Seated on the throne originating from Atlantis, with the ashes of the First King beneath his feet, Lothar's arrogant, commanding presence captivated Mera's gaze.
It was the first time she realized that the most attractive quality about Lothar was this very aura: the aura of a king.
"No, Lothar."
"You should be the true King."
"Not me."
Mera bent down to pick up the Golden Trident that had fallen at her feet, her eyes sparkling with admiration as she looked at Lothar.
He had torn apart Karathen with his bare hands and subdued the Trident with a single punch.
In all of this, she was merely a beneficiary.
Mera knew herself well.
She hadn't earned the Golden Trident's recognition; if not for Lothar, she wouldn't have even passed the Trench Kingdom challenge. How could someone like her claim to be king?
"Me?"
"If I became the King of the Ocean, I wouldn't stop your father as you might expect."
Lothar scoffed, a hint of disappointment surfacing in his eyes. To Mera, it was a harsh sight.
"Not only that, I'd push your father to start the war as quickly as possible."
"Don't joke, Lothar—"
Mera, carrying the Golden Trident, walked step by step towards Lothar. Her beautiful eyes flickered, and her smile gradually vanished under Lothar's gaze.
"I never joke."
Lothar stood up, the indifference in his now normal black pupils startling Mera.
"Do you know?"
"I once met a person on a planet called Gafa."
"He was the ruler of that planet, a king in the truest sense."
"He believed that in this world, there are some people who always lack the courage to make decisions on their own, always relying on others."
"He believed some people are born to be ruled because they constantly evade the responsibilities they should bear."
"Even if they already possess sufficient power."
Lothar was deeply disappointed in Mera. He never expected that after obtaining the Golden Trident, a symbol of royal authority, Mera's first choice would be to hand it to him, rather than use it to realize her own ideals.
"What?" Mera's eyes widened, having been inexplicably ridiculed.
What had she done wrong?
Was she mistaken?
She hadn't received the Golden Trident's recognition, so she couldn't possibly become Queen of the Ocean relying on it.
Lothar was the one who had conquered it; she was merely benefiting from it.
And for that, she was wrong?
"Lothar, I think you might misunderstand Atlantis. Since ancient times, it has been the symbol of uniting the Seven Seas; without its recognition—"
"Give it to me."
Lothar didn't bother listening, directly cutting off Mera's explanation.
Mera obediently handed the Trident to Lothar's hand: "I knew you—"
Crack!
The joy on Mera's face instantly froze. The Golden Trident, revered as a sacred treasure by the entire undersea world, was snapped in half by Lothar!
Clang!
The two broken pieces of the Trident fell at Mera's feet.
"Lothar! What have you done??!!" Mera clutched her red hair, looking at the man before her in disbelief.
"When you gave it to me, I had the right to break it." Lothar nudged it with his toe, and the broken Trident flew directly to Woz's side.
"Woz, use it for barbecue," Lothar instructed Woz.
"At once, Your Highness Lothar."
"???" Mera's eyes widened as she watched Woz laboriously cut off a piece of Karathen's meat and skewer it onto the Trident...
"Lothar, you—"
"Weapons aren't meant to be worshipped; they're meant to be used, no matter their purpose."
"I'm very disappointed in you." Lothar shook his head, instantly adopting his adoptive father Thanos's tone. He scoffed, then directly flew out of the waterfall with Woz, landing on the island to build a fire and barbecue.
It truly was barbecue.
When Mera and Atlanna hurriedly swam out of the waterfall, they saw Woz busily sprinkling seasoning.
The vigorous flames seared the meat on the golden Trident; the former weapon of the First Atlantean King had truly become a barbecue skewer, feeling quite surreal.
Most importantly, the grilled meat smelled incredibly delicious. The kind of fragrant smell that carried for miles.
"Lady Mera, Lady Atlanna, would you like some barbecue?"
Wearing a white chef's hat, pulled from its pocket, on its bald head, and a checkered apron tied around its plump waist, Woz grinned, beckoning to Mera and Atlanna. As it beckoned, it also fanned the flames with a handheld fan.
Mera couldn't help but frown: "Lothar, why?"
"Because I wanted to."
Lothar lay on a tree vine, swaying and scoffing. He truly couldn't understand Mera's mindset. A living person actually had to obey the commands of a weapon?
"This weapon was forged after the Atlantean King united the Seven Seas. How do you know he didn't use it to barbecue meat?" Lothar even suspected the First King must have used it to grill fish; otherwise, it wouldn't explain why it resembled a human trident so closely.
"I—" Mera wanted to retort, but for a moment, she didn't know how.
"You are trampling on the dignity of the entire undersea world, Lothar." Mera was speechless. Atlanna, seeing through Lothar's thoughts, shook her head and loudly continued the conversation.
"For thousands of years, the legends have said that only those recognized by the Golden Trident can become King of the Ocean."
"Mera had good reason to give up."
"Queen Atlanna..." Mera, nudged by Atlanna's elbow, listened to her words, and suddenly Lothar's earlier words echoed in her ears.
'I'm very disappointed in you.'
'He believed that in this world, there are some people who always lack the courage to make decisions on their own, always relying on others.'
'He believed some people are born to be ruled because they constantly evade the responsibilities they should bear.'
'Even if they already possess sufficient power.'
"You think I'm evading responsibility?"
"Oh, you finally realized?" Lothar opened his eyes, took the barbecue meat Woz offered, and ate it heartily, one piece at a time.
Not being recognized by the Trident meant you couldn't be king? That's utter nonsense! At the end of the day, it's just a man-made weapon; what right does it have?
"A fish spear, if it gets the King's recognition, it's a sacred artifact. Without the King's recognition, it might as well just be a barbecue skewer."
"You clearly had the determination to stop the war yourself, so why did you give up because of a mere weapon?"
"Ultimately, it's because of the cowardice in your bones."
A disappointed Lothar spoke his mind, taking a bite of meat that splattered juice everywhere. As for why he was disappointed, Lothar didn't know. He just was disappointed.
Meanwhile, Woz adjusted the white chef's hat on its head, secretly glanced back at Lothar, then furtively pulled out "A Comprehensive History of Romance" and continued to record Lothar's every move.
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