Lord of the Mysteries (P1)

Chapter 56: Escape from the Sea

In a rather spacious living room, Anna and Joyce were seated on different sofas, separated by Anna’s parents.

Joyce sighed with a satisfied expression and said, “Exalted Steam, I am so lucky to come back alive, to be able to see Anna again.”

“My poor Joyce, what happened?” Anna couldn’t help but ask with concern.

Joyce took a glance at his fiancée, and his expression turned grave.

“I still feel terrified to this day. I keep waking up from my dreams again and again. Five days after the Alfalfa left Caesar Pier, we came across pirates, scary pirates. The only fortunate thing was that their leader’s name was Nast.”

“The pirate that calls himself the King of the Five Seas?” Anna’s father, Mr. Wayne, asked in shock.

Although Joyce had already been there for half an hour, he did not volunteer details about his ordeal. He appeared to be fearful, perturbed, and uneasy. It was only after Anna returned and hugged him that he finally appeared to put it behind him.

“Yes, due to his declaration of being a descendant of the Solomon Empire, the King of the Five Seas, Nast didn’t believe in killing captives. Hence, we were only robbed and didn’t lose our lives. His subordinates even left us sufficient food,” Joyce said as he recalled the ordeal.

His body started to quiver, but he continued to describe his deepest and scariest nightmare.

“I didn’t lose much of my wealth. I believed that my misfortune was over, but as we continued towards our destination, a heated conflict erupted among the Alfalfa’s passengers and crew. From disagreement, to fighting, to drawing revolvers, and raising swords to kill each other... I saw nothing but blood during that period. One after another, people beside me fell with eyes opened, never to be closed. Their limbs, hearts, and intestines were scattered across the floors.”

“Those of us who were unwilling to turn into savage beasts, the rational group, had nowhere to hide and nowhere to escape. We were surrounded by deep blue waves and the boundless ocean... Some wailed, some begged for mercy, some sold their bodies, but their heads were hung from the mast either way.

“Anna, I reeled in despair back then. I thought I would never see you again. Fortunately, in such a nightmare, there was still a hero. The captain took us to hide in the sturdy keel of the ship, and we relied on the stored water and food there until the maniacs reached their limits. Mr. Tris encouraged us, courageously leading us in an assault against those murderers...

“After an unforgettable bloody battle, we survived. But the Alfalfa strayed off course, and only a third of the original sailors remained.”

...

When he depicted the most horrible and darkest side of the human psyche, Joyce couldn’t help but recall the “hero,” the man that called himself Tris. He had a round and amiable face. He was shy like a girl and enjoyed staying in a corner. Only people whom he was familiar with knew that he was a very good conversationalist.

But it was such an unremarkable boy who stood in front of everyone with determination in the worst of days.

“Oh, Exalted Steam, my poor Joyce, you went through such a heartbreaking ordeal. Thank God, praise be to God, He prevented us from eternal separation.” Tears welled up in Anna’s eyes as she constantly dotted three points to form a triangle, the Sacred Emblem for Steam and Machinery.

Joyce revealed a faint pale smile.

“This is the reward for our faith. The Alfalfa then went through storms, lost its course, and after surmounting one challenge after another, arrived at Enmat Harbor.”