Xie Sen and his three companions entered the Youhai lobby and were heading towards the elevator when Ximai, accompanied by four armed security guards, stopped them and asked them to cooperate with an investigation on suspicion of theft.
The four were prepared and cooperated readily, allowing Ximai to lead them away.
Xie Sen had expected to be taken to the local police station or similar department, but to his surprise, Ximai led them directly to a large lobby on the 87th floor.
The lobby was enormous. On the right-hand side was a set of white leather sofas, where a man in a blue shirt sat. He was exceptionally handsome, with blue hair and eyelashes. Xie Sen paused, wondering if it was makeup or natural.
His gaze was too obvious. Lanni glanced at him casually, and Xie Sen instinctively smiled, expressing friendliness. This man was definitely a high-ranking member of Youhai.
"Your Highness," Ximai bowed to Lanni.
Lanni waved casually, signaling him to leave.
Ximai stood motionless, his face tense. In his view, these four were strange and their strength unfathomable. It was too dangerous for Lanny to meet with them alone.
Lanny glanced at him: "Get out."
Ximai had no choice but to leave the hall and wait outside the door.
"Sit down," Lanny said calmly, his gaze sweeping over Xie Sen and the other three.
Xie Sen and the other three exchanged glances. Lanny's attitude was too friendly and too calm, making them even more wary. The four of them sat down opposite Lanny, waiting for him to speak.
Lanny's gaze fell upon them one by one, identifying each person: "The Long family, the Bai family, the only plant-type beast lord, the Flying Lion Beast lord who severed ties with his family, everyone from Brant Star, are you provoking us by stealing the treasures of the Nether Sea?"
Xie Sen blinked, looking innocent: "Stealing? There might be a misunderstanding." "
A misunderstanding?" Lanny scoffed, "Do you think the Nether Sea can't find evidence and can't do anything to you? Putting aside evidence, as long as you don't throw away what you stole, if they find the Nether Sea's lost items on you when you leave the country, according to the laws of Blue Star, you can be thrown directly into the Sea of Death."
Xie Sen suddenly felt guilty. Little Silver was born on Blue Star, and it might not want to leave, but the Giant Crocodile Beast and Giant Bear Beast were different. They were captured and brought to Blue Star, and they might choose to leave with them.
If they left with them, Lanny could easily find them when they left the country.
Shesen remained calm: "Search all you want, we don't have anything from the Dark Sea on us."
Lanny stared at him, his brow furrowing slightly: "Don't tell me you stole things just to throw them away."
Of course not! Shesen couldn't say that, and remained silent for a moment.
Maine stared at Lanny: "What's your purpose?"
Since Lanny had thought of searching them at the border, he could have simply waited until they left before making his move. He didn't do that, but instead chose to sit with them in the hall; he must have a purpose.
Lanny glanced at him, pulled up the images the search team had sent him, zoomed in on them, and showed them the screen: "How did you escape?"
The photo was taken from an overhead angle; beside a large reef in the sea, there was a blue whale the size of a small mountain, but no one else. Lanny then switched to another photo; the blue whale hadn't yet approached the reef, and there were four small figures on the reef.
Comparing the two photos, it seemed as if the four figures on the reef were swallowed up after the blue whale approached.
Xie Sen hadn't expected the blue whale's appearance to create this illusion. He finally understood why the two aircraft had retreated—they thought they'd been eaten by the blue whale.
"Wow! It looks even bigger now!" Long Teng's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but exclaim.
Bai Jiao pinched his hand, not with much force, but enough to make him feel pain. He immediately realized what was happening, turned to Bai Jiao with a smile, and shut his mouth.
Xie Sen probed, "You just want to satisfy your curiosity? If I tell you how we escaped, will you stop suspecting us?"
"Of course not," Lanny said, "I'm not suspecting, I'm certain, you stole the stuff."
None of the four spoke again, determined not to admit it—something they'd agreed on on the way.
Lanny understood Xie Sen's plan; they were convinced You Hai couldn't produce evidence and wouldn't admit it. He clicked his tongue lightly, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Do you know how much loss the Underworld will suffer because of this? Do you think I'd take this lying down?"
He manipulated his bracelet a few times, bringing up a document, and showed the screen to them. "If you can't recognize what this is, I don't mind explaining it to you."
The screen still displayed photos, but not ordinary photos; they were black and white. The walls and floor had turned into a transparent black, but there were other things in the middle of the black: fingerprints on the walls and two rows of white footprints on the floor.
Xie Sen: There's such high-tech stuff?
He didn't know what technology was used to create these images, but he understood immediately that these traces were left by him and Maine on the 82nd floor.
He forced a smile: "Haha, well... we just heard that security in the Netherworld is very strict, we were just curious."
"Is that so?" Lanny raised an eyebrow. "Since it's just curiosity, shouldn't it be returned to its rightful owner?"
Xie Sen blinked, speaking in a negotiating tone: "How about you name a price? We'll release it since it's not in our possession."
"You think I'd believe that reason?"
Xie Sen's expression was serious: "On Brant Star, privately selling contracted beasts is illegal. Contracted beasts are our friends, and we don't want them to be bought or forced into contracts, so we released them after taking them."
"You could have bid at the auction," Lanny said coldly.
Long Teng said: "But most of the auction price goes to the contracted beast dealers. They still enjoy the huge profits from selling contracted beasts, and they'll definitely harm contracted beasts again in the future."
"The auction item was lost in the Nether Sea, and the Nether Sea must compensate with the average auction price of similar items," Lanny glanced at him. "They won't get less money."
Long Teng exclaimed, "They're so bad, don't you want to compensate them!"
Lanny scoffed, "It's surprising that Long Yu's son is so naive." He clasped his hands together and leaned back on the sofa. "I'll give you one chance. Tell me how you escaped from the Blue Whale. Hand over the item, and I can pretend nothing happened."
He paused, then held out his hand, a piece of black fungus between his fingers. "By the way, you also need to answer how you got this on the camera."
Xie Sen looked at the black fungus and couldn't help but ask, "Did you peel it off the whole thing on the camera?"
Lanny: "Of course."
Xie Sen's mind conjured up images of cold black fungus salad, and he swallowed hard. "Give it all back to me. I can give you a demonstration."
Lanny scrutinized his expression and tossed him the piece of fungus. "Use this as a demonstration."
Xie Sen thought to himself that it was a pity. He picked up the black fungus and held it in his hand. The fungus would lose control once it was separated from the root; this one was useless.
He thought about it for a moment. Little Silver and the contracted beast definitely wouldn't return them. He couldn't fulfill all three requests Lanny had made, so he decided not to do any of them and wouldn't give a demonstration. However, he also felt a little guilty, since their actions were illegal and had indeed harmed the interests of Youhai.
He held the black fungus in his hand, a sudden inspiration striking him. Leaning forward, his expression earnest, he said, "Your Highness, how about we make a deal?"
Lanny's eyes widened in surprise. If the four of them hadn't stolen the seashells and contracted beasts, and hadn't consigned the watermelons, he might have dismissed this suggestion with disdain. But now, he wouldn't underestimate them; instead, he was intrigued.
"Tell me,"
Xie Sen smiled, his tone sincere. "I've never seen a place as beautiful as Blue Star. When we arrived at the spaceport, I saw countless tourists, all looking very happy, cheering and praising the sea."
"Your Highness," Xie Sen continued, "how can such a beautiful place tolerate such terrible things? Apart from the merfolk, most people on this planet have awakened contracted beasts, treating them as friends and partners. Many people abhor the sale of contracted beasts. I believe everything on Blue Star should be beautiful, and this kind of thing should be strictly prohibited."
Xie Sen paused, this was something he had just thought of. They could rescue two contracted beasts, but countless others would be sent for auction.
Where there's a market, there's bound to be harm. True protection of contracted beasts should start with the distribution channels.
Selling contracted beasts is illegal on Brant Star, and the military cracks down heavily on the black market. Last time he was arrested, the military dismantled a contracted beast trafficking organization, and the
contracted beast trade on Brant Star suffered a major setback. However, just because they can't sell on Brant Star doesn't mean they won't come to Brux. Brux is a special planet; the native mermaids don't have contracted beasts, and therefore there are no laws protecting them. For contracted beast traffickers, it's undoubtedly a treasure trove.
Lanny's eyes flickered slightly: "As far as I know, forming a contract is a sacred thing. Beast owners yearn for contracts but can't find them. The Dark Sea auction of contracted beasts fulfills their wishes, and those who can bid are generally from good families. Beast owners treat their contracted beasts well; it's a beautiful thing, not a bad one."
Shesen looked at him in surprise. He had thought Lanny was more concerned with profit, but Lanny's words seemed to suggest that everything on Brux was wonderful.
He said seriously, "That's not how it works. Contracted beasts are highly intelligent; they are individuals with independent thoughts."
He thought for a moment, "You can put yourself in their shoes. I've heard that merfolk can switch between human and beast forms. If there were a merfolk beast master who forced you into a contract, you would have to follow that person in everything you do and obey their actions, but they treat you very well. Would you be willing? Would you be happy?"
Lanny's face darkened. "No one can control a merfolk," he said coldly. "I don't like this kind of empathy... I'm not willing."
Xie Sen said, "You see, that's exactly it. Contracted beasts just can't communicate with humans using language, but their intelligence is no less than that of humans. Forcing a contract can even injure the contracted beast, which is a very bad thing."
"Yes," Long Teng chimed in, "If you have the ability, contracted beasts will willingly obey their masters; there's no need for forced contracts."
Lanny pondered inscrutably for a moment before saying, "Banning the sale of contracted beasts will cause Blue Star to lose a lot of wealth."
Xie Sen thought to himself, "As expected, he brought up profits." He was prepared: "This is the deal I was talking about. Instead of selling contracted beasts, we can sell other things, things that everyone likes."
"You mean watermelons?" Lanny asked.
Xie Sen said, "That's just one type. Don't underestimate the profits from food. Once you've tasted a watermelon, you'll definitely discover a huge business opportunity. Of course, watermelons don't count as part of the deal."
"You want to exchange watermelons for seashells and contracted beasts?" Lanny exposed his thoughts.
Xie Sen smiled: "I think it's worth it. In your eyes, seashells and contracted beasts aren't much, are they? You can try them now and see if what I'm saying is true."
Lanny glanced at him indifferently without speaking. Indeed, they weren't much; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so polite. The reason he didn't have them arrested directly but chose to meet with them was because these things were less important to him than satisfying his interests.
He sent a message using his bracelet, and soon after, Ximai came in carrying a watermelon and placed it on the coffee table in the middle of the sofa.
Xie Sen smiled, took out a fruit knife, cut the watermelon in half lengthwise, then into pieces, picked up a piece and handed it to Lanny: "Eat the red flesh, the black ones are the seeds, you have to spit them out."
He couldn't help but promote it: "Besides eating it like this, you can also make watermelon juice. Imagine how wonderful it would be to be soaking in the sea and drinking juice!"
Lanny took it and unconsciously smelled it. A faint, sweet fragrance wafted into his nose. His eyes brightened slightly, he took a bite, chewed it casually a couple of times, and the sweet juice filled his mouth, making his mouth water.
His eyes brightened. He finished a slice of watermelon, wiped his hands, and asked, "Planting conditions?"
Xie Sen thought for a moment, "Dry land. Does Blue Star have dry land?"
Lanny replied, "Dry land is only found on islands, and the area is very small. But that's alright. Blue Star has resource planets, so we can try planting there."
Xie Sen smiled and said, "So, you've agreed to my deal?"
Lanny said, "There are thousands of types of contracted beasts. You're only using one type of fruit. No matter how you look at it, I'm still at a disadvantage. However, I can let bygones be bygones regarding the shells and the contracted beasts."
This was the result Xie Sen had hoped for when he was invited here, but now he had a better idea and was somewhat dissatisfied with the outcome.
"I think you should consider the deal I suggested. Watermelon is just a fruit. When humans travel, besides sightseeing, the most important thing is eating. Seafood is delicious, but you get tired of eating it all the time, and it's too bland."
Lanny raised an eyebrow. "You mean, there are other foods? As far as I know, edible foods are very scarce on Brant."
Xie Sen laughed. "Of course there are other plants," he said, glancing at the time. "Lunchtime is almost over. How about we each have a meal? Let you try something different."
The five of them moved to the 57th floor. Unlike the 56th floor, the 57th floor had private rooms in addition to regular seating. Lanny booked a deluxe private room.
Xie Sen ordered two hot pots. The waiter brought out all the seafood and was about to close the door when Xie Sen stopped him. "Don't close it. Leave it open." Otherwise, it will be difficult to ventilate later.
The waiter looked at Lanny, and Lanny nodded.
The seafood slowly cooked in the pot, releasing its aroma. Xie Sen exchanged a medium-spicy chili pepper, turned it into powder, and sprinkled it evenly into the hot pot in front of him. Soon, the spicy aroma wafted out.
Long Teng was eating seafood that could be eaten raw when he looked up and swallowed hard. "Ah Sen, did you put chili in? It smells so good!"
Xie Sen nodded. The spiciness was truly magical; the aroma alone was enough to whet one's appetite. He looked at the reddening broth in the pot, quite impatient, but mindful that it wasn't cooked yet, he could only wait patiently.
Lan Ni, however, didn't hesitate. He picked up a scallop, let it cool slightly, and then ate the meat in one bite. The next moment, his face turned red, his eyes reddened, and his lips were as red as if they were stained with blood.
Xie Sen had a bad feeling. Although it was medium spicy, merfolk were used to mild flavors, and suddenly eating spicy food, medium spicy might be considered extremely spicy for them.
"If it's too spicy, why don't you rinse it before eating?" he suggested.
Lan Ni glanced at him with his reddened eyes, took a sip of water, and without hesitation picked up another scallop and ate the meat.
Xie Sen watched him eat one after another, knowing he liked it, and felt relieved. If he liked it, there was something to talk about.
Long Teng couldn't resist and reached for his chopsticks, but Bai Jiao grabbed his wrist: "Half-cooked seafood, we'll get sick if we eat it."
"Wow! Don't eat it, it's not cooked yet!" Long Teng could only withdraw his hand, his eyes fixed on the spicy hot pot. Seeing the seafood in the pot dwindling, he hurriedly covered the hot pot with his hand, glaring at Lanni.
Lanni drank several mouthfuls of water, his eyes moist from the spiciness: "It doesn't matter." No matter what kind of seafood, the merfolk could eat it.
Long ago, when merfolk couldn't transform into humans, they couldn't eat hot food. But after naturally transforming between human and beast forms, they were fine.
Bai Jiao chuckled and pulled Long Teng's hand away. Lan Ni continued eating, and Bai Jiao used a spoon to scoop some seafood from the clear broth pot into the spicy broth: "If it's not enough, we'll add more later."
Long Teng immediately smiled, looking at Bai Jiao with a bright smile: "You're so nice, so smart."
Xie Sen retorted: "You're the one who's silly."
Mei Yin picked up a scallop, glanced at it, and immediately put it on Xie Sen's plate: "It's cooked, you can eat it now." Xie Sen turned to him and smiled, "You eat too."
Long Teng pouted, about to refute Xie Sen's words, but seeing this, he didn't argue and started eating quickly.
The aroma grew stronger as it cooked, wafting out from the private room. The waiter in the opposite private room, having ordered, opened the door to leave, but the enticing aroma made him pause.
The guests in the private room's eyes lit up: "Wait, don't go yet! What's that smell? Give us one too!"
The waiter hesitated, "Sorry, I don't know."
"Go to the kitchen and ask! Whatever it is, whatever the price, just give us one. This smell is so tempting! I wasn't hungry, but this smell makes me really hungry."
"My mouth is watering, I can't control myself!"
"Me too! Heaven knows I usually hate eating!"
The waiter ran to the kitchen in a daze, and the head chef glared at him, saying, "What's new? It's the same thing every day, isn't it? Except for more or less salt, there's no difference."
"No," the waiter hurriedly said, "it really smells good, not just salt. If you don't believe me, you'll see as soon as you go outside; the whole room smells amazing."
The head chef walked out, saying as he went, "How could I not know what I made?" After a while, "My God, how can it smell so good!"
He followed the aroma to the private room. A customer saw him in his uniform and grabbed him, saying, "What are they eating? Bring us the same thing, and hurry up, we're so hungry!"
The head chef thought to himself, "How would I know?" He reassured the customer, "Go back to your private room and wait a moment." After cajoling the customer, he went to Xie Sen's private room.
Seeing Lanny, he was stunned, glaring at Xie Sen and the other three and scolding, "How dare you bully the eldest prince!"
"Get out," Lanny said calmly, wiping his mouth.
Xie Sen's lips twitched, "How did we bully him?"
"The eldest prince is crying," the head chef said angrily.
Xie Sen looked at Lanny; his eyes were wet and red, and his face was also red, he really looked like he had been crying. He lowered his head, suppressing a laugh.
Lenny's face turned cold: "Who's crying?"
The head chef panicked instantly: "No, no... nobody," he glanced around. The others were in better condition than Lenny, but their symptoms were similar. He looked towards the source of the spicy aroma wafting from the table and decisively changed the subject, "Many customers want to eat this, Your Highness, how is it made?" Lenny
looked at Xie Sen, who shrugged. Lenny said, "New product research, not for sale."
The head chef left reluctantly, using the excuse Lenny had given him to appease all the eager customers.
Some customers, unable to resist the craving, ran to the door of the private room: "Hey buddy, can I grab a seat?"
A minute later, this person was escorted away by Xi Mai's men. Xi Mai stood at the door, looking at Lenny worriedly. Lenny glanced at him: "Get out, have someone stand guard three meters away."
Xi Mai stared at him for a while, making sure he wasn't crying and was in a normal mood, then personally stood guard three meters away from the door, stopping any customer who tried to approach.
The five people ate to their hearts' content, while the other customers on the same floor suffered terribly, unable to taste the aroma—it was truly torture.
Back on the 87th floor, Lanny ate another slice of watermelon, the blush on his face gradually fading. He took a sip of water: "What did you just put in there?"
Xie Sen opened his palm, revealing a red chili pepper: "A chili pepper. It was medium spicy. Different chilies have different levels of spiciness. You can grind it into powder for seasoning, like just now, or use it in cooking. There are many ways to eat it."
Lanny reached for it, but Xie Sen clenched his fist and pulled back: "Now, what do you think of the deal I proposed?"
"I can consider it, but plant research is a long and uncertain process. Can you provide seeds and specific planting methods?" Lanny asked.
Xie Sen said, "Sure." He glanced at the calendar, startled. It was already the 20th. He wondered how the apartment and the contracted beast's residence were progressing. He decided to ask later when he had some free time.
His thoughts raced, and he looked at Lanny. "The Brant Star Chili will be available in half a month. If you don't believe me, I can send you pictures of the growing chili right now."
Lanny pondered for a moment, about to say something, when Ximai walked in with a tense expression: "Your Highness, we just received an urgent report. The Blue Whale has entered safe waters and is moving rapidly eastward. The sea monsters of the Dead Sea have gathered at the edge but haven't made a move yet." Lanny's expression changed: "Stop the Blue Whale as soon as possible," he said coldly, "by any means necessary."