Chapter 68: Go to Hell, Sea King 10

At this moment, Vulko was likely truly moved! He immediately raised his arm, clenched his fist, and slammed it heavily against his chest as he took an oath: "This subject will certainly not fail Your Majesty's heavy trust! Only those with the royal bloodline of Atlantis shall inherit the throne!"

Xining, accompanied by several trusted aides, piloted a high-performance sports submarine toward the territory of the Trench.

While inside the sleek little sub, Xining had already made up her mind to simply rescue the original host's blind mother. The protagonist's plot armor was simply too formidable; the Golden Trident, guarded by an ancient sea monster, was highly unlikely to be retrieved, but rescuing Atlanna could still be considered a meritorious deed.

What brought the original host a slight sense of relief was that Arthur had rescued Atlanna, which was why he made those two demands. If it were her, she would have wished for Arthur and Mera to both perish long ago, rather than merely fighting to keep the throne while wanting to know where she had gone wrong.

The original host, the primary male villain, was actually a good guy!

Passing through the domain of the Trench, millions of creatures surged forward. These brutal sea beasts, regressed to low intelligence, would attack passing ships and humans, surviving by hunting other species.

Sitting inside the submarine, Xining coldly watched the staggering number of Trench creatures swarming densely through the dim deep sea, their ugly bodies and sharp-fanged faces visible in the distance.

The communicator relayed the voice of a trusted aide nearby: "Your Majesty, they are coming! We must leave at once!"

Yet Xining remained seated calmly and securely, brimming with confidence: "Keep broadcasting. Wait for my command."

Yes, this time she had arranged a live broadcast. All public screens across Atlantis were displaying images of King Orm heading to the Trench to find the Queen.

The protagonist's plot armor was far too powerful; without capturing solid proof on camera, she might end up unwittingly paving the way for the protagonist all over again.

Thus, all of Atlantis was watching—some with avid interest, others feeling deeply anxious for King Orm and those out there. Just looking at the sheer number of Trench creatures, they were packed as densely as a school of herrings in the sea.

As the baring, snapping Trench creatures were about to strike, Xining gave a single command: "Turn on all lights and follow me at full speed!"

Instantly, the fleet of submarines emitted blinding radiances from all sides, illuminating the surrounding deep-sea waters.

"Aargh—!" The Trench creatures immediately covered their eyes with their bizarre "hands," "fins," and "claws," screaming as they retreated backward.

Meanwhile, the submarines pushed forward, crashing aside a few Trench monsters that failed to dodge in time.

Atlantis erupted into cheers, and seeing this sight, Vulko also wore a satisfied smile.

With the previous scenario as proof, Xining knew what they feared most: intense light. Living at the bottom of the sea, their eyes could not endure the stimulation of powerful glare.

The original host's loss of the throne stemmed first from yielding to the Golden Trident, and subsequently from a perceived loss of virtue and incompetence. If Atlanna were recovered or the Trident retrieved, the grounds for his overthrow would simply cease to exist.

Inside the submarine, Xining saw the footage transmitted from Atlantis and switched the camera angle to herself, delivering a mighty, handsome, and striking close-up: "Subjects of Atlantis, I hope you can forgive my impulsiveness. When I learned my mother was still alive, I went to her without a second thought. But put yourselves in my shoes—if your mother were also suffering, waiting for her child to save her, any person with a conscience would do the same. We are about to venture even deeper, and communications will be interrupted. Please send me your blessings. I love my mother, and I love Atlantis just as much. May Atlantis prosper forever!"

Having delivered this passionate speech to evoke tears and sympathy, Xining cut the video feed.

Next, the herald of Atlantis would read the previously enacted decree of royal succession, letting the public know that King Orm had been prepared to sacrifice himself before setting out. This decree would easily lead people to recall that there was another royal bloodline belonging to Arthur.

Such a noble king moved countless people to tears, crying and begging King Orm to return quickly, rivaling a tear-jerking melodrama.

Pfft. When Arthur later claimed the Trident and defeated Orm, those same people would be shouting their support for Arthur. Better hurry up and find the host's mother!

Although the submarines were forced apart by deep-sea undercurrents, Xining still managed to locate the picturesque little island according to the original plot.

"Mother! Atlanna! Queen!" Xining stepped out of the submarine, climbed onto the island, and began calling out.

Suddenly, an ugly Trench creature emerged from a nook.

Xining put on a bewildered expression: "Mother...?"

The "monster" removed its hood, revealing Atlanna's still-gorgeous face.

"Crap!" Atlanna looked thoroughly astonished. "I'm dressed like this, and you still recognized me?"

With a trace of helplessness, Xining pointed at Atlanna's hand: "Do Trench creatures wear pigeon-egg diamonds?"

On Atlanna's ring finger, a wedding ring remained—massive, a full eight-carat diamond sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight, nearly blinding to look at.

It seemed Atlanna still held a shred of lingering sentiment toward the original host's father, embodied in that priceless wedding ring. It was simply too expensive to throw away.

Atlanna glanced at the ring, then looked back at Xining with a lovely smile: "What brings you here?"

Xining rolled her eyes: "Mother, seeing me, shouldn't you come over, give your son a hug, shed a few tears, and talk about how much you've missed me?"

Thus, Atlanna walked over and embraced King Orm emotionally: "My son, I've missed you so much! All these years have passed, and every single moment I wanted nothing more than to escape; I almost gave up hope. I never expected you to come... I always thought your older brother would find me first."

She was only thinking about escaping with her eldest son, never once giving a thought to the original host?

Xining curled her lips in disdain: "I'm sorry, I didn't follow your wishes—I came first."

"How is your brother?"

That single sentence nearly made Xining throw a punch. Was this how a mother behaved? Upon seeing Arthur, she hadn't mentioned her second son once. Yet upon seeing her second son, she kept asking about the eldest.

Did mothers really prefer the rough-and-tumble type, failing to appreciate that her legitimate younger son was exceptionally handsome and strikingly distinguished?

Xining had to swallow her irritation: "Brother is doing fine, spending his days drinking at bars and flexing his muscles. I had Vulko bring him back to the palace to teach him statecraft, hoping to abdicate the throne to him."

"Good!" Atlanna's eyes filled with crystal-clear tears. "It is wonderful of you to have such a heart. Your brother truly ought to inherit the throne."

Xining...

She really wanted to hit someone again. What should she do?

A smile touched the corner of Xining's lips: "As it turns out, Brother ran away!"

Atlanna...

"He eloped with my fiancée."

Atlanna...

"And he even thought that if he inherited the throne after marriage, he'd keep going ashore to drink and hit the bars, leaving that wretch to be the Queen of Atlantis."

Atlanna...

Xining suddenly felt an urge to place her hands on her hips and laugh uproariously toward the sky: Behold your wonderful son!

You were obsessed with snatching the younger son's throne to give to the eldest, while this tattooed, muscle-bound hairy man only cared about drinking in bars and occasionally playing the hero by rescuing stranded fishermen—a total good-for-nothing.