Chapter 550: The Viceroy of the Sea (Final Day of 2023, Begging for Monthly Votes)

Injured? By that humanoid lizard? After hearing Lu Lu Jianuo's assessment, Lu Mi made a casual guess.

At this moment, he stood beside the carriage, his gaze naturally scanning the surroundings of the "Viceroy of the Sea"'s mansion.

This place was close to the fishing village's dock, where one could see ships sailing deep into the sea and several fishing nets fixed to the rocks; outside the nearby houses, many women were processing the seafood they had caught, turning it into salted fish and dried meat, while children ran along the village's paths, playing childish games.

It was a different scene from Ke'erdu Village, yet the underlying reality was very similar.

Before the "Viceroy of the Sea"'s mansion lay a sizable square, where Lu Mi and the others stood, waiting for Madam Marta and Ruviuo Paco to emerge.

Several children ran over, claimed a corner, laid down a pile of shells, and began playing pretend.

The oldest among them, wearing a linen shirt, shouted loudly:

"I am the 'Viceroy of the Sea'!"

"I'll be the guard!" "I'm Mom." The other children responded in turn.

The youngest one bounced up and down, asking:

"What about me? What about me?"

The child playing the "Viceroy of the Sea" thought for a moment and said:

"You're the child of the sea."

"Child of the sea"? What's that? Lu Mi didn't look over, but he listened intently to the children's discussion.

These kids truly didn't understand what many terms or events meant, but precisely because of that, they had no sense of secrecy, and the adults of Milo Village didn't guard against such young children—conversations might easily reveal information they'd remember and reflect in their daily games.

Lu Mi had once uncovered many family secrets in Ke'erdu Village, and one key method was talking to children, playing games with them, and then they'd "share" their families' affairs from their own perspective and understanding.

After listening to the children's chatter for a while and mentally timing it, Lu Mi pressed his golden straw hat and walked straight toward the main gate of the "Viceroy of the Sea"'s mansion.

Lu Lu Jianuo stared in shock, then hurried after him.

At the entrance of the building, which resembled a church or shrine, two guards in brown-green shirts and trousers stood, each holding a rifle, their eyes fixed on Lu Mi.

"Stop!" the guards shouted.

Lu Mi continued forward as if nothing had happened, speaking in Intis:

"I don't understand what you're saying."

In an instant, the two guards raised their rifles and aimed them at the foreigner wearing the golden straw hat.

Lu Lu Jianuo hastily translated:

"They won't let you in."

Lu Mi ignored his guide, neither speeding up nor slowing down as he approached the white-walled, gray-brick building.

A flicker of coldness passed through the guards' pale-blue eyes as their fingers tightened on the triggers.

At that moment, the foreigner wearing the golden straw hat vanished.

Vanished into the shadow cast by the sun upon the Viceroy's mansion.

The next second, Lu Mi's figure emerged from a shadow within the entrance hall behind them, continuing forward.

It was as if the distance in between had been erased.

The two guards, whose senses were quite sharp, quickly turned around—but by then, Lu Mi had fully entered the building and left the entrance hall.

Lu Lu Jianuo stood frozen outside, unsure whether to risk following and act as translator, or prioritize his own safety.

After passing through the entrance hall, Lu Mi suddenly realized the space ahead had grown profoundly deep; though the dome was only Shiji meters high, it gave the impression of being endlessly distant. The walls, painted in watery blue, were covered with all manner of reliefs—not the usual angels or saints with religious motifs, but things of the sea: starfish, coral, countless fish, lobsters, and crabs.

Almost simultaneously, Lu Mi felt the reliefs had come alive, watching him with dangerous intent.

No, not they themselves—rather, the building itself seemed alive, instinctively rejecting the unauthorized intruder, pressing down layer upon layer of pressure.

Lu Mi's steps instantly grew heavy, as if he carried hundreds of kilograms of grain.

Within his field of vision, Madam Marta of the Paco family sat with legs folded, kneeling slightly sideways; Ruviuo Paco stood farther away; the two maids knelt as well, but turned their backs to face the entrance hall, as if afraid to look at some great figure.

Directly beneath the lofty dome lay a "carpet" made of fish skin, upon which reclined a young man in a vintage white robe, propping himself up on his elbows, quietly gazing at the kneeling Marta.

On the same "carpet" sat four beautiful women, all dressed in vivid long gowns: one knelt behind the young man, serving as his pillow; one slowly peeled late-season grapes, offering translucent flesh to his lips; the other two held trays laden with wine, food, and towels, standing on either side, their bellies noticeably swollen, radiating maternal warmth.

Seeing Lu Mi burst in, the young man seemed startled—he sat up fully, sinking back into the arms of the woman behind him.

Ruviuo sensed the disturbance, turned around, and saw the great adventurer Louis Berry he had hired.

His pupils dilated slightly; he quickly spoke in Intis:

"How did you get in?"

Lu Mi finally stopped, smiling:

"I'm a professional adventurer with strong ethics. You've been inside too long—I feared something might go wrong."

As he spoke, he felt eyes from various parts of the building fixating on him, carrying a dangerous edge.

Ruviuo fell silent for a moment, then said:

"Don't worry. Just wait outside until we come out."

"Alright." Lu Mi chuckled, turned, and walked slowly toward the entrance hall.

He acted as if the dangerous gazes didn't exist.

Back in the entrance hall, he was met by the two guards and their rifles.

Lu Mi didn't even glance at them—he walked straight toward them.

The two guards' expressions shifted several times, but ultimately didn't fire, letting Lu Mi leave the "Viceroy of the Sea"'s mansion.

Lu Lu Jianuo exhaled softly, feeling he probably wouldn't be hunted down by the people of Milo Village.

Though he was a supernatural being, he still felt uneasy facing armed soldiers, especially more than one.

He glanced at Lu Mi but dared not ask why his employer had insisted on breaking in.

Lu Mi returned to sit beside the driver, pulling both legs up, one curled, the other raised to rest his right arm.

Nearly ten minutes passed before Ruviuo Paco and his mother, supported by others, emerged from the church-like building.

Ruviuo gave Lu Mi a deep look and said:

"Let's go. The 'Viceroy of the Sea' has agreed to let my mother receive treatment at the church."

That young man was the current "Viceroy of the Sea"? He looked weak, acted terrified—what could he possibly use to protect the fishermen and merchants of Sangta Port for a year? Or perhaps he had no real power but possessed some special symbolism? Or maybe the "April Fools'" prank caused an accident during last year's Sea Prayer Ritual, and this "Viceroy" failed to receive the sea's blessing and appointment—but the Fishery Guild's committee members, fearing panic, concealed the truth and still treated him as the true "Viceroy"? He must know what really happened… Lu Mi nodded thoughtfully.

He smiled and asked Ruviuo in Intis:

"Should we thank the Mother Goddess's mercy, or the Viceroy's permission?"

Ruviuo made no reply, helping his mother Marta into the carriage.

Lu Lu Jianuo hurried to sit beside the driver, watching the horses circle slightly, turn around, and gradually move away from the "Viceroy of the Sea"'s mansion.

Huh… Lu Lu Jianuo sighed in relief:

"This assignment doesn't seem dangerous at all…"

Aside from the employer's insistence on breaking into the "Viceroy of the Sea"'s mansion, nothing unexpected happened.

Lu Mi chuckled:

"That's because I'm here.

"If it were just you, the watchers hiding in the shadows might already have come for you."

Lu Lu Jianuo fell silent, then saw his employer point at the church-like "Viceroy of the Sea" mansion and speak, word by word, in Highland tongue:

"Blow it up. How would that be?"

Lu Lu Jianuo shuddered, every hair on his body standing on end.

He glanced at the driver, who looked stunned, and urged his employer in Intis:

"You'd be hunted down by everyone in Sangta Port."

Lu Mi smiled, withdrew his gaze, and said nothing more.

Only then did Lu Lu Jianuo suddenly realize:

His employer was testing them!

Otherwise, why would he use Highland tongue—the language he hadn't yet learned—to say that?

He was testing the driver's and Madam Marta's reactions!

Lu Mi listened to Marta and Ruviuo's conversation inside the carriage and noticed the mother and son barely spoke, remaining silent for long stretches.

Of course, this might also be because Marta's health was poor, occasionally emitting pained groans.

The carriage headed away from Milo Village when suddenly, the driver pulled the reins, halting the two horses.

Ahead stood an old man leaning on a black cane.

His hair was deep black streaked with white, his eyes blue as the sea, dressed in the typical fisherman's attire of Milo Village, his face deeply wrinkled—as if they could trap mosquitoes.

"Mr. Aurora…" the driver whispered, his expression tense, hands and feet unsure where to rest.

Juan Aurora? Chairman of the Fishery Guild, former village chief of Milo Village? Lu Mi adjusted his posture with sudden understanding.

Juan Aurora, supported by a young man who resembled him, slowly approached the Paco family's carriage with the aid of his cane.

Inside the carriage, Ruviuo and Marta remained silent.

At that moment, a revolver appeared against Juan Aurora's forehead, its cold barrel pressed directly against his flesh.

Lu Mi tilted his chin slightly, gazing at the chairman of the Fishery Guild, and asked calmly in Intis:

"Who gave you permission to approach this carriage?"

PS: Last day of 2023, begging for monthly votes~ Regardless of any surprises, at 00:05 today there will be an extra chapter for first place on the annual ranking~

(End of Chapter)