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"Alright, now let's talk about the jade pendants," Prince Banan said. "What are your thoughts on the legends?"
"I believe that legends reflect the social conditions of their time to some extent. While stories may be mythologized in their transmission, the original prototypes must exist. Otherwise, these three jade pendants would not have appeared," Zhang Qiu replied.
"I think so too," Lucia added.
"You both make valid points," Prince Banan acknowledged Zhang Qiu and Lucia's views, but he had his own considerations. "However, will the prophecies in the legends truly come to pass? That would be terrifying enough to overturn people's existing beliefs."
"Not necessarily. I think what brought the three of us together is not the jade pendants, but technology."
"What do you mean?" Prince Banan asked, puzzled.
Zhang Qiu elaborated, "The rapid development of technology has only been a phenomenon of the last two hundred years. Before that, for someone to cross oceans and continents, they had to endure countless hardships. Therefore, it was very difficult to meet other Jade Pendant Heirs across regions. Moreover, due to information barriers, there was no way to see any information related to the jade pendants. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, science and technology advanced rapidly, new modes of transportation and media emerged, and communication among people became increasingly close. However, due to the two World Wars, the entire world was left in ruins. It wasn't until the widespread availability of the internet that the world truly became a whole. If it weren't for news reports about the situation in Tanzania, I would never have known that jade pendants were here."
"Interesting, your understanding is quite unique," Prince Banan nodded thoughtfully. "In that case, perhaps what is foretold in the legends won't happen in our generation?"
"Very likely. However, since fate has chosen us, we must always be prepared."
"For all humanity!"
Lucia suddenly shouted a rather comical slogan. Prince Banan laughed and said, "Of course! But for now, I need to liberate Tanzania first."
"You will definitely succeed."
"Thank you, thank you my friends." Prince Banan stood up. "I still have some matters to attend to. You will stay in the palace tonight, and we will continue our discussion tomorrow."
"Alright." Zhang Qiu had other matters to attend to but decided to wait until tomorrow to talk with Prince Banan considering the urgent need for strong leadership given Bam's current dire situation.
"Follow me."
Zhang Qiu and Lucia followed Prince Banan out of the conference room. The prince's bodyguards immediately surrounded them, and the White-Bearded Man was among them, respectfully saying, "Your Highness."
Zhang Qiu could tell that the White-Bearded Man had something to discuss with the prince that they shouldn't overhear, so he took the initiative to say, "Your Highness, Lucia and I are going to find K."
Prince Banan nodded. After Zhang Qiu and Lucia walked a short distance away, the White-Bearded Man whispered, "Your Highness, the military and political leaders from various cities have arrived. Should we...?"
"Where has that K gone? The palace is so big; he wouldn't have gotten lost, would he?" Lucia said, looking worriedly at the vast palace.
"We need to find him quickly," Zhang Qiu replied. He wasn't worried about K getting lost; he was more concerned that K might cause trouble. The palace was not like other places; it had strict guards and numerous rules. If K went to a restricted area and got into a fight with someone, it would be a real problem.
Zhang Qiu and Lucia searched room by room, asking the guards they encountered. Their efforts paid off when they spotted K's figure on a terrace on the second floor. From a distance, Lucia called out, "K, what are you doing?"
K turned around and walked over slowly.
"I'm here enjoying the night view. Look at how beautiful the night sky is in this city; it's even more stunning than what I saw in Yunnan."
"You've been to Yunnan?"
"Just for routine training. I can't tell you more than that."
Zhang Qiu nodded. He didn't have time to admire the night sky and said, "Let's go; Prince Banan is waiting for us. He seems to have something urgent to attend to."
"Wait a moment," K stopped Zhang Qiu. "Do you know who that White-Bearded Man is?"
"Who?" Zhang Qiu and Lucia asked in unison.
"He is the Chief Administrator of this country, his rank is probably similar to our Prime Minister." While Zhang Qiu and Lucia were talking with Prince Banan, K had been busy thinking about how to report to Bai Jingwei while also finding out the true identity of the White-Bearded Man from a servant in the palace.
Zhang Qiu suddenly laughed, and Lucia asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"I might be the only one born in the '90s who has kidnapped a head of state."
"No, of course you're not the only one. Don't forget I'm also from the '90s."
"Don't you two worry about retaliation?" K couldn't understand Zhang Qiu and Lucia's nonchalant attitude. Even if they were kids, they should understand that this was a serious matter; how could someone just kidnap a head of state?
"Retaliation?" Zhang Qiu elongated the word, "No way." Qiu Wan and Lucia exchanged a knowing smile. Their relationship with Prince Banan was a secret known only to the two of them, and they couldn't tell K.
"Alright, you should hurry up and go. Prince Banan will really be worried soon."
Lucia tugged at K's sleeve, and the three of them ran. By the time they returned outside the conference room, Prince Banan and the White-Bearded Man were nowhere to be seen. A bodyguard in black approached and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, Prince Banan had to leave for something urgent. I will be responsible for arranging your accommodations. This way, please."
"Wait, is there Wi-Fi in the palace?"
Zhang Qiu thought that since this was a palace, it surely wouldn't have lost its internet connection. Sure enough, the bodyguard nodded.
Under the guidance of the bodyguard, Zhang Qiu and the others arrived on the third floor. The decor on this floor was similar to that on the second floor, with golden wallpaper on the walls and large animal skulls hanging alongside oil paintings. The bodyguard stopped in front of a row of rooms and pointed to two adjacent guest rooms, saying, "These two guest rooms are prepared for you by the prince; they have already been cleaned by the servant."
"Two rooms?" Zhang Qiu thought he had misheard, as the bodyguard's English had a strong local accent.
"Yes, two rooms."
"But there are three of us."
"I don't know about that; His Highness instructed me this way."
"Alright, two rooms it is," Lucia said. "Maybe other people will need to stay in the other rooms."
"Well then," Zhang Qiu had no choice, after all, they were on someone else's turf. "Lucia, can I share a room with you?"
Lucia was slightly taken aback but nodded in agreement.
"Thank you," Zhang Qiu said.
"Thank you for what? Haven't we always shared a room? Why should this time be any different?"
K raised an eyebrow and went into his own room. The reason for this exception was something Zhang Qiu would explain to Lucia once they were inside.
"Lucia, the palace has Wi-Fi, so I can contact Jiang Xue. I don't want K to know about my situation in Beilan County, so... even though we've escaped danger, I still need to come here."
"Come on, you're very welcome. We are friends who have been through thick and thin together; there's no need to be so polite. I understand, K isn't one of us. I'm here for you, so feel free to chat with Sister Xue," Lucia said cheerfully, lying down on the soft mattress in the center of the room and unwilling to get up again.
Zhang Qiu appreciated Lucia's honesty. He had initially thought that in such a grand palace, Prince Banan would arrange three guest rooms so that he could have one alone to talk with Xue'er. However, he didn't expect that Prince Banan had prepared only two rooms for them. After escaping danger, it clearly wasn't appropriate to continue sharing a room with Lucia; sharing with K would also be inconvenient since there were many things K shouldn't know. Zhang Qiu had indeed been troubled by this issue for a while, but fortunately, Lucia didn't mind sharing a room with her.
Zhang Qiu opened his waterproof bag and took out his phone to charge it. Once powered on, a series of emails popped up on the screen, all from Jiang Xue. Zhang Qiu sent Jiang Xue a message and quickly received a reply; they agreed to have a video call.
The signal seemed poor; the video was slightly lagging and there was noise in the audio. When Jiang Xue saw Zhang Qiu, she excitedly shouted, "I finally see you! I've been so worried without any news from you."
"Look, I'm fine! That man hasn't bullied you again, has he?" From the video feed, it was clear that Jiang Xue was in her room; a cute brown monkey hung from a hook on the wall.
"No, he's been quite well-behaved lately and hasn't been drinking much. I can tell my mom is relieved. If they can keep it up like this, I'll be at ease too. You take care of yourself over there and don't keep worrying about me. It's winter there, right? Is it cold? What are you wearing? It looks so strange!"
"Ah," Zhang Qiu looked down at herself. "This is the local ethnic attire. How do I look? Isn't it cool?"
Zhang Qiu had worn the stolen clothes for a whole day and no longer felt awkward about it. He wasn't planning to tell Jiang Xue about the series of thrilling events that had happened since he arrived in Tanzania; he didn't want her to worry about him.
"I deliberately browsed news about Santania. I heard there are still protests going on over there. You all need to be careful when you go out, and avoid crowded places."
"Okay, I promise I won't go to crowded places."
"Hmph," Jiang Xue pouted, "You just talk big. You probably went there already, didn't you?"
Zhang Qiu chuckled, and Jiang Xue raised a finger in front of the screen, asking, "Hmph, I guessed right, didn't I?"
"Yes, but look at me, I'm doing just fine."
"Come on, can't you let me worry a little less?" Jiang Xue complained like a wife, and Zhang Qiu enjoyed it very much. Jiang Xue then asked, "You've been there for so long. Have you contacted Prince Banan? Is it particularly difficult to meet the prince?"
"Not difficult at all," Zhang Qiu turned the camera around to show the room he was in and introduced it to Jiang Xue. "Look, I'm currently on the third floor of the Santanian Kingdom Palace. We've already met Prince Banan, and we're sleeping here tonight."
"Are you with Lucia?" Jiang Xue saw Lucia lying on the bed in the video.
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