Chapter 19: Shock and Surprise on Fishman Island!

At this moment, the interior and exterior of the banquet hall were already heavily guarded by a large number of Sea King soldierfish, all over two meters tall, clad in armor and wielding steel pitchforks.

Particularly along both sides of the red carpet leading directly into the hall, a Sea King soldier stood every three meters, staring straight ahead with chests out and heads held high.

Three members from the World Government entered the hall, led by the Right Minister.

This Right Minister was a seahorse fishman with orange-yellow skin. A katana hung from his left waist, and he gripped a long-handled scimitar with a crescent-shaped blade in his right hand, exuding a powerful military aura.

Soon, the four arrived at the center of the hall.

The Right Minister stopped and reported in a deep voice to King Neptune, who sat upon the throne: "Your Majesty, I have brought the officials from the World Government!"

Meanwhile, Queen Otohime, sitting beside the throne, gazed at the three men in black below, a sense of anticipation rising within her heart.

"Good work. Return to your positions," King Neptune nodded.

Hearing the command, the Right Minister stepped to the side to stand opposite the Left Minister.

"Respected King Neptune, I am Colson, a Senior Councilor of the Administration Department, a direct branch of the World Government's Political Affairs Institute," the leading official in black introduced himself first.

His expression appeared very gentle and his tone was filled with respect, which left both the Left and Right Ministers quite satisfied.

"Very well. And these two?"

King Neptune looked toward the other two men in black, his attention drawn by the black leather briefcase one of them was carrying.

Colson smiled and said, "They are members of CP7, responsible for security."

"I see."

Understanding this, King Neptune turned his attention away and said, "Then let us hear it. I am curious about the purpose of your visit to Fish-Man Island."

"I am here representing the World Government regarding three main matters. The first matter concerns the upcoming Reverie to be held this June."

Having said this, Colson turned around, took the black briefcase from the CP7 member, and personally entered a triple eight-digit password to open it.

He then pulled out a white scroll bearing the emblem of the World Government and handed it to the Left Minister, saying, "Please present the scroll to His Majesty the King for review."

The Left Minister first glanced at King Neptune; seeing the King nod in agreement, he took the somewhat heavy scroll with both hands and walked up the steps.

"Your Majesty!"

"Very well, thank you for your trouble."

King Neptune picked up the scroll with one hand and, under the gaze of everyone present, untied the golden ribbon and slowly unfurled it to read.

The process was somewhat lengthy, and the hall fell into a dead silence as everyone waited quietly.

Queen Otohime noticed that King Neptune's expression was gradually becoming solemn, his eyes reflecting disbelief and shock.

This only made her more curious about the contents of the scroll.

In fact, there wasn't much text on it, but King Neptune read it back and forth a full three times, which was why it seemed so long.

He looked up at Colson standing below, his mouth opening as if to speak, but he hesitated.

Should he ask, *Are you guys fakes? Are these fake officials? How could the World Government possibly become... this good?*

"Your Majesty, may I see it?"

At that moment, Queen Otohime asked softly. King Neptune hesitated for a moment before handing the scroll over, saying, "Take a look."

As Queen Otohime read the scroll, Colson asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, on behalf of the World Government, I am inquiring of your opinion: are you willing to support the agenda of this meeting?"

"Mhm, this is a good thing—no, it should be called a great thing. Of course I am willing to support it. After all, if this agenda truly passes and the World Government is truly willing to push it forward with all its might, it will be of great benefit to Fish-Man Island."

King Neptune answered Colson solemnly.

"The question is, are you truly willing to push it forward with all your might? Because I remember that laws prohibiting this were enacted long ago, but they have essentially become useless by now."

"To be honest, simply passing an agenda without implementing strict regulations is actually not very meaningful!"

On the other side, Queen Otohime's face was filled with shock and intense joy, but hearing King Neptune's words, she felt they made sense. Her beautiful eyes turned toward Colson below, sincerely hoping his next answer would satisfy her.

"You are asking how much sincerity and determination the World Government possesses this time, correct?" Colson smiled.

"Exactly!"

King Neptune no longer hid his intent and looked at him very seriously.

"To that end, the great figures above have long been prepared. Please wait a moment."

With an air of prepared confidence, Colson turned once more to the black briefcase held by the CP7 member and quickly pressed in a complex password.

This sight caused the fishmen and merfolk in the hall to feel a sense of bewilderment. Finally, the straightforward Right Minister couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you take it all out at once just now?"

Colson opened the case and took out a second scroll—white with gold silk—and replied, "It is the rule of our department." Having said that, he still had the Right Minister help present it.

However, this time, he did not wait for King Neptune to finish reading before he began to introduce it, because the World Government needed all fishmen to understand this matter.

"The scroll you are looking at now is the 'Communique on Establishing Equal and Friendly Relations between Humans, Merfolk, and Fish-men,' personally written by the Five Elders!"

"What?!"

Queen Otohime, the Left Minister, the Right Minister, and all the Sea King soldiers present were stunned.

Colson smiled slightly at their reaction and continued to introduce the general contents.

"It consists of the following main points:"

"First, from the date this communique is signed, any acts of buying, selling, or enslaving Merfolk or Fish-men shall be severely punished. All Merfolk and Fish-men currently held by World Nobles or within the territories of all member nations shall be returned unconditionally, accompanied by a certain amount of compensation, excluding those Merfolk and Fish-men currently imprisoned for crimes."

"Second, the Sabaody Archipelago shall be designated as a safe zone. Merfolk and Fish-men may live and travel freely on the islands with the same treatment as humans. Simultaneously, Fish-Man Island shall allow humans to enter, reside, and travel freely."

"Third, Fish-Man Island is permitted to station troops in the Sabaody Archipelago to oversee matters related to Merfolk and Fish-men. At the same time, Fish-Man Island shall allow the World Government to establish Marine branches within its territory to handle matters concerning humans, pirates, and other related affairs."

"Fourth, Merfolk and Fish-men are permitted to hold normal positions within the World Government, the Marines, and various other departments, working together for a friendly future between humans, Merfolk, and Fish-men."

By the time he finished this long passage, King Neptune had also finished reading the scroll. It was largely as described, and he indeed saw five signatures below, each bearing the surname of a World Noble.

Truly, His Majesty the King began to doubt if he was living in a dream, while Queen Otohime beside him was so moved that her eyes welled with tears.

"Next is the third matter."

Senior Councilor Colson looked toward Queen Otohime, who had already stood up, trembling all over with red eyes, and gave her a gentle smile.

"The World Government wishes to invite Queen Otohime to attend this year's Reverie and deliver an important speech in support of this agenda. We wonder if you would be willing?"

Queen Otohime felt as though she might faint from happiness. She first exchanged a glance with King Neptune, and after receiving his supportive and encouraging gaze, she looked at Colson with utmost seriousness and replied

"Of course. This will be the most glorious moment of my life. Thank you very much, World Government!"