Although the marriage between Orm and Mera was merely a political alliance and there was no real affection between them, the scene before him still dealt Orm a heavy mental blow.
His fingers trembled as he pointed at Arthur and Mera: "You... you two..."
Arthur's face was full of embarrassment. With a hint of guilt as if he had been caught in the act, he hurriedly explained: "Don't misunderstand. Mera and I really aren't what you think."
Darian nodded from the side and chimed in: "I can testify to that. They haven't done anything too excessive yet."
It would have been better if he hadn't said anything; this explanation only made things stranger.
Orm's face turned green on the spot.
What was that supposed to mean?
Didn't that imply they had already done things that weren't "too excessive"!?
Nereus's expression was not good either.
He had never expected his daughter to get involved with Orm's brother.
It felt like his own daughter had dumped her well-matched, wealthy, second-generation fiancé to run off with an unknown bastard. He was both angry and furious.
But when he noticed Queen Atlanna and glanced at Darian, his eyes darted around. He silently took half a step back and decisively chose to play dead.
As the King of Xebel, he was always good at assessing the situation.
The current situation had clearly deviated from the original script; rather than taking a rash stance, it was better to wait and see which way the wind blew.
Ricou and his family wore expressions of onlookers.
They had expected a grand drama of political intrigue, but the tone had shifted suddenly into a palace soap opera, and they had become mere background characters.
To everyone's surprise, Orm managed to suppress his anger very quickly.
He said coldly: "He is a half-breed bastard, what right does he have to become the new King of Atlantis?"
He was a strong man.
Darian couldn't help but admire Orm a little.
For any other man, if their fiancée ran off with their older brother, not hacking the adulterous couple to death on the spot would count as restraint.
Let alone being able to calm down as quickly as Orm; he was truly a ninja among ninjas. Among ninjas, he would at least be a Kage-level player.
This psychological fortitude was indeed something ordinary people couldn't compare to.
To be fair, whether in terms of capability, temperament, or skill, Orm was an excellent candidate for king.
On the other hand, Arthur was, frankly, just an unemployed bum who spent his days in bars. He knew nothing about governing a country or political strategy. Apart from having some brute strength, he had almost no redeeming qualities and looked nothing like a king.
But it was precisely because of this that Darian chose to support Arthur in taking that position.
Reality was just that unreasonable.
Those who could sit in high positions were often not the most capable or the most suitable, but the ones with the strongest backing.
As for what kind of backing Arthur had?
That went without saying—it was, of course, The Seven.
Not to mention Darian, just having Clark standing there—who would agree, and who would object?
Darian smiled slightly: "Because he has obtained the recognition of the holy trident."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone noticed the weapon in Arthur's hand.
It was a golden trident, with ancient Atlantean characters and runes carved on its surface. It was clearly no ordinary object.
The holy trident!?
The three kings were shocked at the same time.
This was the legendary artifact that once belonged to the greatest first king of Atlantis.
Back then, that king held this very trident, commanded The Seven seas, and established the most glorious era of the underwater World.
For many years, countless people had tried to find its whereabouts, all returning in vain.
Even they, as kings, had sent elites on more than one occasion to search for traces of the holy trident everywhere.
After all, who didn't want to obtain this artifact, command The Seven kingdoms, and complete the great cause of unifying the seabed?
That was an achievement worthy of several separate pages in history books; what Atlantean wouldn't crave that?
Taking a step back, even if they couldn't get it themselves, they at least couldn't let others have it. No one wanted a leader to suddenly appear above their heads.
Yet, this artifact that only existed in history now appeared in the hands of Arthur, that half-breed bastard.
Even the strong Water Shadow, Orm, had red eyes at this moment.
Before the wedding, his fiancée eloping with Arthur was one thing.
What was even more painful was that his resurrected mother was standing by Arthur's side, clearly here to support him.
He could grit his teeth and swallow all of this.
But why?
Why did even the holy trident recognize Arthur!?
The veins on Orm's hand holding his own trident bulged, and his knuckles cracked. His eyes churned with anger, jealousy, and unwillingness, and there was even a hint of grievance.
Where was he inferior to this half-breed bastard? Why did all the benefits go to the other guy!?
Darian took in Orm's reaction, thinking to himself that this kid shouldn't just kick the bucket from being unable to bear it. That would be too entertaining.
Darian, enjoying the chaos, added with a smile: "According to the ancient traditions of Atlantis, anyone who obtains the recognition of the holy trident is the legitimate King of Atlantis and can command The Seven kingdoms and rule the ocean."
"I don't agree!!" Orm roared, his eyes bloodshot, his voice echoing through the entire hall.
"I don't acknowledge this as the holy trident! A mere half-breed bastard cannot possibly be recognized by the holy trident. This must be a fake!"
"Besides, none of us have ever seen the real holy trident. Maybe... the holy trident has five prongs!"
Arthur and the others: "..."
Darian had actually hit the nail on the head.
Darian smiled: "It's called the holy trident, and you can still say something like it having five prongs?"
Arthur and the others: "..."
Can't you say the same thing?
Just then, a calm voice suddenly came from among the Shadow soldiers.
"King Orm, as far as I know, the trident in his hand matches the descriptions of the holy trident in historical records perfectly. All the features basically align; it is highly likely to be the legendary holy trident."
Darian looked in the direction of the voice, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Hey, isn't this his old acquaintance, Green Goblin Norman Osborn?
Of course, it wasn't the Green Goblin time-traveling.
This person was Vulko, a two-dynasty veteran of Atlantis who had served King Orm's father, King Orvax. He now served as the royal advisor, holding a high position in the court, second only to one and above all others.
However, the person this old minister was truly loyal to was never Orm, but Queen Atlanna.
In his view, Arthur was Queen Atlanna's eldest son and, by bloodline, should have been the first in line to the throne. This position should have belonged to Arthur from the beginning, and he had always believed that Arthur was the only true king qualified to unify the ocean.
Therefore, after Queen Atlanna was sacrificed to The Trench, Vulko continued to assist Orm on the surface, but secretly kept training Arthur, teaching him combat skills and stimulating his Atlantean potential.
The goal was to one day help Arthur take the position that should have been his.
Vulko hadn't spoken earlier, but as soon as he saw Queen Atlanna, to whom he was loyal, win her resurrection match, he immediately came out and defected.
"Vulko, even you are betraying me!?" Orm stared fixedly at Vulko, his face filled with disbelief.
Vulko was his most relied-upon confidant and an elder who had watched him grow up; in his heart, he was almost like a father.
He never dreamed that the person he trusted most would stab him in the back at a time like this.
Orm suddenly felt dizzy and short of breath. He took a few deep breaths of seawater, and it tasted a bit salty.
Who the hell peed in the sea!?
Oh, it was just his own tears; then it was fine.
Fortunately, they were underwater, and it was all water around them, so no one noticed Orm's expression as he broke down in tears.
It couldn't be blamed on Orm being too fragile.
For anyone else, suffering betrayal after betrayal from those close to them, without slamming their elbows into the ground eighteen times or playing tug-of-war with a ceiling beam, being able to stand here was already a miracle of miracles.
Darian even felt some sympathy for Orm.
This treatment was comparable to a certain silver-haired slave from a winery; surrounded by traitors, living in a daily scene of Infernal Affairs.
One or two would be one thing, but from his fiancée to his own mother, and then to his trusted minister, not a single one stood on his side.
Orm took a deep breath, forcing down his surging emotions. He knew he couldn't panic now; the more isolated and helpless he was, the less he could show any weakness.
Suffering this ordeal, Orm had actually turned a misfortune into a blessing; his stress-resistance ability soared from Kage-level directly to Six Paths level.
Orm said firmly: "In any case, I do not acknowledge this as the holy trident, and the other kings won't acknowledge it either, right?"
He turned to look at Nereus and Ricou, wanting to get support from the two kings.
As it turned out, Nereus was studying the architectural style of the Kingdom of the Brine, and Ricou was focused on admiring his own fish tail; neither of them answered.
Those two old things!
Orm's mouth twitched fiercely, and he cursed in his heart.
The attitudes of these two people were already very clear; it was obvious that neither of them wanted to get involved.
They wouldn't stand with him, Orm, nor with Arthur.
Actually, he could understand that. From a political standpoint, if it were him, he wouldn't easily pick a side at a time like this. When the situation was unclear, remaining neutral was the safest choice.
But Nereus was clearly his father-in-law.
Before this, this old guy had been firmly on his side, and had even personally promised to help him win over other underwater nations and command the entire ocean's army.
Yet now that he saw the wind blowing the wrong way, he immediately turned his back.
Orm looked at Mera and Arthur, then at Nereus's old face, and understood instantly.
Nereus, that old fox, intended to bet on both sides, with Mera as the chip. This way, no matter who won in the end, he would be the winner's father-in-law. He wouldn't lose either way; it was a sure-win deal.
Nereus's sudden betrayal stabbed Orm's already riddled heart once more.
Fortunately, Orm had already promoted to a Six Paths ninja, so his state of mind stabilized after a small fluctuation.
When a person has nothing left, he is invincible. Because there is nothing left to lose.
Orm turned back, his expression carrying a kind of indifference that saw through the World.
His tone was exceptionally calm: "In short, I am the current King of Atlantis. I do not acknowledge this weapon as the holy trident, and this half-breed bastard absolutely has no qualification to serve as the new King of Atlantis."
Darian raised his hand: "I am the King of The Lost Kingdom. I acknowledge that this weapon is the holy trident. Arthur clearly has the demeanor of a king; even I feel inferior to him. He is fully qualified to become the new King of Atlantis."
Everyone looked at Darian, who was sitting on the throne with his aura in full bloom, and then at Arthur standing beside him like a lackey.
Doesn't it look more like you are the monarch?
Orm immediately countered: "Your acknowledgement alone is useless. According to Atlantean law, any major decision must obtain approval from more than half of the kingdoms to pass."
"Since I represent Atlantis and cast a dissenting vote, and you represent The Lost Kingdom and cast an affirmative vote, it is currently a one-to-one tie."
Darian raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Nereus and Ricou: "Then what about the other two kings? Do you agree or disagree?"
"I abstain." Ricou's answer came without any hesitation, with an attitude of being indifferent to worldly affairs.
The Kingdom of the Brine had always been an absolutely neutral faction, offending no one. It was precisely because of this that they had been able to survive until now without being annexed by other underwater nations.
"I also abstain." Nereus weighed the pros and cons repeatedly and finally shook his head.
Orm looked at Darian coldly: "Two abstentions, still a tie. Now only the Kingdom of the Brine has yet to vote, unless you can win over the Kingdom of the Brine to cast an affirmative vote."
He was hoping Darian would go find the Kingdom of the Brine right now.
With the temperament of those brutes, they might just start fighting Darian and the others at the slightest disagreement.
At that time, it would be best if both sides fought until they were battered and bruised, both suffering losses, so he could seize the opportunity to act and eliminate both threats in one fell swoop.
Darian chuckled: "King Orm, have you forgotten that there is still one country that hasn't voted?"
Orm was slightly stunned, frowned for a moment, and then sneered: "You don't mean to say that The Lost Kingdom has returned just like you?"
The Lost Kingdom had only disappeared, but The Lost Kingdom had truly perished; the details were all written in history.
Due to a severe lack of water, the land gradually dried up, all the citizens were dried into salted fish, and it eventually turned into a boundless stretch of yellow sand, which is now the Sahara Desert.
If a guy who claimed to be the King of The Lost Kingdom really popped up, he would absolutely not acknowledge it. One time for this kind of thing was enough; could it really happen a second time?
"Of course not." Darian beckoned to Arthur, who was standing to the side: "Go, call in the King of The Trench."
Arthur's mouth twitched.
Who exactly is the new King of Atlantis here? Can you respect the character setting?
Complaining in his heart was one thing, but Arthur still honestly raised the holy trident, and an invisible ripple immediately spread out.
"The King of The Trench?" Orm and the two kings were stunned at the same time.
Weren't The Trench just a bunch of mindless Beasts?
Where did a king come from?
Before they could react, they saw one of The Trench swim in through the door of the conference hall.
This time it was Ricou's turn to have an ugly expression.
Is this conference hall of mine a public bathhouse?
How can just anyone come in? Where on earth did the guards outside go?
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