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Chapter Fifty-Nine: Happiness Opens the Appetite
The road from the airport to the palace was also under traffic control, allowing the convoy welcoming Prince Banan to pass through smoothly. Outside the palace, sandbags, barbed wire, and heavy guards had been removed, and tanks and armored vehicles were nowhere to be seen. A small number of armed guards patrolled the perimeter of the palace, standing at attention and saluting as they saw Prince Banan's convoy approach.
The luxury car carrying Prince Banan stopped in front of the palace gates, and the officials responsible for the welcome eagerly rushed forward to open the car door and invite His Highness to disembark. Prince Banan stepped onto the red carpet, waving to the crowd of people welcoming him, while his attendants and officials received special treatment.
Surrounded by the crowd, Prince Banan moved forward, followed closely by Zhang Qiu, Lucia, and Azure Hawk. The appearance of King Mudis IV caused a stir; reformist officials looked at him with deep hostility. The king sensed this atmosphere; the grand welcome clearly did not belong to him, so he took the initiative to excuse himself from Prince Banan.
Prince Banan looked at the king and said, "That's fine; I'll visit Father in the evening."
Prince Banan sent someone to escort the king to a nearby villa. The king hurriedly got into two cars with his servants and left. The king's brief appearance at the palace did not affect the festive atmosphere; amidst cheers, people quickly overlooked what had just happened. It was dinner time, and a lavish feast was prepared in the palace for celebration. After dinner, there would be a grand ball attended by royal nobles and relatives of high-ranking officials.
Prince Banan let everyone go ahead while he returned to his room to change clothes. Ten minutes later, he appeared in the dining hall wearing an exquisite evening suit. His arrival elicited screams from the young women attending the banquet; tonight, Prince Banan was charming and raised his goblet to toast at every table.
Zhang Qiu was not fond of such excitement; she took a plate of food she was interested in and sat down in a corner to enjoy it. Lucia accompanied Zhang Qiu and chatted casually from time to time. As they talked, their conversation turned to what gifts Prince Banan might give them.
Lucia curiously tilted her head up and suddenly asked Zhang Qiu, "What do you think Prince Banan will give us as gifts?"
"I'm not sure; I can't think of what he might give," Zhang Qiu replied, shaking her head. After all, her time spent with Prince Banan had been short, making it difficult to guess what kind of gifts he would choose. As a prince, his generosity would surely be extraordinary; however, giving gold or silver treasures seemed too mundane—how could that match their deep friendship? Zhang Qiu really couldn't think of anything else.
"He wouldn't send you a few beauties, would he?" Lucia joked with Zhang Qiu.
"Don't tease me; I actually think Prince Banan might introduce you to some handsome guys."
"…"
The two continued their playful banter. After enjoying their meal and drinks, Zhang Qiu and Lucia started playing on their phones. Zhang Qiu logged onto QQ intending to send Jiang Xue a message but paused for a moment before deleting everything she had typed. It would be better to surprise Xue'er instead; a happy smile appeared on Zhang Qiu's face.
"What are you thinking about? You look so sweet when you smile," Lucia asked as she tilted her head towards Zhang Qiu.
"Huh?" Zhang Qiu didn't expect Lucia to notice her smile. Coming back to reality, she replied with a grin, "I'm just excited about going home soon."
"Are you eager to see Sister Xue?"
Seeing through his thoughts, Zhang Qiu chuckled, and Lucia immediately understood, laughing along with him.
After the banquet, people moved to the first-floor hall to dance. A Western band played soothing music on the side while waiters weaved through the crowd with glasses of champagne. Beautifully dressed and graceful royal princesses danced elegantly in the center of the hall. Middle-aged officials gathered in small groups, sipping red wine and discussing politics.
Zhang Qiu and Lucia were not interested in dancing. Several suitors approached Lucia to invite her, but she declined each time. Not wanting to be disturbed, Lucia said, "Zhang Qiu, shall we go back to our room?"
Zhang Qiu readily agreed. The two stood up to greet Prince Banan but searched the entire dance floor without finding him. After asking the White-Bearded Man, they learned that Prince Banan had gone to the king's villa shortly after the ball began. Zhang Qiu and Lucia exchanged smiles and returned to their room together.
Sitting on the soft and comfortable bed in their room, Zhang Qiu casually remarked, "Lucia, I thought girls liked dancing."
"I prefer shooting over dancing," Lucia replied, mimicking a shooting pose. Zhang Qiu pretended to be shot and fell down. Lucia rushed over, crossing her hands on Zhang Qiu's chest. Zhang Qiu laughed and said, "What’s this? Do you need mouth-to-mouth?"
"Dream on," Lucia said as she removed her hands and sat down beside him. Zhang Qiu settled back into his seat as well.
"If we get the chance, let's have a sparring session," Lucia suggested.
"Sparring about what?" Zhang Qiu was momentarily confused.
"Shooting! I think your skills are on par with mine; I want to challenge you," Lucia said with a bright smile, her blue eyes sparkling as she looked at Zhang Qiu.
"Sure!" Zhang Qiu agreed immediately but suddenly paused, thinking for a moment before adding, "I'll try to arrange it when we get back."
"Can you arrange that? Isn't it not allowed where you are..."
"It is indeed not allowed," Zhang Qiu replied. "But I'm wondering if we could train at the Shooting Range in the detention center. Of course, it might not have as many guns as your shooting range, but sparring with firearms should still be possible."
"Can you just go to the detention center like that?" Lucia found it quite amazing. Through her conversations with Zhang Qiu, she realized that while many aspects seemed particularly strict, there were also numerous 'shortcuts' available, which she found incredibly surprising.
"Maybe? I'll give it a try," Zhang Qiu said uncertainly. When Lucia mentioned sparring with firearms, he couldn't help but think of his training ground. His initial visit to the detention center for firearms training was to assist his uncle in cracking down on Chen Hu's drug trafficking network; it was a legitimate reason. He wondered if he could privately ask his uncle to take Lucia shooting and whether he would agree. Zhang Qiu even considered whether he should secretly communicate with Wang Hailong directly; perhaps he would consent to his request.
Zhang Qiu's thoughts were interrupted by a brief knock on the door, and Lucia got up to open it. The vigilance of recent days made Lucia cautious even in the palace, so she stood behind the door and asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Azure Hawk."
Lucia glanced back at Zhang Qiu, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the door. Azure Hawk walked in with a blank expression. As Lucia closed the door, she hurried to Zhang Qiu's side, fearing that the two might start arguing again.
Zhang Qiu watched as Azure Hawk stepped inside. Once Azure Hawk stopped, he said, "Professor Bai asked if you could immediately begin your research on the jade pendant once you return."
Zhang Qiu did not directly answer Azure Hawk's question but instead said, "You didn't attend the ball; you were in contact with Professor Bai, weren't you?"
"Yes. Professor Bai wanted me to tell you that he is ready and just waiting for you to hand over the jade pendant for research."
"You can tell him that once I step onto the grounds of the research institute, I will hand over the jade pendant for him to study. Also, please ask him if he remembers our promise."
"Promise?"
"Just use my exact words; he will understand."
"Alright, I will convey that." Azure Hawk paused and added, "I'll take my leave now."
At the moment Azure Hawk turned to leave, Zhang Qiu suddenly asked, "Do you know anything about the jade pendant?"
"No." Azure Hawk replied without turning around.
Zhang Qiu nodded; it seemed that Bai Jingwei had not shared any information about the jade pendant with Azure Hawk. Seeing that Zhang Qiu had no further questions, Azure Hawk stepped out. Although he was curious about the secrets hidden within Zhang Qiu's jade pendant, he would not ask further. He only needed to carry out orders without needing to know why.
After Azure Hawk left, Zhang Qiu and Lucia went to bed and turned off the lights. Zhang Qiu stared at the floral-patterned ceiling; everything was dark before his eyes. In darkness, one can feel oneself more clearly. Zhang Qiu relaxed completely on the soft mattress, covered by a light blanket that emitted a pleasant fragrance, comfortably drifting into sleep.
Zhang Qiu and Lucia did not sleep until noon but woke up early instead. One major benefit of going to bed early is waking up refreshed. After washing up and organizing their belongings, they headed straight to the dining hall for breakfast. The chaos left from last night's banquet had been cleaned up thoroughly; servants and attendants were busy preparing breakfast at the dining table.
Azure Hawk and his team were sitting inside eating breakfast when Lucia couldn't help but laugh and said, "Zhang Qiu, don't you think they seem to never get tired? Every time we come to the dining hall, they are either eating or have already finished."
"They are the elite of the elite, and this can be phrased differently."
"What do you mean?"
"They are not human."
Lucia merely smiled at Zhang Qiu's words, leaving him unsure if she understood. Zhang Qiu's statement was not derogatory; at their level, they indeed transcended the conventional concept of humanity. They could achieve what ordinary people could not, think thoughts that others could not fathom, and endure what most could not tolerate. Each of them was a war god, forged from blood and fire into the strongest of warriors.
Zhang Qiu and Lucia sat down nearby and called for breakfast to begin. Lucia chewed on bread dipped in milk, while Zhang Qiu finished off his fried egg and ham, devoured the broccoli, and after drinking a whole cup of milk, he called for the waiter with a lingering appetite, saying, "I need some ham and milk, thank you."
The waiter nodded and left. After a while, he returned with a tray, placing the food Zhang Qiu ordered in front of him and said, "Enjoy your meal."
"Thank you." Zhang Qiu took out a few silver coins from his pocket and handed them to the waiter.
Lucia watched Zhang Qiu's food with surprise while sipping her milk. "Zhang Qiu, this is the first time I've seen you eat so much."
"I can't help it; I'm happy. Happiness opens up one's appetite."
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