Chapter 143: Alliance of the Ancient Cities

Soon, a message spread out from the ancient mermaid city. Upon receiving this intelligence, the lords of the various ancient cities began to act in secret, careful not to alert Lin Qiu. They were well aware that if their plans for an alliance were discovered, Lin Qiu would undoubtedly come to sabotage them.

Meanwhile, Lin Qiu returned to the City Lord's Mansion, a flicker of exhaustion crossing his face. Though his suppression of the Black Turtle clan had been impressive, it had drained his energy significantly. He hadn't wanted to show his weakness while outside, but now, inside his own mansion, there was no need to keep up the facade.

The old turtle standing nearby noticed this and hurriedly poured a few pills from his sleeve. "Young City Lord, please take these."

"Mm." Lin Qiu took the pills from the old turtle's hand and began to digest their medicinal properties to restore his spiritual power. He hadn't been injured, but the overexertion of his spiritual energy had left him in a weakened state.

"For the time being, tell everyone in the city not to go out, and keep a close watch on any movements within the city," Lin Qiu instructed after absorbing the medicine. He knew full well that after this incident, the Black Turtle clan would surely contact the other city lords in secret to conspire against the Other Shore Royal City.

"Understood." The old turtle nodded, his expression calm. After all, he had served the previous City Lord through many tumultuous times; he had seen such situations countless times before.

"What do you intend to do about Sun Erniang, Young City Lord? You don't truly intend to marry her, do you?" Taking advantage of the moment while Lin Qiu was recovering, the old turtle voiced his concern. It was clear he did not support the union. The White Fish clan, while gifted with unique skills, were far from qualified to be the mistress of the Other Shore Royal City.

Lin Qiu fell silent. He was well aware of the old turtle's point, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. His feelings for Sun Erniang were genuine, yet he knew that if he were to name her his mistress now, it would bring endless trouble to the White Fish clan. After all, Lin Qiu had essentially offended everyone worth offending in the ocean.

"Let's leave that for later; there's no rush."

Just as he finished speaking with the old turtle, Lin Qiu sensed that someone on the surface was calling for him, as if something urgent had arisen. The summons had been going on for a while, but he had been too busy recovering his strength to notice.

"I am going into seclusion; please inform the others for me." After using this excuse to send the old turtle away, Lin Qiu used the system to return to the surface.

In his room on land, Team Leader Jiang was standing outside with a group of people, his face etched with suspicion. Seeing this, Lin Qiu stood up and asked, "Is there something you need?" He hadn't yet properly greeted this new team leader, having only encountered him once briefly at the cave. However, judging by their demeanor, they had come with ill intent. Even Wang Xiaomeng, standing behind Jiang, looked visibly distressed.

"After our follow-up investigation of the scene, we discovered you had contact with a demon-race creature. Why did you not report this?" Team Leader Jiang’s tone was icy, as if he were interrogating a criminal rather than treating Lin Qiu as a member of the Investigation Bureau. The attitude made Lin Qiu’s expression darken.

"So, what do you want now?" Since Jiang was being hostile, Lin Qiu saw no reason to remain polite, his voice carrying a sharp edge.

"All of you, leave," Jiang suddenly commanded, waving the other bureau members away. Wang Xiaomeng and the others glanced between Lin Qiu and Jiang before turning to leave.

"I am Jiang Feng. I represent the Primordial Realm. The demon creature you encountered in the cave stole the most important treasure of our realm. If you are smart, you will tell me everything about that creature."

Hearing this, Lin Qiu realized the true nature of the situation. This was merely a pretext to settle a score on behalf of Bai Jingjing.

"I have nothing to say. The Investigation Bureau has no authority to investigate its own members unless you possess substantive evidence." Lin Qiu was no fool; he had memorized the bureau’s regulations long ago and spoke with complete confidence.

"Are you truly prepared to make an enemy of our Primordial Realm?" Jiang Feng’s voice grew angry at Lin Qiu’s dismissive attitude.

"Are you intending to lay a hand on me?" Lin Qiu crossed his arms, a mocking smile on his face, his internal power already circulating. Should Jiang Feng make a single aggressive move, he was ready to take the man's life in an instant.

"Does the Investigation Bureau now make a habit of investigating its own people?" As the tension in the room reached a breaking point, Xu Bancheng’s voice echoed from the corridor. He appeared at the door, clearly having heard the news and rushed over.

"Hmph. Don't be too smug. Cross us, and you will eventually learn your lesson." Before leaving, Jiang Feng issued a final threat. Lin Qiu paid it no mind, knowing that the people of the Primordial Realm could not yet enter freely; otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to appoint a puppet like Jiang Feng to confront him.

"Did that kid give you any trouble?" After Jiang Feng left, Xu Bancheng approached Lin Qiu.

Lin Qiu shook his head and asked, "Why was someone from the Primordial Realm sent here? Where did Liu Changfeng go?" This was something he had been wanting to ask. Why replace Liu Changfeng when he was doing his job well? There was definitely something fishy going on.

"It’s the result of a power struggle between various factions. Even I have no way to change it. Many mysterious forces are emerging on Earth now."