Famous’s proposal made a lot of sense––Pi’s book had everything in it. Even if it was impossible to check out the present and the future due to an infinite amount of possibilities, it was at least possible to check what happened in the past.
Zhang Zian connected to the WiFi at the hotel and typed a message to Pi immediately. “Pi, what are you doing now? Do you have time to check something for me?”
After a while, Pi replied, “Yes. I’m walking circles in the living room. What do you want to find out?”
Countless things were happening in the world at each second, of which 99.9% were trivial things––such as Li Lei peeing outside the toilet bowl, and Han Meimei picking her nose. Pi was not interested in––nor could it possibly know––all of these.
In fact, Pi was only interested in what had happened during the past year in the pet shop, as it needed it to write its novel. It only opened up its book when it needed it to look for information.
Zhang Zian replied, “Here is the story, Pi. The Holy Cat statue, which has always been placed on the first floor of the shop, went missing all of a sudden. Could you help me find out what happened in the pet shop last night? Is that okay?”
Pi quickly replied, “Yes, but it will take some time.”
Zhang Zian could imagine that Pi stopped circling around the living room and put its pince-nez back on. It flipped the book open and started the search bit by bit.
Pi’s book contained everything, which was both good and bad. This meant that everything that had happened last night in the pet shop was recorded, including the trajectory of each particle of dust in the air, the evaporation process of each water droplet, and even the location of every atom that made up the pet shop. Finding something specific in such infinite records was not easy for Pi, who had the gift of being “infinite.” It needed enough time.
While waiting for Pi’s answer, the elfins looked for their favorite spots to sleep in the room, and Zhang Zian took his clothes out of his luggage and hung them in the closet. He also took out the four bow ties he packed to try them on Famous and sent the photos to Feng Xuan. To Zhang Zian’s surprise, Famous looked quite handsome in them.
The electric kettle began to bubble, indicating that the water was boiling. Zhang Zian opened a pack of tea that he brought and made two cups of tea once the boiling water had cooled slightly. He and Old Time Tea each had a cup, while the remaining water was given to the other elfins after it cooled.
Suddenly, an alert tone rang on his phone.
That was fast.
Zhang Zian was somewhat surprised, as Pi had never been so quick in the information search…
As he unlocked his phone, he was slightly astonished. The message was not from Pi but from Professor Wei Kang, whom he had not contacted for a long time.
Wei Kang was a biology professor at Binhai University, and, out of his interest in ancient Egyptian cats, he had always hoped that Zhang Zian would help him with his research. The research subject was, of course, Fina.
It was impossible for Zhang Zian to accept this request, so he always declined. This was not a matter of life and death, anyway. Even if he agreed, Fina would not agree.
Professor Wei Kang had offered him some help when he captured Richard. In order to reciprocate, he had always wanted to find an occasion to return the favor, but he never encountered an appropriate occasion.
“Zhang Zian, is this a good time?” Wei Kang asked him in a message. “There is something that I’d like to discuss with you.”
The Dog Warrior crew had no other arrangements today. Zhang Zian’s main task was to get used to the jetlag, and he had nothing else to do except to wait for Pi’s response. He replied, “It is a good time. Professor Wei, what can I do to help you?”
Zhang Zian wondered if Wei Kang was just unwilling to give up and still wanted to borrow Fina for research.
After a moment, Wei Kang sent another message. “Here is the story. At the beginning of the new year, I will be applying for funding and new projects at the institution. I’m planning to head to Egypt to study the local biodiversity. As of now, though, it’s still at the preparation phase. One of the goals of this research is to find traces of ancient Egyptian cats. Since you were able to get one, there might be more over there. If we are successful, we might be able to rewrite the evolutionary history of domestic cats.”
Zhang Zian felt that Wei Kang’s hopes were distant. Fina was called out of history by the game; it didn’t live through the 2,000 years of history. The chances of finding living ancient Egyptian cats in Egypt nowadays were smaller than winning the jackpot. Despite this, he was not in the position of talking Wei Kang out of it. It was only one of the goals of his trip, after all.
Wei Kang also knew that the chances were slim and that it was impossible to make a trip to Egypt for only one purpose. It would have been too costly, and the institution would have never approved it. He must have other tasks.
Therefore, Zhang Zian replied, “I wish you success ahead of time.”
He knew that Wei Kang would respond back, as he would not have messaged him just to inform him about it.
As he expected, Wei Kang sent another message. “I hope that you can tell me where you got this ancient Egyptian cat, or even the channels you went through to acquire it. I guarantee that with my reputation, I will keep it confidential and shall tell no one. Please don’t tell me again that you got it from the street.”
Wei Kang was sincere in his question. Maybe he thought that Zhang Zian had smuggled the cat from the Egyptian black market… Zhang Zian could not tell him the truth but could not lie to him, either.
He had to tell him, “Professor Wei, please do not ask this question anymore. For personal reasons, I cannot disclose anything.”
Zhang Zian felt guilty about once again disappointing the old man––he was over 50 years of age––but he had no other options.
After a little time passed, Wei Kang sent another message––he refused to give up. “Fine. Since you are unwilling to disclose the truth, I have another request. If you have time then, would you be willing to come to Egypt with us? We’ll pay for the trip, the accommodations, and the food. We will not interfere with your freedom, so long as you promise to help us find another ancient Egyptian cat as much as you can. Is this okay with you?”
The last message Wei Kang sent was more surprising to Zhang Zian. Wei Kang was inviting him to travel to Egypt just so they could search for an ancient Egyptian cat?
He glanced at Fina and felt hesitant. He replied, “Professor Wei, are you joking? I’m just a pet shop owner, and the major I studied in University had nothing to do with biology. Even if you agree, will the institution approve it?”
Wei Kang replied with confidence, “Of course, this is not a problem. You can join as a special consultant. While we on a field trip, we often hire consultants who are familiar with the local conditions and customs. Otherwise, we will get lost in the unfamiliar field, right?”
Zhang Zian had nothing else to say. It seemed as though Wei Kang was well prepared and had invited him after careful planning.
Wei Kang often took teams on field trips, so he was familiar with the protocol. Since he was confident, he could not have been bullsh*tting.
Zhang Zian became somewhat interested. Was this an opportunity for a free trip? The destination was not as common as places like Europe, America, or Southeast Asia, where there were more Chinese than local citizens. It was the mysterious Egypt…
A free trip was the second best part. The best part was…
Zhang Zian took another secret glance at Fina.
It was sitting by the French window with its back towards Zhang Zian, staring out at Berlin’s busy streets. Zhang Zian could not see its face from where he was standing–– maybe it was neither happy nor sad.
The last time he had traveled to the United States, Fina had asked on the airplane if the ground below was Egypt. After hearing “no,” its eyes were filled with disappointment, despite the fact that it hid its emotions very well.
It must want to return to Egypt to take another look at the godly land that it had once protected, as well as the black land that it used to dream about… Although, Zhang Zian still could not understand why the ancient Egyptians called the sandy nation “black land.” Were they color blind?
He had considered bringing it to Egypt for a trip, but he could not make up his mind. Apparently, he could not follow a travel group to Egypt, as the group would only pass by the major tourist attractions while shopping. If he went there by himself, with no friends or any familiarity with his surroundings, it could be a real problem if something happened.
The invitation from Wei Kang was a perfect opportunity––there could not have been a better one. Seizing this opportunity in order to fulfill Fina’s longtime wish seemed to be a good idea… He wouldn’t have to pay for it, either, and somebody else would.
The only thing was that it was inappropriate to accept a gift without giving anything back. A scientific field trip was expensive. If he followed them brazenly, what would happen if he was unable to help Wei Kang find an ancient Egyptian cat?
To be cautious, he didn’t accept the offer on the spot. He asked further, “Professor Wei, when are you leaving for this field trip you talked about? When are you returning? My schedule is pretty full. Right now I’m attending an important meeting in Germany.”
He only sent the last sentence to impress the Professor.
After sending the message, he sent his current location to prove that he was, indeed, in Germany.
Professor Wei Kang replied, “We have just finished the long Spring Festival break, and the upper management is just now returning to work at the institution. The project application was submitted today, and now I need to confirm the number of people attending this field trip so that I can gather the funding accordingly. That’s why I’m asking if you would be interested. After the institution approves it, we’ll still need to make specific plans and prepare the supplies. If everything goes well, I’m estimating that the trip would be, at the earliest, in three months.”
Three months later was still quite far away.
Zhang Zian was struggling to make a decision. On the one hand, he wanted to seize the chance to make the trip. On the other hand, he didn’t want to look bad by not contributing to the success; therefore, he didn’t send a reply right away.
At this time, a message alert rang again. He thought that Wei Kang was hurrying him to make a decision, but this time, the message was from Pi.
Pi wrote, “The Holy Cat statue disappeared on its own. Nobody stole it.”
Zhang Zian grew more curious. “It disappeared on its own? How could such a heavy pile of iron––no, bronze, disappear on its own? The world is indeed a rich tapestry where anything is possible.”
He messaged to ask, “How did it disappear? What was the cause?”
Pi responded quickly. “I had searched for the cause of disappearance, but could not find anything.”
Pi couldn’t find the cause?
That’s weird. Pi’s book is about life, the universe, and everything else. This was not a matter in the future, but a matter in the past… so how can it not be found?
Zhang Zian asked again, “Why?”
Pi replied, “According to the book, the information is protected by the game and cannot be retrieved.”
Holy crap! Zhang Zian had a million llamas running over his heart!
Protected by the game? Meaning that, somehow, the Holy Cat statue was related to the game?
He opened up the Pet Hunter game and asked, “Navigation Elfin, are you there?”
As he spoke, an icon appeared on the screen as if it were alive.
[Navigation Elfin]: Hello! I’m your Navigation Elfin, at your service at any time!
“Navigation Elfin, what happened to the Holy Cat statue in my shop? Don’t tell me that you don’t know anything!” he asked boldly.
[Navigation Elfin]: According to our judgment, the Holy Cat statue in your shop might have acquired enough Strength of Faith to become an elfin. Therefore, we can’t disclose relevant information. Sorry!
Zhang Zian had an urge to say “f*ck.” But even if he didn’t say it, the Navigation Elfin would surely know what he wanted to say.
“That thing can become an elfin?” Zhang Zian questioned. “I’m not well educated, but don’t lie to me!”
[Navigation Elfin]: Elfins are not bound by shape or form. No matter if it’s a pet with life, or a pet in human imagination, it has the potential to become an elfin––and sometimes that includes a statue. Allow me to congratulate you, though! You might be about to witness the birth of a new elfin. This is very rare!
Zhang Zian was speechless. “Do you think that I’d be happy about it?” he finally asked. “The statue was gone just like that. It’s worth quite a few bucks, even if I sold it as scrap metal!”
He noticed that the Navigation Elfin was emphasizing “might,” which meant that it was uncertain whether or not the Holy Cat statue could gather enough Strength of Faith. Maybe it could become an elfin, or maybe not. Nothing was set in stone yet.
He might not get any more information from the Navigation Elfin.
“Fine. I get it. You are dismissed,” Zhang Zian said.
[Navigation Elfin]: At your service, at any time.
The blinking icon disappeared from the screen.
The elfins didn’t see the words he typed with Pi, but they heard his conversation with the Navigation Elfin. His tone was unfriendly, which caused them to glance at him one after another.
He organized his thoughts and was about to tell them what was going on before his phone rang again. It was another message from Pi.
Pi said, “I tried again, but still can’t find detailed information. I found a sentence in the book, though, that might be related to this.”
Zhang Zian asked immediately, “What sentence?”
Pi replied quickly, “‘As cats meow about the changing sky, an epic encounter is about to take place in the ocean of sand.'”
After seeing this prophetic chant, something in his mind clicked, and he switched the screen to his conversation with Wei Kang. He read Wei Kang’s message once again.
Ocean of sand… Could it be referring to the vast Sahara desert?
If the ocean of sand was indeed the Sahara desert, could this sentence, the “epic encounter that is about to take place in the ocean of sand,” mean that he was destined to make a trip to Egypt?
The Holy Cat statue came from ancient Egypt. Maybe he had to go to Egypt to find a way to stop it from becoming an elfin…
It seemed to make sense. The Holy Cat statue had failed to become an elfin for two thousand years… maybe the ancient Egyptians had a secret way to repress it.
But, what the heck was “as cats meow about the changing sky?”
Was the cat referring to the Holy Cat statue? But the statue could not “meow…”
Although he could not figure out everything, the trip to Egypt seemed both reasonable and necessary.
He sent a brief message to Wei Kang. “Professor Wei, is your offer still valid?”
Wei Kang said, “Yes.”
Zhang Zian typed, “Count me in, then.”