Chapter 562

Lato rarely chatted with people about matters concerning the Sea Prayer Ceremony, and he said with great "enthusiasm":

"Yes, the 'Viceroy of the Sea' marries the sea, thereby eliminating the sea's violence and making it become peaceful, while the 'Viceroy of the Sea' truly becomes the husband of the sea, thereby obtaining the power to control this sea area."

"As assistant celebrants and deputy assistant celebrants, we can also receive bestowals from the sea's satisfaction and joy, and from this wedding, harvesting extraordinary powers of varying degrees. Everyone in Santa Port who possesses the bloodline of the sea will also receive a certain amount of a Gift, but it is relatively small."

So "Viceroy of the Sea" is a synonym for "Husband of the Sea"... The assistant celebrants and deputy assistant celebrants are equivalent to the relatives of one side of the wedding or friends who are busy helping out, so they naturally receive a lot of gratitude, while others who possess the bloodline of the sea are like children attending a wedding, generally able to harvest a few candies... Lumian combined reality with weddings in novels, attempting to understand Lato Giallo's description of the Sea Prayer Ceremony.

He asked quite curiously:

"Will the 'Viceroy of the Sea' do that kind of thing with the sea?"

Don't all weddings end with the newlyweds going to bed?

"Of course they will!" Lato said fluently, "After completing the marriage segment, the sea will possess the four 'Handmaidens of the Sea' and combine with the 'Viceroy of the Sea' through them. Therefore, the first child born to every 'Handmaiden of the Sea' is a noble with a pure bloodline of the sea, possessing the strongest extraordinary abilities."

"Why are there four and not one 'Handmaiden of the Sea'? It is because a single human cannot withstand the vastness, breadth, heaviness, and extraordinary nature of the sea; there must be enough companions to share the burden."

This sounds more and more evil... Someone who marries a "Handmaiden of the Sea" is equivalent to marrying the remnants of the sea's power. No wonder they are valued, and their fate will also change. The only problem is that one must acknowledge and cherish the wife's first child... Lumian pondered for a moment and said:

"Can the 'Viceroy of the Sea' actually withstand the sea's passion?"

And it's four at a time.

Lato said without any pity or sympathy:

"One of the two most important purposes of the Vigil Ceremony is to use that building and the portion of the sea's kin hidden within it to change the body of the 'Viceroy of the Sea,' allowing them to withstand the sea's wildness and wantonness."

"This is also the reason why the 'Viceroy of the Sea' can only serve for one year. Even with the changes to their body, the acquisition of power, and the extraordinary improvement, they cannot withstand a longer period."

A consumable, the husband of the sea is a consumable... Lumian sighed to himself and said:

"Then why does the 'Viceroy of the Sea' return to the sea after leaving office?"

"No one knows the specific reason; there are only certain guesses. Juan Oro feels that the sea does not allow those who have been its husband to start a new life, while I think it is the transformation of the Vigil Ceremony, the erosion of marital intercourse, and the influence of the sea area's power that make the 'Viceroy of the Sea' more and more like a marine creature rather than a human, eventually inevitably returning to the ocean where they feel peaceful and comfortable." Lato felt that his deduction was the correct one.

What on earth is this "sea" you are talking about... Some kind of natural spirit that can manipulate the ocean or an extraordinary creature? Lumian went over Lato Giallo's previous answers in his mind again and said:

"The sea's kin?"

"The shriveled monsters that can disguise themselves as demons and the long black worms that can crawl into the neck and control humans?"

"Yes." Lato really wanted to light a cigarette, but both hands were unable to move, "We 'Children of the Sea' are actually also considered kin of the sea. One of our duties is to use our own extraordinary abilities to guide certain kin from the seabed to the land, helping them settle down, multiply, and thrive."

But Ludwig said the Bartins black worms came from an outer planet, not some kin of the sea... Lumian was in no hurry to ask what extraordinary abilities the "Children of the Sea" possessed; he was more concerned with the details of the Sea Prayer Ceremony itself:

"What is the other important purpose of the Vigil segment?"

Lato had an expression of "Do you lack sufficient understanding of weddings?":

"Weddings require exchanging rings. The other purpose of the Vigil Ceremony is to add extra special traits to a uniquely shaped but fixed gold ring while transforming the 'Viceroy of the Sea's' body, allowing it to match the identity of the sea bride."

A uniquely shaped gold ring... Lumian's spirits lifted as he said:

"And then?"

The prank that the "April Fools" had last year included having a peripheral member go to Trier to order a gold ring and hide it in the belly of a lamb sacrificial offering!

"Then, after completing the other parts of the ritual, the 'Viceroy of the Sea' will take that gold ring and throw it into the seawater directly in front of the ship, shouting in a unique language originating from the sea:"

"'Oh Sea, I shall marry you, as a symbol of my conquest of you!'"

"If the sea agrees to this wedding, it will stir up gentle waves, letting them turn into pure white foam petals, sprinkling them on the four 'Handmaidens of the Sea'."

"The ring it gives in return is symbolic, representing the power to control the sea area around Santa Port." (Note 1)

Only the sea area around Santa Port? It seems it really isn't the true sea, just some kind of thing that can influence this sea area... Lumian thought for a few seconds and said:

"'Oh Sea, I shall marry you...' How do you say this sentence in that unique language?"

Lato Giallo recalled for a moment and made some gibberish sounds.

Lumian, who was still under the effect of the "Comprehend Language" charm, did not understand it, and he believed this was not any language of the Northern Continent.

At the same time, he saw Lato, along with the "Knight of Swords" figure in his eyes, slowly shake his head.

If the "Knight of Swords" really is a member of the "Temperance Faction" that split from the "Rose School of Thought" and defected to the "Fool" Church, then he should understand those languages of the Southern Continent. Moreover, his sequence is not low, and he has not been extraordinary for a short time; he was quite active long ago, leaving his Minor Arcana card in different incidents. Such a person must have mastered the vast majority of supernatural languages... Does he mean that this is not a language within the Southern Continent language family, and even less so a supernatural language like Ancient Hermes, Draconic, or Elvish? Lumian looked at Lato Giallo and asked amusedly:

"Are you sure the meaning of the passage you said is 'Oh Sea, I shall marry you...'?"

Lato hesitated for several seconds and said:

"It should be. This is a language left over from ancient times, existing since the Sea Prayer Ceremony began. Um, there are only those few sentences..."

Not sure, huh... Not systematically mastering the language, just able to say those two or three sentences based on heritage... If I think the true meaning of that passage is "Open Sesame," how would you refute it? Lumian felt that things might not be as Lato described.

The people of the Fishermen's Guild and Milo Village might be just like certain guys Aurora and Franca had mentioned, taking a special language they didn't understand and substituting its original meaning with their own understanding.

As Lumian's thoughts raced, his expression did not change significantly:

"After that ring is imbued with special traits, is it kept by the 'Viceroy of the Sea'?"

"No." Lato shook his head, "Besides the 'Viceroy of the Sea,' the 'Handmaidens of the Sea,' and the sailors responsible for operating the ship, there are also four 'Children of the Sea' with purer bloodlines on board serving as deputy assistant celebrants, guiding the 'Viceroy of the Sea' and the 'Handmaidens of the Sea' to hold rituals for different segments, and teaching the 'Viceroy of the Sea' that 'Marriage Phrase.' The gold ring is kept by one of the deputy assistant celebrants until it is needed, at which point it is handed to the 'Viceroy of the Sea'."

The "Viceroy of the Sea" has no chance to swap the ritual ring... Lumian suppressed the urgency in his heart and asked at a steady pace:

"What exactly happened with the failure of the Sea Prayer Ceremony last year? Even the 'Viceroy of the Sea' died."

Lato was startled at first, then revealed an expression of relief:

"That fake asked you for help?"

"Yes, for some reason, last year's Sea Prayer Ceremony failed. The sea was furious, killing the 'Viceroy of the Sea' and the four 'Children of the Sea' on the ship acting as deputy assistant celebrants. Only the 'Handmaidens of the Sea' and some sailors survived."

All four deputy assistant celebrants died? Lumian had just found a clue to the "April Fools" only to find it broken.

The very people who had the best chance to swap the sacrificial ring had all died in the failed Sea Prayer Ceremony!

Lumian pondered for a few seconds and said:

"What happened to the surviving 'Handmaidens of the Sea' and the sailors afterward?"

"They are all still alive, but are under strict surveillance." Lato saw that the failure of last year's Sea Prayer Ceremony had already been leaked, so he didn't care much about the information on the survivors, "We arranged for ordinary members of the family to marry those four 'Handmaidens of the Sea' who actually hadn't obtained the sea's power. Although this wouldn't bring about changes on an extraordinary level, there were still benefits in terms of reputation."

"Those sailors are all from Milo Village. Juan Oro gave them some benefits, at the cost of not being able to leave Milo Village until this year's Sea Prayer Ceremony is successful."

Lumian suddenly changed the subject:

"Are the lamb sacrificial offerings used to marry the sea moved to the deck by the sailors?"

"Yes." Lato nodded, "These heavy and laborious things are all done by the sailors."

If one of the "Bards," "Mad Ladies," or "Salted Egg Supermen" had mixed in among the sailors, and the other party possessed extraordinary abilities or magical artifacts of a higher level in the "Thief" pathway, then they could have completely utilized the opportunity of the handover to steal the real sacrificial ring from the corresponding deputy assistant celebrant and swap it with a fake one... The "Thief" pathway is one of the three pathways influenced by the Celestial Worthy. It wouldn't be too strange for core members of the "April Fools" to have corresponding powers or items... Lumian quickly formed a certain speculation.

He said to Lato Giallo with a calm expression:

"Tell me the information about those four 'Handmaidens of the Sea' and the surviving sailors from last year."

Lato began to recount roughly while recalling.

After remembering the intelligence on the suspicious targets, Lumian turned to ask:

"Are everyone who participates in the sea sacrifice segment checked?"

"Yes, you cannot bring unauthorized items onto the ship; that might affect the ritual's effect. And Juan Oro will use his own power to do a certain amount of monitoring before the ship reaches its destination." Lato answered in detail.

As expected... Lumian nodded lightly:

"What kind of power does Juan Oro possess?"

Note 1: This is an adaptation of the Venetian Doge's Marriage to the Sea ritual, where he was to be hanged.

(End of chapter)