I'm doing bidirectional science popularization in American comics

The underwater palace is located at the very center of Atlantis.

As for the council chamber, it is located slightly to the right of the center of the palace.

The council chamber building is predominantly white, and its overall architectural style gave Depp the feeling of entering a dragon palace.

He even suspects that Marvel may have referenced the Dragon Palace from the Chinese classic Journey to the West when initially designing the architectural style of Atlantis.

Before Orm arrived, Depp used illusion magic to completely conceal Atlanna's form.

When negotiating with Om, he needs to reveal all his trump cards one by one.

Therefore, we cannot reveal too much right now.

After all, what Depp wanted was to conquer the Seven Seas, not destroy them.

Soon, Orm arrived at the council chamber dressed in a golden battle suit.

Orm has a head of breathtakingly long golden hair.

Furthermore, following the tradition of Atlantean noblemen, Orm tied his golden hair back into a bun.

When Om saw Depp next to Nudiswiko, he immediately frowned and showed a wary expression.

“Nudisviko, who is that person next to you?” Orm asked. “He doesn’t look like an Atlantean or a Zebel; he looks more like a landman.”

Nudisvik bowed deeply to Orm and said, “Dear King Orm, as you can see, Mr. Depp is indeed a landman.”

Upon hearing this, Om looked displeased and said, "You specifically woke me up from my bed just so I could see a damn landman?"

“Your Majesty, he is not an ordinary land dweller.”

Nudisviko tried his best to explain.

But Om interrupted him, declaring unilaterally, "Alright, I have absolutely no interest in these lowly land creatures. If there's nothing else, I'm going back to sleep. Of course, these damned land people will be chopped up by my guards and fed to my Sea King Dragon."

Neptune, Orm's mount, is an ancient marine reptile belonging to the Mosasaurus genus.

Of course, as Orm's mount, this Poseidon is naturally more powerful than its counterparts.

Orm even felt that it was a great honor for this damned landman to be eaten by his sea dragon.

Just after Orm finished speaking arrogantly, Depp flashed and appeared behind him.

He leaned down and whispered in Orm's ear, "Your Highness Orm, I didn't quite catch that. Did you say you wanted to chop someone up and feed them to the fish?"

Upon seeing this, Om broke out in a cold sweat and dared not move.

Because he had no idea how Depp got behind him.

"Don't hurt King Orm!" Nudisviko shouted.

"This is the landman you brought?" Om stared intently at Nudisviko and said, "Did you bring this guy to assassinate me? Just so my brother, who abandoned the sea, could succeed me?"

Om's three questions shocked and puzzled Nudisviko.

He didn't understand how Orm knew that he had been teaching and assisting Arthur.

Depp laughed and said, "Haha, it seems your King Orm isn't as stupid as you thought. On the contrary, Orm is quite intelligent; he figured out your actions a long time ago, Nudiswiko."

Nudisviko stood there, stunned, and lowered his head in shame. He didn't know how to face Om at this moment.

Depp then pinched Orm's chin, making him turn his head to look at him.

“Nudisviko’s matter isn’t the focus right now; my matter is the most important.” Depp gently released Orm’s chin, walked up to him, and said, “I think we need to have a serious talk, but first you need to get your bearings.”

Upon hearing this, Om's eyes turned cold as he said, "Get your place right? Fine, you've succeeded. With your incredible speed just now, I'll allow you to communicate with me on equal terms for the time being."

"Equal exchange? Hahahaha, you must have misunderstood something!" Depp said mercilessly, "You are not qualified to communicate with me as an equal, Orm. In my eyes, you are nothing more than a sea worm. All you need to do is listen to me, understand?"

Depp's arrogant attitude left Nudiswiko and Atlana, who were standing nearby, stunned.

But they didn't stop Depp, because they all knew that Depp deserved it.

Upon hearing this, Om's expression shifted between light and dark.

He really wanted to pin Depp to the wall with a fork, but Depp's speed just now served as a deterrent, so he didn't dare to make any rash moves.

Finally, Om said, "You can tell me first."

The show of force worked. Following the principle of giving a sweet treat after a slap, Depp patted Om on the shoulder and said, "Good boy! But before we get down to business, I'd like to give you a gift."

Orm scoffed at this, for as the King of Atlantis, no amount of jewelry or wealth mattered to him.

But as soon as Depp finished speaking, Om's expression changed drastically.

“I want to give you a woman, a woman you’ve always longed for… your mother, Atlanna.”

Upon hearing this, Om's face immediately turned ugly, as if he had been subjected to the ultimate insult in the world.

Because everyone in Atlantis knows that Atlanna, the former Queen of the Sea and the current king's mother, was sacrificed by King Ovark to the Trench tribe's waters long ago, and she is doomed!

In other words, Atlana had been dead for many years, and Depp's words at this moment made Orm feel that the former was deliberately mocking and provoking him.

“You need to take responsibility for your words, Landman.”

Om's eyes were filled with rage as he spoke, each word distinct and clear.

But the next moment, Depp waved his hand gently, a wisp of light dissipated, and Atlana appeared opposite Orm.

"I always keep my word and am very responsible."

After Depp finished speaking, he moved aside so that Atlana could come to Orm's side.

The moment Orm saw Atlanna, he froze on the spot.

Seeing this, Atlana walked step by step to Orm, looking at her youngest son with doting eyes, and reached out to touch his cheek.

“You’ve matured a lot since then, Om.”

"That's what Atlanna said with maternal love."

Om snapped out of his daze. He raised his hand, trembling, and grasped his mother's hand that was gently stroking his cheek. He said in disbelief, "Mother? You really...returned? I thought you'd already been...taken by those Trench guys..."

Before he could finish speaking, Om was already in tears.

The longing for his mother, the hatred for the land dwellers, and the regret for his past incompetence were no longer important at this moment.

For Orm right now, the only thing that matters is the woman in front of him, his mother, Atlanna.

Atlana reached out and wiped away the tears from Orm's eyes, saying, "It was Mr. Depp who rescued me."

"he?"

Om glanced at Depp beside him and said in disbelief.

Atlana nodded and said, "That's right, it was Mr. Depp, the land people you've always hated, who rescued me from the Dark Sea. Even now, do you still harbor hostility and prejudice towards land people?"

Upon hearing this, Om wiped away his tears and said:

“But Mother, this is not the same thing. Perhaps this man is a good person, but land people are evil! They dump all kinds of garbage and toxic substances into the ocean. Recently, a certain island nation even went so far as to dump what they call nuclear waste into the ocean!”

"Those things have already plunged our people in that sea area into the agony of mutation and deformity!"

Upon hearing this, Atlana said, "But..."

As he spoke, Orm's expression grew increasingly agitated. He interrupted Atlana and continued, "Mother, the land people are nothing but devils, devils who create pollution and suffering on this planet!"

Just as Atlanna was about to continue trying to persuade Orm, Depp started clapping.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

After drawing Orm and Atlana's attention, Depp said, "You're right, Orm! Land people are a bunch of devils, especially those guys who dump nuclear waste into the ocean. They don't deserve to be called human! I suggest we capture those guys, skin them alive, torture them for seven days and seven nights, and then kill them!"

Depp's words left Orm, Atlanna, and Nudiswiko, who was standing not far away, completely stunned.

Om: Wait a minute, shouldn't you be refuting and threatening me? Why are you so compliant with me? This doesn't make sense!

Atlana: Wait a minute, didn't you come here to help me persuade Orm to unite the land and sea as one family? Why do you suddenly seem to hate land people even more than Orm?

Nudisvik: Wait a minute, shouldn't I go back and continue teaching Arthur so that he can completely replace Orm in the future?

But the next second, Depp changed his tone and continued, "But Om, as the king, you should know very well that the decisions of a country are not something that ordinary people can control, right?"

Upon hearing this, Om turned to look at the guards wandering outside the palace and the commoners further away.

Finally, he nodded and said, "Yes, even if I were to go to war with the land people right now, I wouldn't need to consult with the people outside."

"So why are you venting your anger on the entire population because of the decision made by the higher-ups?" Depp questioned. "For those ordinary people, they don't even know what they did wrong. Do you really want to slaughter these unarmed and ignorant land people?"

Upon hearing this, Om fell silent, a fierce internal struggle raging within him.

In fact, the main reason Orm wanted to wage war against the land people was Atlanna's death.

He believed that his mother was executed because she had a child out of wedlock with a landman.

Unable to vent her anger on her father, and unable to face her own cowardice in the past, she could only take it out on the land people.

As for the other aspects, they are merely excuses for him to uphold righteousness.

But now that Atlanna has been rescued by Depp, Orm even feels that the fire of hatred that has sustained him for so many years is beginning to crumble.

Seeing Orm's expression, Depp immediately pressed his advantage:

“You know, Om, war is often accompanied by bloodshed and sacrifice. Can you bear to watch those warriors who are loyal to Atlantis die one after another on land because of your selfish desires? This is not something a qualified king should do.”

"In fact, I have a fairly feasible plan, whether it is for the stability of your country or for political issues concerning the marine environment."

"Your plan?" Orm said, "You're not thinking of using Atlantis's power to help you seize power or something, are you? Don't take me for an idiot. How could the Atlanteans become cannon fodder for the land dwellers?"

“I don’t think I have the power to make the Atlanteans my cannon fodder, or rather, you are simply not qualified,” Depp said. “I only hope that the Seven Seas can reunite harmoniously, and I will unleash a red storm on the land. As long as you don’t cause trouble, you may find out how much the land has changed in a few years.”

"Just to avoid causing trouble?" Om said somewhat skeptically. "To be honest, if you want me to help you, it's not impossible, after all, you saved my mother."

In fact, Om's views have changed somewhat now.

Not to land dwellers, but simply to Depp as a person, Orm didn't know why he always felt a sense of familiarity with this guy, a feeling that made him want to get close to him.

He even secretly hoped that Depp needed him.

This is why he felt that Depp's words were even more persuasive than his mother's.

One reason that Om couldn't understand at all.

This stems from Depp's title of "mediator," which forcibly increased Orm's favorability towards Depp by one level.

Especially after Orm learned that Depp had saved her mother, this directly raised her favorability towards Depp to the level of "trust".