"Chief."
In a hall crafted from translucent crystal, the Domain Lord merfolk warrior knelt respectfully before a towering throne.
Yellow crystals embedded in the walls emanated a faint glow, their light refracting through the chamber's crystalline architecture and bathing everything in soft, amber radiance.
Atop the throne sat a tall but visibly weary merfolk figure. He clutched a scepter, its tip inlaid with a gem that pulsed with mysterious power, a faded echo of something once magnificent.
This was the King of the Merfolk, their patriarch and final hope.
"Those outsiders have been sent to the abyss as you commanded," the Domain Lord merfolk reported dutifully.
"Good. Well done," the Merfolk King said, his voice calm but edged with exhaustion that spoke of burdens carried for far too long.
"Kashel, are you curious why I ordered you not to harm those outsiders?" The King's gaze sharpened as he detected the subtle tension in his subordinate's posture, the barely suppressed discontent that rippled through the Domain Lord's movements.
"I dare not question your wisdom!" Kashel's heart tightened, and he immediately prostrated himself lower. "Forgive my presumption, Your Majesty."
"Peace, Kashel. We've reached the point where secrets serve no purpose." The Merfolk King waved his hand, and three more Domain Lord-level merfolk entered the crystalline hall, their expressions grave and expectant.
"The Lord God fell over a million epochs ago," the Merfolk King announced, each word falling like a hammer blow in the silent chamber.
"What?" Kashel recoiled as though struck, his composure shattering. "But... the Lord God was Immortal! How could such a being simply fall?!"
The very concept seemed to violate the fundamental laws of their existence.
"The Lord God provoked someone far beyond his capacity to challenge, and was killed for his arrogance," the King explained, his tone carrying the weight of ancient history. "Before his death, he gifted our people the Sea-Suppressing Pearl, which has sustained our civilization through the generations. It is because of this treasure that our world has survived long after the Lord God's demise, maintaining cohesion and stability within what should have collapsed into chaos."
"The Sea-Suppressing Pearl?" Kashel's confusion deepened. "Isn't that simply the artifact we use to monitor oceanic conditions and tidal patterns?"
"That trinket merely shares the name." The Merfolk King's dismissive gesture indicated how little that surface-level monitoring device mattered. "The true Sea-Suppressing Pearl operates on principles far beyond such mundane applications. Its power originates from the universe beyond this confined reality."
He paused, letting the significance settle before continuing. "In truth, Kashel, we are all descendants of the human race that dominates the wider cosmos. Due to various circumstances, including the Divine Lord's death and the subsequent isolation of this realm, we have been cut off from that greater civilization for over a million epochs. Physical and spiritual adaptations to this environment have transformed us into what we are now."
"This information has been known only to the successive clan leaders," the King said heavily. "And now, Kashel, you are the last hope of our merfolk civilization. The responsibility falls to you."
Kashel remained frozen, barely processing the revelations that shattered everything he'd believed about their origins and nature.
"My lifespan is drawing to a close," the Merfolk King continued, his voice softening with the acceptance of mortality's approach. "The power of the Sea-Suppressing Pearl declines with each passing year, its connection to the external universe grows weaker and more tenuous. The talent level of our merfolk decreases with each new generation born within this fading realm. Even the dimensional stability of our world itself has begun to deteriorate. The signs are unmistakable."
His eyes, ancient and knowing, fixed upon Kashel with fierce intensity. "My final wish, my dying command, is for our merfolk to escape this crumbling prison and journey into the vast universe beyond these waters. Only there exists a genuine future for our people! Only in that infinite expanse can our civilization truly flourish rather than slowly fade into extinction."
"Kashel." The King rose from his throne, descending the crystal steps with ceremonial gravitas. "You are the youngest generation of our merfolk, the one with the greatest potential to reach World Master level before this realm completely collapses. I hereby pass on the position of clan leader to you. From this moment forward, you carry the hopes and survival of our entire species!"
"Greetings, Clan Leader!" Upon hearing the proclamation, the other three Domain Lord merfolk immediately knelt before Kashel, their heads bowed in acknowledgment of the succession.
"What?" Kashel's mind reeled, still absorbed in processing the King's revelations about their true origins and dire circumstances. The abrupt transfer of leadership authority left him completely unprepared. "Your Majesty, I, "
"Come, my child." The Merfolk King stepped down completely from the throne platform and stood before Kashel, placing one weathered hand on the younger warrior's shoulder. "This King's Scepter represents the symbol of our leadership and serves as the key to the treasure vault hidden beneath the abyss. The Sea-Suppressing Pearl rests there, awaiting its new guardian. If we can successfully retrieve it and restore even a fraction of its former power, our merfolk will be able to escape this dying world."
"Those outsiders you've imprisoned represent our leverage, our bargaining chips in negotiations with the external universe," the King explained with pragmatic calculation. "They are all individuals of extraordinary status within the wider cosmos. Use their lives wisely. If necessary, you can offer their safe return in exchange for assistance from powerful factions beyond our realm. I believe you possess the wisdom and strength to lead our people out of this place and guide them to prosperity in the universe beyond."
"Chief..." Kashel's voice wavered with confusion and growing alarm. "Aren't you still alive and capable? Why this sudden urgency to transfer authority to me? Why not lead us yourself?"
He gestured desperately. "I'm merely a Domain Lord! How can I possibly bear such responsibility when you still possess far greater power and wisdom?"
"..."
Their eyes met across the short distance. After a brief, heavy silence that stretched like an eternity, the Merfolk King spoke, though his tone had shifted to something oddly awkward and defensive.
"Ahem. Well, you see, the thing is..." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I'm not actually the best candidate for external negotiations. As long as you successfully deliver those outsiders back to their people, the external factions will surely help you secure a new territory suitable for merfolk habitation. Perhaps even offer protection while our civilization reestablishes itself."
"Then the Sea-Suppressing Pearl can naturally absorb the ambient power of the universe and slowly recover its former strength," he continued, speaking faster now as though eager to finish this explanation. "Perhaps one day, with proper cultivation and favorable circumstances, you yourself might become the new Divine Lord of our people. Wouldn't that be magnificent?"
His voice took on a more somber quality. "Of course, if circumstances become truly desperate and no other option remains, I authorize you to sacrifice the Sea-Suppressing Pearl itself to ensure the safety and survival of our merfolk. After all, its power is nearly exhausted anyway, barely a shadow of what it once represented."
"For a million epochs, the Sea-Suppressing Pearl has protected our civilization's safety and prosperity," the King said, his tone reverent despite his pragmatism. "Now that its power is finally depleted, perhaps it's time to let the artifact rest. Better to use its final strength securing our survival than to let it fade pointlessly while our people perish around it."
"Your Majesty, please!" Kashel shouted desperately, lurching forward to grasp his leader's arm. "Don't abandon us like this! We need your guidance! Your wisdom! Your, "
But he couldn't stop the inevitable. The Merfolk King had made his decision, and the weight of that choice was already settling onto Kashel's shoulders like a physical burden.
The three remaining Domain Lords exchanged knowing glances, their expressions carrying a mixture of sympathy and determination. They moved in practiced coordination, gently but firmly guiding Kashel toward the throne he'd never desired.
"Are you all conspiring against me?" Kashel demanded, a note of panic entering his voice as understanding finally crystallized. "Is this some kind of coup? A betrayal?"
But even as the words left his mouth, he knew the truth.
This wasn't betrayal. This was duty. This was necessity.
Before he could mount any serious resistance, he found himself seated upon the throne itself, the ancient scepter pressed into his unwilling grasp by hands that would not be denied.
He was now the chief of the merfolk.
The leader who shouldered the lives and hopes of billions.
The one upon whose decisions their entire species' survival depended.
Whether he felt ready or not.
Han Jue remained completely unaware of the political transition occurring within the merfolk leadership's crystalline halls.
But the good news was that he'd successfully entered the Virtual Universe through Rimuru's advanced capabilities, establishing communication with both Hafa and Adra despite the dimensional barriers surrounding this place.
"Don't worry too much," Hafa said with the confidence of someone backed by overwhelming power. He patted his chest reassuringly, his beer belly jiggling slightly with the gesture. "My teacher will find a way to extract you. The fact that humans from the Divine Kingdom exist inside this realm proves that the Lord of the Dry Sea must have left behind some treasure capable of protecting and stabilizing this dimensional space."
His assessment had shifted considerably after learning the truth about Han Jue's circumstances.
"I think those merfolk don't actually intend to attack you," Hafa continued, his tone almost casual. "In fact, I'd wager they're terrified of harming you."
"That's... oddly reassuring?" Han Jue said, though confusion colored his words. "But why would they be afraid? They clearly have the power to kill us if they wanted."
"Oh, that's perfectly normal," Hafa waved his hand dismissively, as though the answer should be obvious. "It's extremely likely someone among their leadership understands what's happening in the universe beyond their isolated realm. If they dare to actually harm you, especially given your connections, their entire species will be systematically exterminated. Every last one. Even if they somehow produced a World Master among their population, it wouldn't save them."
He leaned back comfortably in his virtual representation. "I'd guess that not only will they refrain from attacking you, they'll actively work to protect your safety and well-being. After all, you and your fellow prisoners represent their entire civilization's last hope, their only 'bargaining chips' for negotiating escape from the Divine Kingdom and establishing themselves in the wider universe."
Hafa shook his head with something approaching pity. "Divine Kingdom humans whose potential is essentially locked due to dimensional limitations. Generations upon generations of gradually weakening genetic capabilities. Let alone facing the First Universe Bank's full resources, even a moderately developed medium-sized civilization nation would be confident in destroying them completely."
Han Jue absorbed this information thoughtfully, pieces of a larger puzzle clicking into place in his mind.
"You know," Hafa continued with a half-smile, "you could potentially leverage this situation to extract some valuable treasures from them. A bit of diplomatic pressure at the right moment, framed as securing goodwill for future negotiations..."
"I've already examined your combat recordings and performance data," he added. "I suspect all the genuinely valuable materials and artifacts within the Lord of the Dry Sea's Divine Kingdom ended up in merfolk possession over the centuries. Perhaps even the treasure that stabilizes and maintains this realm itself. If you can successfully acquire such items, my teacher has authorized me to say that the First Universe Bank would be willing to pay an enormous price to obtain them from you through legitimate exchange."
"Really?" Han Jue remained noncommittal, his expression carefully neutral. The offer was tempting, but he'd learned to be cautious about transactions with beings who operated on scales far beyond his current understanding.
"Of course it's genuine," Hafa assured him. "But I won't push you on this matter. The decision is entirely yours to make when, and if, the opportunity arises."
He straightened slightly, his tone becoming more businesslike. "For now, return to your holding cell and remember to convey a critical message to your merfolk captors: they absolutely must not do anything foolish. We've received word that Bai Zhou and his team have also been captured. The more prisoners they take, the worse their eventual situation becomes, both politically and in terms of potential retaliation."
Hafa ended the virtual communication with a casual gesture.
Han Jue, meanwhile, found himself contemplating the unexpected complexity of his situation and how he might extract maximum benefit from the merfolk's desperate circumstances.
Robbery certainly wasn't feasible, given the massive power disparity.
A seventh-level Stellar-class warrior attempting to overcome a Domain Lord through direct combat? The mere thought bordered on absurd. That kind of power gap barely needed numerical representation to illustrate its hopelessness. If Han Jue possessed capabilities that extreme, he wouldn't be participating in the Genius Battle at all, he would have already been accepted as a direct disciple by one of those legendary beings whose names echoed across the cosmos.
But if direct confrontation was impossible, perhaps negotiation offered opportunities...
"Trickery, then?" Han Jue pondered silently. "But how, exactly?"
The question occupied his thoughts as he considered various approaches and strategies.
"Master," Rimuru offered a timely suggestion, his holographic form materializing in Han Jue's consciousness. "Consider what the merfolk truly need. They require territory suitable for their species, land, or more accurately, aquatic environments where their civilization can reestablish itself and flourish. They also need protection from potential threats while they're vulnerable during the transition period. If we can provide, or convincingly promise to provide, these fundamental necessities, how grateful might they become? What might they offer in exchange?"
"That's certainly worth exploring," Han Jue acknowledged. "But where exactly would we acquire territory to offer them? Are you suggesting we relocate an entire aquatic civilization to Earth's oceans? That seems... politically complicated, to say the least."
Even leaving aside Earth's relatively primitive development level, the idea of introducing a potentially millions-strong alien species into humanity's home world struck him as the sort of decision that should involve far more authority than a teenage Stellar-level warrior possessed.
"Isn't there another prince from the Cuimu Empire still operating in the Dry Sea Secret Realm?" Rimuru pointed out, his tone carrying a hint of mischief. "Prince Diaman, if I recall the intelligence correctly. The Cuimu Empire controls vast territories across multiple star systems. Surely they possess worlds with suitable aquatic environments that could accommodate a merfolk population, especially if properly incentivized to offer such arrangements."
Han Jue's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as the implications crystallized.
Now that was an interesting angle of approach.
Perhaps this situation offered more opportunities than he'd initially recognized. The game had suddenly become far more complex, and potentially far more profitable, than a simple matter of survival and escape.
He just needed to play his cards correctly.
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