"Alright, you’ve been flying for about ten hours. You should get some rest. I’ll come see you tomorrow morning." After the banquet, Sylvie led them to the top floor of the Royal Palace. This room had the most expansive view in the palace and the best scenery. Sylvie had specially prepared it to host Shen Yibin and his companions.
After Sylvie left, Shen Yibin quickly took in his surroundings. He’d stayed in his fair share of luxury hotels by now, but this was the first time he’d ever stayed in a castle. It was the same for Hah’Er and Xiaoliu, who curiously followed Shen Yibin around to explore. As for Maphario, that little guy had long since fallen asleep in Hah’Er’s pocket.
All that exploring completely drained what little energy they had left. Before long, the group had all flopped onto their beds and started snoring. They slept for about ten hours, not waking up until the next morning, which happened to be just enough to get over their jet lag.
"You can all rest here in the Royal Palace for another day, or you can tour the Capital City of Sokovia. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to find that magical animal." Sylvie explained her plan during breakfast. She reasoned that Shen Yibin and the others were tired from their journey, and one night’s rest might not have been enough. Besides, it wouldn’t seem right to leave the day after they had just arrived. Leaving tomorrow would be just about perfect.
"Okay." This arrangement suited Shen Yibin’s own thoughts perfectly. ’As for going out sightseeing... better not. The enthusiasm of the Sokovian people yesterday already scared me. If I go out, I might cause another traffic jam. I’d better not cause any more trouble for Sylvie.’ "Hah’Er and the others and I will just look around the Royal Palace for a bit."
Shen Yibin had visited the Forbidden City in the capital before. Although the Forbidden City was much larger than Sokovia’s Royal Palace, it had lost its original function and become a museum that anyone could visit. The Royal Palace in Sokovia, however, was still home to the King and Queen, which naturally made for a completely different touring experience.
Alfred and Sylvie accompanied them on a stroll through the Royal Palace. Hah’Er curiously sized up the architecture, which was completely different from what he was used to back home. Xiaoliu, meanwhile, clambered up the palace trees, leaping from one to another before scampering back down to hobble along. As for Maphario, the little guy would run over to study any new and interesting plant it saw. When it found one it really liked, it would climb onto Shen Yibin’s shoulder and squeak at him.
Shen Yibin didn’t need to guess what Maphario meant. He turned to Sylvie and asked, "What kind of plant is this? Could I have a few seeds?"
"Of course, no problem. Alfred will prepare them for you." Sylvie certainly wouldn’t be stingy with such a small gift. Alfred gave a reserved nod, as if to say everything was under control.
"CHEEP! CHEEP!" With Maphario’s request settled, Xiaoliu started chattering. It was perched on an apple tree, pointing at a hollow in a branch and chittering nonstop.
"Congratulations, you’ll soon have Monkey Wine produced right here in the Royal Palace. It seems Xiaoliu is very interested in using this tree hollow for brewing." ’Alright,’ he thought, ’this can be a gift from Liu to Sylvie.’
"I’ll have someone bring fruit over at once." Alfred waved his hand, and a sweet-looking Maid hurried away. A short while later, a palace attendant delivered a large pile of fruit, along with clean drinking water for Xiaoliu’s use. Xiaoliu first rinsed the tree hollow clean with water, then hopped down to select suitable fruits and stuff them inside.
"Just keep an eye on it. You can drink it once the aroma of the wine becomes rich and strong." Shen Yibin figured he would be long gone by the time this batch of wine was ready, but the Sokovian Royal Palace had its own master Brewers, so judging whether the wine was ready wouldn’t be a problem.
"I’m both happy and a little regretful right now," Sylvie said with a sigh. She was happy because she could finally drink Monkey Wine produced in her own palace, but regretful because there probably wouldn’t be a next batch. She doubted the Brewers in the Royal Palace could replicate Xiaoliu’s results.
Leaving the gift behind, Shen Yibin’s group continued onward. They walked out of the garden and into another area. As soon as Hah’Er saw what was ahead, it got excited. It tugged on Shen Yibin’s arm, pointed forward, and cried out, "Ooh! Ooh!"
"Since when did you learn to play tennis? If you’re interested, I can play a match with you," Sylvie asked, looking at the two of them curiously. There was a tennis court right in front of them.
Shen Yibin quickly raised his wrist to check his watch. There were still two hours until lunch. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Uh, that might not be enough time."
At first, Sylvie didn’t understand what Shen Yibin meant. But after an attendant brought over tennis equipment and the two of them changed and got on the court to play, she finally got it. With lines of exasperation practically forming on her forehead, she easily returned a ball Shen Yibin had hit, her heart filled with frustration. ’Bin, do you have any idea? If you play like this against anyone else, you’re going to get yourself killed!’
The two of them ran back and forth on the tennis court for over an hour and only managed to finish three points. Alfred and the royal tennis coach, who were watching from the side, were both at a loss for words. They had never seen such a "one-of-a-kind" tennis player like Shen Yibin before. The royal tennis coach thought that if he were the one playing, he probably would have just smashed his racket over Shen Yibin’s head. This style of play was just too infuriating!
Sylvie was still full of complaints about Shen Yibin all the way through lunch. After eating and a short rest, they continued their tour of the Royal Palace in the afternoon. This time they moved indoors, where Sylvie showed them the Sokovian royal family’s collection of various jewels and works of art. Of course, there was no shortage of fine wines. Xiaoliu had a fantastic time indulging itself, while poor Hah’Er could only drool while looking at them. With its low tolerance for alcohol, it could only taste one or two kinds at most.
Fortunately, Sylvie was generous. Whichever fine wines Hah’Er stared at for more than a few seconds, she gifted a bottle to Shen Yibin, so that Hah’Er could enjoy them slowly later.
That evening, everyone went to bed early after dinner. They needed to rest and conserve their energy for the next day’s search for the Mutant Animal.
Early the next morning, a Royal Air Force helicopter was waiting on the helipad. Sylvie led Shen Yibin and the others aboard the aircraft and then looked at him. "Bin, where are we going today?"
"Let me see!" Shen Yibin opened his phone and located the position of the orange dot of light. "We’re going to the upper reaches of the Sokovia River."
The helicopter flew off in the direction Shen Yibin had indicated. Meanwhile, Shen Yibin wondered to himself, ’I wonder if this animal lives in the river or on the riverbank. Am I really about to encounter an aquatic animal?’