National destiny: Starting with a coffin, building an aircraft carrier is broadcast live globally.

The Deep Blue Kingdom, Royal Palace.

The once dazzling and magnificent Mingzhu Garden is no more.

The light was dim; the bright moon jellyfish had been driven away from the garden, and the only remaining light source came from the faintly glowing moss clinging to life on the ground.

The so-called 'garden'...

It has now been converted into a strictly hierarchical temporary water dungeon.

All the windows were fitted with bone railings made from the leg bones of sea monsters, with dark green algae wrapped around them, releasing toxins that paralyze sea creatures.

It was quiet all around; not even a fish could be seen.

A dark shadow crawled forward along the moss, its wide cloak completely concealing the object beneath it.

The shadow moved and then stopped.

After confirming that there was nothing unusual around him, he stealthily straightened up from the seaweed.

The person tiptoed and carefully extended a slender, delicate arm through the gaps in the growing algae, gently tapping on the mother-of-pearl window behind the railing.

"Knock, knock knock—"

A short while later.

The window made a very slight scraping sound from the inside, and was pulled open to reveal an extremely beautiful face.

Her waist-length golden hair flowed freely, and her azure eyes were clear and sharp.

"Who?"

The person knocking on the window hurriedly lifted their hood, revealing a face that bore a five-point resemblance to hers, but with an even more gentle and sorrowful expression.

Riseben frowned and quickly looked around twice:

"Viya? What brings you here?!"

Viya's eyes reddened, and she instinctively reached out to grab the railing, her voice urgent.

"Risbane... my sister, I can't watch you die!"

Riseben was speechless for a moment, then reached out and slapped Viya's hand away:

"Aren't there any of Brona's people outside? How did you manage to get past those giant electric eel patrols?"

"Oh, those ugly guys."

Viya seemed to be doing this for the first time and was quite excited.

Unable to control his voice, he blurted out, "I fed them deep-sea shrimp mixed with sleeping grass! They all fell into a deep sleep!"

"..."

Her second sister has always been naive, but I never expected her to be so direct when it came to poisoning.

"You should leave now."

Suppressing his emotions, Riseben forcefully pushed Viya's hand away.

The eldest sister has bribed the Siren Council and plans to convict her in the name of the Crown Prince...

She knew perfectly well what was going on.

The prison break incident had such a huge impact that they desperately needed a scapegoat of sufficient weight, and also to openly and legitimately strip her of her power over the Sea Dragon Guard.

"Father will never wake up again!"

Viya was so anxious that tears streamed down her face and splashed into the seawater.

"I heard the high priest say it to Brona with my own ears! They can't even wait until next month's Sea God Festival; they're going to 'expose' you in the square tomorrow!"

Riseben's hand, which had been pushing him away, froze in mid-air.

Father suddenly fell ill a year ago and has been recuperating at the sacrificial tower. The high priest has been firmly refusing their visits, but why does he now dare to tell Brona directly that "he will never wake up again"?

They're not even willing to pretend anymore.

First, they locked the innocent Carlos in the Rift Prison, then released all the criminal fish and framed her, the criminal fish's 'lover', for the crime.

Risbane calmly tucked her blonde hair behind her pointed ears.

If we were to take action tomorrow in full view of everyone, not only would the charge be confirmed... but we would also be branded as traitors!

Viya was frantically rummaging through her large cloak to get something out.

"No! I brought escape tools with me, we're leaving today."

Her tail stirred the seaweed restlessly on the ground, and she pulled out a swordfish snout dagger with many nicks along its edges.

"I'll saw this railing down!"

Riseben's thoughts were interrupted, and his eyes twitched twice: "Sister, with this saw, I'll probably be able to get out in five years."

Viya wasn't embarrassed at all.

He then pulled out a glass bottle full of mud and sand, inside which was a sticky, pungent-smelling green liquid.

"Dissolving agent! I found it in Nas's cleaning room."

Riseben took the bottle, examined it for a moment, and ruthlessly shattered the illusion:

"Poured on seaweed fermentation liquid that's sixty years past its expiration date, it only serves to fertilize these 'magical algae'."

"..."

Viya puffed out her cheeks in anger: "No matter what, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch you go to be subjected to torture!"

Seeing her younger sister remain silent, she muttered angrily in a low voice:

"Where's that idiot Carlos? You let thousands of hardened criminals escape to save him, which gave Brona a handle to use against you... Now that your life is hanging by a thread, he's probably hiding somewhere in the sea crying his eyes out!"

Riseben shook his head.

She didn't explain that she didn't do it, as that would be pointless; she simply put the expired medicine bottle back in.

Seeing that Viya was still trying to pull something out from under the cloak, Riseben grabbed Viya's slender wrist.

"Sister, listen to me."

She looked directly into his golden-brown eyes:

"Before those giant electric eels wake up, go back the way you came. Don't let Brona find out you were here."

Viya's eyes were red like a red-eyed fish as she held her younger sister's hand tightly.

"But tomorrow..."

I'll clean up tomorrow's mess myself.

Riseben promptly interrupted her, "Also, if you run into Carlos later..."

She paused for a moment and ground her back teeth.

"Tell him to get as far away as possible, back to the Silent Channel. Don't tell him anything, you hear me?"

Viya sniffed, tears welling in her eyes: "Then don't rush to die, I'll go back and check if there's anything that hasn't expired..."

"Hurry up!"

She darted into the undercurrent and disappeared into the night of Pearl Garden.

......

Meanwhile, in the quiet waterway, in the second-floor reception room of "Rotten Fish and Shrimp".

The atmosphere was equally harmonious.

"The Benevolent Society?"

Bob stroked his chin and muttered something.

"How come I've never heard of it? The name is quite unique though..."

"But the treatment is better than mine?! That's definitely nonsense!"

To his surprise, Ren Yi simply shrugged.

"Okay, you're right. Actually... I don't pay them a single penny of their salary."

What?!

Bob's eyes widened.

In business, he always believed in equal exchange; he was never stingy with his price as long as it was worthwhile, and he would save where he could and spend where he could.

These guys in front of me don't look ordinary at all...

Although he didn't want to admit it, the shark-mermaid that had just been taken away had a more ferocious aura than any he had ever seen.

How could such a rebellious species in the ocean be so devoted to a guy who doesn't even feed himself properly?

On what grounds?

"Why should I?!"

Bob blurted out the question without realizing it.

"Of course, it's based on vision and a closed-loop ecosystem."

Nathan rolled over on the ceiling and floated peacefully face up—

He was afraid that laughing out loud would interrupt his boss's spellcasting.

"Our Benevolent Society only seeks 'partners'."

Speaking at an unhurried, measured pace, it was as if he were truly introducing a colossal entity:

"A decentralized, loose alliance with no cumbersome rules and members spread across various seas—the Tranquil Sea, the Misty Sea, the land... and even alien planets. Everyone quietly makes their own fortunes in peacetime, but when needed, intelligence, resources, and firepower are seamlessly integrated."

Bob's eyes lit up immediately.

This is exactly the business model he has always dreamed of.

If such a network of interests spanning the entire ocean truly exists, the potential for profit within it... is simply limitless!

"Very...charming."

Bob smacked his lips, his eight legs uncontrollably circling on the carpet:

"But how do we guarantee loyalty?"