(Set immediately after Scrooge leaves the Infinite Hotel in Chapter 31)
The door of the Infinite Hotel closed behind Scrooge McDuck with a warm click, sealing the extradimensional interior away as if it had never been there. One blink later, he was standing on the winding stone path that led toward McDuck Manor — windswept, quiet, and entirely normal.
Except for the fact that he had just spent hours in a place outside the Omniverse.
Scrooge inhaled the crisp Duckburg air.
"Ach… nuthin' like the smell o' fresh adventure behind ye," he muttered to himself, brushing off his coat.
He adjusted his top hat, felt something shift in his pocket, and froze.
"Now… hold on a wee second…"
He reached into his pocket slowly, half-expecting the handful of coins from his training-room maze to have dissolved into dust or illusions. It would've made perfect sense — extradimensional trinkets disappearing after the adventure ends.
But the coins didn't disappear.
They clinked.
They shone.
They had weight.
They were still there.
Scrooge's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
"…it's real."
He lifted one golden coin and bit it.A satisfying CRUNCH met his beak.
"REAL GOLD! HA!"
An explosion of joy erupted from him much louder than intended. He pressed the coins to his chest, his heart pounding faster than it had in years.
"They DIDN'T vanish! They DIDN'T evaporate! They DIDN'T even depreciate!"
He examined the engraving — ancient symbols of the maze Alex had created. Each coin was perfectly minted, like currency from a lost civilization.
A normal duck might worry about the implications.
Scrooge McDuck saw possibilities.
Opportunities.
A new frontier of treasure.
He carefully tucked the handful back into his pocket.
"Aye. These beauties aren't going into the Money Bin," he decided."No… these go in the Hidden Vault. The REALLY hidden one."
His brain started working at full billionaire-adventurer speed.
What does this mean for the world economy?If he introduced too much new gold, the value of gold in Duckburg would fall. Markets would destabilize. Currencies would adjust. Darkwing Duck would complain. Gizmoduck would launch into an annoying financial lecture.
But a handful?
A handful was safe.
A handful was manageable.
A handful was profit.
And then his thoughts pivoted.
Straight to the Fountain of Youth.
"Aye… the lad Alex mentioned it does exist. If he was tellin' the truth—and I suspect he was—I'll be findin' it. Mark my words."
His eyes gleamed with the same fire he had when he hunted the Number One Dime, the Lost Jewel of Atlantis, and the Crown of Genghis Khan.
This wasn't just treasure.
This was PERSONAL.
If he found the Fountain of Youth, he could stay spry and sharp enough to continue adventuring for centuries. If he found the Fountain of Old by accident? Well… Alex gave him a clear warning. But Scrooge McDuck had avoided hundreds of cursed artifacts in his time. He'd manage this too.
"This'll be me greatest expedition yet…" he whispered.
Scrooge paused, looking downhill toward his mansion.
And there — exactly where you circled in the image — something shimmered.
A ripple in space.A distortion.A rectangular outline with brass accents and an ornate doorknob.
A door.
A familiar door.
Scrooge's feathers bristled in pure exhilaration.
"It's BACK."
Right there, on the edge of his estate, overlooking the cliff and the ocean breeze — the Infinite Hotel door settled into place as though it had always belonged there.
Scrooge felt his heart skip.
"Set up shop right on me property, did ya…?" he muttered with a smirk."Smart lad. Ye know yer clientele."
He touched his hat, winked at the door, and turned toward McDuck Manor.
"But first— the Fountain. Then? More adventures. Infinities o' them."
He took a few confident steps… then stopped.
Looked back at the shimmering extradimensional doorway.
And whispered with absolute glee:
"Once I'm done with me wee errand, ye'd best have another maze ready, Alex. Because Scrooge McDuck's comin' back."
He strutted off toward his mansion, humming an old adventurer's tune, gold coins jingling with each step.
Adventure awaited.
And now… so did infinity.