Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

"What’s the matter?" Ailuodi, who was walking ahead, looked back and asked, "Thinking about something?"

"Sort of... I was just about to ask you a question. If you could create a new world, what do you think it would be like?"

The Divine Country is probably akin to such a world, right?

"Oh, daydreaming in broad daylight? Are you asking me about my ideal utopia?"

Chaoyang feigned ignorance and said, "I just want to get to know each other better, is that not okay?"

The Angel visibly paused, then awkwardly straightened her head, leaving only her back to him, "It’s... not that it’s not okay. I’ve actually thought about something like this before. If I had a say in a world, I would probably choose to make wealth disappear."

Chaoyang didn’t expect this answer at all.

"Why wealth?"

"Because wealth determines a person’s class. ’Das Kapital’ predicted the future of a communist society, but I personally don’t think it will come to fruition. The premise of material abundance is too remote; human desires can grow infinitely while material wealth can’t appear out of thin air—there was a mismatch from the start. Not to mention that when a civilization develops to a certain extent, it’s destined to turn to space colonization, and the population will rise exponentially, making it even harder to meet everyone’s needs."

Chaoyang discovered that Ailuodi wasn’t lacking in theoretical guidance.

On the contrary, she knew quite a lot about these theories.

It seemed that Skeleton Hand was always engaged in superficial restoration work, as if treating symptoms rather than causes, but it turned out not to be due to a lack of guidance. They just didn’t have the power to change the world and were simply making a compromise.

"Without wealth, people would value an individual’s abilities more, and the barriers between people would also be diminished. Moreover, inheriting abilities is not as blunt as inheriting wealth, and with a few geniuses emerging among the majority, ordinary people could have it better," said Ailuodi finally.

Chaoyang walked up to her, "Unfortunately, even in the primitive stage of ignorant survival, the concept of wealth already emerged... It’s probably impossible for it to disappear on its own."

"That’s why it’s a utopia," Ailuodi said with a light laugh, grabbing his hand, "Let’s not ponder such complex issues today. Relax your mind and enjoy a good day out on the streets!"

After saying this, she pulled Chaoyang towards the airport.

Chaoyang quickened his pace to keep up with her and decided to discuss The Divine Country with Shi Yin later when he got back. For now, he would just enjoy touring the newly-built Thistlefort with the Angel.

...

Two hours later, Chaoyang returned to the upper floor of the Acalian Sanctuary and summoned "Slime," "You said this halo is the foundation, so how can it become a real Divine Country?"

Shi Yin squirmed its body, crawling from his shoulder to the table and formed a palm with its substance and waved it.

"Are you thinking of charging a fee?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Charging a fee sounds so crass. Knowledge may be expensive, but sharing it with you is also helping myself, so there’s no need to keep such an account," Shi Yin spoke with an air of righteousness, "I only mentioned I’ve talked too much and got a bit thirsty. I just want to absorb some wishing power to moisten my throat."

Chaoyang gaped in astonishment.

A mass of mucus-like substance has a throat?

This creature seemed to be getting thicker-skinned...

No, it should be said it was becoming more human.

Whether it was the tone, the choice of words, or the intonation.

Was this also the result of constant learning?

Fortunately, Chaoyang had plenty of wishing power lately, so he couldn’t be bothered about the demanding way the other party had. He directly transferred ten thousand units of wishing power, making Shi Yin glow with a faint red light.

What surprised Chaoyang was that he could actually discern the other party’s emotions from this light—they were feeling very comfortable, as if soaking in a warm rose petal bath.

Is this the "resonance" they spoke of?

"Thanks, your potential is indeed extraordinary. When the time comes for Unity, I’ll remember you," Shi Yin said, sticking out its large tongue to lick its lips—though "Slime" had no lips to speak of, "But back to business, you don’t actually need to build anything. From base establishment to The Divine Country’s formation, it just requires imagination."

"Imagination?"

"After all, it belongs to a special kind of wishing power creation that only divine thoughts can manipulate. You need to define the core of The Divine Country, crafting it into a domain that you require, of course, one that complements your abilities as well. The clearer your imagination of it, the more precise the rules, the higher its efficacy will be."

Chaoyang vaguely understood what the other was getting at, but this seemed to be a matter of great importance, so he decided to ask a few more questions, "Do all Latter Gods have their own Divine Country?"

"Of course, that is the privilege of divinities. Within this area, the rules of the world can be changed, and the will of the divinities is the manifestation of The Divine Country."

"Can you give me an example?"

"Ah, mortals are dense, and you’re no exception. I’ve already explained so much and you still don’t understand."

"You just said my potential was extraordinary."

"Uh—this potential is only in comparison to other mortals," Shi Yin said, extending ten tentacles, looking like a strangely shaped octopus, "Take the Goddess of Abundance, for instance. Eight or nine times out of ten, her abilities are related to a bountiful harvest. So, when defining the core of her Divine Country, she can lean into that aspect. Like wherever she goes, it brings the bloom of spring, crops can grow quickly, there will never be pests, and so on..."

As it explained, the tentacles rapidly extended, swelled, drooped, and then grew again—at this point, Chaoyang realized that the other wasn’t cosplaying an octopus but the wheat in a field.

"In short, the rules commonly observed in nature are changed in her Divine Country. You can understand that there is a new set of rules within The Divine Country, which are defined upon its establishment, and afterwards, they do not require the divinity’s control to function, as they can operate autonomously. In a sense, The Divine Country is quite like a small world, not a good thing for Unity."

Chaoyang simply ignored the latter half of its statement, "Is The Divine Country that powerful? If I set it so that no one within The Divine Country ever dies, wouldn’t I be immortal then?"

"Indeed, you can, but don’t forget that rules are sustained by the consumption of wishing power," Shi Yin said nonchalantly, "How many people do you plan to grant immortality to? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? Or everyone covered by The Divine Country? The wishing power required for that is not small. If your wishing power is not enough to support the cost of these rules, The Divine Country will collapse immediately after its establishment, and you would die along with it."

"What if I just make myself immortal?" Chaoyang asked, eager to learn.

"There’s no problem with that, but what’s the point?" Shi Yin glanced at him sideways, "Some soft-bodied creatures and arthropods can live for tens of thousands of years in a rich food environment without enemies. Surely, you don’t think they are superior to you? The value of life has never been measured by how long you live. Besides, there are so many ways to achieve immortality, it’s not worth wasting precious opportunities on trivial matters like that."

Chaoyang rolled his eyes internally.

He started off restricted in every way, treading on thin ice with every step, scrambling to find wishing power just to survive, only to be made to feel worthless by Slime’s words.

"By the way, Unity is essentially immortality without any cost. Just close your eyes and enjoy it—I can’t understand your resistance to it," Shi Yin muttered again.

"Fine, I think I know how to establish The Divine Country now," Chaoyang said, not wanting to argue, "The question now is, how long will this process take? Surely, I won’t have to stay in one place and meditate the whole time?"

"It varies from an instant to several years, depending on how clear your goal is. So there’s no need to rush; I suggest you consider it carefully before acting."

"That’s good," Chaoyang said confidently, "I’ve already thought it through."