Xiao Xun closed the door and saw a person sitting in a small room of about thirty square meters. The person looked ordinary, the kind you wouldn't find in a crowd.
"Yo! Long time no see! President Mu, where are you enjoying yourself since you stopped being president?"
Mu Jiahe sat opposite the person. "Your news is as well-informed as ever. Are you here for anything else today? Help me investigate a case."
The person looked at Mu Jiahe expressionlessly. "A case! Is it a homicide?"
Mu Jiahe nodded. "Yes, the forensic report says hemorrhagic shock. I want the truth."
The person said 'oh' and looked at Xiao Xun. "And this is?"
"My boyfriend."
The person gave a thumbs-up. "You have good taste."
"Do you have the detailed information of the person being investigated and police files?"
Xiao Xun frowned. "Will that affect the investigation?"
"If you have it, it'll be cheaper, saving me the trouble of looking. If not, it'll be more expensive. But President Mu is not short of money, so it doesn't matter to him."
Xiao Xun asked him, "How do you charge?"
"By the day, or by the result. By the day, it's three thousand a day. By the result, yours is a murder case, and the chance of getting compensation is high, so it'll be more expensive, about a hundred thousand! The specific settlement will depend on the difficulty encountered midway."
Xiao Xun nodded. "Okay, let's settle by result. When do we start?"
"From when you pay me fifty percent of the advance payment."
Xiao Xun took out his phone. "What if you can't find the result?"
The person said arrogantly, "The advance payment is non-refundable, and the final payment is not collected."
Xiao Xun transferred the money to him via QR code. After receiving the money, he said to Xiao Xun, "Because you're so prompt with your payment, I'll give you a reminder: from now on, whether it concerns you or not, it's best to have acquaintances talk to each other first."
His face turned red, realizing he had spoken out of turn.
The two of them left the urban village and saw that there was nothing in the car. Xiao Xun secretly rejoiced.
After driving for a street, Xiao Xun asked Mu Jiahe, "Who was that person just now?"
Mu Jiahe explained, "I met him by chance. He's a private investigator, quite famous in the industry. Most people who catch their spouses cheating or look for mistresses go to him."
Xiao Xun wanted to ask how Mu Jiahe knew him, but he felt too embarrassed to ask and swallowed the question.
Yun Mei's matter was temporarily put aside. Xiao Xun's most important task now was to defend and look for opportunities to counterattack.
They had a hearty meal at the best restaurant in G City. Mu Jiahe treated them and even drank a bottle of the most expensive red wine there.
"This meal today is to see you off. The Deep Sea Legion is not like the Heavenly Calamity. They have never made a move in thousands of years, and there is no record of their actions in history, so be extremely careful."
Xiao Xun picked up an octopus with a silver fork and said dismissively, "Hmph! The Deep Sea Legion, aren't they just a bunch of sea creatures who have gained sentience! Shrimp soldiers and crab generals are not to be feared."
"Never underestimate them, that's a major taboo in warfare."
Xiao Xun held up his fork. "Then do you know why the Deep Sea Legion has had no record of action for thousands of years?"
Mu Jiahe looked at him curiously. Xiao Xun popped the octopus on the fork into his mouth. "That's because the Deep Sea Legion has all become someone's meal."
Mu Jiahe shook his head speechlessly, knowing that Xiao Xun was too dismissive, which was not a good thing.
Although Xiao Xun spoke lightly, he was actually saying it to himself. Because he had almost drowned in a reservoir when he was young, he had a phobia of water, and a deep-seated fear of the sea.
After dinner in the evening, the two looked at their empty home and felt a sense of unease.
Xiao Xun looked at Mu Jiahe. "How about..."
Mu Jiahe turned to him when he heard Xiao Xun speak. "What is it?"
"Let's hire a few more maids! At least the house will be more lively."
Mu Jiahe sighed. "Forget it. This place is called home, but it's actually just a teleportation point connecting the two worlds for us. If there are too many people, it'll be more trouble."
Xiao Xun understood what Mu Jiahe meant, otherwise, there would have been maids everywhere by now.
The two returned to the other world. Now, Xiao Xun could confidently take over the troops.
He lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Even though the mattress was soft, Mu Jiahe could feel Xiao Xun tossing and turning like 'flipping pancakes' on the bed.
"Something on your mind?"
Xiao Xun looked at Mu Jiahe and sighed deeply. "When will this ever end!?"
Mu Jiahe also felt a mix of emotions. He knew that Xiao Xun's words had many implications. "The boat will reach its destination naturally. Don't worry, there will be a solution."
After dawn, Mu Jiahe went to the morning court.
Xiao Xun had Bai Yang bring Selleny onto the helicopter and headed towards the coastal area of Saint Tiromann.
Selleny was still very excited to see Xiao Xun. She thought Xiao Xun was just talking and wouldn't actually leave with her, but she didn't expect Xiao Xun to actually take her along.
This trip consisted of a total of five helicopters, carrying Xiao Xun and Selleny, as well as the Twelve Star Envoys.
These five helicopters were the only ones in all of Saint Tiromann. This was because the magical helicopters consumed a huge amount of energy, were slower than ordinary propeller planes, and most importantly, had a low carrying capacity, could not transport goods, and could not be equipped with weapons and ammunition. Moreover, the cost of building one was extremely expensive.
Given their impracticality, and with recent resource shortages, they had been halted by Lorgard, the second-in-command of the armory.
They departed in the morning and arrived at their destination in the evening.
The waters of Saint Tiromann were known as the Sea of Tranquility. In addition to the commoners of Saint Tiromann, there was also a species that lived in the seawater, known as the Merfolk, who had the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish.
Those with high magical power could live permanently on land, but most could only live in the ocean, breathing through special gills under their arms.
The males were all fierce-looking, while the females were all exceptionally beautiful. Mermaids referred to the female members of the Merfolk.
Their ruler was also a woman. Her true name was unknown, but the coastal residents and the Merfolk called her Empress Posiedel.
The Merfolk were actually the main force against the Deep Sea Legion. No one knew what lay in the depths of the ocean. She was the true ruler of the ocean.
Xiao Xun's cannons and planes were not of much help in naval warfare, but Xiao Xun brought blueprints for submarines and torpedoes and recruited several Goblin master mechanics from the capital's armory.
He arranged for Selleny to stay in Horton's former castle, which was now Xiao Xun's private property.
When Delvana left, Xiao Xun had told her to give the Phoenix Army three days of leave to visit relatives, and then to set up defenses along the coast.
Although the Phoenix Army had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, facing the vast ocean, this number was clearly insufficient.
Because the Deep Sea Legion had been harassing coastal cities and villages for the past two days, Rusk was getting impatient.
It was unclear which 'talent' around him gave him the idea to issue a complete ban on sea travel, prohibiting any vessels from venturing out to sea.
This resulted in fishermen and Merfolk merchants who relied on the sea for their livelihood losing their sources of income.
However, the Silver Armor Army had limited numbers, and he couldn't defend every area. Moreover, he had his own territory to protect and couldn't possibly pay attention to everything.
This allowed the Deep Sea Legion to seize opportunities and land daily, burning, killing, and looting.
Therefore, the ban on sea travel was of no use against the enemy, but it only made things harder for their own people.