As the boat neared the old, decrepit pier, all the souls that were in the queue perked up.
Earlier they were feeling brave as they made fun with William, but in the face of the ferryman, who would send them to their final destination, anxiety, and fear, started to sink into their very core.
The moment the boat docked into the pier, the being that was almost three-meters tall, and wearing a black robe that covered its entire body, including its face, raised the lantern in its hand.
“I will only be ferrying a hundred souls at a time,” the Ferryman said. “In half an hour, another Ferryman will come to fetch the next batch, so all of you, make sure to line up properly.”
William wanted to cut in the line, but before he could even execute this plan, the Demons that were beside him all started to make a ruckus, catching the attention of the Ferryman who was watching over the souls that were boarding his boat.
“You bastard! Why are you cutting in line?!”
“Uncultured plebeian who can’t even line up properly? Weren’t you taught by your parents about good manners and right conduct?”
“Tsk, just because you are more good looking than me, you think you can break the rules? Not on my watch, playboy.”
“What Prince of Darkness? All I see is Prince of Cutting in Line. Shame on you bro, shame on you.”
The Demons were making so much noise that William was very tempted to burn their souls until nothing was left with his flames of darkness. However, he was hesitant to do it because he might break some unwritten rule within the Underworld, and it might get in the way of his goal to look for his wives.
Because of this, the Half-Elf endured and simply stood with his arms crossed over his chest, while the Demons threw taunts at him.
“What’s happening here?” the Ferryman approached while still holding the lantern in his hand.
“Sir, this Plebeian is trying to cut in line!” one of the Demons shouted. “Can’t you tell him that he should line up properly? You know, like civilized people do?”
“Just because he is better looking than me, he thinks that he can do whatever he wants!” another demon shouted. “I believe in equality! I say that he should follow the rules and fall in line like the others!”
“That’s right!”
“No cutting in line!”
“We will not waver!”
“Lolita no touch!”
After a minute of shouting, the Ferryman finally had enough and raised its bony hand to silence everyone.
“Stop making a ruckus,” the Ferryman shouted. “What do you think of this place? An auction house? The Underworld has rules, and whoever breaks those rules will need to get punished.”
The Ferryman then glanced in the direction of the Half-Elf before pointing its bony hand on his face.
“For the crime of trying to cut in line, you will come with me,” the Ferryman stated. “If you resist, you will be imprisoned for a hundred years before you can even enter the cycle of reincarnation.”
The Demons who heard this suddenly had smug expressions on their faces. They even sneered at the Half-Elf with some even mouthing “serves you right!”
William ignored all of these pettiness and decided to follow the Ferryman without resisting. He still didn’t know the rules of the Underworld, so he went along with the creature in front of him, and just behaved for the time being.
After taking William onto the boat, along with 99 other souls, the Ferryman raised the lantern in its hand, signaling that the boat was already full.
A moment later, the sound of a bell was heard in the distance, and the boat finally departed from the pier, leaving tens of thousands of souls behind, waiting for the next Ferryman to arrive to take them to their final destination.
William stood on the boat and gazed at the fiery river around him. From time to time, a black soul would come to the surface and give a sad wail that made the other souls on the boat shudder.
These were the souls that had committed grave crimes when they were still alive, and they would be spending a dozen years, trapped inside the river, before they were taken to the next level of the Underworld, where they would receive their next round of punishment, depending on the nature of the crime they commited.
After a two-hour journey, the boat finally reached its destination, which was another port. This particular port, in general, was well maintained, and looked many times better than the old decrepit one where they had left two hours ago.
“All of you disembark,” the Ferryman commanded. “This place is called Limbo. You can stay here for as long as you like. If you wish to leave and enter the Cycle of Reincarnation, just go to one of those people holding placards over there.
“They are the staff here in the Underworld that will help you cross over to the Cycle of Reincarnation. Take note that you will need to pay Hell Credits in order to hasten the process of your reincarnation, so make sure to listen to their advice properly on how to earn credits.”
The Ferryman pointed in the direction where several men and women were holding placards with various words written in it in different languages.
Out of curiosity, William narrowed his eyes and looked at one of the Placards that was being held by a beautiful lady with both hands to see what kind of services they were offering.
“Got Erectile Dysfunction, step right up! I’ll fix you with a Quickie!”
William blinked as he looked at the Placard for the second time because he thought that he had read it wrongly. However, after reading it three more times, he finally concluded that there was nothing wrong with his vision.
He then shifted his gaze at another beautiful lady who was holding another Placard that was only three-meters away from the Placard that he first saw and read the words written on it.
“Premature Ejaculators? No worries, be happy! You’re not alone!”
The Half-Elf didn’t disembark from the boat because the Ferryman told him not to do so. Also, he had no intention of lining up in any of those places, because he didn’t come to the Underworld to enter the Cycle of Reincarnation.
When the last soul had left the boat, the Ferryman once again raised its lantern, making the boat leave the pier, and move deeper into the Underworld along the River of Flames, carrying the Half-Elf, who had entered the Underworld even though he was still very much alive.
