Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Morning.
“Master, don’t forget to bring your things! I mean, don’t forget to bring souvenirs.”
“Master, are you really bringing this statue to Egypt?”
Wang Qian and Li Kun helped Zhang Zian pack the statue up, asking noisily.
As the two of them were the ones in charge of packing and sending aquariums to customers, they had a lot of experience with packing up fragile fishbowls and aquariums.
Zhang Zian found a cardboard box just about the right size for the statue along with some bubble wrap, and he put the Holy Cat statue into it. He even found some waste newspaper to ball up and stuff into the gaps in order to prevent it from shaking.
There was actually no need to be this careful with the Holy Cat statue. It would be alright even if it was scratched or damaged in the process of transportation, since it was already battered beyond comprehension. But it was the airline company that had requested that he make sure the packaging was secure. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be allowed on the flight. He could only abide by their rules.
Today was the day they were leaving for their expedition. The flight was set to leave at night, so there was no need to rush.
He would bring Fina and Famous along and meet up with the other team members at the airport before leaving for Cairo on the same flight.
Fina definitely had to show her face. This was what they had agreed on beforehand. But Famous was too famous and might be eyed by paparazzi, so the two of them had to suffer from the tougher journey.
It wasn’t the first time that Famous had been transported as a pet, and it had physically and mentally prepared itself for that. It would stop eating and drinking at the right time to prevent its biological functions from hindering it on the flight.
Fina definitely would not allow itself to be closed into a cage like a pet. But it was luckier. Binhai University had already proven Fina to be a scientifically important animal for research, so it could take the flight together with the team and even have its own seat.
The other elfins would sleep in his phone first, and they would arrive in Egypt when they woke up.
After they expended a lot of energy, the Holy Cat statue was finally packaged securely. Wang Qian and Li Kun had even installed wooden supports outside the hard cardboard box to prevent any issues.
Zhang Zian wiped at the sweat from the top of his nose. The weather was getting warmer and warmer, the long summer was right around the corner, and yet he was about to go somewhere that was a lot hotter than here.
He and the other male employees had already opted for short sleeves, while his female employees were still wearing long sleeves.
“Mm, I don’t think it seems too prosperous to leave the Holy Cat statue in the shop, so I plan to bring it back to its hometown. There’s a small museum there that’s willing to take it in, so we used the chance to ask for their cooperation in the expedition,” he offered the excuse that he had made up beforehand. Otherwise, with his personality and how well his employees knew him, they would definitely doubt that he was willing to give someone something for free.
“Master, you still believe in that?” Li Kun asked. Zhang Zian had never bothered with these superstitious things like good luck and prosperous objects. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have taken the Holy Cat statue in as a gift in the first place.
Zhang Zian shot him a glare. “Nosy! It’s there if you believe in it, got it?”
Lu Yiyun interrupted, “It’s been here for some time, but I’ve never really gotten used to it. I feel it’s too spooky. Thank goodness there are other people here during the day. If I was by myself, I definitely wouldn’t dare to stay here alone. It’s better to give it away.”
“Alright, I won’t say too much. Watch the place carefully. I’ll bring back presents,” Zhang Zian dusted his hands off, nagging.
“Don’t worry, Master, we’ll definitely be okay!” Wang Qian patted his chest confidently.
“Boss, can we drive the speedboat out to whale watch?” Hearing that Zhang Zian was leaving today, Jiang Feifei ran over as well. There were a lot fewer customers next door compared to the pet shop, especially in the morning.
Zhang Zian nodded. “As long as you’re careful.”
His employees could now stand on their own feet. Even if Zhang Zian weren’t around, they wouldn’t create trouble for him. Instead, they were looking forward to Zhang Zian leaving—since he had already silently agreed to reduce their workload, allowing them to go out and have some fun on the sea, to watch some whales.
“Oh, right—during the period when I’m away, take note of the dog poisoning cases in the area,” he said. “Be especially careful not to let the dogs in our shop get poisoned.”
They told him that they’d take note.
There wasn’t much left to remind them of, and Zhang Zian went upstairs to pack.
On the second floor, all of the elfins were there with varying levels of excitement for this Egypt trip.
Richard was constantly squawking away, preparing to show off his skills speaking Arabic in Egypt.
“Gah gah! Have you prepared my holy carriage?”
The holy carriage he was referring to was actually just a birdcage covered in a white sash. The cage wasn’t big, but it had had its door uninstalled so the occupant could go in and out of its own will.
Zhang Zian didn’t bother answering him and asked Snowy Lionet a very important question. “Have you considered whether you want to shave your fur short?”
Snowy Lionet bared her teeth and admitted dryly, “I’d like to be by Her Majesty’s side at all times, but I can’t bear to part with my fur…”
Fina shook its head. “It’s okay. You can stay here. It’s just for a few days.”
Zhang Zian said, “If you really do want to go, and yet you’re unwilling to shave your fur, then there is a way to meet in the middle. We can leave you in the phone during the day, and when we are in a cool sheltered area, we’ll let you out. What do you think?”
Snowy Lionet had no way around it and could only accept this less-than-ideal plan.
“Pi, I’m packing now. Turn off the computer and get ready to go,” seeing that Pi was still typing away, he reminded.
“Cheep cheep?”
Pi gestured to ask whether he was going along, a little surprised.
“It’s best to come along as well. You can type in the hotel after we arrive. It won’t affect your uploading process,” Zhang Zian tried to convince it. “Traveling a thousand miles is better than reading a thousand books. Don’t shut yourself in. Even though you can get information for everything under the sun in books, it’s still best to use your eyes to see, use your ears to hear, and use your own body to experience things. All these are more genuine than what the books tell you. Don’t you agree?”
“Cheep-chee—”
Pi hesitated a little, but it was eventually convinced. It nodded its head before saving its incomplete file, turning the laptop off, and passing the laptop to Zhang Zian along with the charger so that he could pack it into his luggage.
Actually, Zhang Zian had convinced Pi to come along with him because the last time Pi was left in the shop alone, the whole fiasco with the Holy Cat statue disappearing had happened. He was worried for Pi back then and decided that no matter where they went, he would always try to bring Pi with him.
Without the Holy Cat statue, it wasn’t that there was no chance of a Holy Dog statue or something popping up again. Egyptians were known for how much they loved dogs as well. He’d seen a wall painting before where an Egyptian man had fed his beloved dog water mouth-to-mouth just because there wasn’t a cup for it.
Plus, Anubis had a jackal’s head and a human body. The jackal wasn’t a wolf, but a wild canine that foraged for rotten food in cemeteries.
“Alright, if there’s nothing else, do your final preparations. We’re moving out!”
