Famous's proposal was very reasonable. Pi's book could be said to be all-encompassing. Even if things in the future and present could not be investigated due to countless possibilities, at least things in the past could be investigated.
Thinking of this, Zhang Zian connected to the hotel's WiFi and immediately sent a message to Pi: Pi, what are you doing now? Do you have time to investigate something for me?
After a while, Pi replied: Yes, I'm walking around in the living room. What do you want to know?
There were countless things happening in the world every minute and every second, and 99.999999999999% of them were trivial things, such as Li Lei peeing outside the toilet bowl, or Han Meimei picking her nose, etc. Pi was not interested in, and could not possibly know, any of this.
In fact, Pi was only interested in what happened in the pet shop in the past half a year. After all, it had to write a novel with relevant content. It would only open its book when it needed to, to inquire about what it wanted to know.
Zhang Zian sent a message: Here's the thing, Pi. The Holy Cat statue that has been placed on the first floor of the shop suddenly disappeared inexplicably. Can you help me find out what happened in the pet shop last night?
Pi quickly replied: Yes, but it will take some time.
Zhang Zian could imagine Pi, who had just finished writing a plot and was walking around in the living room, putting on the pince-nez again, opening its book, and searching bit by bit.
Pi's book was all-encompassing, which was both a good and a bad thing, because it meant that everything that happened in the pet shop last night would be recorded, including the trajectory of every dust particle flying in the air, the evaporation process of every drop of water, and even the position of every atom that made up the pet shop. It was not easy to find specific things from the infinite records, even for Pi, which had the "infinite" attribute. It had to be given enough time.
While waiting for Pi's reply, the elfins chose their favorite sleeping spots in their rooms. Zhang Zian took out the clothes from the suitcase and hung them in the closet. He found the four bow ties he brought and tried them on for Famous, then took a photo and sent it to Feng Xuan. To be honest, Famous looked quite handsome in the bow ties.
The electric kettle made a bubbling sound. Zhang Zian opened a pack of tea leaves he brought with him, waited for the water to cool down, and made two cups of tea. He and Old Time Tea each had a cup, and the rest of the water was left to cool down for the other elfins.
His phone rang with a message notification.
So fast?
Zhang Zian was a little surprised. Pi didn't look up information so quickly in the past …
He unlocked his phone and was slightly stunned. The caller was not Pi, but Professor Weikang, whom he had not contacted for a long time.
As a biology professor at Binhai University, Wei Kang had always hoped that Zhang Zian could cooperate with him in his research out of his interest in primitive Egyptian cats. Of course, the research subject was Fina.
It was impossible for Zhang Zian to agree to this request. He had always politely declined, because this was not a matter of national interest. Even if he agreed, Fina would not agree.
Professor Wei Kang had helped him a little when he was capturing Richard. As a way to return the favor, he really wanted to find a chance to return the favor, but there was no suitable opportunity.
Wei Kang asked in the message: Student Zhang Zian, is it convenient now? I want to discuss something with you.
The Dog Warrior crew did not have any other arrangements that day, and Zhang Zian's task was to get used to the jet lag. Other than waiting for Pi's reply, he had nothing else to do, so he replied, "Sure." What did Professor Wei want?
He guessed in his heart that Wei Kang had not given up and wanted to borrow Fina for research again.
A moment later, Wei Kang sent another message: It's like this. At the beginning of the New Year, I am applying for funds and projects from the academy. I plan to go to Egypt to investigate the local biodiversity. I am currently in the early stages of preparation. One of the goals of this expedition is to find traces of primitive Egyptian cats. Since you can get one, maybe there are others in the local area. If successful, you may be able to rewrite the evolutionary history of domestic cats.
Zhang Zian felt that the chances were slim. Fina had been summoned from history by the game, and it had not survived from 2000 years ago to the present. The chances of surviving primitive Egyptian cats in Egypt were even lower than the chances of winning the two-color ball. Even so, he did not advise Wei Kang not to do useless things. After all, this was only one of Wei Kang's goals for this trip.
Wei Kang probably understood that the chances were very low. It was impossible for him to go to Egypt just to do one thing. Otherwise, it would be too much of a waste of manpower and money, and the academy would not approve of it. There must be other tasks.
So Zhang Zian replied: Then I wish you success in advance.
He knew that Wei Kang definitely had more to say. He would not send a message just to tell him this.
Sure enough, Wei Kang sent another message: If possible, I hope you can tell me where you got the primitive Egyptian cat, or how you got it. I promise on my honor that I will keep it a secret for you and will not reveal it. Please don't say that you picked it up on the street again.
Wei Kang's words were sincere. He probably thought that Zhang Zian had smuggled it through the local black market in Egypt … But Zhang Zian could not tell him the truth, and he did not have the heart to lie to him again. He could only reply: Professor Wei, please don't ask. For some personal reasons, I cannot say.
Zhang Zian did not feel good about disappointing this old man again, but he had no other choice.
After waiting for a while, Wei Kang still did not give up. He sent another message: Well, since you are not willing to say it, I have a request. If you have time, can you come with us to Egypt? We will provide travel expenses and accommodation, and we will not interfere with your activities, as long as you promise to try your best to help us find another primitive Egyptian cat. Is that okay?
This message surprised Zhang Zian even more. In order to find the primitive Egyptian cat, Wei Kang invited him to Egypt for an expedition?
He glanced at Fina, hesitated, and replied: Professor Wei, are you kidding me? I am just a pet shop owner. My university major has nothing to do with biology. Even if you agree, will the school approve it?
Wei Kang replied confidently: Of course, no problem. As a special consultant, we often need to hire people who are familiar with the local customs as consultants when we are in the field. Otherwise, we will be at a loss when we are not familiar with the people and the place.
Zhang Zian suddenly had nothing to say. It seemed that Wei Kang had thought about it thoroughly. He had planned everything before taking action.
Wei Kang often led teams to the field, so he was very familiar with the process. Since he was confident, he should not be talking nonsense.
Zhang Zian was a little excited. Was this an opportunity to travel at public expense? The place they were going to was not the common European and American regions, or Southeast Asia, where China had more people than the local people. Instead, it was Egypt, which was covered with a layer of mystery …
Traveling was secondary. The key was …
He sneaked a glance at Fina again.
Fina was squatting by the floor-to-ceiling window with its back facing Zhang Zian. It was staring at the Berlin night view of the busy streets outside the window. From his position, he could not see its expression at the moment. It was probably neither happy nor sad.
He remembered that the last time he went to the United States, Fina had inadvertently asked on the plane if the place they were flying over was Egypt. After getting a negative answer, even though it hid it very well, its eyes were still filled with disappointment.
It must have wanted to return to Egypt to see the Kingdom of God that it had once protected, to see the black land that it had once dreamed of … Zhang Zian still did not understand why the ancient Egyptians would call the country full of yellow sand the black land. Was it color blind?
He had considered taking it to Egypt to play, but he had never been able to make up his mind. It was obvious that he could not go with a tour group to Egypt. The tour group's way of visiting was purely for sightseeing and shopping. If it was a free trip, he was not familiar with Egypt, and he had no relatives. If he really encountered any problems, it would be troublesome.
Wei Kang's invitation this time was a godsend. There was no better opportunity than this.
It was not a bad idea to take advantage of this opportunity to fulfill Fina's long-cherished wish … He did not have to pay for it.
However, taking someone's money to eliminate a disaster for them would cost a lot of money for a scientific expedition. If he really went with them shamelessly, what if he could not find the original Egyptian cat for Wei Kang?
To be cautious, he did not hastily agree to it. Instead, he asked, "Professor Wei Kang, what time is the expedition that you mentioned? When are you coming back? My schedule is quite full, and I'm attending an important meeting in Germany right now. "
The second half of the sentence was purely to show off.
After sending this message, he also sent his location over to prove that he was indeed in Germany.
Professor Wei Kang replied, "Isn't the Spring Festival holiday just over? The leaders of the institute have also just started work. The project was reported today, and I now need to confirm the number of participants in this expedition so that I can apply for the corresponding funds. So, I have to first ask if you are interested in participating. " After the institute's research was approved, they had to make a detailed plan and prepare the materials. Preliminary estimates said that if everything went smoothly, it would be three months later at the earliest.
Three months later … That was still very early.
Zhang Zian was conflicted. On the one hand, he wanted to take this opportunity to go. On the other hand, he was worried that he would be looked down upon if he returned empty-handed, so he hesitated for a long time before replying.
Just then, his phone rang with a message notification. He thought it was Wei Kang urging him to make a decision quickly, but this time it was Pi.
Pi wrote, "The Holy Cat statue disappeared on its own. It was not stolen."
Disappeared on its own?
Zhang Zian was even more curious. How could such a heavy lump of iron — no, a lump of copper — disappear on its own? The world was really big, and anything was possible.
He sent a message and asked, "How did it disappear? What's the reason? "
Pi quickly replied, "I've checked the reason for its disappearance, but I couldn't find the reason."
Couldn't find the reason?
That was strange. Pi's book was about life, the universe, and everything else. It wasn't asking about the future, but about the past. How could it be that it couldn't find the reason?
Zhang Zian asked, "Why?"
Pi replied, "According to the book, the relevant information is protected by the game and temporarily cannot be checked."
What the f * ck!
Zhang Zian's heart was filled with countless alpacas!
Protected by the game? Did that mean that the Holy Cat statue was related to the game?
He immediately started the Pet Hunter game and asked, "Navigation Elf, are you there?"
Before he finished his sentence, a ball of light appeared on the screen of the phone, giving people the feeling that it was alive.
[Navigation Elf]: Hello! I'm your navigation elf, at your service at any time!
"Navigation Elf, what's the matter with the Holy Cat statue in my shop? Don't tell me you don't know! "he asked bluntly.
[Navigation Elf]: According to our judgment, the Holy Cat statue in your shop may have become an elfin after receiving enough Strength of Faith, so we can't disclose the relevant information to you. Please forgive us!
Zhang Zian cursed in his heart, but even if he didn't say it, the Navigation Elf would definitely know what he wanted to say.
"This kind of thing can become an elfin?" he questioned. "I don't read much, so don't lie to me!"
[Navigation Elf]: Elfins are not limited to any form, and are not fake. Whether it's a living pet or a pet in human imagination, it can become an elfin, and so can a statue. Congratulations, you may be about to witness the birth of a new elfin, which is very rare!
Zhang Zian was speechless. Do you think I'll be happy? The statue disappeared just like that. If I had known this would happen, I would have sold it as a piece of scrap metal for some money!
He noticed that the Navigation Elf emphasized "may," which meant that it was uncertain whether the Holy Cat statue could collect enough Strength of Faith. Maybe it could become an elfin, maybe it couldn't. Everything was still ambiguous.
He probably couldn't get any more information from the Navigation Elf.
"Okay, I got it. It's none of your business," he said.
[Navigation Elf]: At your service at any time.
The jumping ball of light on the screen disappeared.
The elfins couldn't see his and Pi's typing, but they heard the conversation between him and the Navigation Elf. They felt that his tone was not friendly, so they all looked at him.
He sorted out his thoughts and was about to explain the matter to them, when his phone rang again. It was a message from Pi.
Pi said, I tried again. Although I couldn't find any detailed information, I found a sentence in the book that may be related to this matter.
Zhang Zian immediately asked, What sentence?
Pi quickly replied, The cat's moan shakes the heavens, and the wind and clouds meet to swim in the sea of sand.
Seeing this prophetic gatha, his heart skipped a beat. He switched the information interface to his conversation with Wei Kang, and reread the message that Wei Kang had sent.
Sea of sand … Could this be referring to the vast Sahara Desert?
If the sea of sand really referred to the Sahara Desert, then the phrase "the wind and clouds meet to swim in the sea of sand" meant that he was destined to go to Egypt?
The Holy Cat statue came from ancient Egypt. Did he have to go to Egypt to find a way to stop it from becoming an elfin?
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make sense. The Holy Cat statue had not been able to become an elfin for more than two thousand years. Perhaps it was because the ancient Egyptians had a way to suppress it …
But what the hell was this "cat's moan shakes the heavens?"
Was the cat referring to the Holy Cat statue? But the Holy Cat statue could not "moan" …
Although he didn't understand, it seemed that this trip to Egypt was necessary.
He sent a simple message to Wei Kang. Professor Wei, is your suggestion still valid?
Wei Kang: Valid.
Zhang Zian: Count me in.
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