Regardless, Simon temporarily had no time to deal with Taiwu's matters. The large ship he rented was about to depart. Following the ocean currents, it would only take half a year to make a round trip to The Ends of the Earth. If he missed it, he would have to wait until next year.
Originally, his father had arranged for people to accompany him, but Simon refused.
One large ship, with a total of fifty-six crew members, and Simon as the only passenger.
To sea, to sea.
...
The distant ocean surface was clear and azure. On good days, large patches of dazzling white reflection on the sea could blind a person. All colors would be covered by the sun in the sky and the strong glare on the sea. This scenery was not good at all, but rather gave one a dizzying sensation after a nap.
Cloudy days were also common. At such times, the ocean seemed to hold a subtle anger; each wave was clearer and more powerful than usual. Leaning over the ship's rail and looking down, delicate spray spread out on both sides of the hull, like a barrier that suppressed the waves, yet also concealed some signs.
Two months into the voyage, they had seen whales three times: once in the distance, once up close, and another time, they were just passing by.
When whales encountered a large ship, they would emit calls, from far to near, filling the sky and the earth. The sea and sky were so vast, and the whales commanded both the sea and the sky.
Among sailors, traveling to The Ends of the Earth was not encouraged, because everyone who witnessed that unimaginable sight would fall into prolonged hallucinations.
No one knew why, but in any case, when returning from The Ends of the Earth, with the same weather conditions and the same people, the probability of a shipwreck greatly increased.
Therefore, ships heading to The Ends of the Earth would not actually sail directly to the edge of the world. Instead, after approaching the destination, they would launch a small boat, allowing an old sailor familiar with the route to lead visitors on the final leg of the journey.
Simon was no exception. The large ship anchored at an island, and then several crew members found another small boat from the port.
There were many other tourists on the island, perhaps several hundred, who were also going to see the edge of the world. Some had already seen it and were about to return.
It was evident that those who had been there seemed somewhat dazed.
After replenishing supplies, the crew members led Simon on their way.
Initially, the sea was calm. After two days of rowing, strange phenomena gradually began to appear.
The sun was still high in the sky, yet the surrounding light had already dimmed. The reflection on the sea remained, but it was no longer dazzling, as if the inherent color of the seawater was silvery-white.
A faint mist seemed to have risen.
Or perhaps not. Looking around, the seawater was boundless, yet looking back to the west, the continuous island chain on the distant horizon had vanished. The other ships on the same route had also disappeared into thin air.
Looking east, at the sea-sky line, where it should have been a hazy white, it was now pitch black. A black line, with a red halo at its edge, like dawn, was very strange, as if a sun was about to leap out from within, yet the sun was perfectly fine in the sky.
Could it be Tanggu?
Simon frowned. The problem was not just that; the crew members did not respond no matter how he called them. They were only focused on rowing and adjusting the sails. No external stimulus could make them react.
Perhaps they themselves were actually conscious, and their individual perceptions were different. They could still cook, eat, and even communicate—a nonsensical communication, with mutual delays, where a topic proposed would only be discussed after a quarter of an hour.
The people currently on the ship were no longer living, normal individuals.
Even Simon himself could not be sure that he was unaffected.
No one knew what they would encounter next, safety or danger.
But The Ends of the Earth had to be visited.
The Pure Land was just this last bit away from perfectly covering the world.
At that time, it would also be the time of the Buddha's return.
He could have asked others to do this, he didn't have to make a special trip, but since there was danger, how could he push others into an adventure?
Adventure is not synonymous with treasure and gain; it is precisely something that will bring suffering.
Simon preferred to do everything himself.
So-called heroes are all solitary figures.
Furthermore, even if he gave the order, only a few people would ultimately be able to complete the task without being affected by hallucinations.
It was better to go in person; what did half a year matter?
The sea surface had, at some unknown point, completely lost its azure color, and the white reflections on the waves had also dimmed. Deep purple-black mottled fragments surged up, like oil bubbles, adhering, squeezing, splitting, and becoming more and more numerous. A crew member pointed to the sky and said, "It's here, the black sun."
Yes, it was here, the black sun.
The brilliant white sun was enveloped by a veil, turning completely black, yet unlike an eclipse. This was a sun whose corona was also dim, like a piece of black ice, transparent, spreading light, but only illuminating the sky.
On the sea, one could not see one's hand in front of one's face.
The red halo on the horizon was expanding, firmly occupying one-third of the sky. The surging, rolling clouds were large, slightly golden traces within the red light. Looking at the eastern sky, it seemed as if an otherworldly realm was slowly rising.
"We're almost there," the crew member's voice sounded faintly, as if from a great distance, as if through seawater.
Simon could see nothing. He could sense the crew members' vital energy, their spirits, but they were also sometimes near, sometimes far.
The environment of The Ends of the Earth was too chaotic, beyond the acceptance range of all senses.
Too much information was crammed in, yet it appeared so undemonstrative.
It was darkness.
Suppressive and mad.
The more they moved towards that crimson horizon, the smaller the halo became.
No, it wasn't the red light retreating, but he himself was growing taller!
Simon was astonished to find that, at some unknown point, the ship had become as large as an island, and he himself seemed to be a giant touching the sky. No wonder the crew members were sometimes near and sometimes far from him; it turned out that everyone was growing at different speeds.
The sound of the ocean waves was already too distant, completely inaudible. Looking down, the black sea area was only a tiny patch, and he could even see the normal azure sea behind him.
Continuing forward, the red curtain in the sky grew smaller and smaller.
At some point, as if crossing a boundary, Simon suddenly felt his body surge, exceeding that layer of black veil. In an instant, the sky seemed to be torn apart by him. The sky full of red clouds receded into lines. Looking straight ahead, he could see the blazing sun in the void, standing out, suspended on a giant golden tree, like a fruit.
Where is this?
The Ends of the Earth?
Simon held the epiphyllum in his hand, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Stars filled the sky like grains of sand, revolving around a massive sphere.
Looking down, the earth was a perfectly square block, with a curved upper surface, undulating mountains and valleys, flowing clouds, and a sea of dark ice surrounding it. The other sides were swallowed by darkness, their destination unknown.
Where should I place the epiphyllum?
"We're going back!" the crew member shouted.
Going back.
He hastily tossed out the flower, watching it spin in the void.
Blooming, shattering, petals fluttering, transforming into a rain...
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