After the servants finished serving the dishes, they left one after another, leaving only the middle-aged Head Maid and two older maids standing by. Leisha indicated that it was safe to talk here. As they ate, they finally discussed the events of that morning.
"It seems the Scarlet Secret Society infiltrated Coldwater Port long ago. Even the city's founding may have been connected to them. Those Fishmen and cultists have always existed in the Shadow of Coldwater Port, but no one noticed. I think the earliest Mermaid Statues were probably spread by them."
This was the conclusion Shade had drawn from the clues he had uncovered that morning.
"But what exactly are they trying to do?"
Princess Leisha asked in confusion. She had taken very little food, perhaps because she was unaccustomed to eating too much at noon.
"The steps of the Sea Burial ritual have basically been confirmed. But what is the ritual itself for? The last line of the nursery rhyme involves sacrifice. That's deeply unsettling."
She did not say words like "evil god" in front of the servants, but Shade understood what she meant. Awkwardly handling his knife and fork, he said:
"This is different from Tobesk. The Church already slipped up once in Tobesk half a month ago. No matter what, there won't be another accident this time. All we can do now is wait for news, and deal with your problem."
Shade spoke very cautiously.
"The captain I played cards with said that as long as we stop you from entering the Red Ocean when it appears, the curse will naturally disappear once the ritual ends. That means when the Red Ocean appears, you'll most likely be mentally affected and unconsciously walk into the sea."
The so-called "sacrifice" probably did not mean selecting individual victims.