The other clan leaders present, including the Octopus clan leader who was the Sea Emperor, fell silent upon hearing this. Their minds raced, contemplating the truthfulness of the information gleaned by the Eternal Jellyfish and weighing the pros and cons.
After a long while, someone finally raised a question.
"Are humans really that powerful? Could it be that they are deliberately spreading false information to intimidate us? That's not impossible!"
"I don't believe it. Humans probably never even considered our existence before, let alone prepared weapons to annihilate us. Most of their weapons should only be effective on land. How could they possibly exterminate our Sea Race so easily!"
"Exactly. There are many places in the ocean that humans can't possibly reach. Eternal Jellyfish, weren't you perhaps fooled by the humans? You believe such nonsense!"
"I believe it!"
"I've studied human history. After they developed WMDs, they became much more restrained in warfare. Nations possessing such weapons have consistently tried to restrain themselves and avoid conflict. Their rivalries are more often about economic and cultural strength. Or even the extent of their shamelessness! Oh, wait, that's a tangent. What I mean is, humans definitely possess the ability to make the entire planet uninhabitable for life. The ultimate outcome would be no less severe than the several mass extinction events recorded in human history. If humans were to deploy such world-ending methods multiple times, the damage could even surpass those mass extinctions. By then, even among our Sea Race, very few lives, or even entire species, would survive. I believe this is something none of us wish to see. If the best outcome of this war could be a Pyrrhic victory, I certainly wouldn't object. But the current reality is that the best-case scenario for this war is mutual annihilation. Is fighting on really worth it? We have no use for human lands. As for humans hunting sea creatures, our Sea Race hunts each other too, doesn't it? Aren't many of our subordinate species essentially our food? So, I think even if we can't achieve harmonious coexistence, we shouldn't at least start a full-scale war!"
Just as there were ignorant clan leaders among the sea creatures, there were also those who understood humans very well, even deeply studying human history. Often, all life forms, regardless of their nature, possess a fearless ignorance. It is only those who understand nothing, or other beings who understand nothing, that can be truly fearless. For instance, many children are not afraid of snakes, insects, or mice when they are young; they dare to play with venomous snakes. However, as they grow older and gain knowledge, understanding more about these creatures, they dare not touch them anymore. They might even shudder at the sight of them. This is the fearlessness of the ignorant.
At this moment, the sea creature clan leaders who had a deeper understanding of human technological levels naturally began to agree, leaning more towards the idea that peace was preferable.
"Are you all thinking too simply? It's probably beyond our control to achieve peace now. Humans are still constantly spreading increasingly potent viruses specifically targeting our Sea Race, and they are also continuously collecting our corpses to refine into pills for consumption. And they have already tasted the benefits. Given human greed, can you imagine them abandoning these advantages to live in peace with us? That's simply impossible."
After the assembled sea creatures had argued back and forth, reaching a general consensus, the Sea Emperor let out a slow, disdainful chuckle and clearly stated his stance:
"Human greed is etched into their genes. For profit or benefit, they will abandon everything. Humans themselves say that one hundred percent profit is enough to trample on laws, and three hundred percent profit can even make them sell the rope that will hang them. What percentage of profit do you think those humans are gaining from our Sea Race? However, you are right about one thing: we absolutely cannot initiate a full-scale war, as humans indeed possess weapons that we fear. Therefore, the next command is to continue the stalemate with humans. Simultaneously, prioritize self-preservation and avoid unnecessary risks. Our primary mission remains to raise the sea level. Since directly annihilating humans requires worrying about their mutual destruction, let's take it slow. In human terms, it's like slowly drowning the land, 'boiling a frog in warm water.' As long as we don't let them die immediately, leaving them with some hope, they likely won't resort to mutually assured destruction. After all, even if the sea level keeps rising, as long as it hasn't reached a certain point, they haven't reached desperation."
The Sea Emperor's words effectively determined the outcome of the meeting and set the specific course of action for the Sea Race in the coming period. Discussions then moved on to details and arrangements for everyone to return to their respective homes.
About half an hour after the meeting concluded, the Human Alliance successfully obtained intelligence regarding the Sea Race's plans, learning that the Sea Emperor still intended to completely submerge the land with seawater. This necessitated an emergency meeting among the humans.
One aspect was to explore whether they could persuade the Sea Race to abandon this idea and prevent them from further damaging the land and raising sea levels. Another was to research methods for creating ice or other means to lower sea levels. Additionally, preserving human freshwater resources was also a key point of discussion.
The ultimate outcome was that both sides were somewhat inclined towards peace talks but were unable to proceed due to various reservations. They could only continue the stalemate and the conflict. The only difference was that from then on, both sides exercised more restraint on the main battlefields, significantly reducing casualties. However, in clandestine, non-frontline engagements, the conflict became increasingly fierce and brutal. For instance, numerous sea creatures dug deep into the land, excavating earth to create more sea. Many sea creatures also disrupted underground water veins connecting to human territories, either diverting water veins towards the ocean or channeling seawater into the water veins, thus destroying human freshwater resources. In response, humans employed land reclamation efforts and launched ice bombs, using specialized weapons to forcibly create icebergs, glaciers, and ice shelves at the North and South Poles. This was a direct method to restore the marine environment and ecosystem, as well as the fastest and most convenient way to lower sea levels.
The two sides engaged in a fierce back-and-forth. Under the pressure of survival, human technological development experienced unprecedented rapid growth, truly validating the saying that pressure breeds progress. Especially for technologies related to the Sea Race, development was exceptionally swift. This included mass-produced, low-cost seawater desalination technology and artificial starch and protein production technology, all of which saw substantial development. What was once either unachieved or prohibitively expensive to achieve gradually transitioned to cheap, mass production.