Todd turned to Huggins and asked, "So you're saying there's tension between the sea races?"

“Tense? Perhaps, after all, the conflicts over food and territory are there, making it difficult for them to live in harmony.” Huggins said as he thought, “However, the fact that the sea refugees can now live in peace is thanks to the formation of a union.”

"union?"

"There's a guild called the Ocean Alliance, led by a mermaid named Rita. The guild's main tasks are to mediate conflicts between races, harvest marine resources, and trade with Twilight City to obtain essential supplies."

Todd seemed thoughtful: "Rita, the chieftain of the Saramo mermaids..."

Huggins nodded and said, "She is a woman with outstanding learning and leadership abilities. There are many tyrannical and warlike people among the sea races, but under her mediation, they all voluntarily maintain order."

Todd asked with interest, "Is this true for all merfolk? Or...?"

"Chief Rita is an exception. Compared to her people, she is more open to new things and knows how to think strategically."

Huggins flipped through the report: "We also discovered something interesting this time—superpowers also exist among the marine races."

Todd frowned. "You mean the alien species?"

Huggins organized his thoughts and tried his best to explain: "The word 'alien' is not accurate when used to describe marine races. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a racial talent."

"Take the Sword Shark Clan as an example. They can harden and lengthen a part of their bones, turning it into a weapon similar to a bone spur. This ability is present in every member of the clan, but it varies from person to person, with some being stronger and others weaker."

Huggins held up a long list: "We made a comparison. Most talents are inherited within families from generation to generation. Once family members reproduce with outsiders, their offspring will have this ability weaken or even completely degenerate."

Todd picked up the list and looked at it carefully: "You mean, most members of an ocean tribe are related by blood to some extent?"

Huggins replied, “That’s right. For example, the Sword Shark Clan, which has the ability to spur bones, has a total population of only three hundred. If you trace their surnames and totems, most of them originated from the same ancestor.”

"Quite an interesting discovery," Todd said.

"This pattern was also discovered by the monk Qiao, who was in charge of the population survey. He spent a lot of time investigating this matter, which is why it took us a whole month to return to Muxi City."

Huggins continued, "Therefore, the ocean tribes have a particularly strong sense of xenophobia. They will not allow members of their tribe to intermarry with other races, because doing so would taint the purity of their 'bloodline' and would also deprive them of their racial abilities."

At that moment, Todd remembered the story Rita had told him.

A mermaid fell in love with a human, but was eventually killed by her angry kin and thrown into the deep sea abyss.

Perhaps the merfolk knew that if members of their race intermarried with members of other races, their inherent abilities would gradually disappear, which is why they used such a cruel method to punish those who broke away.

Todd then asked Huggins, "What are the inherent abilities of the sea races?"

“We’ve learned about some through inquiries, but others are racial secrets that we haven’t investigated yet,” Huggins said. “I will have my men investigate the abilities of the marine races as soon as possible. If there are any potential threats to the kingdom, I will eliminate them and report them promptly.”

Todd added, "provided there is no conflict with those sea creatures."

After hearing this, Huggins hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty, I have a question."

"What?"

“When I was conducting census work on marine peoples, I often heard them mention a deity—the ancient sea god Krakosh. They said, ‘You know him.’”

Todd admitted, "That's right."

Huggins said in a low voice, "They repeatedly emphasized that they would not become Protestants, would not attend Kingdom worship, and would certainly not abandon their faith in the ancient sea god..."

Todd nodded: "Everything is fine."

Huggins stammered, "You...you mean, you agree...to these heretics retain their faith? Isn't that a bit...? What if that ancient sea god gathers his followers and attacks Twilight City?"

"Launch an attack on Muxi City?"

"Yes, think about it. Although these sea tribes are refugees, they are loyal followers of that ancient sea god. One day, when these tribes recover their strength, that ancient sea god, for the sake of territory, resources, and followers, might very well give an order and command them to attack us 'heretics'!"

Todd looked a little helpless: "Huggins, what's your suggestion?"

"Expel those die-hard followers of the ancient sea gods and reach out to those sea refugees you can win over. Develop the Dragon Kingdom's navy while actively expanding your maritime territory. This will not only increase your followers but also expand your domain..."

Todd sighed and said, "Huggins, answer me a question."

"question?"

"In your opinion, what is the difference between a god and a king?"

Huggins was stunned.

"One is a mortal, and the other is... an immortal being, right?"

Todd pressed further: "Is the length of life the dividing line you use to distinguish between gods and men?"

Sweat beaded on Huggins' forehead. "Your Majesty... I mean, Supreme Dragon God, I am but a mortal, I truly do not know..."

Todd said softly, "If a god's purpose is merely to seize more territory, gain greater power, and develop more followers, then in the end, he is nothing more than an existence bearing the title of god, essentially no different from those short-sighted kings. Such a god, like those monarchs, will soon turn into dust in history, having no value whatsoever..."

Todd's voice grew softer and softer until he closed his eyes, furrowed his brow, and stood there completely still, like a statue.

Seeing this, Huggins knew that Todd had entered a state of "contemplation" again, so he quickly took a few steps back and stopped talking.

"Conquer more territory, gain greater power, and acquire more followers..."

“Jing Su once said that these three conditions are the way to win the War of the Chosen Ones.”

"But is this kind of confrontation condition meaningful?"

"Can a deity that wins under these conditions truly achieve the goal of 'species selection' mentioned by Crystal Constellation?"

Todd stood there, muttering to himself, "Is the true purpose of Crystal's God-Chosen War really to select a god? What meaning would a god chosen in this way have for Crystal? Or does Crystal have other unspeakable secrets?"