Eric's rectangular pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but take a step forward, his voice low: "You should be guarding the king's side right now, what are you doing here?"

Levi had been corrupted for too long and had completely lost his human form. Upon hearing this, the densely packed eyes on his swollen head twitched slightly, aiming at the human figure behind Eric with a meaningful look in their eyes.

His mouthparts, hidden beneath countless tentacles, opened and closed: "Let me see what's happening in the city? Let me see? It's a human!"

Uncontrollable saliva flowed from the mouthparts at the center of countless tentacles, leaving obvious traces in his path. A hint of hatred flashed in Levi's eyes, and his gaze toward Gu Li became even more hostile.

His gaze swept over the girl's pale golden hair and her fair, almost translucent skin, and he chuckled, his voice carrying a viscous, almost liquid-like quality.

"She's a human with weak genes. Even the Alliance abandoned her. Why should we take her in? Have you forgotten why we're trapped here forever?"

A dark brown arm, exuding a dangerous aura, extended toward Gu Li.

Eric stepped forward, his hoof already embedded in his abdomen, and he subtly pulled out the hilt of his sword.

Suddenly, a cheer came from behind them: "I got it!"

The tense atmosphere between the two subsided, and countless eyes turned to the girl who was pulling up the fishing net. Her face was filled with obvious excitement as she pointed to a tattered mess in the green fishing net and cheered.

Seeing that she was struggling to pull, Eric quickly stepped forward, took the fishing net from her hands, and led her away from the edge: "Miss, please wait for me here."

Eric tightened his arms, hidden beneath his neat suit, as if resisting something, pulling the fishing net that had trapped Shi Qing out of the black seawater. Shi Qing, now a limp mess, trembled and uttered his last words in broken sentences.

"Perhaps today is the day I... return to the throne... I'm sorry... Miss... I still have to be in front of you..."