Chapter 574

Under the crimson moonlight, those crew members, like wandering corpses, walked swaying onto the pier and headed toward the various buildings crouching in the darkness.

In just seven or eight minutes, their figures disappeared into different places.

Immediately after, Norfi and Bartner saw clusters of pitch-black darkness emerging at the edge of the cabin, while pale or eerie green flames ignited all over the deck.

From within that pitch-black darkness and those flames, one figure after another crawled out.

Some were draped in tattered clothing, their skin visibly rotting, while others were simply skeletons, hanging with bits of flesh, with pale firelight protruding from their eye sockets.

These were all dead corpses!

Soon, the half-rotted corpse wearing a filthy jacket hoisted the sails, the skeleton with a missing sternum pulled up the heavy iron anchor, and the remaining dead corpses also entered their positions, maneuvering the sailing ship to slowly pull away from the port.

Looking at those rotting chunks of meat, pale bones, and eerie flames of varying colors, Bartner and Norfi had the hallucination of having entered the world of a novel.

A horror novel! A ghost novel!

"Navigator, it's time for you to work." Chaneum's voice awakened Norfi.

…………

Inside the "Viceroy of the Sea" mansion.

Lu Mian leaned his back against the lower-middle part of a wall without statues, his gaze sweeping over the other assistant deacons in the hall, including Juan Oro.

He dared not be certain that any one of them was without problems, as they could all be impersonated by a "Faceless."

In the upcoming actions, the only person he could completely trust was himself.

In the indescribable stillness and dead silence, an hour finally passed. This time, Lu Mian took the initiative to enter the basement with Juan Oro and retrieved the "Ring of the Sea Queen" after completing the "Paying Respects to Ancestors" segment.

This ring was indeed placed on that dilapidated stone platform and had not been lost, but Lu Mian could not be certain it was the real one and hadn't been swapped. He could only say that the patterns, symbols, and structure were all fine, and the basement had been checked and no one else was lurking there.

In a state of outward calm and inner tension, Lu Mian patiently waited until six in the morning, feeling the exhaustion in his spirit and body vanish instantly.

Two hours later, the current "Viceroy of the Sea" named Simon, accompanied by four "Handmaidens of the Sea," left the vigil room and walked toward the main entrance of the building.

Lu Mian, Juan Oro, and the other assistant deacons immediately stood up and followed behind.

That two-story sailing ceremonial ship, decorated with many colorful flowers, was docked at the Milo Village pier, with the villagers spontaneously acting as guards, intercepting anyone who dared to approach.

When Lu Mian walked along the gangway onto the deck, he felt as if every window, every colorful flower, and every mast of the ceremonial ship had invisible gazes cast upon him, examining him back and forth. This was exactly the same feeling as when the statues inside the "Viceroy of the Sea" mansion came to life.

He calmly passed through these gazes and, following Juan Oro's hint, stood at the edge of the front-left of the deck.

This was the position where this assistant deacon named Brian was supposed to stay.

Bang, bang, bang!

On the Milo Village pier, ceremonial cannons sprayed out a large amount of colorful confetti.

In the cheerful and festive atmosphere, the ceremonial ship slowly pulled away from the location, first circling Sangtagang to receive the cheers and blessings of the people, before heading out toward the distant sea.

Juan Oro, impersonating Jorge as the navigator, guided the ship through the vast, blue, and featureless ocean, turning left, then right, and then changing direction.

Another hour passed, and under the clear and bright sky, thick fog suddenly permeated the surroundings of the ceremonial ship.

Splash!

Deep within the fog, sea waves surged high like mountain peaks; any ship, regardless of its type, would inevitably capsize or be shattered if struck by them.

The "Viceroy of the Sea," the "Handmaidens of the Sea," some sailors, and two assistant deacons who were participating in the sea sacrifice segment for the first time were all terrified by this horrific sight, their faces turning pale.

Juan Oro, who had experienced many sea sacrifices, acted as if he were watching children's toys, directing the sailors without any emotional fluctuation, allowing the ship to continue moving forward along the only safe route amidst the thick fog and exaggerated giant waves.

It is unknown how much time passed when the fog suddenly dissipated, the giant waves miraculously calmed, and an ocean resembling a sapphire reflected in Lu Mian's eyes.

This sea area appeared boundless, but the distance and the sky were gray, with only a little sunlight able to penetrate through.

…………

Sangtagang, Solo Hotel.

Lugano stood by the window, watching the citizens once again form a celebratory procession, weaving through the streets and alleys, spreading joy.

He had previously taken Ludwig to watch the ceremony of the "Viceroy of the Sea's" colorful ceremonial ship leaving the port and participated in two celebratory activities organized spontaneously by the citizens. It was almost time for morning tea when he returned to the suite to feed Ludwig the food he had bought on the way and prepared in advance.

"We can go for a stroll later; there will be another wave of celebrations when the 'Viceroy of the Sea' returns. It's a pity, though, with a child like this, I can't respond to the enthusiastic Feynapotter ladies..." Lugano thought with some regret.

Just then, he heard a knock-knock-knock sound at the door.

"Who is it?" As someone with several years of experience as a bounty hunter, Lugano became vigilant.

"It's me." A soft and beautiful voice came from outside the door.

Lugano could tell that this was Mrs. Georgia, the wife of Rubio Paco.

She came to find the boss? Did something happen to the Paco family again? Lugano glanced at Ludwig, who was eating seriously, walked quickly to the door, and pulled it open.

Today, Georgia was not wearing the relatively bright and flashy dress she usually wore, but instead was wearing a black long dress similar to that of an old grandmother or widow.

At this moment, her pinned-up brown long hair was somewhat messy, and her blue eyes with thick eyelashes were filled with undisguisable fear and panic.

"Where is Mr. Louis Berry?" this lady asked.

"He went to participate in the various celebrations of the Sea Prayer Ceremony," Lugano said, using the excuse Lu Mian had fabricated.

He looked at the somewhat helpless Mrs. Georgia and subconsciously asked with concern:

"Did something happen?"

"It, it..." Georgia said with a panicked expression and terrified eyes, "I discovered the true identity of that humanoid lizard!"

That humanoid lizard? The humanoid lizard that the boss killed? While Lugano was puzzled, Georgia suddenly threw herself into his arms.

A fragrance immediately pierced into Lugano's nose, preventing him from immediately pushing this lady away.

Georgia lowered her voice but could not hide her fear as she said:

"That humanoid lizard is, is my husband, Rubio Paco!"

"Ah?" Lugano was both surprised and bewildered.

Georgia said as if gritting her teeth:

"The one you saw is, is fake!"

Fake? Someone impersonated Rubio Paco, and the real Rubio Paco turned into a humanoid lizard and was killed by the boss? Just as such a speculation flashed through Lugano's mind, his thoughts suddenly became sluggish, and everything before his eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of frosted glass.

He subconsciously struggled, but was firmly held by Georgia with considerable strength, interrupted by various small movements.

Beside the dining table, Ludwig was burying his head in gnawing on a skewer of grilled baby octopus, seemingly unaware of any silent anomaly at the door.

In a suite diagonally across the corridor, Rubio Paco was sitting quietly in a recliner, a faint smile on his face.

He had deliberately created the humanoid lizard incident to invite Louis Berry to solve it, firstly to confirm the other party's identity, and secondly to leave a loophole that the Paco family could not handle a weak monster, so that others would not suspect that this was done by a "Faceless," thereby achieving the intention of confusing the target.

But afterward, he abandoned the plan to deal with Louis Berry and did not activate the corresponding trap.

This was not because he failed to confirm that the other party was the target—the mysterious aura on Lu Mian Lee's chest could deceive others but not him—but because he had a new idea.

The overall action of "April Fool's" and his personal goal as "Loki" were not necessarily the same!

His current target was the little boy named Ludwig.

A demigod-level powerhouse who was sealed was simply a gift from the Celestial Worthy to him!

There was no better ritual object for him than this.

Therefore, he hinted at the anomaly of the sea, and while continuing to confuse Lu Mian Lee, he allowed the other party to associate it with concepts like "sealing" and "theft," to figure out what happened with last year's prank, and to take the initiative to board the ceremonial ship, head to the place of the sea sacrifice, and draw away this opponent whose strength was already clearly not weak, to be held back by forces on the other side.

Next, he would complete a grand performance under the observation of a large number of Sangtagang citizens!

…………

On the calm, waveless, and sapphire-blue ocean, the four "Handmaidens of the Sea" performed a short sacrificial dance, while the sailors moved offerings like lambs, roosters, and ox heads out of the cabin, piling them at the bow of the ship.

Juan Oro, who was keeping the "Ring of the Sea Queen," approached the "Viceroy of the Sea," waiting to hand this marriage proposal gift to the bridegroom of the sea.

Lu Mian looked around, vigilant of everyone here.

Any one of them could suddenly erupt, acting as the "Bard," "Mad Lady," "Ultraman," "Loki," "Hisoka," or a marionette.

The soft and rhythmic dance soon ended, and Juan Oro took out the strangely shaped gold ring and handed it to the incoming "Viceroy of the Sea," Simon Giaro.

Just at this moment, a person walked out of the cabin, walking out openly and without concealment.

It was a woman wearing a black nun's habit, wearing a corresponding hat, her expression calm with a hint of sorrow.

The surrounding sailors did not stop this woman, as if she did not exist.

Seeing this scene, Lu Mian's pupils suddenly dilated, his gaze shrinking sharply.

That was, that was the source of the madness!

That was the humanoid sealed artifact lost by the "Eternal Blazing Sun" Church!

In an instant, Lu Mian suddenly understood two things:

The "Death Navigator," which was said to be what the "Viceroy of the Sea" turned into, coincidentally appeared near the "Flying Bird" and stirred up giant waves;

That humanoid sealed artifact actually unconsciously boarded a ship to go to sea, and even chose the same destination as him—Sangtagang.

These all had reasons!

(End of chapter)