While the Spring Carnival was still going on, there was still plenty to look forward to, especially during Summer Vacation.
---
"Countess Irena," said one Governmental Paperwork person, "I'd think you'd like to hear about something."
"Well what?" asked Irena.
"While we were going over where to put a Dinotopian colony, we found something that you might find interesting in the Government's paperwork archive during the biannual cleanout. We found a reference to an island that was used as the Alcatraz of the Spanish Empire; then became a pirate fortress until Andrew Jackson 'conquered' Florida; and was closed down for good during John Tyler's tenure as President." he said, "This summer we'd like you to inspect it before the Dinotopians colonize it."
"Why me?" asked Irena, a little surprised.
"With help from Spain, we managed to find the name of one of your ancestors among the wardens of Skull Island." he replied, "We've also got records from the Coast Guard that shows that sometimes illegal treasure hunters are caught there looking for the Golden Skull Hoard, as it's known in the pirating legends."
"Well, alright." said Irena, intent on learning more about her family.
---
"It just occurred to me," said Robbie, after being introduced to the Five Elements, "That you five aren't familiar enough with Animalia as a whole, particularly the two colonies we already have established outside the US."
"Really?" asked Huoxing.
"Which is why you five are getting two weeks vacation at both Mieni Atoll and the Lost City of Vilcabamba, all expenses paid, when summer vacation starts."
"What do we need to know?" asked Tuxing.
"We've already got brochures from those locations for you to look at." answered Robbie, "But for now, Mieni Atoll is both a natural reserve and WWII War in the Pacific museum, while the Lost City of Vilcabamba is where ancient Pre-Columbian tribes from as far apart as Brazil, Peru, Chile and even Northern Mexico gathered for important ceremonies, complete with it's own burial ground."
"Kind of like Animalia." said Jinxing, after Ping finished translating.
"You could say that." answered Robbie.
---
Meanwhile, Dr. Jones was working together with the new task force that had been formed in response to the breaking up of the "religious" prostitution ring in China. When the initial, non-classified, data on the arrest was released, there had been public outcry throughout most of Asia. The fact that most of the victims, both male and female, could easily understand English, if not speak it, seemed to back the fact that it might have contact with criminal organizations that did speak mainly English from maybe as far west as Italy. This kind of knowledge prompted the formation of a new organization/task force that specialized in far-reaching crimes.
Right now, Dr. Jones was studying both the forensic analysis of the illegal aphrodisiac used in the cult, and the financial ledger that seemed to show that there were at least contacts in other countries with the prostitution ring. There were several foreign representatives waiting for his final analysis.
"For our first lead," began Dr. Jones, "We're looking for someone who has decent skill in both chemistry and medicine, has India hemp plants and red poppies growing in close proximity, probably home brews as a hobby, and lives a bit more luxuriously than a self-employed pharmacist in China would otherwise live." Upon hearing that, the Chinese representative looked like he had just found out that he had been wearing a Kick Me sign on his back for almost the entire Spring Festival. Before anyone could begin asking questions, Dr. Jones explained, "First of all, the forensic analysis showed the presence of two compounds: THC, most commonly found in Marijuana (scientifically known as Cannabis sativa, or more conventionally as the India hemp plant); and opium (only found in the red subspecies of poppy). There was also the presence of alcohol, but not enough of it or well made enough to either be a store-bought alcohol, nor brewed a professional home brewer. That second part also shows that whoever made the compound has enough knowledge of both chemical compounds and medicine to create something that won't result in an immediate overdose.
"The financial ledger captured shows writing styles used by those in the medical field, specifically small letters meant to record large amounts of data in limited spaces, such as a financial ledger." he continued. "There is also evidence that this was someone who primarily works for themselves, running both the business proper and their bookkeeping in the same place." Upon seeing the baffled looks on many of the representatives' faces (the Chinese representative already getting in contact with his government), Dr. Jones explained, "You can learn a lot when you have both teenage boredom and high intellect like I do."