Boer raised his left hand, slowly curling his fingers.
In that instant, the entire stretch of sea gave a slight shudder.
Then, five hundred meters away, the sea suddenly bulged upward.
Seawater surged up, solidified, and climbed, as though an invisible giant hand were scooping up the entire world from the seabed.
A circular wall of seawater rose, enclosing the floating restaurant and all the passenger ships anchored around it.
The sea wall towered dozens of meters high, thick as a city wall and smooth as a mirror, yet gleaming with the deep blue of seawater in the sunlight.
Most astonishing of all were the things embedded in it.
From Sea Kings more than thirty meters long to fist-sized mussels and sea snails, countless marine creatures were locked firmly inside the solidified seawater.
They retained their previous poses-a megalodon with its enormous maw gaping, a giant squid with its tentacles spread, schools of colorful tropical fish frozen into an encircling ribbon, and even several swimming sea turtles, their limbs extended as though they would move forward again the very next second.
The entire sea wall had become a three-dimensional, living marine museum.
Patty had just emerged from the restaurant, menu still in hand, ready to ask the two honored guests what they wanted to order.
Then he looked up.
The menu slipped from his hand and fluttered to his feet without him even noticing.
"Th-this is-" His lips trembled, unable to form a complete syllable.
The diners, who had only been murmuring among themselves, erupted into an uproar.
Some rose from their seats, some rushed to the windows, and some even lost their shoes as they ran onto the deck.
Exclamations, gasps, and camera shutters rang out together. A few bold guests had already stepped cautiously onto the solidified sea.