The wooden boat landed ashore.
The crew was in a state of being utterly drained, and Wu Wen appeared the same, having lost at least twenty pounds.
The tadpoles residing within their bodies had fed well, and were now wriggling away from the infection holes.
Most returned to the sea,
but the fullest, healthiest tadpoles actively approached the Ferryman, crawling into the holes on his face for some sort of examination.
During the wait, no passenger left the boat alone,
partly due to their weakness,
partly because the entire island was enshrouded in mist, with indistinct sounds and odd silhouettes visible.
The examination concluded,
and the Ferryman turned to the seven passengers, giving instructions through the breaths between his holes.
Five were asked to proceed to different parts of the island, where certain duties awaited them.
Wu Wen and a creature covered in brown fur, resembling a primitive ape, were returned the full tadpoles.
