117: Chapter 117 Can't find Bai Cang? Then issue a news report to call for his return!
The Great Britain embassy in Linhai.
Queen Elizabeth sat in the temporary reception room, a cup of black tea by her hand.
She hadn't drunk the tea.
Because the phone rang.
The number displayed on the screen was from the Linhai Investigation Bureau.
The Queen glanced at it.
Princess Evelyn immediately leaned over.
"Mother, it's that Great Xia executive who modified himself into a Stitching Monster."
The Queen corrected her: "It's Executive Jiang Xu."
Princess Evelyn nodded: "Right, that legal Stitching Monster."
The Queen: "..."
She answered the phone.
Executive Jiang Xu's voice came through the communicator.
"Your Majesty."
The Queen's tone was steady: "Executive Jiang Xu, you are contacting me at this hour—has the review of Night Owl's wanted warrant been approved?"
Executive Jiang Xu paused for a second.
"No."
The Queen set down her teacup.
"Then is it that Bai Cang is willing to see me?"
Executive Jiang Xu paused for another second.
"Also no."
The Queen's expression finally turned cold.
"Then you called me to have me recite Great Britain's diplomatic etiquette to you?"
Executive Jiang Xu didn't take the bait.
"I need your help to contact Bai Cang."
The reception room went quiet for a second.
The next moment, the Queen stood up directly.
"How utterly audacious!"
Executive Jiang Xu: "????"
The Queen sneered.
"The Linhai Investigation Bureau can't find Bai Cang, so you call the Queen of Great Britain to find him?"
"Have you forgotten? He is your Great Xia wanted criminal, not a missing pet of my royal family."
Executive Jiang Xu was silent.
Princess Evelyn raised her hand nearby.
"Mother, the pet analogy is inaccurate."
The Queen looked at her.
Princess Evelyn said seriously: "Pets at least come home to eat; Bai Cang only knows how to take medicine and run away."
The Queen: "..."
It was quiet on Executive Jiang Xu's end too.
The Queen took a deep breath.
"Executive Jiang Xu, if I could find Bai Cang, I would have found him long ago."
Her tone grew colder and colder.
"Do I need people from Great Xia to urge me?"
Princess Evelyn immediately twisted the knife: "Assholes! Don't underestimate the determination of a lovesick person!"
The Queen turned her head sharply.
"Princess Evelyn."
Princess Evelyn looked innocent.
"I am complimenting you."
The Queen: "You'd better be."
Executive Jiang Xu finally spoke.
"There is indeed an important matter."
The Queen sat back down.
"Speak."
Executive Jiang Xu didn't beat around the bush.
"Bai Cang has the core of the Foreign Language Tribunal in his hands."
The Queen's expression changed slightly.
Princess Evelyn also put away her smile from watching the show.
Executive Jiang Xu continued: "The residual rules have already bound a Great Xia student, and the national unified examination will be launched in seven days."
The Queen frowned.
"A national unified examination?"
"The scope of the examination covers the entire territory of Great Xia."
The Queen tapped her fingertips on the table.
"Rank?"
"Currently Rank A."
Executive Jiang Xu paused.
"Potentially Rank King."
The air in the reception room sank instantly.
The smile on Princess Evelyn's face was completely gone.
Although she had a sharp tongue, she wasn't stupid.
Rank King.
No matter where these two words are placed, they are a disaster.
The Queen spoke slowly: "So you want Bai Cang to hand over the core to cut off the rules?"
"Not hand over."
Executive Jiang Xu said: "We at least need to determine the status of the core."
The Queen understood.
The Foreign Language Tribunal is not an ordinary Strange Tales.
Its core was taken away by Bai Cang.
Yet the echo is ascending to the King Rank on a living person in Great Xia.
There is still a connection between the core and the echo.
If something goes wrong on Bai Cang's end, it might be the Strange Tales that ascends to the King Rank.
If Chu Youwei loses control, the core might also be activated in reverse.
This is no longer just about finding a wanted criminal.
This is a transnational rules bomb.
The Queen was silent for a moment.
"Why don't you just capture Bai Cang directly?"
Executive Jiang Xu said calmly: "Because he might not be weaker than me now."
The Queen: "..."
Princess Evelyn: "Wow, you finally admitted it."
Executive Jiang Xu: "I am only stating facts."
Princess Evelyn looked at her mother.
"Did you hear that? The Great Xia executive has even abandoned his pride; the matter is very urgent."
The Queen looked at her.
"Do you have a way?"
Princess Evelyn blinked.
"I do."
It was quiet on Executive Jiang Xu's end immediately.
The Queen also looked at her.
Princess Evelyn spread her hands.
"Bai Cang will check his phone, right?"
The Queen: "He might not answer the phone."
Princess Evelyn: "Who told you to call?"
Executive Jiang Xu: "What do you mean?"
Princess Evelyn looked matter-of-fact.
"Aren't you in a hurry?"
"Then just post the news to find him."
The Queen's eyes paused.
Executive Jiang Xu didn't speak immediately either.
Princess Evelyn became more fluent as she spoke.
"I've even thought of the headline."
"Shocking! Salvation Society leader Bai Cang, please immediately recover your lost Foreign Language core, otherwise 270 million Great Xia examinees will be forced to participate in the national unified examination."
The Queen: "..."
Executive Jiang Xu: "..."
Princess Evelyn added another sentence.
"Add a line of small print."
"If the person in question does not appear in time, the relevant responsibility will be borne by Mr. Bai Cang."
The Queen pressed her brow.
A brief tapping sound came from Executive Jiang Xu's end.
It sounded like he was recording it.
Princess Evelyn's expression changed.
"Wait, you aren't actually writing it down, are you?"
Executive Jiang Xu said: "The plan is executable."
Princess Evelyn: "..."
Executive Jiang Xu said: "I need the Great Britain royal family to cooperate in issuing a visit statement."
The Queen narrowed her eyes.
"What statement?"
"State that Your Majesty hopes to have a public discussion with Mr. Bai Cang regarding the core issues of the Foreign Language Tribunal."
After listening, the Queen smiled.
"You want me to help Great Xia summon someone?"
Executive Jiang Xu said: "You are more likely than us to make him see the news."
The Queen: "Because I am the Queen?"
Executive Jiang Xu: "Because you publicly supported Night Owl last time, and the internet buzz hasn't died down yet."
The Queen: "..."
Princess Evelyn applauded nearby.
"Beautiful, this isn't diplomacy, this is clout chasing."
The Queen gripped the teacup tightly.
A fine crack appeared on the rim of the cup.
Executive Jiang Xu's tone remained calm.
"Your Majesty, this is the fastest way."
The Queen said coldly: "Why should I help you?"
Executive Jiang Xu replied: "If the unified examination starts, the Foreign Language related rules will spread to the whole world."
The Queen's expression changed.
Executive Jiang Xu continued: "Great Britain also uses foreign languages."
Princess Evelyn was stunned for a moment.
"Wait a second."
She suddenly realized and stood up abruptly.
"Why did you Great Xia cancel foreign languages!"
Executive Jiang Xu: "..."
Princess Evelyn was so angry her blonde hair was almost standing on end.
"You cancelled foreign languages, and as a result, Strange Tales rules started overflowing globally?"
"Is this your educational reform?"
"You are throwing your homework into the abyss and then making the whole world take a make-up exam with you!"
The Queen looked at the communicator.
"Executive Jiang Xu, your Great Xia needs to provide an explanation."
Executive Jiang Xu was silent for a second.
Then he said: "The signal is bad."
The Queen's eyes turned cold.
"This is a dedicated fixed line."
Executive Jiang Xu: "Linhai just experienced a tsunami."
Princess Evelyn: "The tsunami has already receded!"
Executive Jiang Xu: "A psychological tsunami."
Click.
The phone hung up.
The reception room was deathly silent.
Princess Evelyn stared at the blacked-out communicator, slowly opening her mouth wide.
"He hung up?"
The Queen was expressionless.
"He hung up."
Princess Evelyn took a deep breath.
"Mother, did he just use a 'psychological tsunami' to brush you off?"
The Queen slowly picked up the black tea.
The crack on the teacup widened.
Tea flowed onto the table.
She didn't look.
"Princess Evelyn."
"Yes."
"Draft a statement."
Princess Evelyn's eyes lit up.
"You're going to help him?"
The Queen sighed.
"If only I were a traitor to humanity."
Princess Evelyn: "..."
A few minutes later.
The official account of the Great Britain royal family issued a statement.
[Queen Elizabeth will hold a public press conference in Linhai tomorrow at 9:00 AM, inviting Salvation Society leader Bai Cang to hold a tripartite discussion regarding the Foreign Language Tribunal core, Night Owl's wanted warrant review, and private historical legacy issues.]
Below the statement, there was an additional sentence from the royal spokesperson.
[If Mr. Bai Cang does not attend, Your Majesty will assume he approves of all historical details being made public.]