The Whispering Verses Chapter 2564: The Fire Man and the Boatman
Chapter 2563 The Fire Man and the Boatman
The man beside the bonfire looked about forty years old. His black hair had almost turned into long, dirty hair because it had not been taken care of for a long time. His body was wrapped in black clothes.
If Shade were asked to tell his first impression of him, it would be that his marriage was broken up, his children were disobedient, he was on the verge of losing his job, his parents were seriously ill, and he ate bed bugs in his cereal for breakfast this morning. Frustrated guy.
The middle-aged man also heard Shade's footsteps in the monotonous sound of the waves, but just glanced at him and lost interest.
After entering the light range of the bonfire, Shade felt that the sadness and sadness had receded a lot. However, his current life can be considered happy and satisfactory, and there are not many bad things worth recalling, so these negative emotions have not completely affected him yet.
He supported Sha Mian and sat down by the fire. He let out a long and comfortable sigh. He looked at the middle-aged man by the fire to make sure he was a living human being. Then he looked at the tall figure on the boat next to the pier. . The figure was wearing a black robe, with a hood that completely covered his face. It is at least over three meters tall, so the originally normal-sized wooden boat looks very small in comparison.
"God."
Shad confirmed the identity of the other party with just one glance. The waves did not affect the stability of the boat, and the figure standing on it wearing a black robe did not sway due to it.
Xia De nodded slightly to show respect.
In fact, the boat was not very far from the bonfire on the shore. Even if you don't walk on the trestle, if you take a few steps on the beach and then jump suddenly towards the water, there is a chance that you can jump directly to the stern of the boat.
“You’re so close to the shore, don’t you worry about being stranded?”
While he was thinking about it, the silent man spoke at this moment. His voice was extremely hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time:
"Aren't you going to get on the boat?"
The language he used was not because of "language proficiency", but more like it was influenced by the power of the dock itself, and was directly understood by Shade.
Xia De understood that the venue itself had the characteristics of allowing everyone to communicate freely, so he looked at the small wooden boat and then at him:
"So, are you selling ferry tickets?"
""
The middle-aged man who looked up at him did not speak, so Shade nodded:
"You are not a ticket seller, why should I get on the boat?"
"Since you are not boarding the ship, do you want to wait for someone here?"
The vicissitudes of life middle-aged man asked again, Xia De shook his head again:
"Actually, I don't know where this is or what it means."
Usually, ordinary people who can survive in such a weird place must have their own stories and pursuits, so Shade asked:
"Can you tell me about what's going on here?"
The burning bonfire made no sound at all, and it seemed that the middle-aged man's voice would no longer appear in the sound of the waves.
Silence enveloped the two people beside the small bonfire. Just when Shade thought he didn't want to answer, so he wanted to get up and communicate with the gods on the ship, the middle-aged man spoke again:
"This is the lost place - Black Sand Pier.
According to rumors, only those who have lost hope in life or want to completely escape from reality will come here. They would board the ship and be driven to a place from which they could never return. ”
Xia De raised his head slightly and looked into the depths of the black water covered by the mist. There was no dark moon there:
"Will it be led to death?"
"It's not death, it's a place further away than death."
The middle-aged man still stared at the flame instead of Shade:
"I asked the witch to help me find this place. She said that once taken away by this ship, they would not be found even in death."
In other words, if you board the ship at the "Black Sand Pier", you will not even be qualified to end.
"Well, I'm not a good person, and I don't like to pry into other people's privacy, but who are you waiting for here?"
"She" smiled in Shade's ear, which was "laughing" at Shade's previous explanations.
This time the middle-aged man finally turned to look at Shade, his tired and cloudy eyes swept over his young and handsome face, confirming that his mental state was normal:
"Waiting for my wife, she didn't want to see me or our children. I've been looking for her for years and I knew she would end up here and on this ship and I wanted to see her one last time. ”
Although the middle-aged man did not tell the story about him and his wife, outsiders have already guessed the complicated and tortuous story:
"Shad Hamilton."
He nodded and stretched out his hand. The middle-aged man was a little surprised, but he also stretched out his hand to shake Shade:
"Frank Nelson. If you entered here by mistake, I don't know how to get out of here. Maybe you can ask the boatman over there what he should know."
Mr. Nelson didn't seem to know that the ferryman on the boat was a god, but Shade believed that his mission this time was to help Mr. Nelson bid farewell to his wife.
He asked the sad man some other questions, and then learned that Mr. Nelson didn't know how long he had been here. He only knew that all the visitors after him came from the direction of the dark town far away from the water just like Shade.
However, everyone except Shade walked directly onto the trestle, chatted with the boatman for a few words, and then was carried by the boat into the depths of the mist.
As for this bonfire, it existed before he came:
"Maybe there are other people who came here but did not leave immediately. This flame is the last resting place for those who are determined to leave."
Because Mr. Nelson could not determine the time, he could not tell how long it would take for the boat to return once it left. But people would also come here during the boat's departure, and people would wait on the pier at that time, and a few would even say a few words to him.
"So, everyone who comes here is someone who wants to get away from everything, right?"
"Even if it isn't, if you stay here for a long time, you will have that kind of thought."
The middle-aged man with a scruffy beard looked at Xia De:
"If I hadn't been determined to wait for her, maybe I would have taken a boat and left long ago. Young man, you should find a way to escape as soon as possible, otherwise you will get on that boat sooner or later."
The depressing atmosphere of the scene itself and his low tone made even the most cheerful person unable to be happy at the moment, so Shade made a little joke:
"Well, since you have time, do you want to play a game of Rhodes?"
"What?"
"Just kidding."
Shad stood up with a little good mood, and Mr. Nelson watched silently as he walked onto the trestle and came to the side of the small boat.
We are above the water here, but we still can't feel the wind. The old and shaky trestle is actually very stable when we walk on it, and there is no creaking sound.
"Hello."
Xia De bowed respectfully to the tall figure on the boat, and then realized that the **** was not wearing a black robe, but the black fog around him gave the appearance of a black robe.
There was nothing on the ship, and there were no markings on the gods. Even because the **** had restrained his own power, there was no trace of the "divine afterglow" on Shade's body.
God responded to him:
"Stranger, do you want to leave here by boat?"
The voice was hoarse and slow, and it seemed like there was a lump of phlegm stuck in the throat, but Shade noticed that it was in Delarian.
Xia De did not refuse immediately, but asked:
"Where can this ship take me?"
"Anywhere."
God responded, as if he knew what Shade was asking:
"The boat can ferry you to any time and place you know, even the river beach illuminated by the dark moon."
This answer is really unexpected:
"But those mortals who come here"
"You are different from them."
This is indeed true. Shade looked at the mist deep in the water again:
"If I really want to go by boat, what do I have to pay for the fare?"
He doesn't think it's free.
God answered:
"This will depend on when and where you want to go."
"I understand if I can know what mortals call you?"
Xia De asked finally, and the hoarse and slow voice under the black robe answered:
"The **** of ferrymen, or the ferryman between narrow spaces."
Xia De tried his best to recall and confirmed that he had never heard the name of this god. So this was definitely not an evil god. He had at least heard the name of the evil **** who was still active in the Sixth Age.
"Is this the unknown old **** who left the Fifth Age?"
Thinking in his mind, he turned around and wanted to return to the bonfire, but then asked:
"Can you please tell me the ferry fare you charge for those mortals who want to leave forever"
"Memory, emotion, the temperature of the soul."
"Understood."
Shad thanked him again, then returned to the campfire, and then saw Mr. Nelson looking at him strangely. The area where the trestle is located seems to have a unique "silent" environment. Mr. Nelson, who was outside the trestle, probably didn't hear what Shade and the boatman said. He was surprised by another thing:
"When you arrived at the ship, you were not taken away by the ship?"
"Maybe it's because I'm happy enough that I haven't thought about leaving without looking back just yet."
Xia De sat down again, the vicissitudes of life in the middle-aged man nodded gently:
"Looking at how handsome you are and how energetic you are, your life must be very happy, right?"
"Fortunately, I have my own house, a fiancée who loves me very much, a beautiful lover who is willing to spend money on me, a teacher who likes me very much, friends who are willing to help me, and I have a child at home. A very cute cat."
Dirty Mr. Nelson smiled for the first time:
"So how's your job?"
"It's not bad. I can be considered a minor nobleman. I have a job that pays well but doesn't require actual work. I also have some side jobs that make money."
"Looking at your age, you are twenty-two or thirty years old. Don't you plan to have children?"
"I haven't considered it yet. I still have a long way to go in the future, and I am a very carefree person. There are some girls around me who may not be able to do anything, so I have to consider everyone's thoughts."
【You actually admit that you are too busy? 】
Mr. Nelson held his legs with both hands and nodded gently with a smile and a little melancholy:
"Since you live a happy life, you can think about your children later. Family harmony is the most important thing. You are still young, and you will have a long way to go with the people around you in the future. Some people say when they are young, they want to fall in love until the end. The end of time, but"
He stopped talking and looked towards the beach with Shade in the distance, because a staggering figure was walking towards this side.