“Dad, Mom, I’m back! Let’s head back quickly!” Luke called out.
“What happened over there? Is everything resolved?” James asked.
“We’ll talk while we walk.” Luke nodded.
“The attackers weren’t wolves. They were werewolves in human form.”
“Werewolves? Human-form werewolves?” James frowned.
“Are they wolves or humans?”
“I’m not entirely sure. Maybe they’re something in between. Anyway, it was pretty dangerous, but I managed to drive him away. The couple who called for help weren’t hurt.”
“Thank goodness.” Helen finally let out a sigh of relief.
“You should be thanking me, Mom.”
“Luke! Luke!” Anna tugged on his sleeve.
“You promised you’d teach me magic when we got back!”
Luke suddenly felt that his little sister was the most troublesome person in the family.
“Anna, we’ll talk about it after we get home. This is a secret, so you can’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Okay, I won’t tell anyone.” Anna nodded obediently.
The family returned to the hotel.
James informed the front desk about the danger they had encountered but simply said they had run into wolves, asking the staff to warn other guests to be careful.
After washing up, Luke lay down on his bed.
“System, begin the lottery.”
[You have obtained: Three Vajra Talismans.]
[Vajra Talisman: Greatly increases the user’s defense for 30 minutes. It can be activated manually or triggered automatically upon receiving damage.]
“System, how much does it increase my defense?”
[When activated, the Vajra Talisman can withstand attacks from small firearms. However, repeated attacks or attacks with greater destructive power will consume its duration more quickly.]
In that case, he could give one Vajra Talisman each to his parents and Anna to make them much safer.
With that thought in mind, Luke fell asleep.
…
Windsor, the Kirk Residence
“We’re finally home,” James said with a sigh.
Although both Luke and Anna had behaved well throughout the trip, traveling with two children for several days had still left James physically and mentally exhausted.
The family had just entered the house and sat down when the doorbell rang.
Ding-dong~
James walked over and opened the door.
“Kevin, it’s you. Come in. You arrived at the perfect time—we just got back.”
Kevin laughed.
“Actually, it wasn’t a coincidence. I rented a room across the street just so I could wait for you.”
He pointed toward the building opposite the house.
“Come on in.” James smiled.
“Let me introduce everyone. This is my wife, Helen. You’ve already met Luke, and this is my daughter, Anna.”
Turning to the children, he said,
“This is Kevin, the head of Wards Entertainment’s UK division. Call him Uncle Kevin.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Uncle Kevin,” Luke and Anna greeted together.
“It’s nice to meet both of you.” Kevin smiled warmly.
“Mrs. Kirk, I’ve wanted to visit for a long time, but Luke’s work in the United States has kept everyone so busy that I never had the chance.”
“You’re too kind,” Helen replied with a smile.
“Please, just call me Helen. I’ll go make some coffee. Have a seat.”
James looked at Kevin curiously.
“So, what was important enough for you to rent a room across the street just to wait for us?”
Kevin got straight to the point.
“Was it Luke who was playing the piano and telling stories at Stockholm Central Station?”
“Yes.” James nodded.
“We spent Christmas in Sweden, and while we were waiting for the train in Stockholm, Luke told Anna a story and played the piano.”
“Then it’s definitely him.” Kevin laughed.
“A passenger recorded it and uploaded it online. You probably haven’t noticed yet, but the video of the ‘Piano Boy at the Station’ has gotten a huge number of views. The footage isn’t very clear because it was filmed from quite far away, but I thought it looked like Luke, so I came to confirm it.”
“Really?” James looked surprised.
“I had no idea. Why didn’t you call? I had my phone with me.”
“I tried calling several times, but I couldn’t get through.” Kevin shrugged.
“So I came here instead. I figured you wouldn’t be away for too much longer.”
“I’m really sorry. The signal was probably weak where we were staying.”
Just then, Anna tugged gently on Luke’s sleeve.
“Luke, can you teach me that piano piece tonight? I want to learn it.”
“Of course. I’ll teach you tonight.”
“And… and that monster…”
Luke quickly covered her mouth.
“That’s a secret too. We’ll talk about it tonight.”
Anna nodded obediently.
Kevin smiled before continuing.
“Besides confirming the identity of the piano boy, I have another piece of good news.”
“The Lion King is very likely to receive Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature, Best Original Song, and Best Original Score.”
“We’re very confident, so I wanted to let you know in advance.”
“If it receives the nominations, we hope you’ll bring Luke with you to the United States to attend the ceremony.”
“Congratulations in advance, James.”
“And congratulations to our little genius, Luke.”
From the way Kevin spoke, it almost sounded as though The Lion King had already been nominated—or even won.
“That’s wonderful, honey!” James exclaimed excitedly as he hurried into the kitchen and hugged Helen.
“Our son’s The Lion King might be nominated for an Academy Award… and it might even win one next year!”
Luke walked over to Kevin.
“Uncle Kevin, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Kevin smiled.
“What is it? Are you asking about the progress of Zootopia?”
Luke shook his head.
“No. I’d like to ask whether Zootopia, which is scheduled for release next year, can be postponed. I have another project that’s even better.”
“Another one?” Kevin raised an eyebrow.
“Do you mean the story you told at the train station? I’ll have to discuss that with headquarters in the United States.”
“The story I told at the station was The Polar Express,” Luke replied in a lowered voice.
“This is something different—and even better. I wanted to make it Anna’s birthday present next year.”
“I want to surprise her.”
“Oh? Something even better, and it’s a birthday present for your sister?” Kevin smiled.
“You’re a wonderful older brother. But you should discuss it with your parents first. We’ll also need to see the details of this ‘better’ project before we can make a decision.”
“I’ll talk to my parents in a bit and finish it as soon as possible,” Luke said confidently.
“Once you see it, you’ll know it’s worth working together again.”
Kevin nodded.
“All right. I’ll wait for your news.”
Just then, James returned with Helen, carrying a tray of coffee.
“Luke just discussed something with me,” Kevin said.
“Let’s set The Polar Express aside for now. We can talk about it again after you’ve discussed your new project. So, what are your plans for going to the United States next year?”
Ring…
Ring…
“Excuse me, I need to take this call,” Kevin said before stepping aside.
Seeing that Anna wasn’t paying attention, Luke quietly told James and Helen about his plan.
After hearing him out, both of them were visibly moved.
“Very good, son.” James smiled as he looked at Helen.
“I support your plan, and I think your mother will too.”
“Of course I support you,” Helen said with a nod.
“Whether your new work can convince Wards Entertainment is another matter, though.”
“Don’t worry.” Luke smiled confidently.
“I’m sure it will.”
Kevin returned after finishing his call.
“It looks like your schedule is going to change again.”
He looked at Luke with a smile.
“The theme song from The Lion King has officially been nominated for a Grammy Award.”
“This time it’s confirmed.”
“You’ll be attending the Grammy Awards next February.”
“Congratulations again, Luke.”
Helen covered her mouth in surprise before excitedly hugging Luke and kissing him on the forehead.
“Dad, Mom, I have a suggestion,” Luke said.
“I think Dad should attend the awards ceremony in the United States.”
“As for me, I want to stay home and finish my next project as soon as possible, so I won’t be going.”
Luke had his own priorities.
Improving his strength was far more important than attending award ceremonies.
Kevin turned to James.
“So you’ve already discussed it?”
“You’re planning to focus on the new project next year?”
James nodded.
“Yes. Since this is what Luke wants, Helen and I fully support him. When the new project is finished, we’ll need your help explaining everything to headquarters.”
“No problem.” Kevin smiled.
“As long as the work is outstanding, I think there’s a good chance they’ll agree.”
He stood up.
“All right, then. Since you’ve made your decision, I’ll be heading back.”
“I’ll send you the itinerary once everything has been finalized.”
James got up as well.
“I’ll see you out. Sorry you had to rent a place across the street just to wait for us.”
Turning to the children, he said,
“Luke, Anna, say goodbye to Uncle Kevin.”
“Goodbye, Uncle Kevin,” Luke and Anna said in unison.
James walked Kevin to the door.
After they left, Luke turned to Helen.
“Mom, when are we going to Grandpa’s farm to pick up Garfield?”
Before the family left for Sweden, they had left Garfield at Grandpa Byron’s farm.
Luke hadn’t seen him for several days and couldn’t help feeling a little worried.
“We’ll have your dad drive us there tomorrow,” Helen said as she headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
“Everyone’s tired today.”