Converging clues

Solo Hotel.

Lumian gazed at the firelight that illuminated the night sky over the port area, listened to the distant clamor, and awaited the possible arrival of visitors.

Not long after, there was a knocking sound on the door.

Lumian didn't wait for Lugano to wake up; he turned around and went straight to the door.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Noelia wearing brown Leather Armor and a bicornuate Nun's Veil.

Noelia's face was as cold as Frost. Suddenly, she raised her hand and whispered in Ancient Hermetic, "Imprisonment!"

Lumian was suddenly unable to move. It was as if layers of transparent walls or flowing viscous liquid were restricting his movements, turning him into a tiny insect inside amber.

The next second, Noelia drew a Straight Sword from her back.

At the same time, Lumian's trousers suddenly tightened, and he seemed to grow taller and bigger, as if some explosive power was expanding from his body.

The transparent "amber" that trapped him made a creaking sound, and invisible cracks appeared one after another.

With a whoosh, Noelia gripped the hilt of her Straight Sword with both hands, cleaving through the air currents and splitting open the already crumbling "cage," aiming for Lumian's head.

Lumian's right fist, poised to strike, lashed out just in time, striking the side of the Straight Sword with a concentrated Reddish White flame.

With a low, restrained thud, the Straight Sword veered off course, grazing the doorframe as it slashed towards the ground.

Noelia stepped back, sheathed her Straight Sword, and asked in a deep voice in Intis language, "Did you blow up the Fishing Guild?"

Seeing this, Lumian did not retaliate. His body returned to normal, and he smiled, saying, "Whether I blew it Library or not is not important. What's important is whether anyone can prove that I did it."

He knew that Noelia had only warned him and wasn't really trying to harm him; otherwise, she would have used other Beyond Ability after "Imprisonment" him, instead of directly slashing him with a sword.

Noelia maintained the authority that had been with the Santa Port for years, questioning various criminal suspects:

"Why go to such lengths? Why make such a fuss?"

Lumian glanced at the servants' room and gestured for Lugano, who had gotten up after hearing the noise, to go back to sleep.

As he walked towards the Armchair in the living room, ignoring Noelia's question, he said with a smile, "I've found out some things."

"For example?" Noelia walked into the Suite and closed the Wooden Door behind her.

Lumian pointed to the Long Sofa:

"Sit down first before we talk, so you won't think I'm being impolite."

Noelia glanced at Lumian and said with a smile, "What's the point of talking about manners if there's no cheek kiss?"

Her attitude was open and honest.

Lumian sat down in the Armchair and answered the question from before:

"For example, Last Year's Sea-Praying Ritual failed."

Noelia showed no surprise, sitting on the edge of the Long Sofa, leaning slightly forward to avoid the Straight Sword behind her digging into her skin.

"Anything else?"

Lumian thought for a moment, then said in a casual tone, "Also, the Sea-Praying Ritual is to the Wedding the Sea."

"Furthermore, the ' Governor of the Sea ' is the husband of the Sea, and the ' Sea Maiden ' is the embodiment of the Sea in the real world;

"Furthermore, whether it's the ' Governor of the Sea ' or the ' Sea Maiden,' all their children are ' Child of the Sea,' with the very firstborn having the purest bloodline..."

Although Lumian clearly understood that what he meant was that the children conceived by the Women the "Governor of the Sea" had slept with were all Descendants of the Sea, regardless of whether they were "Sea Maiden," once he actually uttered those words, his rich knowledge of Mysticism and extraordinary experience inevitably led him to think that it also implied that the "Governor of the Sea" himself was giving birth to children.

"Phew, as expected, the more you know, the easier it is to be Corruption. I wouldn't have thought that way before..." Lumian sighed inwardly. Noelia, with a mixture of surprise and admiration, remarked, "Your investigation is progressing faster than I expected. You've figured out most of the things in such a short time."

It's been quite a few days already. My "Language Comprehension" Charm will expire tomorrow. I wonder how much I'll gain from this week of learning by leveraging external resources... Lumian smiled slightly and said, "You don't think my reputation as Great Adventurer is just based on bragging, do you?"

"A ' Devil Warlock ' with a 300,000 Gold Riso is definitely not just empty talk." Noelia subtly indicated that she did not underestimate anyone capable of hunting down the "Devil Warlock."

She nodded in satisfaction and said, "Many Beyonder possess considerable abilities but lack sufficient intelligence; they are simply belligerent and like to show off, but you are not like that."

"However, I still have to remind you not to go too far. Although I know very well what your real purpose is in deliberately making such a commotion, we must maintain the stability and order of Santa Port. You can't make things difficult for us."

In conjunction with the previous warning, the underlying meaning of this statement is: do not disrupt the current situation in Santa Port. You can investigate the Sea-Praying Ritual, but you cannot fundamentally overturn the order here? In other words, do not take drastic measures against the Fishing Guild? What exactly does your "Earth Mother" Church want to do, wanting some things and not wanting others...? Lumian pondered Noelia's subtext while laughing, "If you could be more honest and reveal more information, I wouldn't need to do so much."

Noelia smiled, slightly embarrassed but still polite, and said, "There's a lot of information we don't have either. I can only tell you that since the Church tacitly allows the existence of the Sea-Praying Ritual and allows the Fishing Guild to obtain the power of the Sea, there must be sufficient reasons, regardless of whether they have the ability to solve it."

"As for the reason why the Book of Harmony is so important, I cannot know it at my rank. Perhaps the Archbishop in charge of the entire Gaia Province and the superintendent of our Order of Abundance can answer you."

Lumian scoffed and said, "Then why did you tacitly allow, or even condone, my investigation into the Sea-Praying Ritual?"

Noelia sighed and said, "Why do we have to find out? We didn't even ask you what the real purpose of investigating the Sea-Praying Ritual was, did we?"

After saying this, the Combat Nuns left the sofa, took steps, and walked towards the Suite's door.

After walking a few steps, she stopped and said thoughtfully, "There are some ancient traces hidden in the Basement of the ' Governor of the Sea's ' mansion in Milo Village, which can reveal some things. You'd better find a chance to take a look."

"In the Basement of the ' Governor of the Sea's ' mansion? According to Franca's account, there are a few symbols and patterns left by the Ancestors of Milo Village... Does Noelia mean that they contain more important information? Does it also include the reasons why the ' Earth Mother ' Church tacitly allows the Sea-Praying Ritual?"

"If Juan Oro didn't lie, didn't deliberately conceal anything, and didn't play dirty tricks, wouldn't that mean the Church the ' Earth Mother ' knows the Ancestors of Milo Village better than their Descendants? Well, after all, they were the ones who destroyed Milo Village and wiped out those Ancestors ' forces, yet their lineage hasn't been interrupted for over a thousand years, and they've always remained at the top of the real world..." Lumian watched Noelia's departing figure as she opened the door, without asking any further questions.

He had just returned to the Master Bedroom, ready to sleep, when he saw the "Doll" Messenger drop a folded piece of Paper and fly away without a word.

"Aside from his love of food and his gluttony, Ludwig wasn't that unlikeable, was he?"

"Uh, Lady. ' Magician ' really likes to stay up late, I get the fastest replies when I write to her at night..." Lumian muttered silently as he picked up the reply.

He quickly unfolded it and began to read the contents:

So far, your performance in Santa Port has been quite good.

"I won't interfere or give too much Guidance. This is your chance to further digest the ' Conspirer ' Potion, a very good chance."

"I roughly pieced together that passage and read it several times. It's not in any language I currently know, but what I can be sure of is that it doesn't possess the quality of manipulating the power of nature, yet it does have a certain amount of energy. Language, too, can possess energy."

"What does this mean? It means that in the Sea-Praying Ritual, it cannot be used as a sacrificial language or as a book, nor can it be relied upon to communicate with the supernatural, that is, the so-called Sea."

"Why was the Sea-Praying Ritual successful? The key should be that Ritual Ring. It most likely possesses a unique shape, strange patterns, strong spirituality, and accumulated knowledge. The words themselves rely on their pronunciation, structure, and energy to activate the Ring and allow it to perform its due function."

"If you can replicate the state of that Ring after the Night-Watch Ritual, I'm confident I can decipher its specific effects and the general meaning of those words."

Indeed, when Lato Giaro recited "O Sea, I will marry you..." there was no trace of natural forces being manipulated, which means it couldn't be sacrificial language; it must have had another purpose... After watching the "Magician" Lady's explanation, Lumian gained a deeper understanding of the Sea-Sacrifice Segment.

Most of the clues seem to be waiting until he manages to infiltrate the "Governor of the Sea's " mansion before they can be followed up.

The following morning, Lugano took Ludwig through the streets, buying the breakfast the little boy wanted.

Suddenly, someone with their head down hurriedly passed by him, and slipped and bumped into him.

Lugano subtly turned his body to the side, preventing the man from touching him.

He even steadied the other person, saying insincerely, "Be careful."

The man grasped Lugano's hand and slipped something into Past.

Then, he mumbled an "I'm sorry," and continued forward, disappearing into the crowd.

Lugano lowered his gaze to his palm, where a crumpled white Note Paper lay.

He didn't rush to look at the contents of the paper. After buying breakfast for Ludwig, he returned to the Solo Hotel and told Lumian what had happened.

Lumian took the crumpled paper and unfolded it rather casually.

The inscription, written in neat handwriting, read, "After Last Year's Ritual, the Sea underwent Mutation."