Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 56 The Great Escape at Sea

In the spacious living room, Anna and Joyce, having finished their embrace, sat on separate sofas, separated by the woman's parents.

Joyce sighed with satisfaction:

"By the steam above, how lucky I am to have come back alive and to be able to see Anna again."

"My poor Joyce, what happened to you?" Anna could no longer contain herself and asked with concern.

Joyce glanced at his fiancée, his expression turning serious:

"I still feel scared to this day, and I keep waking up from nightmares. Five days after the Clover left Caesar Harbor, we encountered pirates, terrible pirates. The only thing to be thankful for was that their leader was named Nast."

"That great pirate who calls himself the 'King of the Five Seas'?" Anna's father, Mr. Wayne, asked in astonishment.

Although Joyce had visited half an hour earlier, he never went into detail about his ordeal, appearing timid, anxious, and uneasy until Anna returned and gave him a hug, at which point he seemed to have truly emerged from his ordeal.

"Yes, Nast, the 'King of the Five Seas,' claimed to be a descendant of the Solomon Empire and adhered to the virtue of not killing prisoners. That's why we were only robbed of our money and didn't lose our lives. His men even left us enough food," Joyce recalled of her experiences during that period.

His body gradually trembled, but he still insisted on describing the deepest and most haunting nightmare:

"I lost not too much property, and I thought the bad luck was over. But during the voyage, the passengers and crew of the Clover broke out into fierce infighting. It went from arguments to brawls, and then to drawing revolvers, picking up straight swords, and killing each other. For those few days, all I could see was blood. People around me fell one after another, their eyes wide open as if they would never close, their limbs, hearts, and intestines splattered all over the ground."

"Those of us who refused to become beasts, the rational part of us, had nowhere to hide, no way to escape. All around us were deep blue waves, an ocean with no end in sight... Some wept, some begged for mercy, some sold their bodies, but their heads were still hanging on the mast."

"Anna, I was filled with despair, thinking I would never see you again. Fortunately, even in such a nightmare, heroes appeared. The captain led us to hide in the sturdy lower deck, where we survived on the water and food we had prepared beforehand until those crazy guys reached their limit. And Mr. Tris encouraged us, bravely taking the lead and leading us to attack those murderers..."

"After a bloody battle I will never forget, we survived, but the Clover also veered off course, and only a third of the original crew remained."

……

When recounting the most terrifying and darkest aspects of the human heart, Joyce couldn't help but recall that "hero," who called himself the hero of Triss. He had a round, kind face, a shy personality, like a girl, and always liked to stay in a corner. Only those who knew him very well could understand how talkative he was.

Yet this unassuming boy stood firmly in front of everyone during the worst and most desperate time.

"Oh, steam above, my poor Joyce, what a heartbreaking ordeal you have had. Thank God, worship God, He has kept us from being separated." Anna's eyes were brimming with tears as she repeatedly tapped the triangular symbol of steam and machinery on her chest.

Joyce gave a slightly pale smile:

"This is our sincere reward. The Clover later weathered storms, went astray, and overcame one test after another before finally arriving at the port of Enmat."

"Because of the serious bloodshed that occurred on the ship, we survivors were taken into custody by the police and interrogated separately. We didn't have a chance to send a telegram home to let our families know what was going on. As soon as everything was over, which was this morning, I immediately borrowed some money from a friend and took a steam train back. Thank God that I was able to set foot on Tingen soil again and see you all again."

At this point, he looked at his fiancée with some confusion:

"Anna, when you saw me, I could feel your joy and surprise, but what I can't understand is why you rushed so excitedly to the door after getting off the carriage. Ah, I was planning to give you a huge surprise."

Anna, recalling what had happened, still seemed incredulous as she said:

"There's nothing to hide, Joyce. Because I was worried about you, I went to the only fortune-telling club in Tingen today, and the fortune teller—no, the diviner—told me that your fiancé is back, in the house with the toy windmill."

"What?" Wayne and Joyce exclaimed at the same time.

Anna covered her face and shook her head, saying:

"I don't believe what happened to me today, but it really happened. Steam was rising. Maybe miracles really do exist in this world."

"Joyce, the fortune teller asked for your name, features, address, and date of birth, saying he wanted to do a horoscope reading. Then he asked me if the house with the toy windmill was mine or yours. After I confirmed, he said, 'Congratulations, Miss Anna, your fiancé has returned and is in your house. Don't ask him what happened; just give him a hug and comfort.'"

"God..." Joyce found this utterly unbelievable and incomprehensible. "Does he know me? Did someone send him a telegram? Is he familiar with the police in Port Engmat? No, this still doesn't explain it. How did he know I came to your house? How could he be sure you wanted to have a divination? Did you make an appointment in advance?"

"No, I chose her at the last minute," Anna replied blankly.

"Perhaps a good diviner needs to possess a wealth of information, even if it's not immediately useful. Maybe divination really does have a magical aspect," Anna's father, Mr. Wayne, sighed and concluded. "In the known history of over a thousand years, and even in the less clear Quaternary period, divination has always existed and never disappeared. I think there must be a reason for that."

Joyce shook her head slightly and then asked:

"What was the fortune teller's name?"

Anna thought for a moment and said:

"Klein Moretti."

…………

Inside the reception hall of the fortune-telling club.

Because Klein controlled the volume, Angelica wisely didn't get closer, so she only saw Anna leave as if she had lost her soul, and only saw the other person's expression showing shock and confusion.

Angelica walked slowly to the sofa and asked curiously:

"A good result?"

She didn't dare ask what the specific result was, for fear of violating the unspoken rules of fortune tellers.

"Hmm." Klein nodded, taking three copper coins from his pocket. "One-eighth of a sole is one and a half pennies?"

"Yes." Angelica glanced at the coins and noticed that one was a penny and the other two were half pennies. She quickly returned them, saying, "There's an extra half penny."

Klein smiled and gestured:

"Thank you for taking care of my guest. She gave me a tip, so I should give you one too."

This is also a way of thanking you for your recommendation... he silently added in his mind.

"Alright." Angelica was inexplicably a little afraid of Klein, but seeing that the reason was reasonable, she didn't refuse anymore.

Klein returned to the conference room, expecting more people seeking divination to follow.

However, by 5:40, he still hadn't seen a second customer.

This is not to say that fortune-telling clubs are not doing well, but rather that most people have a clear goal and choose their own fortune tellers.

"They must have been recommended by someone, and they already decided who to have their fortune told... In short, it's still because my reputation isn't good enough..." Klein said self-deprecatingly, using gaming terminology.

He finished the third serving of Sibe black tea, put on a top hat, picked up a silver-inlaid cane, and slowly walked out of the conference room.

Remembering Grassis's instructions, Angelica quickly went to greet him:

"Mr. Moretti, when will you next visit the club? Mr. Grassis would like to thank you in person."

"I'll come whenever I have time. If fate brings us together, he'll definitely meet me," Klein replied in a charlatan's tone, as if he were really into the role.

Then, ignoring Angelica's reaction, he walked out of the fortune-telling club and took a public carriage home.

Upon entering the gate, Klein saw Benson reading a newspaper, while Melissa was piecing things together from scraps of gears, bearings, and springs in the evening sunlight.

"Good afternoon. Has Mrs. Shaw come to visit?" Klein asked casually.

Benson didn't put down the newspaper, he just raised his head:

"Mrs. Shaw came and sat for fifteen minutes. She brought some gifts and was very pleased with the muffins and lemon cake we had prepared. She also invited us to visit her home sometime. She is a kind, polite lady and knows how to have a good conversation."

"The only problem is that their whole family believes in the Lord of Storms and thinks that girls shouldn't go to school and should only be homeschooled," Melissa muttered softly.

It's clear that she's quite unhappy about this.

"Don't worry too much. As long as she doesn't interfere with us, she's still a good neighbor," Klein said with a smile, reassuring his sister.

The Kingdom of Rune is a multi-faith nation, unlike the Fusak Empire in the north which only obeys the God of War, or the Kingdom of Feneport in the south which only reveres the Earth Mother Goddess. The followers of the three major churches—the Lord of Storms, the Goddess of Night, and the God of Steam and Machinery—inevitably have some conflicts in their views and habits. However, after thousands of years of adjustment, they have all exercised relative restraint and have not encountered any situation where they cannot coexist.

"Hmm." Melissa pursed her lips and turned her gaze back to the pile of parts.

After dinner, Klein continued reviewing his history. Only after Melissa and Benson had showered and returned to their rooms did he clean himself up, enter his bedroom, and lock the door.

He needs to review and summarize his learning and the problems that have arisen during this period to avoid forgetting or ignoring key points. Only in this way can he deal with future developments with a clearer mind.

Klein opened his notebook, picked up his pen, and began to write in Chinese, word by word:

Why is "playing a role" the key to potion digestion?

(End of this chapter)