Lin Ke and Nan Tong left the Malian leader's residence and embarked on their return journey.
Soon, Nan Tong raised her head and looked worriedly at the setting sun.
“Your Majesty, it’s past noon, it’s getting late.”
“We do not know where the Mali king has gone, nor when he will return.”
"He might not return until late at night, or he might not even show up tonight."
Lin Ke listened to Nan Tong's words, but maintained his usual calm demeanor and glanced at Nan Tong sideways.
"Don't worry, Nan Tong."
"This situation was expected."
Upon hearing this, Nan Tong simply turned her head and looked at Lin Ke with some surprise before continuing to speak.
"After all, the leaders of various civilizations have tight schedules, and all we can do is express our willingness to visit."
Seeing Lin Ke's calm demeanor, Nan Tong immediately understood that His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh must have made preparations for the worst-case scenario before coming.
It's like being unable to establish diplomatic relations with Mali.
"We just need to wait for their news now. If the guards in Mali are willing to come and report after he returns, that will be enough to show their friendly intentions towards Holy Egypt."
That will suffice.
Nan Tong listened to Lin Ke's words and simply bowed and nodded: "Yes, what the Holy Pharaoh said is absolutely right! This old minister will obey the Holy Decree!"
He agreed, and then offered his opinion.
"However, this time I noticed that the Malian guards treated you with exceptional respect, which was quite different from the arrogant and rude guards we had encountered before."
"In my humble opinion, this alone shows that they do indeed have a good impression of Holy Egypt. Could it be because His Majesty the Pharaoh defeated the Portuguese at the port?"
What Nan Tong was referring to was the incident at the port where Lin Ke silenced the Portuguese who had been slandering him.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ke's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
"That's probably true. After all, even that guard said he had seen me before."
"However, compared to the guards of other civilization leaders, the Kingdom of Mali was undoubtedly more respectful."
They walked slowly along the pebble-paved path, flanked by typical Mediterranean vegetation.
Those were olive trees, pomegranate trees, and various fragrant shrubs.
Nan Tong then cautiously surveyed their surroundings, making sure their conversation wasn't overheard.
"Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty, but this civilization is indeed unique."
"Their everyday clothing and weapons were adorned with gold and jewels, making them completely different from other civilizations."
"This old minister is wondering if this leader of the Mali civilization, like the Inca civilization, possessed gold mines?"
"Otherwise, this old minister really can't figure out why they would decorate their warriors' clothes and weapons with so much gold."
Lin Ke listened to Nan Tong's words and remained silent for a while.
He was reminiscing, he was thinking.
In his memory, Mali was indeed a kingdom with gold mines, but Lin Ke clearly remembered that gold mines were not Mali's biggest source of income.
However, he couldn't quite remember some of it.
"You've observed very carefully, Nan Tong."
"Gold decorations can showcase Mali's current wealth; clearly, it is a very rich kingdom."
"However, what impressed me most was the attitude of the Malians towards us."
"Just as you said before, compared to the arrogant guards of other civilizations, the Malian guards seem exceptionally approachable, well-mannered, and speak with restraint."
"Moreover, they are completely unguarded against us, and they even speak frankly about the whereabouts of the clan king."
"Such frankness is truly rare."
The two then came to a fork in the road. Nan Tong stopped and looked at Lin Ke.
He asked, "Your Majesty, shall we return to our lodgings now?"
"You visited several leaders of civilizations this morning, and now you have come in person to the settlement of the Mali civilization, which is quite far from my residence in Holy Egypt."
"You must be tired. Why don't you go back to your residence first? You can leave everything else to this old minister."
"I will have our soldiers wait at the gate, and I will inform you immediately as soon as the guards from Mali arrive."
However, after hearing Nan Tong's words, Lin Ke smiled mysteriously.
His words left Nan Tong momentarily stunned.
"No, let's go in a different direction."
After speaking, Lin Ke pointed to a rather secluded path.
"Come with me, there's a place I'd like to visit."
Nan Tong just looked at Lin Ke with a puzzled expression.
You see, this place was completely unknown and unfamiliar to them, and Nan Tong had no idea where that secluded path led.
"Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh? Where are you headed?"
Lin Ke did not respond to Nan Tong's words immediately, because at this moment his consciousness was focused on the civilization panel.
He could clearly see that not far from here, there seemed to be many people from different kingdoms and civilizations gathered together.
Or perhaps it can't be said that they gathered together, but Lin Ke could see from the information on the map that they were connected to each other.
In short, it doesn't look quite normal.
Therefore, Lin Ke would certainly not miss this opportunity to find out more. He planned to take Nan Tong with him, while the other attendants could return to their residence in Holy Egypt.
Of course, Lin Ke wouldn't tell Nan Tong about his discovery in the civilization panel; he had to come up with a reason.
"If we go this way, we should be able to see a small bay."
"According to the Greeks, Delos has always been a beautiful island, and it is said that one can see extraordinary sights on the beach."
"Now that our visit is over, why don't we go and see the scenery there?"
"How is it, Nantong? Is this also your first time leaving Holy Egypt and coming to such a far place?"
"Like those who come to our Holy Egypt to witness 'miracles,' we have come to a new place and should also explore around."
Nan Tong listened to Lin Ke's words, and although she didn't quite understand, she still agreed.
"In my humble opinion, the 'miracles' created by His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh are the ones that are truly worth making a special trip to."
“But His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh is absolutely right. Since we have come here, we should personally experience the different characteristics of this place and Holy Egypt.”
"As His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh said, we must understand our adversaries in order to devise effective countermeasures."
"This old minister understands. This old minister will follow His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh's arrangements."
Nan Tong asked no more questions and followed Lin Ke onto the winding path that led to the sea.
Then, Lin Ke signaled most of his followers to return to the camp first, leaving only him and Nan Tong behind.
After all, too many people will naturally attract unnecessary attention.
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