“Don’t worry, I won’t pressure you to give up like your parents. Can you tell me the story about that guy named Charles? How did you two meet?”

  Margaret initially hesitated to share, but after holding back for a long time, she couldn’t resist any longer. Once she opened up, she couldn’t stop talking, recounting everything about how she met Charles.

  As she spoke, her face shifted between joy and sadness, completely oblivious to the coldness in Anna’s dark eyes beside her.

  After a long while, Margaret slowly came to a stop. She smiled at Anna and said, “Sister Anna, thank you for listening. I feel much better after sharing so much. By the way, have you found your missing husband yet?”

  Anna turned her gaze away, a hint of sorrow on her face. “He hasn’t returned after all this time; he’s probably lost… sigh…”

  Seeing Anna’s sad expression, Margaret quickly placed her hand on Anna’s shoulder, apologizing, “I’m sorry if I touched on a sore spot.”

  Anna shook her head, wiping away a tear from her eye, seemingly suppressing her inner pain as she said, “It’s alright; I’ve gotten used to it.”

  Beneath her black skirt, two tentacles with dark roots slowly extended, reaching toward the hem of the girl’s white dress.

  “Sister Anna, can you tell me what it feels like when someone you love leaves your side? Does it hurt your heart?”

  The tentacles beneath the wooden chair paused as Anna quietly observed the innocent girl before her.

  She suddenly looked up into the darkness. “It’s hard to describe… it just feels very uncomfortable inside. Are you sure you really like him? Or is it just gratitude for saving you?”

  Margaret, frowning, twisted the lace of her skirt with her pale fingers. “I don’t know if I like Mr. Charles; I just really want to see him again… very, very much. Sister Anna, you should understand this feeling, right?”

  Anna’s eyes showed a hint of struggle.

  Margaret, unaware of this, continued to focus on her own thoughts. “Once I come of age, my father will give me a large estate and other assets. Maybe I could give all that to Mr. Charles, so he wouldn’t have to risk going to sea anymore.”

  Anna listened to the girl’s suggestion, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. “You could write him a letter first, asking if he agrees. Who knows, he might be happy to come to Hereafter Island.”

  Margaret’s brows lifted momentarily before drooping again. “No… my father wouldn’t allow me to contact Mr. Charles again.”

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  “It’s fine; just give the letter to me, and I’ll send it for you. Mr. Peter hasn’t been feeling well lately, and I’ve been managing some of his affairs. Coincidentally, there’s a shipment heading to Coral Island soon.”

  Margaret’s beautiful face momentarily froze, then she excitedly hugged Anna. “Sister Anna, you’re so kind! I have so much to tell Mr. Charles. Oh, I also want to send him a photo of myself now. And there’s…”

  Anna’s slender arms wrapped around the girl, gently patting her back, while the tentacles beneath her skirt retracted.

  Charles sat on the deck by the anchor machine, silently watching the marker on the water slowly drift away.

  Though it was still dark ahead, he could already sense a change in the air. When he saw a fly land on the deck, he knew Coral Island was close.

  Suddenly, his severed arm lifted on its own and moved slightly. Richard’s voice echoed in his mind. “If we go back now, shouldn’t we get a sculpture to match?”

  “Stop joking. Losing an arm has significantly weakened us; we need to find a way to compensate.”

  “What can we do? The arm is gone, and the severed hand is still stuck in the wall. Are we supposed to wait for the island to resurface and then go retrieve it?”

  “Of course not. I mean, we need to find another way to compensate.”

  Just then, angry shouts from the ship’s cabin reached them, sounding like someone had been caught sneaking the doctor’s alcohol.

  Charles stood up and walked toward the cabin door, thinking of a good strategy; the doctor just happened to have what he needed.

  “What? You want to know where I got this prosthetic limb? Do you want one too?”

  Charles nodded. “I see you’re using it quite well.”

  The doctor opened his iron hand and flexed it. “It works well enough, but it’s expensive. Can you afford it?”

  “How much?”

  “Just for this hand, it’s three million.”

  Charles’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected a prosthetic limb to be so expensive. After all, he had bought the Narwhal for only three hundred fifty thousand. This small item was worth a ship!

  Richard pondered another issue. “Wow, this old man might look shabby, but he’s actually richer than us! Black doctor!”

  “Three million is worth it; this isn’t an ordinary prosthetic. I’ve heard those guys use some enchanted materials,” the doctor explained, peeling back the outer shell of the iron hand to reveal a complex arrangement of gears.

  Each gear fit together perfectly, rotating in sync with the doctor’s movements, clicking and whirring at different speeds.

  Charles noticed that as the gears turned, they faintly glowed with purple runes.

  “I don’t know how they did it, but once you install it, it functions like a real hand, except you won’t have any sensation. If you need, they can even add more features inside.”

  Charles was intrigued. If he had this, his severed arm would no longer be a hindrance.

  “When we return to port, help me get in touch with them. If possible, I need to install one.”

  The doctor nodded and replied, “Sure, as long as the money is in place, they’re easy to negotiate with. They usually operate in the West Sea, but I remember they have a contact point on Coral Island.”

  “Try to get them to hurry; I’m on a tight schedule.”

  “Tight schedule? How long do you plan to rest when we get back?”

  “Not sure; it depends on the situation with Kede. If they’re back and we exchange information, we’ll set sail as soon as possible.”

  “If you want to stay alive, you should linger on land a bit longer. Losing an arm this time is lucky; if you’re not careful next time, it could cost you your life.”

  Just then, cheers erupted from the deck as sailors celebrated. Charles and the doctor opened the door and stepped outside.

  The lighthouse beam of Coral Island slowly swept over the Narwhal. They had returned alive once again.