203: Chapter 201 It turns out to be a mobile open-air performance

In the face of Zhao Qi's warm invitation and his request for information, the helpful Leon did not refuse.

Under Leon's recommendation, the two found a restaurant with decent food and sat down.

After taking the menu from the waiter and ordering, the waiter left to make arrangements, and Zhao Qi immediately began recounting his experiences upon arriving in London.

Of course, he didn't share everything without reservation; after all, his current line of work was a bit complicated, so he only gave a general overview.

He wondered if the Director, seeing him slacking off all day lately, felt disgruntled and was intentionally making things difficult for him.

Forget basic intelligence support; even the plane tickets were bought by Zhao Qi himself, and the Director had even threatened that if he returned without any gains, his travel expenses wouldn't be reimbursed.

Without pulling out his Special Investigation Bureau credentials, the extremely frustrated Zhao Qi hadn't even been able to buy a ticket for that same day.

Out of options, he had to take a flight the following day, arriving at London International Station early on the third morning.

Although his superior, the Director, didn't expect him to make any surprising discoveries at all, Zhao Qi didn't plan on slacking off until the Magic Performance ended.

The Director was already quite unhappy; if he slacked off any more, he was afraid he'd really get a scolding.

Therefore, as soon as he got off the plane, Zhao Qi immediately took a taxi to the city center, pretending to be a foreign tourist along the way to fish for information from the driver.

Perhaps taxi drivers all over the world possess a talent for "chattiness," as he successfully learned that the Royal Family, the organizers of the Magic Performance, had not announced any ticket sales channels.

Not only that, even the venue, duration, and specific programs hadn't been revealed.

This completely baffled Zhao Qi.

Fortunately, the driver, who had just reached the edge of downtown London, rolled down the window and pointed at a marching crowd on the street, saying, "They're all going to buy tickets. Maybe you can follow them."

Zhao Qi, who was worrying about his mission, quickly paid and got out of the car upon hearing this. He rushed over to the crowd and grabbed someone to ask, "Are you all going to buy tickets?"

Buy tickets?

The person being asked thought to himself, "Our protest isn't a riot; our purpose is to demand the Royal Family announce the ticket sales locations."

"So, yeah, that's right; aren't we going to get tickets?"

And just like that, the enthusiastic bearded man pulled Zhao Qi right into the crowd.

At first, Zhao Qi thought they were just going to buy tickets together, with just a few more people and a bit more of a spectacle.

After walking with everyone for a while and overhearing occasional snatches of conversation, Zhao Qi felt something was wrong.

Is this a fucking protest?

Me, a Chinese public official, participating in a protest abroad?

Terrified, he immediately tried to charge out.

Unfortunately, the bearded man who had pulled him in was quite strong, and with the crowd being so packed, he couldn't break free for a long time.

It wasn't until he encountered Leon, who was watching the spectacle from the roadside and noticed his intention, that he was successfully rescued.

After he finished his partially concealed story, Leon burst out laughing. "That's so lucky, Zhao! I've lived in London for over twenty years and never had the chance to join a protest."

"Our countries are different," Zhao Qi explained vaguely, steering the topic back to the tickets. "Since you're a London local, do you know if the Royal Family's ticket sales are online or offline?"

"Or both? Where is the specific location or website?"

"Hehehe." Bombarded by the string of questions, Leon's mind couldn't quite process it all. "Don't worry, Zhao. I understand you want to watch the Magic Performance, but ask them one by one."

"Sorry." He smiled awkwardly.

"Alright, I'll answer them one by one."

Seeing Zhao Qi calm down, Leon rested his interlaced fingers on the table and frowned in deep thought for a long time. "First of all, there are no ticket sales channels."

Zhao Qi, who had been staring at him expectantly and waiting quietly for a long time, was about to snap. "You spent all that time preparing, and this is the answer?"

Seeing his bewilderment, Leon quickly explained, "It's like this. I—I have a friend who works for the Royal Family.

"He told me the Royal Family plans to hold a mobile open-air performance. The stage will travel through all of London, so there's no need to sell tickets; everyone will be able to see it."

Obviously, Leon wasn't very familiar with Chinese internet memes; otherwise, he would have phrased it differently.

At this moment, Zhao Qi looked at him with a strange expression, almost asking, "Is this 'friend' you're talking about actually yourself?"

Out of politeness, he kept it to himself and instead asked, "Since the Royal Family is watching the people protest and still hasn't announced it, will you get in trouble for telling me?"

"If it were before the protest started, I definitely wouldn't have told you."

Having learned the details of the plan from the Queen, he knew this was a 'fishing operation.' As long as those hiding in the shadows inciting people to the streets were exposed, the specific details of the performance wouldn't need to be kept secret anymore.

Leon couldn't possibly tell Zhao Qi these things, so he only said, "If you want to watch the whole thing, it's probably not possible."

"Why?"

"Well... I heard from my friend that the stage will be flying then, not carried by cars or anything like that."

His meaning was very clear.

Something flying in the sky doesn't need to worry about detours or avoiding crowds; Zhao Qi, chasing from the ground, would definitely not be able to keep up.

"Hmm... however, if you can tolerate some restrictions on your personal freedom before the performance ends, I have a way for you to watch the whole thing up close."

"If that's true, no problem!"

Zhao Qi agreed exceptionally readily.

Leon's mention of "restrictions on personal freedom" obviously meant that after seeing the magic, he wouldn't be able to leave before the official performance began.

His purpose in coming to London was to observe the mages, to see what kind of beings they were and if they differed from those described in novels.

Knowing that his mission would soon be successfully completed, he stopped chattering.

After the waiter served the food, the two had a hearty meal. Zhao Qi stood up to pay, and then the two walked out of the restaurant side by side, heading toward the Palace.

On the way, because Zhao Qi was unfamiliar with London's streets and famous landmarks, he didn't notice anything unusual for a while.

It wasn't until the two had left the city and suburbs and reached the wilderness on the edge of London, spotting the spire of a castle at the end of the horizon, that he was suddenly startled.

Zhao Qi guessed that Leon was a trusted staff member of the Royal Family, perhaps a secretary or something, which was why he knew so much inside information.

He might even have some authority to bring people into the Palace.

But such things were usually done in secret, like a relative needing a job.

Seeing Leon casually lead him toward the entrance, the Guards on duty on both sides even bowed respectfully: "Mr. Leon."

Then the two entered the Palace, passing through the front yard and the hall to the more private backyard. Leon asked Steward Li, who happened to be passing by, "Excuse me, is Her Majesty the Queen available right now?"

The taciturn Steward Li nodded, turned to leave, and returned a minute later. "Her Majesty says for Mr. Leon and his guest to go to the drawing room together."

In this way, Zhao Qi, who had been struggling desperately to escape from the protest crowd just a few hours ago, later saw with his own eyes in the drawing room the Queen, who looked to be in the prime of her youth.