The atmosphere in the cave fell into a subtle stagnation after Right Guard's "reasonable" explanation. Eye of the Deep Sea's dim light slowly flowed, reflecting on Demon Empress's beautiful but emotionless face, and also on the four Ferocious Beast who dared not show their dignity.
Demon Empress's starry eyes, after Right Guard finished speaking the last word, lowered slightly for a moment, as if digesting the complex information received in this short period of time: his subordinates sacrificed their bodies to protect the weak, there was a shortage of food, the mysterious "beneficiary" issued a strict hiding order, the newly conquered Evil Spirit Orca, who had a hatred, and he became like this...
When her eyes raised again, there was a bottomless calm inside, and all emotions were perfectly restrained. She first cast her eyes on Tieshan and Mo Yuan, her voice was still ethereal, but the coldness hidden before seemed to have faded away, and it became a little more indescribable complexity:
"In order to protect the weak, you are willing to harm yourself. This is a pitiful heart, but this behavior is... stupid."
The eight words not only affirmed the loyalty and responsibility of Tieshan and Mo Yuan, but also unceremoniously pointed out the "stupid method" they chose. Starving yourself to feed the weaker ones may not be the best solution in Demon Empress's opinion. But this is her subordinate, simple, direct, and sometimes even silly, but it also prevents her from being really harsh.
The mental fluctuations of Tieshan and Mo Yuan relaxed at the same time, and then tightened again, and they quickly conveyed the idea of "Your Majesty's lesson is correct", but Big Stone in their hearts finally fell by half. His Majesty was not angry, but just despised them for being stupid. This was already the best result.
Then, Demon Empress turned his eyes to Left Guard and Right Guard, and nodded slightly. "Contacting friendly forces, investigating the enemy's situation, and bringing back usable forces, we did a good job."
Left Guard Right Guard felt happy in his heart, the light in his one eye brightened a little, and he quickly lowered his head to express "it's his duty."
Finally, Demon Empress's gaze finally fell into the distance again. In order to facilitate communication, and to no longer stimulate Demon Empress's sensitive nerves of "suspecting the human form of Sea God Island's lackey"? Kraken was integrated with the surrounding darkness.
This time, her eyes no longer had the coldness of scrutiny, nor did they have the violent murderous intent when she first woke up, but a calm, deep exploration that seemed to be able to penetrate the surface and get to the essence.
"You rescued them, awakened me, and set up a hiding place here, and restrained them from moving rashly to avoid being exposed." Demon Empress's voice sounded directly in Kraken's consciousness. It was no longer the invisible pressure spread when facing the subordinates, but a more restrained and direct communication, "What do you need me to do? In other words, what do you want from me when you act like this?"
Her question was straightforward, without any detours. An existence that is obviously hostile to Sea God Island, spending so much effort, and even taking her angry blow, must have a plan. Is it an ally for revenge? Is it a collaborator seeking asylum? Or... has other motives?
Kraken slowly raised his head and his icy blue eyes calmly met Demon Empress's starry sky gaze. "Your Majesty clearly understands. What I request may be no different from Your Majesty, Tieshan, Mo Yuan, and even the new Evil Spirit Orca."
He paused and continued, "Sea God Island is our common obstacle and a potential threat. This is true for me, His Majesty, and all the creatures in the deep sea who are unwilling to succumb to its will. The first thing I do is to save myself, and the second thing is, perhaps it can be called... following the trend, gathering the strength that can be gathered for the future."
Demon Empress listened quietly, her beautiful face did not change at all, but there seemed to be light flowing in her starry eyes.
"Your plan?" she asked simply.
"Accumulate strength, wait for the opportunity, weaken its wings, and finally... give it a blow that cannot be ignored." Kraken answered equally concisely, but the determination and coldness contained in it were clearly discernible. "To be specific, the integration is deep Hai Zhong has the power of resentment towards Sea God Island, exploring its internal trends and looking for its weaknesses. That Evil Spirit Orca is a ready-made knife. And your Majesty's awakening is our biggest trump card and variable."
Demon Empress was silent for a moment, and his eyes once again glanced at the "hungry" form of Tieshan Mo Yuan, the three imprisoned Evil Spirit Orca in the distance, and finally fell back on Kraken.
"Food is scarce, subordinates are weak, powerful enemies are around, and the leader is hiding." She said slowly, summarizing the current situation into four words, "Then, in your opinion, what should be the next step? Continue to hide here and wait for recovery, or..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was already clear. It is safe to retreat, but recovery is slow and passive. Taking the initiative means risks.
Kraken's ice blue eyes flickered slightly, and he knew that Demon Empress was considering his ability and decision-making.
"Shrinking is necessary, but it is not a long-term solution." Kraken's voice was steady and firm, "Your Majesty, you need energy, a large amount of pure energy, to speed up your recovery. Tieshan, Mo Yuan, Left Guard, Right Guard, and even the surrendered Evil Spirit Orca, all need blood food to replenish their strength in order to restore or even improve their strength. But these are impossible to obtain while hiding here."
"So?"
"So, a carefully planned, long-distance, and diversionary hunt is needed." Kraken said slowly, "The target cannot be the sea area directly controlled by Sea God Island, nor can it be Leave any obvious traces related to us. The hunting proceeds must be transported back secretly. At the same time, we can take this opportunity to further contact and screen those who are dissatisfied with Sea God Island in the deep sea, and they may be absorbed or exploited."
He glanced at Demon Empress and continued, "This matter needs to be carefully planned. The selection, goals, routes, and aftermath all need to be carefully planned. I have some preliminary ideas, but they need your Majesty's approval and Tieshan, Mo Yuan, and their cooperation with Evil Orca King. After all, they are more familiar with the current situation of the deep sea and the hunting grounds of some 'Concealment'."
Demon Empress fell into silence again. Those starry eyes seemed to reflect the endless deep sea Water Abyss, which was profound and unfathomable. She seemed to be weighing, calculating, and evaluating the risks and benefits of Kraken's proposal, as well as the reliability and capabilities of the mysterious "ally" in front of her.
There was silence in the cave, except for the subtle sound of the Eye of the Deep Sea's slowly rotating water. Tieshan, Mo Yuan, Left Guard, Right Guard, and even Evil Orca King who sensed the solemn atmosphere here from a distance, all held their breath and waited for the decision of the newly awakened emperor.
After a long time, Demon Empress finally spoke again, his voice still calm, but with a hint of unquestionable determination:
"Yes."
She only said this one word, but it already represented recognition.
Immediately afterwards, her eyes became sharp. "However, the hunting target must be carefully selected. Do not touch Sea God Island's direct family members, and do not approach within ten thousand miles of its sacred territory. The blood food obtained must be given priority to my recovery. The losses of Tieshan and Mo Yuan will be made up by the follow-up. The three killer whales..."
She paused, and her gaze fell on Evil Orca King like the rock wall of Penetration: "Now that it has been subdued, it is necessary to use its strength. Let it participate in hunting, and you can also observe its character and test its value. If there is something wrong..."
She didn't say the next words, but the coldness made Evil Orca King in the distance shiver involuntarily.
"The specific planning is up to you." Demon Empress finally looked at Kraken, his tone was calm, but he was given a heavy responsibility, "But before taking action, you need to let me know the overall plan. Although I am not in full prosperity, I am not a chess piece that can be manipulated at will."
This is consent, but also a warning. I agree with Kraken's plan and initiative, but it also makes it clear that she is not a puppet and needs the right to know and final control.
Kraken nodded slightly. "It should be so. After the plan is initially drawn up, it must be submitted to His Majesty for review."
He felt slightly relieved. Although Demon Empress's awakening brought an unexpected "surprise", it also meant that he had a real trump card in his hand and a real ally who could share the pressure of decision-making. Although the risks of the next actions remained, the operability was also greatly increased.
However, Demon Empress's next question brought back the relaxed mood in Kraken's heart again.
I saw Demon Empress's starry eyes falling on her own starry fish tail again, her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and then she raised her eyes, looked at Kraken, and asked a question that Kraken had been avoiding, but knew that sooner or later it would have to face:
"Will this form hinder me?"
Her voice was very calm, but Kraken could feel that underneath that calmness, there was a hint of unmistakable seriousness, and a hint of danger... If the answer was yes, then some people might be in trouble.
Tieshan, Mo Yuan, Left Guard, Right Guard: "!!!"
The mental fluctuations of the four Ferocious Beast tensed up again in an instant, and they all looked at Kraken eagerly, their eyes filled with silent shouts and pleadings: Be careful what you say! Be careful what you say!
Kraken's ice-blue eyes flashed slightly under the shadow of the hood. He knew that this question was related to the direction of Demon Empress's subsequent recovery, and also related to whether the four "culprits" would be settled by Qiu Hou.