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墨書 Inktalez
On that day, another deceased arrived.
" ferry fare, one gold coin," I said in a formal tone as I reached out my hand to the other person.
"Huh? Um..."
The newcomer deceased looked bewildered and then proceeded to search through all of their pockets, but they were all empty.
"That... I, I don't have any money," he said meekly.
"Perhaps there has been a delay in the support from your family. You can wait here for now," I withdrew my hand and comforted him in a familiar, gentle tone.
"That, that...," he lowered his head and hesitated. "I, I don't have any relatives to support me."
"In that case, you can return to the world, collect enough supplies from unregistered support, convert them into coins, and then come back to take the ship," I offered the solution as usual.
"But I, I..." He timidly lowered his head and twisted his fingers. "I can't grab hold of..."
I remained speechless and silently stared at him for a while.
"...or would you be willing to stay here for a century in exchange for a chance to ride for free?"
Upon hearing this, he stared wide-eyed in shock.
"What? Wait a century? That's so long! Can't you make an exception?"
"...I'm sorry, but that's the rule," I replied calmly.
He immediately wilted, then dejectedly turned and walked away, coincidentally locking eyes with deceased sitting by the pile of rocks.
deceased first looked slightly puzzled, then smiled kindly at the newcomer.
"Hello."
"Hello, you... " The newcomer timidly responded, looking around nervously, as if trying to find a place to stay undisturbed.
"Do you want to cross the river?" He pointed to the River Styx ahead.
"Y-yes..." The newcomer pouted pitifully. "B-but, I don't have any money..."
"I see..." He turned to look at the misty River Styx. "Are you in a hurry to cross the river? Don't you want to stay here?"
"If we can leave, who would want to stay here? Besides, we have to stay for a Century! What kind of joke is that!" the newcomer exclaimed in frustration.
"Is that so..." He narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, then slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin, handing it to the newcomer. "Well then, take this."
"Huh?" The newcomer looked at the gold coin with disbelief, eyes widening. "C-Can I really have this?"
"Okay," he nodded with a smile. "It was given to me by someone else anyway, and I'm not in a hurry to cross the river, so I'll give it to you first."
"Th-thank you!" The newcomer exclaimed with joy as he took the gold coin and immediately rushed towards me. "I-I have money now! I-I can cross the river!"
I silently watched the gold coin he held high in his hand, an inexplicable emotion lingering in my heart.
After a moment, I quietly reached out to take the coin, gestured for the newcomer to board, and picked up the pole, slowly guiding the boat into the River Styx as usual.
"Why should I give it to him?"
After returning from the beach, I calmly and casually asked him, "Hmm?" He first looked at me blankly, then realized and said, "Oh, you mean that coin?"
"Why give it to him?"
He laughed indifferently. "I don't need it anyway."
"Not needed?" I looked at him in confusion.
"After all, I have no intention of boarding the ship," he said lazily as he stretched. "Since the other party doesn't want to stay here and I have no desire to leave, that gold coin can be put to good use and serve its purpose, wouldn't that be just right?"
"...What if one day you suddenly want to take a boat?"
"Huh? Oh, it doesn't matter. There will always be a way to solve it." He still wore a carefree smile. "Besides, even if we run out of gold coins, as long as we stay here for a century, we can still take a boat, right?"
I was at a loss and unable to refute.
Yes, his argument is correct, so why do I still feel a strange, stifling sensation in my chest that won't dissipate?
After struggling for a while, I sighed silently.
Forget it... It's not my business anyway, so I don't need to care so much.
"Speaking of which, I have a question," he suddenly raised his hand to ask.
"What question?" I looked at him calmly.
“Why don't you suggest that the deceased without ferry fare just go directly to those deceased who have extra coins? Wouldn't that be faster?” He tilted his head in confusion.
Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but furrow my brow.
"That's not a good method..."
"How so?" he asked. "Regardless of the method used, the most important thing is to be able to successfully cross the river with the gold coins, isn't it?"
"First of all, it's not common to come across someone like deceased who possesses multiple gold coins, and not everyone is willing to share with others. Some people would rather let the extra gold coins turn to ashes than give them to others. So, instead of expecting charity from others, it's better to take action on our own. Furthermore..." I hesitated, unsure if I should continue.
"And then?" He looked at me with confusion.
I took a deep breath and softly said, "...Furthermore, what is obtained from others ultimately does not belong to oneself."
"What do you mean?"
I turned my head to look at the slowly swirling haze in front, and reorganized my thoughts.
"The ferry fare that I collect will be returned to the other party upon arrival on the other side, that's the rule. But if the coins are obtained through the charity of others, they will turn to ashes upon arrival on the other side," I said, looking down at my empty palm in confusion. "Although we can all take the same boat, in the end, we get nothing... I don't know if there's any meaning in this, but... I feel that it's because they gave up the opportunity to prove themselves, so..."
After listening, I saw his expression become very complicated.
"Are you saying... that I thought I did a good thing, but actually indirectly harmed the person just now?"
"Awfully regretful, I don't know." I couldn't help but bitterly laugh. "However, no matter the outcome, since he himself chose to accept your gift, it can be considered a guide of fate."
"...So, did you really want me to take that gold coin and use it to cross the river when you asked me to put it away at first?"
I looked up at him and met his bewildered gaze.
After a long silence, I calmly said in a low voice:
"That's just a suggestion after all. Whether to use it or not, it's up to you."
He hesitated to speak, as if wanting to say something, but in the end chose to close his lips, turning everything into a silent sigh, saying nothing at all.
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