In the fairly spacious living room, Anna and Joyce, having finished their embrace, sat on separate sofas, separated by the young woman's parents.
Joyce exclaimed with a look of satisfaction:
"By Steam, how fortunate I am—to have survived, to see Anna once more."
"My poor Joyce, what on earth did you go through?" Unable to hold back any longer, Anna asked with concern.
Joyce glanced at his fiancée, his expression turning heavy:
"I still feel afraid to this day. I keep waking from the same nightmare, over and over again. Five days after the Clover left Caesar Port, we encountered pirates—terrible pirates. The only fortunate thing was that their leader was called Nast."
"The great pirate who calls himself the 'King of the Five Seas'?" Mr. Wayne, Anna's father, asked in astonishment.
Although Joyce had come to visit half an hour earlier, he hadn't gone into detail about his experience, appearing timid, anxious, and uneasy. Only after Anna returned and embraced him did he seem to have truly emerged from his ordeal.
"Yes. The 'King of the Five Seas,' Nast, claimed to be a descendant of the Solomon Empire and observed the virtue of not killing captives. Because of that, we were merely robbed of our wealth—we didn't lose our lives. His men even left us enough food." Joyce recalled the events of those days.
His body gradually began to tremble, but he persisted in describing the deepest and darkest of his nightmares:
"I lost a fair amount of wealth. I thought the misfortune was over, but during the subsequent voyage, the passengers and crew of the Clover erupted into fierce infighting—arguments escalating to brawling, then revolvers being drawn, straight swords raised, and slaughter... For those days, everything I saw was stained with blood. People around me fell one after another, their eyes wide open as though they would never close, limbs, hearts, and intestines splattered across the ground."
"Those of us who refused to become beasts—who clung to our reason—had nowhere to hide, no path to flee. All around were dark blue waves, an ocean stretching to the horizon without end... Some wept bitterly, some begged for mercy, some sold their bodies, yet their heads were still hung from the mast."
"Anna, I was filled with despair, thinking I would never see you again. Fortunately, even in that nightmare, heroes appeared. The captain led us to the reinforced lower deck, and with pre-stocked water and food, we held on until those madmen reached their limit. And Mr. Triss encouraged us, bravely taking the lead, rallying us to charge at those murderers..."
"After a bloody battle I will never forget for as long as I live, we survived—but the Clover had strayed off course, and only a third of the sailors remained."
……
As he recounted the most terrifying and darkest sides of human nature, Joyce couldn't help but recall that "hero"—the hero who called himself Triss. He had a round, amiable face, a shy personality like a girl's, always preferring to lurk in corners. Only those who knew him well understood how talkative he truly was.
Yet it was this unremarkable boy who, in the worst and most desperate moment, had firmly stepped to the front of them all.
"Oh, by Steam, my poor Joyce—what a harrowing ordeal you've endured! Thank God, praise God, for keeping us from being separated." Tears welled in Anna's eyes as she repeatedly traced the triangular Sacred Emblem of Steam and Machinery over her chest.
Joyce managed a slightly pale smile:
"It is the reward of our devotion. After that, the Clover weathered storms, lost its way, and overcame trial after trial, until we finally reached Enmart Port."
"Because of the horrific bloodshed that occurred on the ship, we survivors were detained by the police and interrogated separately—there was no chance to send a telegram home. Once everything was sorted out, this morning, I immediately borrowed some money from a friend and took the steam train back. Thank God, for letting me set foot on the soil of Tingen once more, 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 don't understand is—after you got out of the carriage, why did you rush toward the door so frantically? Heh, I was planning to give you an enormous surprise."
Anna recalled what had happened before, still unable to believe it as she said:
"There was nothing to hide, Joyce. Because I was worried about you, I went today to the only divination club in Tingen City for a reading. The diviner there—no, the fortuneteller—told me. He said your fiancé has already returned, and he's right inside the house with the toy windmill."
"What?" Wayne and Joyce exclaimed in unison.
Anna covered her face, shaking her head.
"I don't believe what I encountered today either, but it truly happened. By steam, perhaps miracles really do exist in this world."
"Joyce, the fortuneteller asked for your name, description, address, and date of birth, saying it was for an astrological chart. Then he asked me whether the house with the toy windmill was mine or yours. After I confirmed, he said, 'Congratulations, Miss Anna, your fiancé has returned. He is in your home. Do not ask about his ordeal; give him an embrace and comfort.'"
"God..." Joyce felt the whole thing was simply unimaginable, impossible to understand. "Does he know me? Did someone send him a telegram? Is he familiar with the police in Enmart Port? No, that still doesn't explain it—how did he know I came to your house? How could he possibly know you would go for a divination? Did you book an appointment in advance?"
"No, I chose on the spot," Anna answered with a bewildered expression.
"Perhaps a good fortuneteller simply needs to possess a wealth of information, even if it isn't used in the short term. Or perhaps divination truly has a wondrous aspect," Mr. Wayne, Anna's father, summarized with a sigh. "Throughout over a thousand years of known history, and even in the less clear Fourth Epoch, divination has always existed and never disappeared. I'm sure there must be a reason for that."
Joyce shook her head slightly, then turned to ask:
"What is that fortuneteller's name?"
Anna thought for a moment and said: