Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

The servant led the tortoise forward with its head down, and soon they arrived beside Zhou Yanshu and the others.

Tamer had deliberately left an open space in front of the main hall, assuming it was due to custom, but it turned out to be for a certain Earl Turtle to sit on.

Zhou Yanshu is an earl, and the Earl of the Holy Count is also an earl. They are of equal status, so it is only natural that they sit together—this is Tamo's idea.

However, all the other princes and ministers were seated below Zhou Yanshu, and even Lin Shuang was sitting opposite Zhou Yanshu today.

With this move, Tamo mocked them all.

Tamer paid no attention to what the others thought. He sat at an angle on top, casually looking down.

The rope of the green-haired turtle was tied to a pillar not far from Zhou Yanshu. Zhou Yanshu's face was cold, but the fingertips holding the wine glass were already white from gripping it so tightly.

Seeing this, Tamo narrowed his eyes and chuckled.

"Alright, alright, now that everyone is here, let the banquet begin," Tamo said. "I'm not the main character today, General Lin Shuang, you would like to say a few words."

Lin Shuang's expression wasn't very good. Upon hearing this, he stood up, paused for a few seconds, and then said, "Today's victory celebration banquet is also to reward the soldiers who have been guarding the border for many years. They are all my kinsmen, and have not been valued for many years. It is our honor to receive His Majesty's favor on this occasion."

After he finished speaking, he drank a glass of wine and said, "Everyone, please feel free to do as you please."

Upon hearing Lin Shuang's words, the ministers below all raised their cups in acknowledgment and drank the wine together.

Yu Zhuo was also among them. He glanced at Zhou Yanshu next to him and saw that although Zhou Yanshu was unhappy, he also raised his wine glass.

The green-haired turtle was not far from them. Yu Zhuo squeezed Zhou Yanshu's palm and quietly withdrew his gaze.

“Countess, didn’t you say you were allergic to alcohol?” Qi Mohan’s voice suddenly rang in Yu Zhuo’s ears. Yu Zhuo paused and turned to see Qi Mohan smiling at him with an ambiguous expression.

Yu Zhuo: "..."

"Shh—I haven't drunk any yet." Yu Zhu tilted his glass, which was more than half full of liquor. "How is it?"

Qi Mohan raised an eyebrow upon seeing the situation: "Alright, I was overthinking it. I thought you had some kind of problem with me, Madam, and were deliberately refusing to drink my wine."

Yu Zhuo: "..."

"Left Envoy, don't overthink it. I really don't have any other intentions towards you."

Qi Mohan smiled and said, "That's good."

Yu Zhuo didn't speak again. He had only had a brief interaction with Qi Mohan, yet Qi Mohan ignored Zhou Yanshu and focused solely on talking to him.

He really is a cunning and shrewd old man.

Yu Zhuo tapped his fingertip on the table. He ignored his surroundings and, after the food was served, he picked out a few fruits to try.

"What is that?" Yu Zhuo asked casually, chewing on a grape in his mouth and looking ahead.

Qi Mohan was closer to Yu Zhuo, and following Yu Zhuo's gaze, he said, "The special product that General Lin Shuang brought back from the dangerous border is said to be the Thousand Treasures Fruit from the Hundred-Leaf Tree."

"Oh..." Yu Zhuo drawled, "Isn't it similar to an apple?"

Qi Mohan: "..."

"Countess, appearances can be deceiving. Although the Thousand Treasures Fruit looks ordinary, when eaten with the crispy meat of the golden shark in the sea, it can prolong life and even help regenerate a broken mermaid's tail. This is an old recipe that has been passed down for thousands of years."

Qi Mohan pointed to the dish held by the servant. The fruit on it was orange-red, spread out in all directions, and each segment of fruit had tiny pieces of crispy golden shark meat in the center.

"However, people of our rank don't have the chance to taste it. Longevity and fish tail regeneration are privileges reserved for royalty."

Yu Zhuo listened with a vague understanding. He turned his gaze and looked around the main hall, and saw the attendant holding the Thousand Treasures Fruit walk straight toward Tamo.

The rest of the people, except for Lin Shuang who returned victorious, did not have any rare fruits in their bowls to enjoy.

"That's it..."

Yu Zhuo muttered something, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhou Yanshu pick up his silver chopsticks, and immediately tapped his fingers twice on the table.

"Is that a rare fruit in your bowl?"

Zhou Yanshu paused in his chopsticks. The rare fruit in front of him had just been served. This food, which could only be enjoyed by the Mermaid Royal Family, was only available to him and Tamo, besides Lin Shuang.

Zhou Yanshu put down his chopsticks. The Thousand Treasures Fruit in front of him was only a quarter the size of the one in Tamo's bowl. He looked at Yu Zhuo, paused for a moment, and then said, "Yes."

"You're the one who won't give me any? What Omega acts like this?" Zhou Yanshu had barely finished speaking when Yu Zhuo dragged the porcelain bowl in front of him. "Honestly, you have no sense at all."

Zhou Yanshu: "..."

Yu Zhuo made quite a commotion as he grabbed the bowls and chopsticks, and those around him secretly glanced at him, all of them feeling a chill run down their spines.

Yu Zhuo, though not a high-ranking Alpha, has quite a temper, daring to treat the former king like this.

Tamer rested his chin on his hand and looked down, then chuckled at what he saw. He then casually looked away as if he hadn't seen anything.

"Go, take this plate of rare fruits to the Earl. I can't eat this much." Lin Shuang, who was sitting opposite Zhou Yanshu, had seen everything. He beckoned the servants next to him and asked them to take the untouched rare fruits in front of him to Zhou Yanshu.

The servants froze on the spot upon hearing this, glancing up silently. Seeing that Tamo had a mocking smile on his face but had not spoken, they could only grit their teeth and pick up the items, handing them to Zhou Yanshu.

Zhou Yanshu was also somewhat surprised to see this. He had only met Lin Shuang once before, yet Lin Shuang would risk angering Tamo to give him the Thousand Treasure Fruit.

"Thank you, General."

Zhou Yanshu took the food from the servant's hand.

Yu Zhuo watched coldly from the side, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Zhou Yanshu and Lin Shuang, before scoffing and saying sarcastically, "That's all you've got."

These words reached the ears of those around them, who exchanged glances and their gazes toward Yu Zhuo and Zhou Yanshu gradually changed.

Zhou Yanshu ignored Yu Zhuo, picked up a slice of Qianzhen fruit and put it in his mouth, taking two bites by himself.

Yu Zhuo also lowered his head to bite into the Qianzhen Fruit in his bowl. Just as he swallowed the fruit, he heard a crisp sound next to him.

The bowls and chopsticks in front of Zhou Yanshu all fell to the ground. His face was pale, and he was vomiting blood while supporting himself on the table with one hand.

Yu Zhuo was startled. He quickly helped Zhou Yanshu up and asked, "W-what happened?!"

Upon seeing this, the people in the hall all changed their expressions drastically. They hurriedly summoned their attendants to call for a doctor, and the soldiers guarding the side quickly gathered around.

Lin Shuang immediately stood up from his seat and strode towards Zhou Yanshu, only to find that Zhou Yanshu was bleeding from his mouth and nose and soon fainted behind the long table.