Chapter 575: The Bard

The woman in black nun's robes seemed to sense Lu Mi's gaze, slightly turning her head to look at him.

The moment his eyes met those inexplicably colored eyes, the figure in his vision vanished abruptly.

Almost simultaneously, he thought it wasn't important, no need for further action.

Juan Oro, standing beside the incoming Viceroy of the Sea, Simon, noticed the calm, waveless blue sea suddenly rippling, and in the gray, hazy sky, the stars invisible to the naked eye also seemed to shift, stirring emotion and an inexplicable tremor within him.

An anomaly? Juan Oro didn't know if this was good or bad, but under current circumstances, any change would be treated as an accident—a hidden enemy causing trouble.

He had no time to think further, forcibly shoving the "Ring of the Sea Queen" into the hands of the incoming Viceroy of the Sea, Simon, and growled:

"Marry the Sea at once!"

In his panic, the Fisheries Guild's chairman didn't bother mimicking Jorge's voice, but due to his vocal cords having changed, it no longer carried its usual aged tone.

Simon, startled by Juan Oro's shout, didn't notice the change in his voice.

He raised his hand holding the "Ring of the Sea Queen" and chanted the words in a jumble of sounds.

"O Sea, I shall marry you, as a symbol of my conquest!" With this thought, Simon hurled the uniquely shaped golden ring outward, watching its surface shimmer with light and tremble slightly.

After the "Ring of the Sea Queen" sank beneath the surface, the light suddenly flared, expanding to the size of an infant.

It transformed into a cone of radiance and vanished entirely into the blue sea.

The next instant, Juan Oro, Lu Mi, and the others heard a thunderous boom.

Splash!

The sea boiled; wave after towering wave surged upward, hurling the Flower-Adorned Ceremony Ship into the air, while a destructive aura echoed all around.

This… this is the Sea's fury! How could this be? Juan Oro's pupils dilated, unable to believe that they had once again angered the Sea, unable to believe that this year's Sea Prayer Ritual had seemingly failed again.

He had followed every step, watched with his own eyes as the "Ring of the Sea Queen," after completing its preliminary rites, was placed upon the broken stone altar representing the ancestors, and then he himself retrieved it, guarding it with utmost vigilance—no step had gone wrong!

How could this be?

Juan Oro felt the Flower-Adorned Ceremony Ship about to capsize; he clenched his fists tightly, and patches of glittering, starlike scales emerged across his skin.

His eyes darkened, as if brilliant stars floated within them.

He fused himself with this "Sea."

The splashing ceased; the towering, terrifying blue waves froze mid-air, as if gripped by invisible hands.

…………

In Milo Village, inside the church-like building of the Viceroy of the Sea.

Miguel, the fake Viceroy of the Sea lying in the servant's room, suddenly sat up, rose slowly from bed, and a self-satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He stood before the glass window overlooking the tangled weeds behind, whispering silently:

"The time is nearly here…"

"When Juan Oro discovers the Sea Sacrifice has failed again, what expression will he wear? Heh—he's paying you back for all your 'kindness' this past year."

"What is 'Loki' doing? Suddenly abandoning the original plan—doesn't he fear even the slightest mishap?"

Miguel was none other than "The Bard," a core member of "April Fools' Day," who had previously disguised himself as the sailor Irul, boarded the ship, and was taken away by the "Mad Woman" when he jumped overboard.

Last year, they had already planned this year's actions—how to carry them out—so they had long selected several locals from Sangtagang who resembled the unfortunate Viceroy; once the Sea Sacrifice was ruined, they would return to shore and immediately kill one of the targets, with "The Bard" impersonating him.

As for why they were so certain "The Bard," disguised as Miguel, could become the fake Viceroy of the Sea, it was because "Salted Egg Man" would take responsibility for this matter.

To guard against any marginal member of "April Fools' Day" suddenly betraying them, "The Bard," once a "Con Artist," had specifically written "The Secret Chronicles of Emperor Luo Luo Saier," handed it to "Loki," who secretly published it in Triel, fabricating the illusion that "The Bard" was still active, primarily operating in Intis, preventing anyone from linking the quietly residing Miguel in the Viceroy's mansion with "The Bard."

Of course, writing about Emperor Luo Luo Saier's romantic exploits was genuinely amusing to "The Bard," and watching Juan Oro threaten him, beat him with his cane, then sleep with his granddaughter and the wives and daughters of others gave "The Bard" immense pleasure, satisfying his prankster instincts entirely.

But pranks were merely incidental—his most essential purpose in impersonating the Viceroy of the Sea was:

To freely enter and exit the basement of this building—the place the villagers of Milo Village wrongly believed was the ancestral altar!

Although he was a fake Viceroy of the Sea and would be monitored by the Sea's retinue, he could only not enter the Ring-Making Ceremony chamber or the Viceroy's night-watch room; everywhere else, he could move freely as long as he didn't do anything outrageous, and no one would interfere. Moreover, according to intelligence from "Salted Egg Man," the Viceroy's basement had always been neglected by the Sea's retinue—only two guards stood symbolically at the staircase entrance, with no surveillance or protectors inside.

The villagers of Milo Village occasionally paid their respects, but for the most part, out of respect for the Viceroy of the Sea, they never entered or exited the building without permission.

This gave "The Bard," the fake Viceroy of the Sea, ample opportunity.

Thinking of the expressions on Juan Oro's and Lu Mi's faces when they saw the Sea Prayer Ritual fail again, "The Bard" couldn't help letting out a low chuckle, whispering mockingly to himself:

"You all know the Sea Sacrifice, Ring-Making, and Night Watch occur once a year—did you never consider that the Ancestral Worship ritual can also only be performed once a year?"

"That broken altar needs time—about twelve months—to gradually accumulate the spiritual essence of worshippers to gather enough power for one 'enchantment.'"

And he had placed an item connected to one of the three Paths onto the altar over half a month early, before the basement was even noticed, and openly stolen the accumulated stolen power!

Based on this, he was certain that no matter how successful last night's Ring-Making Ceremony had been, no matter how tightly Juan Oro and Lu Mi guarded the "Ring of the Sea Queen" to prevent its replacement, the "Ring of the Sea Queen" would never possess the ability to steal the power buried beneath the Sea.

Therefore, the Sea Prayer Ritual must fail—and this time, the seal would be further broken, and the long-stored "volcano" within would erupt completely!

All who tried to stop them would die!

Last year, "April Fools' Day" had risked letting the "Mad Woman" become the deputy assistant priestess, deliberately replacing the "Ring of the Sea Queen" with another object on the "Ancestral Worship" altar, because the key point—that the high-tier stolen power could only be used once per year—had not yet been fully verified. "Salted Egg Man" could enter and exit the basement, conduct analyses and trials, but dared not do so too frequently, or suspicion would arise.

After last year's failed Sea Prayer Ritual and twelve months of monthly experiments, "The Bard," "Salted Egg Man," and the "Mad Woman" were now certain: they no longer needed elaborate schemes to replace the real "Ring of the Sea Queen"—they only needed to steal the stolen power in advance. So they all sneered as they watched Lu Mi perform, indifferent to what he did, and had no need to actively sabotage anything, lest the Church of the Earth Mother uncover them.

Of course, some performances fitting his identity were still necessary—for example, pleading for help from Lu Mi.

"The Bard" withdrew his gaze and turned his eyes to his left hand.

There remained a mark left by wearing a certain ring.

This was the true object carrying the key function of the "Ring of the Sea Queen!"

…………

In Sangtagang, at the Solo Inn, outside the fifth-floor suite.

Lu Lu Jianuo, holding Lady Jojiya, felt his thoughts stuttering like rusted iron gears or lacking lubrication:

"What… is this?"

"Was I… attacked?"

"No, I must break free from this state quickly…"

Lu Lu Jianuo tried to push away the woman in his arms, but found her suddenly heavy, and she blocked his attempts to raise his arms or step forward with his elbows, wrists, knees, and toes—each movement small, subtle, like playful teasing between lovers.

Combined with his mental stalling, this even prevented a "Farmer" from breaking free of Jojiya's hold.

Lu Lu Jianuo panicked, opened his mouth to shout for help.

At that moment, Jojiya lifted her head and pressed her rosy lips against his.

Lu Lu Jianuo froze for a moment.

In the adjacent room.

Yu Yu Jianna, dressed in a female mercenary's uniform, held a mirror, using the glass and other objects in Lu Mi's suite to "see" the scene in the living room.

Seeing Lu Lu Jianuo and Jojiya embracing, flirting, and soon kissing passionately, Yu Yu Jianna muttered under her breath:

"Damn it, can he get horny even now? And right in front of the kid!"

Considering that Franca's side would have members of the "Curly Baboon Research Society" joining, Lu Mi had assigned Yu Yu Jianna the task of secretly monitoring Lu Lu Jianuo to uncover what problems this translator had.

As a former "Flamboyant Woman," Yu Yu Jianna had seen similar scenes before—even more explicit ones—but she simply couldn't understand: was he this desperate? Did he have to perform right at the door?

At that moment, Anthony Reed beside her, watching the mirror, frowned and said:

"This doesn't look like affection—people don't move or express themselves this way when making love."

(End of Chapter)