Heracross are easy to communicate with. After they had their fill, Belle-Mere and Agen asked about the source of the stones, and Heracross led them to the place where the stone was discovered.
Arceus forbade them from interfering or harming human life, but they wanted to eat those orange trees. Referring to human ways, they decided to "exchange."
Coincidentally, they discovered this kind of golden stone in a stream in the distant mountains. From what they remember, many humans like this shiny stuff, so they carried the stones to the Orange Garden.
Seeing that humans loved it and proposed exchanging more delicious food for these useless stones, they naturally agreed and led the two over hills and dales to find that stream.
As Agen and Belle-Mere successfully panned for gold here, the two were thoroughly excited. Judging from the current situation, the reserves here are undoubtedly not small. It's possible that not just them but the entire village could prosper from this opportunity.
But Belle-Mere told Agen not to publicize it yet. It's not that she wants to monopolize the place; she simply can't find all the gold mines here by herself.
She knows the comportment of the Navy nearby. When she served as a Navy, she had her Cloak of Justice, an attire only available from Lieutenant rank onward.
Even the retirement pay for a junior lieutenant shouldn't put her in such straits, so where did the supposed pay go? The conclusion is evident.
If they find out about the gold mines, good fortune could turn into misfortune.
The two panned for gold all day, planning to first improve their living standards and then discuss the long-term plans. The children, not understanding much, joined in when Belle-Mere began eating.
Outside, the two Heracross shook their heads, not understanding why humans love those useless stones so much.
To them, gold is far less important than oranges. Now they've discovered not only the juice of orange trees tastes good, but the fruits also do.
The Heracross also had another thought: Arceus is looking for stones, and humans like to dig for stones. If the stones they dig contain what Arceus needs, it would be a huge gain.
Cocoyasi Village began its industrial transformation. Meanwhile, the Fishmen who brought calamity to Cocoyasi in the original timeline were present at a wedding ceremony.
Otohime heeded Neptune and Jinbe's advice, avoiding any grand arrangements, and attended Rushaka and Mandfeish's wedding with her son and daughter in royal capacity.
The wedding venue was Jilong Kao'er Square, Fishman Island's most frequently used venue for public events.
As previously stated, they welcomed those who wanted to attend the wedding and had no objections to those who didn't.
Tiger, who had previously left Ghost Island, had already returned. He and Otohime represented the voices of a significant portion of the Fishman Race and Mermaid Race, attending the wedding as guests. The other citizens naturally had no complaints.
"That Mandfeish guy, who was the last Mermaid to marry a human? How many years ago was that ancient story? Sharley, I tell you, that guy is definitely a playboy behind the scenes. He's not suitable for you."
Ah Long chattered on endlessly, while Sharley chose to ignore him completely.
"Boss Tiger, you should manage this guy when you have time. His brain might already be messed up."
Sharley handed Tiger a glass of wine, hoping he could help turn Ah Long into a normal person, as Ah Long only listened to his opinion.
"I think he's just had too much to drink, but it's true I haven't seen a Mermaid marry a human before."
"That's not true, Boss Tiger. Sister Kokoro also married a human, but that human doesn't live on Fishman Island; he lives in Water 7. Brother told me about it."
Another male Mermaid joined the conversation. His name was Dan, the younger brother of Fishman Tom, a shipwright on Fishman Island as well as a researcher in the Sea Forest. He had a decent relationship with Hack and had met Mandfeish, so he was there to join the fun.
"Your brother is... Tom, right? How is he doing lately?"
"No news recently, so I assume he's doing well."
After some chit-chat, their attention returned to the center of the square. Otohime didn't plan anything extra, but she enlisted a lot of help. For instance, those Sea King Army bubbles were scattering flower petals.
In the venue, apart from Fishmen and Mermaids, there were also some humans. Some were Mandfeish's subordinates, and others were employees of the mining department. While the underwater workers were Fishmen, those coordinating on the surface were all humans.
Looking at the scene below, Otohime felt very happy; this was just an example, but it was a small step toward eliminating racial barriers.
Apart from those willing to attend the ceremony, there were many onlookers in the distance. These were the largest group on Fishman Island, the neutral party. They had complex feelings about humans, neither hating them excessively nor willing to easily interact with them.
"Otohime, it's almost time to read the vows."
"Yes, I'll go now."
Neptune is the king of the Dragon Palace Kingdom, but his reputation might not match Otohime's. At least among the people, Otohime's fame was much greater. Hence, she officiated the wedding and found a pair of immensely valuable rings from the Dragon Palace Kingdom's treasury.
Everything was moving in a positive direction, but some were already gritting their teeth at the scene.
For Hody, as part of Fishman Island's royal family, doing something this foolish was the epitome of stupidity.
He hated humans and despised Otohime, who was friendly toward humans. In his view, this wedding was an opportunity. With so many participants and onlookers, if he killed Otohime publicly and framed the humans here as the culprits, his goals would be achieved.
Otohime, the friend of humans, would die from this, and her death would incite Fishman Island's fury. As long as this happened, Fishman Island could never accept humans, allowing him to further promote the ideology of hatred.
If possible, he aimed to incite chaos so he could kill more people. Earlier, while the Dragon Palace Kingdom was preparing gifts, he had stolen some items, which was the foundation of his confidence to act.
Otohime was already beginning to read the officiant's lines, and the surrounding salvos were prepared. As everyone's attention was focused on the stage, Hody in the distance took out a gun and aimed at Otohime, planning to shoot her as the salvos went off.
"Bang!"
The sound of the salvos and gunfire rang simultaneously, but the situation he anticipated did not occur. Mandfeish had his hand outstretched in front of Otohime, holding a still-smoking bullet.