Chapter 88: A Bold Idea

Duoduo produced two tents, looking a bit embarrassed. “Our tribe’s tents are just enough for everyone to have a place to sleep, so I can’t let each of you have a tent to yourself.”

Lu Ye waved his hand and smiled. “It’s fine. Honestly, if you did let us each have our own tent, I don’t think I’d be happy about that!”

Duoduo didn’t understand what he meant, scratched her head in confusion, and walked away.

He thought the older woman would run off to Mu Xia’s place, but to his surprise, she pulled Lu Ye into the tent with her.

Lu Ye was a little taken aback. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll get carried away with you all night?”

Su Qianqian laughed. “What’s there to be afraid of? My Thunder God Armor is working again!”

“Damn!”

She giggled. “The main thing is, I feel safer with you around.”

She truly was exhausted today; she wolfed down some food Duoduo had brought and quickly fell asleep.

But as night deepened, Lu Ye still couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning restlessly.

Suddenly, he remembered his phone was working again. He pulled it out and logged onto the Y6 intranet to check for any recent intelligence about the Hongying Society.

A little disappointed, he found that after the Hongying Society’s Licheng branch had been wiped out, they’d gone quiet.

He glanced at his chat list and, unexpectedly, saw the Queen was online. Lu Ye sent her a message.

LuYe_Society: “Queen, do you know about Ivanka’s nautical chart?”

Queen: “You found that island?”

LuYe_Society: “Yes, I suspect Ivanka was here once. A female chieftain from a primitive tribe found her nameplate.”

Queen: “Did the chieftain tell you a mysterious woman suddenly appeared and fought Ivanka?”

LuYe_Society: “How did you know?”

Queen: “Because I was the one who fought her.”

What the hell?

So the black-haired, dark-eyed woman Crimson described was actually the Queen?

Since it was her, she must know even more.

LuYe_Society: “I heard you injured Ivanka. Where did you two go afterward?”

Queen: “She’s really good at escaping. I couldn’t catch up, so I left first.”

LuYe_Society: “The magnetic field on this island is all messed up. How did you get away?”

Queen: “Just followed the ocean currents.”

Lu Ye had a sudden realization.

That meant after shaking off the Queen, Ivanka must have found the pyramid by herself but, unsure she could make it out alive with the crystal skull, had to give up for the time being.

Queen: “Did you find what she was looking for?”

Lu Ye thought for a moment and decided to be honest with the Queen.

She definitely knew more than he did—better to be straightforward than keep guessing on his own.

LuYe_Society: “I found it and took it out. It’s a Mayan crystal skull. Why was Ivanka searching for this thing?”

Queen: “Because she’s a descendant of the Maya, and she believes she has supernatural powers to summon spirits and divine the future with that crystal skull.”

So that was the reason.

Lu Ye didn’t really believe in summoning spirits or fortune-telling, but there are always things in this world that current science can’t explain.

Since the Queen had already mentioned how crucial the crystal skull was to Ivanka, Lu Ye couldn’t help thinking it might make the perfect bait to lure her out.

But all that would have to wait until they got back to civilization and made a proper plan.

Noticing that Lu Ye had fallen silent and stopped replying, the Queen messaged again.

Queen: “Get some sleep. Good night.”

LuYe_Society: “Good night.”

…

The next morning.

Lu Ye had stayed up late, so he woke up later than usual.

Su Qianqian was already gone from the tent.

He crawled outside and saw Su Qianqian and Mu Xia sitting side by side by the grill, basting a plump lamb that sizzled over the fire, filling the air with mouthwatering aromas.

Crimson was there with them too, chatting and laughing, asking endless questions about the outside world.

When Lu Ye got up, Su Qianqian waved and called out, “Hey, you little rascal, come over here!”

Lu Ye walked over and, pointing to the jars of cumin powder and barbecue seasoning, asked, “These things aren’t from the island, are they?”

Mu Xia smiled. “I went back to the fishing boat to fetch them this morning.”

Su Qianqian clapped Lu Ye’s shoulder and grinned. “I had a chat with Crimson, and now I have a wild idea.”

Lu Ye paused. “You’re not thinking of making me marry her as a concubine, are you?”

Su Qianqian rolled her eyes. “In your dreams!”

Then she continued, “Since we took the crystal skull, the island’s magnetic field has stabilized. With today’s technology, connecting this place to the outside world wouldn’t be hard.”

“Crimson and her people have lived here for generations, and their ancestors were ancient people from our own country. So, this island has belonged to us since time immemorial, right?”

Lu Ye nodded. “And then?”

Su Qianqian smiled. “I want to invest here and develop it into a tourist destination!”

Lu Ye stared at her in disbelief. “Damn, that really is a bold idea!”

“But they’ve never known anything about the outside world. Do you think they can handle it?”

Su Qianqian replied, “That’s why I asked Crimson. She’s willing to come back with us to Mingzhu City for a while to learn about the world outside, and then return to help develop the island.”

“My plan is to preserve as much of the island’s local culture and customs as possible, but improve their basic amenities and hygiene. I want to make this a true paradise.”

Lu Ye gave her a thumbs-up. “I support you!”

“But there’s another problem—Crimson only represents the Mulberry Leaf Tribe. What about the Prisoner Fish Tribe?”

Crimson smiled. “Duoduo has already taken people to negotiate with them. Their old witch just died and they need a new leader. Maybe they won’t refuse our proposal for peaceful development.”

“Impressive! You even know about peaceful, harmonious development?”

“Qianqian taught me,” Crimson replied.

One had to admit, Su Qianqian really had a knack for business—bringing tourism development to a primitive tribe? No one in history had done that.

Crimson now clearly regarded Su Qianqian as her leader, looking to her for direction in everything.

First, the Thunder God Armor had inspired an invincible awe in her toward Su Qianqian.

Second, Su Qianqian’s modern ideas had given her a huge cultural shock.

After so many years on the island, Crimson was eager to learn about the bustling world outside.

And Su Qianqian could help improve life for the girls of the Mulberry Leaf Tribe.

Following her was a win-win.

As they were enjoying the delicious roasted lamb, Duoduo returned with her group.

“Chief, they agreed! The Prisoner Fish Tribe won’t be our enemies anymore!”

“Good job, Duoduo.”

Having decided to follow Su Qianqian, Crimson handed the treasured Longquan Sword to Duoduo.

This meant Duoduo would inherit her mission and continue to protect the Mulberry Leaf Tribe.

Crimson had little to pack, so she left with Lu Ye and the others.

The fishing boat was still stranded on the beach, but as the tide rose, it floated free, and with the anchor pulled up, they could sail home.

Lu Ye was in charge of steering the boat, at Su Qianqian’s insistence.

She and Mu Xia needed to take Crimson to the main cabin to change her clothes and teach her some basic knowledge every girl should know.

It was girl talk—of course Lu Ye wasn’t allowed to join in.

They spent another day and night drifting at sea…

When they finally returned to Mingzhu City, everyone was dog-tired.

Except Crimson, who was too busy marveling at the dazzling lights and vibrant life of the modern city.

When it was time to say goodbye to Mu Xia, Lu Ye kept his promise and handed over the crystal skull for her research.

But he cautioned her to keep it safe and never let it fall into the hands of collectors.

Mu Xia understood its significance and nodded solemnly.

Vroom vroom vroom!

The roar of the Koenigsegg’s engine sounded; the older woman stuck her head out the window and called with a grin, “Hey, little rascal, I’ll take Crimson home first. You get a cab back yourself!”

With that, the Koenigsegg carried Crimson off in a flash!

Lu Ye stood there in a daze for a long time, then slapped his forehead. “Damn it, you could at least have sent me a twenty-yuan red packet for the cab fare!”