The "surprise" mentioned by Min's colleague passes without incident, thanks to the pair's well-thought-out plan. Just as they anticipated, the group arrives right after Min finishes work. They bring several of their regular hang-out friends and throw a small party at his place. Although the claim that "the tenant is sleeping in the bedroom" clearly raises their suspicions, they wisely refrain from sneaking a peek inside. Xi P, hiding in the bedroom, naturally remains undetected.
The party doesn't last long. Following a series of subtle hints from Min, the party concludes after a duration of just over two hours. In many ways, the biggest beneficiaries of this party are probably the microorganisms on the floor, followed closely by that silver fox...
Since that a silver fox is such an exotic pet. Nearly everyone stroked it at least a dozen times, and it relished the attention as always. By the time the party ends, its fur already gleams with the sheen of being thoroughly petted.
After making it clear that he won't see them off and watching their car drive away, Min finally lets out a breath. Turning to face the dishevelled bedroom and the silver fox licking itself, that breath turns into a sigh. Shaking his head, he walks to the bedroom door and calls out: "They're gone."
Immediately, the sound of carpet scraping echoes from inside. Over ten seconds pass before Xi P finally opens the door. Min is certain that Xi P had been hiding under the bed — being able to stay in such a spot for over two hours is something he has to admire.
"The state of emergency is over." Xi P suddenly declares.
Min doesn't quite get this sudden announcement, staring blankly at Xi P, unsure how to respond.
Seeing this, Xi P's ears droops. He lowers his voice slightly and says: "Alright, you don't get the reference. I thought you'd laugh."
***
By the time they have finished cleaning the bedroom, rummaging through the shed and rearranging the equipment, it is fully dark outside. Moving the heavy laboratory equipment has been particularly exhausting for them both. Once everything is in place, they unanimously decide to take a break and watch some TV.
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The moment Min switches to the news channel and catches the headline of the first story, he nearly spits out the water in his mouth. No matter how vivid his imagination, he never expected such a thing to happen: "Polish authorities have crowned Jesus as King of Poland."
This isn't just a coincidence of names — it's the very religious figure born in the year 0, the one crucified on the cross. And this isn't a planned event; it has already happened, right at the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Kraków!
Seeing the intense reaction on Min's face and the way it shifts, Xi P immediately becomes curious about the news. He's already caught glimpses of what appear to be religious-themed images on the screen, further fuelling his curiosity. This is not something he usually sees: after all, Lierus is practically on the verge of declaring religion illegal.
Through Min's lengthy explanation and Xi P's own speculation, he finally pieces together what has happened. Without exaggeration, has he been holding water in his mouth, he would have spit it out as well. The development is beyond his wildest imagination — a nation elevating a deity to the highest echelons of leadership! Such a thing has likely never occurred in Lierus's recorded history. There are even suspicions that their materialist ideology dates back to the Bronze Age, and statistics showed religious adherents now constituted less than 2% of the population, though the actual figure might be slightly higher given potential underreporting. Regardless, Xi P has profoundly underestimated the power of religion on Earth...
Driven by growing curiosity, Xi P presses Min for more details about religions on Earth. However, Min is not too familiar with this kind of knowledge, so he turns off the TV and begins to explain, meticulously consulting reference materials as he does so. Xi P's expression grows increasingly peculiar as Min continues. When he finally learns that the Bible is the best-selling book in Earth's history, Xi P jolts upright in shock.
To him, hearing such things is akin to listening to horror stories — and in some ways, even more unsettling due to their authenticity. From his earliest education, the word "religion" has been painted in starkly negative terms, accompanied by tales of spiritual enslavement, exploitation, and the suppression of egalitarianism. He constantly hears news about the actions of extremist religious terrorist, assumes religion holds a similar standing to what he knows back home. Learning how deeply ingrained religion is here now fills him with an all-encompassing sense of unease.
Though he has anticipated that Xi P won't react positively to this, his reaction still exceeds Min's expectations: "Shall I continue?"
"No." A direct answer.
"Alright then. I suggest you prepare for bed now — we need to reset our schedule. Also, I've set up a hammock for you. Don't sleep in my bed."
"A 'Muhammad'?"
"No! A hammock! The bed in mid-air over there."
"Um, Ra. Don't you think my body structure isn't exactly suited for sleeping in a hammock..."
