The morning began the same way it always did.

Usinomics first visited Shamnomics, the gentle Siamese cat.

Breakfast was already waiting.

The little cat happily walked over, purring softly before enjoying the meal.

Next came Shibanomics.

The cheerful black Shiba wagged its tail with endless excitement.

However…

Usinomics stopped for a moment.

Shibanomics had somehow claimed Shamnomics’ favorite resting platform.

He smiled.

Shibanomics simply tilted its head.

Its tail continued wagging enthusiastically.

Not a single word had been understood.

Nearby, Shamnomics merely sighed before flopping onto the grass as if saying,

“I’ll just sleep here instead.”

Usinomics laughed quietly.

Some things never changed.

After checking on his companions,

he headed toward the wildlife reserve.

The pandas were already waiting.

Although they enjoyed apples,

their favorite meal was still fresh bamboo.

Usinomics filled the feeding station until it overflowed.

A young panda happily sat beside the bamboo pile,

chewing leaf after leaf without any concern for the world around it.

After eating,

the cub slowly walked toward him.

It raised both tiny paws.

Usinomics gently picked it up.

The little panda felt surprisingly warm,

almost like holding a living hot-water bottle.

Its soft fur resembled an oversized stuffed animal.

For several quiet minutes,

the panda simply relaxed in his arms.

When it had received enough affection,

it climbed down,

rolled across the grass,

then turned back one last time.

Its curious eyes remained fixed on Usinomics,

as if silently expressing gratitude before wandering back into the bamboo forest.

His next responsibility awaited beneath the sea.

As an Ocean Conservation Officer,

cleaning the coastline had become part of everyday life.

He collected drifting waste.

He restored damaged coral.

He fed the dolphins that gathered around the underwater station.

The dolphins seemed healthier every month.

Yet one mystery continued to bother him.

Every single day…

new pollution appeared in exactly the same locations.

No matter how carefully the area was cleaned,

the contamination always returned.

Usinomics floated quietly above the seabed.

“…then somewhere, something is continuously producing it.”

He looked across the vast ocean.

The handheld water-cleaning device worked well for small operations,

but it could never protect an entire sea.

Perhaps,

what the ocean truly needed

was something much larger.

A permanent purification system.

One capable of operating day and night.

One that could protect marine ecosystems without interruption.

According to modern environmental studies,

approximately 40% of the world’s oceans are considered significantly affected by human activities, including plastic pollution, nutrient runoff, chemical contamination, overfishing, habitat destruction, and climate-related stress.

More than 11 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year, and without major intervention, that number could continue to rise over the coming decades.

Many coastal regions also suffer from “dead zones,”

where excess nutrients remove oxygen from the water,

making survival difficult for fish and other marine life.

Usinomics imagined a different future.

Instead of relying only on divers,

IMABURAI Kingdom could deploy enormous automated purification towers throughout the ocean.

Each Ocean Restoration Tower would continuously:

• filter floating plastics

• collect microplastics

• absorb harmful chemicals

• oxygenate surrounding seawater

• monitor marine biodiversity using AI

• transmit environmental data in real time

Powered by renewable energy,

the stations could operate twenty-four hours a day,

forming an interconnected network across the world’s coastlines.

Such technology would not come cheaply.

A single full-scale offshore restoration station,

equipped with advanced AI,

autonomous drones,

filtration systems,

renewable energy,

and marine research facilities,

could require an estimated investment of

50 to 300 million USD

depending on its size and capabilities.

A global network protecting major coastlines would eventually require investments measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

It sounded enormous.

Yet compared with the economic damage caused by collapsing fisheries,

plastic pollution,

tourism losses,

and climate-related disasters,

the investment might one day prove worthwhile.

Usinomics watched the dolphins disappear into the clear blue water.

Perhaps…

the future would never belong to those who cleaned yesterday’s pollution.

Perhaps it would belong

to those who prevented tomorrow’s pollution

before it ever reached the sea.

He smiled.

Tomorrow’s work had already begun.

End of Chapter 56