Chapter 877: Contact with the starry sky

In the secret chamber underground, the headquarters of the law enforcement agency, the containment center for all anomalies, the strongest anomaly in history, suddenly spoke, saying that it was going to die.

This scared the old soldier quite a bit; he nearly stumbled, but the tea in his hand still spilled all over his pants.

It would probably be hard to explain later, as he was already a seventy-year-old man, and such an incident would be quite troublesome; he'd probably get an eye-roll from the maid.

Li Qi, however, smiled, "Yes, it looks like it's coming soon. At this rate, a few hundred years?"

The old soldier suddenly rolled his eyes.

He nearly fainted, only to find out they were talking about something happening a few hundred years later! It truly... almost gave him a heart attack.

However, after rolling his eyes, he suddenly remembered something—

For these forty years, neither ‘Cocoon’ nor ‘Li Qi’ had shown any change in their appearance.

Forty years had passed for them, yet they remained young.

Perhaps… a few hundred years truly meant ‘about to die’ for them.

This made him sit up straight, observing the two indescribable anomalies back and forth.

"A few hundred years… I hope so. It's more likely that, with your urging, I'll be killed by them even sooner." Cocoon looked at the old soldier beside it.

"Cocoon, I won't hurt you," the old soldier immediately said.

"I know. It's not you who will kill me, but all of you," Cocoon said.

"The faith of The Orthodox Church is declining. As a 'God' condensed from the power of faith, Cocoon is naturally weakening. When the worship of gears and technology overwhelms the worship of The Orthodox Church, she will naturally die," Li Qi explained from the side.

"However, according to my estimation, this process should last for about a few hundred years. By the time this World War is over, the prestige of The Orthodox Church should have hit rock bottom, and its control over public consciousness will also decline. She will gradually be replaced by more mainstream ideas and then gradually disappear," Li Qi said.

"So, Your Excellency Li Qi, what about you?" The old soldier, suddenly seeming to realize something, looked at Li Qi.

"Me? Uh, my existence is beyond your comprehension. Explaining it forcibly would also be troublesome. Just accept my existence. At least while Cocoon is alive, I won't die," Li Qi said.

"Is that so… Then it seems there's still room for discussion on this matter, right?" the old soldier said.

"Exactly. As long as the faith of The Orthodox Church can be maintained, she can continue to exist. However, this is very difficult. Changes in thought trends don't happen in a day or two, nor can they be changed by one or two people. Ultimately… The Orthodox Church no longer has that many believers," Li Qi said.

"…I understand." The old soldier nodded, as if having made some decision.

"Don't grieve for me," Cocoon said gently at this moment. "This is just an inevitable path, and besides, when that time truly comes, you might even resent me."

"How could that be! Lord Cocoon, your contributions to this world are evident to all. Various royal families, as well as the followers of The Orthodox Church, can all listen to your teachings. Only the most hateful and ungrateful people would resent you!" the old soldier immediately said.

Li Qi chuckled softly.

Indeed.

However, Mortals are most forgetful. Even blood feuds fade after just two generations.

If not continuously maintained, then under the冲击 of changing ideologies, Cocoon's existence would quickly be erased. Moreover… there was another question…

Were Cocoon's actions truly good deeds?

That was not necessarily the case.

Industrialization, pollution, competition, World War, suppressing humanity's technology tree, burning scientists like Charlemagne.

These were all things Cocoon had done.

This deity, though gentle, employed quite brutal methods.

To halt the progress of Mortals, she had killed countless people and suppressed numerous anomalies born from it.

For a considerable portion of the population, Cocoon's existence was an impediment.

And according to Li Qi's understanding…

Anyone who stood in the way of the tide of the times would be crushed, and even Cocoon was no exception. However, Cocoon could not retreat. As the spirit of the era, she was purer and more resolute than any Mortal.

Li Qi did not dwell on this topic for too long, and soon he left the headquarters of the law enforcement agency.

Outside, the sky was gloomy, and the biting wind suggested that snow was about to fall.

Of course, the sky had always been this gloomy. One must know that this Universe had no sun or moon. Their way of seeing the world was through infrared, which meant everyone was self-luminous.

To outsiders, this was a pitch-black world, but in their eyes, it was always bright, with no distinction between day and night.

Even if they were all humanoid creatures, looking very much like the Human Race, they were not the same race after all. Every place had its own characteristics, not to mention a dreadful place like the Desire Realm.

Li Qi strolled through the streets. The pollution was still severe, and there were many advertisements around, mostly selling medicine, such as life medicine, super scientific balm, life-saving water, and so on. All these potions had one characteristic: they could cure all diseases in the world.

This was understandable. The number of diseases in this city was shockingly large; almost every worker suffered from some illness, minor or major.

Lack of medical care, insufficient food, excessive labor, coupled with the pollution from the dense fog, left them all physically weak, emaciated, and pale-faced. Except for the muscles they exerted particularly hard during work, their other muscles were undeveloped.

Almost everyone suffered from indigestion and, consequently, were more or less melancholic, always looking worried and unhappy. Their weakened bodies were unable to resist disease, and they could fall ill at any time due to a minor ailment.

In such a situation, 'panaceas' were an irresistible temptation for them. They had not received much education, were foolish, and incredibly tired. They often believed the nonsense of advertisements and salesmen after a lot of bluster, buying those useless or even harmful 'panaceas.'

These were all 'good deeds' done by 'Cocoon.'

Therefore, it was only natural that Cocoon, having done all this, would be overthrown and even die by the tide of the times.

According to Li Qi's knowledge, nearly half of the forces in the World War were supported by these workers. They could no longer endure such a life, so under the leadership of another organization that aimed to overthrow The Orthodox Church, they continuously launched attacks on the kingdoms.

Regardless of the outcome, it would severely shake the rule of The Orthodox Church.

Moreover, now that they had made progress, in their territories, large-scale religious suppression activities had already begun. They converted churches into dance halls or meeting venues, moved sacred sculptures to museums for exhibition, and translated obscure and mysterious ancient scriptures, making many copies available in libraries to criticize their ignorance and superstition.

Under such actions, The Orthodox Church was helpless and could not judge these heretics, which also severely damaged their prestige, transforming them from 'unresisting' to 'merely powerful.'

In this situation, a large number of secret sects, scholars, and people who had long been dissatisfied with The Orthodox Church secretly infiltrated the other side.

The remaining were mostly believers who stayed out of inertia, or those who didn't care about the state of the world, just living their daily lives. However, such people were actually the majority.

Those who choose to leave for a different living environment and venture into an unknown world are ultimately a minority. Most people actually live by 'inertia.'

Habitually waking up, habitually brushing teeth, habitually taking the bus, habitually starting a day of study and work; eating is a habit, once accustomed to rice, one can't get used to noodles; sleeping is also a habit, how to sleep and wake up is already set.

People always live within their habits, rarely or never making changes.

And religion is also a kind of inertia.

Under this inertia, Cocoon was able to continue to exist.

But Li Qi had already seen it; his goal was about to be achieved.

This Universe was on the verge of breaking out of its confines. Once the shackles of The Orthodox Church were broken, it would be like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, officially embarking on a journey towards the Universe.

It was like a lobe-finned fish walking from the sea to the land.

Walking on the street, Li Qi observed the changes here. In a while, he would be able to witness this civilization's reaction after facing the Demon of Death.

Observation at that time would be especially crucial.

So, just wait.

Li Qi thought, and as always, began to wait. After all, for a Third-Rank, decades or even a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

For a Great Power, an instant can be a thousand years, and a thousand years can be an instant; their concept of time is not limited to perceived time. Reaction speed can be calculated in picoseconds, and they can also wait for billions of years with extraordinary patience.

Their battles would also change accordingly, with both intense, instantaneous clashes, where life and death are decided within microseconds, such as Zhu Fengdan and the Grand General of the Southern Command.

It could also be a long, billion-year Dao struggle, much like the daily life of the Nine Lands Under Heaven.

And the intensity of these two was actually the same.

Although Mortals found it hard to understand, this was the truth: intensity was not measured in units of time.

Soon, another ten years passed.

The old soldier died of old age. Before his death, he continuously preached, surprising others as to why an irreligious old soldier would become a fanatic before his death. Perhaps it was truly the fear of death and the hope for heaven that made him this way.

However, only Li Qi, Cocoon, and he himself knew the reason.

The same situation also appeared among many scholars. Although they were scientific scholars, people who should support craftsmen, they all, by coincidence, began to preach in the final stages of their lives, insisting on combining their research results with theology.

This also gave much confidence to many religious figures. They began to constantly declare doctrines like 'the end of science is theology,' advocating that these great scholars eventually became devout because they found evidence of God's existence through science, and so on.

And, curiously, strictly speaking, they were not wrong.

They not only found 'evidence of God's existence,' they directly perceived 'God' itself.

Cocoon's existence was no longer a secret among the high-ranking officials of the state.

Therefore, many believers, as well as certain individuals with strong personal stances, held this deity in great reverence, which alleviated Cocoon's situation.

However… this also brought new problems.

For the rebels, Cocoon's existence was not a bad thing either.

God was no longer intangible but a tangible presence, which served as both an inspiration for believers and for the god-slayers.

Their target was no longer an illusory concept but a real entity.

The true form of God appearing, no matter how powerful, was like 'revealing a health bar,' providing a target that could be attacked.

Thus, the intensity of the World War escalated again.

Li Qi watched silently all along.

After the old soldier's death, he no longer interfered with the affairs of the law enforcement agency, though he occasionally still chatted with Cocoon.

About forty years later, the allied forces broke through the Holy Capital of The Orthodox Church and purged the remaining church members. They allowed the church to maintain its faith but stripped it of all its secular power.

The well-equipped soldiers walked through the streets, loudly proclaiming their new decree: "To God what is God's! To man what is man's!"

As they shouted this, Li Qi was pushing an old woman's wheelchair around a street corner.

"The agency will also be taken over, won't it?" the old woman said to Li Qi in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, it looks like it's coming soon," Li Qi said.

"That's good. I'm already going to die; I don't need to accept the new era," the old woman said happily.

"Don't you hate the agency? They created you, and for their own selfish gain, made you suffer a lot when you were young," Li Qi looked at the old woman in front of him.

The former 'three-no' girl was now unrecognizably old. Her husband, who was once a young man, had died twenty years ago, but she had lived for over a hundred years. Li Qi would sometimes visit her.

"Hate, or love, what meaning does it have for someone my age? I only hope that while I am alive, the world doesn't change too quickly," the old woman said, then looked at Li Qi: "And you, Your Excellency Li Qi, who has walked through endless years, what do you think?"

"Me? Hmm… I actually don't have many thoughts. However, change is good," Li Qi replied.

"Then… I wish you can continue on your path in the future as well," the old woman sincerely blessed.

Li Qi also smiled at her and then placed his hand in front of her: "I'll give you one last gift."

With that, Li Qi's wrist turned, and a fresh flower appeared out of thin air in his hand, just as it had ninety years ago.

The flower was still as beautiful, Li Qi was still the same, only the girl had become an old woman in a wheelchair.

The old woman grinned with her few remaining teeth, took the flower, and said, "After adding sugar, it's very delicious…"

After saying that, she lowered her head and passed away peacefully.

Li Qi pushed her to the hospital, handed the body to the doctor, and then left.

Soon.

In a few more decades, they would make contact with the starry sky.