Chapter 18 Chapter 17

"Tell me something." After sitting in silence for a long time in the warm and cozy atmosphere, Dylan's voice sounded a bit deep and hoarse. "What do you want to hear?" He asked after recovering from his contemplation. "I don't know," she said after a pause, after a moment's thought, "tell me about the funniest soul you've ever guided." "It's you." He smiled.Dylan pokes him in the ribs. "Seriously." I mean it, he thought.But she still racked her brains to find an interesting story to distract her. He knew very well how long sleepless nights were.

"Okay, I remember one. Once I had to guide a German soldier in 'WWII' who was shot by his commander for refusing to carry out his orders." "What did he do in wartime?" Dylan asked.Her knowledge of history wasn't great, she took geography at school, but everyone knew what happened in World War II.She couldn't imagine how much fun it would be to guide a German soldier.If she was the guide, she would probably be tempted to let the demons finish him off. "He was a soldier in a concentration camp in Poland. He wasn't someone important, just a soldier. He was only eighteen. It's a pity."

Dylan couldn't believe his ears, he actually felt sorry for him! "Knowing what he's doing, how can you bear to be his guide?" "You are making a moral judgment. If you are a ferryman, you can't be prejudiced like this. Every soul is unique, with its own virtues and faults." Seeing Dylan's suspicious expression, he continued. "He was forced to join the army by his father, who thought he would disgrace his family if he didn't fight for the honor of his country. However, he was sent to a concentration camp to look after the Jews, and watched other guards beat them, Abusing them. He couldn't escape from the barracks, and he didn't dare to disobey orders. One day, his officer ordered him to shoot an old man. The old man didn't do anything, but accidentally rubbed against the officer when he fell. The soldier didn't want to kill , and quarreled with his officer, and he told him he couldn't do that. So the officer first shot the old man, and then shot him the same day."

Dylan stared at him intently, eyes wide open, brow furrowed. Her previous feelings of disgust had turned to sympathy and admiration. "I met his spirit outside the gates of the concentration camp. After leaving there, he felt really relieved and completely free. He was full of things that he couldn't stop, blamed himself, and completely broke down. He I wish I could have been stronger back then, bravely defying my father and refusing to join the army. He wished he had protected more innocent people. Sometimes, he even wished he had never been born. Whether he was a German soldier or not , he is the most honorable and noble soul I have ever met."

When the story was over, there was silence.Dylan was deeply attracted, and many scenes flashed through her mind, and many thoughts came out, with mixed feelings in her heart. "Tell me one more time," she begged.Thus passed the long night.Tristan rewarded Dylan with story after story from the thousands of souls he had encountered.He deliberately chooses to tell only the stories that make Dylan laugh or marvel, and avoids the ones that are still painful to think about.The morning light gradually fell on them, but the blazing sun was so bright that it dazzled Tristan's eyes, making his smile look a bit bitter.

"Going on," Dylan muttered.He slid slowly off the bed, dragging her down with him. "That's right," he said with a smile, "but there's no need to go uphill today." "What do you mean?" she asked. "We just need to cross a small hill, and then there will be a flat river, but it will be a little wet." He pouted his nose. "Going to cross the swamp?" Dylan complained, and there was a hint of crying in his voice.She hated the muck that stuck to everything she saw and made it difficult for her to move. "No, it's not mud, it's water."

"I wish we didn't swim," she murmured, going over to the fireplace to check the clothes hanging there.Although not particularly clean, they were dry and warm to the touch, and the logs were still smoking in the fireplace.She turned to Tristan and ordered, "Get out!" pointing at the door domineeringly. He rolled his eyes, but still bowed respectfully and walked out. This time Dylan closed the door behind him, hastily removed the borrowed clothes and changed into his own.Yesterday's wash had at least removed the dirtiest dirt, and the fire had stiffened the cloth a bit, but it was still very pleasant to wear my freshly laundered clothes.It made her feel like she was still human, or at least someone who had just died.She couldn't help laughing to herself at the thought.

As soon as she changed her clothes, she walked to the sink and turned on the faucet.She waited for the brown water to clear, then filled her hands with water and rubbed it over her face and neck.She wished she had washed her hair, it hadn't occurred to her yesterday, but that soap might make it oilier.She picked up another handful of water and looked at it carefully.What would happen if she drank the water now? She glanced at the door, which was still closed.She could ask Tristan, but she was afraid of being laughed at by him.She took another look at the water in her hand. Although she was not thirsty, the water looked cool and inviting.She recalled the feeling of drinking water, the refreshing taste, the icy pleasure dripping down her throat into her intestines and stomach. Thinking of this, she couldn't help trembling, leaned forward, opened her lips, and was about to drink a mouthful.

"I wouldn't drink it if I did." Tristan's voice startled her, water splashed in front of her, and her coat was wet. "Damn! You almost gave me a heart attack!" After a while, she calmed down and asked, "Why can't you drink?" He shrugged indifferently, "You will vomit if you drink it. The water is poisonous. The water flows from a well deep underground. That's where the devils live, and they poisoned it." "Oh." Dylan poured out the remaining water and turned off the tap. "Okay, thank you for saving my life." "You're welcome." His smile was warm and sincere, and Dylan's heart stopped for a moment.But in an instant, a layer of frost seemed to form on his face, and he turned and walked away.A confused Dylan followed him silently out of the cabin.

Although the sun was shining brightly, a breeze blew behind her, gently ruffling her long hair.Frowning at the sky, she seemed to blame the cold wind, only for a fast-moving cloud to cover the sun.She stuck her tongue out at them childishly, then followed Tristan's brisk pace with one mind.They rounded the hut and began to walk across a meadow that was barely knee-deep in grass.She watched cautiously, searching for thistles, nettles, and other disgusting things. "Are we in a hurry today?" she asked, trotting after her. "Yes!" he replied.After a while he said softly, "But we can slow down a bit. Well, this is the last hill." He pointed ahead, and Dylan looked in the direction of his finger, wrinkled in disgust Nose.

"Is this also called a small hill?" She repeated what he had said before, "You liar! This mountain is so big!" In Dylan's eyes, this so-called "small hill" looked more like a big mountain.There are no gentle ridges to climb, only huge perilous rock towers.It reminded Dylan of Joan's tragic attempt at trying to make Dylan fall in love with the hike to Cobbler by telling her that climbing from the front of the mountain was better than following the trail around the back Much more interesting.Unexpectedly, the front of the mountain was completely a granite wall with smooth gravel paths.Dylan had barely climbed a third of the way when he slipped on a small rock and hit his shin on a large, angular rock.She lost her temper for a while, determined to go home immediately. And the mountain in front of me looked as unpleasant as Mount Cobbler. "Can't we go around?" she asked, stalking him hopefully. "No!" He looked at her, his smile still bright. "Then what about you behind your back?" She suggested again.But he had already strode away, deaf to her plea.Despite his injuries, he didn't seem to be limping at all when he crossed the grass. Also, Dylan noticed that the wound on his face was healing fast.In fact, the redness and swelling around his eyes has almost completely subsided now, only the slight purple scar next to the cheekbones can still reveal a little bit of the tragic situation at that time.His chin was no longer bruised and bruised, and only a yellowish bruise remained on it as the bruises subsided. Dylan trotted along behind him, and ten minutes later the two arrived at the foot of the mountain.This "hillside" is so unpleasant that even weeds don't want to cover it. They only grow a few meters above the slope at the foot of the mountain and stop extending.Above that is just dust, gravel and rocks.Although a few scattered cold-resistant plants grew under some boulders, other than that, the whole mountain was a lifeless barren land. Dylan scrambled up the nearly vertical granite wall, and soon his calf began to burn.Even though her shoes were well-worn and comfortable, she still developed a blister on the front of her foot as a result of the occasional twisting of her feet to keep her balance on the ground.Halfway through the journey, the mountain became steeper and steeper, and she could only use her hands and feet. Tristan insisted that she go first, claiming that this was so that he would be able to catch her if she fell.Dylan secretly suspected, though, that he was just enjoying her embarrassment as she struggled to climb. "It's almost there." He shouted from a meter below her. "Believe me, when you reach the top of the mountain, the scenery will definitely make your trip worthwhile." "I don't believe it." She whispered.Her arms and legs were sore and sore, and her fingers were chafed and covered with dirt.She struggled to climb a few more meters, stopping to catch her breath on a ledge that jutted out from the cliff.She looked down foolishly, and was suddenly taken aback by everything in front of her eyes.The road under his feet was extremely steep, and the grassland just now was already far, far below.She felt dizzy, swayed a few times, and felt nauseated with stomach cramps. "Don't look down." Tristan saw her face turning blue, and shouted sharply from below.If she fainted, he would be the one to bear the brunt.Not only that, if she fell from here, if she just fell vertically along the cliff like this... she would be finished, this time she would be completely out of her wits.Like a snail without its shell protection, her soul in the wasteland is as fragile as her body in the real world, "Come on, keep going," he encouraged her, "It's almost here, I promise." Dylan looked suspicious, but turned his face to the rock wall and continued to climb.After a while, she realized that she was really on the top of the mountain.She slumped on a small clump of heather that survived the harsh environment, panting heavily.After a while, Tristan also came up and stood beside her, not breathing heavily.Dylan looked at him in disgust, but he ignored him, nodding at the horizon. "Look, I said it would be a worthwhile trip." Dylan leaned on his elbows and stared into the distance.She had to admit that the scenery here was indeed spectacular.There was a bright light in front of my eyes, like millions of diamonds shining brightly in the sun.Dylan narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what he was seeing.There seemed to be a shining object rising and falling, and she racked her brains, trying to give a reasonable explanation for what she saw.Ah, it's water, it's a lake.As far as the eye can see, a large lake flows from the south of the mountain.The water is wide and stretches for miles from east to west.They absolutely can't get around it, and it will take a long, long time. "And how are we going to cross that lake?" She finally spoke, her voice somewhat exasperated. "Don't worry, we don't have to swim across." There was a sly smile on his lips.Dylan frowned, he was always so secretive, "Come on, it's time to go." "Uh." Dylan muttered, regardless of the exhausted muscles all over his body, he forced himself to sit up.She struggled to stand up, staring straight down the road. It looked better than the way up the mountain, but not much better.The vegetation on this side of the foothills is much denser, and the road is full of clumps of weeds and shrubs, dotted with large patches of gravel.It was obvious that Tristan had no intention of resting here at all, he seemed in a hurry to get to the lake. Dylan stumbled along and followed behind, but his steps were always so confident and steady.Suddenly she slipped and slipped down two meters.She couldn't help but yelled, and hurriedly moved her arms to the sides of her body. But Tristan didn't even look back, just shook his head at her clumsiness. Dylan stuck out his tongue at him.She was sure Tristan could have carried her behind his back if he wanted to. At the foot of the mountain, the lake flowed right in front of them.The wind whips up waves on the water, which looks spectacular.The undulating waves stretched to the distant horizon. To Dylan, the lake seemed to be breathing.As if it also had spirituality, it moved its steps, whispered, and gently patted the long and narrow lakeside covered with black and bright pebbles.Except for the sound of the surf as it lapped the shore, the lake was eerily silent.There was no wind howling in Dylan's ears, and she suddenly realized that there were no wild animals here.No screeching waterfowl skimmed the water while feeding, and no teals paddled in the shallows.The water seemed empty, and despite the majesty of the view, Dylan was a little scared. Tristan turned left at the boundary of the stone water bank, and walked towards a small house in the distance, Dylan followed obediently without asking.It wasn't until they got closer that she realized that it was a simple shack without windows. The roof was covered with a tarpaulin, which seemed to be damaged in several places.Tristan arrived at the cabin a few steps ahead of her, and saw him standing in a corner of the house, carefully studying the two large doors that occupied most of the wall. The door didn't appear to be locked, but Dylan saw no handle or anything to open it.The moment he reached the door, Tristan opened the two doors without any accident, revealing the things hidden in the house. "Don't make fun of me!" Dylan blurted out, with a trace of fear in his eyes. It was a sort of boat, made of rough-hewn wood.The hull was originally painted with a layer of white, red, and blue paint, but it has long since faded, and now only some mottled colors remain, silently commemorating the vitality and glory of its prime.Below the boat was a cart on wheels with a coil of frayed rope fastened to the front.Tristan grabbed the rope with both hands and lifted it up. With the rusty trailer's wheels creaking, the boat moved forward a little.He turned around and put the rope on his shoulders, and pulled it forward with all his strength, and the boat was carried out of the cabin by the rolling wheels little by little.Compared with the scene seen in the dim shed just now, the boat in daylight looked even more unsuitable for launching.The wood of the hull has decayed in many places, and several planks have been completely separated from the hull. "You expect me to sit on this thing?" Dylan said disapprovingly. "Yes." The answer was still short: but Dylan was delighted to hear that this answer seemed a little lacking in confidence. Tristan pulled the cart out onto the pebbles on the shore. "Go up," he said, pointing his arm in the direction of the boat. Dylan looked at him very puzzled, "But the boat is still attached to the trailer." He rolled his eyes. "I'll push the pole until the boat floats on the surface and separates from the car. You can also wait until we're not waist-deep in water if you want." Dylan frowned and pursed his lips, but walked toward the water anyway.Looking closely at the lake, she noticed something strange.The water is black, not the dark lake water at night or when the clouds are overcast. The whole lake seems to be filled with asphalt-only it is not as viscous as asphalt.She wanted to put her hand into the water to try to see what the water felt like, but she still didn't have the guts to do so.But since Tristan was planning to wade into the boat, the water wouldn't be very toxic.Thinking of this, she immediately felt relieved a lot, so she also prepared to walk into this strange waters. With one foot on the wheel of the trailer, she held onto the back of the skiff with one hand and stepped into the cabin with the other.This force made her lean forward, her face almost hit the wooden bench of the boat, but fortunately she blocked it with her hand in time, her shoulders still shook suddenly.Dylan summoned all the pride he had to steady himself, and then settled into a seat as comfortably as he could.She didn't know where Tristan was going to sit or how he was going to steer the dinghy.The more important question is how he intends to move it. Tristan saw her sitting upright in the skiff and immediately began to pull it into the water.With her on it the boat became heavier and every muscle in his body tensed.The black water was icy cold, and there were invisible things wrapping around his ankles, pulling his feet forward, so every step he took was very difficult.Finally, when he felt that the boat left the trailer and floated on the water, he supported the body to lift his body slightly out of the water, and then lightly jumped into the cabin.The boat shook violently, and the cold water from his legs splashed Dylan.With a scream, she clung to the sides of the skiff, squinted her eyes, and turned her face away from the onslaught of The Shower. "Be careful!" she cried. "Sorry." He said with a smile, without the slightest apology in his voice. He slams into the other seat, which Dylan realizes didn't exist a second ago.They stared at each other for a moment, one scowling, the other grinning.The boat swayed gently in the tiny waves, and the water was calm and windless.If it wasn't for the ominous black lake water rippling under them, how pleasant it would be to enjoy the warmth from the bright sun at this time.