Bibo Island, the Island Lord’s Residence.

Shen Tianhai sat in his study, toying with a jade thumb ring that gleamed with a pale golden luster. The ring was smooth and warm to the touch, with fine seawater patterns engraved on its surface.

It was carved from a piece of jade that had been submerged in the sea for thousands of years, and it was a trophy that he had seized from an elder of the aquatic tribe in his early years.

His gaze pierced through the carved window lattice, fixed on the gradually darkening sea outside.

The afterglow of the setting sun was like molten gold splashed on the shimmering water, dyeing every wave a dazzling golden-red, but it could not penetrate the sinister and calculating depths of his eyes.

A faint smile played on his lips, a smile like that of an old cat after a good meal—lazy and content, yet with a hint of certainty that its prey was about to be caught.

As his fingertips traced the patterns on the jade thumb ring, each touch felt like caressing a chip that was about to be obtained.