High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 959: Chapter 21 A Quiet Ballad on the River

The Silent River meanders, bypassing the outer walls of Alpha Castle, cutting through the courtyard of Jiuyou Academy, and encircling the majority of First University in its embrace.

Very few students knew where the river originated. Everyone only knew that these quietly flowing waters passed through the entire Silent Forest, connecting four academies, numerous research institutes, and many other secret and magical territories on Buji Island.

The extensive network of waterways touched every corner of First University and served as the second type of campus-wide transportation network, after the ’corridor.’ However, unlike the bustling corridor frequented by personnel, this river seemed a bit more desolate.

Partly because the waterway was far and slow, which was extremely unfriendly to students who often rushed to class at the deadline; on the other hand, there were endless pests like water ghosts and kappa frequently appearing in the river, and aside from the battle-addicted lunatics of Starry Sky Academy, no one wanted to be tainted with resentment every day.

After all, they were all wizards.

Fighting and killing were not tags associated with wizards.

Therefore, the transportation options available on the river were very limited, just a few old wooden boats.

By the time Zheng Qing and his party reached the pier at Near Zhong Pond, the little wooden boat was about to set off.

”Hurry up, hurry up, or we’ll miss the starting ferry!” Xiao Xiao held a notebook in one arm, lifted his robe’s hem with the other, and ran very quickly as he shouted.

Xin Fat Man followed behind, panting and intermittently complaining: ”Blame me? All, all because you’re meddling... otherwise, otherwise we would have arrived earlier!”

Zheng Qing, caught between them, did not utter a word, happy for the quiet.

The old ferryman stood on the pier, waving to the young wizards and shouting loudly, ”Hurry up, hurry up, the last ferry of the morning is about to depart!”

This ferry, very famous throughout the Wizard World, was not large, roughly over ten meters long, and compared to the most numerous Ze Meng boats in Bell Lake, the ferry operating on the Silent River only had a small cabin added. Most of the time, the riding students needed to stay in that small cabin.

The ferry service starting from Near Zhong Pond had fixed routes and departures. Starting at seven in the morning, they departed every half hour, a total of five boats. They sailed up the Silent River, passed through Silent Forest, by several academy residences, four blocks of Beta Town, and then returned to the dock at Near Zhong Pond in the evening.

The ferrymen of the ferry were all old school workers from the School Works Committee.

Old man Ferna, who was in charge of Zheng Qing’s nighttime patrol duty last semester, was transferred to the ferry station because of a night patrol accident.

However, today the old school worker named Xiao Bonar, not Ferna, was responsible for Zheng Qing’s ferrying.

It is said that Teacher Xiao had been a professor at Jiuyou Academy when he was young, serving in the school until his retirement. Apart from the lab and teaching, he had no other hobbies and no family, and his friends were all at the school. Having nowhere else to go after retirement, he simply joined the School Works Committee, becoming a ferryman on the Silent River—many of the old school workers had such qualifications.

That morning, when Xiao Xiao handed the ferry ticket to Zheng Qing, Zheng Qing had once doubted the relationship between him and old man Xiao Bonar.

”Honestly, both of your surnames are Xiao... Really no relation at all?” Zheng Qing had asked Xiao Xiao this.

The doctor, puzzled by the question about the state-funded student, had nothing to say: ”Andrew Taylor and Andrew from Trident Sword are both named Andrew; are they related? I’ve never doubted the relationship between you and Zheng Zha!”

”Who is Zheng Zha?!” Zheng Qing scratched his head.

”He’s the leader of the Middle Continent Team, a veteran hunting team,” Xin Fat Man interjected pedantically: ”one of the few powerful hunting teams that operate independently of the two super hunting groups, Xianqin and Holy Tang... This is basic knowledge for every hunting team leader!”

”The New World is so big, who could remember everyone?” Zheng Qing muttered, not the slightest bit embarrassed: ”Besides, neither the ’First University Campus Newspaper’ nor the ’Beta Town Post’ ever report news from outside... It’s normal not to have heard of them.”

Upon meeting old man Xiao Bonar, Zheng Qing finally confirmed that there was indeed no relationship between Xiao Xiao and the old school worker.

On one hand, old man Xiao Bonar’s ’frame’ was very large, standing over two meters tall, in stark contrast to Xiao Xiao’s slightly exquisite stature; on the other hand, Xiao Bonar had a pair of dark green eyes—clearly a different race from Dr. Xiao.

Similar to old man Ferna, Xiao Bonar was also a drunkard.

This point was confirmed the moment Zheng Qing saw him.

At that time, Xin Fat Man, acting in his capacity as a qualified journalist, seriously interviewed the old ferryman who was packing up to set sail: ”... What’s the point of ferrying on the Silent River?”

”Heh heh,” the old ferryman tilted his head back and took a big gulp of alcohol, the crisp liquid sliding down his unkempt beard into his clothes, which he did not mind at all—this aspect seemed even more unrestrained than old man Ferna.

After swallowing the alcohol, the old ferryman blinked his reddened eyes vigorously and laughed heartily:

”Young people nowadays are so cute, needing a reason for everything. If I don’t articulate a logic, it seems like what I do is meaningless!”

Xin Fat Man promptly waved his hands: ”Not what I meant, I mean, without a reason, don’t you know the meaning of your own ferrying? I heard you ferry people across the river, how should this be understood?”

”Magic itself doesn’t adhere to logic!” the old man replied as straightforward and clear as ever.

The onlookers were all dumbfounded but smiled.

The old man continued:

”I ferry simply because I wish to ferry, just as you live simply to live. It’s that simple.”

”I ferry merely to ferry; what you use my ferry for is your own affair, your actions are not my purpose.”

Although this sentence was somewhat convoluted, Zheng Qing understood it clearly.

Old Xiao Bonar ferried not for any reason like ferrying people; he did it purely for the sake of ferrying. As for whether a student wanted to go elsewhere, sightsee, explore the forest, gather materials, and so on, all these had nothing to do with the old ferryman’s work.

Leaving the deck and entering the small boat cabin, while Zheng Qing was still pondering the old man’s previous words, he suddenly encountered a figure that caught him off guard.

Elena.

”Hi, Happy New Year!” The gypsy witch spotted the young sponsored student at a glance, immediately raised her arm, waved, and cheerily greeted: ”You’re also on this boat!”

Zheng Qing struggled for a while before he awkwardly answered with a ”Hmm.”

Then he could say no more.

This made the two companions traveling with him shake their heads greatly.

It wasn’t that he had nothing to say; in fact, he had a belly full of words he wanted to tell Elena—like how her winter vacation went, why she was hot and cold towards him, how her finals went, whether they were still friends, and so on—there were too many questions, but only one mouth, he truly didn’t know where to begin.

Besides, the presence of other wizards sitting nearby in the boat cabin made it difficult for him to speak privately with the witch.

While he remained silent, the ferry was already leisurely leaving Lin Zhong Lake and entering the tranquil and broad main channel of Silent River.

Outside the cabin, the old boatman pushed the pole and started to sing a melodious boating tune:

...

Gently rocking on Silent River,

Who disturbs the peaceful dreams?

Roaming east, drifting west, only the wind chimes annoy.

...

Gazing in the Silent Forest,

Hearing the laughter of elusive spirits,

Looking left and right, only to see the mist swirling.

...

Yet to buy wine,

To scoop up some Green Bee,

Accompanied by the sunset glow,

Entering the dream to search

...

In the dream to find,

The breeze entwines,

Laughing foolishly, foolishly,

Unaware till dawn breaks.