The crucial detail

The main hall of the "Governor of the Sea" mansion leads to different rooms, and it has very few windows. Even with the bright Crimson Moon shining, only a limited amount of light can seep in, making the place appear Gloom, hazy, and quiet.

In such an environment, the Subdeacon holding the "Sea Queen's Ring" tried her best to lighten her steps, but still inevitably created a slight echo.

Watching him walk step by step toward the staircase leading to the Basement, Lumian suddenly had an idea:

Once inside the Basement, if the Subdeacon wanted to replace the real "Sea Queen's Ring" with a fake one, he could do so without anyone noticing.

This is because the other Subdeacon are all in the main hall, the "Governor of the Sea" is undergoing physical transformation, the "Sea Maiden" are by his side, and the Sea's kin are scattered in other places outside the Basement.

Lumian frowned, glanced at the other Subdeacon diagonally opposite him, and lowered his voice to Intis language to Juan Oro Jorge: "During the annual Night-Watch Ritual, is it always a Subdeacon who takes the ' Sea Queen's Ring ' to the Basement alone, and then retrieves it an hour later?"

He emphasized the word "alone".

Juan Oro nodded slightly:

"Yes.

"No additional protection is needed within this building..."

Juan Oro stopped abruptly at this point.

He also realized this was a good opportunity to replace the "Sea Queen's Ring".

Just because the enemies outside can't break in doesn't mean the Subdeacon inside are safe!

Lumian immediately asked Juan Oro, "Should I go with you, or will you?"

Juan Oro took this very seriously and stood up, saying, "I'll go."

Using his abilities, he forced himself to walk with a slightly unsteady gait and quickly caught up with the Subdeacon. He said in a deep voice, "Let's go together. I want to take this opportunity to pay respects to our Ancestors."

That One other Subdeacon had no objections.

Watching the two light the Hurricane Lantern, descend the stairs, and enter the Basement, Lumian's mind naturally began to deduce what would happen next:

Place the ' Sea Queen's Ring ' on that broken Stone Platform... pay respects to the Ancestors... return to the surface... retrieve it again in an hour...

"For that entire hour, the ' Sea Queen's Ring ' was left alone in the Basement, completely unprotected... If someone had been hiding in the Basement beforehand, they could easily have replaced the real ' Sea Queen's Ring ' with a fake one..."

"Of course, it's not easy to sneak in here and Concealment. I can't even do it. I can only stay for two minutes at most before being surrounded by the Sea Kin..."

"The ' Sea Queen's Ring ' should be placed on that broken Stone Platform. If there are Change, Change..."

Thinking of this, Lumian suddenly remembered the Change that had occurred behind the broken Stone Platform in the Basement after the "Lie" ear clip was placed there:

This "Seer" Pathway item activated symbols representing "Apprentice" and "Thief," granting it the ability to Steal others' power for up to half a month!

"Lie" are acceptable, but what about the "Sea Queen's Ring"?

Although it is not an item obtained through the Pathway "Seer," "Apprentice," or "Thief," it was created according to a Ritual left by Amon, which may gradually activate the special properties of the Basement and allow it to be gradually tainted with the Steal trait.

Yes! Since the essence of the Sea Sacrifice Ritual is to extract the power from the Seabed seal and claim it for oneself, the "Sea Queen's Ring," as a key item, should not only be able to open the seal to a certain extent, but also possess the ability to Steal power. It can distribute the harvest among different roles in the Ritual, with the chief priest receiving the most, followed by the Deacon and the "Sea Maiden" who essentially act as Deacon, then the Subdeacon and Sailor, and anyone within the Ritual's range who possesses the same power can also receive a little!

In other words, Juan Oro and his group's understanding of the Ring-Making Ritual was incomplete. The "Veneration of the Ancestors" part was also an integral part of the Ritual, and the most crucial part. If the "Veneration of the Ancestors" was not performed, the Sea Sacrifice Ritual would only break the seal, failing to Steal the gathered power, and instead causing it to erupt and dissipate... Lumian had just begun to feel how terrifying it was to be illiterate in Mysticism when he was suddenly startled.

He realized he had overlooked a crucial detail:

Based on the "Magician 'Lady" interpretation of the "Sea Queen's Ring's " function and her own speculation on the essence of the entire Sea-Praying Ritual, if the ring that replaced the real "Sea Queen's Ring" was the fake Ring ordered from Torelle on April Fool's Day's Day, the fake Ring hidden inside Lamb's belly and delivered to the Ceremonial Ship, and then replaced by the "Wandering Poet," then the subsequent Ritual should not have witnessed the Rage of the Sea and devouring the "Governor of the Sea," all the Subdeacon, and some of the Sailor!

The fake Ring had not undergone the preceding Ring-Making Ritual, and its patterns, symbols, and structure lacked the special characteristics of the corresponding Mysticism. Even if the "Governor of the Sea" recited those words, he could not infuse energy into it to break the seal!

As a completely fake Ring, it should not have caused any phenomena. However, because it failed to extract and gather the power, it led to an increase in Shipwreck and worsening weather in this Sea Area.

To match Last Year's reality, the fake Ring that the "Governor of the Sea" threw out at the end had to actually complete the first part of the Ring-Making Ritual, but not be placed in the Basement to "Veneration of the Ancestors." In that case, it could open the seal to a certain extent, but it would not be able to extract and occupy the accumulated power, causing it to suddenly erupt and thus make the Sea "raging"!

Lumian's eyes narrowed slightly; as a "Conspirer," he had already grasped the key point:

There were two "Sea Queen's Ring" on the Ceremonial Ship, but they were both fake.

The Ring that was carried onto the Ceremonial Ship by the Subdeacon was also fake, or rather, the real "Sea Queen's Ring" did not appear in Last Year's Sea-Praying Ritual!

The "Sea Queen's Ring," which went through the entire Ring-Making Ritual as understood by the Fishing Guild, was not placed on the Stone Platform in the Basement to complete the "Veneration of the Ancestors" step. Therefore, it is also fake and does not have the most crucial function of a fake Ring!

The Subdeacon took the "Sea Queen's Ring" into the Basement and then retrieved it Last Year is also likely to be involved in something!

The peripheral members of the "April Fool's Day" group were not trusted. Their actions were likely just embellishments that did not affect the overall plan. The fake Ring placed inside the Lamb's belly and the "Wandering Poet's " performance were probably preparations for dealing with the investigation later, with the aim of covering up the truly important clues... As Lumian's thoughts raced, Juan Oro and the Subdeacon returned to the hall.

"It's been placed on the Stone Platform," the Fishing Guild president, disguised as Jorge, said to Lumian in a low voice.

Lumian snapped out of her thoughts and asked, seemingly casually, "Who was in charge of delivering the ' Sea Queen's Ring ' to the Basement Last Year?"

"I don't know. There was no special arrangement. Anyone could do it. Last Year, the four Subdeacon in the hall all died in the Rage of the Sea after the Ritual failed." Juan Oro understood what Lumian suspected.

Are they dead? Probably not... Lumian didn't have time to find the appropriate items for the Spiritism, so he could only ask instead, "Is there anyone among them who is very familiar with the Ring-Making Ritual and knows the details of the ' Sea Queen's Ring '?"

"No, this is their first time serving Subdeacon," Juan Oro shook his head. "Besides, as I said, those who know these secrets are still alive."

That Subdeacon isn't "Ultraman"... so who is he? A thought struck Lumian, and she had the answer:

She's a "Madwoman"!

This person, who used the same method as the "Wandering Poet" to change his appearance, became Subdeacon with the help of "Ultraman," preventing the final step of the "Sea Queen's Ring" from being completed, and then boarded the Ceremonial Ship with it.

Lumian had been wondering how the "Madwoman" could pinpoint that particular Sea Area and rescue the "Wandering Poet" so quickly and accurately. Now, he knew the answer:

The "Madwoman" was right there, on the Ceremonial Ship, right next to the "Wandering Poet"—no need for location tracking or timekeeping!

He had initially thought it was the "Madwoman" working with the "Wandering Poet," but now it seemed the "Wandering Poet" was working with the "Madwoman," preparing to provide assistance if the situation changed, and taking on the responsibility of providing false clues.

Damn it, the Faceless's ability is so annoying, April Fool's Day is so annoying! Lumian's emotions fluctuated, and he cursed inwardly, only managing not to unleash his true power thanks to his "Ascetic" traits.

More importantly, he had figured out all the problems with Last Year's Sea-Praying Ritual, but he still couldn't figure out who "Ultraman" was or what kind of April Fool's Day's Day pranks they would pull this year.

The night passed quietly.

On an outdated Sailing Ship in the harbor, Charnem, stepped out of his cabin and inquired of Norfie, who was standing at the edge of the deck:

"Can we enter that special Sea Area if we set off now?"

Norfie nodded and said, "Okay, after midnight, the Stars will be in their designated positions."

Lumian's task for her and Batna was to rent a boat from another port on the same coastline, which would allow them to sail for several days.

Charnem chuckled and said, "Then let's go!"

Seeing the surprised and puzzled looks on Norfie and Batna's faces, he gave a brief explanation:

"If we follow the ' Governor of the Sea's ' Ceremonial Ship, we'll definitely be spotted by the Fishing Guild. But if we set off an hour or two later, it defeats the purpose. So, we'll go ahead, Concealment there, and patiently wait for our opportunity!"

Although he wasn't sure what opportunity the other person was referring to, Norfie didn't ask, and replied with a hint of anticipation, "Okay."

Charnem then looked at Batna:

"Do you want to come out to sea with me? It's very dangerous."

Batna's expression shifted rapidly, and after more than ten seconds he finally said, "Go!"

Charnem his tongue, but said nothing.

At this moment, Norfie looked towards other areas of the deck, frowned, and asked, "What about the Sailor here? Without them, we can't go out to sea, and they can't handle any major dangers."

Charnem laughed:

"Don't worry, we have Sailor who can handle danger."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned halfway around, raised his right hand towards the Third Layer of the cabin, and made Ring with his index finger and thumb while extending the other three fingers.

Before long, Norfie and Batna saw the captain, first mate, second mate, and all the Sailor stagger out from different places.

They all closed their eyes tightly, and like sleepwalkers, lined up in a single file and walked up the gangway to the Dock.

This made Batna and Norfie's eyes freeze, as if they were having a terrifying dream.