He leaned against the wall, covering his eyes with his hand, not making a sound.
So, the source of her recent erratic behavior was actually this?
A sudden surge of irrational anger flared within Su Shiye, nearly driving him to go back inside and haul her off the floor again. But he restrained himself. He stood silently at the door for a few minutes before leaving the Temple of Memories.
That night, Su Shiye hardly slept. He began to feel that starting this lover-like relationship with Fan Li had been a mistake. There was a hidden time bomb that made him feel uneasy—whenever he was with Fan Li, he always felt the urge to kick every other woman out of his life.
He had never truly moved on from his memories of her, but rationally, he had always maintained good control and practiced regular self-reflection. Now, just the thought that she felt the same way he did made him incredibly irritable. He wanted to pin her to the bed and torment her until she cried, until she apologized.
But he couldn't.
In essence, he had been single for a long time. Fan Li was single too. If a single man and woman had sex every week and added a layer of mutual affection, what were they if not lovers? What was the difference between that and a real relationship?
Remembering what Fan Li had done to him in the past, he decided he would rather give up the relationship than fall into a passive position again.
That weekend, when he met Fan Li at the hotel, he was no longer gentle. The moment they met, he pressed her head down. "Perform better."
Fan Li’s technique was very unpracticed. After a few minutes, he wasn't enjoying it much and called a halt. His only feedback was a mocking laugh. "A bit crude. It seems your husbands didn't teach you well."
He pushed her until her face was flushed red, and she made gagging sounds. Twice, she had to stop to cough and massage her jaw, which was so sore it felt like it might snap, but it was all merely physical discomfort. From beginning to end, she showed no sign of unwillingness, kneeling submissively before his legs.
Hearing him say that, she looked somewhat disappointed. "Was it... not good?"
"It wasn't." Su Shiye stood up, dressed himself, and said nonchalantly, "It might also be that I've lost a bit of interest in you lately."
*Lost interest?*
Fan Li quickly stood up as well. She wanted to say she could try harder, but then she remembered they had maintained this relationship for over three months. She understood quickly.
"I see. It does feel like we've been doing this for quite a while. I remember, among the women you used to have... aside from Carnation, few could keep you dating them so frequently for this long."
"You think I sleep with every woman?" Su Shiye turned back, speaking in disbelief.
"Oh, you don't sleep with all of them?" Fan Li scratched her head and smiled helplessly. "Then our time together has been even longer. After all, for women in the 'completely won over' category, the shelf life should be even shorter. My shelf life is probably about up."
Su Shiye was so angry he nearly pinned her to the bed to finish what they started.
But after that flash of anger passed, he asked himself: what result did he want?
To make her be more honest and say she liked him?
No, he didn't want to hear her confession.
Yet, if he were to treat her merely as a mistress, he couldn't be as relaxed, romantic, and at ease as he was with other women.
She was like a poison. Whenever he was idle, he thought of her almost constantly. But he truly didn't have the strength to love anymore.
Suppressing his rising anger again, he decided not to fall for her provocation. Instead, he walked over with a smile and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "To keep things fresh, you can see other men too. Yu Jin is quite good; why not try the 'younger brother' type?"
If she really went and got involved with Yu Jin, that would be perfect. A clean break.
The following weekend, Su Shiye did not contact Fan Li. At the same time, he tightened security at the Temple of Memories, forbidding her access. As the rumors said, breaking an "Amber addiction" was harder than breaking a drug habit. Throughout that week, she lived in a daze. Every night before bed, she felt no anticipation for the next day. Countless times, she wanted to contact Su Shiye first, and though she ultimately controlled herself, she was as anxious and restless as an ant on a hot griddle.
Finally, on the second weekend, after another tossing and turning night, Su Shiye called her.
"Want to meet and talk?"
A single sentence summoned her back to the same hotel. But during the five hours they spent together, they spoke fewer than ten sentences.
Just like that, they returned to their previous relationship, and this time, it was more stable and enduring than before.
In February of the year 422, Fan Li saw a news headline in the economic section of the *Abyss Capital Daily*: "Abyss Capital Grain Exports Surge for Three Consecutive Months."
*Customs data from the Storm Well Gath-Ri shows that in 421, the Abyss Capital's grain export value reached 740 billion Red Coins, doubling in a year, with export volume increasing by 3.82 times over the same period.*
*According to data from November 421 to February 422, the Empire's largest export destination was the Starry Sea, reaching 1.425 million tons, followed by the Twisted Void Ocean (1.044 million tons), the Red Moon Sea (873,000 tons), the Republic of White State (688,000 tons), Saint Yegana (570,000 tons), the Everfrost Tribes (549,000 tons), the Sky-Rend Sea (422,000 tons), the Storm Sea (419,000 tons), the Bodhi Sea (320,000 tons), the Wind-Song Ridge (280,000 tons), the Dark-Light Kingdom (263,000 tons), the Lunar Eclipse Tribes (228,000 tons), and the Winter-Approach Sea (174,000 tons)...*
*After opening trade with the Light Sea Federation last year, the Starry Sea, one of the Light Sea's two major regions, replaced the Dark Sea's Twisted Void Ocean as the Empire's largest trading partner.*
*In the structure of the Empire's grain exports, wheat has traditionally been the primary product...*
Seeing this, Fan Li felt both surprised and that it was only logical.
Since the founding of the Abyss Empire, the Abyss population had grown exponentially, and marine snow was no longer nearly enough to meet their basic living needs. According to statistics, the Abyss Empire, with a population of over 600 million, could actually consume 300 million brine pool buns a day. To ensure the daily supply of bread, the Empire had once enacted a law: bakers had to declare their vacation time 14 days in advance, and the final decision rested with the relevant authorities.
This regulation lasted from the year 84 of the Red Moon Era until 414, when it was officially abolished. But this law also showed how much the citizens of the Empire loved and relied on food that originally belonged to the land.
However, for the Light Sea tribes, who had ample food reserves, grain was not a necessity. Furthermore, the Light Sea tribes also held their own territories on land. If they wanted to buy grain, they could perfectly well produce and sell it themselves. Why would they choose to buy grain produced in the Abyss at high prices?
Fan Li had Woge and Shasha quickly bring her two reports. One was a report on the land territory of the Light Sea tribes over the last ten years, and the other was a "Pan-Oceanic Cultural Preference Public Opinion Survey" conducted by the Red Moon Sea media.
From the data in these two reports, she knew her hypothesis was correct.
First, human territorial expansion on land was extremely rapid. The Antonine Dynasty in the West had led the Roman Empire into a golden age, and the chaos of the Three Kingdoms period in the East had driven a massive increase in military strength. The sea tribes' land territories had shrunk significantly.
Second, among the different regions of the Light Sea, except for the Storm Sea, the Sky-Rend Sea, and Saint Yegana, all regions actually had more positive than negative reviews of the Abyss Empire. Saint Yegana had long employed protectionist policies, leading to the decentralization of central power once again and a decline in unity. Many regions were taking a wait-and-see approach toward the "Big Bang" of Saint Yegana. The most extreme was the Starry Sea. The proportion of people with a favorable view was 91%, while those with an unfavorable view accounted for only 2%, with the remaining 7% having no opinion.
Clearly, the fact that they liked the Abyss Empire so much was inevitably linked to the Starry Sea being Su Shiye's old home.
It was practically a miracle that after 423, Su Shiye still held such a massive positive influence in the Starry Sea.
After reviewing these reports, Fan Li had a new hypothesis: the Light Sea's foreign trade situation might not be very good. Then, she requested Saint Yegana's latest economic report. Sure enough, the trade was firmly in a deficit.
Saint Yegana's import tariffs over the last ten years had been between 38% and 45%, yet it had still become one of the Abyss Empire's top five export destinations. If the tariffs were lowered, it was only a matter of time before it replaced the Starry Sea as the Abyss's number one export customer.
No one in the Light Sea knew the true reason Su Shiye's regime had been overthrown back then; they all thought the Holy City Party had simply lost to the Storm Party, and that the Storm Party's governing ability was inferior. Even though the Great Oracle and the Saint Yegana government later made a series of market-stabilizing adjustments, they were disconnected from the Storm Party—the Great Oracle and the Gath clan had long since ended their marital alliances.
Therefore, the Light Sea held little hostility toward Su Shiye.
Fan Li finally understood why Su Shiye had brought her to the Abyss Empire. It wasn't to hold her as a hostage, but to use a policy of conciliation to further win over the hearts of the Light Sea people.
Su Shiye, that ambitious wolf, was certainly no pushover. No wonder he was so reluctant to go to war with the Light Sea. When there's money to be made, who wants to fight? Lately, she had been so over-indulged in Su Shiye's body and the melancholy of memories that she had almost forgotten her mission. She really deserved a scolding.
Just as she was thinking about whether to contact the Clerical Department or the Light Sea government, she received a call from Gath Xitian.
"Bo Ping is an idiot!" When he uttered the name of the current Light Sea Dictator, Xitian made a plosive sound that almost sprayed saliva.
"What a coincidence, I was just about to look for you," Fan Li said with a smile. "Headaching over the Light-Dark Sea trade?"
"The team that idiot leads are idiots too! The plan they came up with is absolutely ridiculous! Guess what policy they thought of—I bet you'll never guess!"
"Joint transport restriction?"
"No, the method they thought of was much more brainless than that. They actually said..." At this point, Xitian thought for a few seconds and regained his composure. "Joint transport restriction? Why didn't we think of that! Suyi, that's a good method! Much wiser than theirs!"
"Don't. It only sounds good. Considering the current political landscape of the Light Sea, I think the feasibility is very low."
"No, even if the Light Sea isn't as obedient as before, it's still a whole. We've been at war with the Abyss tribes for so long; they won't drop the ball on something like this."
" I don't see it that way. Patriots are still a minority; the vast majority will submit in the face of profit. Forget what I said. Think of another way, like allying with the Abyss Empire's enemies, or driving a wedge between them and the Red Moon Sea... any method will do, but don't consider transport restrictions for now."
"I understand. I'll think about it some more. If all else fails, maybe the transport restriction method could work..."
"Xitian, your old habit is acting up again. Don't underestimate the enemy. Su Shiye and Bo Ping are not players on the same level. He's not easy to deal with."
"I know. I'll do my best to oppose them; I won't underestimate him. But what about you? Are you okay in Baman Boya? They haven't bullied you, have they?"
"No, I'm doing research, so I don't socialize much. Not many chances to be bullied."
"What about Su Shiye? He hasn't said anything disrespectful to you, has he?"
He hadn't said anything disrespectful, but he had been doing disrespectful things constantly. Fan Li shook her head, trying to shake the image of the last time she and Su Shiye were in the hotel doing "sixty-nine" out of her mind. "No. Don't worry about me."
"That's good," Xitian said coldly. "If he dares to bully you, tell me. Even if our military strength isn't as good as theirs, I'll dare to take him on."
To counter the Abyss Empire's commercial invasion, the Light Sea government reacted quickly. The Gath clan adopted the method Xitian had heard from Fan Li, providing fish meat to small Dark Sea nations on credit, including the Wind-Song Ridge and the Sinful Shark's Nest, which had always been a headache for Su Shiye, to prevent them from siding with the Abyss Empire.
Because of the destructive nature of fel energy, the energy required to adjust water pressure was far greater than the energy needed to create air bladders. Therefore, for the Abyss Empire, large-scale farming of edible fish was always a luxury. If they wanted to solve their fish meat problem, they had to rely on imports. In this regard, they were held in check by the Light Sea.
Using this as leverage, the Bo Ping government approached the Empire government for negotiations: *I'll sell you fish, you sell me grain and warship technology, both at a discount, and we won't let the other sea regions play.*
It seemed like a win-win strategy, but the Bo Ping government had actually double-crossed the Abyss Empire twice.
First, once you've eaten the Light Sea's food, you can't smash their pot. Through such tactics, the Bo Ping government stabilized the Dark Sea base outside the Abyss Empire and gained a group of underlings who could threaten Su Shiye.
Second, the warlords of the Red Moon Sea already had a tendency to defect from the Light Sea. After Su Shiye's military threats, they were even more submissive to the Abyss Empire, and their relationship with Saint Yegana grew increasingly tense. But the Abyss Empire's sudden acceptance of exclusive cooperation with the Saint Yegana government was equivalent to slapping its allies in the face.
At the same time, Saint Yegana proposed to other sea regions that they should not export fish to the Abyss Empire, with Saint Yegana controlling the tariffs.
It seemed like an airtight method, but it was not a long-term solution.
Although they both fell under the category of bulk commodities, in the ocean, grains like wheat (especially after genetic modification) were considered technological products with high export prices and very low costs. Meanwhile, the fish and seaweed provided by the Light Sea were natural resources; large-scale harvesting would lead to the destruction of the Light Sea's ecology.
Furthermore, as Fan Li had said, the joint transport restriction was difficult to implement in practice. For the Seven Seas, the supply for exports to the Abyss Empire exceeded demand. To seize the market, the Seven Seas competed fiercely with each other. As long as one party was the first to break the rules, they could gain the largest market share. Thus, less than a month after the restriction order was issued, the Seven Seas began one after another to ship meat and algae to the Abyss, making a fortune.
The most miserable was Saint Yegana. The Holy City government had already publicly released news stating its position on exclusive trade with the Abyss Empire. Consequently, fishermen in the second and third-tier towns and surrounding villages of the Holy City began taking out loans to farm fish and over-harvest. As a result of the Seven Seas' back-channel operations, there was an oversupply of fish, prices plummeted, and a large number of fishermen went bankrupt because they couldn't repay their loans. In response, the Light Sea fishery interest groups launched a strong protest against the Dictator's government. Bo Ping was impeached by the parliament and ousted. On the day he stepped down, he cursed Gath Xitian in the White Eagle Palace, calling him short-sighted and a "paper general." Xitian did not respond.
Because of the malicious price-cutting among the Seven Seas, the trade deficit lasted for an entire year, leaving the Light Sea Ministry of Finance in agony.
Xitian often called Fan Li to complain, but ever since his last impulsive decision, she no longer dared to proactively offer suggestions that hadn't been thoroughly considered. Most of the time, she just listened to him talk.
As if by unspoken agreement, Fan Li and Su Shiye never mentioned these matters to each other, each harboring their own schemes while engaging in the most intimate acts.
In February of the year 423 of the Red Moon Era, after reading the latest maritime tax financial report, Fan Li lay in bed tossing and turning. She couldn't fall asleep until 4:30 AM, so she simply got up and stared blankly at the "Eye of the Abyss" outside the window.
At 6:23 AM, she finally had an idea. She called Xitian and said, "No matter what method you use, raise tariffs across the entire Light Sea—not excluding the use of forced execution."
"Fine," Xitian said without hesitation. "I'll get on it right now."
Fan Li wasn't afraid of incompetent teammates or malicious teammates; she was afraid of teammates who trusted her unconditionally. For the sake of such trust, she would take all the responsibility onto her own shoulders. This time was the same; Xitian didn't even ask for her reason, which made her feel that this had to be accomplished, no matter what.
High taxation was a double-edged sword. If it continued long-term, the Light Sea would also suffer huge losses. But for long-term development, the situation had to be controlled before the citizens of the Light Sea developed a dependency on Dark Sea grain.
And so, the trade war—calm on the surface but turbulent beneath—began.
The grain exported from the Abyss Empire to the Light Sea Federation was divided into two parts. A small portion flowed into the market and was purchased by the wealthy; the vast majority flowed into the Light Sea black market and was sold to Light Sea grain companies.
The Abyss Empire sold "grain technology" to these companies by selling to agents. But anyone with a bit of knowledge knew that the Light Sea's air energy industry lagged far behind the Dark Sea's. If they took the Abyss Empire's technology to produce grain in the Light Sea, the cost would only be higher than importing it. Therefore, this was just a formality to facilitate tax evasion. That grain was still manufactured by the Abyss Empire.
Upon learning this news, the newly appointed Dictator quickly clung to the Gath clan's thigh, preparing for a major move.
Half a month later, Gath Xitian informed Fan Li that because it involved high-level government secrets, she needed to return to Saint Yegana in person so they could discuss the next steps.
Fan Li went to the Endless Palace. Seeing the Red Moon flag raised, she went straight inside to find Su Shiye and asked him to approve a ten-day leave.
"Ten days?" Su Shiye stood up from behind his desk. "Back to the Light Sea?"
"Yes."
Fan Li had already prepared her excuses, waiting for him to continue questioning her, but Su Shiye didn't ask for her reason at all. He just looked at her quietly for a moment, then walked to the window and looked out at the grand view of Baman Boya. "Fine, you may go."
"It's a rather important matter that I need to handle personally," Fan Li said, walking over carefully. "I'll be back on time."
"Of course you'll come back. Otherwise, Saint Yegana will have to eat another bomb."
What a childish thing to say. Su Shiye never spoke like that in public. Fan Li stopped behind him and smiled helplessly. "You still don't quite trust me, do you?"
"You're quite clever to be able to feel that."
"What do I have to do for you to trust me?"
Su Shiye was silent for a moment, then turned around. "Take what I give you back to Saint Yegana."
"What thing?"
Su Shiye lowered his head and whispered a sentence in her ear. The content was so shocking that Fan Li snapped her eyes shut. Her entire face turned redder and redder, and then she opened her eyes to glare at him. "Your Majesty Su Shiye, even as a man, you should have a bit of a sense of shame."
"What shame is there left between us?" Su Shiye remained unmoved, looking at her tenderly as he smoothed her bangs. "You don't have to get pregnant, but take them back with you, alright?"
Fan Li bit her lower lip hard, her eyelashes trembling. Finally, she could only nod.
Five days later, Fan Li returned to Saint Yegana and held an emergency meeting with the Gath clan and the new Dictator. Ye Jia was now serving as the Dictator's Light Sea security advisor, so he was also present.
It turned out the Dictator had hired a top team from a famous detective agency in the Starry Sea at a high price to collect evidence that the grain did not originate from the Light Sea, but from the Dark Sea.
This company had risen to fame after preventing an assassination attempt on Bukobalu by rebels. In less than half a month, they had infiltrated the trading market, sampled grain from buyers' homes by posing as government statisticians, and gathered data from seed sales companies... The final figures were precise and staggering. They delivered this evidence to the Dictator immediately. The Dictator, in turn, passed the materials to the Gath clan, seeking their instructions.
"Be even more high-profile," Fan Li said, flipping through the materials they handed her. "High-profile enough to catch the attention of the Seven Seas governments, but not so high-profile that they can catch you."
"Why?" Xitian couldn't help but ask. "If we let them notice, won't they just find ways to bypass us?"
"Evidence must be collected, but doing it this way still faces the same old problem: it's not very practical. Do you think the Abyss Empire will just obediently hand over the tariffs to you? That's too idealistic."
Xitian rubbed his chin and thought for a while. "Understood. Then let's move on to the next question..."
The meeting that day was very long. It would take some time to mobilize the materials Fan Li needed, so she had to stay in Saint Yegana for a few more days.
After it ended, Fan Li immediately stood up, preparing to return to her residence. Before she boarded the vessel, Ye Jia followed her.
"I think I have a rough idea of what you're up to," Ye Jia said, clicking his tongue. "Suyi, you really are stubborn."
"Solving a problem has to start from the root. No matter how far the Abyss Empire's long-arm jurisdiction reaches, it can't interfere with our internal reorganization."
"Fine, you always manage to surprise us. But remember to take protective measures. When your ten-year contract is up and you return to the Light Sea, just don't bring back a little Abyss prince."
Fan Li had been enjoying the intake and output of the Light Sea's water, but hearing him say that, she nearly choked. "What are you talking about!"
"Don't play dumb." Ye Jia raised an eyebrow. "I placed a tracking spell on you. You go to the same hotel every week; you're going to see the Red Moon Emperor, aren't you? Careful not to get caught."
"What tracking spell... could last for over a year? How come I didn't know?"
"If you knew, would it still be a tracking spell?" Ye Jia said, squinting his eyes. "Watch your words and actions. A hookup is fine, but you must not do anything to betray the Light Sea."
"Of course I won't! Hurry up and remove that tracking spell; you're violating my right to privacy!"
Ye Jia waved his hand in front of her. "Alright, alright, it's gone. Don't be angry."
Fan Li felt extremely frustrated at having her sore spot poked. It was the truth; she hadn't even had time to thoroughly wash away Su Shiye's traces from her body before rushing to the meeting. Embarrassing.
But she didn't know that Ye Jia hadn't actually used any tracking spell.
"Silly girl," Ye Jia sighed after her vessel had sailed far away.
How did he know Fan Li and Su Shiye were still entangled? It was simple—even in a formal meeting, every time the name "Su Shiye" was mentioned, Fan Li's eyes gave him the exact answer.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 联合限运 | Joint Transport Restriction | A proposed trade policy to limit shipping/exports. |
| 卤水塘面包 | Brine Pool Bread | A staple food in the Abyss Empire. |
| 风歌之脊 | Wind-Song Ridge | A location/nation in the Dark Sea. |
| 罪恶鲨巢 | Sinful Shark's Nest | A location/nation in the Dark Sea. |
| 白鹰宫殿 | White Eagle Palace | Likely the seat of government in Saint Yegana. |
| 长臂管辖 | Long-arm jurisdiction | Legal/political term for exercising authority beyond borders. |
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