After narrating his story with selective omissions, God smiled warmly and asked, "You wish for me to send you home?"
Li Ming didn't deny it—this was indeed his carefully considered hope. After all, wasn't God celebrated as omniscient, omnipotent, and the embodiment of supreme goodness? The Creator and Savior of all.
If this God before him possessed both the power and compassion to send him home, why bother collecting Infinity Stones?
This was precisely why Li Ming had been willing to share his past so openly.
God gave a slight shake of his head, regretfully explaining that he was only the God of this world. While he could instantly transport Li Ming anywhere within this realm, other worlds lay beyond his reach—especially one completely unknown to him.
Still no luck, huh... Li Ming managed a strained smile, took a deep breath, and sat silently on the wooden bench, his eyes filled with disappointment and profound longing. Ten years of life and death, vast and desolate, with nowhere to voice the sorrow—this perfectly described Li Ming, who had been away from home for far too long.
A human life is but a fleeting hundred years. Even someone like Li Ming, who had extended his lifespan through magical means, could not withstand the relentless blade of time. Having spent so many years in the Marvel world, plus the additional time spent traversing various otherworldly realms, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Li Ming had already devoted a significant portion of his life to searching for a way home.
Yet, the path ahead remained uncertain. Every opportunity that seemed like it might lead him home turned out to be nothing more than a reflection in the water—frustrating beyond words.
Fortunately, Li Ming knew how to keep himself entertained, always finding ways to lighten his mood. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to face everything with such composure. Instead, he might have long been locked away in a mental institution for study.
After a long silence, sensing Li Ming's mood had improved somewhat, God asked gently, "Do you ever regret everything you've done to return home? After all, in this life, you are a Wizard, even a transcendent being capable of glimpsing the status of gods. Yet if you go back, you might only live out an ordinary life."
"Regret?" Li Ming fell silent for a moment, rubbing his face before looking at God with a smile. "Why would I regret it? Is reuniting with my family wrong? Compared to all my power, I care more about my family. If there's a path home in heaven, I'd willingly abandon all my strength and kneel in heaven for a hundred years."
Then his tone shifted abruptly, his eyes gleaming with bloody madness as he spoke coldly: "If there's a path home in hell, I'll slaughter my way through. Even if Mephisto dares stand in my way—anyone who blocks my path home will die!!!"
After saying this, Li Ming seemed to transform again, scratching his head sheepishly as he asked, "I heard hell connects to many worlds. God, could you help me analyze this—do you think there might be a passage in hell leading to my home?"
One moment, God clearly saw the madness in Li Ming's eyes. The next, the guy's gaze turned dazed: This guy isn't a Wizard, he's a lunatic.
But isn't his mood-switching a bit too fast? Could it be...?
"From the sound of it, you've found a way home?" God asked.
Li Ming nodded slightly. "There's a way, but it requires power—immense power."
God pondered for a while, as if worried Li Ming might destroy the world just to get home. "Care to share? Maybe I can help."
Li Ming hesitated but eventually decided that having God review his plan might increase his chances of success. Glancing at God, he organized his thoughts and said, "The portal is the key to going home—it connects all versions of Earth across dimensions. I believe that includes my home. The portal is a pathway back, but opening it requires power. The Infinity Stones possess immense power and could help me open this passage. However, wielding the Infinity Stones demands the user to already be incredibly strong. So I need to become powerful enough to withstand their might."
After hearing Li Ming's plan, God patted his shoulder and smiled. "It sounds like a solid plan, but I've never seen the Infinity Stones before. I'm afraid I can't offer much advice."
Li Ming opened his mouth, about to mention that he already possessed the Mind Stone, when the barefoot man from earlier hurried over to the lumber pile and snatched the list attached to it.
As the barefoot man stared at the word "gopher wood" in confusion, God signaled for Li Ming to wait and stepped out of invisibility. "Gopher wood," God said, startling the barefoot man, who turned to see God sitting cross-legged. "Actually, it's not real gopher wood but pine and maple," God added, glancing at the distant houses. "Cut them all down to make space for building?"
Li Ming, having seen Bruce Almighty, understood the bizarre reference perfectly. Gopher wood alludes to the timber used to build Noah's Ark, which in turn was humanity's refuge in the face of disaster. Now, by destroying forests to build houses, we are actually demolishing humanity's sanctuary.
Barefoot Mr. was utterly confused, indicating he didn't understand. Puzzled, he looked at God and asked, "Do I know you?"
God replied leisurely, "I know you better." After a pause, God glanced at a wooden crate in the distance and said, "It seems you've received my gift."
Barefoot Mr., still perplexed, pointed at the crate and asked, "You sent this? What's it for?"
God jumped down from the timber, crossed his arms, and said earnestly, "I want you to build an vessel."
Barefoot Mr. was taken aback and asked in return, "You want me to build an vessel?"
"Yes," God affirmed with a nod. Barefoot Mr. was immediately baffled. Pointing at the crate incredulously, he said, "So you sent me tools," then pointed at the timber beneath Li Ming, "and wood?"
Seeing God nod again, Barefoot Mr. felt he might be dealing with a madman and wanted to end the conversation quickly. "Alright, let's start over. I'm Evan."
Before Evan could finish, God interjected, "Evan Baelster, born June 15, 1962, weighing 8 pounds 11 ounces at birth. Your mother was—"
Evan was currently a hotshot congressman, and most of his personal information had already been dug up and posted online by the public. So, when God displayed such intimate knowledge of his birth, Evan dismissed it as a minor trick, even sarcastically remarking, "At your age, you still enjoy surfing the web? Impressive."
Nearby, Li Ming, still invisible, clutched his stomach, unable to hold back his laughter. With a snort, he threw off his cape, gave Evan a thumbs-up, and said, "Daring to say 'impressive' to God—you're probably the first. Bold move. Respect."
Li Ming's sudden appearance made Evan instinctively rub his eyes. He glanced around and asked, "Are you guys performing magic or filming a reality show?"
As he spoke, Evan straightened his collar and asked, "Where are your cameras? Make sure I look good."
God glanced at Li Ming, who was now laughing hysterically on the timber. Instantly, Li Ming felt as if someone had grabbed his throat, silencing his laughter. Terrified, he sat upright like a model student, wearing an expression that screamed "I'm an honor student, I'm here to listen attentively," and gestured for God to continue.
The eccentric Wizard God turned back to Evan. Since the other party assumed the information was scraped from the web, God decided to share some exclusive details not found online, such as—
"You're a neat freak, very particular about your appearance. As a child, you were afraid of the 'Michelin' guy—"
Before God could continue, Evan frowned and asked, "Who are you?"
"I am God," God stated plainly. "I want you, Evan Baelster, to build an vessel."
Beside them, Li Ming extended his right hand, palm cradling a flickering fireball, and said, "I'm a Wizard."
This wasn't Li Ming trying to steal God's thunder, but because he knew a saying: mentally ill people never admit they're mentally ill.
The same logic could be applied to God. After all, simply claiming "I am God" couldn't possibly make Evan believe the elderly black man before him was the omniscient, omnipotent, and supremely benevolent God.
To convince Evan he was indeed a Wizard, Li Ming extinguished the fireball with a backhanded gesture while simultaneously conjuring an apple to hand to Evan, saying, "By appearance, this is an ordinary apple, but take one bite and you'll know it's actually plain boiled water."
With that, Li Ming motioned for Evan to take a bite.
Holding the apple and feeling its firm flesh, Evan looked at Li Ming as if he were an idiot while his germaphobia kicked in—he vigorously wiped the apple clean before slowly bringing it to his mouth for a small nibble.
Needless to say, Evan couldn't taste anything—or rather, boiled water is tasteless after all.
Feeling the boiled-water-flavored apple in his mouth, Evan slowly backed away a few steps, then turned and ran a short distance in apparent frenzy. After taking several deep breaths with an utterly bewildered expression directed at God and Li Ming, he returned to stand before them and said, "I still don't believe it."
Li Ming scratched his head and waved open a Teleportation gate connecting to the Himalayas, letting Evan experience what bone-chilling wind felt like.
A few seconds later, Li Ming closed the Teleportation gate and said, "If you still don't believe me, pack your bags. I'll take you on a 'go wherever we say' journey where we can return home anytime you're tired or hungry."
Evan, whose worldview had just been shattered, rubbed his face helplessly and forced an obviously fake smile as he asked, "Why choose me to build the vessel?"
God raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Because you want to change the world."
Evan's eye twitched. "Change the world" had been his campaign slogan when he entered politics. Of course, given the opportunity, Evan wouldn't mind doing something for the world—but actually changing it? That seemed impossible. Not getting changed by the world would be achievement enough.
Suddenly, Evan remembered that the biblical ark was inextricably linked to a great flood. Now God had suddenly appeared before him, asking him to build an ark...
Evan asked in horror, "Building the ark wouldn't have anything to do with a great flood, would it? You're not planning another 'world-ending' event, are you?"
God patted Evan's shoulder and smiled. "Let me put it this way—whatever I do, it's because I love you."
Would there actually be a flood?
Evan couldn't decipher what God meant, but he'd just moved into this new home. He needed to work hard to support his family and begin his political journey toward the White House. He simply didn't have time to build an ark.
Besides, there was a Wizard present. Having him help build the ark would surely be faster, and the quality would be better too.
At that moment, God turned to Li Ming and said, "You'll help build the vessel too."