002 Praying for Heaven to Grant Me a Golden Finger?

In the first half of Li Daniu’s life, the most sophisticated means of transportation he had ever taken was the high-speed train; as for airplanes, he had only ever seen pictures. After traveling through time, within just a few hours, Li Daniu experienced more ups and downs than many people encounter in a lifetime. Fortunately, compared to his loser existence before, at least now he could board a plane.

The excitement of his first flight faded quickly, and Li Daniu was forced to start worrying about his future. This was a flight from America to Australia. After arriving in Australia, he still had to transfer to Fiji, and only then could he finally reach his own country—Tuvalu.

As a newcomer, Li Daniu didn’t ask Burns why he had to change planes several times just to get to his own country. Asking such a question would only make Burns think he was truly ill. So, before boarding, Li Daniu searched online for some information. What he found made him feel a lingering ache even now.

Tuvalu, located in the South Pacific, is composed of nine ring-shaped coral atolls, with a land area of about 260,000 square kilometers. It is the second smallest island nation in the world and the fourth smallest country overall. The highest elevation is only 4.5 meters. Resources are scarce, the land is barren, and only a few plants can grow there. It is one of the least developed countries in the world, as listed by the United Nations.

The population is less than 11,000, and in 2013, the per capita GDP was $3,880.

All this information, which Li Daniu found online, made his head throb. There weren’t even as many people as in a small town!

"Wait, that can’t be right," Li Daniu thought. Besides his headache, something felt off. He scratched his head for a long while before realizing this wasn’t the first time he’d heard of this country.

As someone who had always led a reclusive, internet-centered life, going online was essential. Before crossing over, Li Daniu had once seen an article in a friend’s social media feed titled "The Ten Smallest Countries in the World." Tuvalu was among them.

But what puzzled him was, as he vaguely recalled, the article said Tuvalu was a member of the Commonwealth, with the British monarch as its head of state, and only a prime minister elected by parliament.

So where did this prince—himself—even come from?

The online information was very clear: Tuvalu declared independence in 1978, King Tarek I ascended the throne, and the body Li Daniu now inhabited was Tarek I’s son, Tarek II.

There was very little information about Tarek II online, just a few lines.

Born in 1990, the sole heir to Tuvalu, the world’s poorest prince, studying at Harvard University.

"Could I have remembered wrong?" Though Li Daniu had mysteriously gained fluent English, he was still not used to browsing American websites. Puzzled, he turned to a familiar search engine for help.

But when he entered the usual address, he found himself redirected to a dating website.

Refresh.

Still a dating site.

“What the… Has the site been hacked?” Li Daniu had no time to care about such headline-worthy news. As he was about to try another search engine, he inadvertently caught an advertisement on the dating site.

“The best domestic milk powder in Huaxia!”

Huaxia?

When did that become a popular advertising phrase? Uneasy, Li Daniu casually used another search engine and typed in “Huaxia.”

“2012 London Olympics close successfully; President Dong Dada of Huaxia receives the athlete delegation.”

“2012 Person of the Year Who Moved Huaxia.”

“2012, Huaxia’s automobile production ranked first in the world for four consecutive years.”

…

“Do foreign websites all call China ‘Huaxia’? But who is this President Dong Dada?” Unconvinced, Li Daniu continued searching. After a while, he finally understood: it wasn’t that his memories about Tuvalu were wrong, but that this wasn’t the original Earth at all, but a parallel world.

“After finally traveling from 2016 to 2012, with barely any advantage left, now you throw me into a parallel world? What happened to the advantage of foreknowledge?” Li Daniu felt that the only thing more tragic than becoming a king of a soon-to-be-submerged nation was knowing nothing about this world.

America was still America, Britain was still Britain, but when China became Huaxia, the world had changed dramatically.

For instance, Li Daniu had inexplicably become the king of a country that shouldn’t even have a monarchy.

Though this country was smaller than a township in his homeland, it was still a country. At least, upon crossing over, he could fly in an airplane—already a step up from his previous loser’s life.

After comforting himself, Li Daniu felt melancholy again. Their group of four, just for this trip back from America to his country, had spent—on airfare alone—about one two-thousandth of the nation’s entire GDP. If you added in his hospital bills, their meals, and accommodations…

A prince of a country, yet flying economy class. Li Daniu could only console himself: thriftiness is a traditional virtue.

His nation had only one airport, and it could only accommodate small planes with up to thirty seats. The only direct flight to his country was from Fiji.

After a series of dismal layovers, Li Daniu finally arrived in his country—a place small enough to see in its entirety from a descending plane.

Getting off, he saw a crowd at the airport holding a banner to greet him.

“Welcome home, Prince Tarek!”

The sparse welcoming party, upon seeing Li Daniu disembark, all placed their right hands over their left chests and bowed respectfully.

Li Daniu was stunned at the sight of the banner; it felt like a company inspection. Seeing dozens of people bowing to him—a gesture he’d never experienced before—he set aside his urge to mock the plainness of the ceremony, stood tall, and waved in acknowledgement.

“Walk slowly, walk slowly. Don’t move your hands and feet at the same time, don’t move your hands and feet at the same time,” he shouted internally with a forced smile. “Don’t lose your aura!”

The simple welcoming ceremony ended quickly. Li Daniu was wondering whether he should say a few words when he realized the crowd had dispersed, leaving only a handful of people behind.

Just then, someone placed four pairs of slippers before him, leaving Li Daniu utterly confused. What kind of custom was this?

The three who had accompanied him, led by Burns, picked up a pair each and slipped them on as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“His Highness the Prince is accustomed to American ways, so he does not need slippers,” explained Burns, always quick on his feet, giving a perfectly reasonable answer the moment he saw Li Daniu’s hesitation.

Only then did Li Daniu notice that the remaining members of the welcoming party were all wearing slippers, while a few people in the distance—presumably airport staff—were even barefoot.

“This country…” At this point, Li Daniu was beyond words, overwhelmed by a single worry: “Will I end up poorer than before? Please, heavens, grant me a golden finger!”