Chapter 573: Key Details

The hall of the "Sea Viceroy" mansion led to different rooms and itself possessed a very small number of windows. Even though the red moon was bright, it could only seep in limited light, making this place appear dim, hazy, and silent.

In such an environment, the deputy assistant priest holding the "Sea Queen's Ring" deliberately lightened his footsteps, but still inevitably produced a slight echoing sound.

Watching him walk step by step toward the stairwell leading to the basement, Lu Mian suddenly had an idea:

After entering the basement, if this deputy assistant priest wanted to swap the real "Sea Queen's Ring" for a fake one, he could completely do it without anyone noticing.

This was because the other deputy assistant priests were all in the hall, the "Sea Viceroy" was accepting the transformation of his body, the "Handmaidens of the Sea" were accompanying him, and the Sea Kin were distributed in other places outside the basement.

Lu Mian frowned, glanced at the other deputy assistant priest diagonally opposite, pressed his voice, and used Intis to say to Juan Oro, who had turned into Jorge:

"In every year's Vigil Ceremony, is it a deputy assistant priest who sends the 'Sea Queen's Ring' to the basement alone, and takes it out after an hour?"

He put weight on the word "alone."

Juan Oro nodded gently:

"Yes.

"In this building, no extra protection is needed..."

Speaking of this, Juan Oro stopped abruptly.

He also thought that this was a good opportunity to swap the "Sea Queen's Ring."

The enemies outside couldn't break in, which didn't mean that the deputy assistant priests inside didn't have any problems!

Lu Mian immediately said to Juan Oro:

"Should I follow, or you?"

Juan Oro attached great importance to this, stood up and said:

"I'll go."

He used his own ability, forcing himself to let his steps not appear staggering, and soon caught up with that deputy assistant priest, saying in a low voice:

"Let's go together. I want to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the ancestors."

The other deputy assistant priest had no opinion.

Watching the two light a lantern and walk down the stairs into the basement, Lu Mian naturally deduced what would happen later in his mind:

"Place the 'Sea Queen's Ring' on that dilapidated stone platform... pay tribute to the ancestors... return to the ground... enter and take it out after an hour...

"In this hour, the 'Sea Queen's Ring' is left alone in the basement, completely without protection... If someone was hidden in the basement in advance, then he could easily swap the real 'Sea Queen's Ring' for a fake one...

"Of course, wanting to sneak into here and hide is indeed not easy. I can't do it either. At most, I can stay for two minutes before being blocked by the Sea Kin...

"'Sea Queen's Ring' should be placed on that dilapidated stone platform. If there is a change, the change..."

Thinking of this, Lu Mian suddenly remembered the change after the "Lie" earring was placed on the dilapidated stone platform in the basement:

This item of the "Diviner" pathway stimulated the patterns representing "Apprentice" and "Marauder," and attached the ability to steal others' power that could be maintained for half a month!

Can "Lie" do it, and can the "Sea Queen's Ring" do it?

Although it is not an item of the "Diviner," "Apprentice," or "Marauder" pathway, it was also made according to a ritual left by an Amon. Perhaps it can stimulate the specialty of the basement bit by bit, letting itself gradually be infected with the stealing trait.

Yes! Since the essence of the sea sacrifice ceremony is to extract the power within the seal at the bottom of the sea and make it its own, the "Sea Queen's Ring" as a key item should not only be able to open the seal to a certain extent, but also possess stealing power, which can sprinkle the gathered power to different roles in the ceremony. The main priest obtains the most, the assistant priest and the "Handmaiden of the Sea" who essentially acts as an assistant priest are second, the deputy assistant priests and sailors are next, and those who possess the same kind of power within the ceremony range can also obtain a little!

In other words, the ring-making ceremony understood by Juan Oro and others is incomplete, and the "pay tribute to ancestors" segment is also a component of the ceremony, and it is the most critical part. If you don't "pay tribute to ancestors," then the sea sacrifice ceremony will only open the seal, unable to extract the gathered power, and instead let it erupt and dissipate... Lu Mian just had the sigh that mystical illiterates are truly terrifying, when he was suddenly shocked.

He discovered that he had missed a crucial detail before:

According to Lady "Magician's" interpretation of the role of the "Sea Queen's Ring" and his own speculation on the essence of the entire Sea-Praying Ceremony, if the one who swapped the real "Sea Queen's Ring" was that fake ring ordered by "April Fools" in Tolier, the fake ring that was sent to the ceremonial ship in the lamb's stomach and replaced by the "Bard," then the subsequent ceremony shouldn't have the phenomenon of the sea raging and swallowing the "Sea Viceroy," all deputy assistant priests, and some sailors!

That fake ring didn't go through the previous parts of the ring-making ceremony, so the patterns, symbols, and structures on it don't possess the corresponding mystical specialties. Even if the "Sea Viceroy" read out that segment of words, it couldn't inject energy into it to let it open the seal!

As a completely fake ring, it should have been unable to cause any phenomenon. It was just because it failed to extract the gathered power that the sea area later had increased shipwrecks, worsening weather, and other situations.

To match last year's reality, the fake ring that the "Sea Viceroy" finally threw out must have actually completed the previous parts of the ring-making ceremony, but wasn't placed in the basement to "pay tribute to ancestors." In that way, it could open the seal to a certain extent, but couldn't extract and occupy the gathered power, leading to them erupting suddenly, thereby making the sea "rage"!

Lu Mian's eyes narrowed slightly. As a "Conspirator," he had already understood the key:

There were two "Sea Queen's Rings" on the ceremonial ship, but both were fake.

The ring brought onto the ceremonial ship by the deputy assistant priest was also fake, or rather, no real "Sea Queen's Ring" appeared in last year's Sea-Praying Ceremony!

The deputy assistant priest who brought the "Sea Queen's Ring" into the basement and took it out last year likely also had problems!

The edge members of "April Fools" are not trusted. The things they do should all be embellishments that don't affect the whole plan. The fake ring put into the lamb's stomach and the "Bard's" performance were likely preparations for dealing with subsequent investigations, with the purpose of covering up the truly important clues... While Lu Mian's thoughts raced, Juan Oro and that deputy assistant priest returned to the hall.

"Placed it on the stone platform," the Fishery Society president disguised as Jorge said to Lu Mian in a low voice.

Lu Mian withdrew his thoughts and asked as if unintentionally:

"Who was responsible for sending the 'Sea Queen's Ring' to the basement last year?"

"Don't know, no special arrangement, anyone can do it. And the four deputy assistant priests who were in the hall last year all died in the sea's rage when the ceremony failed," Juan Oro understood what Lu Mian was suspecting.

Died? I'm afraid not necessarily... Lu Mian didn't have time to find corresponding items for spirit channeling now, so he could only turn to ask:

"Among them, who was very familiar with the ring-making ceremony and understood the detailed situation of the 'Sea Queen's Ring'?"

"None. They were all serving as deputy assistant priests for the first time," Juan Oro shook his head. "And, I said, the people who know these secrets are all still alive."

That deputy assistant priest isn't "Ultraman"... Then who is it? Lu Mian's heart moved, and he had the answer:

It's the "Mad Lady"!

This person used the same method as the "Bard" to change her appearance, became a deputy assistant priest with the help of "Ultraman," let the making of the "Sea Queen's Ring" not be completed in the last step, and then boarded the ceremonial ship with it.

Lu Mian was still confused before about how the "Mad Lady" could locate that special sea area and rescue the "Bard" in time and accurately. Now, he knew the answer:

The "Mad Lady" was on the scene, on the ceremonial ship, beside the "Bard," without needing positioning, without needing to match time!

He originally thought it was the "Mad Lady" cooperating with the "Bard." Now it seems it was the "Bard" cooperating with the "Mad Lady," preparing to provide help when the situation changed, and taking on the responsibility of a false clue.

Damn, the ability of "Faceless" is so annoying, "April Fools" is so annoying! Lu Mian's emotions fluctuated, and he couldn't help but curse in his heart, relying on the trait of a "Monk" to not explode.

More importantly, he had figured out all the problems of last year's Sea-Praying Ceremony, but still couldn't figure out who "Ultraman" was, and couldn't figure out what kind of tricks "April Fools" would play this year.

…………

Night, passing quietly.

On a sailing ship in the port that had already fallen behind the times, Chanem, wearing a felt hat with a low top and round brim, walked out of the cabin and asked Norfei, who was standing at the edge of the deck:

"Can we enter that special sea area if we set off now?"

Norfei nodded:

"Can. After midnight, the stars enter a specific position."

The thing Lu Mian let her and Bartner do was to rent a ship that could go to sea for a few days at other ports on the same coastline.

Chanem laughed and said:

"Then let's set off!"

Seeing Norfei and Bartner both looking surprised and confused, he explained simply:

"If we follow behind the ceremonial boat of the 'Sea Viceroy,' we will definitely be discovered by people from the Fishery Society. Setting off an hour or two late would lose the significance of doing so. Therefore, we go early, hide there, and wait patiently for the opportunity!"

Although she didn

Although she was unclear about what opportunity the other party was talking about, Norfi did not ask, and replied with a hint of anticipation:

"Okay."

Chaneum then looked toward Bartner:

"Do you want to go out to sea together? It's very dangerous, you know."

Bartner's expression shifted repeatedly; it took over ten seconds before he said:

"I'm going!"

Chaneum immediately let out a "tsk," but said nothing more.

At this moment, Norfi looked toward another area of the deck and asked with a frown:

"What about the sailors here? Without them, we can't set sail, and they aren't capable of dealing with too much danger."

Chaneum smiled:

"Don't worry, we have sailors who can handle the danger."

As soon as he finished speaking, he half-turned his body, raised his right hand toward the third level of the cabin, and formed a circle with his index finger and thumb, extending the other three fingers.

Not long after, Norfi and Bartner saw the captain, first mate, second mate, and all the sailors walking out from different locations, swaying unsteadily.

They all kept their eyes tightly shut, forming a single file like sleepwalkers, and walked along the gangway toward the pier.

This caused Bartner and Norfi's gazes to freeze, as if they were in a terrifying dream.

(End of chapter)