"Words of the Stars"

Lato Giaro tried to keep his mouth shut, but failed.

He struggled for a long time before finally answering:

"He was the most powerful among us. Before becoming a member of the Fishing Guild, he had boarded the Sea Sacrifice ship eleven times as the Subdeacon, received many gifts, and established a stable connection with the Sea."

"He can fly, and if he weren't afraid of losing a lot of life, he could temporarily take over the control of this Sea Area in place of the ' Governor of the Sea.' He also has other special abilities, but they are rarely shown, and we don't know much about them. The only thing we can be sure of is that the failure of Last Year's Sea-Praying Ritual caused his power to decline significantly."

Lato paused, then uncontrollably "shared": "We are first and foremost Astronomer, skilled at observing the Change in Stars and calculating the patterns within them."

"You should know that the date of the annual Sea-Praying Ritual is not fixed; it can be any day in the first week of November. This is because, to enter that special area where one can communicate with the Sea, the Stars need to be in specific positions to open the corresponding channels."

"The dates of similar celestial phenomena vary each year and must be determined in advance by Astronomer with sufficient knowledge through observation and calculation."

The Fishing Guild's committee is made up of Astronomer? That sounds a bit Jester and absurd... Lumian didn't interrupt Lato Giaro's story.

The self-proclaimed Astronomer continued, "Secondly, we are humans who worship the Sea and the Starry Sky. We can draw Destiny and Guidance from the Change in the tides, the waves of the Sea, and the trajectory of the Stars, thus avoiding danger and making Error choices. Often, we call this inspiration and Guidance ' the Words of the Stars.'"

"The Words of the Stars"... that sounds dangerous. How do you know it's not some dangerous entity like Termiboros or Ludwig winking at you? Lumian resisted the urge to shake his head and sigh.

"Furthermore, we are Descendants of the Sea and the Starry Sky, and also the Clergy who worship them."

"We can manipulate the power of the earth, causing a target to be completely sucked in, unable to move, or to float away;"

"We can emit rays from the Starry Sky, damaging the enemy's physical structure and weakening them. Without corresponding Extraordinary Ability, they will die an irreversible and extremely Pain death."

"We can also create the effect of a powerful magnet, and when combined with the power of the earth, this can construct a semi-real, semi-illusory realm that we call ' Void Starry Sky '." Lato's expression gradually turned somewhat fanatical.

From Mysticism perspective, the extraordinary qualities possessed by the "Child of the Sea" involve the earth and the Starry Sky, and according to Aurora's knowledge, they are Gravity, radiation, and electromagnetism? Moreover, because of Gravity and electromagnetism, they also possess some abilities related to illusion and space? Hey, you are "Child of the Sea," not "Children of the Stars," so why don't I see much ocean-related power... Lumian muttered to himself as he tried to connect Lato Giaro's words to familiar knowledge in order to understand them.

After catching his breath, Lato said, "We are still the navigators of the Sea and the Starry Sky. In any situation, we can find the right path based on the behavior of the Sea and the Guidance of the Stars, and we can use this power to help others."

"Without our Guidance, even on the right date, ships cannot enter that special Sea Area. This is why Norfie insisted on returning to Santa Port before setting off again. Although she learned the coordinates and route of the Land of Sea Sacrifice from her mother, she would never arrive there if she did not depart from Santa Port."

"Those creatures that came to land from the Seabed also relied on our abilities to navigate through fog, Whirlpool, and storms, avoiding losing their way and being swallowed by darkness."

Pilot... Lumian suddenly remembered the group of strange fish that could manipulate the waves—the "Mutated Sailfish"—that he had encountered while aboard the "Flying Bird."

They are also called "Death Navigator"!

"Have you ever heard of the ' Death Navigator ' fish?" Lumian interrupted Lato Giaro's narration.

Lato hesitated for a moment before saying, "I know, they are also the Sea's offspring. We all suspect they were transformed from the ' Governor of the Sea ' who returned to the Sea."

"The Governor of the Sea" turned out to be? Lumian raised an eyebrow.

Lato swallowed hard and said, "They should still be mating with the Sea, so they will have offspring, but none of them will be as strong as them."

"Previously, they only frequented that Sea Area. In recent years, for some reason, they occasionally swim out and then return. This has become even more frequent since the failed Sea-Praying Ritual Last Year."

Did the failure of the Ritual actually lead to more frequent outings by the "Death Navigator"? Did those "Death Navigator" lead the ships and Sailor to that special Sea Area? Did they all eventually get swallowed up by the "Sea"? Many questions flashed through Lumian's mind, but he knew that Lato Giaro could not answer them.

Lato returned to the "main topic":

"We can still manipulate the waves and influence the tides to some extent, but we are no match for Juan Oro, much less for the ' Governor of the Sea '."

Now that's more like the behavior of a "Child of the Sea," so you think you can bury me more easily in the Sea? After asking a few more details, Lumian put down his right foot, which was resting on his left knee, and slowly stood up.

He nodded at the "Knight of Swords" in Lato's Eyes, then said to Lato Giaro, "One last request: release Norfie and Batna."

After saying that, Lumian walked to the bedroom window.

At the same time, the "Knight of Swords" possessing Lato Giaro disappeared, and That One Fishing Guild member suddenly regained control of his body.

He stared at Lumian's retreating figure, a mixture of confusion, fear, and barely contained emotion, and said, "I thought you were going to kill me after you got the information..."

Otherwise, wouldn't it reveal that you have many hidden helpers, that you're backed by some powerful force, and expose the special nature of your helpers?

Lumian did not look back and continued on his way.

Along the way, he adjusted his Golden-yellow Straw Hat, smiled, and said, "This may be important to you, but it's not to me."

Just as Lato Giaro was about to say something more, he saw the body of the Great Adventurer Louis Berri suddenly turn black and thin, transforming into a shadow and disappearing into the place where the Crimson Moonlight could not reach.

After gazing into the darkness for a moment, Lato tugged at the collar of his Nightgown, turned and left the Master Bedroom, heading personally to the Basement to release Norfie and Batna.

Across from his building, under a row of lush green roadside trees.

Lumian leaned leisurely against the black Gas Streetlamp, gazing at the rows of Glass Window illuminated by the light.

A disheveled, Paleness- faced "Knight of Swords" appeared behind him and asked in a deep voice, "Really not going to kill him?"

Lumian chuckled softly, "Kill him, and who will tell Juan Oro that I have a powerful accomplice, a strong force hiding in the shadows supporting me?"

You can't just throw Tarot Cards at Lato Giaro, can you?

Moreover, the problem is that nobody knows that the Great Adventurer Louis Berri is the Minor Arcana of the "Tarot Club".

After hearing Lumian's answer, the "Knight of Swords" pondered for a moment before disappearing into the darkness.

Not long after, Batna, carrying his Rapier and Revolver, emerged from the house where Lato Giaro's large family lived, along with Norfie.

Upon seeing Lumian, they all looked somewhat ashamed and slowed their pace as they Past.

"Thank you for saving us," said Norfie, a pretty girl dressed in Lady's blouse and brown trousers, sincerely.

Batna said, "I know exactly what Norfie wants to do. I haven't been fooled by her. I sympathize with the tragic fate of these Sea Kin and hope to help her end it all."

Lumian looked at Norfie:

What tragic ending will it have?

The committee members of the Fishing Guild seemed quite happy about it.

Norfie paused for a moment and said, "All the ' Sea Maiden,' all the ' Child of the Sea,' will eventually turn into a Lizard- like humanoid Monster, sooner or later. My mother died partly because she was attacked by Assassin hired by the Fishing Guild, and partly because she wanted to die as a human. She not only refused treatment but also injured herself."

So, the Humanoid Lizard in Ruvio Paco Family is a common phenomenon in similar families in Santa Port. Why are they keeping it a secret? Lumian turned to Batna and asked with a smile, "Did you know that Norfie could turn into Humanoid Lizard?"

"I know," Batna said, indicating that he didn't mind.

At this point, Norfie followed up with, "Do you know what Humanoid Lizard looks like?"

As she spoke, the Women adventurer, who was fairly good-looking, narrowed her eyes, and many shimmering phantom scales appeared on her body, making her skin resemble that of a snake.

Batna was startled and involuntarily took a step back.

Lumian continued to ask Norfie:

"Why didn't you just rent a boat from a nearby port and hire Sailor to sail it over? Why did you have to find a boat charter company in Santa Port?"

Norfie put away the illusionary scales, returning to his original form. A little annoyed and embarrassed, he said, "In Santa Port, it's common for people to rent boats for sea fishing and sightseeing; it's a pretty normal thing..."

Lumian sighed helplessly:

"So, are you aware that Last Year's Sea-Praying Ritual failed?"

"Are you aware that the Fishing Guild will be on high alert this year, investigating all potential sources of instability?"

"Furthermore, with the Sea-Praying Ritual just days away, it's inevitable that people will start looking to rent boats for sea excursions."

Neither Norfie nor Batna spoke; they remained silent, like two students.

After a moment, Norfie asked, both surprised and doubtful, "The Sea-Praying Ritual Last Year failed?"

Lumian didn't answer immediately, but thought for a moment and said, "You two think you Termination the Sea-Praying Ritual? Where do you get your confidence?"

Norfie pursed his lips and said, "As long as I can enter that Sea Area and find that Palace, I have a way to destroy it and end all of this."

"Palace?" Lumian raised an eyebrow.

Norfie nodded:

"When my mother was possessed by the ' Sea,' she saw a strange Palace through spirituality and the connection between us."

"It lies on the Seabed of that Sea Area; it's Palace of the Sea!"