Chapter 2518: Fire, Man, and Ferryman

The man by the campfire looked to be around forty years old. His black hair had become a greasy, tangled mess from long neglect, and he was wrapped in black clothing.

If Xia De were to describe his first impression of the man, it would be that of a down-and-out, frustrated fellow: "marriage broken, children disobedient, on the verge of unemployment, parents critically ill, and found a bedbug in his cereal this morning."

The middle-aged man heard Xia De's footsteps amidst the monotonous sound of the waves, but he merely glanced at him once and lost interest.

After entering the light of the campfire, Xia De felt that the sense of sorrow and melancholy receded significantly. However, his own life was quite happy and fulfilling, and he had few terrible things worth dwelling on, so these negative emotions did not yet completely affect him.

He braced himself against the sandy ground and sat down by the fire, letting out a long, comfortable sigh. He sized up the middle-aged man to confirm he was a living human, then looked toward the tall figure on the small boat beside the pier. The figure was draped in a black robe, with a hood completely obscuring their face. They were at least three meters tall, making the normally sized wooden boat look tiny by comparison.

"God."

With just one glance, Xia De confirmed the other's identity. The waves did not affect the stability of the small boat, and the figure standing on it in the black robe did not sway in the slightest.

Xia De nodded slightly to show his respect.

In reality, the small boat was not very far from the campfire on the shore. Even without using the pier, one could likely jump directly to the stern of the boat by taking a few running steps on the sand and leaping hard toward the water.

"So close to the shore, aren't they worried about running aground..."

As he thought this, the silent man spoke up, his voice incredibly hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a very long time:

"Are you not boarding the boat?"

The language he used was not due to "Language Comprehension," but rather it felt as if Xia De understood him directly because of the influence of the pier itself.

Xia De understood that this location possessed the characteristic of allowing everyone to communicate freely, so he looked at the small wooden boat and then at the man:

"So, are you selling tickets?"

"..."

The middle-aged man looking up at him didn't speak, so Xia De nodded:

"You're not selling tickets... why would I board the boat?"

"Since you aren't boarding, you are also here waiting for someone, aren't you?"

The middle-aged man with a weathered face asked again, and Xia De shook his head once more:

"Actually, I don't know where this is, nor do I know what this place signifies."

Usually, ordinary people who could survive in such a bizarre place would have their own stories and pursuits, so Xia De asked:

"Can you tell me about this place?"

The burning campfire made no sound, and amidst the crashing of the waves, it seemed the middle-aged man's voice would never appear again.

Silence enveloped the two by the small campfire. Just as Xia De thought he didn't want to answer and was about to stand up to communicate with the god on the boat, the middle-aged man spoke again:

"This is the Lost Land - Black Sand Pier.

Legend has it that only those who have lost hope in life, or who want to escape reality completely, come here. They board that boat and are carried away to a place from which they can never return."

Xia De looked up slightly, gazing into the depths of the black waters obscured by mist, where there was no moon:

"Does it lead to death?"

"Not death, but a place far more distant than death."

The middle-aged man continued to stare at the flames rather than at Xia De:

"I once begged a witch to help me find this place. She said that once taken by this boat, even in death, they cannot be found."

In other words, if one boarded the boat at "Black Sand Pier," they didn't even have the qualification to reach the end.

"I see... I am not a meddlesome person, nor do I like prying into others' privacy, but may I ask who you are waiting for?"

"She" laughed in Xia De's ear, "mocking" Xia De for his earlier explanations.

This time, the middle-aged man finally turned to look at Xia De, his weary, turbid eyes sweeping over his young, handsome face, confirming that his mental state was normal:

"Waiting for my wife. She doesn't want to see me, nor does she want to see our children. I have searched for her for many years. I know she will eventually come here and board this boat, and I want to see her one last time."

Although the middle-aged man didn't tell the story of him and his wife, the Outlander had already guessed a complex and tortuous tale in his heart:

"Xia De Hamilton."

He nodded and extended his hand. The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised but reached out and shook Xia De's hand:

"Frank Nelson. If you stumbled into this place by mistake, I don't know how to leave either. Perhaps you could ask the ferryman over there; he should know something."

Mr. Nelson didn't seem to know that the ferryman on the boat was a god, but Xia De believed his mission this time should be to help Mr. Nelson bid farewell to his wife.

He asked the sorrowful man a few other questions and learned that Mr. Nelson didn't know how long he had been here either. He only knew that all the visitors who came after him arrived from the direction of the dark town far from the water, just like Xia De.

However, everyone except Xia De walked directly onto the pier, spoke a few words to the ferryman, and was then carried by the small boat into the depths of the mist.

As for this campfire, it had existed before he arrived:

"Perhaps others have come here but didn't leave immediately. This fire is the final resting place for those determined to depart."

Because Mr. Nelson couldn't determine the time, he couldn't say how long it took for the boat to return once it left. But while the boat was gone, people would still arrive, at which point they would wait on the pier, and a few would even speak a few words to him.

"So, everyone who comes here wants to leave everything behind, is that it?"

"Even if they don't, after staying here for a long time, they will eventually have that thought."

The scruffy middle-aged man looked at Xia De:

"If I weren't determined to wait for her, perhaps I would have left by boat long ago. Young man, find a way to escape as soon as possible, otherwise, you will eventually board that boat too."

The oppressive atmosphere of the scene combined with his low tone meant that even the most cheerful person couldn't be happy, so Xia De made a small joke:

"I see... since we have time, want to play a round of Tarot Cards?"

"What?"

"Just kidding."

Xia De stood up with a hint of good humor, and Mr. Nelson watched silently as he walked onto the pier and reached the side of the small boat.

Even though he was now above the water, he still couldn't feel any wind. The dilapidated pier, which looked like it was about to collapse, was surprisingly stable to walk on, and it didn't even creak.

"Greetings."

Xia De bowed respectfully to the tall figure on the small boat, only then realizing that the god wasn't wearing a black robe, but rather black mist around them took the shape of one.

There was nothing on the boat, and the god had no identifying marks. Because the god had restrained their power, there were no traces of "Divine Radiance" on Xia De's body.

The god responded to him:

"Outlander, do you wish to board the boat and leave this place?"

The voice was hoarse and slow, as if there was phlegm stuck in their throat, but Xia De noticed they were using Deraerion.

Xia De didn't refuse immediately but asked:

"May I ask where this boat can take me?"

"Anywhere."

The god replied, as if knowing what Xia De was asking:

"The boat can ferry you to any time and place you know, even that riverbank illuminated by the moon."

This answer was truly unexpected:

"But those mortals who come here..."

"You are different from them."

This was a fact, so Xia De looked out toward the mist in the depths of the water:

"If I truly wanted to board the boat and depart, what would I have to pay as the fare?"

He didn't believe this was free.

The god replied:

"That will depend on the time and place you wish to go."

"I understand... may I know how mortals address you?"

Xia De asked at the end, and the hoarse, slow voice from under the black robe replied:

"The God of Ferrymen, or, the Ferryman of the Interstice."

Xia De tried hard to recall, confirming he had never heard the name of this god. Therefore, this certainly wasn't an Evil God; he had heard of at least the names of all the Evil Gods still active in the Sixth Era.

"Is this an unknown Old God who departed in the Fifth Era?"

Thinking to himself, he turned around, intending to return to the campfire, but then asked:

"May I ask if you could tell me, for those mortals who wish to leave forever, what ferry fare you collect..."

"Memories, emotions, the warmth of the soul."

"Understood."

Xia De thanked them again and returned to the campfire, only to see Mr. Nelson looking at him strangely. The area where the pier was located seemed to have a unique "sound-dampening" environment; Mr. Nelson, outside the pier, shouldn't have heard what Xia De and the ferryman said. He was surprised by something else:

"You reached the boat, yet you weren't taken away?"

"Perhaps it's because I am happy enough that I haven't thought about leaving without looking back."

Xia De sat back down, and the world-weary middle-aged man nodded gently:

"Looking at how handsome you are and how full of spirit you seem, life must be very happy, right?"

"It's alright. 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 keep a very cute cat at home."

The scruffy Mr. Nelson showed a smile for the first time:

"Then how is your work?"

"Also alright. I'm considered a minor noble, with a well-paying job that doesn't require actual work, and I have some side businesses that make money."

"Looking at your age, you're twenty-two or twenty-three, haven't you considered having children?"

"Not considering it for now. I have a long road ahead, and I'm a bit of a flirt. Among the girls around me, there are a few... I probably can't... I also have to consider everyone's thoughts."

【You actually admitted you're a flirt?】

Mr. Nelson hugged his legs, nodding gently with a smile and a hint of melancholy:

"Since life is happy, children can be considered later. Family harmony is the most important thing. You are still young, and you and the people around you have a long road to walk together. Some people say when they are young that they will love until the end of time, but..."

He stopped his voice and looked with Xia De toward the distance of the beach, as a staggering figure was walking toward them. ===== CHAPTER 2519 =====