I created the Bureau of Anomaly Control

Atlantis.

Ellie walked into the magnificent temple. The walls were covered with murals depicting the history of the Atlanteans, the most important of which were their alliance with the Sea God to fight against and seal the evil god, as well as their brave battles against the Sea Clan over the years.

In the very center of the temple stood a statue of the Sea God, but it wasn't her true form, the deity they worshiped. It was merely the appearance she used to communicate with them, these humans. Moreover, no statue could perfectly represent her true form—the ocean itself.

Today was the day they would unleash the ancient artifact. The Atlantean royal family had once requested their own weapon from the Sea God, and she had responded to their request, forging a powerful weapon that only the royal family could use.

Furthermore, this artifact could only be used with the consent of the entire royal family except for the Wise King. Its purpose was to restrain the Three Wise Kings, but Ellie felt that the Sea God's purpose hadn't been achieved because these conditions were full of loopholes when faced with complex human nature.

Perhaps the Sea God didn't care about them that much, otherwise, how could she not have noticed her betrayal?

Betrayal, that was how she defined herself now.

The situation had changed more rapidly and complexly than she had wanted. Atlantis's original "evil" plan had been temporarily shelved, and they had reached a new agreement with the Federation through negotiations, relying on three duels to determine the affairs of the Sea Clan.

At this point, she no longer had any suitable reason to continue opposing their "evil plan," because if Atlantis could achieve victory against the land, it wouldn't be a bad thing for either the world or Atlantis.

And if they lost, then she wouldn't need to stop anything.

So now she had become a complete traitor.

When she learned of this news, Ellie had actually considered whether to stop. The mysterious observer didn't seem to care much about it either. If she stopped now, there wouldn't be any consequences.

As long as she stopped, she could return to a normal, and even more privileged, life than most people.

And then slowly wait for her father to rot in prison.

But after tossing and turning for several nights, the answer in her heart became clearer.

No, she didn't want to accept such an outcome, even at such a price...

Ellie finally realized that she was actually a selfish bastard. Her past worries about the world were probably just an excuse to cover up her feelings for her father, and a disguise she used to satisfy and deceive herself.

When faced with a real choice, she finally had the courage to face her own heart.

She was a bad person.

And today was the best opportunity for her to do evil.

"Ellie, you're finally here." A young man of similar age walked out of the temple. He looked at Ellie with some trepidation. "They're all waiting for you inside..."

Ellie nodded:

"Yeah, I was held up by something on the way."

She had deliberately arrived last because, according to custom, the later you arrived, the closer you stood to the artifact, and that was her opportunity. At the end of the ceremony, the artifact would be within her reach, and she could take it away in an instant.

And no one would be wary of her. Someone like her couldn't do anything even if she touched the artifact, but as long as the observer kept his promise, she could use the powerful force within the artifact to rush into her father's prison and take him away from there.

Now all three Wise Kings were outside preparing for the duel with the Federation, which was also the most vulnerable time for Atlantis.

She had thought about returning the artifact to Atlantis after rescuing her father.

But she understood that this was a deal with the devil. The observer and his organization and forces would help her rescue her father, and she would offer the ancient Atlantean artifact to this mysterious organization.

Without a doubt, she was a traitor, and by Ellie's own standards, she was an even more guilty and bad person than her father.

But in a few days, they would be re-electing a new prince, and she didn't have any time left.

"I understand." The man nodded. "They were saying some nasty things inside just now. You shouldn't have to bear the burden of what your father did, but they don't even understand this basic principle."

Ellie said with a smile:

"It's okay, Vox, I'm used to it."

Moreover, what he said was a lie. The Three Wise Kings claimed to the outside world that her father had committed the serious crime of betraying Atlantis, but Ellie knew very well that what he had done was completely contrary to what the Three Wise Kings claimed because she had personally watched her father go to them to advise them.

When she and Vox walked into the temple, her body suddenly froze for a moment.

Because she saw Wise King Milord standing next to the artifact, the "Storm Conch."

This was completely contrary to the information she had received, but Ellie also knew that this was actually the normal situation. She had now been almost completely stripped of all her rights, and the movements of the Three Wise Kings that she had grasped were unlikely to be true.

After the surprise and fear, Ellie suddenly felt a little relieved.

She couldn't quite figure out whether she was relieved because she didn't have to take risks, or because she didn't have to betray Atlantis, or even more likely, both. But she immediately felt a little guilty.

Guilty towards her father.

There was no chance anymore.

If it were the other two Wise Kings, she might have tried to snatch the artifact desperately, and she might have had a negligible chance of success. But in front of Milord, she couldn't even raise the idea of possibly succeeding. He was Milord.

Just as Ellie was about to walk to her position, she stopped uncontrollably. Vox, who was beside her, swallowed timidly, no longer considering maintaining any image in front of her, because Milord was walking towards them.

He stopped in front of the two, then looked at Vox with a dignified expression and said:

"Can I have a word with her alone?"

Vox nodded, then ran away as if he had encountered a shark.

Milord looked at her.

At that moment, Ellie even thought that her plot had been exposed. She was even mentally prepared to go to the execution ground.

But Milord only asked gently:

"I heard that you have been treated unfairly recently?"

Ellie nodded slightly, but immediately denied:

"My father made a mistake, so I should bear the consequences."

Milord shook his head slightly:

"I also watched your father grow up. Actually, he used to be a good kid. No one expected him to do such a thing, but he's not the focus of what we're talking about now. I think you must have heard that a new prince is going to be elected, right?"

Ellie nodded nervously:

"Yes."

Milord continued:

"I only heard about this recently. They didn't even notify me. I'm sorry. If I had known, I might have stopped it, but now I can't do anything about it."

Ellie said somewhat flattered:

"No, you don't have to say that. Father..."

Milord interrupted:

"What happens to your father is one thing, but they shouldn't re-elect a new prince."

Ellie asked in surprise:

"Do you mean he can still..."

But reality wasn't as good as she had hoped.

Milord's expression darkened:

"No, no, he has to pay for his mistakes.

"What I mean is that this position should have been reserved for you."

These words completely exceeded Ellie's expectations, leaving her at a loss for words.

Milord continued:

"You are his rightful heir, but the decisions of the Three Wise Kings are always based on the majority vote. I can't make any changes to this, so I want to give you a promise. If the position of prince becomes vacant again...

"I will let you get what you deserve."

Ellie shook her head in confusion:

"No, no, if you really want to give me something, maybe you can consider my father..."

"Impossible." Before she could finish speaking, Milord interrupted her.

Then he shook his head with an apologetic expression:

"I'm sorry, there's no room for discussion on this matter. He's destined to spend the rest of his life in the trench.

"Alright, child, go perform the ceremony."