A tall man formed from smoke, dressed in attire resembling Arabic style, couldn't help but make Michael suspicious of him.
"What's a genie? Never heard of it."
He had heard a little about famous deities in the world, and in those stories, there didn't seem to be any mention of an existence living inside an oil lamp.
"A genie is a deity inside an oil lamp who grants wishes. As long as you wish, I can make it come true. And of course, without any cost, I grant wishes for free."
Of course, he didn't say everything. It's true he can grant a wish for free, but that wish must follow the rules.
"Anything at all?"
Michael frowned; the feeling of a delicious pie falling from the sky like this wasn't the least bit believable. He'd rather believe this was a trap than believe he was just that lucky.
Moreover, an oil lamp with a genie inside... Selling it would surely fetch a good price, right?
Thinking this, his gaze toward the genie gradually grew heated. As for what wish to make, he didn't feel it was that necessary right now.
The genie's face darkened. Although he didn't have the power to read minds, that treasure-hunting look was not good at all.
"Hey, what are you thinking? If you give up the wish, I will leave. A mere mortal shouldn't dream of keeping me here."
These words poured cold water on Michael's dream of taking a deity to sell. The budding dream withered, indeed a bit regretful.
"You haven't answered my question yet."
"Of course, you can wish for anything. Just say it, but you only get one wish."
Michael thought for a moment; he felt he needed to understand more about the genie and the wish before making a decision.
"So, if I ask a question, it doesn't count as the wish, right?"
"Of course, but only questions related to me. You can't use questioning to get wishes related to infinite information and knowledge."
"Fine, then tell me, what exactly is a genie's job?"
"Huh???"
Upon hearing this question, the genie was taken aback. He vaguely had a feeling that he was about to be freed. But he wasn't completely sure, because perhaps Michael was simply curious about a strange deity.
"I travel everywhere to grant wishes. Basically, the people who get wishes are those deemed worthy of wishing. This is part of fate's arrangement; I cannot intervene."
This vague explanation made Michael feel a bit suspicious. Fate's arrangement... what did this ambiguous concept mean?
Although he wanted to ask, this answer definitely fell outside the scope of the genie's personal knowledge, so he didn't want to waste his wish on it.
"You said you travel everywhere, what do you mean by that? I don't recall ever hearing any legends about a genie. Although there are some legends about wish-granting deities, I've never seen any about a genie."
"'Travel everywhere' in my sense means traveling across various worlds."
"You mean there are many other worlds besides the one I live in?" Michael asked curiously.
"That question goes beyond myself. If this is the wish, I will answer." The genie shook his head and replied.
"Forget it, it's not that necessary. Let me think for a moment."
Michael fell into deep thought; he was weighing the benefits of becoming a genie. The man before him showed no signs of aging whatsoever. From this, he deduced he was immortal.
Immortal, able to travel to all kinds of worlds, possessing immense power even though he couldn't use it for himself.
Thinking it over, becoming a genie wasn't a bad wish. Moreover, if he could live forever, then someday when he got tired of this job, he'd have all the time in the world to find something else.
"Are you immortal?"
The genie's gaze shifted slightly. Just hearing this question, he guessed what Michael's wish was.
"Of course, otherwise, what would I rely on to travel everywhere granting wishes?" the genie affirmed firmly, not showing any loophole.
Of course, he only told half the truth; the other half he didn't mention. He truly was immortal, but it wasn't the kind of immortality Michael was imagining.
"Good, then I wish to become a genie."
As soon as Michael finished speaking, the genie's body suddenly emitted an intense light that filled the entire room. Immediately, he felt his body become lighter, as if turning into mist. He also felt a sudden, profound connection with that oil lamp.
"Hahaha, thank you for making that wish. I'm quite tired of being a genie anyway."
The genie's laughter echoed in the room as his body transformed into shimmering dust particles, gradually fading into nothingness.
"Damn it! That bastard didn't explain things clearly to me."
Michael cursed and yelled; he felt at this moment he couldn't control anything, only letting the oil lamp suck him inside.
Simultaneously, from the moment he became the new genie, the rules and abilities of a genie were transmitted into his mind.
A genie truly can grant wishes, but conditions apply. Evil wishes are not allowed. Moreover, except for the wish Michael just made, any other wishes must be personally fulfilled by the genie.
If another person wishes for something, Michael will appear in the outside world in a human body to help the other party fulfill their desire. The damn thing here is that the genie doesn't have access to all the universe's knowledge. This means he must learn everything himself each time he goes to fulfill a wish.
A genie is indeed immortal, but the body used while fulfilling a wish is not. If that body dies, it will immediately be revived inside the oil lamp but will be imprisoned there for a thousand years as punishment.
Putting everything together, aside from living a long life and being able to travel to many places, the genie has nothing else. Moreover, he must always live for others, because the genie's job is to fulfill wishes.