[Vol. 7] Chapter 28: A Strange Offering, A Strange God
An offering?
Hearing the prayer that seemed to imply something deeper, the priestess couldn't help but frown.
Are they serious…? Are they really planning to sacrifice their own people to this so-called god in exchange for its help? Do they think these people are beyond saving, so they might as well make use of them?
What would happen to those being offered?
That thought made Violet instinctively glance at Le Qiaoqiao and Hongyan beside her. Their expressions also seemed a bit off, clearly realizing the same unsettling possibility.
The two women exchanged a questioning look with Violet, but after thinking for a moment, she subtly shook her head, signaling them to wait and see.
Even if the merfolk truly intended to do this, Violet couldn’t just interfere right now. These people belonged to the Eastern Sea Pearl tribe, their families, their lives, and everything they had depended on this community. On the other hand, she and her companions were just outsiders with no real ties to them.
More importantly…
From the corner of her eye, Violet glanced at Queen Anies, who remained standing calmly, carefully observing the ritual. The queen seemed to sense Violet’s gaze and even turned slightly to nod at her, maintaining her usual dignified and gentle smile.
Anies Mingjiao… she didn’t seem like someone who would do such a thing. She didn’t seem like the type to abandon wounded warriors who had fought and bled on the front lines, treating them as disposable tools. At the very least, she wouldn’t do something so cruel openly, right in front of everyone. Unless every person here was her absolute loyalist, sworn to secrecy.
Take Longbei, for example. As the leader of the Sanfin tribe, there was no way he was unaware of what was happening. If this truly were some merciless sacrifice, a man of such integrity and deep medical ethics wouldn’t be standing there so calmly.
For now… it was best to wait and see.
"?"
At that moment, the black-haired girl suddenly lifted her head sharply, as if she had sensed something. In her silver-blue eyes, faint golden lights swirled and flickered like tiny stars.
Yes, she could feel it.
Something was watching them.
It was a vast and intricate will, drawn here by the power of the ritual and prayer. Its gaze came from somewhere unknown, sweeping over them like a storm raging across the ocean’s surface, or like the deep currents surging in the abyss below.
Was it… the Sea Goddess Vier?
As the deity worshiped by many sea-dwelling creatures, it made sense that the merfolk’s prayers would be directed toward her. The words in Silisa’s prayer just now seemed to confirm that.
But if Sethlin’s theory was correct… would that entity really respond to its believers?
Just as Violet was secretly wondering about this, the eerie blue flames of the ritual candles suddenly flared up!
Using her [Yin-Yang Eyes], Violet could clearly see something strange happening. The chaotic "voices" that had been spreading randomly from the gathered “offerings” were now converging into a single stream, flowing upward into an invisible focal point summoned by the ritual, vanishing into it completely.
The entity summoned by the ritual was absorbing the pollution from the afflicted!
Violet was stunned as she realized what was truly happening.
Was this what the merfolk had meant by an offering?
What exactly were they worshiping that could absorb something so unnatural?
Although Violet was intensely curious, the thing hovering above the ritual, so intangible that even her [Yin-Yang Eyes] couldn’t perceive its true form, was clearly just a conceptual projection, something like the reflection of a spirit. Tracing its origins was simply impossible.
As the flames surged higher and that unseen presence took form, the suffocating heaviness in the air began to fade rapidly. It was as if the true Sea Goddess had answered their prayers and granted them her blessing, clearing away all the strange, undetectable "contamination" in an instant. The environment was slowly returning to normal.
At last, as if it had taken all the offerings it needed, a vision suddenly appeared above the ritual site, visible to everyone.
Under a dark, overcast sky, waves crashed against the rocky shore. From somewhere in the distance came an unsettling, shuffling sound. Shadows flickered, leaping from the occasional withered tree, only to plunge straight into the depths of the sea.
In what seemed to be an aerial view of a remote island, a slender figure stood out starkly against the surrounding landscape. She kept glancing around cautiously, moving carefully as if trying to avoid something.
There was no doubt about it, that was Nitila Mingjiao. Both her appearance and outfit were exactly as they had been before she went missing. Even though the image was somewhat blurry, it was clear that the ritual had worked, just as Silisa had prayed for. The invisible entity had revealed the princess’s whereabouts in exchange for the *offering*.
Then, all at once, the eerie blue flames of the ritual candles flickered out. The vision of the mermaid princess vanished instantly, and the magic lamps in the chamber lit up one by one. The unseen entity, having completed the transaction, disappeared just as mysteriously as it had arrived.
“……”
For a moment, silence filled the room. Until Queen Anies’s voice snapped everyone back to reality.
“Quick, clean up!”
The young Mingjiao noblewoman, Valda, who had been standing by the queen’s side the entire time, immediately rushed forward to support the sea priestess. Silisa had collapsed to the ground, barely able to stand. As the chamber doors swung open, the waiting Sanfin tribes healers hurried inside, beginning their examinations of the afflicted merfolk and clearing away the ritual materials.
It was clear that everything had been planned in advance.
When Valda finally helped Silisa back to their group, the Sea Priestess looked deathly pale, her legs unsteady beneath her. She seemed too weak to even speak properly, but at least she was still conscious.
“Mother, she’s fine. She’s just completely drained. A few days of rest should be enough for her to recover.”
The queen glanced at her daughter and the sea priestess, her expression unreadable. She nodded slightly, showing no sign of being affected by the strange and mystical events that had just unfolded. With a casual wave of her hand, she gave her orders.
“Hmm… You’ve done well. Take her to rest.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“We’ll take our leave…”
As Valda and Silisa withdrew, the merfolk queen remained still, her deep and commanding gaze flickering with a hint of light, lost in thought. No one could tell what was on her mind.
After a moment, she turned to the black-haired girl beside her, who also seemed to be lost in thought. The queen’s expression didn’t show much surprise, rather, it looked as if something had just confirmed a suspicion she already had. With a faint smile, she spoke.
“What do you all think?”
Violet lifted her gaze to Anies.
“And what exactly does Your Majesty want our opinion on?”
The queen’s smile didn’t waver.
“The ritual, of course. As outsiders who have never witnessed such a ceremony before, I’d like to hear your thoughts on what you just saw… Anything that comes to mind.”
“Thoughts, huh…”
Violet didn’t answer right away. Instead, she nudged the casually dressed silver-haired thief behind her with her elbow. The thief girl let out a confused “Huh?” before realizing what was happening. After a couple of awkward coughs to cover up her hesitation, she quickly spoke up.
“Uh… Well, if you ask me, that uh… Sea Goddess? It was the Sea Goddess, right?”
“She’s seriously powerful. Just finding someone she’s never even seen before, out of nowhere, that’s insane! Probably something only the immortals from the Spirit Veil Immortal Island could do. And she didn’t even ask for anything in return! She seems… pretty nice, actually.”
“Pfft—”
Violet couldn’t help but burst into laughter.