I! Cleaner!-Chapter 1188 - 1087: The Root of the Problem (Part 2)

Knowing that Grandpa has a great prejudice against Mother... or perhaps it might not be just prejudice, Miss Salt Fish couldn't help but shake her head, then began to explain:

"Grandpa, even though my identity as a member of the Sea Race has been discovered, the Food God who presides over the assembly of The Twelve Kingdoms did not directly expose me. Furthermore, they even accepted the proposal I put forth as Queen Sayo, expressing willingness to accept the Sea Race's inclusion and to participate in a joint investigation to resolve the issue together..."

"There's no need to discuss this matter any further."

"Ah?"

Under Miss Salt Fish's puzzled gaze, the elderly mermaid swam away from beside the sea map and returned to his throne, then spoke in an irrefutable tone:

"While you and Evangelin were attending the Twelve Kingdoms' assembly, I discussed the matter with the Tidal Realm leaders and decided that this issue would be resolved by the Sea Race ourselves, without the involvement of the cleaning bureau or humans."

"Why?!"

After hearing the words of the elderly mermaid, Miss Salt Fish couldn't help but urgently ask:

"Previously, when the sea grotto was frozen, didn't you and the other two leaders try to address it but found no solution? Now that the cleaning bureau is willing to assist, why reject them?"

"What we said back then was that the seabed freezing incident was very peculiar; it might not be resolved through 'conventional' means, but it doesn't mean it can't be resolved with special methods.

As for why reject the cleaning bureau's help... do you really think humans genuinely want to help us?"

After glancing at his naive granddaughter, the elderly mermaid solemnly said:

"You members of the new generation, like those short-lived humans, know very little about past events... We mermaids didn't originally live in the depths of the ocean; we were forced down here by humans!

Even though our Sea Race doesn't have direct conflicts with humans' living spaces like the Earth Sprouts do, we've merely called a truce with humans, but it doesn't mean we're not enemies! Humans... cannot be trusted!"

Here he goes again...

Seeing Grandpa start to preach his theory on humanity being a threat, Miss Salt Fish, who thought she'd brought back good news, couldn't help but feel helpless and said:

"Grandpa... before awakening the whirlpool mermaid bloodline, I lived as a human for a long time, and I understand what humans are like.

Humans aren't as virtuous as the books say, but they're also not as terrible as you claim. Most people, like us, are just trying to live ordinary lives, and as long as there is no direct conflict over living environment, humans and Sea Race can coexist, and this time..."

"What do you know about humans?"

Rudely interrupting Miss Salt Fish, the elderly mermaid said with a malicious tone:

"I have had dealings with humans more times than all the humans you've ever met combined!

They are greedy, barbaric, shortsighted, lacking restraint, always pushing for more!

This is a race never satisfied with their own desires! Too much contact with them will lead to dire outcomes. Your mother's fate is the best proof! If she'd listened to me back then, would she be in this situation now?"

"Grandpa! How can you..."

"Don't call me Grandpa!"

With a wave that sent out a stream of water, pushing away the protesting Miss Salt Fish, the elderly mermaid looked slightly disgusted and said:

"If you still consider yourself part of the Sea Race, then don't talk this way in front of me! Humans are a race more evil than demons; for my entire life, I resolutely! absolutely! will never cooperate with humans!"

"But you previously..."

"Previously I allowed you to attend that assembly, not because I agreed with your foolish ideas, but because I believed that by interacting with those who only have eyes for interests, you would understand better and see what humans are truly like!"

"Grandpa! The humans you dealt with in the past might be problematic, but it doesn't mean humans were always..."

"I said don't call me Grandpa!"

The elderly mermaid's white beard gently floated in the water as he angrily thumped the table in front of him, immediately berating sternly:

"I refuse to have a mixed..."

"I refuse to have such an unreasonable father!"

"???"

Under the startled gaze of the elderly mermaid, the beautiful mermaid woman emerged from the Crystal Ring that encased the fast sea currents, deftly renouncing her father-daughter relationship with him, then pulled the somewhat sad Miss Salt Fish to stand behind her, angrily confronted him with hands on hips, saying:

"Every time you're angry, you say this... if you don't acknowledge me, then so be it! Who cares about you, old geezer?"

"Me, me, me!"

"Me, what me? My Wendy considered you her Grandpa only to help you with your worries, you dare yell at her?"

"You, you, you!"

"You're an outdated old relic! Stubborn as a screw! A foul-mouthed fish with no filter! A miser who holds grudges for centuries!"

"You, you, you... If you weren't my daughter..."

"I just said, didn't I? I'm not your daughter! You don't acknowledge Wendy, and I'm not going to acknowledge you either!"

"Me, me, me... get out, get out, get out! All of you get out!"

If you want us to leave, we'll leave! You think I wanted to come?

Seeing the elderly mermaid stuttering in anger, the beautiful mermaid woman rolled her eyes at him, then pulled Miss Salt Fish as she prepared to leave, but she couldn't get them moving.

"Wait a moment."

Coming here to report good news, only to be berated, Miss Salt Fish felt quite hurt, and she bit her lip, then spoke up:

"Ex... leader, if you are determined to refuse human help, what will happen to those tribesmen forced to migrate to the coastal areas because of the extensive seabed freezing?"

"Let them all come back, and migrate into the Tidal Realm directly through the sea grotto, leaving the present world entirely."

"?!!"

Upon hearing the elderly mermaid's unwavering response, the expressions of the mermaid mother and daughter froze, and Miss Salt Fish couldn't help but express her shock by pressing further:

"Let everyone leave? The Tidal Realm is just a part of reality, can it accommodate that many people?"

"That's none of your concern!"

After hesitating for a moment, the elderly mermaid refused to answer the question, impatiently dismissed them:

"This is a matter for me and the other two leaders, not related to you two. You don't need to worry about it... Also! Both of you stay put in the Tidal Realm recently, absolutely forbidden to cross through the sea grotto to the real world, do you hear me?"

This is between Grandpa and the other two leaders? And we're forbidden from crossing the sea grotto to the real world?

Upon hearing the restriction from the elderly mermaid, Miss Salt Fish seemed to recall something, her heart pounding swiftly, and she quickly glanced at the sea map on the wall.

"Grandpa?!!!"

From that faintly glowing sea map, seeing the situation she suspected, Miss Salt Fish couldn't help but wrench herself free from her mother's grip, stepping forward in fury questioning:

"How can you do such a thing?!"

"Humph!"

From Miss Salt Fish's reaction, realizing that she had discovered his plan, the elderly mermaid snorted without saying more, while the mermaid woman next to him glanced over but didn't find anything unusual, asking with puzzled eyes:

"Wendy? What did that old geezer do?"

"He intends to reverse the inside and outside of the sea grotto, using what's been pumping out seawater all along to instead draw away the seawater from the real world!"

"What?"

Upon hearing Miss Salt Fish's words, the mermaid woman was greatly shocked, immediately turning to face the elderly mermaid, deeply astonished:

"You want to drain the seawater from the real world? Are you crazy?"

"Not drain, but replace the problematic part of the seawater, keeping the Tidal Realm clean. We'll then completely seal the sea grotto, separating the Tidal Realm from the real world entirely."

The elderly mermaid snorted:

"While you attended the assembly, we leaders shattered the ice, checking the seabed and Tidal Realm's freezing situation, finding it started from the real world; this vast freezing is due to problems with the part of the sea grotto connected to the real world.

In other words, our Tidal Realm is actually fine, but because its source is a section cut from the real world's portion of the sea grotto, we are implicated with extensive freezing.

So don't think I'm cruel; our aim to seal the sea grotto is simply throwing humanity's problem back to them, letting them deal with their own trouble!"