Clues

Lato rarely talks about Sea-Praying Ritual, but he spoke with great interest, "Yes, the ' Governor of the Sea ' Wedding the Sea, thereby eliminating Sea violence and making it peaceful. The ' Governor of the Sea ' then truly becomes the Sea's husband, thereby gaining the power to control this Sea Area."

"As Deacon and Subdeacon, we too can receive blessings from the Sea's satisfaction and joy, and from this wedding, gaining extraordinary power to varying degrees. Everyone in Santa Port who has the blood of the Sea will also receive some Gift, but they are all relatively few."

It turns out that "Governor of the Sea" is a synonym for "Husband of the Sea"... The Deacon and Subdeacon are like relatives of one side of the wedding or friends who help out before and after the ceremony, and they naturally receive a lot of thanks. Others who have the blood of the Sea are like children attending the wedding, and they usually receive a few candies... Lumian combines real-life weddings with those in the novel to try to understand Lato Giaro's description of the Sea-Praying Ritual.

He asked with considerable curiosity, "Would the ' Governor of the Sea ' do 'that kind of thing' with the Sea?"

Don't weddings always end with the newlyweds sleeping together?

"Of course!" Lato said enthusiastically. "After the wedding ceremony, the Sea will possess the four ' Sea Maiden ' and unite with the ' Governor of the Sea ' through them. Therefore, the first child born to each ' Sea Maiden ' is a noble being with pure Sea blood and the strongest Extraordinary Ability."

"Why four instead of one ' Sea Maiden '? Because a single human being cannot bear the vastness, immensity, weight, and transcendence of the Sea; there must be enough companions to share the burden."

This sounds increasingly Evil... Marrying a "Sea Maiden" is like marrying a remnant of the Sea Power; no wonder they are highly regarded and their Destiny are altered. The only problem is that they must acknowledge and cherish their wife's first child... Lumian pondered for a moment and said, "Could a ' Governor of the Sea ' possibly withstand the Sea's passion?"

And it was four at once.

Lato said without any pity or sympathy, "One of the two most important purposes of the Night-Watch Ritual is to use that house and some of the Sea Kin Concealment in it to change the body of the ' Governor of the Sea ' so that they can withstand the rage and savagery of the Sea."

"This is why the ' Governor of the Sea ' can only serve for one year. Even with physical changes, the acquisition of power, and extraordinary advancements, they cannot endure it for longer."

"A consumable, the husband of the Sea is a consumable..." Lumian sighed to himself. "Then why did the ' Governor of the Sea ' return to the Sea after leaving office?"

"No one knows the specific reason, there are only some speculations. Juan Oro thinks that the Sea does not allow those who were once its husbands to start a new life, while I think it is the transformation of the Night-Watch Ritual, the erosion of marital union, and the influence of Sea Area power that make the ' Governor of the Sea ' more and more like Sea Creatures than humans, and they will eventually have to return to the sea where they feel at peace and comfortable." Lato felt that his deduction was correct.

What exactly is this Sea you're talking about...? Some kind of Nature Spirit or supernatural being that can manipulate the sea? Lumian reviewed Lato Giaro's answers in his mind and said, "The Sea's kin?"

"A wrinkled Monster that can disguise itself as Demon, and a long, black worm that can crawl into a human's neck and control them?"

"Yes." Lato wanted to light a cigarette, but his hands were paralyzed. "We ' Child of the Sea ' are actually considered descendants of the Sea. One of our duties is to use our Extraordinary Ability to guide certain descendants from the Seabed to the land, helping them settle down and thrive."

But Ludwig said the Batins Black Insect came from outer Planet, not from the Sea's kin... Lumian wasn't in a hurry to ask what Extraordinary Ability the "Child of the Sea" possessed; he was more interested in the details of the Sea-Praying Ritual itself:

What is another important purpose of the Night-Watch Segment?

Lato gave him a look that said, "Do you lack sufficient knowledge about weddings?"

"Weddings require exchanging Ring, and another purpose of the Night-Watch Ritual is to, while modifying the ' Governor of the Sea's ' body, add extra special Special Trait to a uniquely designed but fixed Gold Ring, making it worthy of the identity of the Bride of the Sea."

A uniquely designed Gold Ring ... Lumian perked up and asked, "And then?"

Last Year's April Fool's Day prank included having a member of the fringe go to Torelle to order a Gold Ring and hide it inside Lamb Sacrifice!

"Then, after the rest of the Ritual is completed, the ' Governor of the Sea ' will take the Gold Ring, throw it into the sea directly in front of the ship, and shout in a unique language derived from the Sea:"

"O Sea, I will marry you, as a symbol of my conquest!"

"If the Sea agrees to this wedding, it will stir up gentle waves, turning them into pure white foam petals that will sprinkle upon the four ' Sea Maiden '."

"The Ring it reciprocated was symbolic, representing control over the Sea Area surrounding Santa Port." (Note 1)

Just the Sea Area around Santa Port? It seems it's not the real Sea, but something that can influence this Sea Area... Lumian thought for a few seconds and said, "'O Sea, I will marry you...' How do you say that in that unique language?"

Lato Giaro thought for a moment and then started chattering.

Lumian, still under the effect of the "Language Comprehension" Charm, didn't understand and believed it wasn't any language from the Northern Continent.

At the same time, he saw Lato, along with the "Knight of Swords" figure in his Eyes, slowly shake his head.

If the "Knight of Swords" was truly a member of the "Temperance Faction" who split off from the "Rose School" and joined the "The Fool's " Church, then he should understand the languages of the Southern Continent. Moreover, his Sequence is not low, he has been a transcendent for quite some time, and he was quite active early on, leaving his own Minor Arcana in various events. Such a person must possess the vast majority of supernatural languages... Does he mean that this is not a language within the Southern Continent language family, nor is it a supernatural language such as Ancient Hermetic, Draconic, or Elvish? Lumian looked at Lato Giaro and asked with amusement, "Are you sure that what you said means 'O Sea, I will marry you...'?"

Lato hesitated for several seconds before saying, "I think so. It's an ancient language, it's existed since the time of the Sea-Praying Ritual, um, there are only a few phrases..."

I'm not sure... I haven't mastered the language systematically, I can only say a few words based on tradition... If I think the real meaning of that sentence is "Open Sesame," how would you refute that? Lumian felt that things might not be as Lato described.

The people of the Fishing Guild and Milo Village might be like some of the guys that Aurora and Franca have mentioned, using a special language they don't understand and substituting their own interpretation for its original meaning.

Lumian's thoughts raced through his mind, but his expression remained largely Change:

"After the Ring was given a special treatment, it was put into the custody of the ' Governor of the Sea '?"

"No," Lato shook his head. "Besides the ' Governor of the Sea,' the ' Sea Maiden,' and the Sailor responsible for navigating the ship, there are four ' Child of the Sea ' of relatively pure blood serving Subdeacon to guide the ' Governor of the Sea ' and the ' Sea Maiden ' through different stages of the Ritual and Church the ' Governor of the Sea ' the ' Wedding Vow.' The Gold Ring is kept by one of the Subdeacon until it is needed before being given to the ' Governor of the Sea.'"

"The Governor of the Sea didn't have the chance to exchange the Ritual Ring..." Lumian suppressed his anxiety and asked at a measured pace, "What exactly happened with Last Year's failed Sea-Praying Ritual? Even the Governor of the Sea died."

Lato was initially startled, but then a relieved expression appeared on his face:

"Did that counterfeit product ask you for help?"

"Yes, Last Year's Sea-Praying Ritual failed for some reason. The Rage of the Sea and killed the ' Governor of the Sea ' and the four ' Child of the Sea ' who served as deputy Subdeacon on the ship. Only the ' Sea Maiden ' and some Sailor survived."

All four Subdeacon are dead? Lumian just found a clue about "April Fool's Day" and then it all fell apart.

Those who had the best chance of replacing the Ritual Ring all died in the failed Sea-Praying Ritual!

Lumian for a few seconds and then asked, "What happened to the surviving ' Sea Maiden ' and Sailor?"

"They're all still alive, but under close surveillance." Lato, seeing that the failure of Last Year's Sea-Praying Ritual had already been leaked, didn't care much about the survivors' information. "We arranged for ordinary members of the family to marry those four ' Sea Maiden ' who didn't actually gain the Sea Power. Although this won't bring about any extraordinary changes, it will still be beneficial to our reputation."

"Those Sailor are all from Milo Village. Juan Oro gave them some benefits, on the condition that they cannot leave Milo Village before this year's Sea-Praying Ritual is successful."

Lumian suddenly changed the subject:

"Were the sacrificial Lamb and other Sacrifice used to the Wedding the Sea carried onto the deck by the Sailor?"

"Yes," Lato nodded. "These cumbersome and strenuous tasks are done by the Sailor."

If one of the "Wandering Poet," "Madwoman," or "Ultraman" had infiltrated the Sailor, and that person possessed a higher level of Extraordinary Ability or Mystical Item from the "Thief" Pathway, then they could easily use the handover opportunity to steal the real Ritual Ring from the corresponding Subdeacon and replace it with a fake one... The "Thief" Pathway is one of the three Pathway influenced by the Celestial Worthy, so it's not too surprising that the Core Member "April Fool's Day's Day" possess corresponding powers or items... Lumian quickly came to a certain conclusion.

He calmly said to Lato Giaro, "Tell me about the four ' Sea Maiden ' and the surviving Sailor from Last Year."

Lato recalled the events and then roughly recounted them.

After memorizing the information about the suspects, Lumian then asked, "Are all participants in the Sea-Sacrifice Segment subject to checks?"

"Yes, unauthorized items cannot be brought on board, as that could affect the Ritual's effectiveness. Juan Oro will use his power to monitor the situation before the ship reaches its destination," Lato explained in detail.

As expected... Lumian nodded slightly:

What kind of power does Juan Oro possess?

Note 1: This is an adaptation of the Venetian Doge's Ritual of Wedding the Sea he was hanged.