Chapter 58 — ILK Chapter 58

Aquaculture Launch in the Tide Sea

Queen Isabella of the Tide Sea Clan did not appear before everyone until the second day. The previous day, she had been leading her people in transplanting King Coral to a newly developed area of the sea, using the coral colonies to help purify the ocean.

When Sang Ye woke up the next morning, she saw a silver-haired woman floating on her back in the massive central pool, her posture free and languid. She possessed the same exquisite features as Sireno—a beautiful creature of the deep—but her aura was open, grand, and carried the authority of a ruler, far beyond Sireno’s youthful temperament.

Her fish tail was unlike Sireno’s dreamlike one; it bore black-and-white skin similar to a killer whale, with faint glimmers of iridescent scales that looked razor-sharp and deadly. Even without an introduction, Sang Ye knew exactly who she was.

Isabella looked back through the water and waved a hand with casual familiarity.

"Hello, Colonel," Isabella said, righting herself in the water with a slight effort. "Don't mind me. I sustained a bit of an injury, so I have to recuperate in the water for now." She pointed to her tail, and Sang Ye noticed that the fin near the base was nearly severed. Although the bleeding had stopped, the wound remained jarring.

"It’s not too serious. We chose a poor location for the new area and didn't realize it was a nest for sea beasts. There was a bit of a scuffle," Isabella mentioned nonchalantly. She didn't tell Sang Ye that she had been injured while protecting a sea beast from being misidentified as a threat. "You can call me Lilibet, my nickname."

Her easygoing nature immediately lowered Sang Ye’s initial guard.

"By the way, tell me—did my dear brother incite public outrage again?" Lilibet winked, clearly well-acquainted with Sireno's style.

"The Prince is... very popular," Sang Ye replied with an awkward, diplomatic smile.

"That boy came back complaining that the base was throwing him out. I could have guessed what he’d done with my tail fin alone. Don't mind him; he'll learn his lesson after a few more beatings," Lilibet pouted, then brightened again as she looked at Sang Ye. "Thank you for your kindness in taking him in."

Du Yuan brought refreshments to the poolside, and Lilibet leaned in with interest. Du Yuan had woken up early and, instead of waking the late sleepers, she had made Pork Floss Cakes and Brown Sugar Milk Tea for the morning break.

The freshly baked cakes were golden and fluffy, radiating the warm scent of butter and cream. Sang Ye and Du Yuan sat on soft cushions by the pool to share them with Lilibet. The cakes sprinkled with seaweed were savory and salty, with a core of cool cream that balanced the dryness of the pork floss. Sang Ye's favorite was the Lemon Yogurt version—fresh, tart, and milky.

The brown sugar milk tea was thick and fragrant. Brown sugar, being more warming than red sugar, was perfect for replenishing one's "Qi" and blood.

As they ate, Sang Ye noticed Lilibet's tail fin was healing at a rapid pace. Her thoughts shifted to the clean seabed she had seen yesterday. If ordinary plants can't handle the mental energy output of the Tide Sea people, what about the plants from my dimension that thrive on it?It would be a "match made in heaven." With underwater vegetation, diverse marine life could flourish. Sang Ye could even negotiate with Lilibet to lease a patch of the sea for aquaculture. She could be a "fishing boss," heading out to sea to harvest her own stock.

…

Sang Ye was a woman of action. After Lilibet finished eating, the two dove into the water. Fifty meters beneath the sea-view house lay the Royal Palace. For a merman, fifty meters was a matter of seconds, but Sang Ye descended slowly to let her lungs adjust to the pressure, despite her terminal's assistance.

The sight of the King Coral colonies was breathtaking. Reef coral, rose coral, staghorn, and fan coral intertwined in a riot of color, illuminating the deep. Lilibet led her to a raised silt platform behind the palace.

Sang Ye planted various seeds from her storage ring—kelp, seagrass, and anemones. These were originally intended for aquarium ecosystems back home. The seaweed, feeding on the mental energy in the water, grew at a terrifying speed. By the time Sang Ye turned around to sow the next patch, the first had already become a lush, swaying green forest.

Then, like a magician, Sang Ye released thousands of crab fry, shrimp larvae, and fingerlings. She had obtained these from Du Yuan. Du Yuan had a habit of collecting seeds and seedlings wherever she went, acting like a "Mendel of the cultivation world." Under the unique advantages of the Tide Sea, this became the perfect nursery.

,,,

On land, Amoli Island was bustling. Many Tide Sea people had come ashore for mental channeling. To their surprise, they didn't have to wait in line. The base and the Tide Sea nobles distributed "food"—instant noodles, rice balls, fried fish, and bread—promising they had the same effect as channeling.

At first, the people were skeptical. But within seconds, the sounds of slurping filled the air. One bite was enough to realize this was a "delicacy" unlike any nutrient solution they had ever tasted. More importantly, a cool, floral mental energy flooded their mental landscapes like rain on parched earth.

Back underwater, Sang Ye was working at the base of the reef. When she finally finished sowing the deep-sea varieties—clams, sea bass, and grouper—she emerged into the open water.

Waiting for her outside the reef was a merman who bore a strong resemblance to Lilibet and Sireno. Lilibet straightened her posture, her expression becoming formal: "Colonel, allow me to introduce you. This is my father, the former King of the Tide Sea, Matthews."

Unlike his vivacious daughter or "innocent" son, Matthews looked so stern that Sang Ye felt as if she were at a formal diplomatic summit representing the base.