The boss of a foreign organization called the police, claiming that he was defrauded by me

"Hahaha--"

Yang Xia was amused by everyone's enthusiasm and burst out laughing, shaking his head as he did so.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry! We brought these by sea, and due to limited shipping capacity, we only have a small quantity of each item... Thank you so much for your kind gesture!"

His tone was sincere, then he changed the subject, his voice becoming brighter:

"However! Since everyone is so supportive, I won't let you down—I'm planning to promote deeper trade cooperation with Yan Kingdom! This will allow the distinctive products of the Great Zhou Dynasty to enter Yan Kingdom more steadily and in larger quantities!"

"At that time, whether it's delicious local specialties, exquisite handicrafts, or our cultural and creative products... as long as everyone likes them, they will be able to buy them very conveniently!"

The viewers in the live stream went wild upon hearing this! The chat was flooded with "Really?!"

"Your Majesty is amazing!"

"Looking forward to cooperating!"

Such comments.

[Your Majesty keeps your word! We're all waiting!]

You'd better keep your word! I've already got my wallet ready!

[Wow, what an amazing king! He spoils his fans so much!]

[Support! Support! Sign the agreement quickly!]

Hahahaha, 6666666——

Yang Xia watched the rapidly scrolling comments on the screen, feeling incredibly excited. He chatted enthusiastically with everyone, and the atmosphere in the live stream reached a fever pitch. Many viewers even started "virtually raising a toast."

The "cloud applause" created a particularly heartwarming scene.

Time slipped by unnoticed, but Yang Xia grew increasingly reluctant to let it end. These sincere and enthusiastic fans made him feel less alone, even while in prison.

He looked at the warm messages one after another on the screen and said softly:
"Thank you all, I'm really happy today. With you all here, everything is worthwhile."

This heartfelt expression of gratitude brought the atmosphere in the live stream to another peak. Yang Xia chatted endlessly with his fans, his emotions growing increasingly fervent, which made him feel a deep sense of reluctance to part with those who supported him.

Yang Xia was chatting enthusiastically with his fans, and the atmosphere in the live stream was warm and lively, which made him feel a strong sense of reluctance to part ways. Looking at the blessings and encouragement scrolling on the screen, he took a deep breath and tried to put on a slightly apologetic smile.

"Thank you so much everyone for spending so much time talking with me today."

He spoke sincerely, his gaze gentle as he looked at the camera, "However... I'm really sorry, I have some important things to take care of here, so I can't continue the live stream."

He paused briefly, then saw a barrage of "Ah—No!" flooding the screen.

"Let's talk for another five minutes!"

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health!" he couldn't help but laugh again.

"Next time, I'll definitely find a chance to have a proper chat with everyone again! You all have to come then!"

As Yang Xia spoke, he waved to the camera, "That's all for now, everyone take care, see you later!"

As the live stream ended and the screen went dark, Sun Zhengming, who had been quietly watching from the back, slowly stood up. He walked up to Yang Xia and, without any warning, solemnly bowed deeply to him.

"Your Majesty... I am truly... very grateful to you."

When he looked up again, Sun Zhengming's eyes were already glistening with tears, and his voice was choked with emotion. "If you hadn't taken the initiative to explain today, I might... have really been crushed by those online opinions."

He took a deep breath, as if still shaken: "Now I truly understand how terrifying that invisible and intangible pressure is—like a cold knife that could stab you at any moment, leaving you defenseless... I never want to experience it again."

Looking at the man before him, who had once been so tough but now seemed somewhat weary, Yang Xia's heart softened. He stepped forward and gently patted Sun Zhengming's shoulder.

"Please don't do that, Lord Sun, I understand your situation."

He said gently, without a trace of blame in his tone, "But I'm afraid... I'll have to trouble you for a while longer."

Sun Zhengming was taken aback, somewhat puzzled.

Yang Xia lowered his voice and explained further: "Think about it, if you 'clear your name' so quickly, John will definitely become suspicious. We need to make him think that you are still being blamed for detaining me—this charade will have to go on for a while longer."

He paused for a moment, observing Sun Zhengming's reaction, before getting to the point: "Also... two days from now, I need you to help me prepare some things."

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhengming's heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, the unease he had just felt surged back up. He instinctively grabbed Yang Xia's arm, his voice urgent:

"What exactly do you need? What are you planning to do this time? Your Majesty, please forgive me for being nosy, but I'm really on edge... Every time you act so mysteriously, I'm terrified!"

Yang Xia simply shook his head, his face still bearing that enigmatic, faint smile.

"We can't say yet,"

His tone was calm but left no room for negotiation: "You'll find out when the time comes. Remember, in two days, have everything I need ready. This is extremely important."

After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for Sun Zhengming to ask any further questions, leaving Sun Zhengming standing there in a daze, filled with apprehension and doubt.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, Meng Yin stood at the bow of his ship, gazing into the distance against the sea breeze. According to his calculations, they should be able to enter the territorial waters of the Great Zhou Dynasty soon.

But he was so focused on checking the course that he didn't notice that the ship had unknowingly deviated from the planned route—and when he looked up again, his expression changed drastically.

"Oops!"

He gasped inwardly, cold sweat breaking out on his brow. "How...how did I end up in the waters of the Atlantean Empire?!"

Before he could even change course, sharp horns suddenly blared from all around! Within minutes, more than a dozen speedboats flying the flag of the Atlantean Empire rapidly approached, forming an encirclement and trapping his ship tightly in the center.

Meng Yin's heart sank; he knew something terrible was about to happen. Relations between the two countries were already tense, and to have inadvertently entered each other's waters at this time was tantamount to walking into a trap. He forced himself to remain calm, walked to the side of the ship, and waved to the other side, shouting:

"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! I accidentally veered off course and strayed into your country's waters! I have an urgent mission and must rush to the Great Zhou Dynasty immediately. Please grant me this favor!"

He tried to sound sincere: "I sincerely apologize for my oversight this time. I hope you can be lenient and let me leave. I would be very grateful!"

However, the patrolmen from the Atlantean Empire clearly weren't having any of it. A burly man who appeared to be a squad leader walked to the edge of the ship, sneering at Meng Yin:

"You think you can get away with just saying 'accidentally'? Who knows if you have ulterior motives?"

He waved his hand, and several fully armed soldiers immediately jumped aboard Mengyin's boat. "If you have anything to say, come back with us and we'll talk about it!"

Mengyin's boat was forcibly seized, and he himself was held down by two soldiers, one on each side. He struggled to explain:

"Please believe me! I was really just passing by! If this delays important matters, the consequences could be very serious! You can't afford to take that responsibility!"

No matter what he said, the other party ignored him. Meng Yin was extremely anxious but helpless, and could only watch as he was taken away from the cabin.

But he still didn't give up.

Even as he was being escorted toward the enemy's flagship, he kept turning back, desperately trying to seize one last chance...

He stood in the council hall of the Atlan Empire, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

The sea breeze outside the hall howled and lashed against the windowpanes, making a "whooshing" sound.

The sound seemed to add to the tension of the stalemate.

Doka, the leader of the Atlan Empire, sat on the high throne, staring at him with cold eyes and a disdainful smile on his lips, showing no intention of backing down.

Meng Yin took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger, and explained again:
"Chief Doka, I have said it countless times: this entry into your country's waters was truly unintentional."

Our ship encountered a strong storm during its voyage, and the compass malfunctioned, which caused it to deviate from its course. It was by no means an intentional intrusion.

"Aren't you afraid that by forcibly detaining me and my crew, and even seizing our ship, this will provoke conflict between our two countries?"

His voice carried a hint of urgency and a warning – although the Great Zhou Dynasty was a small island nation, its strength was far beyond what the Atlan Empire could easily contend with. If Doka really insisted on going its own way, the consequences would probably be more than the other side could bear.

Kodoka seemed not to have heard Mengyin's warning. After hearing his words, he suddenly burst into laughter, a sharp and piercing laugh filled with mockery.
"An unintentional act? Mr. Mengyin, do you think I would believe such an explanation? There are strict regulations for navigation in the sea. How could your compass malfunction just when you were approaching our waters? Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

Doka's laughter gradually subsided, and his gaze grew increasingly stern:

"I think you deliberately intruded to spy on our country's naval defenses! Now that we've caught you red-handed, you're using 'unintentional' as an excuse—how ridiculous!"

Meng Yin's brows furrowed instantly, his face flushed red, and he could no longer suppress his anger.

He stepped forward and said in a firm tone:
"Chief Doka, I am carrying out an urgent mission for the Great Zhou Dynasty, and there is no time to lose! By detaining me now, you are delaying the Great Zhou Dynasty's important affairs! I advise you not to cause trouble at this critical juncture, otherwise, if the mission progress is affected, you will not be able to bear the consequences!"

As he spoke, he secretly regretted it in his heart.

If the ship's equipment had been carefully inspected before departure, and if the voyage had been more cautious, the storm would not have occurred, the ship would not have deviated from its course and entered the waters of the Atlantean Empire, and the current stalemate would not exist.

But it's too late to say anything now. He can only do his best to persuade Doka and try to get away as soon as possible.

Doka remained unmoved. He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and said in a disdainful tone:

"An emergency mission? No matter how urgent the mission, it cannot be a reason for you to trespass into our country's waters! Although our Atlan Empire does not wish to antagonize the Great Zhou Dynasty, we will never tolerate others infringing upon our maritime sovereignty!"

He paused, a calculating glint in his eyes:
"The fault in this matter does not lie with our Atlan Empire, but with your Great Zhou Dynasty."

"You crossed the line first, and now instead of giving us a reasonable explanation, you're threatening me here? That's outrageous! If you don't give us an explanation today, you're not leaving here!"

Seeing the calculation in Doka's eyes, Mengyin instantly understood what the other party was thinking—Doka didn't really care about the "invasion of the sea area" at all, but wanted to use this opportunity to demand benefits from the Great Zhou Dynasty, or use it as a bargaining chip to restrain Yang Xia's actions.

Having figured this out, Meng Yin's anger intensified, but he also became more composed.

He sneered, his tone laced with sarcasm:

"Chief Doka, do you think I can't see through your intentions? You simply want to use this matter to ask the Great Zhou Dynasty for some benefits, or to use it to blackmail our King."

I advise you to give up on this idea as soon as possible. Our King is not one to be easily coerced! If he finds out that you deliberately detained the envoys and ships of the Great Zhou, he will definitely not let it go!

"Hmph, you think you can just let this go?"

Doka slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and said sternly, "My Atlan Empire is not a pushover! Your intrusion into our territorial waters is a fact, and even if Yang Xia knows, he cannot distort the truth! Today, you must give us an explanation, or you will stay here forever!"

"An explanation? I have already given you the most truthful explanation!"

Meng Yin raised his voice, meeting Doka's gaze without backing down. "The strong storm caused the compass to malfunction, and the ships to deviate from their course. This was an act of God, not something we did intentionally! Has your Atlantean Empire never encountered a similar situation when sailing at sea? Why be so aggressive!"

"Aggressive?"

Doka laughed angrily, "If someone were to trespass on the waters of your Great Zhou Dynasty, what would you do? You would probably arrest and punish them long ago! Now that it's your turn to cross the line, you think you can just brush it off with a casual 'unintentional act'? Not so easy!"

The two argued fiercely in the hall, neither willing to back down.

Meng Yin was focused on escaping as soon as possible to complete the task assigned by Yang Xia. He was supposed to arrive at the main island of the Great Zhou Dynasty at this time to convey Yang Xia's combat orders regarding dealing with the Nebula Kingdom to Meng Yu. However, he was being held here, and every minute he wasted could affect the subsequent plans.

Meanwhile, Doka had his own agenda. He knew that Yang Xia was currently dealing with the threat from the Nebula Kingdom in Yan Kingdom and was stretched thin. If he could use Meng Yin's intrusion into the sea to put pressure on the Great Zhou Dynasty, he might be able to gain more benefits and even get Yang Xia to make concessions on certain matters.

The atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly tense, as if the air itself had frozen.

The guards standing outside the hall tensed upon hearing the heated argument inside, their hands gripping the hilts of their swords, ready to respond to any unexpected events. (End of Chapter)