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*****
June, the sun was blazing.
Nearly a month had passed since the meeting with the Ancient One, and Fini only had a few credits left before he could apply for graduation.
Although universities placed more weight on a student's internship experience and recommendations, Fini's grades were more than enough to secure admission, so he had nothing to worry about.
It was worth mentioning that Carson had returned to school a few weeks ago. He hadn't come looking for trouble, which surprised Fini. Fini initially thought the guy was planning something in the shadows, until he found an opportunity to use the excuse of a "reconciliation" to probe with *Ars Magna* to find out the truth.
As it turned out, Carson had indeed wanted to cause trouble during his leave of absence. However, after accidentally discovering that Fini's parents were both prominent lawyers, he hesitated.
In this country, "Lawyer" is a very special profession; no one wants to offend a powerful attorney. Although Carson was reckless, he wasn't truly stupid.
After weighing the consequences of offending Fini, he decided to swallow his pride. Most importantly, he was also graduating soon and didn't want any major incidents during this time.
Upon learning this, Fini didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Still, the outcome was good. He used *Ars Magna* to slightly reinforce Carson's desire to stay out of trouble and then ignored the matter entirely.
The most important task for Fini now was to quickly finish his credits, graduate, and find the location of the New York Sanctum to have a proper talk with the Ancient One.
During this time, he had been constantly pondering the Ancient One's purpose for appearing that day. Given the information imbalance, he ultimately felt that the possibility of it being due to *Incursio* was the highest.
Consequently, during this month, aside from testing the effects of *Incursio* a few times on weekends, he never used it at all.
As for becoming a superhero or making a debut before Iron Man, he hadn't even considered it.
If he could hide away until he was invincible before stepping out into the world, that would be for the best. But given his current rate of strength growth, that was clearly unlikely.
Kamar-Taj was extremely important to Fini. Even if he couldn't learn magic from the Ancient One, that place could allow him to increase his strength rapidly.
The growth of the experience bar was related to using skills in combat. Aside from the "Snake" Shield and some hard-to-find organizations, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were the most capable group of people, and he wouldn't have to worry about hiding his abilities there.
Sparring with them daily would definitely be much faster than selling chicken rolls in a shop. Especially since he now had *Incursio*, he wouldn't necessarily be weaker than an average sorcerer.
"Congratulations, you've graduated."
With the issuance of his diploma, Fini finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even the sweltering weather felt a bit cooler. University didn't start for a while; he finally had a period of freedom.
At the graduation ceremony, looking at the bustling crowds and his happy parents and Skye, Fini felt a sense of peace and serenity. He had once wondered if it was a bit indulgent to spend his time leisurely going to school when the world was going to fall into chaos in a few years.
He had also hesitated about dropping out to search the world for ways to increase his strength. This world hid many secrets, and if he looked carefully, he would definitely find something.
But every time he saw the aging faces of his parents, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He asked himself seriously: what did he truly want in this world?
Returning to his previous world was something he thought about when he first arrived, but as he grew accustomed to this life, that thought had gradually faded.
In this world, he had a pair of parents who doted on him, a cute but not-so-obedient sister, and a set of special abilities. Although the surroundings were a bit dangerous, his life was overall better than before.
Besides, as long as he continued to grow, he still had the chance to become invincible.
After thinking for a long time, Fini realized that what he really wanted was simply to live freely. He could have a sense of urgency about impending danger, but he couldn't let that urgency control him.
He could enjoy a comfortable and quiet life, but he couldn't forget the dangers he might face. So, he ultimately chose not to seek power at all costs, but to move forward step by step according to his own thoughts.
Looking at everything before him now, Fini felt he hadn't made a mistake. Some parts of life, once missed, might not be reversible even with the Time Stone.
That evening, the Halsey family was still discussing the graduation. Regarding Fini's choice of Ancient Languages as a major, his parents didn't mind.
They were already high-income earners; even Fini himself had made a fortune from the *Sumire Karaage Rolls* over the past two years, so there was no need to pick a major specifically for job prospects.
The next day, Fini woke up early and felt a bit out of place realizing he didn't have to go to class anymore, but he quickly felt the joy of being able to arrange his time freely.
However, during breakfast, Skye looked listless, which he found strange. "What's wrong? Didn't sleep well?"
Skye shook her head. Resting her delicate face on her hand, she said weakly, "Now that you're not going to the shop anymore, I suddenly don't know what to do."
"You could find a job!" Fini glanced at the lazy Skye and said in a helpless tone, "By the way, you graduated two years ago, right? It seems you've never had a proper job."
This made Skye's face flush red. she retorted aggressively, "Who says I haven't? I make money writing software for people online!"
"That's great. Just don't ask me for a loan when you update your equipment next time!"
Fini tilted his head, looking like he was daring her to accept the challenge.
Skye opened her mouth in a struggle. Her heart desperately wanted to say, "Fine, I won't borrow anything," but her honest body told her that if she didn't borrow, she really might not be able to afford a new computer.
"Hmph!"
In the end, she could only give Fini a huffy glare, skipped her breakfast, grabbed her bag, and left the house.
Having completed his daily routine of teasing his sister, Fini finished his breakfast in a good mood. But thinking about the next task, he started to feel anxious again.
New York is a massive city of over 1,200 square kilometers. Trying to find an unremarkable, possibly even magically hidden house here was truly no simple task.
Fini had thought about it for a month. After trying online map searches, wandering around aimlessly, and various other methods, he finally came up with an idea.
Before leaving, Fini took out an old, worn compass he had spent a long time scouring second-hand markets to find. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind and gave a low, focused command:
"Grant this compass special power; let it point to the place its owner most desires to go!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the previously still compass needle suddenly began to move erratically. After spinning a few times, it came to a halt, pointing in one specific direction.
"Success!"
Fini, feeling a bit dizzy, suppressed his inner excitement. Fortunately, he had a reference in his mind, so the success rate of using *Ars Magna* was much higher, and his concentration was clearer.
Of course, the main reason was that although this item was special, its function was very simple and it didn't involve factors that directly damaged the world, which is why it succeeded.
Thanks to Captain Jack Sparrow!
Fini gripped the compass and offered a word of praise. He set off immediately in the direction indicated. Currently, the power granted by *Ars Magna* was not permanent, so the compass might fail at any time.
(End of Chapter)