552 Fake and Reality
Lumian didn’t find the current Governor of the Sea’s plea for help surprising.
He raised his left hand and touched his ear. In Intisian, he asked, “What are you saying? I only understand the word ‘help.’”
The current Governor of the Sea, disguised as a woman, appeared dumbfounded, as if the language barrier was unexpected.
Having racked his brains and risked his life to reach Louis Berry, the Governor of the Sea found himself unable to convey his request due to the language barrier!
Maintaining his pretense of not understanding Highlander, Lumian calmly took out a dark-red fountain pen and a stack of post-it notes, handing them over.
“Write down everything you want to say. I’ll get someone to translate it.”
This time, he used Intisian again but gestured with the fountain pen to guide the other party on what to do.
If the Governor of the Sea is illiterate and unable to write Highlander, it would be troublesome… I would have to resort to communicating with individual words and body language. I don’t want to reveal my knowledge of Highlander yet… Lumian thought with concern.
In Intis and Feynapotter, there were numerous illiterate individuals.
The Governor of the Sea, after a brief moment of confusion, grasped Louis Berry’s intentions. He took the fountain pen and note and began scribbling.
Lumian observed with a composed expression. Despite being on the opposite side, with a Hunter’s vision and spatial imagination, he easily discerned the content of the written message:
“Please help me. Rescue me out of Port Santa! I’m not the true Governor of the Sea!”
Not the true Governor of the Sea… Lumian suppressed the urge to raise his eyebrows and refrained from directly asking, maintaining an appearance of complete ignorance of the words.
He desired to see what additional information the current Governor of the Sea would reveal before considering his next set of questions.
The man dressed in feminine attire paused for two seconds before continuing,
“The true Governor of the Sea died during last year’s sea prayer ritual.”
Dead? The genuine Governor of the Sea perished during the sea prayer ritual? Lumian felt a sudden surge of joy at this revelation.
I can finally see the tail of the key members of April Fool’s!
One consequence of their prank last year was the predetermined Governor of the Sea’s failure to successfully perform the sea prayer ritual. He suffered a backlash from Beyonder powers and lost his life!
This aligned with the revelations from Otta Guillaume, the Solow Motel owner, and his son, a government department clerk, regarding an increase in shipwrecks, a decline in fish harvests, and disrupted trade.
The imposter Governor of the Sea wrote swiftly, as if fearing someone might catch up to him at any moment.
“I was chosen by Juan Oro and the Fisheries Guild to impersonate the Governor of the Sea for a year because I resemble the true Governor of the Sea. This was to prevent fishermen and sea merchants from knowing about their grave mistake and the slip-up that caused the sea prayer ritual to fail. Such a failure has not occurred in recent centuries.
“Now that I know this secret, they won’t let me leave alive. After the Governor of the Sea handover ritual is completed and the vigil begins, I’ll undoubtedly be killed.
“I never wanted to play the role of Governor of the Sea. It was a blasphemy against the sea, but they pointed a gun at me, claiming they had already killed someone who refused to cooperate.
“The Church and the government won’t intervene in the Fisheries Guild’s affairs. You’re the only one daring enough to infiltrate the Governor of the Sea’s residence and confront Juan Oro with a gun. I can only seek your help. Over the past year, I’ve saved up quite a bit of money. I can give it all to you—
100,000 gold risot!
“I’ve heard about your recent exploits. I believe you have the strength. I implore you to help me!”
Quite educated… Lumian, after studying the three completed post-it notes, sensed that the imposter Governor of the Sea differed from ordinary fishermen, vendors, or workers based on his grammar and vocabulary.
Phew… After jotting down his reasons and request, the fake Governor of the Sea set aside the fountain pen and slid three post-it notes filled with Highlander words to Lumian.
With a quick glance, Lumian contemplated using Highlander words and body language.
“Help? Your. Family?”
The fake Governor of the Sea hastily wrote down a response: “My parents passed away a few years ago. I don’t have any other relatives. I was originally an employee of the Fisheries Company.”
It’s no surprise Juan Oro and his associates dared to “kidnap” this person to be the Governor of the Sea. The Earth Mother Church refrains from meddling in the Fisheries Guild’s internal affairs. If it affects other citizens, they will still handle it… Lumian pretended to ask first and planned to find someone later to translate the response.
“Servant girls. Pregnant?”
He inquired about the maids in the Governor of the Sea’s residence and the reason for their pregnancies.
The fake Governor of the Sea, concealed behind a blue veil, displayed no change in expression. His right hand trembled slightly as he wrote: “The Governor of the Sea will receive the same treatment as the ruler of Port Santa. He can appoint anyone from Milo Village, the Fisheries Guild, and those sea merchant families as his maids and guards. He can do whatever he wants and directly visit them, enjoying the treatment an owner can receive.
“I couldn’t help it.”
Observing this, Lumian nearly laughed aloud.
Even in captivity, he’s focused on such matters? Does he believe he can’t escape and is resigned to his imminent demise? Is he seeking enjoyment while he still can?
The fake Governor of the Sea added: “I can also tax those people and forcefully allocate their market share, but they will listen to me. However, I dare not go too far. Otherwise, Juan Oro will privately whip me with his cane and threaten to kill me.”
So, this is the source of your savings? Well, he can’t control the weather or the tides. After all, he’s merely a false Governor… Lumian took the fake Governor of the Sea’s new post-it note and pondered for a moment before asking in a clumsy manner, “Original. Governor. Where?”
He inquired about the whereabouts of the former Governors of the Sea.
Noelia, the combat nun of the Fertility Order, hadn’t raised this issue before. It was unclear if she deemed it unimportant, chose not to disclose it for some reason, or lacked the corresponding information.
The fake Governor of the Sea wrote: “I don’t know. I heard a maid from Milo Village mention it before. She’s Juan Oro’s granddaughter. She said that all the Governors of the Sea will eventually return to the sea.”
Return to the sea… That doesn’t sound promising… Heh heh, designating Juan Oro’s granddaughter as your maid. Are you seeking revenge for the oppression from her grandfather? And Juan Oro agreed to it, indirectly retaliating by lashing you? Juan Oro and his sons are married to Maidens of the Sea, and there’s a chance his granddaughter is a lizard-like monster… How would you feel if you knew you were sleeping with a humanoid lizard? Lumian criticized the fake Governor of the Sea internally.
He seemed to ponder for a moment, as if unable to comprehend the other party’s writing, and changed the question.
“Juan Oro. Powerful?”
The fake Governor of the Sea suddenly shuddered.
Swiftly, he wrote: “He’s very powerful. He’s a monster! He can suffocate people and cause them to die in pain!”
After writing this, the fake Governor of the Sea glanced at the sun outside the window. He set down the fountain pen, stood up, and bowed to Lumian.
Then, swaying in his elegant dress, he made his way toward the café’s back door and departed.
He appeared anxious about his “disappearance” during the shopping trip potentially raising suspicions from the bodyguards.
Lumian observed his departure, crumpling the post-it notes into a ball in his palm.
Crimson flames trickled from between his fingers before swiftly dissipating.
After sprinkling the ashes into the bottle with flowers, Lumian picked up the partially finished Torres coffee and took a sip.
Lumian’s mind raced as he analyzed the information that concerned him the most.
Is what the imposter said true? Could an ordinary person find an opportunity to escape their bodyguards and approach me? Is it possible that Juan Oro and the others secretly prompted him to set a trap for me, waiting for me to fall into it?
During the April Fool’s prank, the specially crafted golden ring, lacking Beyonder powers, was concealed within the lamb’s body. The lamb was taken as a sacrifice on the Governor of the Sea’s ship…
Is April Fool’s meant to substitute something with this ring? Is there another sacrificial ring similar to it?
Did the Governor of the Sea’s appointment fail last year because the crucial sacrificial ring turned out to be a fake and couldn’t be utilized?
This implies that key members of April Fool’s or their subordinates are on the special ship. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to deceive the committee members of the Fisheries Guild and surreptitiously replace important items…
Based on the information I’ve gathered, there aren’t many sailors on that ship. The only passengers are the Governor of the Sea, four Maidens of the Sea, and a few individuals guiding them through the ritual. Who among them is connected to April Fool’s?
The Fisheries Guild must have conducted an investigation afterward. I wonder if they’ve drawn any conclusions…
I can’t dismiss the possibility that the deceased Governor of the Sea is linked to April Fool’s. Maybe he was completely deceived, thinking that by changing the ring and causing the ritual to fail, he could avoid returning to the sea like the previous Governors of the Sea. However, Bard, Mad Lady, and Ultraman may not have cared about his life at all…
What’s the purpose of April Fool’s? Is it merely a prank for their own amusement, or does it harbor a deeper motive?
Ordinary April Fool’s members might engage purely for entertainment. As for the key members, truth and lies are invariably intertwined…
Sitting in the café until the sun neared the horizon, Lumian donned the straw hat and leisurely made his way back to the Solow Motel.
Late at night, Lugano returned from the bar, emanating the scent of alcohol. He approached Lumian and said,
“I’ve inquired with adventurers and bounty hunters about Batna and his lover. They all claim not to have seen them in the past few days. As soon as they arrived at Port Santa, it was as if they vanished.”
Vanished? Nolfi, being the child of a Maiden of the Sea, wouldn’t be so clandestine if she were merely returning to Port Santa and the Fisheries Guild… Could she be involved in something related to the sea prayer ritual and convinced Batna to join her? Yet, they were targeted upon their return? Perhaps she possesses significant knowledge… I can’t personally search for them right now. I need to be more visible as an adventurer… Lugano isn’t the most reliable source… What about Noelia, the nun? A flurry of speculations raced through Lumian’s mind.
As his thoughts raced, he suddenly realized the kind of assistance he should seek from the Knight of Swords.
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