The temple courtyard slowly grew quiet again as Li Wen stepped outside.
The evening sky over the ocean had turned orange, and the ancient stones of the Shore Temple glowed softly in the fading light.
Albert, Arun, Mark, Bilal, and Karthik were waiting near the entrance.
Albert noticed her expression immediately.
"Well?"
Li Wen took a deep breath.
"We should go back to the hotel."
Albert nodded.
"Of course."
He turned to Karthik and spoke casually in Tamil.
"நாம் ஹோட்டலுக்கு போகலாம்."
(Let's go to the hotel.)
Karthik nodded and began walking toward the vehicles.
Arun stopped suddenly.
He looked at Albert in surprise.
"Wait…"
"You speak Tamil?"
Albert shrugged slightly.
"For business purposes."
"I try to learn every useful language."
Bilal laughed softly.
"That explains a lot."
Within minutes, they were driving through the coastal roads of Tamil Nadu toward their hotel.
Later that night—
the team gathered inside a private meeting room.
Maps and documents were spread across the table.
Li Wen stood near the map of India.
"The Pandit confirmed something important."
She pointed toward Delhi.
"We must go here."
Arun leaned forward.
"The Red Fort."
Li Wen nodded.
"Yes."
"There is an artifact inside."
"Aurangzeb's sword."
Mark frowned.
"You're telling me we need to retrieve a Mughal emperor's weapon from one of the most protected historical sites in India?"
Li Wen answered calmly.
"Yes."
Bilal shook his head.
"That's not a museum."
"That's a national monument."
Arun added quietly.
"And a heavily guarded one."
Albert sat quietly for a moment.
Then he leaned back in his chair.
"Give me some time."
Li Wen looked at him.
"Time for what?"
Albert picked up his phone.
"To make a call."
The room fell silent as he dialed a number.
The line connected after a few seconds.
Thousands of kilometers away—
inside the office of the Prime Minister of India—
a phone began to ring.
The Prime Minister's personal assistant looked at the caller ID.
His eyes widened slightly.
Then he answered.
"Yes?"
Albert spoke calmly.
"I need to speak with the Prime Minister."
The assistant hesitated.
"Who is calling?"
Albert smiled faintly.
"Tell him…"
"…Albert would like to discuss the Red Fort."
The assistant froze.
Because very few people in the world could make that kind of request so casually.
And the Prime Minister of India was one of the few men who knew exactly who Albert was.