I don't mean to underestimate him, but he probably can't even beat my servant, can he?"
The Genie tilted his head, sizing up Klee Che. After comparing his strength to Jafar's, he shrugged and chuckled. "Never mind, then."
With that, the Genie transformed into blue smoke and vanished back into the lamp.
Li Ming glanced at the lamp beside him, then leaned over to whisper something into Klee Che's ear. Klee Che blinked his large eyes and nodded silently, signaling that he understood what to do.
Before long, inside the Cave of Wonders, Jafar carried a pile of magical materials and placed them outside the Portal. Just as he turned to return to the cave, he heard Li Ming, who had drunkenly collapsed onto the magic carpet, mutter unconsciously, "Klee Che... water... fetch me some water."
Jafar's footsteps halted. His gaze shifted subtly toward Klee Che, who had floated into the air and was preparing to head toward the water source.Once certain that Klee Che had left, Jafar greedily turned his gaze to the Genie Lamp at Li Ming's feet.
This is my chance. If I can get the Genie Lamp, the Genie can help me break free from control. Not only that, I can become stronger than him and make that damned mage my servant.
With this thought, Jafar picked up a piece of high-grade magical material—just in case Li Ming woke up unexpectedly—so he could use the excuse of presenting the material to avoid punishment.
As the saying goes, you can never wake someone who is pretending to sleep. This perfectly described Li Ming at this moment. He had already planned for Jafar to obtain the Genie Lamp, so even if Jafar tiptoed toward him now, it wouldn't matter.
Even if Jafar set off firecrackers right now, the "drunken" Li Ming would at most blink his eyelids to signal it was too loud, cover his ears, and continue sleeping. After all, Li Ming wouldn't open his eyes unless Jafar took the Genie Lamp.
As for Jafar, he was already consumed by greed and had no mind left to consider whether this was a trap Li Ming had deliberately set.
Soon, Jafar reached Li Ming's side, swiftly grabbed the Genie Lamp, and turned to run while rubbing it to summon the Genie.
The moment Jafar summoned the Genie, Li Ming grinned and cast a spell toward the lamp, saying, "Lamp, fly to me."
Needless to say, the lamp immediately slipped from Jafar's grasp and flew into Li Ming's hand.
After a brief moment of panic, Jafar glanced at the towering Genie beside him, which gave him some sense of security.
Now that the Genie had been summoned—and by him—he was no longer the insignificant underling groveling before Li Ming.
The only problem was the slave Contract on him, but that didn't matter. As long as he made a wish stronger than Li Ming's before Li Ming could punish him, he'd be fine.
Meanwhile, Li Ming tossed the Genie Lamp in his hand and said with a smirk, "You think being stronger than me is enough? The Genie Lamp is in my hands now. If I make a wish stronger than yours—or even stronger than the Genie itself—you still won't be my match."
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