CH 108.1

Chapter 108.1 – Lightkeeper

Shi Yuan stretched out his hand cautiously.

His fingertips touched the water, and a wave suddenly rolled over, flooding his palm. It was cold and biting, he instantly retracted his hand, and his tail curled up nervously.

This was completely different from the rivers and lakes he had seen.

It was so magnificent that it could drown him in the next second. Rain and hail plunged into the sea and disappeared without a trace.

Shi Yuan whispered, “Wow…”

Lu Tinghan was by his side, also reaching out, the sea surged into his palm, and a few ice floes spun around his slender fingers.

“Wow wow—”

“Wow wow—”

The waves washed the shore. Shi Yuan plucked up the courage to imitate Lu Tinghan, and once again touched the sea water, it was bone-chillingly cold.

When the rain and hail became lighter, he said softly, “The sea is different from what I thought.”

Lu Tinghan asked, “What did you think?”

“It’s a lot bluer, clearer, and there are no ice floes,” Shi Yuan tried his best to describe, “There are also people surfing, fishing, swimming, picking up shells…”

All his knowledge of the ocean was learned from the documentary he watched with Lu Tinghan.

Lu Tinghan explained: “Every sea area is different, and it is related to light, depth, geographical location, and ocean currents. If we turn north now, we will see sea ice on the sea surface.”

Shi Yuan: “Is there an iceberg there?”

“Yes, but we can’t see it,” Lu Tinghan said, “They should be far out in the ocean.”

“How do you get there?”

Lu Tinghan: “Take a boat, a submarine, or an aircraft. Since there have been monsters on the sea, no one has dared to go out to sea. There are too many extreme situations at sea, even if an aircraft encounters a malfunction and lands in the sea, there will be no chance of survival.”

“What monsters are there in the sea?”

“I haven’t seen it with my own eyes. It is said that there are thousands of meters long whales, glowing sea snakes, and some creatures like sea monsters that can destroy fishing boats and warships.”

“It sounds so scary.”

Lu Tinghan was a little surprised: “Are you afraid of monsters?”

“No,” Shi Yuan said, “I don’t think I can swim.”

Shi Yuan stretched out his hands into the seawater again, letting the tide wash away. The seawater was very cold, and after a while, he couldn’t stand the cold anymore. He withdrew his hand, his fingertips were slightly red.

Lu Tinghan took Shi Yuan’s hand and covered it with his. Obviously, he had just touched water before, but his palm was still warm. Shi Yuan’s hand, which was almost numb from the cold, quickly warmed up.

“Is it cold?” Lu Tinghan asked him.

“Just a little, it’s okay,” Shi Yuan replied, “This is the first time you have seen the sea, right?”

“Hmm.”

“Lu Tinghan, do you not know how to swim either?”

“No, I swim well. I used to be in the top ten in the military academy.”

Shi Yuan: “…oh.”

He thought he had finally grasped Lu Tinghan’s weakness, but he was a little disappointed. Lu Tinghan looked at his expression and smiled.

The sun rose higher in the sky.

The rain subsided a little and the sea became much brighter.

They sat on the beach together, holding hands, and looked at the sea quietly.

After the wind subsided, the tide became gentle, and the ice floes were still drifting, heading to an unknown distance – no matter how Shi Yuan imagined it, he didn’t know what was on the other side of the sea. Could it be polar regions? Lu Tinghan said that there was a creature called the Arctic fox, furry and snow-white, very cute. Could it be land? In addition to the Alliance and Empire, there was another civilization with its own stories. Could it be another ocean? There was nothing but waves and lonely icebergs.

His gaze was too eager, Lu Tinghan explained to him: “Across the sea…”

“Don’t say it,” Shi Yuan interrupted him quickly, “Don’t tell me. I can’t go anyway, let me imagine.”

Lu Tinghan chuckled: “Okay.”

Shi Yuan said again: “I now understand what you said, why humans want to explore the universe and the ocean. I also want to take a look.”

“What about the universe?” Lu Tinghan asked, “Where did you come from?”

Shi Yuan thought for a while, curled up his tail, tangled: “I don’t know…”

He never remembered how the abyss came to be, and he didn’t have much interest in the starry sky. Wu Zhengqing taught him all the relevant knowledge. The wasteland and the city were the places he was familiar with and missed.

However, looking up at the sparse stars on the horizon, at this moment, he was a little unsure.

Lu Tinghan rubbed his head: “Let’s go, let’s keep looking for that ‘voice’.”

Shi Yuan: “Purr, purr, purr—”

They walked hand in hand by the sea, and when they came to the lighthouse, Shi Yuan stood still.

He said: “I see, the sound came from the sea.”

This was troublesome. They couldn’t go to the sea, and they didn’t know how far it was. Shi Yuan might not be able to find the source of the sound.

Shi Yuan asked, “What should I do?” He thought for a while and proposed, “Aren’t you a good swimmer, can you carry me and swim there?”

Lu Tinghan said, “First of all, I am a human, not a speedboat. Secondly, you can change back to black mist.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Shi Yuan just remembered, “I forgot this.” But he couldn’t get too far away from the aircraft, he said again, “Forget it, it seems impossible now, there will always be another chance to encounter it again.”

The sea was still tumbling, Lu Tinghan suddenly said: “Let’s go to the lighthouse, you can see far away, maybe you’ll find it.”

The lighthouse was built by the Empire, it looked like it was made of stone, and somehow it had stood up for many years.

Lu Tinghan explained as he walked, saying that with the electronic navigation system, people basically don’t need lighthouses, they are more used for viewing or declaring sovereignty over sea areas. It was probably the same for this lighthouse. If it was built later, it is not surprising that it is so firm.

The whole body of the lighthouse was gray and black, the rocks under the tower were overgrown with moss, the stairs were also damp, and the railings were all rusty. Fortunately, they were very strong, and neither of them made any noise when they stepped on them and reached the top floor.

They went into a small room first.

There was a small bed, table and chair, bookshelf, kettle, and other daily necessities in the room. It had been put away for too long and it was too old. The pages of the book were damp, sticky and crumpled together, and rotten, and several pieces of clothing stuck to the floor like rags.

There was a camera in the drawer of the desk. Shi Yuan fiddled with it and couldn’t open it at all. There was also more than a dozen developed photos, tied into a bundle by rubber bands, and the moist sea breeze blew away all their colors, leaving a blur of light, shadows, and color spots.

Lu Tinghan said, “This is where the lightkeeper rests.”

“Do they get scared? Always facing the sea.” Shi Yuan walked over to the bookshelf and carefully read a book, trying to distinguish the title.

“It’s hard to say. For people who like the sea, it might be a kind of enjoyment.”

Shi Yuan: “Then do they feel lonely?”

“Maybe.”

Shi Yuan thought of the abyss watchtower.

Lu Tinghan had been alone for 10 years, which was much lonelier than here – although Lu Tinghan probably didn’t think so.