Plan A
The Queen of the Deep Sea 7
Negotiation
Li Yunxi seemed to know she would say this and gladly agreed.
“Wait until the tsunami passes, then use your submersible machines to talk with me.”
The blonde mermaid disappeared, immersed in the seabed.
Su Xin’s hand held the bargaining chips, not just the safety of those humans, but also this ocean.
Six years ago, humans proposed a plan to establish an underwater city, sending researchers to study suitable locations on the seabed.
Researchers unexpectedly discovered wandering mermaids, and thus, the war was forced to begin.
Mermaids were extremely resistant to humans entering the seabed. After all, this was their home, and no one likes their territory being invaded. Worse yet, the invaders intended to build their structures on it.
Of course, from the human perspective, the Earth belonged to them, let alone the ocean, which they had always regarded as a resource.
The discovery of mermaids, a species originally thought to exist only in legends, further fueled human curiosity and exploration.
The mermaid tribe felt threatened and began to blockade the ocean.
Human maritime transportation was forced to cease, which was the reason for the stalemate between humans and mermaids.
Blocking someone’s path to wealth is akin to killing their parents.
Humans were eager to lift the mermaid blockade on the sea, but have not succeeded. It has already taken six years.
Six years, if calculating the losses in numbers, they are based on billions as the unit. Humans are already at their limit. (LP: Then stop, clowns)
“General…”
Someone looked at the black-haired woman beside them, their expression showing lingering fear.
“Do mermaids also have human-like thinking?”
Because previously, someone had proposed the idea of negotiation, but the mermaids remained unmoved. It should be said that the mermaids did not care at all about whatever intentions humans displayed. As long as human objects like ships or submarines appeared on the sea surface, they would be destroyed.
Humans have already concluded that mermaids are a kind of marine creature with consciousness but primarily driven by instinct, with low intelligence and violent nature.
“Perhaps.”
Li Yunxi’s ambiguous response, she didn’t know about other mermaids, but it was true that her blonde-haired mermaid friend, Miss Wei’er Ya, had human-like thinking. She was cunning and clever, almost like a human, if not for her special physiological structure.
Li Yunxi consulted the King, asking for his opinion.
The King immediately convened a council meeting to discuss whether negotiations with the mermaids should take place and what the conditions and content of the negotiations would be.
Many conspiracy theorists began to suspect that the mermaids were evolving, their intelligence was increasing, and perhaps they even had the desire to conquer the land.
Regarding this kind of idea, Li Yunxi scoffed at it.
“Regarding the idea of mermaids wanting to conquer the land, I have to be bold and say, with your level of intelligence, how did you manage to enter the center of imperial power? Do you think that a few fish can live on land and defeat billions of people, or do you lack confidence in our technology and military?”
Li Yunxi clearly supported negotiations and said that after discussing the content and conditions with the mermaids, they would make it public.
Someone suggested sending a civilian official to negotiate, as Li Yunxi was a military general and not suitable for advocating the maximum interests of humanity against the mermaids.
On this matter, Her Royal Highness the Princess had something to say.
“I am truly surprised that someone would question my abilities. Do you think my identity as an Imperial Princess is not noble enough, or is my reputation as the War of God just an empty name? Whoever made this proposal, why don’t you come forward and see if you can surpass me in status or in your eloquence and understanding of the mermaids.”
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Li Yunxi’s words were very polite, and even her smiling and pleasant attitude silenced those voices.
Naturally, His Majesty the King agreed with Li Yunxi’s ideas. In fact, the title of the most beloved Princess in the empire was not given in vain. The King’s love for Li Yunxi had reached the point of doting.
After all, she was the daughter born to him by the woman he loved, bringing him much glory and pride. As long as she didn’t cross any bottom lines or fundamentals, the King would always comply with her wishes.
Under the sea, there was also a discussion about life and death going on, and they fully supported Su Xin’s ideas.
Seeking benefits and avoiding harm is an instinct of animals. They have felt an unprecedented crisis because of the torpedoes launched by humans. The destructive power is something their bodies cannot withstand. The animals’ instincts urge them to quickly escape from this place, but their simple thoughts and emotions keep them rooted here.
“Queen, are you confident?”
Mo’er looked at Su Xin, and Su Xin nodded.
Su Xin analyzed the differences between the mermaids and humans, as well as the current situation, for her people. Many mermaids showed signs of panic.
“Don’t be afraid. We don’t need to surrender. That’s too cheap and too easy to be exploited. I will protect you,” Su Xin said, “I will definitely protect you.”
“Wei’er Ya, no, Queen…”
Mo Man stayed by her side, still wearing a smile on her face, along with an indescribable sense of pride.
“I think you are the smartest mermaid in the sea. I’m truly happy that I once liked you.”
You are so excellent, and I am proud. I liked you.
“What…”
Su Xin looked at Mo Man, a bit confused.
“Perhaps you were the only one in the tribe who didn’t know that I liked you. Before reaching adulthood, it’s a pity that you turned into a female. I thought you would become a male.”
Mo Man flicked her fish tail, but now it didn’t matter anymore because she already had a partner.
Su Xin didn’t feel any hint of interest from the little sister, and she couldn’t find anything in the original owner’s memories.
“Who would you choose as a partner?”
Mo Man asked, but she already had an answer in her heart.
Su Xin has already become the queen, so naturally she must choose the best partner. Without a doubt, the most outstanding male merman in the underwater world at the moment is Mo’er. The key point is that Mo’er doesn’t have a partner yet.
Su Xin glanced at the male merman not far away and shook her head at Mo Man.
“He’s not what I want.”
If she took the initiative to speak up, Mo’er would accept it whether he liked it or not. There aren’t so many twists and turns in their emotions. Although Su Xin doesn’t know if Mo’er likes her or not, he definitely wouldn’t reject her.
It’s a pity, he looks good, but there’s just no feeling.
The feeling, actually, is a kind of wonderful and uncontrollable emotion expressed in a literary language.
For example, love at first sight.
Or the impulse to mess around when she saw Li Yunxi.
Actually, it’s not that Li Yunxi makes her heart race so much, it’s just that she happened to meet her at the right time, and suddenly her heart started to accelerate, and her brain started to secrete dopamine.
If a person doesn’t have any inappropriate thoughts about the person they like, then they are either frigid or not liking them enough.
Wanting to do something doesn’t necessarily mean liking it, but liking something will definitely make you want to do it.
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Su Xin doesn’t have strong demands. If she really feels like it, she thinks she would choose Li Yunxi, not for anything else, just for that feeling.
“Then who do you want?”
Mo Man asked with confusion, why settle for second best when you have something good.
Su Xin didn’t answer her. She pretended to look profound, glanced at her, and swam away, leaving Mo Man confused and bewildered.
The seawater slowly receded into the sea, and humans began their post-disaster reconstruction work. At this time, the highly anticipated negotiations between the mermaids and humans were about to begin.
Yes, highly anticipated.
It’s unknown who leaked the news, but the people of the empire all knew about the upcoming negotiation between the general and the mermaids. They strongly demanded to gather and watch.
On one hand, it was to show concern for national affairs, and on the other hand, it was to witness the excitement.
In the eyes of many people, mermaids are still a mysterious species.
They wanted to know what they looked like, as well as their language and thoughts, but the emphasis was on their appearance.
Li Yunxi knew the intentions of the person who spread this news. They were afraid that if no one knew what she and the mermaids were talking about in secret, she wouldn’t be able to benefit from it.
Li Yunxi didn’t have such thoughts, so it didn’t matter whether it was broadcasted or not.
Li Yunxi sat in the diving machine, sinking into the depths of the sea, gazing at the vast and mysterious world, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the mermaid lady.
Su Xin arrived as agreed, but she wasn’t a lone fish. She was accompanied by many of her fellow tribe members.
“Queen, please be careful,”
Mo’er cautioned with concern.
The mermaids watched the unfamiliar machine and the unfamiliar people inside it, feeling worried about the fate of their queen who was about to enter.
They certainly didn’t know that their queen had been inside this machine before, nor did they know about her experiences here.
Li Yunxi opened the machine for Su Xin, allowing the seawater and the mermaids to enter together. Li Yunxi closed the door and drained the water out.
“Long time no see, Wei’er Ya.”
“Actually, we saw each other just five days ago.”
“A day apart feels like three autumns.”
Li Yunxi smiled and said to Su Xin.
Su Xin knew, but pretended not to understand.
“We can begin.”
“Alright, but allow me to inform you that there will be many spectators watching this negotiation. Do you understand?”
Su Xin nodded, making a face that said, ‘There’s this kind of high-level operation too.’
Su Xin’s fishtail had already transformed into two legs, resting under the table on Li Yunxi’s body.
Li Yunxi let her be and handed Su Xin some clothes to cover her body.
Li Yunxi turned on the machine, and at this moment, their entire situation was projected and seen by thousands of people on the Light Brain.
Many people expressed the same admiration and communicated their thoughts on the Light Brain.
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“So that’s a mermaid, so beautiful.”
“It’s hard to believe that they have been opposing us all along.”
“The goddess of the ocean.”
The appearance of the mermaid is so perfect that even the most picky person has nothing to say. She sits quietly there, like a stunning painting.
“Your Majesty the Queen, we can begin. May I ask what you would like to negotiate with us?”
“Your maritime transportation has been suspended for six years. I think we can restore it to its original state and even assist you in ensuring your safety when your cargo ships or cruise ships pass by.”
Su Xin took the lead in throwing her own bargaining chip, confident that Li Yunxi would agree.
“This sounds really good. What about the conditions?”
“Protect us.”
“What?”
“We are on the brink of extinction.”
The blonde-haired mermaid lowered her gaze and spoke softly.