Chapter 574 Key Details The hall of the "Governor of the Sea" mansion leads to different rooms and has very few windows. Even though the red moon is bright at the moment, only limited light can penetrate through, making the place appear dim, hazy and silent. In such an environment, although the deputy acolyte holding the "Ring of the Queen of the Sea" deliberately lowered his footsteps, he still inevitably created a slight echo. As he watched him walk towards the stairs leading to the basement, Lumian suddenly had an idea: Once in the basement, if the deputy deacon wanted to replace the real "Ring of the Queen of the Sea" with a fake one, he could do it without anyone noticing. This was because the other deputy deacons were in the hall, the "Governor of the Sea" was undergoing body transformation, the "Maidens of the Sea" were by his side, and the followers of the sea were scattered in other places outside the basement. Lumian frowned, glanced at the other deputy priest across from him, and lowered his voice in Intis to Juan Oro's transformed Jorge: "During the vigil ceremony every year, a deputy deacon will take the 'Ring of the Queen of the Sea' to the basement alone and take it out an hour later?" He stressed the word "alone". Juan Oro nodded slightly: "yes. "No additional protection is needed in this building..." Having said this, Juan Oro stopped abruptly.
He also thought that this was a good opportunity to replace the "Ring of the Queen of the Sea". Just because the enemies outside can’t break in doesn’t mean the deputy deacons inside are all safe! Lumian immediately said to Juan Oro: "Should I go with you, or will you?" Juan Oro took this very seriously and stood up and said: "I'll go." He used his own abilities to make his steps not seem unsteady, and soon caught up with the deputy deacon. He said in a deep voice: "Let's go together. I want to take this opportunity to pay respect to my ancestors." The other deputy deacon had no objection. As they lit the lanterns and walked down the stairs into the basement, Lumian naturally deduced what would happen next: "Put the 'Sea Queen's Ring' on the broken stone platform...pay homage to the ancestors...return to the surface...enter and take it out after an hour... "During this hour, the 'Sea Queen's Ring' was left alone in the basement, completely unprotected... If there was someone hiding in the basement, he could easily replace the real 'Sea Queen's Ring' with a fake one... "Of course, it's not easy to sneak in here and hide. I can't do it. I can only stay here for two minutes at most before I'm blocked by the sea clans... "The 'Sea Queen's Ring' should be placed on that broken stone platform. If there is any change, change..." Thinking of this, Lumian suddenly remembered what happened to the "Lie" ear clip after it was placed on the broken stone platform in the basement: This item from the "Fortune Teller" path inspired the patterns representing "Apprentice" and "Thief" respectively, and added the ability to steal the power of others that can last for half a month! “Lies” are fine, but is “The Ring of the Queen of the Sea” okay? Although it is not an item from the "Fortune Teller", "Apprentice" or "Thief" paths, it is also made according to a ritual left by Amon. Perhaps it can stimulate the special features of the basement little by little, allowing itself to be gradually infected with the characteristics of stealing. Right! Since the essence of the sea sacrifice ceremony is to extract the power in the seal on the seabed and take it for oneself, then the "Sea Queen's Ring" as a key item should not only be able to open the seal to a certain extent, but also have the ability to steal power, and can spread the harvest to different roles in the ceremony. The main priest gets the most, followed by the assistant priest and the "Maid of the Sea" who actually acts as the assistant priest, then the deputy assistant priest and the sailors, and those with the same power within the scope of the ceremony can also get a little! In other words, Juan Oro and the others' understanding of the ring-making ceremony was incomplete. The "honoring the ancestors" part was also an integral part of the ceremony, and it was the most critical part. Without "honoring the ancestors", the sea sacrifice ceremony would only open the seal and fail to steal the gathered power. Instead, it would cause it to explode and dissipate...Lumian had just begun to sigh that being illiterate in mysticism was truly terrifying when he was suddenly startled. He realized that he had missed a crucial detail: According to Ms. "Magician's" interpretation of the role of the "Sea Queen's Ring" and her own speculation on the nature of the entire sea-praying ceremony, if the real "Sea Queen's Ring" was replaced with the fake ring that was ordered from Toler on "April Fool's Day", which was hidden in the lamb's belly and sent to the ceremonial ship, and then replaced by the "bard", then the subsequent ceremony should not have had the phenomenon of the sea raging and swallowing up the "Governor of the Sea", all the deputy priests and some sailors! The fake ring had not gone through the previous ring-making ceremony, and the patterns, symbols and structures on it did not possess the corresponding mystical specialties. Even if the "Governor of the Sea" recited those words, he could not infuse energy into it to open the seal! As a completely fake ring, it should not have caused any phenomenon. It was only because it failed to extract the gathered power that it led to an increase in shipwrecks and worsening weather in this sea area. In order to conform to last year's reality, the fake ring that the "Governor of the Sea" threw out at last must have actually completed the first part of the ring-making ceremony, but it was not placed in the basement to "pay homage to the ancestors." In that way, it could open the seal to a certain extent, but it could not extract and occupy the gathered power, causing them to suddenly erupt, thus making the sea "rageful"! Lumian's eyes narrowed slightly. As a "conspirator", he already understood the key point: There were two "Sea Queen's Rings" on the ceremonial ship, but they were both fake.
The ring that the deputy deacon brought onto the ceremonial boat was also fake, or in other words, the real "Ring of the Queen of the Sea" did not appear in last year's sea prayer ceremony! The "Ring of the Queen of the Sea", which had gone through the entire ring-making ceremony as known to the Fisheries Guild, was not placed on the stone platform in the basement to complete the "honoring ancestors" phase, so it was also fake, a fake ring that did not have the most critical function! The deputy priest who took the "Ring of the Queen of the Sea" into the basement and took it out last year is likely to have problems too! The marginal members of "April Fools' Day" were not to be trusted. What they did should be embellishments that did not affect the whole plan. The fake ring placed in the lamb's stomach and the performance of the "bard" were most likely preparations for the subsequent investigation, with the purpose of covering up the really important clues... As Lumian's thoughts raced, Juan Oro and the deputy acolyte returned to the hall. “Put it on the stone platform.” The president of the Fisheries Guild, who was disguised as Jorge, spoke to Lumian in a low voice. Lumian collected his thoughts and asked casually: "Who was responsible for delivering the 'Sea Queen's Ring' to the basement last year?" "I don't know. There is no special arrangement. Anyone can do it. The four deputy priests in the hall last year all died in the rage of the sea when the ceremony failed." Juan Oro understood what Lumian was suspicious of. Is he dead? I'm afraid not... Lumian didn't have time to find the corresponding items to communicate with the spirit, so he could only ask: "Is there anyone among them who is very familiar with the ring-making ceremony and knows the details of the 'Sea Queen's Ring'?" "No, they are all serving as deacons for the first time." Juan Oro shook his head. "Besides, as I said, those who know these secrets are still alive." The deputy deacon is not Ultraman... then who is he? Lumian suddenly had the answer: It’s a “crazy woman”! He used the same method as the "Bard" to change his appearance, and with the help of "Ultraman", he became a deputy acolyte, allowing the production of the "Ring of the Queen of the Sea" to complete the last step, and then took it on board the ceremonial ship. Lumian was still wondering how the "mad woman" could locate the special sea area and rescue the "bard" in time and accurately. Now, he knows the answer: The "mad woman" is right there, on the ceremonial boat, next to the "bard". There is no need to locate her or adjust the time! He originally thought that it was the "mad woman" cooperating with the "bard", but now it seems that it is the "bard" cooperating with the "mad woman", ready to provide assistance when the situation changes, and to take responsibility for the false clues. Damn, the Faceless Man's ability is so annoying, and April Fool's Day is so annoying! Lumian's emotions fluctuated, and he couldn't help cursing in his heart, relying on the characteristics of the Ascetic Monk to prevent himself from exploding. More importantly, he figured out all the problems with last year's sea-praying ceremony, but he still couldn't figure out who "Ultraman" was, or what April Fools' Day tricks would be this year. ………… The night passes quietly. On a sailing ship that was outdated in the harbor, Chanem, wearing a short round-brimmed felt hat, walked out of the cabin and asked Norfi, who was standing on the edge of the deck: "Can we enter that special sea area now?" Nolfi nodded and said: "Yes, after midnight, the stars will move into a specific position." What Lumian had her and Butner do was to go to another port on the same coastline and rent a boat that could go out to sea for a few days. Chanem laughed and said: "Then let's go!" Seeing that Nolfi and Batner were both surprised and confused, he briefly explained: "If we follow the courtesy ship of the 'Governor of the Sea', we will definitely be discovered by the people of the Fisheries Guild. If we set out an hour or two later, then there will be no point in doing so. So, we should go there early, hide there, and wait patiently for the opportunity!" Although he didn't know what opportunity the other party was talking about, Norfi didn't ask and answered with a little expectation: "it is good." Chanem then looked at Butner: "Do you want to go out to sea together? It's very dangerous." Bartner's expression changed repeatedly, and after more than ten seconds he said: "go with!"
Chanem immediately made a "tsk" sound, but said nothing. At this time, Nolfi looked at other areas of the deck, frowned and asked: "What about the sailors here? We can't go to sea without them, and they can't handle too much danger." Chanem 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 towards the third floor of the cabin, and clasped his index finger and thumb into a circle, stretching out the other three fingers. Not long after, Nolfi and Butner saw the captain, the first mate, the second mate and all the sailors staggering out from different locations. They all closed their eyes, lined up in a column like sleepwalkers, and walked along the gangway to the dock. This made Bartner and Nolfi's eyes freeze, as if they were having a horrible dream. (End of this chapter)