As soon as Lucas returned from Hachinosu, he sent the women who had accompanied him to Amazon Lily to wait there for arrangements to relocate the entire island.
With nothing pressing to do, he wandered around the presidential residence and happened to witness the exchange.
It was not that he cared much about the Federation's day-to-day affairs. He simply did not want people gawking at him like he was a monkey. At least the presidential residence was closed to the public, so he could get some peace.
Lucas could find no fault with the way Lafitte had handled things. Putting the Fish-Men to work in construction made use of their extraordinary strength. He had to admit it was a brilliant idea.
"Thank you for your praise. I was merely carrying out your wishes."
Lafitte bowed slightly, his face full of reverence and respect.
Lucas could not help thinking, When did I ever say we should welcome the Fish-Man Tribe?
I've never meddled in Federation affairs!
Then he reconsidered. He had never made a point of hiding how he had given Tiger a place to stay years ago. It was not so strange for Lafitte to think this was what he wanted.
And if it helped him meet—and perhaps win over—some mermaids in the future, so much the better. A faint smile touched his lips, and he nodded, tacitly accepting the credit.
A few days later, a group of unusual figures appeared at a large construction site on the Federation's southern outskirts.
Every member of the Fish-Man Adventure Group had come.
At the dusty site, gray-blue steel bars lay piled in a corner like a small mountain. Trucks carrying sand and gravel rumbled back and forth, kicking up clouds of dust.
The Fish-Men, most of them towering over the human workers,