"Stop it, all of you!"

A chilling voice pierced the noise, and 128 gleaming spikes hovered in the air, radiating a suffocating pressure.

The seahorse and manatee involuntarily stopped what they were doing and looked toward the source of the sound.

Gu Xi walked slowly over, her expressionless face sweeping across the room. Her cold eyes flashed with an undeniable authority.

"What's going on?" Gu Xi asked coldly, his gaze falling on the trembling merchant.

The merchant swallowed hard, pointed to the item the two had just been fighting over, and then said in a trembling voice, "These two guests both want this item..."

The seahorse and manatee glared angrily, and the merchant's voice grew softer and softer.

Gu Xi waved his hand gently, and the spikes instantly formed a barrier in front of the seahorse and manatee, blocking their vision.

The merchant breathed a sigh of relief, took a deep breath, and continued, "They all wanted to buy, but none of them were willing to raise the price, and they almost came to blows..."

Gu Xi stared coldly at the seahorse and manatee: "What are you trying to do on my turf?"

The seahorse scoffed: "What are you doing?! This is called fair competition!"

The manatee chimed in gruffly, "Exactly! We decide for ourselves who will buy it, what's the problem?"

Gu Xi narrowed her eyes, pondering to herself. This wasn't really a problem, but she couldn't just give up like that.

“The problem is that you disrupted the order of the meeting,” Gu Xi said coldly. “If you insist on fighting, then go outside and fight. Come back to buy after the winner is decided.”

The seahorse and manatee thought this was a great idea and decided to take this opportunity to have a showdown.

However, after exchanging a glance, their eyes immediately filled with hostility, and their fur stood on end like a lit powder keg, and they actually headed towards the exit.

Gu Xi watched their retreating figures, preparing to follow them. Just then, the merchant spoke.

"Thank you, Sister Xi," the merchant said gratefully. "I was so upset with you for meddling; it was really inappropriate of me..."

The merchant, still puzzled, continued, "But...why make them fight when the highest bidder wins? It's clearly more civilized."

Gu Xi's eyes showed a hint of helplessness as he explained, "Do you think they would accept this method? In the minds of the deep-sea race, only fighting with fists is true free competition."

She glanced in the direction where the seahorse and manatee had disappeared and continued, "Besides, those two are mortal enemies. The fact that they've been able to coexist peacefully on my ship for so long is already a great favor."

The merchant was taken aback: "A mortal enemy? Wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"

“Which deep-sea race isn’t dangerous? That’s why I sent them out,” Gu Xi said calmly. “You can’t understand the deep-sea race using human competition methods. Here, strength is the foundation of everything.”

Her eyes flickered slightly: "I need to keep an eye on these deep-sea creatures. You go ahead and do your work."

After saying that, Gu Xi walked towards the exit, leaving the merchant standing there, lost in thought.

Gu Xi glanced at him indifferently: "Remember today's lesson. Here, strength is everything."

The businessman nodded repeatedly.

Gu Xi turned and left, with 128 sharp thorns silently following him.

The trade fair returned to normal, but everyone understood one thing: in this deep sea, without strength, nothing can be done.

As soon as the manatee and seahorse stepped out of the cabin, a group of deep-sea creatures gathered around to watch the spectacle.

"Chirp chirp!" ("Here come the sunflower seeds!") An octopus appeared out of nowhere, its tentacles carrying a large plate piled high with golden sunflower seeds.

The surrounding deep-sea creatures stared curiously at the golden particles in the octopus's tray. Although they didn't know what they were, they certainly looked novel and interesting.