563 Another Attempt
Upon learning the intricacies of Louis Berry’s collaboration and his unwavering commitment, Juan Oro found himself questioning the reliability of his own ears once again.
It wasn’t that the other party’s demands were outrageous or absurd, making it sound like some kind of jest. On the contrary, the Fisheries Guild could fulfill his desires with minimal effort, without requiring a substantial payment.
This went beyond Juan Oro’s initial expectations.
Prior to meeting Louis Berry, he had mentally prepared himself for potential ruthless “extortion.” After all, considering the ease with which the other party subdued Lato Guiaro and displayed strength against the Fisheries Guild, Oro had anticipated a tougher negotiation. Surprisingly, Louis Berry proved to be more amenable to discussion than Oro had envisioned.
This led Juan Oro to contemplate whether there might be some deception at play. He wondered if, in the future, Berry would abruptly turn against him during their collaboration, breaking the promises made.
Lumian observed the wrinkled old man silently, refraining from clarifying his intentions. Explaining might expose his true motives, and the timing wasn’t right yet.
After careful consideration, Juan Oro let out a sigh of age.
“We can accede to your request.”
“However, throughout our collaboration, we will remain vigilant and formulate contingency plans.”
Lumian smiled, rising from the suspended armchair in the void. He extended his right hand to Juan Oro.
“Pleasure working with you.”
Juan Oro shook his hand and remarked, “You’re not as crazy as you seem…”
Lumian pondered for a moment and smirked.
“Of course, I’ve always been a clever, rational, and polite adventurer.”
Juan Oro wasn’t in the mood for idle chatter. He nodded at Louis Berry and stated, “Given your preference for discretion in our collaboration, I should depart now. Otherwise, my visit might become known to others.”
Lumian took a moment to contemplate before responding, “I’ll dispatch my concealed companion to Milo Village tomorrow night. Ensure the surviving sailors from last year’s ritual are brought to your main building in advance and kept under control.”
“Agreed.” Juan Oro didn’t object; this was one of the terms they had agreed upon.
As the cane-wielding old man prepared to leave, Lumian called out thoughtfully,
“I’m a man of my word. I promised Giorgia I wouldn’t disclose the details of the commission to anyone.
“But I have a question for you. Have any Children of the Sea from the Paco family gone missing recently or not been seen for an extended period?”
He hinted that his inquiry was linked to the Paco family’s commission.
Juan Oro’s expression darkened as he contemplated for more than ten seconds.
“The Paco family’s Children of the Sea have made appearances recently.
“At first, I thought something had happened to Rubió’s mother, Martha, that we shouldn’t know about. Yet, it turns out she’s still fine, just severely injured.”
No missing Children of the Sea from the Paco family? Where did the humanoid lizard come from? Lumian was alarmed.
His initial thought was that the Paco family might be involved with other Children of the Sea. His second thought was that one of the Paco family’s Children of the Sea might have been replaced.
Is the impostor parading around with the original’s face, while the real individual had transformed into a humanoid lizard, meeting their demise at the hands of the great adventurer?
Lumian couldn’t help but associate the substitute and the frequent appearances of the person in question with a Sequence name: Faceless!
It aligned with the Lie earring’s Sequence—the previous Sequence of Marionettist Loki!
Could it be that after Loki’s resurrection, he infiltrated Port Santa and clandestinely replaced a key member of the Paco family? Was his goal to set a trap for me and execute something during the sea prayer ritual, continuing what he had left incomplete the previous year?
With these thoughts swirling, Lumian couldn’t help but experience a blend of excitement and fear.
However, upon further consideration, he dismissed the notion.
If Loki had genuinely substituted an essential member of the Paco family, there wouldn’t be any humanoid lizard sightings. He could have discreetly resolved the issue and erased all traces, avoiding such an obvious loophole!
Moreover, Rubió Paco wasn’t the sole Child of the Sea in the Paco family. Martha, as a Maiden of the Sea, also wielded the residual power of the sea. How could they struggle against a humanoid lizard whose strength hadn’t reached the Mid-Sequence? Why would they take the risk of exposing the secret and hiring an external adventurer, Louis Berry, to handle the situation?
With Lumian’s comprehension of the sea prayer ritual and sea spawn deepening, it left him even more bewildered about the Paco family’s previous decisions. He believed that crucial information was concealed within.
He turned to Juan Oro, organizing his thoughts.
“Are descendants of the same Maidens of the Sea prohibited from attacking each other?”
“There’s no such restriction.” Juan Oro dismissed Lumian’s speculation.
Lumian deliberately mused aloud, “Then why did the Paco family intentionally hire an outsider like me for the commission instead of utilizing their own Beyonders?”
Juan Oro maintained his serious expression.
“It’s for the same reason I hired someone to monitor Paco’s house. That’s why I sent the Little Devil to interrogate you. That’s why I needed to meet Martha.”
You call that wrinkled, old man-like monster “Little Devil”? Lumian nodded gently and asked, “The Paco family must be harboring a significant secret.”
He refrained from delving deeper and watched as Juan Oro turned away, walking off with his cane.
Soon, the Cosmic Void around him dissipated, and he “returned” to the draped master bedroom of the suite, seated in the armchair before the desk.
Lumian smiled, pivoted, grasped the curtain, and drew it open.
The morning sun flooded in, casting a radiant glow.
…
The next night, within the ancestral house of the Oro family in Milo Village, a structure only one floor shorter than the residence of the Governor of the Sea.
The building had undergone numerous renovations, showcasing a fusion of antiquated and modern architecture. Blackened gray stone walls stood alongside concrete pillars, and beneath the seaweed-covered roof lay red-
ringed tiles.
The door to the first-floor lounge had been shut, leaving only an elderly man with a black cane—Juan Oro—and his cherished grandson—Fernandez Oro—
alongside eight unconscious villagers of Milo Village sprawled on the ground.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered in a corner of the room, and a figure materialized.
Standing just over 1.7 meters tall, the figure possessed an ordinary face and sported a brownish-green short-sleeved shirt, loose brownish-yellow pants, strapless leather shoes with vents, and a short circular felt hat.
“Who are you?” Juan Oro inquired in Intisian.
As one of Port Santa’s strongest sea merchants, he had sailed numerous times between the ages of 30 and 50. It was only natural for him to comprehend Intisian.
The man responded fluently in Highlander, “I’m Louis Berry’s companion. You can call me Charname.”
It doesn’t seem like the spirit-type Beyonder Lato encountered… Louis Berry has more than one companion lurking in the shadows… Juan Oro rejoiced that he had chosen negotiation first.
With these thoughts racing through his mind, he glanced at Fernandez, whose face remained pale, and understood that he wasn’t entirely pleased.
It was common for young lads to be calculating about who suffered and who benefited, often forgetting their most essential motives.
“You can start questioning them,” Juan Oro instructed the man known as Charname. “Over the past year, we’ve employed various methods to determine if they’re lying or not. We’ve even exploited the uniqueness of other sea spawn. All the results indicate that they’ve told the complete truth and concealed nothing. The failure of the sea prayer ritual has nothing to do with them.”
Charname’s lips curved into a smile as he replied, “How would I know if I don’t give it a shot myself?”
Approaching the unconscious sailors, he retrieved a dagger and stabbed their fingertips one by one, smearing the corresponding blood on various spots on the back of his hand.
Amidst the pain, the sailors began to awaken one after another.
In front of them, Charname produced a mirror and smiled.
“Your blood will reveal if you’re lying and if you’re the genuine person. If anyone deceives me, their blood will burn on the mirror, and they’ll face the same fate.
“Alright, answer them one by one.”
As Charname spoke, he calmly transferred the blood from the back of his hand to the mirror, a strange sight as it seemed to seep into the glass.
The sailors glanced at Juan Oro, realizing this was another investigation into the cause of the sea prayer ritual’s failure last year. Skilfully, they recounted their experiences, leaving no details omitted.
After hearing their accounts, Charname asked thoughtfully, “Were Iru and Salah responsible for transporting the lamb sacrifices?”
“Yes,” all the sailors replied in unison.
Charname pressed on, “Did they both perish during the sea prayer ritual?”
The surviving sailors nodded, confirming that their two companions had been thrown overboard in the tidal wave of the failed ritual, never to surface again.
Turning to Juan Oro, Charname inquired, “Do you have any belongings from Iru and Salah? Clothes they’ve worn many times, toothbrushes not discarded, and the like.
“I want to try summoning their spirits. Although most of their spirits would have dissipated over the past year and can’t remember effective information, the state of their spirits can reveal certain things, such as deep resentment and hatred.”
Juan Oro shook his head.
“We attempted it after the sea prayer ritual. We couldn’t summon their spirits. Those consumed by the raging sea would have their spirits devoured as well.”
Charname chuckled and suggested, “Let’s give it another shot. There’s nothing to lose by trying.”
Juan Oro pondered for a moment and agreed. He immediately instructed Fernandez to retrieve Iru’s extracted tooth and Salah’s clothes, previously used for spirit channeling.
Then, they observed as Charname set up the altar and initiated a summoning ritual.
“I!
“I summon in my name:
“The sailor of Port Santa’s Milo Village, a man named Iru Adela, the owner of this tooth…”
A gust of wind blew, and the altar’s candle flame took on a dark-green hue.
A blurry figure quickly materialized.
Success? He actually succeeded? Fernandez’s pupils dilated as he gazed above the candle flame.
The figure vaguely resembled Iru, but it showed no signs of drowning; its skin was pale-white and swollen. Instead, its face was covered in blood, and there was an evident wound on its forehead.
The specter’s eyes brimmed with pain and hatred.
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