The Marriage Alliance Between the Nidai Navy and the Happo Navy

Flower Country, royal capital.

A certain courtyard.

The afternoon sunlight lazily spilled over the gray bricks and black tiles, yet it could not disperse the faint sorrow permeating the courtyard.

Chinjao lay on his back in a wide bamboo recliner, seemingly resting with his eyes closed. But anyone who looked closely would see his thick brows tightly furrowed, an unshakable gloom locked between them.

In the center of the courtyard, his two grandsons, Sai and Boo, practiced the basic movements of Hasshoken bare-chested, their bodies drenched in sweat. Drops of sweat struck the bluestone paving, leaving dark marks behind.

The two practiced with meticulous focus, but their gazes kept drifting toward their grandfather. Their lips moved as if they wanted to offer words of comfort, yet they did not know where to begin. In the end, they could only turn their frustration into harder punches, stirring gusts of wind.

"Bang—bang—bang—"

Just then, the courtyard's heavy wooden gate was knocked on at an unhurried pace.

Chinjao slightly raised his eyelids, his cloudy yet still sharp gaze sweeping toward the gate. Sai immediately understood, stopped practicing, and hurried over, pulling open the bolt with a creak.

Two people stood outside, causing Sai to pause in surprise. The man on the left wore a brocade robe. His face was plump, yet he possessed an innate air of authority. He was Ramen, the king of the Flower Country.

The man on the right was tall and powerfully built, dressed in the distinctive uniform robe of the Nidai Navy. A faint, unreadable smile rested on his face. He was Dongliang Huocai, a pillar of the Nidai Navy.

"Your Majesty? Huocai Dongliang? What brings you here...?"

Confusion filled Sai's face. It was rare for these two important figures to visit together.

Huocai laughed heartily, his voice