Chapter 421: The Three Kingdoms Controversy
Whale Riding
The longer he stayed under the sea, the more Luke Shaw felt the magnificence of the world.
The diversity of its species and the complexity of its ecological environment went far beyond imagination. It was like another world, a new realm he had never sensed before.
It felt so good to ride a seahorse in the deep sea, thousands of meters down.
The seahorse below seemed to sense Luke Shaw's excitement, turning sideways three hundred and sixty degrees and letting out a cheerful call, followed by Mera and Carol Ferris. The three of them traversed a school of flounders and passed through the seagrass "green plain" under the watchful eye of a great white shark. Mera sang loudly, and in an instant, the fish swarmed and surrounded the three.
Luke Shaw reached out his hand; a small, ugly fish landed in his palm, its cheek twisting with an indescribable weirdness.
Suddenly, the school of fish surged outwards and fled quickly.
A huge, mountain-like shadow appeared ahead: a blue whale. Its long, pointed chirp echoed in their ears, tragic and desolate, as if coming from ancient times, carrying the loneliness of being isolated from the world.
Mera left her mount and swam to the Blue Whale. Her mouth opened slightly, as if she were talking about something. After a moment, she turned back and said with a smile,
"This child is lost and hopes that we can help it find its group. In return, it is willing to carry us."
"Whale riding?"
Shocked and overjoyed, Luke Shaw quickly opened his conch and created bubbles. "Really?"
"He's a good kid who doesn't mess around."
Carol clutched her chest and sighed. "Mera, I truly envy you. You are living in such a beautiful sea."
Mera pursed her lips and smiled.
"Come with me. The current on the whale's head is very strong, you'd better hold me tight."
The three left their seahorses and sat between the eyes of the blue whale. Carol clasped Mera's waist, and Luke Shaw sat at the back. Mera whispered as the blue whale made a jaunty chirp, and its tail swung, setting off a spiral current.
"Damn it!"
Luke Shaw was so careless that he was swept out by the current. Mera quickly reached out and pulled him back.
"Are you okay?"
Luke Shaw shook his head with lingering fear, but felt both physically and mentally excited by the violent tremors coming from beneath him.
A whale!
I'm riding a whale!
The Fisherman Lord's Strategy
In the East Hall of the Undersea Fortress, where the Fisherman Kingdom delegation was staying.
The Lord, Atenel, raised the scepter in his hand, and the sea surged, forming spiral walls of water around him, which blocked the propagation of sound and cut off prying eyes.
"Kamils, tell me where Princess Mera is?"
Kamils, a Fish Man who looked exactly like a "Koi," bowed. "Her Royal Highness left the fort this morning with two surface-dwellers, seemingly to swim beneath the sea."
"She's so confident, still in the mood to play despite the challenge from the Fisherman Kingdom."
One Fish Man replied, "Does Her Royal Highness Mera seem to like the surface-dwellers?"
Atenel's mouth curled slightly, with unspeakable mockery. "Those who were raised by the Queen yearned for the surface, except, of course, Heim."
That one sentence seemed to hold a hidden meaning, and everyone was confused, not understanding what he meant.
Kamils said in a deep voice,
"Lord, I never understood: why challenge the surface-dweller? According to intelligence, the surface-dweller is strong, and even Maria, who has the title of the First Female Warrior, is no match for him. With such strength, we may not be able to win."
Atenel shook his head in silence.
"Neither the cause nor the outcome matters; the challenge is just an excuse." He paused and sighed softly. "You have all heard about the border!"
The crowd's expressions suddenly changed. They clenched their fists, their faces showing unspeakable rage.
Atenel continued,
"At the beginning of the last century, to resist the invasion of Atlantis, the Fisherman Kingdom, Xebel, and the Salt Water Kingdom concluded an alliance. The Fisherman Kingdom provided supplies, Xebel provided high-end combat power, and the Salt Water Kingdom had a large number of soldiers. The three countries joined forces against Atlantis. After dozens of battles, the situation was finally stabilized. After the Queen came to power, the war came to an end, and we enjoyed a fairly peaceful period. But alas, with the civil unrest in the Salt Water Kingdom, the balance has been broken again."
"Orm is different from the Queen. He is extremely ambitious. Since taking power, he has started several wars. This time, he has deployed millions of elites on our border. You should understand what the purpose is."
"He does not want to see the two countries maintain an alliance, and hopes that we will become independent so he can defeat us one by one. The troop deployment at the border is a warning. If we refuse his request, those millions of elites will invade our country's heartland...." He sighed again, "We have no other choice. His Majesty does not want to fall out with Xebel, so he sent me to negotiate to reserve the possibility of cooperation between the two sides. However, Nereus is unwilling to back down. He hopes the two countries will gather all their troops and fight Atlantis."
Atenel chuckled.
"His courage is admirable, but alas, the difference in strength is too great. Atlantis has seven times the troops we do. A forced confrontation will only cause needless death and injury."
"Nereus is a stubborn guy. I can't convince him, and he can't convince me. I know he wants to drag this out until Atlantis launches an attack. Even if we don't want to fight, our people won't agree."
"A very clever method. Fortunately, the surface-dwellers appeared."
Kamils was puzzled. "What does this have to do with the surface-dwellers?"
"It didn't matter, but it does now, since the surface-dweller defeated the Princess Guard and captured Maria alive."
"Xebel is famous for its high-end combat power. The Princess Guard and Maria are their best, yet they were defeated by the surface-dweller. We challenged the surface-dweller. Winning is an excuse to tear up the covenant; losing allows us to leave directly and put all the blame and shame on the surface-dwellers. No matter how dissatisfied Nereus is, he will not break with his fellow tribesmen just because of two outsiders. His Majesty can also justify his decision."
Atenel looked around and laughed. "What do you think of this idea?"
Everyone thought about it, and the more they considered it, the more powerful the plan seemed.
Nereus intended to stall for time, and His Majesty didn't want to break ties, so the negotiations were deadlocked. The appearance of the surface-dwellers provided an opportune moment; they were the perfect scapegoats.
Whether they won or lost, the blame could be pushed onto Luke Shaw and Carol. Of course, the only potential issue with this approach was offending the surface-dwellers.
They are just two surface-dwellers. What does it matter if we offend them? Can they overturn the sea?
Kamils couldn't help but praise him.
"No wonder His Majesty specifically appointed you to handle the negotiations. Your ability to adapt to changing circumstances is truly impressive."
Atenel raised his head, a flash of pride crossing his eyes before he concealed it.
At this point, the Fish Man responsible for documentation spoke.
"Lord, how should we approach the challenge two days from now? Go all out? Or just put on a show?"
Atenel narrowed his eyes and spoke every word carefully.
"Kill him, at all costs."
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