Project Sea Riot

Xiwo stuffed the hair into a bag and tucked it into his clothes.

"Xiwo, the rest is up to you!" Su Ming said to him.

The old elf nodded, jumped out of the hatch, and rode a giant dragon towards the location of the Haijia Archipelago.

"Su Ming, let's do it again! This time, let's bomb the Haijia Archipelago!" Miao Xin said. "I guarantee we'll blast the Naga to smithereens, leaving not a single one alive!"

The Naga Clan inhabit the shallow seabed of the Haijia Archipelago. At this late hour, most of the Naga are asleep. A bombardment of the Haijia Archipelago would undoubtedly cause massive casualties.

If such attacks are repeated intermittently several times, the Naga race will be completely wiped out.

"Why bomb it?" Su Ming countered. "If we kill all the Naga, who will mine the seabed oil for us?"

"----You're still planning to keep these guys around?" Jielusi finally couldn't help but ask. "What, are you going to pull that life-trading tactic again next time?" she questioned.

"That wasn't exactly a life-swapping exchange, was it?" Su Ming argued. "I just coughed up a little blood from the backlash of the spell; there was no real danger."

"Even if there's no danger, you should let us know before using this tactic next time," Ruixiuli said, trying to smooth things over. "Let us be prepared. You really scared me just now!"

"If I told you, would you agree?" Su Ming countered.

"Of course I won't agree!" Jielusi's tone grew increasingly angry. "You're being reckless! This Naga Queen isn't worth the risk!"

Su Ming could only helplessly shrug. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and tried to calm his disordered Magic Power.

Just as the plane was about to return to Brown Gold Island, a report arrived and was handed to Su Ming: "Operation Stir Up the Sea" had been successfully launched!

Miao Xin initially thought that the "storming the sea" mentioned in the report referred to their bombing operation that night, but upon closer inspection, she realized that this was completely wrong. In that case, they should be sending out reports, not receiving them.

"What did you do now?" she asked, puzzled.

"If you know that a listed company is about to undergo a major restructuring and its stock price will fluctuate significantly, what should you do?" Su Ming asked rhetorically.

"Don't ask me that, I'm a complete financial idiot!" Miao Xin pouted in dissatisfaction.

Su Ming said helplessly, "Simply put, it's about making thorough preparations in advance and investing heavily."

"I still don't understand," Miao Xin said, looking bewildered.

"Then you should fly the plane properly," Su Ming said.

****

In the shallow waters of the Haijia Archipelago, in the cave of the Dark Tide Priest Tagasaan.

A dozen or so firefly squid hung from the cave ceiling, emitting a faint glow. A group of scaly nobles were blowing small bubbles and discussing excitedly.

"The Queen is cruel and heartless! For her own selfish gain, she's willing to drag the entire Naga race into the Abyss!" a Naga with white scales exclaimed angrily. "She's utterly foolish to intervene in the war against 'Final Bone Mad Machines ' just for the life-extending secret technique and materials promised by the Temple of Light!"

"Exactly!" another Naga Clan chimed in. "The warships of the Final Bone Mad Machines are incredibly powerful. If they were to attack the Haijia Archipelago, we simply wouldn't be able to defend them!"

When news came that the Final Bone Mad Machines had destroyed the Super Crystal Dragon, they were all filled with unease, fearing that Su Ming might come to settle scores at any time.

"I've learned that Turgas and the others were forcibly sent by the Queen to Dragon Valley on a sabotage mission," the White-Scaled Naga continued. "Without any news for so long, they're probably doomed!"

Turgas was also a member of the Scaled Vein Nobles, and he had no choice but to obey the Queen's order, even if he was dissatisfied.

"What if the Queen sends us out on such a perilous mission as well?" a thin Naga nobleman asked worriedly, his eyes filled with fear.

These words made the Dark Tide High Priest Gathasar even more uneasy.

He has a strained relationship with the Naga Queen, who is reportedly determined to win this campaign and therefore did not take him along. However, if they encounter an unpleasant mission, the Queen will surely think of him, as he is known for suppressing dissidents and never shows mercy.

The scaly nobles were filled with righteous indignation, condemning the queen's cruelty and folly, but no one offered any concrete countermeasures. They had gathered here because a representative of the Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce had informed Gatassan that there was important news about the queen and summoned them all for discussion.

But the Naga waited and waited, and the representative of the Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce never appeared.

The atmosphere in the cave gradually became increasingly agitated. If it weren't for the fact that these Naga had profited handsomely from their cooperation with the Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce during the recent oil trade, they probably would have already left impatiently.

Finally, a ripple in the water was heard, indicating that someone had entered the water from the island above. A moment later, a representative of the Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce, accompanied by an old elf, entered the cave.

The seawater flowed and swirled around the two of them, gently lifting their clothes and hair, creating tiny ripples and shimmering light.

"Sea Cudgel Xiwo Razer?" Gatassan's gaze sharpened as he recognized the newcomer. His tone held a mixture of surprise and wariness. "What brings you here? What brings you here?"

"I've come to deliver a gift!" Xiwo said with a smile.

The underwater breathing spell made his voice somewhat muffled, yet it remained powerful.

Xiwo untied a long bundle he was holding, revealing a gleaming trident inlaid with blue gemstones. With a forceful thrust, he planted the trident into the ground in the center of the cave with a muffled "thud."

The Naga nobles crowded forward, and upon seeing his appearance, they all gasped in shock. "This—isn't this the Queen's scepter? How did it end up in your hands!"

This trident represents the royal power of the Naga race and is carried by the Queen on a daily basis, never leaving her side.

Then they saw something even more shocking—a strand of long, seaweed-colored hair with scalp still attached was stuck at the tip of the trident. The unique hair color and the familiar aura it exuded made them instantly recognize it as the Naga Queen's!

"You killed the Queen?" Gathasaran asked, his voice filled with disbelief and terror.

"Don't talk nonsense, we found it at sea." Xiwo revealed a meaningful smile. "I've heard that the scepter represents ruling power. I wonder if any of you here would be interested in picking it up."

"Such a heinous act—" a Naga shouted.

"What treasonous act?" The Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce representative behind Xiwo immediately interrupted, "Now that the Queen has passed away, the Naga race cannot be without a leader for even a day. Someone must succeed to the throne, right?"

"I've heard that the Queen's remaining son doesn't get along well with any of you," Xiwo said sarcastically. "I wonder what he'll think when he ascends the throne and finds out that you've all been lining your own pockets in oil deals?"

A group of Naga showed signs of panic.

These nobles of the scaly veins were originally assigned by the Queen to lead teams in the thankless task of mining for oil on the seabed. However, under the guidance and arrangement of the Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce, they learned to conceal the true output and weight of the oil, and secretly sell the excess oil to the Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce.

The Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce would pay them directly at half the normal price. Because of this, they had been living extremely comfortably lately.

The other leaders in the clan had long suspected their unusual behavior, and many were keeping an eye on them.

"Anyway, we just picked up this trident at sea and brought it here on our way," Xiwo shrugged, his tone nonchalant. "It's returned to its rightful owner; what happens next is none of our business."

After saying this, Xiwo and the representative of the Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce turned and left the cave, leaving behind a group of Naga with complicated expressions, looking at each other in bewilderment.

****

The two left the water, used magic to evaporate the moisture from their bodies, and then found a clean spot on the island to sit down and quietly enjoy the sea breeze.

Before long, faint magical fluctuations and the sounds of battle could be heard emanating from beneath the sea. These sounds rose and fell continuously.

Xiwo and the Chamber of Commerce representative exchanged a smile.

"Greed, indeed, is the original sin of everything," the chamber of commerce representative sighed.

As dawn broke, the Dark Tide High Priest Gathasar, covered in wounds, climbed onto the island—now he should be called the Naga King, of course.

Behind him followed a large group of Naga warriors clad in scale armor, many of whom also bore wounds of varying depths, clearly having just endured a fierce battle.

"I have won!" Gathasaran declared, head held high, to Xiwo and the other man. "The entire rebellious royal family and their remnants have been annihilated!"

Xiwo and the Chamber of Commerce representatives applauded, "Congratulations!"

Tagasan, his clothes damp with sweat, strode forward. "Now I am the Naga King, and it's time to talk about the price of crude oil!" he declared forcefully. "We demand a 30% price increase, or we will stop supplying!"

A cold smile crept across Xiwo's lips as he reached out and drew a curtain of water behind Tagasan to obscure their view. The Naga warriors, seeing this, quickly stepped forward, raising their weapons and aiming them at the two.

"Tagassan, are you sure everyone will be able to see what I'm about to take out?" The representative of the Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce said calmly, a smile still on his face. "I suggest you ask them to step back a few paces."

Tagasan hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and waved, signaling the guards behind him to retreat behind the light barrier. He himself remained vigilant and did not approach.

Xiwo pulled a tablet from his pocket, shook off the remaining water droplets, opened the photo album, and then played a video for Tagasan to see.

The screen flickered with light and shadow, revealing a horrific scene: countless Naga remnants floated on the vast sea, their green blood stained and glaring, with broken weapons scattered among them.

Tagasan was so frightened that his legs almost went weak. Compared to the sheer number of corpses filling the screen, his recent usurpation was utterly insignificant!

"Thirty thousand elite troops, and yet, yet—" His lips trembled.

Tagasan suddenly realized something else: the strange creation before him, whose style was completely out of step with magic, seemed to originate from— the Final Bone Mad Machines!

Fear permeated Tagasan's very marrow.

"You are actually—" he gritted his teeth, but didn't dare to say the rest.

"As the new king, your first priority is to appease the hearts of your people," Xiwo said coldly. "If you want to secure your throne, you'd better focus on increasing crude oil production to raise funds for the compensation of your fallen comrades!"

"We've taken pity on you and will allow you to at least double your production, and purchase your crude oil at 80% of the previous price," the Chamber of Commerce representative added insult to injury.

"You—you're lowering the price again!" Tagasan trembled with rage. "You're taking advantage of my misfortune!"

"Then why don't you give us a reason not to take advantage of our vulnerability?" Xiwo scoffed. "Do you think your Naga Clan can defeat us?"

Tagasan was instantly speechless, unable to utter a single word. Final Bone Mad Machines could destroy that elite force in the blink of an eye, they could similarly annihilate the entire Naga Clan.

Anger without power is nothing more than feeble barking.

"You already know our identities, so from now on, behave yourself and treat us well," the chamber of commerce representative warned. "Don't be like that queen from before, getting involved in any unnecessary love, hate, or grudges!"

Tagasan's eyes gleamed as he racked his brains for a way to escape the situation before him.

"Oh, right." Xiwo seemed to suddenly remember something, reached out and swiped on the tablet screen to switch to another video. On it was an image of the Naga Queen, bound to a wall of bones, her expression listless, imprisoned by multiple spells.

Tagasana was terrified. "She—she's not dead!"

"If you don't behave, we'll release her," the representative of the Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce said mockingly. "Then the Haijia Archipelago will definitely be quite lively."

Gathasar's face turned deathly pale instantly, then flushed crimson. He had now embarked on a path of no return, a path of treason. If the Naga Queen truly returned, her former followers would surely respond in droves and launch a massive attack, leaving him with no chance of survival!

After a brief struggle, Tagasan finally gave in and gritted his teeth to agree to the unequal trade treaty.

Xiwo and the Chamber of Commerce representatives rode away contentedly on the dragon's back.

"What if, in a few years, Tagasan's rule becomes secure and his power base solidifies?" the merchant representative said. "Then, the Queen's influence won't be enough to intimidate him."

"Su Ming did suggest a method," Xiwo said. "Spread a culture of 'democracy' and 'freedom' among the Naga Clan, constantly stirring up internal conflicts. Assassinate the old rulers every few years and install an opposition leader, keeping the Naga Clan's political system in constant turmoil. In this way, the Haijia Archipelago will forever remain only a source of cheap raw materials."

"What a vicious method!" The chamber of commerce representative gasped upon hearing this.

"Yes." Xiwo sighed softly, his tone tinged with complexity, "I really don't know where he got these tricks from in his world."