Chapter 1966

Hearing Xia De mention the letter again, the blue-eyed middle-aged psychologist revealed a somewhat embarrassed expression:

"This is private. I plan to read it after I get on the train in a while."

"You really haven't considered..."

"Yes, I haven't considered it."

The doctor shook his head slightly, looking at Xia De very calmly:

"I know her intentions, and she is indeed a good woman. But you know my situation; until that matter is resolved, I cannot harm anyone else."

"That makes sense. I just feel it's a pity."

"Pursuing a good ending is very nice, but sometimes reality is just like this. A pity... yes, a pity."

He looked at the corner of the envelope tucked into his notebook, thinking of the scene when he said goodbye to the two owners of the Green Lake Hotel this morning. He sighed in his heart, took out the envelope, folded it, and tucked it into the inner pocket of his coat.

The station inspector holding the signal lamp was already driving away the people outside the carriages, making them let go of the hands they were holding with the young soldiers inside. The steam train's boiler continued to build pressure, and after the loudest whistle, the crankshaft drove the connecting rods on the wheels, and the connecting rods drove the wheels to start turning with a *clack-clack* sound.

The black smoke spewing from the train's chimney further melted the falling snow above. Amidst the sounds of farewell, the train slowly started, carrying the young people toward that unfamiliar place.

Carriage after carriage of black cars flashed by before his eyes until the very end of the train disappeared from sight. Even though the people on the platform were still there, and even though the thick steam mist had not yet dissipated, only the train tracks were empty. Yet, Xia De felt that the place had suddenly become abnormally empty; all the passion and heat brought by the noise and the flashing figures just now seemed to have left with that train.

The surrounding sounds seemed to have quieted down, the steam mist gradually settled on the platform, and the people who had come to see others off gradually retreated.

All of this happened in just a few minutes, and Xia De and the doctor had only been watching this scene during this time.

"This era is very interesting, isn't it?"

The doctor asked suddenly. The mist cleared, the empty tracks were beneath the platform, and the surroundings returned to their bustle. Xia De even heard Duo Luo Xi telling the girl Jia Lin Na in a low voice not to pull his hair again.

Xia De nodded thoughtfully:

"I just hope that war doesn't happen, and I hope that children like Little John can all grow up happy and healthy."

"I hope so too... Fortunately, hope is the cheapest thing; it doesn't cost money, so be full of hope, Detective. It's a very good mindset. Oh, the experiences in Green Lake have made me understand many things. I can't wait to see my patients; I hope they miss me too."

After the doctor finished speaking, he sighed softly and looked around again. Xia De revealed a smile; the damp heat of the surroundings completely faded away with a gust of wind, and the snow drifting above the train tracks could once again fall to the ground.

They were on the platform right next to the tracks, and they could catch snowflakes just by reaching out their hands. Looking into the distance, another train was already slowly approaching from far away; it was time for the doctor and the others to depart.

Xia De then frowned deeply. Amidst Doctor Shi Nai De's words, he thought about the gains and losses of his adventures in the Green Lake area over the past two months. He had defeated powerful enemies, and the intimate young ladies by his side had increased by two... three... actually, counting them, four. His identity as the Chosen of Space was confirmed, and it was someone closest to him. As for the prophecy of the end and news about the past, he had also learned quite a bit.

Of course, he also learned because of this why he, an outsider, had come, why he had come, and understood why "I" am "I."

But the haze of war, due to the temporary breakdown of negotiations, was shrouding the entire world even more heavily; the prelude to the end had already sounded, and the scenery of the "City of the End, Tuo Bei Si Ke," covered by the sky full of yellow sand, seemed to be descending once again.

Everything was still an unknown, and everything seemed to be following some established trajectory, rushing forward uncontrollably.

The outsider had witnessed all of this, but because of it, he had also developed greed, delusions, excitement, and panic. He did not know what the future held, nor did he know if this leisure at this moment was the final peace.

The events in the Green Lake area had ended, but the future had only just begun.

The wind, mixed with snow, blew against the outsider who was looking at the sky by the platform in this late spring season. The train in the distance was getting closer and closer, and the whistle blown when it pulled into the station had a realism that made one's scalp tingle.

He thought of many people and many things, and when things came to an end, standing here leisurely watching the snow drifting in the sky, for some reason, he actually wanted to laugh:

"This world is indeed... too interesting!"

"She" chuckled in Xia De's ear, as if agreeing with Xia De's point of view. So the outsider lowered his head to tidy his collar slightly, and then saw the doctor also watching the train in the distance slowly approaching.

"Say something."

He said in his heart, and "She" spoke in her gentle voice amidst the shrill whistle just before the train entered the station:

【The Present World, Sixth Era, 1854 Common Era, late spring, Month of Rain Prayer. The snow in the Year Without Summer is perhaps some kind of symbol; you, in the bustling part of the platform, are still ignorant at this moment. The haze of war shrouds the ancient city, yet it has pointed you toward the unification of all; the clash of civilizations and the story of that century-old family have told you of the breaking and reuniting of blood and soul. Dear outsider, the bell of the end has already sounded along with your fairy tale. The purity offered to you by the three pairs of twins will surely become the cornerstone for your continued climb. The snow has already fallen, and blood and gunpowder are about to ignite the world. Standing at this moment because of the mistake of the woman who destroys time, when the slowly moving wheels crush the world, what kind of ending will you choose for this world, for them, and for you?】

"This time, your sentence seems to predict that even more terrifying things will happen next."

Xia De murmured to himself in his heart, but he did not expect her answer:

"On the eve of the conflict between the two major human kingdoms of the Old Continent about to break out again, I have learned of breaking and healing. It's truly ironic... Doctor."

He said suddenly, and Doctor Shi Nai De, who had been looking at the approaching train, turned his head to look at him:

"What is it?"

"You say, what is the most distant distance in the world?"

"What a strange question."

The psychologist said, his bright blue eyes looking at him:

"Of course, it is the distance between hearts. One person can never completely understand another, and one kingdom can never completely understand another. Contradictions and conflicts arise because of the distance between hearts. This is the original sin of intelligent life; this is what we are."

"So, you mean that if people's hearts could merge into one, under the unification of all, the world would be at peace?"

The doctor looked at him in surprise:

"What are you talking about? The distance between hearts is what makes me me, you you, and humans humans. To deny this is to deny our civilization and ourselves."

He solemnly placed his hand on his chest, and behind him to the side, the train finally arrived:

"Please remember, Detective, you can never completely understand another person, but if you are willing to give your heart to another, then it is possible to let another heart move closer to you. Never touching, yet relying on each other at a subtle distance—this is where the beauty of the human soul lies."

His eyes seemed to be shining, and his right index finger and thumb were pinched together, yet they did not touch:

"This is what is called the most distant distance."

The roaring train engine appeared behind the doctor's side, and the scene of the train rushing forward while sweeping up flying snow stopped in Xia De's eyes like a frozen oil painting while the doctor was demonstrating the distance between his fingertips.

Beside the piled-up luggage, Priest Ao Gu Si was frozen there looking up at the sky; Duo Luo Xi beside the priest was smiling at the transparent spirit; smoke and dust were fixed in the air so that every particle of ash seemed clearly visible; light solidified into beams; sound stopped to form a hum; the people in the station—some sitting, some standing, some squatting, some walking—were all frozen at this moment like wax figures.

The snow stopped by Xia De's ear, and the mysterious distance of space, at this moment, no longer had any meaning in Xia De's eyes:

"This is... the most distant distance?"

The rumbling sound of the train passing by made Doctor Shi Nai De frown. He lowered his hand, watched carriage after carriage pass by his side, and caught a glimpse of some abnormal light in his peripheral vision. As he turned his head slightly, he seemed to see a rotating dark golden cube appearing behind Xia De.

But just like before, when he wanted to look closely, he was distracted because he was bumped by a passenger passing by who wanted to get close to the carriage door, and when he looked again, there was nothing.

"Yes, what is the point of souls completely understanding each other? I don't want you to know what I really think about that letter to Miss Green, and I don't want to know what you plan to eat for lunch... Connected to each other, yet forever unable to touch—soul, this is the beauty of the soul, isn't it?"

"Doctor, be careful not to lose control."

Xia De warned with a smile, then lowered his head to look at his own hand, clenching his fist and then relaxing it, feeling as if he understood something. After thinking about it carefully, he shook his head lightly after looking up, the heavy feeling in his heart seemed to disappear, and even his mood became much more pleasant:

"Doctor, you are worthy of being a psychologist."

He praised, then signaled for the doctor and the priest to prepare to board.

"What do you mean by that? Also, after going back this time, don't forget that the summer exam week is coming."

The blue-eyed middle-aged psychologist said, but before Xia De could answer, the messy crowd of passengers had already surged over. So everyone picked up their boxes and walked toward the opened doors of the stationary train, and amidst the noisy sounds, in the back of Xia De as he also squeezed into the train, only "She's" voice remained so gentle:

【Outsider, you have gained new power.】

(End of this volume)