Chapter 21 Ballads on the Silent River
The Silent River meanders around the wall outside Alpha Castle, passes through the atrium of Jiuyou Academy, and embraces most of the First University in its arms.
Few students know where the river originates. Everyone only knows that these quietly flowing rivers run through the entire Silent Forest, connecting four colleges, many research institutes, and many other secret and magical territories on Phuket Island.
Waterways extending in all directions are connected to every corner of First University. It is the second transportation network of First University that covers the entire campus besides the "promenade". But unlike the promenade, which is bustling with people, the popularity of this river seems a bit miserable.
On the one hand, the river is far away and slow, which is very unfriendly to students who often meet deadlines to attend classes; on the other hand, there are often endless pests such as water ghosts and kappas in the river, which are endless and endless. , except for those madmen who are addicted to fighting in Starry Sky Academy, no one wants to be stained with resentment every day.
After all, we are all wizards.
Fighting and killing is not a label on a wizard.
Therefore, the means of transportation floating on the river are very limited, only a few dilapidated small wooden boats.
When Zheng Qing and others arrived at the pier of Linzhong Lake, the small wooden boat was about to set off.
"Hurry up, hurry up, or you'll miss the starting ship!" Xiao Xiao held his notebook in one hand and picked up the hem of his robe with the other, yelling as he ran fast.
Fatty Xin followed at the back, grunting and complaining intermittently: "Is it my fault?! It's all your fault...otherwise, otherwise we would have arrived long ago!"
Zheng Qing was sandwiched between the two of them, saying nothing, enjoying the peace and quiet.
The old ferryman stood at the pier, waved to the young wizards, and shouted loudly: "Hurry up, hurry up, the last ferry in the morning is about to leave!"
This ferry boat, which is very famous in the entire wizarding world, is not big, about ten meters long. Compared with the largest number of dinghy boats in Linzhong Lake, the ferry boat that can travel to the Silent River has one more small cabin. . Most of the time, students on the boat need to stay in that small cabin.
The route and number of ferry boats departing from Linzhong Lake are fixed. Starting from 7 o'clock in the morning, there are departures every half hour, with a total of five boats. Walk upstream along the Silent River, pass through the Silent Forest, pass by the residences of several colleges, four blocks of Beta Town, and then return to the pier of Linzhong Lake in the evening.
The ferry boatmen are all old school workers from the school working committee.
Old man Verne, who was in charge of Zheng Qing's night patrol last semester, was transferred to the ferry station as a boatman because of an accident during the night patrol.
However, the person in charge of ferrying Zheng Qing today was not the old man Verne, but an old school worker named Bernard Shaw.
It is said that this teacher Xiao was once a professor at Jiuyou College. He worked in the school from a young age until he retired. He had no other hobbies except laboratory and teaching, and he had no family or friends, and they were all in the school. After retirement, he had nowhere to go, so he simply joined the school working committee and became a ferryman on the Silent River - many old school workers on the school working committee have such qualifications.
When Xiao Xiao handed the ferry ticket to Zheng Qing in the morning, Zheng Qing once doubted his relationship with the old man Bernard Shaw.
"To be honest, it doesn't really matter if both of you have the last name Xiao..." Zheng Qing asked Xiao Xiao.
The doctor had nothing to say about the public-funded student's doubts: "Andrew Taylor and Andrew of the Three-Forked Sword are both named Andrew. Are they related? Why have I never questioned the relationship between you and Zheng Zha!"
"Who is Zheng Zha?!" Zheng Qing scratched his head.
"The captain of the veteran hunting team Zhongzhou Team," Fatty Xin interjected in a show-off manner: "He is one of the few powerful hunting teams that can be independent from the two super hunting teams of Xian Qin and Sheng Tang... This is every The basic skills of a hunting team leader!”
"The new world is so big, everyone can remember it." Zheng Qing muttered, not blushing at all: "And the "First University Newspaper" or "Beta Town Post" never broadcast news from outside... I haven't heard of it. It was normal.”
When he met the old man Bernard Shaw, Zheng Qing was finally convinced that there was indeed no relationship between Xiao Xiao and the old school worker.
On the one hand, the old man Bernard Shaw has a very big frame, more than two meters tall, which is in sharp contrast to Xiao Xiao's slightly slim figure; on the other hand, the old man Bernard Shaw has a pair of dark green eyes - obviously He and Dr. Xiao are two different races.
Similar to Verne, George Bernard Shaw was also an alcoholic.
This was confirmed from the first moment Zheng Qing saw him.
At that time, Fatty Xin, acting as a qualified reporter, solemnly interviewed the old boatman who was packing his things and preparing to set sail: "... What is the meaning of this boat ferrying on the Silent River?"
"Hehe," the old boatman raised his head and took a big sip of wine. The clear wine slipped into his clothes along his unkempt beard, but he didn't mind at all - in this regard, he looked more heroic than the old man Verne.
After swallowing the drink, the old boatman blinked his red eyes hard and laughed:
"Today's young people are so cute. Everything they do must have a meaning. If I don't make sense, it seems that what I do is meaningless!"
Fatty Xin waved his hands repeatedly: "That's not what I mean. I mean, it makes no sense. You don't know the meaning of your own ferry? I heard that you are ferrying people in the river. How do you understand this?"
"Magic is inherently unreasonable!" The old man's answer was as concise and clear as before.
The onlookers laughed dumbly.
The old man continued:
"I ferry just because I want to ferry, as simple as you live just to live."
"My ferry is just a ferry. What you use my ferry for is your business. What you do is not my meaning."
Although this sentence was a bit confusing, Zheng Qing understood it clearly.
Bernard Shaw's old man's ferry was not meant to ferry people, it was purely for the sake of ferrying. As for some students who want to go somewhere else, some students who want to go sightseeing, some students who want to explore the forest, some students who want to collect materials, etc., these have nothing to do with the old boatman's ferry.
Leaving the deck and entering the small cabin, while Zheng Qing was still thinking about what Bernard Shaw had said before, he unexpectedly encountered a figure that caught him off guard.
Elena.
"Hi, Happy New Year!" The gypsy witch saw the young public-funded student at a glance, immediately raised her arms, waved, and greeted briskly: "You are also taking this boat!"
Zheng Qing held it in for a long time before replying with a "huh" word.
Then there was nothing else to say.
This made his two companions shake their heads.
It's not that he has nothing to say. In fact, he has a lot to say to Elena - such as how her winter vacation was, why she was hot and cold towards him, how was her final exam, should they still be friends, etc. Wait - there are so many questions, but only one mouth. I really don’t know where to start.
Moreover, there were other wizards sitting next to each other in the cabin, which made it difficult for him to speak private words with the witch.
While he was silent, the ferry boat had already left Linzhong Lake and entered the quiet and wide main channel of the Silent River.
Outside the cabin, the old boatman held the pole and sang a melodious sailing tune:
…
Swinging on the Silent River
Who will disturb Qingmeng?
Wandering east and west, only the wind chimes disturb me.
…
Look in the silent forest
I heard a monster laughing
Looking left and right, I saw mist.
…
Go and sell wine
Scoop up that green bee
Just look at the sunset
Come and find it in your dreams
…
Looking for it in a dream
Breeze around
Crazy smile
Before dawn dawn
.
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