Charlotte hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should tell Jason about Jack's words.
To Jason, they were still just kids, busy with their studies. But she felt like the information Jack provided might be worth trying, even though it sounded a bit far-fetched.
"Dad, I have a friend," she began, "He says he's really close with King Casper of Paria. After hearing about our situation, he reached out and made some calls for us. He even gave me a phone number—Paria is willing to open its borders so we can make it to the Mirenia Sea."
Jason paused when he heard this. He asked frantically, "What did you say? Who is this friend of yours?"
Charlotte didn't mention any details about Jack. Besides keeping it a secret at Jack's request, she also felt that his background might not be impressive enough to convince Jason.
She decided to maintain the mystery around Jack. Maybe if Jason knew less, he would take the proposal more seriously.
She replied, "Anyway, he has some pretty strong connections. I'll send you the number. Maybe it'll actually come in handy."
After receiving the number from Charlotte, Jason stared at his phone in a daze.
Charles, curious, asked, "Hey, Jason, what's got you so distracted?"
Jason glanced at Charles and Tommy, then quietly said, "Char just called. She says a friend of hers has already contacted the Parian officials. They've agreed to let us use their territory, and they might even offer us some help."
Charles and Tommy exchanged glances, thinking that Jason was joking. After all, when they had tried to contact Paria officially, they'd been rejected.
But seeing Jason's serious expression, they started to realize that this might be real. Especially Charles. He knew Charlotte well and understood she wouldn't joke about something like this, especially not now.
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