Chapter 552

Lu Mian did not respond immediately, because he was currently Louis Berry, an adventurer who did not understand the Highland language.

Not until Lu Jianuo finished translating Noelia's words did he smile, nod gently, and say in Intis:

"Please, come in."

As he spoke, he stood up.

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

The visitor outside was indeed Noelia, a battle nun of the Life Sect. She was not wearing her black cloak today, 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 alert.

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

"Thank you for coming to provide help."

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

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

Lu Mian did not hide the intention behind his performance today; he raised a finger and pointed to his head.

He meant that he had deduced it using his brain.

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

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

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

Lu Mian did not make things difficult for him and signaled for him to take Ludwig outside for a walk and buy some street food.

Once the big and small figures had left the suite, Lu Mian 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 Piraeus Mountains."

The Piraeus Mountains were the Feynapot Kingdom's name for the Dales Mountains. Migratory shepherds always crossed them to enter the plains and grasslands of provinces like Gaya.

Without waiting for Lu Mian to ask further, Noelia tucked the loose hair behind her ear and said with a smile:

"It's not very polite to let a lady stand while chatting with you."

Only then did Lu Mian invite Noelia to sit on the sofa, while he chose the single armchair.

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

"The Sea-Praying Ceremony in Santa Harbor can be traced back to the late Fourth Era. It has a history of over a thousand years and is old enough to be called ancient. The Church once cleared it out, relocating all relevant knowledgeable people and purifying all participants, but in less than a hundred years, people here began secretly holding the Sea-Praying Ceremony again."

She did not say why she wanted to tell him this history; it seemed like she was simply sharing.

"Did they not continue the cleanup later?" Lu Mian asked.

Noelia pursed her red lips and said with a solemn expression:

"Regarding this matter, the orders from above were often contradictory. Sometimes they let our Life Sect handle it, and sometimes they signaled to wait and see for a while. All of this had to be countersigned by a Sainted One."

Lu Mian knew from channels like "The Magician" and the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society that the Church of the Mother Goddess of Earth had two major systems: the Sainted Ones and the Sainted Servants. The Sainted Ones referred to Beyonders within the clergy who walked the 'Earth' and 'Moon' pathways, while the Sainted Servants were those favored by the Mother Goddess from other pathways. Orders issued by Sainted Ones had to be countersigned by at least one Sainted Servant to be considered valid; otherwise, they would be viewed as products influenced by evil gods and devils.

Lu Mian did not understand why the Church of the Mother Goddess of Earth had set up such a complex system that seemed to be guarding against Sainted Ones, 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 might hide lessons written in blood.

"Are you a Sainted One or a Sainted Servant?" Lu Mian thought for a moment and asked.

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

Lu Mian nodded gently, signaling for her to continue.

Noelia smiled, sighed, and said:

"After a long period of repetition, we eventually made the decision to tacitly approve the Sea-Praying Ceremony. 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."

"This was all a long time ago. I can only understand the general situation through ancient records and cannot truly grasp the specific reasons that convinced the Mother Superior, the Society President, and the Archbishops back then. In short, the Sea-Praying Ceremony became a traditional folk custom of Santa Harbor, allowing the local maritime trade and fishing industry to flourish."

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

"Life is precious, the harvest is joyful."

Lu Mian'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 Goddess recovered part of the authority she had once lost, so we must use the new prayer posture for formal occasions."

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 recover part of the authority she had once lost? Lu Mian was somewhat puzzled, but that was not the point.

Noelia sat back down and continued:

"We didn't try to figure out the core process of the Sea-Praying Ceremony, but through year after year of monitoring, we did grasp some things:"

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

The effects of the Sea-Praying Ceremony sounded very complex... it had both the power of the sea domain and manifestations in fate, reproduction, and harvest... Lu Mian couldn't figure out why this was the case for a moment.

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

"The commissioners of the Fishery Guild, some villagers of Milo Village, and the participants in the core process of the Sea-Praying Ceremony have all obtained some magical powers. We have dealt with the kind of small devil you encountered before, and while hunting down certain criminals, we discovered that they could turn into a monster similar to a lizard."

Humanoid lizard? The kind of humanoid lizard from the Paco family? Lu Mian did not expect to obtain clues about this matter from Noelia.

Noelia revealed a smile:

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

"What commonality?" Lu Mian did not hide his curiosity.

Noelia replied with a mysterious smile:

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

Children of the "Sea Maidens"? Children of the sea? Which sibling of Rubio did I kill? He not only turned into a humanoid lizard but also went crazy and severely injured his own mother? Lu Mian instantly associated many things and felt that he had grasped the essence of the Paco family's commission.

But he immediately had some doubts:

If this was really the case, for families with "Sea Maidens," this was not a secret. Why did the Paco family still want to hide it from Juan Oro and the other Fishery Guild commissioners?

Noelia did not ask what he was thinking and said in a teasing tone:

"After confirming that those lizard-like monsters were related to the Sea-Praying Ceremony, we specifically warned the commissioners of the Fishery Guild. Afterward, no such criminals appeared again. They were all well-disciplined and controlled. So, sometimes, I understand why those above tacitly allow the Sea-Praying Ceremony 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 Fishery Guild's affairs, and the very next day, you broke into the "Sea Viceroy's" mansion and pointed a gun at Juan Oro's head. You are much more troublesome than that bunch of people from the Sea-Praying Ceremony!

Lu Mian smiled and did not 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 Ceremony, 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."

"On this premise, we might provide some help."

Lu Mian picked up the straw hat placed to the side and pressed it to his chest:

"It is my honor."

Noelia did not mention what the Church of the Mother Goddess of Earth hoped to gain from this matter, and Lu Mian did not ask.

This battle nun of the Life Sect stood up and walked toward the door.

After placing her left palm on the door handle, she suddenly turned her body halfway and asked with a smile, her eyes sparkling:

"Do you want to leave behind a child?"

Lu Mian was stunned for a moment and said:

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

Noelia's eyes were filled with pity, and she said with a glimmer of maternal radiance:

"According to our assessment, the danger level of the Sea-Praying Ceremony 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 actually want to do, but after getting involved in this matter, it's not necessarily something you can just walk away from if you want to."

"Before this, have you considered leaving behind an heir? I can help you."

Are the reasons for battle nuns of your Church of the Mother Goddess of Earth to invite people for a one-night stand always this special? Lu Mian was speechless for a moment.

Noelia said earnestly:

"Heirs are the continuation of our lives. Flowers wither and fall to the earth so that they can bloom into a more brilliant landscape the following year. Are you really not considering leaving behind an heir?"

"Not for now." Lu Mian responded with a cold expression.

Noelia said with a look of regret:

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

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

PS: Requesting a minimum double monthly vote for the second update~ Wishing everyone's wishes come true in the new year!

(End of chapter)