The dazzling armor, adorned with pale golden patterns, featured a silver-white cloak that fluttered slightly in the wind behind him. Beneath the platinum-gold glow, Wang Lan's features were faintly visible. At this moment, people would believe it if someone claimed Wang Lan was a God of Heaven who had descended.

The problem is, where the hell did the cloak come from?

Given that repairing the Phoenix Saint Cloth required metallic materials, Wang Lan hadn't added even a shred of fabric.

He curiously reached out and touched the fabric of the cloak. It was silky, soft, and light, yet Wang Lan was certain it wasn't ordinary cloth or silk, but rather something possessing the fluidity of liquid metal.

Since he couldn't figure it out, there was no point dwelling on it. He'd shown off enough. With a mere thought, the Saint Cloth on Wang Lan instantly disassembled, reassembling once more into a phoenix sculpture.

Wang Lan opened the gates of the Star Palace, and the phoenix let out a piercing cry, flapping its wings as it rushed inside.

"My Saint Cloth's repairs are complete. Alright, that's all for now..."

"Wang Lan, what do you think about using this metal to make weapons?" Yu Ruoyun suddenly asked.

"They would absolutely be the finest divine weapons in the world. I've never encountered a metal with such hardness and heat resistance. It remained unchanged even at thirty thousand degrees Celsius, and I couldn't even get it close to its melting point."

"Princess Aier, could you help me continue collecting this type of meteorite?" Yu Ruoyun's request wasn't excessive. Wang Lan was the one who had brought down the asteroid, and considering her status as a princess of the Jade Country assisting the Kingdom of Ice and Snow, it was perfectly reasonable for her to take a few meteorites.

「For the next few days, Wang Lan lived an idle life like a panda cub—eating, sleeping, and then eating again.」

The royal court of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow offered a daily salary of one hundred thousand, and sure enough, countless Star Martial Warriors from all over the world continued to flock to the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

"Take a gamble, and your bicycle might become a motorcycle"—this saying wasn't just empty words. Coupled with the innate adventurous spirit of Star Martial Warriors, even though the battlefields in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow were so perilous, tens of thousands still dared to take the risk.

Three peaceful days passed quietly.

The Black Tiger Army volunteer corps and the reassembled army of four thousand Star Martial Warriors once again set out for Different Dimensional Space Number One. The threat level of Different Dimensional Space Number One was no less than that of Number Two. Together, Number One and Number Two formed a north-south pincer, directly threatening the densely populated areas of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

Twelve years ago, the Kingdom of Ice and Snow had hoped to close Different Dimensional Space Number One. A spatial-temporal node had already been sighted back then. However, Different Dimensional Space Number Two suddenly opened up behind them, and the Exotic Beasts that poured out of it began to brutally slaughter the citizens of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. Forced to retreat, the army had no choice but to withdraw. This eventually led to the current situation where five Different Dimensional Spaces ravaged the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

Even though the intensity of the Exotic Beasts in Different Dimensional Space Number One was no less than in Number Two, everyone was absolutely confident about this expedition. After all, they had wasted a whole week searching for the spatial node in Different Dimensional Space Number Two, whereas the approximate location of Number One's spatial node was already known.

Wang Lan had intended to join the expedition, but Longya decisively vetoed the idea with a wave of his hand. Not just Wang Lan, even Yu Ruoyun obediently stayed put in the camp, lying low. Longya was thoroughly wary of these two. In Longya's eyes, Different Dimensional Space Number One could be annihilated with a snap of his fingers; there was no need to bring along two Divine Beasts.

The night sky was brilliant and dazzling with stars.

Wang Lan sat on the eaves of a camp building, silently gazing up at the sky. At this moment, he felt homesick. At this moment, if only I had some alcohol, he thought.

The thought had barely formed when a bottle of alcohol was offered to him.

"Er..." Wang Lan stared in astonishment at Yu Ruoyun, who had once again unpredictably appeared by his side. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might need this, so I brought it for you." Yu Ruoyun casually sat down beside Wang Lan, flicked the beer cap off with a finger, tilted her head back, and took a swig of beer while gazing at the sky.

"Homesick? Is this your first time being abroad for so long?"

"Who says? And why are you drinking beer?" Wang Lan picked up the bottle and, imitating Yu Ruoyun, tried to flick the cap off with his finger. However, the cap didn't budge; instead, the entire neck of the bottle shattered and flew off.

"Guess I didn't control my strength properly..." Wang Lan muttered.

"Tch! That requires technique!" Yu Ruoyun said, quite pleased with herself as she gave a little wiggle. "And why can't I drink beer?"

"It's not that. It's just that in my mind, you're the type to sip red wine with luxurious Western cuisine, or at least enjoy Moutai at an imperial banquet. Isn't beer what we broke commoners drink?"

"If I recall correctly, you're a super-rich tycoon, aren't you? With a net worth of ten billion. If a mega-tycoon like you with a ten-billion fortune calls himself a 'broke commoner,' why can't I be a bit more down-to-earth?

You might not believe this, but I've tried all sorts of alcoholic drinks, and beer is my favorite."

"Why?"

"Because only when I'm drinking beer do I not have to worry about my composure or mind my etiquette. I don't have to overthink what I should or shouldn't say, what others mean by their words, or how my own words will be interpreted.

When drinking beer, everyone can sing, chat, and tell jokes... That's why every summer vacation, I love going to my maternal grandfather's place. The people there don't know who I am, nor do they care."

"Anyway, how did we end up talking about me? Let's talk about you. Judging by the look in your eyes just now, you were missing home, weren't you?"

"Not really. I was just worried about Xinyu." Wang Lan smiled faintly. "We're both assisting abroad. It's so dangerous where we are; I wonder how things are for her."

"Then you don't have to worry. I've asked a few classmates to secretly keep an eye on Xinyu. She just broke through to the Galaxy Stage and is already one of the main combatants in her aid mission.

With all the Soul Bead grenades and medical Soul Beads you prepared for her, she hasn't even had a single hair on her head harmed."

"Really? That's great! Mr. Wu and the others left a day ago; I wonder how they're doing."

"Hey, do you really dislike talking to me that much? Why do you keep trying to change the subject?"

"Not at all!"

"Then let's talk about something I'm interested in... For example, what do you usually like to do? What are your hobbies?"

"I love studying!"

"And that's it?"

"That's it! The best gift I ever received was in my second year of middle school when my aunt gave me a complete set of confidential national college entrance exam practice papers..."

Like hell I believe you!

Suddenly, a bright light flashed, and several cars abruptly appeared outside the camp, braking sharply with an imposing air. A dozen men in black suits emerged from the vehicles. Judging by their movements, they likely had military backgrounds.

"Who goes there?" a Black Tiger Army warrior on duty quickly stepped forward and shouted vigilantly.

"Respected sirs of the Volunteer Army, we are from the National Security Intelligence Agency of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. We wish to see Mr. Wang Lan."

"You're looking for me? What is it?" The moment Wang Lan's voice was heard, several colorful butterflies began to flutter about, and then, suddenly, Wang Lan's figure appeared out of thin air.

"Hello, Mr. Wang Lan. I am a senior special agent from the National Security Intelligence Agency of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. We've recently been ordered to trace the whereabouts of a nuclear weapon stolen by a terrorist organization. We require your assistance in our investigation. Would you be willing to accompany us?"

"If you have any questions, you can ask them here!" Wang Lan's brow furrowed slightly. Although the man's tone was exceedingly polite, Wang Lan keenly sensed a menacing undercurrent beneath the humility.

"It's not very convenient here. The matters I need to discuss are highly confidential. We still kindly request Mr. Wang Lan's cooperation with our investigation."

"And if I choose not to cooperate?"

"Mr. Wang Lan, the Kingdom of Ice and Snow is not a lawless land, and naturally, no one is above its laws. We urge you to respect our country's laws and cooperate with our investigation."

"So... you intend to arrest me?" A cold smirk played on Wang Lan's lips, and fury instantly welled up within him. I traveled thousands of miles to help you, and you repay my kindness with malice? How utterly unreasonable!

"Do you have any evidence?" His gaze, sharp as a sword, seemed to pierce the other man's eyes. "If this is an arrest, then you need an arrest warrant. Do you have one?"

"Special circumstances require us to act with expediency. Please, Mr. Wang Lan, refrain from doing anything that could damage the friendship between our two countries. We wouldn't be inviting you to cooperate with this investigation if we didn't possess solid evidence."

"Oh? Solid evidence?" Yu Ruoyun's icy voice rang out as she stepped before them. "Is your 'solid evidence' the fact that we traveled thousands of miles to the Kingdom of Ice and Snow, nearly got shot down by missiles, and then risked life and limb to infiltrate Different Dimensional Space Number Five and close it for you?

Or is the 'solid evidence' that Wang Lan single-handedly neutralized the Star Martial Toxins in all of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow's Different Dimensional Spaces, making it possible to destroy these very spaces that plague your nation? Given such actions and contributions, what could your so-called 'solid evidence' possibly be? It's not Wang Lan who is undermining the friendship between our countries—it's you!

I've heard of people dismantling the bridge after crossing the river, but you've barely made it halfway across, and you're already eager to tear it down? Such behavior is truly unsightly, isn't it?"

"Princess Yu has a point, but the matter still needs to be investigated. If it genuinely has nothing to do with Mr. Wang Lan, we will offer our formal apologies."

"Apologies won't be necessary. I'd just like to see who here today dares to take Wang Lan away!"

As her words landed, the faces of the dozen or so men instantly showed anger. Yet, beneath that anger lay boundless trepidation. Who was Wang Lan now? He was the national hero of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. If they clashed with Wang Lan, forget about whether the King, princesses, or princes would spare them—the entire populace of the country wouldn't let them off the hook.

However, suddenly, another rumbling sound echoed from the distance, and a convoy of buses and trucks began to approach.

So soon? Wang Lan exclaimed inwardly in surprise.

The vehicles stopped and their doors opened. Smiling figures disembarked one after another, accompanied by bursts of cheerful voices and laughter.

The closure of Different Dimensional Space Number One had gone smoother than anyone could have imagined. After determining the general direction of the spatial node, a strike team composed of seven Star Sea Stage experts, under the cover of the main army, had successfully penetrated the Exotic Beast-infested region where the node was located. Then, shielded by the army's Star Martial Skills, they had successfully shattered the spatial node.

From entry to the shattering of the spatial node, the entire operation took less than five hours. If every spatial node could be closed this easily, they could be heading home in just a few more days.

However, when Princess Aier, her face wreathed in smiles, stepped off her vehicle, her brow furrowed the moment she saw Wang Lan and the group gathered around him.

In a flash, she appeared before Wang Lan. "What happened? Are you from the National Security Intelligence Agency? What are you doing here?"

"Princess Aier, they're here to arrest Wang Lan," Yu Ruoyun stated. "I believe you owe us a reasonable explanation; otherwise, this aid mission may not be able to continue."

Yu Ruoyun had previously developed a very close relationship with Princess Aier, but her tone now was extremely distant, causing Princess Aier's expression to darken instantly.

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