Gu Xi's words were not loud, but they were like a sharp icicle, precisely piercing the falsehood in the words of the jellyfish.
Inside the Hall of Ten Thousand Streams, the atmosphere, which had been wavering due to the provocation of the Illusionary Jellyfish, instantly froze.
“You…” The jellyfish’s translucent body rippled slightly, seemingly not expecting Gu Xi to turn the tables so directly.
It attempted to portray humanity's rejection as a betrayal of the entire deep-sea world, but was shut down by Gu Xi's statement, "You are now able to represent all the deep-sea creatures."
It can't afford to wear this hat.
“I certainly cannot represent all the deep-sea races,” the jellyfish’s voice carried a hint of barely perceptible annoyance, “but my proposal is for the long-term benefit of the deep-sea world, and also to give you deep-sea humans a real opportunity to integrate.”
"Opportunity?" Sun Yiming scoffed, stepping forward to block Gu Xi's path. His friendly smile vanished, replaced by undisguised sarcasm.
"Your 'opportunity' comes at a far too high a price. One is to hand over our core technology, the very technology that sustains us, and let other deep-sea races control our lifeline; the other is to send us to the perilous abyss to serve as your laborers for a hundred years. This is not an opportunity, this is to exploit us to the bone, this is to lure us into a trap!"
Sun Yiming was already a gifted orator, and he didn't care whether the Deep Sea Clan understood him or not, so he went all out.
"We, the deep-sea human race, are newcomers here, seeking cooperation and survival with sincerity. We are demonstrating our technology in the hope of proving our value and bringing some new possibilities to the deep-sea world."
"Our trade with our friendly deep-sea friends proves our principle of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. How did it come to you that we have to sacrifice our own flesh to feed the tiger in order to gain a shred of pity?"
His gaze swept over the deep-sea representatives who had previously echoed the illusionary jellyfish.
"Gentlemen, ask yourselves honestly, if your people were faced with such an 'opportunity,' how would you feel? Would you be grateful, or would you feel deeply insulted?"
The blackfin shark was embarrassed by Sun Yiming's words. It was not good with words to begin with, and now it was so speechless that it rolled its eyes and could only roar in a rough voice.
"That's just sophistry! You deep-sea humans are so cunning! You want benefits but don't want to pay the price. There's no such thing as a free lunch!"
"The price?" Gu Xi's cold voice rang out again. "Have we, the deep-sea human race, paid a heavy price for coming to the deep sea? We wiped out the Bone Clan, established trade fairs, and provided a safe place for everyone. Now we are working hard to build our home and improve our strength so that we will not become anyone's vassal, so that we can stand on this sea with dignity."
Her gaze calmly met that of the blacktip reef shark.
"We are willing to exchange and cooperate on an equal footing to obtain the resources we need and to contribute our strength to the deep-sea world. But this does not mean that we will accept any unequal blackmail or oppression."
"Our core technology is our trump card, and we will not share it. Whether we go to the Abyss Sea or not is up to us, and you have no right to interfere."
Gu Xi paused, her tone carrying an undeniable firmness.
"If this is what Lord Illusion Jellyfish calls 'integration,' then we, the deep-sea human race, would rather choose not to integrate."
"But can you represent all the deep-sea creatures?!"
"Well said!" A slightly hoarse but powerful voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the silent, sea urchin-like deep-sea creature. It was huge and covered in spines, and was staring at the jellyfish with its compound eyes.
"Phantom Jellyfish, you always like to play tricks, but this time, you've really gone too far with your petty tricks," the Elephant Urchin Clan Chief said bluntly.
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