Arthur was a bit confused, and Mera was also at a loss. Mera was able to find her way here, naturally being somewhat aware of past events. But now it seems the situation is not as simple as it appears. This Tom, who had a past romance with the Atlantis Princess back then, seems to know more than nothing.
They got back in the car, driving into the town, and the further they went, the more out of way it became. As a local, Arthur knew the Port of Mercy all too well. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Dad, are you heading to Dark Street? That place isn't very safe."
Mera turned to look at him. Arthur didn't initially want to pay her any mind, but when he turned his head and saw her deep blue eyes, like the ocean, he coughed lightly in embarrassment and then said, "This is one of the closest ports to Canada, so there are drug dealers and smugglers around. They all gather on Dark Street, and locals generally avoid going there."
As he spoke, the car stopped on a street near Dark Street. The three of them got out, and Tom led them into a narrow alley. Before they even reached the end, Arthur saw a familiar figure—it was the Mob Boss they'd just encountered at the bar.
"What are you doing here?" The Mob Boss seemed very surprised. He sized them up, focusing his gaze on Arthur, and then said, "Don't go any further in; that's the Dark Street. You're not trying to cause them trouble, are you?"
Before Arthur could say anything, Tom spoke first, "I'm looking for Little Leent, you know."
The Mob Boss paused, sighed, and said, "He's in there. You guys go ahead, but don't stay too long."
Tom nodded at him and led the two deeper in. Unexpectedly, there was an even deeper place within the alley. At the end of the alley, they moved a wooden board aside, and through the opening, there was a half-basement window. Tom knocked on it and said, "It's me, Tom the Tower Keeper."
"Tom?" A voice came from inside, "Weren't we supposed to meet on Friday? Why are you here today?"
Mentioning Friday, Arthur suddenly recalled that his dad, as the Lighthouse keeper, usually wouldn't leave the lighthouse. It was their home. But every Friday, his dad would go out at night and never take him along. Arthur used to think he went out drinking, but when he returned, there was no smell of alcohol. He'd asked several times before, but Tom never answered.
Soon, the window opened. Tom struggled to get through. Arthur, being a bit bigger, had some difficulty getting in. Mera, on the other hand, came in quite easily.
But once inside, Arthur was so startled he took a step back, bumping into Mera. Mera almost got embedded into the wall; she was about to speak, but then she saw a scene that left her a bit shocked.
Arthur was also dumbfounded because the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa in the room was missing the entire right side of his body.
To be precise, from the right collarbone down to the waist had turned into a terrifying scar, and the entire right arm was missing. This caused his head to tilt to the left, making him look very frightening.
However, at this moment, Mera seemed to sense something, and she gently walked around the man, saying, "Sea Clan's magic...what is happening here?"
"Many years ago, before you were born," Tom said as he fetched a towel and water nearby, "I saved your mother from the sea. We fell in love as we got to know each other, formed a family, and you were born. But the good times didn't last."
"Your mom had run away from an arranged marriage, and her father was always pursuing her. Not long after you were born, the Sea Clan's pursuers arrived. Although your mother defeated them, they destroyed two fishing boats and killed over twenty fishermen while coming ashore, nearly destroying an entire street..."
"Oh my god," Arthur said incredulously.
"Little Leent was one of them. He was a fisherman on one of the boats at that time and was directly hit by their weapons. But he was lucky to survive and drifted ashore. Your mother saved him with that...magic."
Tom went over to wipe Little Leent's face. Arthur watched this unfold. He understood that such injuries wouldn't just make the upper limbs difficult to move; it likely made walking hard for him as well.
"No wonder," Mera said. Arthur looked at her as she continued, "Actually, if you only wanted to protect you and your father, just escaping to another place would suffice. The Mainland is vast, and the Sea Clan couldn't send so many people to search for you. Even if you moved to a remote inland country, you could live."
"But if they keep searching like this, who knows how many innocent humans would suffer. Although humans and the Sea Clan have always had conflicts, we're all sentient and emotional beings; we couldn't just sit by and watch a carnage happen."
Arthur pressed his lips together. He couldn't say he had no grievances against his mother, after all, single parenting is always difficult. Besides keeping the lighthouse, Tom took on a lot of manual work that could be done at home, like blacksmithing and repairing boats. To let neighbors keep an eye on him more, he'd actively help them with work. The fatigue and financial pressure made him look older than his peers.
He had thought about it: if his mother had to leave due to some real pressure, why couldn't she take them along? Even if returning to the ocean, so many years had passed, she should at least come back to look once, right?
But now it seems, the situation wasn't that simple. His mother returned to the ocean not just to protect the two of them. To prevent the Sea Clan's frequent invasion of the land, she had to go back.
Arthur looked again at the figure sitting on the sofa. That wound was terrifying, almost beyond Arthur's comprehension. He glanced down at his own hands, fully aware of the Sea Clan's formidable strength. It wasn't something humans could resist.
When he rescued the submarine, those pirates were fully armed with lethal firepower, but the bullets couldn't even shake his skin. He easily defeated them.
So, those Sea Clan members who once hunted his mother perhaps roamed the streets of the town just as heedlessly. With a casual spear throw, they could injure ordinary people this badly.
Arthur turned to Mera and then said, "What did you say that... Prince of Crap wanted to do again?"
"It's Orm," Mera said somewhat helplessly, "He wants to conquer the Seven Ocean Tribes, become the new Aquaman, and then wage war against the Mainland, ultimately unifying the world."
Previously, if Mera had mentioned someone wanting to rule the world, Arthur wouldn't have believed it. Humans had fought two world wars and still, no one managed to rule the world. Even if a madman did want to try, he wouldn't succeed.
But now he felt a bit uncertain. The power difference between the Sea Clan and the Human race was too great. If Orm truly unified Atlantis, even if he couldn't succeed in the end, the destruction caused would not be less than a world war.
Arthur glanced back at his father, then looked up at the window they had just descended from, and said, "Let's talk outside."
The two of them went deep into the alley. Mera leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and said, "To be honest, I am Orm's fiancée. Of course, we don't usually interact much, but he has always tried to get me to support his plan."
"What's his plan?" Arthur asked, "Where does he plan to start attacking?"
"He's already landed in the Caribbean Sea area, using the Sea Clan's forces to conquer several small countries. He plans to use that place as his base. And recently, he's about to launch a tsunami plan."
Arthur gasped, feeling a chill on his back. He said, "He's going to trigger a tsunami? Where?!"
"No, he's not trying to destroy cities with a tsunami. That would require a huge amount of Magic power, which he can't do; he also doesn't want to break ties with the Human race so early. So, he's just planning to push all the ocean garbage and sunken ships to the shore."
"That's not too bad," Arthur said, "After all, it was humans who threw it in; getting it back is only deserved, isn't it?"
Mera observed Arthur. Arthur shook his head and said, "Fishermen have no good feelings for those who pollute the ocean. When I was young, the fisheries on the East Coast were decent, and everyone could make a living by fishing. Since a chemical plant was built in the city north of here, our fish yield has declined yearly. I've heard that in Canada, it's the same; those famous fishing grounds can't catch fish anymore."
Mera sighed and said, "This is the conflict between the Sea Clan and the Human race, and it's been like this for years. But even if we want to deal with this garbage, we can't use such a rough method. It's more of a threat than retaliation."
"How big will the scale be?" Arthur asked, one hand on his hip, the other touching his chin.
"Both East and West Coasts will be affected," Mera said, "The Americas are their main targets. And when they act, they won't care if there are people on the coast. Even if it's not a massive tsunami, many people will be submerged by huge waves."
Arthur's expression turned solemn. He said, "We can't let him do this. Apart from intensifying conflicts, there is no benefit. Let me think..."
Arthur crossed his arms and began pacing. Suddenly, he said, "Do you think I should go find Orm..."
"Impossible, that person is just a Madman," Mera said, "Besides, you two are half-brothers with the same mother, both having the legitimacy to inherit the throne, inherently competitive. He won't listen to you; he'd only want to kill you."
"Then how about we go and fight him? Can't we kill him in advance?"
"Do you think you can beat him?" Mera said incredulously, "Never mind that you've never lived in the ocean, not knowing any magic; you're a mixed-blood, not as strong as pureblood."
"Neither works, nor does this." Arthur seemed a bit anxious. He didn't like Mera saying he's inferior to his brother, but he couldn't argue against it.
At this time, Tom climbed out as well. He said, "Let's go back first; the Lighthouse still needs people."
The three of them drove back to the Lighthouse. The road was calm, and Mera was a bit worried when she got off the car and said: "The launch time for the tsunami plan should be soon. You guys go sleep, I'll keep watch."
Arthur waved and said, "I can't sleep. Let's go into the sea, if there's really a tsunami, we can stop it."
Then he turned to Tom and said, "Dad, you go rest, I'll take a swim in the sea."
Tom naturally knew his abilities and didn't say much, nodding and headed upstairs. Arthur and Mera walked along the beach into the ocean.
"You say my mom was taken to the trench?"
"Yes, it's a place for executing prisoners," Mera's tone was somewhat regretful, she said, "She might already be dead."
"I want... I want to see her, even if it's just a grave."
"Impossible. Sea Clan individuals who are executed leave no graves, not even a trace. But if you truly want to memorialize her, you can erect a tombstone for her on land."
Arthur seemed somewhat silent. Mera turned her body, walking backward, and said, "Your mother left back then because she didn't want to involve the Human race. If you can save the Mainland from Orm, she would certainly be proud of you."
Just as they were about to jump into the ocean, Arthur's phone suddenly rang. After he picked it up, a voice was heard from the other end:
"Hello, this is A.R.G.U.S. We are organizing a superpower users team to move the Capitol Building back to its original place..."