Chapter 577: Handover

After a while, Chaneim couldn't help it himself and looked at Norfe, saying:

"Do you have a secret collaborator?"

Norfe nodded slightly and said:

"Yes."

Regarding this answer, both Batna and Chaneim had expected it, but it didn't hinder the latter from feeling a joy in his heart:

"Who is it?"

Norfe struggled for a moment and said:

"It is, it is Juan Oro!"

Juan Oro? The President of the Fishery Guild? Batna was startled.

Chaneim was the same.

Is this an undercover agent who became the boss? He complained while asking:

"Are you sure it's Juan Oro?"

While letting Juan Oro initially investigate who had problems among the core personnel of the Fishery Guild, Lumian, who had already grasped the true purpose of the "Mother Goddess of Depravity" church, also asked Noelia of the Bounty Society to provide similar information, which included the president, Juan Oro.

According to official data, Juan Oro's health had always been quite good; he hadn't had any serious illnesses or suffered any serious injuries, and he hadn't shown any symptoms of complete lizard-like near-loss of control.

In other words, he shouldn't have been occupied by the transmigrator "Ultraman."

Of course, it was impossible to make a definite judgment from this alone; after all, when the original owners of many members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" had accidents, there were no other people around.

But Juan Oro's personality hadn't shown any obvious changes over so many years; he just became more stubborn as he grew older and had an increasing tendency to return to the sea.

More importantly, if Juan Oro were "Ultraman," then many of "April Fool's" actions in destroying the Praying to the Sea ritual would seem unnecessary and could have been simpler and more covert.

Combining several aspects of the situation, Chaneim had initially determined that Juan Oro was not a core member of "April Fool's."

Norfe pursed her lips and said:

"It is him. Half a year ago, I met him in Layak Port."

Layak was located north of the Daliege Mountains and was a port belonging to the Reston Province of the Intis Republic.

"Met?" Chaneim blurted out, "Your eyes will deceive you; what you see is not necessarily equal to the truth."

He couldn't control his desire to confide and continued:

"Just like now, the me you see is not equal to the actual me; the difference is quite big."

"Are you saying the Juan Oro I met was fake?" Norfe was obviously a bit skeptical, "But, but he also displayed the power to control the waves!"

Chaneim smiled:

"Most members of the Fishery Guild can do similar things. What if one of them disguised themselves as Juan Oro?"

"But, but it was too similar..." Norfe fell into self-doubt.

Chaneim said leisurely:

"According to the information we collected, Juan Oro hasn't left Santa Port for nearly ten years.

"He is the President of the Fishery Guild and goes to the association to sit for a while every day."

This was used to persuade Norfe, but it wasn't absolute evidence, because if Juan Oro were "Ultraman," he could completely ask "Mad Lady" to take him to Layak Port and come back, which wouldn't take more than two hours.

In that situation, almost no one would be able to notice that he had disappeared for a period of time.

Norfe was subconsciously silent and couldn't help but whisper:

"Then, then who could it be?"

"You ask me, and who do I ask?" Chaneim said the words he was complaining about in his heart.

He changed the subject with slight embarrassment:

"What kind of cooperation did that fake Juan Oro hope to reach with you? What method do you have to destroy that palace on the seabed and completely end the Praying to the Sea ritual?"

Norfe's body trembled, as if she were fighting against an instinctive impulse.

After a few seconds, she answered with great difficulty:

"He, he will help me, help me cover up the traces, ignore my existence, let me, let me be able to board a ship, grab the chance to enter the Sea Sacrifice land before the 'Governor of the Sea's' ship, and hide there.

"Then, wait for the 'Governor of the Sea' to throw out the 'Ring of the Sea Queen' and recite the words of marriage, and chant a passage of words.

"That passage of words was taught to me by my mother, coming from the deep resonance between her and that palace when she accepted the sea's gift. It, its function is to start a self-destruction program inside that palace."

Norfe spoke more and more fluently, clearly having given up on resisting.

"Self-destruction program? Are you sure? Do you understand that language that came from who knows where?" Chaneim looked incredulous.

"My mother told me so." Norfe indicated that she didn't understand the language corresponding to that passage either.

Chaneim asked:

"Does your mother understand that language?"

"She doesn't understand it either, but she knows what it means. Do you understand? A kind of communication at the soul level." Norfe tried hard to defend her mother.

"Communication at the soul level is not impossible to deceive people, and deceiving the illiterate is always easier." Chaneim complained in his heart again.

He frowned and asked:

"Did fake Juan Oro tell you that last year's Praying to the Sea ritual failed?"

"No, otherwise I wouldn't have rented a ship in Santa Port." Norfe had been very annoyed about this matter before.

If she had known from the beginning that last year's Praying to the Sea ritual failed, she would definitely have guessed that Santa Port would increase security in all aspects this year and would inevitably pay attention to those trying to rent ships to go to sea.

Chaneim showed a puzzled expression:

"Then fake Juan Oro wasn't waiting for you to be caught by Lato Giaro..."

Half a year ago, whether it was "April Fool's" or other people in Santa Port with ulterior motives, it was impossible to predict that Lumian would come here to investigate the Praying to the Sea ritual. In other words, Norfe's original role definitely wasn't to lure Lumian into the trap. Perhaps she really belonged to a part of "April Fool's" original plan, until they changed their minds and intended to use the "Great Adventurer's" investigation.

Under such an arrangement, letting Norfe be caught by Lato Giaro clearly shouldn't have been a low-level loophole in "April Fool's" planning, unless this was what they hoped for.

"Throwing Norfe out was to confuse the people of the Fishery Guild, making other committee members suspect Juan Oro, causing rifts between them so they couldn't cooperate well? But this kind of instigation tactic is a bit not clever enough...

"Responding to the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity' church's attention to this year's Praying to the Sea ritual, guiding them toward Norfe's line?

"Or, or..."

Franca, who was disguised as Chaneim, felt a stir in her heart and had a guess:

"Or, Lato Giaro is a member of 'April Fool's'!

"As soon as Norfe arrived in Santa Port and tried to rent a ship, she was caught by him. This is both Lato Giaro's absolute control over this 'collaborator' and corresponding protection... Wait until the Praying to the Sea ritual is about to arrive, then he pretends to relax his guard, letting Norfe escape successfully and get a ship?"

After having this guess, the more Franca recalled Lato Giaro, the more she felt he had problems:

Whether it was the information provided by the "Knight of Swords" or the data given by the official, a piece of information was clearly recorded:

Lato Giaro had been sleeping in separate rooms from his wife for many years!

For a transmigrator, after occupying the original owner's body, the most worrying thing is being discovered by people around them from various details that they have problems. And among the people around them, the ones most likely to expose their disguise are, first, parents with deep feelings, and second, spouses who share the same bed, especially the latter, who know many interaction habits that others don't. In this situation, finding an excuse to sleep in separate rooms is clearly a transmigrator's self-protection.

Before seeing this information, Franca had a moment of suspicion, but quickly dismissed the corresponding guess. This was because, first, it wasn't too strange for a middle-aged man to sleep in a separate room from his wife; not only Lato Giaro did this among the Fishery Guild committee members. Second, Lato Giaro had been forcibly controlled by the "Knight of Swords" and Lumian, and fed truth serum, and the subsequent questioning didn't reveal any trace of a connection with "April Fool's" — he didn't even show a suppressed smile when mentioning the words of marriage to the sea!

But what if Lato Giaro, who took the initiative to pass on Norfe's information, was already guarding against the Great Adventurer coming to his door and had hidden part of his memory through "hypnosis" and other means?

The essence of truth serum is to greatly enhance the desire to confide. Things that the person taking it doesn't know or understand in their self-cognition won't be spoken out.

The problem now is, where did Lato Giaro find a Beyonder or item with similar abilities, through "April Fool's" channel?

Franca, who increasingly felt that Lato Giaro was "Ultraman," remembered another thing:

The incoming "Governor of the Sea," Simon, was a branch member of the Giaro family!

Before, Juan Oro had, according to her suggestion, drawn blood from those boarding the ship besides Lumian to confirm whether the other party belonged to a certain family, to see if any outsiders were impersonating them.

If, if Simon Giaro was disguised by Lato Giaro?

That method would only confirm his identity!

On the Colorful Flower Ceremonial Ship, which was falling toward the seabed as if pressed by a giant rock.

Simon Giaro, who was standing at the bow of the ship, seemed to be stunned there, with a face of panic and confusion.

But the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

At this moment, he recalled last night's "Governor of the Sea" handover ceremony:

Simon Giaro, wearing a crisp blue ceremonial suit, walked into the hall and saw the former "Governor of the Sea," Miguel, wearing a retro white robe, looking at himself. According to the predetermined process, he said the predetermined words:

"The sea is handed over to you."

"This is my honor." Simon Giaro answered solemnly and walked slowly toward the other party.

Miguel extended his right hand, and Simon Giaro also reached out his hand and shook it with him. This represented the former "Governor of the Sea's" resignation and the current "Governor of the Sea's" preparation.

After shaking hands, the two passed each other, and when they looked at different places, the corners of their mouths curled up almost simultaneously, imperceptibly.

Under the gaze of countless statues around, one continued forward, and one left the hall.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 578 =====