That evening, Xia You brought Erika, Ash, Misty, and Brock to the Temple of the Sea as invited.
Stars dotted the sky, and the cool sea breeze brushed over them, carrying away the last lingering warmth after sunset.
The Temple of the Sea stood not far from the stadium, west of Kako City on Red Flame Island. It was an imposing structure built atop a sheer cliff. Looking down from there, they could take in the entire city at a glance and clearly see a vast, raging whirlpool in the sea on the other side of the cliff!
The whirlpool looked extremely dangerous. There was no telling when it had formed or how long it had existed. Like a toilet that never stopped flushing, it continuously sucked seawater away to some unknown destination.
The exposed reefs around it had been scoured incredibly smooth. The rushing water stirred up by the whirlpool made a somewhat grating roar, but fortunately, after listening for a while, they gradually grew accustomed to it.
Although the banquet was a grand affair, aside from Xia You, the all-important Hero of the Sea, and High Priestess Maya, who was hosting it, neither politicians nor merchants from the Whirl Islands were on the guest list. Xia You, however, was allowed to bring some friends and family.
Seen that way, the banquet seemed quite straightforward, with no other purposes mixed in. It appeared to have been arranged solely to celebrate Xia You becoming the Hero of the Sea.
Passing several security guards dressed as ancient soldiers, the group entered the temple together.
Even before they drew close, they noticed that the temple shared the stadium's ancient Greek style. Once they stepped through its main entrance, they immediately saw a statue of the Sea God!
Just as Xia You had