Santa Harbor, in a room with a card table.
Lumian and Lugano, who had changed their appearances and changed their clothes, met the black market merchant who claimed to be a descendant of the Dariez.
Dressed in a white shirt and black vest, he sat at the head of the card table, with a glass of pale malt white wine in front of him and a slow-burning cigar between his fingers.
He did look like he was of Dalliege descent, with slightly sunken eye sockets, slightly curled black hair, blue eyes like a mountain sky without clouds, thin cheeks, dense beard, and a look like he was in his thirties.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Valerio." Lugano greeted in highlandic dialect.
Valerio looked back at the few bodyguards with guns pinned to him, and said with a smile in Intes with a Dalliege accent:
"I haven't been back to my hometown for a long time, and I see you very kindly."
"Yes, Mr. Valerio." Lumi installed a cringe-looking appearance and replied in Intis, who also had a Liege accent.
Shepherds, although adept at fighting the dangers of the wild, instinctively feared authority figures in human settlements.
Valerio nodded lightly and said:
"Are you from Larnaca?"
"Yes, I just attended the trading conference there." Lumian answered very smoothly.
He had heard of Larnaca from the shepherd population of the village of Kordu, where a monthly trade convention was held to form a lively suburban market, where shepherds from near and far would pass by to seek opportunities to buy and sell lamb, wool, cheese, and other goods.
Valerio talked about the transition and the folklore of the Daliege region, and Lumian knew it very well, and answered from the perspective and point of view of a shepherd.
During this process, he was vaguely in a trance, remembering the words that his sister would occasionally say when she was angry:
"If you don't study hard, I will send you to be a shepherd!"
Now, he is indeed playing a shepherd.
After a while, Valerio nodded in satisfaction, took a puff of his cigar and said:
"You are quite wise, you can graze in the suburbs without identity certificate, you must have it when you settle in the city, I will help you get two sets as soon as possible, after that, you can come to me if you encounter any difficulties, I may not be able to help, but one more person will always have more ideas, we are all from Dalyege, of course we must help each other."
Lumian was not surprised by the enthusiasm of this black market merchant:
"Uniting" the people of my hometown will form a force that can be used and cannot be ignored!
This is like the Savoyard Party, which was originally composed of those Savoyards who were coolies and waiters, and they made an unknown contribution to the big bosses of the Savoie Chamber of Commerce to develop their careers, expand their operations, and keep their family property.
As for how many Savoyards will never be able to get on the right path and die on the street at some point, those wealthy businessmen don't care.
Lumian relied on the acting skills he learned from Jane and Anthony. Red's suggestion took the opportunity to praise Valerio for his very noble character.
Valerio smiled and specifically advised:
"If you want to survive here, it is best to convert to the 'Mother Earth' as soon as possible, find a good girl to marry as soon as possible, and have a few children, only in this way will you not encounter some hidden troubles."
Is marriage and childbearing a tradition in the Kingdom of Fenneport? Lumian scolded and smiled bitterly:
"Without copper plates, there are no good girls."
This is also a proverb in the Dalliege region, which means that it is difficult for the poor to find good girls, and it is even more difficult for shepherds to start a family.
"This is Fenneport, not Dalliege." Valerio picked up the glass of white wine and took a sip gently, "The good girls here value strong bodies and brave temperaments more, and the money can be earned after marriage."
"Why?" Lumian did not hide his confusion.
"That kind of man is more suitable for reproducing offspring and is more capable of impregnating good girls." Valerio smiled and said, "This is different from Daliege, the core of many things is fertility and reproduction, only by understanding this can you truly understand Fenepot and praise the mother of all things!"
The black market merchant stood up, his feet slightly apart, and his hands held high.
No wonder Fenneport is the most populous country among the countries of the Northern Continent, if they weren't good at improving the land and growing food, they wouldn't be able to support so many people...... Lumian's thoughts were spinning, and he said tentatively:
"Mr. Valerio, I heard that there will be a sea prayer ceremony next month, will there be a chance to make money?"
"Yes." Valerio sat down, "When Port Santa was still hot in November, my grandfather rented a wooden box for popsicles, went to the ice factory to get a bunch of ice cubes, piled them around the popsicles, covered them with a towel, and then squeezed into the crowd, sold popsicles and ice cubes to them, and earned his first pot of gold.
"There are many ceremonial places?" Lumian asked.
Valerio replied with a smile:
"This is a grand event in the entire Port of Santa, there are many processes that need to be held in different places, such as the sea dance in the port, the flower boat parade in the whole city, the boat racing race on the sea, the vigil in Milo Village, and the most important sea festival."
"What is the sea festival?" Lumian asked curiously.
Valerio shook his head slowly:
"I don't know the specifics, I only know that the 'Governor of the Sea' and the 'Handmaids of the Sea' took a special boat with the sacrifices offered by fishermen and merchants to a certain sea area outside the port to hold a unique ceremony.
"'Governor of the Sea', 'Maid of the Sea'?" Lumian kept picking on keywords.
This is perfectly in line with the situation of a Dalliege shepherd who has just arrived in the port of Santa.
Valerio laughed:
"The most important thing in the 'Sea Prayer Ceremony' is to choose a man as the 'Governor of the Sea' and four girls to be the 'Handmaids of the Sea', they first parade around the city on a flower boat, then go to the port to board the special fishing boat, go out to sea in the 'Dance of the Sea' performance, guide the start of the race, and then go around the port and enter the oldest fishing village in the local area to stay for the night.
"At seven o'clock the next morning, they will re-board the ship, bring their offerings, and go to the land of the sea festival."
The elected "Governor of the Sea" and "Handmaid of the Sea"...... A sea prayer ceremony with multiple links...... Lumian repeated the key part in his mind.
He was suddenly shocked and had an association:
This is very similar to the Lenten celebration in the mountains of Dalez, and the "spring elves"!
Although the Lent celebration in reality did not have the horror of Ava's head being cut off and blood splattering, the scene in the dream left an extremely deep impression on Lumian, making him instinctively equate the Lenten celebration with evil and horror.
The sea prayer ceremony here is similar to the Lenten celebration?
In a blink of an eye, Lumian felt that such similarities did not explain the problem.
Because this is a very common treatment in occultism - erecting a specific symbol to represent the object of sacrifice to achieve the desired effect.
This can be seen in many folk rituals.
"How were the 'Governor of the Sea' and the 'Handmaid of the Sea' chosen?" Lumian looked curious.
Won't it be voted on by all the residents of Port Santa like the "Spring Elf"?
After the ceremony, you can still gain a high reputation and enjoy hidden benefits?
Valerio took another puff of his cigar:
"The members of the Fisheries Association, the oldest guild in Port Santa, are selected, and they keep the specific criteria and whether they want to vote or not, they are all kept secret, and even the official members of the Fisheries Association do not know."
Saying that, the black market merchant smiled:
"I also want to be elected as the 'Governor of the Sea', which is said to have many benefits, but no one is willing to reveal what it is."
"How are those 'Governors of the Sea' doing now?" Lumian was more concerned about this issue.
Valerio was stunned for a moment, recalled for a moment, and shook his head:
"I don't know.
"Each 'Governor of the Sea' has only one year of office, and it seems that he has been sent to another place after leaving office, anyway, he can't stay in Port Santa to avoid conflict with the new 'Governor of the Sea', hehe, that must have given a high compensation, and he will also be allowed to bring his family with him."
Sent to other places? Was it really sent to another place instead of encountering something else? With his previous experience, Lumian would instinctively think in the direction of evil and horror when faced with this kind of folk ritual.
And the follow-up experience of the "Governor of the Sea" in the "Prayer to the Sea Ceremony" does sound strange.
Lumian thought for a moment and asked in a performance that matched his current identity:
"Where are those 'maids of the sea'?"
"It is very popular with maritime merchants, fishery company shareholders, fishermen and sailors, each of them wants to marry the 'maid of the sea', which represents the favor of the sea, you go to various fishing villages, to the fisheries association, to the homes of those maritime merchants, you will find that many powerful old grandmothers have been 'maids of the sea'." Valerio looked envious and seemed to want to marry a "maid of the sea" and become a real maritime merchant.
This is the same as the hidden benefits of being a "spring elf"...... Lumian resisted the urge to raise his right hand and touch his chin.
He stopped in moderation, did not ask any more questions, and after paying a deposit of 50 guinesos, he left Valerio's underground casino with Lugano.
Ludwig did not follow them, but was placed in a nearby family restaurant with children's entertainment facilities, dedicated caregivers, and a meal.
- In Fenneport, there are many industries that facilitate parents to raise children and help them reduce stress, which is not available in countries such as Intis, and even if there are, they are only provided to the upper echelons.
…………
Trier, Catacombs.
Franka and Jane took the lit white candle and returned to the third floor.
"What is the name of the tomb you are looking for?" Franka, who felt no longer so depressed, asked sideways.
Jian Na didn't need to think about it, and said directly:
"Thorns and shield walls."
(End of this chapter)