When Ritter snapped back without the slightest politeness, even ordering the Sea Kings to "push them back," the Fish-Man King's expression instantly turned even more anxious.
He no longer cared about maintaining royal dignity. Swimming forward several steps, he bowed deeply toward the three inside the crimson mist barrier, especially toward Ritter himself.
As someone who had stood at the peak of power for many years, the king was an excellent judge of character. From the way the three positioned themselves, it was obvious Ritter was the core of the group. If Ritter truly got angry, they would absolutely leave.
"My deepest apologies, honored guests! Fish-Man Island has failed in its manners and insulted the very friends who answered our cry for help. We were the ones who sought your aid, yet the first thing you experienced upon arriving here was hostility. I am truly ashamed."
His voice was utterly sincere.
"The High Priest only worries too much for the safety of our people. He meant no personal offense! Please, I beg you, come with me to Ryugu Palace. Allow me to personally host a banquet in your honor and formally apologize for the disrespect shown just now!"
The king's attitude was astonishingly humble, almost to the point of lowering himself completely. A ruler of an entire nation would never behave this way unless his kingdom had truly reached the brink of desperation.
Ritter looked at the cold sweat practically forming on the king's forehead, then glanced at the High Priest's departing figure. The irritation in his chest faded slightly.
"Tch. I thought he was some untouchable big shot." Ritter waved a hand dismissively. "Fine. Lead the way. I want to see what kind of trouble could scare those giant Sea Kings that badly."
After all, Ritter remembered that Joy Boy seemed to have some connection with Poseidon. And Ritter himself was no saint. There was no point making enemies for no reason.
Joy Boy hurriedly smoothed things over, stretching his rubbery face into a huge grin.
"It's okay, old man! Don't worry about it! We just came to see if we could help!"
Because Joy Boy could genuinely feel the sorrow hanging over Fish-Man Island.
Only then did the king finally let out a breath of relief. Personally, he guided the crimson mist bubble through the giant coating membrane and into the island itself.
The inside of Fish-Man Island looked little better than the dying coral forest outside.
The pedestrians on the streets all wore anxious expressions. Many buildings clearly lacked maintenance. The air itself felt tense, as though something invisible was pressing down on everyone's shoulders.
A dark joke flashed through Ritter's mind.
If Fish-Man Island had shown this level of vigilance back when the slave trade was rampant, maybe so many of their people wouldn't have died.
Inside Ryugu Palace, the decorations remained magnificent, but even the palace could not hide the heavy atmosphere. The king dismissed most of the attendants, leaving behind only a few absolutely trusted ministers.
In an elegant side hall overshadowed by tension, the king once again apologized to Ritter and Joy Boy before serving them an extravagant feast.
After several rounds of drinks, the king still hadn't explained what exactly was happening on Fish-Man Island.
Ritter didn't ask either.
He simply waited for the king to speak first, completely unhurried. At the moment, he was far too busy stuffing food into his vice captain's bowl.
"Try this one. This is good too."
The girl hugged her bowl in both hands, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk as she rapidly devoured the food. For some reason, anything she ate was digested absurdly quickly. Or rather, if she wanted it to be.
Of course Ritter knew why.
Little brat, you already mastered Life Return. That's all thanks to me.
He nearly laughed out loud.
Did she think the title "King of Childcare" was a joke?
Well… she wasn't exactly a child anymore.
Actually, she was starting to grow up a bit too well.
(Clap clap clap. Ritter, what exactly are you thinking right now?)
The king's gloomy expression never improved. After another long sigh, he finally entered the main topic.
"To be honest with you both… Fish-Man Island is facing an unprecedented crisis."
He glanced toward a young commander seated nearby, whose face was equally troubled.
"And the center of this crisis… is my daughter, the Mermaid Princess Poseidon, as well as a prophecy."
Ritter smiled faintly.
See? Would've been much easier if you'd just started with this instead of trying political negotiation tactics.
"I'm listening."
After dismissing the remaining attendants once more, the composure the king had been forcing onto himself finally crumbled. Exhaustion and anxiety were written plainly across his face.
"To be truthful," the king said tiredly, "Fish-Man Island is facing a disaster unlike anything in our history. And at the heart of it all… is my daughter, Princess Poseidon."
Slowly, he explained everything.
The young princess possessed an ancient power she had been born with: the ability to communicate with and command Sea Kings.
The Fish-Men themselves did not fully understand what this power truly was, but the mere fact that one of their own held such strength filled them with pride.
However, that power had not fully awakened yet. Like a double-edged sword, it attracted greed while also sowing fear within the island itself.
"Through dreams and spiritual connections with the Sea Kings, Poseidon witnessed fragments of a prophecy."
The king's voice dropped even lower. Ritter seriously suspected that if it got any quieter, the man would just be muttering to himself.
"The prophecy says:
'When the laughter of rubber pierces the darkness,
when the hand of blood mist parts the fog,
two kings born beneath the sun shall bring the chance for change…
but also the shadow of destruction from the deep sea.'"
This vague prophecy had caused a massive divide and widespread panic within Fish-Man Island.
"The High Priest…" The king's expression became incredibly complicated at the mention of the name. "He is my most trusted minister. He has devoted his entire life to Fish-Man Island. Countless times, his wisdom and foresight have saved this kingdom from disaster. I respect him. I trust him."
"But his interpretation of the prophecy… is filled with despair."
The High Priest firmly believed humans could never be trusted.
What he saw within the prophecy was this:
"Crimson mist swallowing Fish-Man Island.
All life withering away.
A giant of rubber and monstrous horrors rampaging through the streets."
To him, Ritter and Joy Boy's arrival marked the coming of "the shadow of destruction from the deep sea."
He strongly advocated sealing the island completely, cutting off all contact with the outside world, especially humans. He even wanted to use Poseidon's power to create an absolute defense system and… restrict the princess's freedom, fearing her kindness and innocence might lead the kingdom into ruin.
Because of the High Priest's prestige and the countless crises he had resolved in the past, the captain of Ryugu Palace's guards and a large portion of the island's citizens supported him.
"But…" the king continued, his voice carrying the pain of a father mixed with a faint yet stubborn hope, "my daughter Poseidon, along with many of the younger generation who still believe in openness, interpret the prophecy differently."
"They believe you are not the bringers of destruction, but the 'chance for change.' They believe you may be the hope that can break this deadlock."
Deep down, the king supported his daughter.
He had seen her kindness.
And he could feel that the Sea Kings were not acting out of malice. It was more as though they sensed some looming threat and were desperately trying to warn and protect the princess.
Yet the High Priest's long history of saving Fish-Man Island, combined with the terrifying possibility of the "shadow of destruction," weighed on him like chains. He could not openly reject the priest's decisions and could only struggle to maintain balance between the two sides.
The pressure was tearing him apart.
"Now the coral forests are dying, the protective membrane is weakening, and the Sea Kings are behaving abnormally. All signs point to an approaching catastrophe."
The king looked at Ritter and Joy Boy with pleading eyes.
"I do not know what the prophecy truly means. But the Sea Kings guided you here, and Poseidon firmly believes you are the hope foretold in it."
"As a father… and as a king… I beg you. Will you help us uncover the truth? At the very least… could you allow my daughter, who has been confined within the palace and lives every day in fear and worry, to meet the people from the prophecy with her own eyes?"
This request was nothing less than a gamble with the future of the entire kingdom and the fate of his daughter.
And the arrival of Ritter and Joy Boy had already become the crucial variable that could shatter the stalemate within Fish-Man Island and decide the course of its destiny.
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