Xiao Xun's first action upon arriving at the castle was to listen to the surrounding wealthy individuals petitioning on behalf of the people.
On the first day of the Phoenix Army's return, Rusk's Silver Armor Army withdrew from this area without a word.
With no handover, Delvana was completely bewildered about the situation here.
Xiao Xun, without even a sip of water, began to handle official duties, for he was the highest administrative official in this region.
It was late into the night when Xiao Xun was still burning the midnight oil.
Looking at the mountain of official documents before him, he recalled General Manager Wang Sucheng in his original world being in the same predicament. He chuckled unconsciously.
Salefiny walked over with a cup of coffee. Hearing Xiao Xun laugh, she gently placed the coffee aside. "Your Highness, is there something that makes you happy?"
Xiao Xun sighed and shook his head. "It's all complaints. What's there to be happy about? It's all about Rusk or Horton's petty grievances."
He then tossed the document in his hand aside. "However, the most important thing is that they can't go out to sea and therefore can't survive."
"Then how do you plan to deal with it?"
Xiao Xun thought about it. He truly had no good solutions. He wasn't a master of handling political affairs. Fortunately, he didn't transmigrate into a palace intrigue drama, or he wouldn't even survive the opening theme song.
"Salefiny, go to the door and call Bai Yang for me."
After Bai Yang entered, Xiao Xun instructed him to bring all the military and administrative officials of this area to the conference room on the first floor of the castle.
Bai Yang agreed and disappeared. Xiao Xun stood up and walked down.
When he pushed open the door to the castle, there were already four bewildered administrative staff in the main conference room. Two of them were still in their pajamas, and their expressions suggested they had just woken up.
Xiao Xun exclaimed, "Bai Yang's magic is growing stronger."
Once the main officials were gathered, Xiao Xun summarized the various issues he had encountered while processing the documents. Some advocated for retreat. Xiao Xun said, "This vast territory, not an inch will be yielded. Anyone who speaks of this again will face my wrath."
He then instructed them to discuss each issue one by one and formulate solutions.
As dawn broke, the sun slowly rose from the horizon. Xiao Xun yawned and listened to the crowing of roosters outside, looking at the excited faces before him. Sixteen issues remained, and three of them had not yet been properly resolved. Someone always had a differing opinion, and they argued fiercely, citing many practical examples, making it difficult for Xiao Xun to favor any side.
Xiao Xun slammed the table, interrupting the arguing crowd. "Today's meeting ends here. For the thirteen issues that will be publicly announced, those who need to go back to rest, go back to rest. Those who need to attend to other matters, go attend to them. For the remaining three issues, I will give you two days to think carefully. Everyone prepare yourselves, dismissed."
With that, Xiao Xun stood up, swayed, and almost fell.
Bai Yang quickly supported Xiao Xun's arm. He waved his hand, signaling he was fine, just tired.
Indeed, he was tired. He hadn't slept a full night's sleep in days. Salefiny hadn't slept all night, waiting for Xiao Xun to return.
He ate a little and returned to the bedroom. Horton's bedroom was luxuriously decorated, even larger and more imposing than the bedroom in the main castle of Belphas.
Looking at the bedroom, Xiao Xun lamented Horton's extravagance while asking Bai Yang, "What happened to Horton's family and the slaves in the castle?"
Bai Yang replied, "Horton's wife committed suicide, leaving behind a son and two daughters. They are under house arrest at the Delisken government office."
Xiao Xun nodded. "Release them!"
Bai Yang agreed and disappeared.
Xiao Xun took off his coat and lay on the bed. Salefiny also gently lay down beside Xiao Xun.
He was too tired. As soon as he closed his eyes, he fell asleep.
In his dream, he was floating above turbulent waves. A fierce wind raged in the sky, and the clouds pressed down low, accompanied by lightning and thunder.
In the distance, a giant waterspout was churning, and lightning flashed around the massive water column, connecting the sky and the sea.
At this moment, a "person" dressed in a yellow robe slowly emerged from the surging sea. Their body was so vast it resembled a yellow mountain peak, and he was like a mere speck of dust before it.
Beneath the enormous yellow robe lay an endless darkness. At the head area, a circle of red light suddenly lit up, like the switch of an induction cooker, appearing particularly bright in the darkness.
Xiao Xun wanted to speak, but he felt as if a large stone was pressing on his chest, the immense pressure preventing him from uttering a word.
Then, from the darkness beneath the yellow robe, countless tentacle-like appendages, similar to those of an octopus, emerged and wrapped around him.
The powerful suction and viscous feel made Xiao Xun feel incredibly nauseous and uncomfortable.
"Ah!"
He let out a hoarse scream and sat up in bed, drenched in sweat. Salefiny beside him was looking at him with a terrified expression.
Xiao Xun looked around. Heavy rain had started outside, and the lightning and thunder were exactly like in his dream.
Salefiny, thinking Xiao Xun was nervous and overworked, gently patted his back.
She also had a servant prepare a cup of hot milk to calm Xiao Xun.
"What a vivid dream!"
Salefiny asked Xiao Xun what he dreamed about, but Xiao Xun did not reveal the details of his dream.
In the seaside winter, although the air was cold and damp, rain was a common occurrence. However, the lightning striking at this time was extremely abnormal, and it was clear that unusual events indicated something was amiss.
Xiao Xun braved the heavy rain and led his men to the coastline. He feared it might be a ploy by the Deep Sea Legion. If they attacked during this time, the Phoenix Army, unaware of the enemy's strength, would be completely defenseless.
Upon arriving at the coastline, he also brought eighteen long-range cannons transported by armored vehicles.
The strong sea breeze made it difficult to open his eyes. Xiao Xun stood with his hands on his hips, looking up at the sky.
"Come, fire all eighteen cannons simultaneously, let the Deep Sea Legion see our might."
Boom!
Giant waves surged into the sky, followed by a clear shout from the sea, "Who did that? How dare you smash my ship!"
"What's going on? Someone is out at sea in this weather!" Just as Xiao Xun was feeling puzzled, he suddenly remembered that he had fired long-range cannons, and anything they hit would be reduced to pieces.
Delvana drew his weapon and pointed at the sea. "Who is it?"
A figure rose from the sea.
A person with golden hair cascading to their waist appeared. Their upper body was bare, with only two glistening seashell halves covering their chest. Their beautiful face was complemented by a golden-red fishtail.
The Grand Marshal of the Phoenix Army said to Xiao Xun, "Your Highness, this should be a mermaid."
The person walked on the waves and elegantly stepped onto the beach. The moment they emerged from the water, their fishtail naturally transformed into two slender, beautiful legs, and the scales turned into a golden, sheer veil.
Xiao Xun knew the stories of mermaids and was surprised that such a race actually existed in this world. "Mermaid? Are they the legendary mermaids?"
The Grand Marshal nodded. "That's right, many people call them that."
The mermaid walked up to Xiao Xun. "Did you throw things into the sea and smash my ship?"
"It's a misunderstanding. I didn't throw things around, nor did I intentionally smash your ship. I just wanted to show the Deep Sea Legion my strength!" Xiao Xun saw the mermaid's face clearly. He couldn't tell her age; she was very beautiful, as mermaids are supposed to be.
The other party spoke unceremoniously. "If I smash your things and then say it was a misunderstanding, is that acceptable?"