Chapter 541

Santa Harbor, in a room with a card table.

Lumian and Lu Lu Jianuo, who had changed their appearances and clothes, met the black market merchant who claimed to be a descendant of the Daliezh people.

He was wearing a white shirt and a black vest, sitting at the head of the card table, with a glass of pale malt-colored white wine in front of him, and a slowly burning cigar between his fingers.

He indeed looked like he had Daliezh ancestry, with slightly sunken eye sockets, slightly curly black hair, blue eyes like the high mountain sky without clouds, thin cheeks, and dense stubble. He looked to be in his thirties.

"Good noon, Mr. Valerio." Lu Lu Jianuo greeted in the Highland language.

Valerio looked back at his bodyguards who were carrying guns, smiled, and said in Intis with a Daliezh accent:

"I haven't been back to my hometown for a long time. Seeing you makes me feel very close."

"Yes, Mr. Valerio." Lumian pretended to be timid and replied in Intis with the same Daliezh accent.

Although herdsmen were good at fighting against dangers in the wild, they were instinctively afraid of authorities in human settlements.

Valerio nodded gently:

"Are you from Larnaka?"

"Yes, just finished participating in the trade fair there." Lumian answered very fluently.

He had heard of Larnaka from the herdsmen in Cordu Village. A trade fair was held there every month, forming a lively suburban market. Herdsmen from far and near would go there, seeking opportunities to buy and sell lambs, wool, cheese, and other commodities.

Valerio chatted more about moving with the seasons and the folk customs of the Daliezh region. Lumian knew them well and answered from the perspective and viewpoint of a herdsman.

During this process, he was slightly dazed, remembering the words his sister would occasionally say when she was angry:

"If you don't study hard, I'll send you to be a herdsman!"

Now, he was indeed playing the role of a herdsman.

After a while, Valerio nodded with satisfaction, took a puff of his cigar, and said:

"You are quite sensible. You don't need identification to graze in the suburbs, but you must have it to settle in the city. I will help you get two sets as soon as possible. After that, if you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me. I might not be able to help, but having one more person always means having more ideas. We are all Daliezh people, so of course we should help each other."

Lumian was not surprised at all by the enthusiasm of this black market merchant:

"Uniting" the people from his hometown would form a force that could be utilized and could not be ignored!

This was just like the Savar Party, which was initially composed of those Savar people who worked as coolies and waiters. They opened up businesses, expanded operations, and guarded the property for the big bosses of the Savar Chamber of Commerce, contributing who knows how much.

As for how many Savar people in this would never be able to walk on the right path and would die on the street without knowing when, those rich merchants didn't care.

Relying on the acting skills he learned from Jenna and the pointers from Anthony Reid, Lumian took the opportunity to praise Valerio for having a very noble character.

Valerio smiled and specifically urged:

"If you want to survive here, it's best to convert to the 'Earth Mother' as soon as possible, find a good girl to marry, and have a few children. Only then will you not encounter some hidden troubles."

Is urging marriage and childbirth a tradition of the Kingdom of Feynapot? Lumian muttered to himself and smiled bitterly:

"Without copper coins, there are no good girls."

This was also a proverb in the Daliezh region, meaning that it was difficult for poor people to find good girls, and it was even harder for herdsmen to establish a family.

"This is Feynapot, not Daliezh." Valerio picked up the glass of white wine and took a sip, "The good girls here value a strong body and a fierce temperament more. Money can be earned after marriage."

"Why?" Lumian didn't hide his confusion.

"Such men are more suitable for procreation and are more capable of getting good girls pregnant." Valerio smiled, "This place is different from Daliezh. The core of many things here is birth, is procreation. Only when you understand this point can you truly understand Feynapot and praise the Mother of All Things!"

This black market merchant stood up, his feet slightly apart, and his hands raised high.

No wonder Feynapot is the most populous country among the nations of the Northern Continent. If they weren't good at improving land and planting crops, they wouldn't be able to feed so many people... Lumian's thoughts raced, and he tentatively said:

"Mr. Valerio, I heard that there will be some kind of Prayer to the Sea Ceremony next month. Will there be opportunities to make money?"

"Yes." Valerio sat down, "Santa Harbor in November is still relatively hot. When my grandfather first arrived here, he rented a wooden box for popsicles, went to the ice factory to get a pile of ice cubes, piled them around the popsicles, covered them with towels, and then squeezed into the crowd to sell the popsicles and ice cubes to them, earning his first pot of gold. Now, this business can still be done, but the competition is much fiercer. You even have to rent a bicycle to carry a larger insulated wooden box to go to more ritual venues."

"Are there many ritual venues?" Lumian asked.

Valerio smiled and replied:

"This is a grand event for the entire Santa Harbor. There are many processes that need to be held in different places, such as the Sea Dance at the harbor, the flower boat parade throughout the city, the boat racing competition on the sea, the vigil ceremony in Milo Village, and the core Sea Sacrifice."

"What is the Sea Sacrifice?" Lumian asked curiously.

Valerio shook his head slowly:

"I don't know the specifics either. I only know that the 'Sea Viceroy' and the 'Sea Maidens' take a special boat, bring the offerings dedicated by fishermen and sea merchants, and go to a certain sea area outside the harbor to hold a unique ceremony. Those who haven't followed them will never know the detailed process."

"'Sea Viceroy', 'Sea Maidens'?" Lumian kept picking out keywords.

This perfectly matched the situation of a Daliezh herdsman who had just arrived in Santa Harbor.

Valerio smiled:

"The most important thing for the 'Prayer to the Sea Ceremony' is to select a man to be the 'Sea Viceroy' and four girls to be the 'Sea Maidens'. They first take a flower boat for a parade throughout the city, then go to the harbor to board the special fishing boat, go out to sea during the 'Sea Dance' performance, guide the start of the racing competition, then circle the harbor once, and enter the oldest local fishing village, Milo, to stay for one night."

"At seven o'clock the next morning, they will board the boat again, bring the offerings, and head to the Sea Sacrifice site."

The selected "Sea Viceroy" and "Sea Maidens"... a Prayer to the Sea Ceremony with multiple links... Lumian repeated the key parts in his heart.

He was suddenly shocked and made a connection:

This is very similar to the Lent festival in the Daliezh mountains and the "Spring Spirit"!

Although the Lent festival in reality didn't have the terrifying scene of Ava having her head cut off and blood splashing, the scene in the dream left a very deep impression on Lumian, making him instinctively equate the Lent festival with evil and terror.

Is the Prayer to the Sea Ceremony here similar to the Lent festival?

In a flash, Lumian felt that such a similarity couldn't explain the problem.

Because this is a very common treatment in mysticism—erecting a concrete symbol to represent the object of sacrifice to achieve the desired effect.

This can be seen in many folk rituals.

"How are the 'Sea Viceroy' and 'Sea Maidens' selected?" Lumian asked with a curious face.

Won't it be like the "Spring Spirit", voted by all the residents of Santa Harbor?

Can they get a high reputation after the ceremony and enjoy hidden benefits?

Valerio took another puff of his cigar:

"Selected by the committee members of the oldest guild in Santa Harbor, the Fishery Guild. What are the specific standards, whether to vote, they keep it secret from the outside. Even the official members of the Fishery Guild don't know."

As he spoke, the black market merchant smiled:

"I also want to be selected as the 'Sea Viceroy'. It is said that there will be many benefits, but no one involved is willing to reveal what they are."

"How are those previous 'Sea Viceroys' doing now?" Lumian was more concerned about this question.

Valerio froze for a moment, recalled for a moment, and shook his head:

"I don't know.

"The term of each 'Sea Viceroy' is only one year. After leaving office, it seems they were sent to other places. Anyway, they cannot stay in Santa Harbor to avoid conflict with the new 'Sea Viceroy'. Hehe, that must have been given a high compensation, and they would be allowed to bring their families along."

Sent to other places? Were they really sent to other places, and not encountered something else? With his previous experience, Lumian would instinctively think of evil and terror when facing such folk rituals.

And the subsequent encounter of that "Sea Viceroy" in the "Prayer to the Sea Ceremony" did sound strange.

Lumian thought for a moment and asked in a way that fit his current identity:

"What about those 'Sea Maidens'?"

"They are very popular with sea merchants, shareholders of fishery companies, and fishermen and sailors. Everyone wants to marry a 'Sea Maiden'. That represents the favor of the sea. If you go to various fishing villages, to the Fishery Guild, to the homes of those sea merchants, you will find that many of the powerful grandmothers were once 'Sea Maidens'." Valerio looked envious, as if he also wanted to marry a "Sea Maiden" and become a real sea merchant.

This is the same as the hidden benefits after being the "Spring Spirit"... Lumian suppressed the urge to raise his right hand and touch his chin.

He stopped while he was ahead, didn't ask any more questions, paid a deposit of 50 gold Solis, and left Valerio's underground casino with Lu Lu Jianuo.

Ludwig didn't follow them, but was left at a nearby family restaurant that had children's entertainment facilities, dedicated caregivers, and would provide a meal.

—In Feynapot, there are many industries that make it convenient for parents to raise children and help them reduce pressure. This is something that countries like Intis don't have, and even if they do, it's only provided to the upper class.

Trier, catacombs.

Franca and Jenna, holding lit white candles, returned to the third floor.

"What's the name of the tomb we're looking for?" Franca, who no longer felt so depressed, tilted her head and asked.

Jenna didn't need to recall and said directly:

"Thorn and Shield Wall Tomb."

(End of chapter)