567 Possible Leaker
The failure of the sea prayer ritual last year caused an anomaly in the sea? Lumian couldn’t help but interpret it that way after going through the contents.
Studying the note in his hand, a familiar fragrance wafted to him.
After some thought, Lumian recalled the source: the Paco family’s Madame Giorgia’s perfume.
Were they inexperienced or intentionally leaving a trace, implying the Paco family as the source of this information? Lumian mused to himself, recalling the sudden appearance of a humanoid lizard in the Paco family, the severe injuries to Rubió Paco’s mother Martha, and the peculiarities surrounding them.
Is the core issue the sea’s abnormality? Has it weakened the Paco family’s Beyonders, causing an ordinary person without sea lineage to transform into a humanoid lizard? Perhaps they don’t want other sea spawn to know and were lacking the strength to handle the humanoid lizard, thus seeking foreign adventurers to resolve it? Lumian gained a new insight into the contradictions within the Paco family’s commission.
Lato Guiaro and Juan Oro hadn’t mentioned the sea’s anomaly.
They only noted the sea’s increased violence without the ritual’s appeasement, the frequent departure of Death Navigators from their territory, and the declining strength of the Children of the Sea.
From their perspective, this situation seemed normal, foreseeable, and unrelated to any anomaly.
Did the anomaly solely affect the Paco family, or did Juan Oro, Lato Guiaro, and others intentionally conceal this matter? Are they guarding against each other? Lumian speculated as he watched the note consumed by crimson flames in his palm.
He leaned toward the latter possibility. If the Paco family wasn’t unique, the sea’s anomaly should have widespread effects, not solely targeting them.
This understanding shed light on Rubió Paco’s disdain when speaking of the Maidens of the Sea.
Discovering the truth about the Maidens of the Sea and his true lineage likely filled him with self-loathing and contempt for the entire sea prayer ritual. He’d rather forfeit his family’s inheritance than marry another Maiden of the Sea. When the sea anomaly affected the entire Paco family, these emotions reached their zenith.
Lumian’s suspicion grew that Nolfi’s covert ally might be Rubió Paco.
Regardless, given the Paco family’s resources and status, they could lead a comfortable life even without the sea prayer ritual.
Lugano stood to the side, observing his employer as Lumian delved into deep thought after reading the note. A twinge of nervousness and fluster crossed Lugano’s demeanor.
Is something about to unfold again?
Lumian glanced up at Lugano, his expression pensive.
“Though I haven’t reached Highlander proficiency, I’ve mastered the daily words I need. My body language suffices for a normal life in Port Santa. Plus, the folks I’ll be dealing with know Intisian.
“I can settle the remaining balance now and offer you a free ‘teleport’ back to Trier.”
Instinctively, Lugano shook his head.
“You can’t attend to Ludwig when you’re in action. If I leave now, who’ll keep an eye on him?”
It’s unclear who’s watching whom… Lumian stared at Lugano for a brief moment, sensing, for the first time, an unsettling undertone in the interpreter’s demeanor.
Despite prior attacks and potential risks, there was an inexplicable resistance to the suggestion of terminating the employment contract and taking his offer for a safe departure!
It wouldn’t even cost him a verl d’or!
Considering Lugano’s typical behavior and personality, Lumian assumed he would readily accept the remaining payment and leave Port Santa. Reality, however, proved otherwise.
Perhaps Lugano himself doesn’t understand the rationale behind his decision. It is just an “instinctive” choice… Lumian nodded subtly, opting not to press further on settling the final payment and terminating their employment contract.
…
In Milo Village, within the Oro family’s extensively renovated ancestral house, Juan Oro lounged by the window, puffing on a hookah, his gaze fixed on the sun dipping below the horizon, casting an orange glow. His thoughts drifted to the impending sea prayer ritual, just over a week away.
Abruptly, he turned his head, eyeing a shadow near the door.
The darkness stirred, and a man with green eyes, sporting a golden straw hat, white shirt, and black vest, emerged—the adventurer, Louis Berry.
“Why are you here again?” Juan Oro sighed, switching to Intisian.
Lumian chuckled, dragging a chair into the sun’s waning rays.
“I’ve got another inquiry and a heads-up about a particular operation.”
Juan’s eyes narrowed.
“What scheme are you plotting now?”
“Tonight, I intend to infiltrate the Governor of the Sea’s residence. If I go unnoticed, I’ll observe the rooms where the vigil ritual is conducted. If discovered, I’ll make a swift exit. This fits my radical persona and purported motives, doesn’t it? It’ll deflect suspicion from our covert collaboration,” Lumian disclosed, a hint of a smile in his explanation.
Juan Oro harbored an unexplained sense of threat from Louis Berry, yet he found no tangible evidence. Despite this, Lumian’s words resonated with an unsettling logic.
He drew a deep drag from his hookah in silence before he spoke.
“What are you getting at?”
Lumian smiled.
“I’m curious to see the ring that marries the sea, its intricate engravings, and the patterns it bears.
“I know you’ve only crafted the ring mold and haven’t completed the ritual to infuse it with something special. However, after serving as deputy host 11 times and assisting even more, I’m confident you’ve memorized the patterns, symbols, and structure.”
Juan Oro stiffened, his tone turning icy.
“What’s your motive?”
The room’s afterglow, touched by the setting sun, dimmed suddenly, as if being pulled into another dimension.
Unfazed, Lumian responded, “Why all the secrecy? Haven’t you heard that the ring’s design, patterns, and structure have long been exposed?”
Juan Oro’s eyes narrowed.”When did this happen?”
Lumian arched an eyebrow.
“Didn’t my companion inform you of the true reason behind the sea prayer ritual failure?”
“He merely confirmed the fake Iru on the ship.” Juan Oro had his suspicions.
Lumian grinned, shaking his head. He began unraveling his deductions, starting with the custom-made fake ring in Torres and the orchestrated lamb sacrifice sent to the ship after a bribe.
Juan Oro held his silence, his countenance growing darker.
After a tense pause, he spoke in a hoarse tone, “Not many are privy to the intricacies of the Ring of the Sea Queen, and the fact that sea spawn seldom inspect the sacrificial offerings’ entrails. Each of them, the Children of the Sea, veterans of countless core rituals, are still alive… Iru and Salah were oblivious…”
As Juan Oro’s words, spoken through gritted teeth, reached Lumian’s ears, a sudden realization dawned upon him.
Ultraman is affiliated with the Fisheries Guild, a Child of the Sea endowed with numerous powers and a distinct status!
There’s also the possibility that he’s manipulated such an individual, establishing a clandestine “partnership.”
Without such a connection, how could April Fool’s possess precise details about the ceremonial ring’s appearance and exploit the sea prayer ritual’s “supervisory” loophole?
Even though I Know Someone mentioned that Ultraman is a Sun pathway Beyonder, it doesn’t rule out his identity as a Child of the Sea. Transforming into a Child of the Sea first and then drinking the Sun pathway’s potion shouldn’t pose an issue. The power of the Child of the Sea resonates with the cosmos, and the Sun and the cosmos are inherently compatible. Is April Fool’s true motive for disrupting the sea prayer ritual preparations related to Ultraman or his collaborator aiming to fully control the power or the palace at the bottom of the sea? Lumian’s thoughts gradually clarified.
He looked at Juan Oro with a relaxed smile and remarked, “If there wasn’t a mole, how could the sea prayer ritual be disrupted so easily?”
Juan Oro had harbored similar suspicions for the past year; Lumian’s words were irrefutable.
After some contemplation with an unpleasant expression, Juan Oro composed himself and stated, “I have to uncover the traitor before the official sea sacrifice…”
At this point, Juan Oro turned his gaze to Lumian.
“I might need your cooperation on something when the time comes.”
Oh, you’re fishing too? Lumian replied with a smile, “No problem.”
Juan Oro set down his hookah and left his seat.
He walked to the desk, retrieved a pen and paper, and began sketching.
Nearly ten minutes later, the old man staggered to Lumian and handed him the paper.
Lumian glanced at it and recognized six designs—representing the front, left, right, back, front, and inner parts of the Ring of the Sea Queen. Each design featured intricate and mystifying symbols and patterns.
“It’s actually useless for you to obtain it. It won’t have any effect,” Juan Oro said in a low, raspy voice. “The corresponding sea spawn have to use their special abilities to inscribe them on the ring and corrode them for six hours to please the sea and gain her recognition.”
Lumian nodded and replied,”I have no intention of replicating one.”
He was obtaining it solely to send to Madam Magician for interpretation.
He then asked, “Is this the ring-making segment of the vigil ritual? Is there no other step?”
“There’s another step. An assistant host will take the ring to the basement and place it in front of the patterns and symbols representing our ancestors for an hour. This is a show of respect to our ancestors, like greeting the elders before a wedding,” Juan Oro explained briefly.
After a moment of contemplation, Lumian responded, “Can you also draw the patterns and symbols representing your ancestors?”
Juan Oro returned to the desk.
This time, he completed it in just two minutes.
Lumian took it and noticed scattered lines and arcs. Many details were missing from the middle, making it impossible to discern its original appearance.
“Seeing it in person might allow you to make connections easier.” Juan Oro sighed again.
Lumian nodded.
“Then I’ll infiltrate the Governor of the Sea’s residence tonight.”
Juan Oro tersely acknowledged his words.
“Be careful of the sea spawn there. They have their own specialties. They might not be very strong, but they can counter certain abilities of yours.”
…
Late at night, under the crimson moonlight, Lumian appeared near the cathedral-like building.
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