My family runs an adventurer's guild.

However, without formal clergy presiding over the ceremonies and without a "consecrated" temple to collect faith, these fans are still just entertaining themselves, and the power of faith will not reach the hands of the goddess of sleep, Momo.

"...We have certainly considered this issue, so the Chinese side has approved the Church of Hypnos's missionary activities in Hong Kong."

Alexander Pierce replied with a beaming smile, "...I believe it won't be long before your side accumulates enough faith power..."

Chapter 229, Encounter with Iron Man

One of the three major magical nodes in the Marvel universe, Hong Kong, Central, Victoria Peak

As the "aristocratic district" of Hong Kong Island, Victoria Peak, overlooking Victoria Harbour, has always been a place where every inch of land is incredibly valuable. Generation after generation of successful Hong Kong people have considered owning a villa on Victoria Peak as their lifelong goal, but very few have actually been able to realize this dream.

However, with the arrival of the visitors from another world and the hints from the relevant departments, a Hong Kong tycoon with "great sense of righteousness" immediately donated a luxury villa located at the foot of the mountain as land for the Temple of Sleep. Then, with a large number of construction teams working day and night, the villa was initially transformed into a Temple of Sleep that conformed to the doctrines—or rather, a capsule hotel in the style of a temple—in just three days.

At this moment, Miss Silver Dragon Lulutia was standing outside the newly renovated Temple of the Sleeping God on Mount Taiping, gazing at the city streets below, shrouded in black smoke.

—Upholding the glorious tradition of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council harming each other for many years without letting up, in order to hinder the Chinese rabbit's progress into the magical age, agents from the United States, Britain, Japan and Europe recently joined forces to launch a general mobilization and set off an unprecedentedly grand BOOOM in Hong Kong!

Street protests, attacks on government buildings, smuggling of firearms, vandalism, looting, arson, terrorist attacks, smear campaigns... basically, they're just short of hijacking planes and crashing them into buildings.

However, such tricks were no match for the iron fist. With the deployment of tanks by the Hong Kong Garrison, the nationwide internet shutdown, the indefinite martial law and military control, and after burning down a number of houses and killing several people, the chaos in Hong Kong gradually subsided.

Of course, the resulting stock market crash, economic depression, and soaring unemployment were unavoidable.

In fact, as a reciprocal gesture, China, Russia, and Europe have also cooperated within the UK, collaborating with a large number of Arab and Indian/Pakistani immigrants in London to act as intermediaries and launch a similarly grand "BOOOM" in London. Specifically, under the guise of "respecting the rights of minorities," they demanded that immigrants be granted an autonomous region in London, attempting to seize a piece of territory from London's magical hub...

So, while gunfire erupted and tensions rose in the streets of Hong Kong, London was also engulfed in smoke and chaos.

On one side of Eurasia, tanks were on the streets, helicopters were circling, and loudspeakers were blaring. On the other side, brave British mounted police were charging through the streets, batons in hand, dispersing thugs who were setting cars on fire and looting shops. London authorities not only imposed a similar internet shutdown and martial law, but also closed the Channel Tunnel across the Strait of Dover to prevent rioters from calling for reinforcements from Calais and other places on the other side of the Channel.

As for the last remaining magical node in New York... New York has long been reduced to a pile of chaotic ruins by the aliens' relentless bombardment, okay? Even now, Wall Street and Broadway in Manhattan are still full of rubble, with unexploded bombs everywhere!

However, no matter how chaotic the Central district of Hong Kong below Victoria Peak becomes, the Temple of Sleeping God on Victoria Peak remains a popular place of worship.

Inside a small, Greco-Roman style shrine, several stereo systems were playing various lullabies over and over again. Hundreds of "reserved believers"—many of them capsule hotel owners—knelt devoutly before the statue of Dormouse Girl, Mengmeng, chanting scriptures.

"...Sleep, sleep. No matter how much pain and exhaustion you feel, a good night's sleep will make you feel better. In your dreams, you can have anything..."

Any "prospective believer" who meets the required level of piety can receive a bronze Holy Symbol of Sleep from Miss Lulutia, take it home, and place it in a small shrine... In this way, their faith power can be transferred to the Sleep Goddess Momo.

Meanwhile, van after van kept bringing people up from the foot of the mountain. Some of them were ordinary citizens suffering from insomnia, while others were college students brought in from who-knows-where. Once they arrived, they were stuffed into the capsule hotel sleep pods behind the temple, and a hypnotic magic circle covering a radius of several hundred meters was activated, which would quickly put them into the most restful sleep.

Seeing the capsule hotel behind the temple quickly filled up, to the point that the authorities had to bring in shipping containers to quickly convert them into mobile capsule hotels, Miss Silver Dragon Lulutia couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. "...Mr. Zheng, isn't it a bit inappropriate to forcibly bring people here to sleep like this?"

"...I don't think there's anything wrong with it. The situation in the city is so chaotic right now, and several universities in Hong Kong have suspended classes..."

The middle-aged man, referred to as "Mr. Zheng," grinned. "...Rather than letting these college students do nothing all day, or even cause trouble in the streets, it's better for them to recite the teachings of the Sleepy God, eat and sleep all day. That way, the country can rest easy, and their parents can have peace of mind..."

"...For the sake of maintaining stability, is that it? Well, that makes sense. If they sleep all day and daydream, the market will naturally remain stable..."

"That's what Miss Silver Dragon Lulutia sighed," while Mr. Zheng just pursed his lips indifferently.

—For the foreseeable future, some arrogant Hong Kongers should indeed sleep more and try to live in their dreams...

Because for them, the real world is too cruel, and it will only become more cruel.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In fact, while the streets of Hong Kong and London were abuzz with unrest, New York was also experiencing its own disturbances. Specifically, the frequency of homeless protests increased several times over, and black criminal gangs in Harlem were also showing signs of wanting to stir things up...

However, after the Pentagon deployed two more divisions to New York, no one dared to speak or act recklessly anymore.

Moreover, no matter how turbulent things are in downtown New York City, they have no effect on the temporary United Nations headquarters at Xavier Castle in Westchester County.

At this moment, Garfield, in his orange cat form, was squatting outside the small shrine in the castle, gazing at a lifelike Garfield statue in front of him.

There stood a chubby, round Garfield cat, wiggling its bottom and wagging its tail, on a black marble base, below which was a row of inscriptions.

All praise goes to: the lasagna eater, the meatloaf terminator, the butcher who eliminates meatballs, the protector of hamburgers, French fries, chocolate and all junk food, the jewel of the American pet world, a walking black hole, an orange-yellow lard ball of hair, Mr. Garfield III!

May abundance and prosperity forever grace your belly!

Ugh, why can't I, a fellow orange cat, be surrounded by high-calorie food every day like this Garfield cat?

Thinking of the meager meals she had eaten in the Adventurers' Guild in Totoro Town over the past few years, Phil couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

Just as Phil was feeling frustrated, he suddenly felt himself being lifted up from behind by the neck and turned around.

The next moment, he saw a gold and red tin man with a smug, arrogant face that looked like he wanted to punch someone.

“…Tony Stark?” Phil asked, blinking.

"...Yes, it's me. So, little kitten from another world, do you like the gift I gave you?"

Tony chuckled and pointed at the Garfield statue, “…I must say, compared to it, you’re way too skinny. You need to try to eat more!”

—Only then did Phil learn how the Garfield statue came to be, and also understood why Tony was so hated…

Chapter 230, Tony, an Anxiety Patient

Tony Stark appeared at the temporary United Nations headquarters partly out of curiosity about otherworldly beings, and partly to treat his anxiety disorder.

—In the original Avengers, Captain America slept in an iceberg for more than half a century. When he woke up, he found that the world had changed and everything he used to know was gone. But he still managed to pull himself together to adapt to the new world. His mental fortitude can definitely be described as tough.

Thor has lived for over a thousand years and is still carefree and naive, which, in a sense, is also a sign of his excellent mental fortitude.

Black Widow Natasha was active from the Soviet era into the 21st century, surviving for so long on the treacherous stage of espionage. During that time, she also experienced the destruction of her fertility (forced hysterectomy) and the dramatic changes in her personal life, including betrayal. If she didn't have a strong mentality, she would have collapsed long ago.

Hawkeye Barton is, after all, an elite agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and his mental fortitude is decent.

After transforming, the Hulk is basically a violent maniac, regardless of his mental fortitude; before transforming, he was Professor Banner—from a respected intellectual to an experimental subject captured overnight, his girlfriend left him in tears, and his life was basically over. He didn't go crazy even after all that, which shows his perseverance.

Moreover, each of them possesses extraordinary physical abilities, allowing them to stand out from ordinary people with their physique alone.

In contrast, Tony Stark, despite being a core member of the Avengers, possesses the weakest physical abilities among them, even inferior to ordinary humans. His strength primarily relies on external aids—the Mark series Iron Man suits, each costing a billion dollars—rather than his own superhuman strength…or perhaps it could be described as the power of money?

As is well known, before Tony Stark became Iron Man, he was ambushed in Afghanistan and blown up by weapons produced by his own company. To prevent shrapnel from entering his body during the explosion and traveling through his blood vessels to his heart, which would kill him, Tony designed a device on his chest to absorb the shrapnel. This device was the first-generation miniature arc reactor on the Iron Man suit.

However, while the miniature arc reactor saved his life, it also continuously leaked palladium into his body, causing chronic poisoning. This problem was only solved when Tony thoroughly studied the legacy left by his father, Howard, and developed a new type of arc reactor.

The problem was that although the palladium poisoning issue was resolved, the shrapnel remained in his body. It wasn't that surgery couldn't remove it, but rather that the surgery couldn't guarantee success. Tony didn't want to risk dying on the operating table, preferring to make do with the reactor lodged in his chest for the time being.

As a result, seemingly due to his physical limitations, Tony was also the most vulnerable to psychological torment.

Especially after the Battle of New York, he witnessed firsthand the existence of gods and alien armies beyond the comprehension of Earthlings. Their advanced technology and powerful abilities made Tony feel that his armor was utterly insignificant, and his previously established confidence collapsed instantly. On the other hand, during the Battle of New York, Tony also personally experienced a nuclear backstab by the World Security Council.

Although he risked his life to drop the nuclear bomb into space to save the country and its people, and almost couldn't escape through the portal and became a drifting object in space, Tony still feels scared when he thinks back on it!

What frightened Tony even more was that this battle was merely a repelling of the enemy's vanguard, and they would return years later.

However, not everyone can bear the thought of rushing into a wormhole with a nuclear warhead.

He really didn't want to experience that life-or-death situation a second time.

So, after the Battle of New York, Tony immediately developed post-war anxiety. On the one hand, he used alcohol to numb his fear, and on the other hand, he stayed in his studio for more than a month. He stopped having parties, dating models, racing cars, and yachting. He became a workaholic, designing and modifying his Iron Man suit like a madman, neglecting to eat and sleep. The key reason for this was his lack of security.

Despite this, insomnia and anxiety continue to plague him. For the past month, he has frequently suffered from insomnia, and even when he finally falls asleep, he wakes up from nightmares and then rushes into the lab to work frantically.

As Tony's bedmate, his girlfriend Pepper was very worried about this and repeatedly urged him to see a psychologist. But with Tony's arrogant and conceited personality, how could he possibly go to the hospital and admit that he had a mental problem?

Fortunately, just then, news arrived from New York that a dragon and a cat from another world were visiting the United Nations. Tony's curiosity temporarily overcame his anxiety, and he finally left his private laboratory, once again traversing the entire United States to New York... only to be turned away at the United Nations.

However, at this time, Stark Industries had just taken on the cleanup of some of the post-war neighborhoods in New York City, and Tony, as the head of the group, had to be somewhat involved. Moreover, Stark Tower urgently needed reconstruction, which diverted some of his attention.

By the time he had temporarily finished dealing with this mess, and anxiety and insomnia began to flare up again, the miniature Temple of Sleep at Xavier Castle had been completed. And it was immediately well-received upon its initial trial use within the United Nations.

—After the Battle of New York, facing an unprecedentedly powerful alien enemy, Tony Stark was far from the only one suffering from anxiety due to his inability to devise a reliable countermeasure. Countless politicians, officials, scholars, generals, and even ordinary people bore immense mental pressure… Just like during the Cold War, countless people worried constantly about nuclear war and the destruction of the world, becoming increasingly panicked, so they dug underground shelters in their homes and stockpiled large quantities of canned food to seek peace of mind, turning into doomsday survival fanatics.

The Temple of Sleep is basically a capsule hotel with a hall, equipped with a powerful sleep-inducing magic circle. As long as you lie down and fall asleep, although the mental anxiety cannot be resolved for the time being, the painful insomnia can at least be cured without medication.

Therefore, although the United States has not officially allowed the Church of Hypnos to preach within its borders, many politicians and dignitaries suffering from insomnia have quietly come to the temporary United Nations headquarters at Xavier Castle and then crawl into the temple's sleep pods in order to get a good night's sleep.

—In theory, the United Nations headquarters is not considered U.S. territory, so U.S. law can be disregarded for the time being.

As the famous Iron Man and a wealthy tycoon, Tony Stark, being in New York, naturally came to the Temple of Sleep at Xavier Castle to try and cure his insomnia. The effect was quite ideal; he slept for a full day and night before waking up refreshed.

So, in high spirits, Tony presented gifts to the visitors from another world: first, a set of dormouse lamps that projected the image of Dormouse Girl into the night sky, and then a statue of Garfield, the most famous orange tabby cat in modern America...

However, in the eyes of the orange cat Firi, all she felt was an indescribable feeling—was this a mockery of her for being too thin?

Chapter 231, Let's go play in another world together!

It must be said that although Tony Stark, the Iron Man, is arrogant, eccentric, and speaks with a sharp tongue, he at least has substance and gets to the heart of the matter—whether it's scientific issues, socio-economic issues, or even political issues, he has a real knack for it.

The reason he shirks his responsibilities in business management and doesn't handle daily affairs is mainly because he's too lazy to manage them, not because he's incapable of managing them.

If Tony were just a tech geek focused on scientific research and oblivious to worldly affairs, he wouldn't have become the Secretary of Defense in some parallel universe.

Therefore, as long as you can tolerate Tony's occasional boasting and sarcasm, you can still gain a lot from talking to him.

"...In my opinion, the situation your Dragon King is facing is actually very similar to that of England in the early Hanoverian period of the mid-18th century."

Below the Great Cliffs lies the densely populated Jinlong Peninsula, which is essentially the British Isles. Above the Great Cliffs lies the sparsely populated western wilderness, which is another vast and boundless colony of the New World of North America. The Great Cliffs, which obstruct transportation between the coast and the inland, are a weakened version of the Atlantic Ocean.

Your Golden Dragon Kingdom faces a historic mission: on the one hand, to resolve domestic feudal separatism, religious conflicts, and ethnic tensions, and to achieve internal integration; on the other hand, to expand rapidly in the western wilderness, seizing territory and engaging in colonial competition with neighboring countries to the south and north; and on top of that, to control the centrifugal tendencies of the western colonies and prevent a war of independence from breaking out in these regions after they have prospered...

Great Britain, in the past, did not handle these problems very well—if Great Britain had properly managed its relations with its colonies, the country we stand on would still be a British North American territory; if Great Britain had thoroughly resolved its domestic integration issues, Ireland would not have seceded, and recent British cabinets would not have been troubled by the Scottish secession movement.

—Sitting in the pavilion in the castle courtyard, pointing to the map of the Golden Dragon Kingdom spread out on the stone table, Tony spoke eloquently to Phil.

"...You are absolutely right, Mr. Stark. So, what are your thoughts on the Kingdom's current predicament?"

Phil clapped in agreement, “...The reason we crossed dimensions to come here is to hear the experience of Earth experts.”

"...Hehe, it's easy to spot and point out problems, but it's difficult to solve them, let alone such complex political issues."

Iron Man Tony scoffed, "...Even a genius like me couldn't possibly instruct your Dragon King on how to govern a country just by looking at a map, could I? The Golden Dragon Kingdom's power structure, economic lifeline, religious customs, racial distribution, financial situation, industrial and agricultural technology levels, and the standard of living... all of this information is missing. What am I supposed to say? Speaking of which, I heard you have a future Earthling from the 22nd century? And that Earth will be in a terrible state in the next century?" He changed the subject, asking Phil.

“…Uh, yes, he’s Japanese, Suzuki Satoru, online name Ainz, now known as Momonga, from Earth in 2138…” Firi nodded in response.

“…I’m quite interested in this guy. Can you tell me about him, little kitty?” Tony reached out and patted Phil’s head.

"...Well...I think you might as well talk to him yourself, what do you think? A UN inspection team is going to the Golden Dragon Kingdom in a few days."

Phil dodged his hand and said with a dry laugh, "...How about you come to our country as a technical expert?"

Tony thought about it and figured that going to another world to relax might be a novel experience, at least it could alleviate some of his anxiety. "...Sounds pretty good, little kitty, but my appearance fee is quite high! Your hospitality over there can't be too meager!"

"...Don't worry, you'll definitely receive a warm welcome befitting your status, meow!" Phil smiled and offered her a paw, making a high-five gesture.

So Tony and Phil exchanged a high-five, finalizing their upcoming trip to another world.

However, he failed to notice the strange smile that appeared on Phil's face at that moment.

Meow, you show-off who's courting death and has come right up to me, just wait and see what cat revenge looks like!

If I don't completely fool you, you tin man, I'll change my name backwards!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In short, with the Church of Hypnos gaining legal missionary rights and government support in Hong Kong—otherwise, the Golden Dragon Kingdom's mission would not have been able to raise enough funds in the short term to build the temple—His Highness Hypnos quickly gained a large amount of faith power.

Don't forget, the entire Golden Dragon Kingdom only has three million people, and as for the believers in the God of Sleep, there aren't even fifty thousand.

On Earth, Hong Kong alone has a population of over seven million. Furthermore, various emblems and statues of the Sleeping God, "blessed" at temples dedicated to him, flow into the hands of fervent fan groups in other countries and regions, thus providing faith for the Sleeping God, Mengmeng.

In addition, the small shrine at Xavier Castle in New York State also receives a few worshippers, providing some form of faith.

As for London... things are still raging! The riot organizers have somehow obtained a large amount of military aid, from submachine guns to RPGs, and even snipers, leading to street battles with the British Mounted Police responsible for suppressing the unrest. Meanwhile, the British Army, which has been downsizing for years, is now so weak it doesn't even have a single tank, making the current London riot suppression operation extremely difficult.

Ironically, the US troops stationed in Britain, who were gloating over the unrest, stated that they would not interfere in the internal affairs of their allies and refused to send troops to London to help suppress the riots.

France, across the Channel, generously offered to send a powerful foreign legion to assist Britain in quelling the unrest, considering they were both members of the European Union. However, Whitehall immediately rejected this offer: if the French were allowed to swagger around in London, where would the British Empire's reputation be?

Moreover, even God probably doesn't know who those damned Frenchmen will help after they arrive in London...

Naturally, the Temple of Sleep in London, whose foundation had just been laid and which was only half-built, was also destroyed in the chaotic firefight.

Nevertheless, although the Church of Hypnos has only been missionary in Hong Kong for a short time and the believers' piety is still somewhat shallow, it has the advantage of being plentiful and satisfying, and the speed of online dissemination is fast enough... In short, the faith ability to send people from this side of Earth to another world has been basically gathered in a week.

Chapter 232, Meow Meow Inspection Team

On the other hand, during this period, the United Nations also arranged the first batch of "Fantasy World Expedition Team" members, including historians, economics professors, retired politicians from various countries who would provide policy advice to the Golden Dragon Kingdom, biologists who would investigate otherworldly flora and fauna, geologists who would investigate otherworldly mineral resources, Iron Man Tony Stark as a technical advisor, and Black Widow Natasha who would represent the Avengers in reconnaissance. Since it was not a combat mission but more of a social engagement, Captain America and Hawkeye Barton, two tough guys, were not invited.

Then, since S.H.I.E.L.D. claims to be able to prevent all unknown dangers and be omnipresent, it is natural that they also need to include people in the research team. It cannot be just Black Widow Natasha; instead, a considerable number of agents and experts were organized to participate.

Next, upon learning that there was a "22nd-century future Japanese" (Ainz the Overlord) in the Golden Dragon Kingdom, the Japanese government was greatly excited. Following the tropes of isekai harem fantasy novels, they immediately sent in several socially adept women, seemingly from nightclubs. The US government remained silent, but quietly sent in several more Japanese-American female agents who were fluent in spoken Japanese.

In addition, Hydra, as the largest villainous organization in the Marvel universe, naturally did not want to be left behind in this grand event, and sent Sitwell, a bald, traitorous Indian agent, as the representative for the interdimensional exploration, along with a group of Indians under his command who were good at talking...

Such things led to the expedition to the other world becoming increasingly large and bloated, eventually reaching a total of more than one hundred people.

Because there were so many people participating in this interdimensional exploration team, the World Security Council was initially a little uneasy, worried that Phil and his team might use the excuse of too many people and insufficient transportation capacity to reject some of them—no matter who was rejected, it would be difficult to save face!

To everyone's surprise, the delegation from the Golden Dragon Kingdom readily agreed, even saying that it wouldn't matter if they added more people.

Adding more people wouldn't hurt? Great! There are plenty of people who want to go to another world!