"Ten years ago, the Kingdom of Ice and Snow could no longer protect its citizens with its own strength. In 2010, the number of Star Martial Warriors in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow had plummeted to fewer than 10,000, and those at the Star Sea Stage numbered less than ten.

"And I was still studying abroad in Elan Country. I repeatedly requested my father to let me return, but he refused every time. It wasn't until 2015 that General Aibula, a five-star general from the Ministry of Defense, died in a tide of Exotic Beasts. With his death, the last Pillar of Heaven in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow fell.

"Upon my insistent requests, I returned to the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. For the next five years, we could only gather the citizens for passive defense.

"After returning to my country, I couldn't believe that this impoverished and decaying nation was the beautiful and prosperous homeland of my memory. When I saw the emaciated children, their eyes filled with despair and lifelessness, I swore deep in my heart that I must survive and protect them.

"Five years passed. Although many major international powers extended a helping hand, their assistance was limited to materials, food, and medicine. While we desperately needed these, what we truly required was the closure of those damned Different Dimensional Spaces.

"But... the Poisonous Beasts of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow were too terrifying; even a Titled Strongman couldn't last more than ten minutes in an atmosphere thick with poison gas. Volunteer groups arrived one after another, only to leave helplessly, one by one.

"Do you know? Every time a volunteer group came, I regarded them as messengers from the gods. But seeing them depart in helplessness, I felt the despair of being forsaken by the gods.

"At that time, I swore in my heart that if anyone could save my country, I would willingly serve them faithfully, dedicating the rest of my life to them.

"Hope alternated with despair, again and again. Since 2017, not a single country has been willing to come to our rescue. We could only watch helplessly as the Exotic Beasts gradually devoured the territory of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow, devouring my people.

"Until that day, when those who had fled the Kingdom of Ice and Snow brought news: at the Star Martial Academy in Jade Country's Modu City, a young man had invented a Star Martial Toxin Vaccine that would forever change humanity's disadvantage against Poisonous Beasts.

"Hearing this news, I felt as if I were listening to a heavenly choir. For two whole months, I eagerly awaited your arrival every day—especially yours, my godsent youth."

Princess Aier's earnest gaze, like the intense vision of a Kryptonian, made Wang Lan feel as if he were burning.

Wang Lan had never experienced the joy of being needed.

"Princess Aier, your wait was worth it. Haven't we arrived?" Yu Ruoyun said with a gentle smile. Her words dissolved the awkwardness, and the atmosphere instantly thawed. Princess Aier quickly composed herself.

"Princess Yu, Mr. Wang, please have a seat."

"Princess Aier, why does 'T' want to target you?" Wang Lan suddenly asked curiously.

"Targeting me? It might be... because of despair. The current situation in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow is not of our making; our royal family has been making tremendous efforts. To be honest, the royal family could leave the Kingdom of Ice and Snow at any time and live a wealthy life in any other country.

"However, even in the most difficult times, we never abandoned our citizens. I dare not claim that the royal family's actions are flawless, but we strive to do our best. Still, some people attribute the sufferings of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow to the royal family's inaction.

"Even if they can't directly blame us, they claim my father was cursed by the God of Heaven, bringing punishment upon the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. Then they incite the uninformed populace, and through the escalating conflict, the 'T' organization gradually formed."

"I'm afraid the 'T' organization isn't that simple. Given the Kingdom of Ice and Snow's current state, not even its military possesses such advanced armaments. And it's certain that someone within the Kingdom of Ice and Snow is colluding with the 'T' organization."

As Wang Lan finished speaking, Princess Aier's expression instantly darkened.

Princess Aier was no fool. The moment she heard that the volunteer delegation had been attacked by missiles, she instantly understood. The aircraft was attacked after entering the Kingdom of Ice and Snow's airspace; it had to be the 'T' organization. Furthermore, details of the delegation's flight path, departure point, and so on, were known only to Jade Country and the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

Jade Country would not have leaked the information, so the leak must have originated from within the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

"Those with access to the volunteer delegation's flight schedule and route information would be either members of the royal family or high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Defense..."

"By the way, Princess Aier, your uncle, Prince Kester, seems to wield considerable power?" Wang Lan suddenly asked with curiosity. "When the news of your ambush arrived, King Cain was panic-stricken. It was Prince Kester who quickly arranged everything and requested our immediate support. It seems your country's officials are quite accustomed to this?"

"Yes, my uncle is my father's only brother and the first in line to the throne. Honestly, my father has said more than once that my uncle far surpasses him in the ability to govern the country.

"But I don't know what my grandfather was thinking when he passed the throne to my father." Princess Aier said with a wry smile, "If I weren't the princess of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow, I don't know if I would possess this sense of duty. Perhaps I would have stayed in Elan Country, like many of the wealthy who fled the Kingdom of Ice and Snow."

"Wang Lan, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about the motive! The volunteer groups came to save the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. Considering the Kingdom's plight, this should benefit everyone. No faction would have a reason to attack us. So why did they? What benefit does a constantly imperiled, possibly doomed Kingdom of Ice and Snow offer them?"

"Could it be the Demon Clan?"

"It makes no sense!" Wang Lan shook his head. "Even though Princess Aier is present, I must speak the truth. The fate of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow alone won't alter the balance of power for humanity. If the Kingdom of Ice and Snow were to fall, dealing with these Exotic Beasts would actually become simpler. Intercontinental ballistic missiles could scourge the land, eradicating the beasts. Even the Different Dimensional Spaces could likely be dealt with by five nuclear warheads."

Wang Lan's words made both women frown.

"That is indeed true. Then why?"

"Unless someone wants to maintain the status quo because maintaining it benefits them."

After the meal, Princess Aier invited them for a stroll in the rear garden, but Wang Lan declined, citing exhaustion. Before he left, Princess Aier specifically told Wang Lan that he could make any request of her.

This hint was already quite blatant.

From the initial attempts at seduction to this current insinuation, Wang Lan was no naive man and naturally understood Princess Aier's intentions. Yet, he didn't feel any aversion towards her. In moments of despair, anyone would clutch at a lifesaving straw.

For that lifesaving straw, she would do anything.

Even if sacrificing her dignity was merely to curry favor with Wang Lan, hoping he would apply himself more diligently and expedite the development of the Star Martial Toxin Vaccine—even if just a little faster—many lives could be saved.

Wang Lan smiled wryly and shook his head. Forget noble status. When someone has nothing left and only a desperate plea, who can claim they would act any better? In chaotic times, human life is worth less than a dog's.

「The next day,」 a thousand soldiers from the International Security Council's International Peacekeeping Troops successfully arrived. Though nominally dispatched by the International Security Council, the contingent was, in fact, Jade Country's Star Martial Skill Legion. While these thousand peacekeepers weren't as formidable as the elites from Modu City's Star Martial Academy, they included three Star Sea Stage Star Martial Warriors, and their average strength was at the Star Cloud Stage—significantly superior to the Kingdom of Ice and Snow's Royal Guard.

「Also, on the next day,」 Wang Lan began his work. Before Jade Country's volunteer delegation arrived, the Kingdom of Ice and Snow had already commenced preliminary preparations. Over the years, samples of Star Martial Toxins from the various Different Dimensional Spaces had largely been collected. It took Wang Lan only a day to formulate the vaccines for twenty kinds of Star Martial Toxins, including two mutated variants.

This speed was much faster than when he was at the academy. If someone asked, it was due to improved proficiency; if no one asked, then it didn't matter.

Once the vaccine formulations were complete, they were immediately transmitted back to Jade Country via satellite network. Jiayi Biotech promptly requisitioned half of its production lines for manufacturing, ensuring that the vaccines could be produced and airlifted to the Kingdom of Ice and Snow within a week.

This time, Jade Country truly demonstrated to the royal family of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow what "Jade Country speed" meant.

Princess Aier, in particular, now looked at Wang Lan with even greater sincerity and fervor. Previously, her enthusiasm towards Wang Lan stemmed from the hope that he would swiftly save her country.

But after witnessing Wang Lan dive into work on the second day, send the Star Martial Toxin Vaccine formulations for development within a single day, and then receiving Jade Country's confirmation that 10,000 doses of the vaccine would be airlifted within five days, Aier was astounded by Jade Country's speed.

Were you worried Jade Country might drag its feet, taking its sweet time? Well, now the concern shifted to whether the Kingdom of Ice and Snow itself would hinder Jade Country's progress.

In fact, the Kingdom of Ice and Snow was indeed caught off guard by Jade Country's pace and was, to some extent, falling behind. Although they received support from Jade Country, this support consisted of top-tier combat power; the Kingdom of Ice and Snow still needed to provide its own regular fighting forces.

Fewer than 3,000 Star Martial Warriors remained in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow, and most of them were mere child soldiers. It couldn't be helped; battle-ready warriors perished in large numbers each year, and the only thing the Kingdom of Ice and Snow could do was protect the young generation.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Ice and Snow had to issue international invitations for mercenaries. They couldn't afford the fees charged by renowned mercenary armies, so they had to cast a wide net and recruit individual fighters. For a daily wage of 80,000 Jade Coins, they could hire some Star Shine Stage Star Martial Warriors willing to travel great distances.

But at this rate, it was estimated that it would still take at least seven days for the mercenaries to assemble.

"What? Jade Country can be fully prepared in five days, but we won't be ready for another seven? Damn it, speed things up! If necessary, offer more money to get those mercenaries here faster! Anyone not arriving within five days will be dismissed!"

Prince Kester roared like an enraged lion during the defense council meeting.

And after formulating the twenty-odd vaccines, Wang Lan earned 200,000 experience points, 50,000 of which came from the mutated Star Martial Toxins.

Two hundred thousand experience points pushed Wang Lan's experience bar forward by one-fifth. At this rate, advancing to the Galaxy Stage after completing this aid mission no longer seems like an impossible dream. After reaching the Galaxy Stage, all skills can be upgraded to the platinum tier. Platinum-level Star Martial Skills are already the signature techniques of Star Sea Stage Star Martial Warriors.

A single platinum-level Star Martial Skill is enough to make a Star Sea Stage Star Martial Warrior stand out from the crowd. If Wang Lan could achieve all platinum-level skills... the prospect was too beautiful to comprehend.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.