The Bog Island Heist: Kindly Surrender It!

Old Turtle, who was signing a document, jolted in surprise at the words, his head snapping up to glance frantically at Snoopy. He was utterly dumbfounded. "Your, Your Majesty?"

Snoopy strode up to him, made a silencing gesture, and stated gravely, "Something major has happened! Shut your mouth, listen to me, and then immediately carry out my orders!"

Old Turtle's expression became solemn, and he promptly knelt, ready to receive his monarch's command!

"I received news in Emerald City that Renault's Northern Fleet plans to launch an offensive while I'm attending the ceremony. So, I returned to Bog Island anonymously overnight, leaving the others in Emerald City to cover for me..."

Darick's initial shock quickly turned to joy. He abruptly looked up, a fawning smile on his face. "Your Majesty is brilliant! This way, we can give the Renault Empire a 'massive' surprise!" Even as he spoke, a hint of doubt lingered in Old Turtle's heart. Why did it feel somewhat strange? In such top-secret crisis situations, His Majesty always discussed methods of response with him first, then modified and executed them based on his suggestions. But today... why was he acting so autocratically?

This wasn't to fault Du Chen and Snoopy's performance; after all, how long had they known Seins? It was already incredibly difficult to mimic his tone and mannerisms so vividly! If they could also perfectly imitate his decision-making style in secret matters, that would be truly supernatural!

Thankfully, despite his myriad doubts, Old Turtle believed one thing implicitly: his Spiritual Power could not be wrong! From appearance to soul, the person before him was completely and utterly His Majesty Seins!

As long as it was a decision made by His Majesty, he must obey!

Old Turtle humbly cast aside his last vestiges of doubt.

Snoopy sat regally in Old Turtle's seat and commanded, "Order the first six Legions of the Garrison Fleet to immediately gather in the shallow waters south of Bog Island. Simultaneously, half of Bog Island's main garrison will be dispatched to provide support..."

Old Turtle gasped. "Your Majesty, are you certain about the shallow waters? Our Garrison Fleet brothers excel in Deep Sea combat, and shallow waters are Renault's advantage!"

"Seins" smiled mysteriously. "Tell the front-line Generals not to worry; I've already arranged everything! Gather in the shallow waters. Have you forgotten my past battle examples?"

This vague, mysterious answer made Darick smile knowingly. He thought, *How could I forget? His Majesty possesses a mysterious underground troop deployment ability. While shallow waters favor Renault, don't they also shorten the attack time for our army when launching a sudden underground assault? Heh heh, His Majesty is brilliant!*

From within the Precious Lotus Scripture, Du Chen watched Old Turtle's expression shift from worry to joy, and he merely curled his lips. He thought, *Think whatever you want! To avoid giving myself away, I specifically instructed Snoopy to use such ambiguous, open-to-interpretation language when giving orders!*

"Why haven't you carried out the order yet?" Snoopy's voice grew stern, as if chastising Darick for delaying military affairs.

Old Turtle froze for a moment, then knelt and extended his hand. "Your Majesty, this old servant... the Military Deployment Token? Without your Military Deployment Token, the Garrison Fleet Generals won't believe me!"

Which army had no rules? Which army's deployment didn't require a Military Deployment Token and command arrow!?

Old Turtle looked at the Sea King with suspicion. A Military Deployment Token, and the Sea King present in person—these were the two necessary conditions for deploying the navy, neither could be missing! This had been their Sea Clan's rule for a thousand years!

*Your Majesty, why did you not produce the Military Deployment Token after giving your orders?*

The atmosphere in the pavilion turned a bit chilling, but Snoopy simply smiled, slowly pulling a palm-sized token from his pocket. It was shark-shaped, with gilded characters on its front: "The Seven Legions of the Garrison Fleet Obey!"

Darick finally breathed a sigh of relief. He respectfully took the token, examined it, and nodded with a smile. "This old servant will go execute your command at once!"

Du Chen, hidden in the Precious Lotus Scripture, also let out a breath of relief. *Finally, we pulled it off...*

Du Chen hadn't been idle during the six days before the celebration. He had "borrowed" a few small items from the Sea King, and Alex, who could even replicate the Beast Emperor’s Seal, worked through the night, clanging and clanking, to assemble a complete set of Sea King's command arrows for Snoopy. Then, Du Chen stealthily returned the items to a treasure chest belonging to the Sea King's entourage...

However, the nose of this shark token contained Anya's unique mark, and Du Chen was truly worried about a mishap!

"Wait!" Snoopy called out, stopping Old Turtle. "How are the brothers in the cave progressing with polishing the Sacred Artifact Box?"

"Reporting, Your Majesty, the brothers have been working overtime as per your instructions. It will likely take about fifteen more days!" According to the Sea Clan's original plan, the Sacred Artifact Box was indeed meant to be opened in fifteen days, precisely after the main ceremonies of the Emerald City celebration concluded and the Sea King returned to Bog Island.

But fifteen days? That was too long! Yet, the Sea Clan's The Master were genuinely working at their absolute limit; they couldn't go any faster! Snoopy said with a touch of melancholy, "Alright! Tell the brothers to speed up! I... truly can't wait!"

Darick's expression became serious. "Your Majesty, I understand your feelings!" He gritted his teeth. "I'll tell the brothers to spare no expense, to accelerate with all their might! Ten days! No, I'll have its contents delivered to you within seven days!"

Seins nodded and then instructed, "Darick, a major battle is imminent. The slaves on the island might seize this opportunity to cause trouble. While you're relaying the orders, also summon Damon and Philip, the leaders of the slaves!"

...

Not long after Old Turtle left, the two slave leaders Du Chen had specifically asked to see arrived at the pavilion. As soon as they entered, they cast a resentful glance at Sea King Seins, who was seated in the main position, and saluted indifferently. "Greetings, Master..."

The Sea King waved his hand, and with a clang, the large door behind them locked. As the two panicked, they sharply turned to see Du Chen smiling at them from the doorway.

They looked at the Sea King's nonchalant demeanor, then at Du Chen's confident smile behind him, and suddenly understood. "It's you!? Excellent, Lord Francis, is there hope for restoration of our nation!?" With that, the two men thumped to their knees before Du Chen!

Du Chen curled his lips. *Damn it, what in the world is going on? Even if Porter told them to respect me, these two former Grand Generals and Marshals of the Miki Duchy shouldn't be so respectful as to kneel the moment they see me, right!?*

Du Chen was baffled by the genuine, heartfelt respect they showed.

However, these two were thinking, *Steward Lancy instructed us to strictly guard the Princess's identity. Furthermore, Francis is likely to become the Miki Regent Prince, the Queen's husband, in the future! He must be given the respect due to a king!*

Du Chen helped them up and whispered, "I need to assist my brother, who is impersonating the Sea King here, so I can't contact Prince Porter for now. Please convey this to His Highness! Tomorrow at noon, the Sea King will die in Emerald City! Simultaneously, Renault's Northern Fleet will launch a full-scale attack on the Garrison Fleet! Tell Porter to lead you in inciting a riot at that time. The navies of the Grand Delta Sea will secretly assist you under the guise of helping the Sea King... Brothers, whether the nation can be restored depends on you tomorrow!"

The two men exchanged a look, then suddenly burst into tears. They forced themselves to kneel again, banging their heads several times to Du Chen. Damon cried, "Lord Francis, what you have done for the millions of people in Miki Duchy, we, we will never forget it!"

"Alright, don't cry yet! Nothing has succeeded yet; tears should be shed when Porter ascends the throne!"

Damon nodded, wiping away his tears. "Yes, we will celebrate when His Royal Highness ascends the throne... Oh, right, the... Prince Porter, favored by the Goddess, said that if everything goes smoothly, he might have a little surprise for you on the day he ascends and restores the nation!"

Philip also said with a slightly amused expression, "That's right, the Prince said you absolutely shouldn't be too surprised when you see that surprise!"

"A little surprise? Heh, what's that kid up to?" Du Chen smiled, waving them away to prepare.

What could this "little surprise" be?

Under the night sky, someone murmured softly to the moon, "Is it too late? No, I refuse to believe that the brotherly affection Francis and I have shared for so many years cannot transform into love! Lancy, do everything I've instructed for the Queen's coronation day. Heh, I can't wait to see the amusing expression on Francis's face when the Queen arrives..."

Some were making final efforts for love, some were polishing their greatswords to slay the Sea King, some were impersonating Seins, diligently perusing the Sea Clan's Secret Scrolls, and similarly, some were secretly arriving at the Northern Fleet, barking orders, overflowing with imperial presence...

Bog Island, Emerald City, Golden Sands Cape—the sea region formed by these three places, on this night, became a convergence of fate, brewing a quiet, mysterious atmosphere before a storm.

But just as the clock struck three in the morning of the next day...

The Sea King's Temporary Palace on Bog Island was built in a Saltwater Lake. Snoopy was sound asleep, soaking in the seawater, while Du Chen seized the opportunity to examine the Sea Clan's secrets. Just then, Du Chen suddenly heard a sound in his ear!

It was the sound of the tide! But the Sea King's Temporary Palace was a full forty to fifty li from the sea. Could the sound of the tide really reach here?

Du Chen's expression changed. Hidden within the Precious Lotus Scripture, he woke Snoopy. "Get up, listen closely to this sound!"

Snoopy listened groggily. "What sound? Are you overly nervous, experiencing tinnitus? Come on, your old man will laugh for you..."

"Shut up!" Du Chen listened intently. A moment later, he whispered, "This sound contains battle qi, as if a High-level Battle God is simulating it with an instrument... Damn it, Secret Techniques have been added to these sound waves; they're specifically played for you and me in the Sea God's Palace!" More precisely, it should be played for the Sea King!

Snoopy tried very hard to listen but still heard nothing. "Could it be that the frequency of this sound is specifically for Titled Battle Gods!?"

As he pondered this, Du Chen's heart stirred. He shrunk the Precious Lotus Scripture to its smallest size and hid it on Snoopy's body. Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open.

"Seins, I have been signaling for a long time. Why have you not come to meet me?"