I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 598: Arriving in God’s Country
After returning from the Imperial Capital, Wang Lan had to start preparing for his trip to God’s Country. In the sequoia-lined paths within the Capital, two elders were slowly walking along the winding road.
"Tired from walking? Shall we take a break?" Eld Di said as he helped Elder Ci to a seat by the roadside.
"Time spares no one..." Eld Di sighed deeply as he leaned back against the chair.
"But have we ever spared time?" Elder Ci turned to look at Eld Di, his eyes filled with deep affection. They had missed too much in the past, and now, both of them were in the twilight of their lives.
"Do you think Wang Lan will be safe on his trip to God’s Country?"
"It’s fifty-fifty." Elder Ci looked up at the blue sky and the fiery clouds. "With that stubborn old man’s temperament, how could you not know?"
"Ah... I have let you down. I thought I would be the first to go..." Eld Di’s deep eyes gazed at Elder Ci. "Should we go and get a marriage certificate?"
"Get lost!" Elder Ci suddenly bristled. "We’re over a hundred years old, have you no shame? If you’re shameless, I still have my dignity!"
Elder Ci, feeling awkward, turned his face away. "If I had known this day would come, why did I bother in the past? Now you say this to me, what’s the point? Pity me? Sympathize with me?"
"No, you know me. At our age, what is there we cannot let go of? It’s said that to be old and not dead is to be a thief, and how many years have we been thieves? Seventy is considered a rare age, and we are already over a hundred."
"That’s right, over a hundred years old. If it weren’t for the younger generation taking good care of us, we would probably be long dead. Our generation should have come to an end long ago. To be able to help the younger generation one last time on their journey, I consider myself to have died a worthy death."
"You may have a worthy death, but I will probably just die in bed. QiQi from the Western Science Academy has been researching for half a year and still hasn’t found a solution; I’m afraid I won’t be able to use it."
"King Jiangshan has said that longevity is the Forbidden Zone of God. His success was because the Heavenly Dao spared his life. If we, mere mortals, could also be immortal, wouldn’t the Heavenly Dao collapse?"
"True, even King Jiangshan, with his extraordinary power, could only manage to live one extra lifetime. We shouldn’t harbor such delusions. That kid Yu Changdong, he’s so envious... dreaming of immortality."
"Him? Worthy!" Elder Ci scoffed.
"My proposal just now was serious, why don’t you consider it?" Eld Di returned to the previous subject, his face bearing a roguish smile.
Elder Ci’s face visibly reddened, and he spat softly, "Get lost!"
The plane took off from Modu International Airport and landed at God’s Country’s Holy Light Airport after a twelve-hour flight. By that time, three days had passed since Wang Lan and his companions had completed their assessments.
The four of them, carrying their luggage, walked out of the airport where Yulia was waiting to receive them in person at the airport entrance. Dressed in a white priestly robe, Yulia appeared exceptionally holy and particularly eye-catching.
Heaven God Sect does not prohibit marriage, and its clergy are free to love and marry like ordinary people. Naturally, the exceptionally beautiful Yulia encountered several men who approached her at the airport.
Also, because of her status as clergy, no one dared to speak indecently. Yulia waited for two hours before Wang Lan’s flight landed.
"Welcome to the land enveloped in holy light. This is God’s Country." Yulia stepped forward, her fingertip lightly touching their foreheads as she spoke in a chanting tone.
Luckily, they had researched God’s Country beforehand. This was one of God’s Country’s rituals. Otherwise, any other Star Martial Warrior in Wang Lan’s place would have instinctively defended and counter-attacked—a reaction that could have been lethal.
God’s Country covers an area of 500,000 square kilometers. It’s not large when compared to Jade Country, akin to the size of one of its provinces, but it’s not small either, larger than most countries around the world.
Perhaps because of faith, many people in God’s Country are celibate, even though God’s Country’s doctrine encourages its followers to love and marry. However, those who have been indoctrinated since childhood insist that they’ve dedicated all their love to the God of Heaven, telling love to get lost.
The negative population growth in God’s Country isn’t just for a few years or decades but has persisted for centuries. And still, God’s Country has managed not to die out, thanks largely to their immigration policy.
God’s Country is the birthplace of Heaven God Sect, with over a hundred million followers worldwide. Counting the population around those believers, the number goes up to seven or eight hundred million. As long as you believe in Heaven God Sect and strictly adhere to its doctrines, you can settle in God’s Country and acquire its citizenship.
Unwilling to give up your original nationality? No problem. God’s Country supports dual citizenship. What? You’ve found true love in God’s Country but already have a family in your home country? That’s great! It helps with God’s Country’s negative population growth. God’s Country allows dual marriage, but your original spouse cannot acquire God’s Country citizenship, though children can come freely.
In any case, God’s Country is pulling out all the stops to absorb the world’s population. Because of this, God’s Country has attracted the world’s elite, as well as immigrants with nothing to their names.
But in God’s Country, everyone must abide by the rules of God’s Country.
Thus, on the way, Wang Lan saw various unique greetings, and the streets were filled with many wearing imitation clergy robes. Sitting in the car that came to pick them up, looking at the streets of God’s Country, Wang Lan found it exceptionally comfortable.
The overall theme of God’s Country is white, the white of those who worship the light. The city is highly civilized, and the residents have very high standards. The entire city is remarkably clean and tidy.
"What do you think, isn’t God’s Country beautiful?" Sitting in the front passenger seat, Yulia turned back to ask the four of them.
"God’s Country is worthy of its name," Wang Lan commented approvingly. Although God’s Country wasn’t highly regarded in the hearts of other nations, to a common man, it truly lived up to its reputation as a dreamland.
Yulia escorted Wang Lan and his party to their designated hotel, which had been exclusively booked as the temporary command center for the International Security Council. Wang Lan and his group were the last to arrive; everyone else had arrived two days earlier.
Apart from Wang Lan’s four-person team, the International Security Council also sent seven Titled Strongman-level elite agents and eleven Star Sea Stage-level powerhouses. The only ones at the Galaxy Stage were probably Xu Xiangwen and Xie Sisi.
If it weren’t for Wang Lan leading them, these two definitely would not have been able to participate in an operation of this level.
The power of the Hell Monarch was too great. Thirty years ago, God’s Country had to mobilize its entire nation to suppress him. Even with this lineup, the International Security Council still worried it wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t until their arrival at the hotel that Wang Lan was informed that this operation would have two overall commanders: one being Major General Dyson, Wang Lan’s former examiner, and the other was Wang Lan himself.
Indeed, a newcomer who had just been admitted to the International Security Council was directly made the commander of an operation linked to world security. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected honor, Wang Lan quickly accepted the arrangement.
"Commander Wang Lan, let me introduce you to everyone first: Peter of the Azure Flame, Genji Root of the Wise Star Sword Style, Ice Emperor Zola, Yasuo the Thunderer, Sea Emperor Blair..."
Names that were resounding internationally, all too familiar to Wang Lan. The attitude of these experts toward Wang Lan did not carry the slightest arrogance. Perhaps they were aware of Wang Lan’s deeds, or maybe it was for some other reason.
A notable name does not necessarily mean immense strength, but a powerful figure’s name is surely well-known. Especially in foreign cultures, there’s no such thing as keeping a low profile.
"This is Mr. Wang Lan, a Level Seven agent of the International Security Council, Major General of Jade Country. It was Wang Lan who single-handedly unearthed the lead on the Hell Lord of St. State. He is also a world-class, top-tier powerhouse with experience in resolving multiple crises that threatened all humankind.
"In this mission, although Wang Lan and I will be commanding jointly, in principle, I will be assisting his command. After all, when it comes to fighting, I don’t hesitate, but using my brain? Thanks, but I’m not even as good as my fourteen-year-old son in that department."
"Understood!"
"Got it, Dyson, uh... his brain is just like a ball..."
A few jokes instantly lightened the atmosphere.
"Commander Wang Lan has just arrived, so let’s rest for the night and start our mission tomorrow," Dyson suggested, patting Wang Lan on the shoulder.
"That works for me. I’m also quite bewildered right now, with so many loose ends I don’t know where to begin. I’ll give it more thought tomorrow."
"By the way, Yulia will be responsible for liaising with the Papacy of God’s Country. If you need cooperation from God’s Country, just instruct Yulia directly."
"Understood."
Wang Lan and his team returned to their assigned room. It was just dusk, and they were starting to feel hungry when there was a knock on the door. Yulia herself pushed in the food cart.
"Don’t you have waiters to deliver meals? Why did you come?"
"Not welcome?"
"Of course not," Wang Lan said with a smile as he took the food cart, then gestured for Yulia to take a seat.
"The regular hotel staff have been replaced with the Papacy’s combat personnel. However, for confidentiality, they are restricted to the lower floors. I am responsible for this top floor."
"You haven’t eaten either, right? How about joining us?"
"No need, thank you," Yulia replied, a smile appearing as she saw Jiang Xinyu emerge from the inner room.
"Right, as soon as I returned to my country, I immediately started the investigation. Based on the list from New Blue Country, we eventually only found sixteen people."
"Only sixteen? There should be hundreds at least."
"That’s right. These several hundred people disappeared soon after arriving in God’s Country. We have their entry records, but nothing else. It took many detours to find these sixteen.
"After all, when they entered, God’s Country didn’t know their identities. They were welcomed, of course, but didn’t receive any special attention. Since no one reported them missing, their disappearance didn’t raise any alarms."
"We have no leads... This is so troublesome."
"By the way, in the past month, public security in God’s Country has deteriorated sharply. Robberies, murders, brawls, and illegal trade are rampant everywhere. This was rare before, but it has all surged this month. It must be connected to the Hell Monarch."
"And the Time-Space Gemstone? Any word on it?"
"None. We ordered a large number of Time-Space Gem Detectors a month ago and now have them covering the City of Angels, but no results yet."
"It won’t be that easy. The Hell Monarch isn’t a fool. Although the Time-Space Gem Detector can detect the Time-Space Gemstone, it isn’t one hundred percent reliable. If the gemstone isn’t in our dimension, it can’t be detected."
"The Time-Space Gemstone can’t be stored in spatial storage equipment. So, if it’s not in our dimension, it must be in a Different Dimensional Space. The Hell Monarch’s ability is precisely that—a personal Different Dimensional Space. He must have placed the Time-Space Gemstone inside it."
