Ao Yu slowly rose from his chair of molten fire black jade and paced a couple of steps with his hands behind his back. His gaze swept over the nine people present. "I summoned you today to tell you the truth."
He paused, meeting each of his trusted followers' eyes before slowly continuing, "The rumors outside are true, and yet they are not."
The nine trusted followers exchanged glances, their faces filled with confusion.
The burly Mystic Fire Abalone in heavy armor scratched his head and asked in a muffled, rumbling voice, "Big Brother, what do you mean? How can they be true and not true?"
The corner of Ao Yu's mouth twitched into a meaningful smile. "I do intend to join the Deep Sea Army, but that will be a sham."
For a moment, the hall fell utterly silent. Then all nine followers sucked in a breath of cold air. The heavily armored Mystic Fire Abalone widened his bell-sized eyes, his voice rising several pitches. "A sham?!"
Ao Yu pressed a hand downward, signaling everyone to remain calm, then explained his and Sea Swallow's scheme from beginning to end: how Sea Swallow had approached him in private, how they had deduced that the deep sea had spies within the South Sea, how they had devised their plan to "feign allegiance," and what their ultimate objective was.
As the nine followers listened, the expressions on their faces shifted from shock to understanding, then from understanding to admiration.
A slender general whose face was covered in fine scales clapped his hands in praise. "Brilliant! The Sea Swallow Sacred Pillar's scheme will not only help Sea God Island, but also let us follow the vine to the melon and root out the worms within our own ranks. Two birds with one arrow!"