Alexander on the side also shrugged helplessly. Who knows what made the old captain crazy again? Anyway, it wasn't the first time.
The girl next to him was so frightened by Xuan Hao that she hadn't recovered yet. Alexander was helpless and could only help the old man kneeling on the ground by himself.
Xuan Hao slowly spoke after the old man sat back down in his seat.
"Okay. Now can you tell me everything you know?"
"Of course, no problem. What can't be said?" Vincent smiled, "No one is interested in that thing. Since you want to know about it, I should tell you everything, because I also want to unlock this secret.
!”
He put away his smile and signaled to Alexander, who immediately took the girls out of the room. As the two sea-blue doors closed, all the secrets were sealed in this small room.
Vincent took Xuanhao to the darkroom in the room and slowly walked to the wall. There was a painting covered with black cloth hanging on the wall.
His trembling hands grasped the corner of the black cloth and slowly pulled it down.
As the black cloth was lifted, his eyes seemed to be shining, and his whole person seemed to be full of vitality.
It was a painting, with a blue sea and a blue sky, strange clouds flowing in the sky, and mysterious light falling from the sky, covering the lonely island in the middle of the sea.
The center of the island is covered with towering trees, and the periphery is semicircular, like a cut-out ancient Roman arena. However, the seats where the audience should have been are located one after another, and each cave contains a
With a coffin.
On the sea outside the island, a lone boat is slowly approaching. There is also a coffin on the bow. Standing is a figure tightly wrapped in a white robe. The face of the figure cannot be seen clearly. It looks like the god of death transporting the souls of the dead.
They are also like angels who come to the world to guide souls.
"The head of state said that this is a real island," Vincent observed Xuan Hao's reaction, "The name of this island in mythology...is called Avalon!"
Xuan Hao looked at the painting quietly. Avalon, the legendary ideal land far away from the world, is also the country of the dead.
In Celtic mythology, after the death of the great king Arthur, his body took a boat to Avalon, where he would be resurrected.
Time stands still on Avalon because it is eternal. It is both an island of death and an island of life.
There is no way to verify the myth, but the characteristics of Avalon and Nibelungen cannot be said to be unrelated, they can only be said to be exactly the same.
"It does indeed exist," Xuan Hao looked at Vincent calmly, "That's why I'm looking for it. I know you are also looking for it, so I came to you."
"Yes, yes! Yes!" Vincent smiled with tears in his eyes, "Finally, someone finally recognized me! Do you know that since the death of the Head of State, everyone thinks I am a madman! They
I don’t believe it at all, I don’t believe in the existence of Avalon!”
"Okay, I'm not here to listen to your emotions." Xuan Hao said, "All I want to know is clues about this island."
"Of course! Of course I will tell you!" Vincent couldn't be more excited, "But before that, I would like to ask you to agree to my request."
"What request?" Xuan Hao frowned.
"Do you know why I am looking for this island?" Vincent asked.
"Resurrect your Führer?"
"Yes! Yes! You really understand me!" Vincent's eyes filled with tears. "Now I finally believe it, great emperor! I thought that the novel was all false, but you are not like the description in the novel.
Just like everyone else, omniscient and omnipotent!"
"Uh..." Xuan Hao was a little embarrassed. Did he not expect Fingel to write him so well? He also said that he would settle the score with Fingel later, okay, let him go first.
"Yes, my dream is to find that place in my lifetime! And then resurrect the Head of State!" Vincent almost jumped up with excitement, "As long as you agree to help me, I believe I will succeed! You are the blood of the ancient gods, then
The golden pupils are like divine light! I have seen your majesty just now, it is exactly the same as the description in the novel!"
"..."
Xuan Hao looked at the crazy old man in front of him in silence. Do you want to tell him the truth? It is not a place that can resurrect people at all, it is just a country of the dead. Those buried in those coffins are probably dead dragons.
?
He shook his head slowly, and finally decided not to tell him, because he felt that the old man's old heart could not bear such a blow, and if he told the old man the truth, he might not get the clues he wanted.
"I don't know if your leader can be resurrected there." Xuan Hao said expressionlessly, "But if you tell me the clues, I can take you there with me."
"Thank you so much!" Vincent wanted to kneel down again with great gratitude.
This made Xuan Hao feel a little uneasy about his conscience, but he had no choice. He had to go to that place, so he couldn't tell the old man the truth. All he could guarantee was to take him there safely, which could be regarded as fulfilling the old man's long-cherished wish for many years.
I wonder what will happen to this old man when he knows the truth.
"Do you know its approximate location?"
"I probably know!" Vincent said excitedly, "The reason why I sailed in this area is because I have seen it before! I have seen this small island in the water reflected by the aurora. It is a real pure land.
!Even in this far north, it still looks full of life! But...I have no way to get there!"
"Aurora?" Xuan Hao thought for a while, "Then where is this ship going now?"
"It's exactly where I once saw Avalon!" Vincent said, "Since that time, every time the aurora appears, I will come here to look for it. I have seen Avalon more than once, but there is no
Being able to get there in one go...it's like an elusive holy land. I was once in despair and felt that I might not be qualified to go there. It's great that you can help me!"
"Don't feel... you are just not qualified." Xuan Hao sighed, "You should also know the mythical Avalon, right? That is the place where King Arthur went after his death. Not a living person can go there, normal humans can go there.
You can’t go there, and your leader may not be resurrected, are you sure you want to go?”
"Sure!" Vincent's eyes were firm, "I'm already going to be buried, so there's nothing to be afraid of! As long as I can get there, I can accept any outcome!"
"Well."
Xuan Hao said no more. He had already tried to persuade him. Since the old man was still so persistent, he had no choice but to pay attention to protecting his safety when the time came.
"I will take you there when we arrive at your destination."
Xuanhao turned and left.
A year has passed since he returned from Japan. During this year, he has been with Xia Mi and arranged everything before setting off to come here.
Xia Mi once tried to stop him, because what he was going to do now was a bit unacceptable to Xia Mi, but in the end he couldn't defeat him.
Back in the cabin hall, Xuanhao continued to drink wine, waiting for the opportunity to come.
"Merry Christmas!" Everyone in front of the bar opened champagne and cheered.
"I hope Santa Claus will throw me a sexy fiancé down the chimney! I hope he can play the cello, and the most important thing is to be handsome!" The girl made a Christmas wish, but for some reason, she always looked away when she made a wish.
Xuan Hao glanced at him.
Xuanhao threw the cello box aside expressionlessly, saying that the laborer did not know how to play the cello.
Music rang in the hall, a familiar Christmas song played in the streets and alleys every Christmas.
The boy opened the velvet jewelry box under the candlelight, and the diamond ring reflected the bright light. The girl screamed, and the boy took advantage of the situation and knelt down to propose to her. Not everyone got on this ship just for gambling.
Spending Christmas in the Arctic Circle is a romantic thing in itself, I just hope their ending won't end like the Titanic.
Xuan Hao suddenly remembered the ring he still carried with him. This was the engagement ring he had always wanted to give to Xia Mi but had never found the right opportunity to give it to him.
It's a pity not to be able to bring Xia Mi here, but he can only walk this journey alone.
He quietly looked at the happy people in the hall. The world was good and happy, but he was incompatible with it. Because he was not from this world to begin with...
Xuan Hao slowly swallowed the warm wine, and there were many flavors in his mouth that the wine should not have, but fortunately, they all turned into sweetness in the end, bringing a touch of warmth.
He suddenly remembered that he didn't know how to drink. What kind of bad old man had to force him to drink?
Santa Claus has started delivering gifts, and most tourists can open gambling tables and join in the fun.
The wine in the glass has been finished. Xuan Hao looked at the extra wine glass in front of him and smiled, got up and left.
He was moving in the opposite direction to the crowd, and behind him came the Christmas carols that everyone was singing in unison.
He shook his head slightly and found that he still couldn't blend in with these people.
The song washed him away like a wave, as if a hand was pushing him forward from behind.
"Go ahead, kid, I don't know if the decision you made is right or wrong, but there is no need to look back on what a man decides."
Xuan Hao suddenly remembered the stubborn old man who never looked back even though he knew he would die.
So he didn't look back, just like Master said, once you make a decision, you can't look back.
When he reacted, he was already standing at the highest point of the ship, holding a spear in his hand.
The biting cold wind whistled in his ears, but Xuanhao seemed not to feel the cold, he just stood quietly on a high place and looked at the light emerging in the distance.
Many people have come out one after another on the deck, because this scene is so rare. Hundreds of light cyan aurora hang under the dark sky, changing unpredictably, like a long skirt that can cover the entire sky.
Its edges are embellished with thin light cyan silk.
Xuan Hao thought that someone was patting the glass behind him. He looked back and saw that it was old Vincent shouting excitedly. Although he couldn't hear clearly what he was shouting through the glass, he could probably guess it because he also saw it.
, not just him, everyone on the boat saw it.
In the direction where the YAMAL was sailing, an island appeared in the aurora in the distance.
It's exactly the same as what was painted in the painting "Island of the Dead"!
The people on the deck cheered for joy. They not only saw the aurora but also the mirage. This journey can be said to be complete.
"Wow--"
The sound of breaking glass was heard, Xuanhao smashed the glass in front of him expressionlessly, and picked Vincent up.
Of course, when the people on the deck looked around, there was no one around.
No one knew why the glass at a high place suddenly broke, and no one knew that two people were missing on the boat.
"Ha ha ha ha--"
On the ice in the distance, Xuan Hao ran with the old man in his arms. He was a man of his word and would do what he promised if he was in a good mood.
The one who was laughing was Vincent in his arms.
The old man's eyes filled with tears, "O head of state! Great head of state! It is your soul that guides my path!"
This was the closest the old man had come to his dream. He saw the power of the man in front of him. This man took him to the ice a few kilometers away in an instant and disappeared from people's sight. He looked at the island in the aurora.
Getting closer and closer, he couldn't help crying.
But his body was gradually getting colder, and the extremely cold ice was still too exciting for a skinny old man like him.
Xuan Hao ran expressionlessly. He didn't dare to run too fast for fear of breaking up the old man. The aurora in the distance welcomed his arrival like an open door.
This was someone welcoming him. Someone inside knew he was coming here, so he opened the door.
Vincent is not qualified to come here. If Xuanhao is not here today, this door will not be open. Even if he is seen, no one can go in.
"It's going to be a little cold next." Xuan Hao said calmly, "You can get there if you endure it."
"Thank you!" Vincent's trembling voice remained firm.
"boom--"
Xuan Hao used his spear to penetrate the ice reflecting Avalon, and an aurora shined through the cave into the cold sea water.
This is the entrance, and the aurora is the beacon that guides the way. This is the road to the Kingdom of God.
Bubbles surrounded them in all directions, and they were sinking. The whole world became silent, as silent as death. Ancient voices echoed in their ears, and the whole world seemed to be flying away from them.
The boiling dragon's blood in Xuan Hao's body raised his body temperature. He was not afraid of the cold, but the rickety old man would freeze to death in such water.
When they surfaced again, what they saw was the blue sea and blue sky. Strange colors flowed in the sky, and mysterious light fell from the sky, illuminating the lonely island in the sea.
The entire world seems to have been secretly replaced. This is Avalon, or to be precise, the country of the dead - Nibelungen.
"It's so cold, so cold, so cold..." Old Vincent's body was shaking constantly and his voice was hoarse.
Xuan Hao gently placed him on the shore of the island, "This is it."
"Thank you... thank you!" Vincent thanked with a trembling voice, "Great Emperor, thank you for your willingness to fulfill my wish!"
He stood up with his rickety body soaked. He should have been dead originally. Even under Xuan Hao's protection, it was impossible for this rotten body to survive after being soaked in the cold sea water. But I don't know what it was like.
His obsession made him stand up.
"You... can't go back anymore." Xuan Hao sighed and shook his head slightly.
"No, I am very satisfied to be here at the last moment of my life." Old Vincent suddenly became normal and no longer as crazy as usual. "They all laughed at me and said I was crazy. Resurrection
It’s impossible for the old head of state, I know that! But I’m not crazy!”
"Um."
"I have been searching for my whole life, you know?" Old Vincent's voice choked with sobs, "So what if I can't resurrect the old Führer? I just wanted to come here. I decided that no matter what happened in my life, I never saw that painting.
You have to come here! What a man decides will never look back until he dies!"
"I can probably understand..." Xuan Hao said nothing more and turned around quietly to leave.
"Thank you, you are the only one who didn't treat me as a lunatic."
Old Vincent's voice was full of energy and joy, and he seemed to be young again.
He followed Xuan Hao with his hunched body, looking at the island he had been obsessed with all his life. There were towering trees growing in the center of the island. Everything was so real and beautiful.
…
Xuan Hao walked quietly on the road leading to the center of the island. The island was extremely quiet. As long as he kept silent, nothing seemed to disturb the tranquility here.
This is the resting place of souls. Dead creatures are sealed in coffins. Someone brings their souls here and seals them forever.
That's right, seal.
The beautiful Avalon in mythology is actually a prison here.
The souls of guilty people will be sealed in this eternal place and never see the light of day. The people sealed here are without exception traitors and dragons.
And there is only one person who can seal them here - Odin.
The gods of this world were originally only World Tree, but Black King Nidhogg betrayed World Tree and usurped the throne of God.
Odin should have been holding the gift of the World Tree to protect him, but he was defeated.
He has been thinking of ways to make up for it, but has never succeeded because Nidhogg cannot be killed. The only thing he can do is to bring Nidhogg back here and seal it.
"I knew you would come."
In the center of the huge Roman Colosseum, a figure stood quietly waiting.
Behind the figure are countless coffins in the audience.
He is Odin, and this is the place of his execution. All the betrayers will be defeated by him here and then sealed in the coffin behind him.
"Then do you know what I'm here to do?" Xuan Hao stared at Odin.
"I don't know," Odin shook his head slowly, "but I don't think you are here to fight me, right? You have his aura on you, and you are someone he recognizes. There is no reason for us to have to fight."
"Our goals should be the same."
"Really kill Nidhogg."
"So I want to make a deal with you." Xuan Hao stretched out his hand and threw Kungunir.
"Okay." Odin caught the oncoming spear and slowly opened his one eye under the mask.