Chapter 552: The Effects of the Sea-Praying Ritual (Second update, requesting guaranteed monthly votes)

Lumian did not respond immediately, as he was currently Louis Berry, an adventurer who did not understand the Highland language.

Only after Lu Lu Jianuo finished translating Noelia's words did he smile, nod slightly, and say in Intis:

"Please, come in."

As he spoke, he stood up.

Lu Lu Jianuo, who had already reached the door, pulled it open.

The visitor outside was indeed Noelia, a battle nun of the Church of Abundance. Today, she was not wearing her black cloak, nor was she wearing that black-based, white-patterned bicorne hat with its strong religious connotations. Her thick, black, curly hair cascaded like a waterfall over her brown leather armor, and her light blue eyes were bright and spirited.

Glancing at the two straight swords on Noelia's back and the revolver at her waist, Lumian smiled and stepped forward to greet her:

"Thank you for coming to provide help."

Noelia, who had needed Lu Lu Jianuo to translate earlier, responded this time in Intis:

"How did you know I came to provide help?"

Lumian did not hide the intent behind his performance today; he raised a finger and pointed to his head.

His meaning was that he had deduced it using his brain.

Of course, his thanks just now were actually for the other party helping him digest a little more of his "Conspirator" potion.

Noelia's thick, dark eyebrows twitched, and she nodded in approval.

She then cast her gaze toward Lu Lu Jianuo and Ludwig, as if asking for Lumian's opinion on whether these two should step aside. Lu Lu Jianuo wore an expression that clearly said, "I don't want to hear it, I don't want to get involved."

Lumian did not make things difficult for him, signaling for him to take Ludwig out for a stroll and buy some street snacks.

Once the big and small figures had left the suite, Lumian said to Noelia:

"You actually know Intis; you didn't say a word last time."

Noelia smiled and replied:

"We often have to rotate shifts at those mountain passes on the southern foothills of the Pilaes Mountains."

The Pilaes Mountains were the Feynapot Kingdom's name for the Daliege Mountains. Transhumant shepherds always crossed them to enter the grassy plains of provinces like Gaya.

Without waiting for Lumian to ask further, Noelia tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and said with a smile:

"It's not very polite to keep a lady standing while chatting with you."

Only then did Lumian invite Noelia to sit on the sofa, choosing the single armchair for himself.

Noelia looked at him and began to speak on her own:

"The Sea-Praying Ritual in Santa Harbor can be traced back to the late Fourth Epoch. It has a history of over a thousand years and is old enough to be considered ancient. The Church once purged it, relocating all those in the know and purifying all participants, but in less than a hundred years, people here began secretly holding the Sea-Praying Ritual again."

She didn't say why she wanted to tell this history; it seemed like she was simply sharing.

"Why didn't you continue the purge later?" Lumian asked.

Noelia pursed her red lips, her expression solemn as she said:

"Regarding this matter, the orders from above were often contradictory. Sometimes they let our Church of Abundance handle it, and other times they signaled to wait and see for a while. All of this had to be countersigned by a Saint."

Lumian knew from channels like Madam Magician and the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society that the Church of Mother Earth had two major systems: the Blessed and the Saints. The Blessed referred to Beyonders within the clergy who followed the 'Earth' and 'Moon' pathways, while Saints were those favored by the Mother in other pathways. Orders issued by the Blessed had to be countersigned by at least one Saint to be valid; otherwise, they would be viewed as products influenced by evil gods and devils.

Lumian did not understand why the Church of Mother Earth needed such a complex system that seemed to be guarding against the Blessed, but he believed it must have its own reasons.

After experiencing so many things, he became increasingly clear that some inconspicuous regulations in the arcane world could hide lessons written in blood.

"Are you a Blessed or a Saint?" Lumian thought for a moment and asked.

"I am a Saint." Noelia did not mention her specific pathway.

Lumian nodded slightly, signaling for her to continue.

Noelia smiled and sighed:

"After a long period of repetition, we finally made the decision to tacitly approve the Sea-Praying Ritual. At the very least, it brings prosperity to Santa Harbor and rarely affects anyone other than the participants, so it won't cause social unrest.

"That was all a long time ago. I can only understand the general situation through ancient files; I cannot truly grasp the specific reasons that convinced the Mother Superior, the President, and the Archbishops back then. In short, the Sea-Praying Ritual became a traditional folk custom of Santa Harbor, allowing its maritime trade and fishing-related industries to flourish."

Speaking of this, Noelia crossed her arms over her chest and said piously:

"Life is precious, the harvest is joyful."

Lumian's gaze narrowed slightly, and he asked directly:

"Why did you change the prayer gesture?"

Was there a problem with this?

Noelia opened her eyes and said with a smile:

"This was the prayer gesture often used in the past, but later, the Mother regained the authority she had once lost, so in formal occasions, we must use the new prayer posture."

She stood up, spread her legs slightly, raised both hands high, and began to explain to Louis Berry earnestly, as if preaching:

"The feet connect to the merciful earth, the palms touch the spiritual sky, and in between is the radiance of life. These are all the domains of the Mother of All Things."

She could even regain the authority she had once lost? Lumian was somewhat puzzled, but that wasn't the point.

Noelia sat back down and continued:

"We haven't tried to figure out the core process of the Sea-Praying Ritual, but through year-after-year monitoring, we have grasped some things:

"The 'Governor of the Sea' who successfully obtains the favor of the ocean possesses the power to manipulate this sea area and prevent shipwrecks, but this seems to come at the cost of their life and something else. At the same time, the Sea-Praying Ritual brings about the rapid reproduction and vigorous growth of various lives in this sea area, ensuring a bumper harvest for the fishermen. Additionally, it has manifestations in terms of fate; the families that the 'Maidens of the Sea' marry into all become more or less lucky. This is not just from the preferential treatment they receive."

The effects of the Sea-Praying Ritual sounded very complex... It had powers in the ocean domain, as well as manifestations in fate, reproduction, and harvest... Lumian couldn't figure out why this was the case for a moment.

Noelia looked at Lumian's face with bright but gentle eyes and said:

"The commissioners of the Fishermen's Guild, some villagers of Milo Village, and the participants in the core process of the Sea-Praying Ritual have all obtained some magical powers. We have dealt with the kind of small demons you encountered before, and while hunting down certain criminals, we discovered they could turn into a kind of lizard-like monster."

Humanoid lizards? The kind from the Paco family? Lumian didn't expect to get clues about this matter from Noelia.

Noelia smiled:

"Later, we discovered that the people who could turn into lizard-like monsters had one thing in common."

"What commonality?" Lumian did not hide his curiosity.

Noelia replied with a mysterious smile:

"Their mothers had all served as 'Maidens of the Sea'."

Children of the "Maidens of the Sea"? Children of the ocean? Which of Rubio's siblings did I kill? Not only did he turn into a humanoid lizard, but he went crazy and severely injured his own mother? Lumian instantly associated many things, feeling that he had grasped the essence of the Paco family's commission.

But he immediately had some doubts:

If this were true, for families with "Maidens of the Sea," this wouldn't be a secret. Why did the Paco family still want to hide it from Juan Oro and the other commissioners of the Fishermen's Guild?

Noelia didn't ask what he was thinking and said in a teasing tone:

"After confirming that those lizard-like monsters were related to the Sea-Praying Ritual, we specifically warned the commissioners of the Fishermen's Guild. Since then, no such criminals have appeared; they have all been well-disciplined and controlled. So, sometimes, I understand why those above tacitly allow the Sea-Praying Ritual to be held in Santa Harbor. They are much more obedient than you adventurers and easier to restrain."

Noelia's hidden meaning was: I just told you not to get involved in the Fishermen's Guild's affairs, and the next day you stormed the mansion of the "Governor of the Sea," pointing a gun at Juan Oro's head. You are much more troublesome than that bunch from the Sea-Praying Ritual!

Lumian smiled and didn't comment.

Noelia deliberated for a few seconds, looked into his eyes, and said:

"I don't know what your purpose is in investigating the Sea-Praying Ritual, and I don't want to know. I can only tell you that if your actions endanger the entire Santa Harbor, we will intervene directly and expel you.

"Under this premise, we might provide a certain amount of help."

Lumian picked up the straw hat he had placed to the side and pressed it to his chest:

"This is my honor."

Noelia didn't say what the Church of Mother Earth hoped to achieve in this matter, and Lumian didn't ask.

This battle nun of the Church of Abundance stood up and walked toward the door.

After placing her left palm on the doorknob, she suddenly turned halfway, her eyes bright as she asked with a smile:

"Do you want to leave a child behind?"

Lumian was stunned for a moment and said:

"Madam, isn't your topic jumping a bit too much?"

Noelia looked at him with pity, her eyes flashing with a bit of maternal radiance as she said:

"According to our assessment, the danger level of the Sea-Praying Ritual requires at least a Saint or a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact that can be fully utilized in a short time to deal with. I don't know what you are trying to do, but once you get involved in this matter, it's not necessarily something you can leave just because you want to.

"Before this, have you considered leaving a descendant for yourself? I can help you."

Is the reason battle nuns of your Church of Mother Earth invite people for one-night stands so unique? Lumian was speechless for a moment.

Noelia said earnestly:

"Descendants are the continuation of our lives. Flowers wither and fall to the earth so that more brilliant scenery can bloom the following year. Are you really not considering leaving a descendant?"

"Not for now." Lumian responded with a cold expression.

Noelia said with a look of regret:

"You can come find me whenever you've made up your mind."

After saying this, she pulled open the door and walked out.

PS: Second update, requesting guaranteed double monthly votes~ Wishing everyone's wishes come true in the new year!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 553 =====