561 Language of the Stars
Lato Guiaro struggled to keep silent, but the words burst out of him.
After a long internal battle, he finally responded, “He’s the most powerful among us. Before joining the Fisheries Guild committee, he served as a deputy host on the sea sacrifice ship a whopping 11 times. He gained numerous boons and established a solid connection with the sea.
“He can fly. If he’s not afraid of losing lifespan, he can temporarily take control of these waters on behalf of the Governor of the Sea. He possesses other special abilities, though they’re rarely revealed. We’re not entirely sure either. What we do know is that the failure of last year’s sea prayer ritual significantly weakened him.”
Lato paused and couldn’t resist adding, “First and foremost, we are astronomers. Our expertise lies in observing the stars’ transformations and calculating their patterns.
“Keep in mind that the annual sea prayer ritual doesn’t have a fixed date. It could happen any day during the first week of November. This is because, to enter that special area that communicates with the sea, the stars need to be in specific positions to open the corresponding passageway.
“The date of a similar phenomenon varies from year to year. Astronomers with sufficient knowledge must predict it in advance through observation and calculation.”
The idea of Fisheries Guild committee members being astronomers seems comical and absurd… Lumian didn’t interrupt Lato Guiaro’s narrative.
The self-proclaimed astronomer continued his explanation.
“Secondly, we are humans who worship the sea and the cosmos. We can receive revelations and guidance of fate from the changes in tides, the waves of the sea, and the trajectories of the stars, avoiding danger and making the right choices. Many times, we refer to such revelations and guidance as the Language of the Stars.”
The Language of the Stars… sounds pretty dangerous. How do you know it’s not something risky like Termiboros or Ludwig winking at you? Lumian resisted the urge to shake his head and sighed inwardly.
“Furthermore, we are descendants of the sea and the cosmos, serving as clergymen who offer sacrifices to them.
“We can manipulate the power of the land to completely immobilize the target or make them float.
“We can emit rays from the cosmos, causing damage to the enemy’s body structure and weakening them. Without the corresponding superpowers to treat them, they will face an irreversible and agonizing death.
“We can also create a powerful magnetic effect. Combined with the power of the land, we can generate a half-real illusion. We call it the Cosmic Void.” Lato’s expression gradually turned fanatical.
From a mysticism perspective, the Beyonder characteristics of the Children of the Sea involve the land and the cosmos. According to Aurore’s knowledge, it encompasses gravity, radiation, and electromagnetism. Furthermore, due to gravity and electromagnetism, they also possess some illusionary and spatial abilities. Lumian, rephrasing Lato Guiaro’s words for easier comprehension, couldn’t help but criticize inwardly, Hey, you’re the Children of the Sea, not the Children of the Stars. Why don’t I see many sea-related powers…
Lato took a deep breath and continued, “We are also the navigators of the sea and the cosmos. We can find the right path under any circumstances, guided by the performance of the sea and the stars. We can use this power to help others.
“Without our guidance, ships can’t enter that special water even on the correct date. That’s why Nolfi insisted on returning to Port Santa before setting off. Although she knew the coordinates and route of the sea sacrificial land from her mother, she would never have reached it if she didn’t set off from Port Santa.
“The spawn that come to land from the seabed also rely on our abilities in this area to survive the fog, vortex, and storms without losing their way in the sea route or being swallowed by darkness.”
Navigators… Lumian suddenly recalled the strange fish he had encountered on the Flying Bird, the Mutated Bannerfish, who could control the waves.
They were also known as Death Navigators!
“Have you heard of the strange fish known as Death Navigators?” Lumian interrupted Lato Guiaro’s account.
Lato hesitated for a moment before responding, “Yes, they’re also spawn of the sea. We all suspect that they were transformed from the Governors of the Sea who returned to the sea.”
Transformed from the Governors of the Sea? Lumian raised his eyebrows.
Lato swallowed and explained, “They should still be fused with the sea, so future generations will be born, but their strength is inferior to theirs.
“In the past, they only roamed those waters. In recent years, for some reason, they occasionally swam out and returned. After the sea prayer ritual failed last year, this situation became even more frequent.”
Did the failure of the ritual cause the Death Navigators to go out more frequently? Did the Death Navigators lure sailors to those special waters? Were they ultimately devoured by the sea? Lumian’s mind raced with questions, but he knew that Lato Guiaro couldn’t answer them.
Lato returned to the main topic.
“We can still manipulate the waves to a certain extent and influence the tides, but we can’t compare to Juan Oro, much less the Governor of the Sea.”
That’s more like a Child of the Sea? That’s why they think it’s easier to bury me in the sea? Lumian pondered as he inquired about a few more details. He then lowered his right foot from his left knee and slowly stood up.
Nodding at the Knight of Swords in Lato’s eyes, Lumian said to Lato Guiaro, “Last request, release Nolfi and Batna.”
With that, Lumian walked to the bedroom window.
Simultaneously, the Knight of Swords, who had possessed Lato Guiaro, vanished. The committee member of the Fisheries Guild regained control of his body.
As Lumian left, Lato Guiaro couldn’t help but express his confusion, fear, and a hint of uncontrollable emotion, “I thought you’d kill me once you got the information…”
Otherwise, wouldn’t it expose the fact that you have many hidden helpers, the secret of a faction behind you, and the uniqueness of your helpers?
Lumian didn’t look back and continued forward.
On the way, he pressed down on his golden straw hat and smiled.
“To you, this might be important, but not to me.”
Just as Lato Guiaro was about to say something, he saw the body of the adventurer, Louis Berry, suddenly turn black and thin, transforming into a shadow that disappeared from the crimson moonlight’s reach.
After staring at the darkness for a while, Lato adjusted the collar of his robe and left the master bedroom. He personally headed to the basement to release Nolfi and Batna.
Opposite the building where his family resided, beneath a row of verdant trees,
Lumian leaned leisurely against the black gas streetlamp pole, gazing at the glass windows illuminated by the light.
The disheveled, pale-faced Knight of Swords materialized behind him and asked in a deep voice, “Are you really not going to kill him?”
Lumian chuckled and said, “If we kill him, who’s going to inform Juan Oro that I have powerful helpers and the support of a powerful faction lurking in the shadows?”
He couldn’t just toss tarot cards at Lato Guiaro’s corpse, could he?
Furthermore, the problem lay in the fact that no one knew that the adventurer, Louis Berry, was a Minor Arcana cardholder of the Tarot Club.
Upon hearing Lumian’s response, the Knight of Swords pondered for a moment before vanishing into the darkness.
Before long, Batna emerged from the house where Lato Guiaro’s extended family resided, clutching his rapier and revolver.
Upon seeing Lumian, they looked a little ashamed and approached him with slow steps.
“Thank you for saving us,” Nolfi, adorable in a blouse and brown pants, expressed her sincere gratitude.
Batna said, “I’m well aware of Nolfi’s intentions and haven’t been deceived by her. I sympathize with the tragic fate of these sea spawn and hope to help her end all of this.”
Lumian looked at Nolfi.
“What kind of tragic end will it lead to?”
The committee members of the Fisheries Guild seemed quite pleased.
Nolfi fell silent for a moment before saying, “All Maidens of the Sea and Children of the Sea eventually transform into a lizard-like humanoid monster. Perhaps earlier, perhaps later, my mother passed away because she was attacked by assassins hired by the Fisheries Guild and wanted to die as a human. Not only did she refuse treatment, but she also inflicted some damage on herself.”
In that case, the humanoid lizard at Rubió Paco’s house is a common sight in families around Port Santa. Why the need for secrecy? Lumian turned to Batna with a smile, asking, “Did you know Nolfi would transform into a humanoid lizard?”
“Yes.” Batna expressed that he didn’t mind.
At that moment, Nolfi inquired, “Then do you know what a humanoid lizard looks like?”
As she spoke, the rather attractive female adventurer’s eyes widened. Shimmering illusory scales appeared on her body, and her skin transformed into that of a snake.
Batna jumped in fright, taking a step back involuntarily.
Lumian continued to ask Nolfi, “Why didn’t you rent a boat at a nearby port and find a sailor to sail it over? Why choose a ship rental company in Port Santa?”
Nolfi undid the phantom scales, reverting to her original appearance, frustration and embarrassment evident in her voice.
“In Port Santa, people often rent boats for fishing and sightseeing. This should be a very ordinary thing…”
Lumian sighed helplessly.
“Did you know that last year’s sea prayer ritual failed? The Fisheries Guild will be on high alert this year, investigating all unstable factors. Besides, the sea prayer ritual is only a few days away. It’s inevitable to start paying attention to those who rent boats to go out to sea.”
Nolfi and Batna remained silent, resembling two students.
After a moment, Nolfi asked in surprise and suspicion, “Did the sea prayer ritual fail last year?”
Lumian didn’t answer immediately. He thought for a moment and said,
“You want to end the sea prayer ritual with just the two of you? What gave you the confidence?”
Nolfi pursed her lips and stated, “As long as I can enter those waters and find the palace, I have a way to destroy it and end everything.”
“Palace?” Lumian’s eyebrows twitched.
Nolfi nodded.
“When my mother was possessed by the sea, she saw a strange palace through her spirituality and the connection between them. It’s located at the bottom of the sea. It’s the palace of the sea!”