Chương 411: Chapter : 411

Ken decided to break the situation down step by step. He acted like a bored, sleepy teacher explaining a very simple math problem to a class.

"Look at the basic economics," Ken said casually. He wiggled his fingers in the air.

"A giant, terrifying monster wakes up in the deep ocean. It starts smashing fishing boats. It scares the absolute life out of the sailors. The sailors refuse to sail past the shallow reef. They tie their boats to the docks." He popped another piece of seaweed into his mouth. He chewed loudly. Crunch. Crunch.

"Because the sailors are too scared to fish, the supply of fresh seafood drops to almost nothing," Ken continued lazily.

"The market stalls go empty. But the rich people in the Inner City still really want to eat fancy crab legs and premium shrimp." Laxmi crossed her arms. Her golden eyes widened slightly as she started to understand his logic.

"Low supply and high demand."

"Exactly," Ken grinned a goofy grin. He pointed his finger at Laxmi.

"When there is no fish, the price of fish skyrockets. We saw it yesterday. The prices went up by four hundred percent. A basic meal costs an absolute fortune now." Ken slouched even further down against the piling. He looked entirely relaxed.

"The local lords control the docks," Ken stated clearly.

"They control the storage warehouses. They hold all the remaining seafood. Because the prices are massively inflated, the lords are making record-breaking profits. They are getting incredibly rich off this crisis." The entire 13th Unit went perfectly silent. They stared at Ken. The horrible realization began to set in.

"So," Ken concluded softly. His voice lost a tiny bit of its usual goofy tone.

"If the Emperor sends the military to kill the sea serpent, the ocean becomes safe again. The fishermen go back to work. The supply goes back to normal. The prices drop. The lords lose their massive profits." Ken tossed the rest of his dried seaweed into a nearby trash bin. He dusted his hands off on his pants.

"The local lords do not want the monster dead," Ken revealed the absolute truth.

"They printed those bounty posters just to look like good guys to the public. But behind closed doors, they intercepted every single distress letter. They cut the communication lines. They are actively hiding the monster from the capital city." Princess Iris gasped softly. Her violet eyes filled with pure, unfiltered horror. She took a slow step backward. She brought her hand to her mouth. Sayma dropped her pen. The pen hit the wooden planks and rolled away. Her polite, calm expression completely shattered.

She looked absolutely sick to her stomach.

"They are hiding it on purpose," Sayma whispered. Her voice shook with profound disgust.

"They are deliberately allowing a colossal, man-eating sea serpent to roam the waters. They are letting innocent sailors drown in the ocean. They are destroying their own town's livelihood." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Naomi clenched her fists. Her green eyes blazed with intense, undeniable fury. She glared at the distant luxury mansions sitting on the tall hills overlooking the town.

"They are letting people die just to keep the seafood prices high," Naomi hissed fiercely. Her voice was full of protective rage.

"They are trading human lives for a few extra gold coins. It is completely evil." Laxmi punched her hands together. A massive, roaring burst of bright orange fire erupted around her knuckles. The heat washed over the docks.

"I am going to burn their fancy mansions to the ground! I am going to melt all of their stolen gold! They are absolute monsters!" Zinia grabbed Laxmi's shoulder firmly. The earth mage looked incredibly angry, but she tried to keep the team steady.

"We cannot just attack the mansions, Laxmi. We need to focus on the real threat first. We have to kill the Titanoboa." Ira stared blankly at the dark ocean water. Her face remained entirely emotionless.

"Statistically speaking, the level of political corruption in this coastal territory exceeds standard deviation models. The syndicate is incredibly organized." Risa hugged her teddy bear very tightly. She looked at the crying fishermen. She felt terrible for them.

"We have to save them. We cannot let the big snake hurt anyone else." Princess Iris drew her silver rapier. The blade gleamed brightly in the morning sun. Her violet eyes burned with absolute, uncompromising resolve. She looked at her team. She looked at the vast, dark blue ocean stretching out to the horizon.

"Ken is right," Princess Iris declared powerfully. Her voice echoed over the crashing waves.

"This is a massive, highly corrupt political conspiracy. The local lords are exploiting a tragedy for unchecked financial gain. We will expose them to the Upper Council. We will bring them to justice." Iris pointed her rapier toward the deep water.

"But first, we must remove their leverage," Iris commanded.

"We are going to sail past that reef. We are going to find the Titanoboa. And we are going to slay the beast ourselves." The elite girls of the 13th Unit nodded in perfect unison. They drew their weapons. They cracked their knuckles. They were completely united. They were totally ready to face a colossal, mythological sea serpent. They were ready to fight for the innocent people of the coastal town. Ken Eliot watched the team get highly motivated. He stood by the wooden piling.

He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He slouched his shoulders. He let out a massive, dramatic groan. He threw his head back and stared at the seagulls in the sky.

"Are you kidding me?" Ken complained loudly. His voice cracked with fake misery.

"We are going out on a boat? I absolutely hate boats! Boats rock back and forth! They make my stomach feel weird! I do not want to fight a giant, wet snake!" Naomi turned around. She laughed a warm, genuine laugh. She walked over and patted his back playfully.

"You are coming with us, slacker," Naomi smiled. Her green eyes sparkled with friendship.

"You solved the mystery. Now you get to enjoy the boat ride."

"I demand a life jacket!" Ken whined lazily. He dragged his shoes on the wooden planks as he followed the team.

"A very fluffy, very safe life jacket! And I am absolutely ordering a massive pizza when we get back!" The 13th Unit marched down the docks together. The horrific political reality was totally exposed. The corrupt syndicate was officially in their sights. The mission was extremely dangerous, but they were not afraid. They had their weapons, they had their Princess, and they had the laziest, most observant boy in the Empire dragging his feet right behind them.

The coastal town was totally quiet. The sun had disappeared a long time ago. The night sky was dark. Thousands of bright stars shined over the ocean. The ocean waves crashed against the shore. The water rolled up the beach and pulled back again. The sound was rhythmic and peaceful. It was a very calm night.