At this moment, the banquet hall, both inside and out, was heavily guarded by numerous Fish-Man soldiers of the Neptune Army. These soldiers were clad in armor, wielding steel tridents, and each stood over two meters tall.
Especially along the red carpet leading directly into the hall, a Neptune Army soldier stood every three meters, their eyes fixed straight ahead, chests puffed out with pride.
Three members of the World Government, led by the Right Minister, entered the hall.
The Right Minister, a seahorse Fish-Man with an orange-yellow complexion, carried a sword at his left waist and held a crescent-shaped long-handled blade in his right hand. His entire demeanor exuded a strong military aura.
Soon, the four of them reached the center of the hall.
The Right Minister stopped and reported in a deep voice to King Neptune, who was seated on the throne, "Your Majesty, the officials from the World Government have arrived!"
Meanwhile, Queen Otohime, seated to the side of the throne, observed the three black-clad figures below. A sense of anticipation welled up in her heart.
"Well done, return to your position," King Neptune nodded.
Upon hearing the command, the Right Minister took his place on the left, standing opposite the Left Minister on the right.
"Respected King Neptune, I am Coulson, a senior executive of the Administrative Department, directly under the World Government's Political Affairs Council," the leading black-clad official introduced himself first.
His expression appeared very gentle, and his tone was filled with respect, which greatly pleased both the Left and Right Ministers.
"Good, and who are these two?"
King Neptune looked at the other two black-clad figures, as one of them was carrying a black briefcase, which caught his attention.
Coulson smiled and said, "They are members of CP7, responsible for security."
"I see."
King Neptune understood and no longer paid attention to them, saying, "Then, tell me, what is the purpose of your visit to Fish-Man Island? I am very curious."
"This time, I am here on behalf of the World Government for three main matters. The first is regarding the Levely, which is scheduled to be held this June."
After saying this, Coulson turned around, took the black briefcase handed to him by the CP7 member, and personally entered a triple eight-digit password to open it.
He then took out a white scroll bearing the emblem of the World Government and handed it to the Left Minister beside him, saying, "Please present the scroll to His Majesty for review."
The Left Minister first glanced at King Neptune, and upon seeing the latter nod in agreement, he took the somewhat heavy scroll with both hands and turned to walk up the steps.
"Your Majesty!"
"Good, well done."
King Neptune picked up the scroll with one hand, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, he untied the golden ribbon and slowly unrolled the scroll to read it.
This process was somewhat lengthy, and the hall fell into complete silence as everyone waited quietly.
Queen Otohime, however, noticed that King Neptune's expression gradually grew serious, and his eyes seemed to reveal a mix of disbelief and shock.
This made her even more curious about the contents of the scroll.
In fact, the content was not extensive, but King Neptune read it over three times, which made the process seem longer.
He looked up at Coulson standing below, opened his mouth but hesitated on how to phrase his thoughts.
Was he about to say, "Are you fake? Fake officials? How could the World Government become so... so good?" "Your Majesty, may I take a look?"
At this moment, Queen Otohime softly inquired, and after a moment of hesitation, King Neptune handed over the scroll, saying, "Take a look."
While Queen Otohime was reading the scroll, Coulson smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, on behalf of the World Government, I would like to seek your opinion. Are you willing to support the agenda of this conference?"
"Well, this is a good thing—no, a great thing. Of course, I am willing to support it. After all, if this agenda can truly be passed and the World Government is willing to fully promote it, it would bring great benefits to our Fishman Island."
King Neptune responded to Coulson with great seriousness.
"But the question is, are you really willing to fully promote it? Because I remember that this matter was prohibited by law a long time ago, but now it has basically become a dead letter."
"To be honest, merely passing the agenda without strict enforcement doesn't hold much significance!"
On the other hand, Queen Otohime, who was sitting nearby, was already filled with shock and immense joy. However, upon hearing King Neptune's words, she also found them quite reasonable. Thus, her beautiful eyes turned to Coulson below the stage, sincerely hoping that his next response would satisfy her.
"You are asking about the sincerity and determination of the World Government this time, right?" Coulson smiled.
"Exactly!"
King Neptune no longer concealed his thoughts and looked at the other party with great solemnity.
"In this regard, the higher-ups have long been prepared. Please wait a moment."
Coulson, with an air of confidence, turned once again to the black briefcase held by the CP7 member and quickly entered a complex password.
This scene left the fishmen and merfolk in the hall utterly speechless. Finally, the straightforward Right Minister couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you take it out earlier?"
Coulson opened the case and took out a second scroll with a golden thread on a white background, replying, "This is the rule of our department." After saying this, he still had the Right Minister help pass it up.
However, this time, he didn't wait for King Neptune to finish reading but began to introduce it, as the World Government needed all the fishmen to understand this matter.
"The scroll you are now looking at is the 'Communiqué on the Establishment of Equal and Friendly Relations between Humans and the Mermaid and Fishman Races,' personally written by the Five Elders!"
"What?!"
Queen Otohime, the Left Minister, the Right Minister, and all the Sea Kings soldiers present were stunned.
Coulson, on the other hand, smiled slightly and continued to introduce the general content of the scroll.
"Mainly the following points."
"First, from the date of signing the communiqué, severe penalties will be imposed on the buying, selling, and enslavement of the mermaid and fishman races. All mermaids and fishmen within the territories of the World Nobles and all member nations will be unconditionally returned, and certain compensations will be paid, excluding those imprisoned for crimes."
"Second, the Sabaody Archipelago will be designated as a safe zone, where mermaids and fishmen can freely reside and enjoy themselves, with all treatments equal to humans. At the same time, Fishman Island will allow humans to freely enter, reside, and enjoy themselves."
"Third, Fishman Island will be allowed to station troops on the Sabaody Archipelago to handle matters related to the mermaid and fishman races. At the same time, Fishman Island will allow the World Government to establish a naval branch within its territory to handle matters related to humans and pirates."
"Fourth, the merfolk and fish-men are permitted to hold normal positions within the World Government, the Navy, and various departments, working together towards a friendly future for humans, merfolk, and fish-men."
After he finished this lengthy statement, King Neptune had also read through the contents of the scroll. It was roughly the same, and indeed, he saw the five signatures at the bottom, bearing the surnames of the World Nobles.
Honestly, the king began to doubt whether he was living in a dream, while Queen Otohime beside him was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes.
"Next, we come to the third matter."
Senior Councilor Coulson looked towards Queen Otohime, who had already stood up, trembling all over with reddened eyes, and smiled gently.
"The World Government would like to invite Queen Otohime to attend this year's Levely and deliver an important speech in support of this agenda. Would you be willing?"
Queen Otohime was almost overwhelmed with happiness. She first exchanged a glance with King Neptune, receiving his supportive and encouraging look, before turning to Coulson with utmost seriousness and replying.
"Of course, this will be the most honorable moment of my life. I am deeply grateful to the World Government!"