Chapter 357: The Fountain of Youth (14)
The long-awaited staircase was right before her, yet Everly did not dare immediately hand over the meteorite and ascend it.
The reason was simple: she needed to be on guard against Grant and Savannie.
She didn’t know whether the two of them had entered the “white world” just like Everly had. At present, the exit of the silver-white metal passageway was completely empty, and there was no sign of either of them.
Since she hadn’t seen their corpses, Everly assumed they were still alive.
Based on what she had just experienced, Everly believed that the third trial for finding the Fountain of Youth was most likely related to one’s “merits.” In other words, only those who had accomplished something significant would be qualified to reach the foot of the mountain.
As she grew up, Everly had encountered many horror movies. For various reasons, she had intervened and changed the tragic fates of some of the people in those films, directly or indirectly saving quite a number of lives. Those scattered acts of kindness had accumulated into a powerful force that earned recognition, allowing Everly to successfully pass the third trial and arrive at the foot of the mountain.
But she would not therefore assume that the “merits” Aurelbis was evaluating here had to be righteous ones.
Gods were beings beyond the limits of human understanding. They were not bound by human morality. Some actions that humans considered unforgivable and utterly heinous might mean absolutely nothing to them.
Take cuckoo chicks in the eyes of humans, for example. In order to monopolize their “parents'” resources and care, cuckoo chicks would push the other nestlings out of the nest and kill them. Some people might indeed consider this cruel, but the vast majority of humans would not regard it as some great sin, because this was simply an instinct that cuckoos had developed through countless generations of natural evolution.
If killing the other nestlings allowed them to survive better, then so be it. Why should humans, high above them, rage and resent the injustice suffered by a few helpless chicks?
The same logic applied to Grant Megan.
He had pursued immortality by conducting research into things like “artificial god creation” and “virus-based life extension.” These studies certainly involved inhumane practices, violated ethical standards, and crossed legal boundaries. At the same time, however, the results of his research could genuinely be applied to numerous fields and advance the development of those fields.
Since that was the case, then he could be considered a person with merits.
As for whether those merits were stained with blood? Sorry, but the gods didn’t care.
……
Although everything above was merely Everly’s speculation, she believed her reasoning was unlikely to be wrong. After all, Grant Megan was suspected to be the ultimate villain of a certain horror-movie series. For a character with such a strong presence, even if he was destined to die, he ought to die at the hands of the protagonists. Yet during Everly’s search for the Fountain of Youth, she had not seen any characters who appeared to be the protagonists.
—Incidentally, Everly suspected that the protagonists of the film series Grant belonged to were Remia and Gregory, because those two had appeared with remarkable frequency in cases involving Grant.
Condition one: the ultimate villain of a horror-movie series.
Condition two: while the villain was doing bad things, the protagonists were busy elsewhere and failed to show up in time.
If both conditions were met, then the search for the Fountain of Youth could be viewed as the villain secretly carrying out a “self-upgrade” behind the protagonists’ backs.
And countless horror movies had taught Everly one thing: when a major villain desperately wanted to accomplish something, and the movie’s protagonists weren’t around to interfere, there was an 80-90% chance that the villain would succeed. Only then could a movie villain maintain his overwhelming presence and ensure that, aside from when he was facing the protagonists, he remained the strongest character in the entire movie.
Therefore, putting the witch Savannie aside for the moment, Everly believed there was a very good chance that Grant would pass the trial and obtain the Fountain of Youth.
And that was something Everly absolutely could not accept. She had already crossed paths with Grant, and he knew exactly what she looked like. Even if Everly obtained the Fountain of Youth and left immediately, who knew whether Grant might use some unconventional means to uncover her identity and drag her to his laboratory as a test subject for his immortality experiments?
By then, not only Everly, but her grandfather might also be dragged into it. Just thinking about the consequences was enough to make her chest tighten.
So she decided to strike first.
Everly looked toward the guardian standing before the staircase.
Both Orff’s poems and Alexander’s legend described the guardian as a “flame angel.” Alexander’s legend provided a more detailed description. In that story, the guardian was “burning fiercely.” Its voice was flat and strange, its body tall and powerfully built, while bright light shone from its eyes and chest.
Considering the similarities among the various legends of the Fountain of Youth circulating across Europe and the Americas, Everly tended to believe that the “god” or “creator” who had left the Fountains of Youth in both places was either the same being or the same group of beings.
Using Alexander’s description as a reference, Everly had imagined the appearance of the American Fountain of Youth’s guardian many times. Some of her ideas had been wildly imaginative, but after seeing the guardian in person, Everly realized that her imagination had still been far too limited.
Because the guardian was a robot.
Its appearance was humanoid, with a head, torso, and four limbs, and its build was comparable to that of a burly adult man. However, instead of skin and hair, its body was covered in a layer of silvery-white metal. Distinct seams could also be seen around its limbs, neck, waist, and hips.
The robot had no facial features. Where its eyes should have been was a curved electronic display. Every so often, several red, mist-like tendrils would extend from the screen and float in the air, using the tips of their appendages to probe and gather information from their surroundings like jellyfish.
Beneath the electronic display was its mouth, represented by a series of honeycomb-like holes on a flat surface. They looked similar to the holes on a telephone microphone, most likely serving to produce and collect sound.
Aside from the electronic display where its eyes should have been, red information-stream tendrils would also periodically extend and retract from the center of the robot’s chest and from the joints connecting different parts of its body. This perfectly matched the description in Alexander’s legend of “light shining from its eyes and chest.”
There were also numerous tubular structures on the robot’s back that looked like a cross between wires and blood vessels. They plunged deep into the soil, anchoring the robot firmly to the ground. Countless tubes, each as thick as a wrist, were arranged neatly in two flattened rows, forming a structure resembling wings. Perhaps this was why the ancients had believed them to be “angels.”
The island of the Fountain of Youth had been left behind by the Winton people’s god, Aurelbis, while the guardian protecting the staircase was a robot. One was a god, the other an unmistakable technological creation. At first glance, putting the two together seemed completely incongruous, but the more Everly thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
When Everly had first investigated information about the Fountain of Youth, she had already suspected that Aurelbis might be an extraterrestrial higher-dimensional being. After all, the being seemed particularly fond of meteorites that “carried information about life,” which hardly seemed like something an ordinary god would take an interest in.
Some of the things Everly had encountered after arriving on the island further supported this hypothesis.
For example, the outer island inhabited by various prehistoric creatures; the silvery-white passageways made from an unknown metal; the unimaginably advanced holographic projection of an entire planet; and the information streams containing all the knowledge accumulated on Earth since its birth…
Compared with simply calling these things “divine miracles,” interpreting them as extraterrestrial technology seemed much more fitting.
Even taking this hypothesis as a starting point and looking at the island as a whole, Everly noticed that its shape—flat around the edges and raised in the center—bore a striking resemblance to the classic saucer-shaped spacecraft described in UFO sightings. The outer island where Everly had previously traveled could be seen as the rim of the saucer, Pudding Island as the main cabin, and the silvery-white passage from the second trial as the connection between the inside and outside of the flying saucer…
At this thought, Everly suddenly broke out in goosebumps.
If Aurelbis really was an extraterrestrial astronaut, then why had it come to Earth? Was it an accident, or had it come here to conduct experiments? Were humans its subjects of experimentation and observation? And could the Fountain of Youth it had left behind be part of some conspiracy?
Several questions flashed through Everly’s mind in an instant.
She didn’t know the answers to the first two questions. As for the last one, after thinking it over, Everly dismissed the conspiracy theory.
Because there was no need for one.
If Aurelbis really wanted to study how humans reacted after drinking the Fountain of Youth, it could simply have “bestowed” the water upon them. The ancient people revered Aurelbis as a god. As long as it gave the word, countless virtuous and talented tribal warriors would have eagerly volunteered to become its experimental subjects. There was simply no need to go to such lengths—having the island periodically surface, setting up trials, and making everything so complicated.
Moreover, in Alexander’s story, the guardian of the European Fountain of Youth had once refused to grant Alexander immortality on the grounds that “the god does not want humans to attain eternal life; at least, the god here does not permit it.” This showed that there was disagreement within the extraterrestrial civilization itself.
Perhaps Aurelbis really was as the myths and legends described it, taking pity on frail humanity. Perhaps it had decided to give the “best, most devout, and strongest humans” a glimmer of hope, secretly leaving behind the seeds of immortality.
As for the so-called Fountain of Youth, perhaps it was the genetic material left behind by the original version of the “perfect human” that had eventually been destroyed.
……
Having gone over everything once more, Everly took a deep breath, walked up to the guardian, and attempted to communicate with it.
??
Sensing Everly’s approach, a pale arc of light appeared across the guardian’s eyes and swept over her from head to toe.
Then a mechanical, rigidly formal synthesized voice came from the guardian’s “mouth.” It was surprisingly up-to-date, even speaking in American-accented English:
“Welcome, brave one. Please present the key to obtain permission to ascend the staircase.”
“Hello. May I ask when the island will sink?” Everly didn’t hand over the key. Instead, she immediately threw out the most important question.
The electronic display in the robot guardian’s eyes flickered once, and its flat, emotionless electronic voice sounded again.
“Based on the brave one’s current location and the challenge currently in progress, analysis indicates that the ‘island’ in question refers to Pavuka Oris Ananino… On this basis, the answer is as follows: the island will sink in twenty-four minutes according to island time.”
Everly continued, “Then after I obtain the Fountain of Youth, do I need to return the way I came?”
She asked this because the story of the hero Gesar had ended like this: Gesar arrived before the staircase but was unable to produce the correct key. The guardian refused to let Gesar ascend and sent him back to the mainland.
Everly therefore guessed that once someone successfully reached the guardian, there was a chance of triggering the island’s “rapid evacuation” option.
The guardian’s answer confirmed her suspicion.
“Answering the brave one: after obtaining the Fountain of Youth, there is no need to return the way you came.”
Hearing the answer, Everly finally relaxed.
Time on the island was far too chaotic, and its flow was different from that of the outside world. Everly had been worried the entire time that she wouldn’t have enough time. Now that she had finally reached the foot of the staircase, if she were to be halfway through her retreat when both she and the island were submerged by seawater, even if she could use seawater to create air bubbles, she wouldn’t be able to hold out for long. If something went wrong, it would still be extremely dangerous.
But if she didn’t have to retrace her route and there was another shortcut out, then she’d have plenty of time to deal with Grant and Savannie.
For the sake of caution, Everly asked another question.
“If I get into a fight with someone here, will you intervene?”
“Answering the brave one: the guardian does not interfere in any conflicts on the island.”
“Can multiple people obtain the Fountain of Youth? Or once one person obtains it, do the others lose their chance?”
“Answering the brave one: the Fountain of Youth places no restriction on the number of people who may obtain it. It may be freely taken until the spring runs dry.”
“Are the two people behind me still alive?”
“That question is beyond my authorization level. No answer will be provided.”
……
After asking all those questions, Everly had a much clearer picture of the situation.
She looked around and found an empty patch of ground near the edge of the staircase at the foot of the mountain. She removed the Sacred Tree bracelet from her wrist and tentatively placed it on the muddy ground.
Although this was a floating mountain, perhaps because it originated from the same source as the Sacred Tree, the bracelet quickly sprouted after touching the ground and grew into a lush banyan tree.
It blended seamlessly with the other trees surrounding the staircase. Without careful observation, there was no way to notice anything unusual.
At the same time, Everly held the chameleon skull between her teeth and hid behind the banyan tree.
Lie in wait, and wait for the rabbit to come to you.
Patiently waiting for her prey to take the bait.
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Author’s Note:
There are famous “astronauts” depicted in some murals associated with the Sumerian civilization. I’ll paste some information I found through searches. Just treat it as the foreign version of Approaching Science and don’t take it too seriously.
The idea that “Sumerian gods were aliens” mainly stems from nontraditional interpretations of archaeological discoveries from the Sumerian civilization, such as cuneiform tablets, as well as its myths and legends. This view is not part of the mainstream scientific consensus and falls under the category of the “ancient astronaut theory.” The following are some commonly cited pieces of evidence used to support the hypothesis:
1. The planet Nibiru and the legends of the Anunnaki
Sumerian texts mention a planet called Nibiru on multiple occasions, claiming that the Anunnaki, regarded as the supreme gods worshipped by the Sumerians, came from there. According to the legends, the Anunnaki traveled back and forth between Earth and Nibiru aboard circular flying craft. Certain descriptions of them—such as wearing specialized protective suits and consuming specific foods—have been interpreted as resembling the characteristics of modern astronauts. Supporters of the theory argue that ancient people could not have conjured up concepts such as space travel and spacesuits out of nowhere, and that these records may actually have been accounts of extraterrestrial visitors.
2. Advanced Astronomical and Mathematical Knowledge
The Sumerian civilization achieved remarkable accomplishments in astronomy and mathematics, seemingly far beyond those of other civilizations of the same era. For example, they created precise charts of celestial movements, supposedly discovered the common divisor of the orbital periods of all known planets (the Nippur Constant), and were capable of performing extremely complex mathematical calculations, such as raising 4,200 to the seventh power. Some theories argue that such knowledge, seemingly far ahead of its time, could not have been developed independently by humans of that era and was more likely the result of instruction from extraterrestrial intelligent life.
3. Parallels Between Mythology and Technological Devices
Sumerian mythology describes various devices and events that appear to possess characteristics of advanced technology. For example, the base established by the supreme god Enlil at Nippur was regarded as a “connection point between heaven and earth,” and some have speculated that the mysterious devices there may have functioned like modern radar or signal-transmission equipment.
Similarly, in the legends of the Great Flood, the god Enki instructed humans to build an ark to preserve the seeds of life. This has been interpreted as an extraterrestrial scientist protecting Earth’s biological specimens, and has even been linked to the theory that Earth is an extraterrestrial zoo.
4. Depictions of Flying Craft in Murals
Some murals and reliefs found at Sumerian sites depict figures ascending into the sky aboard objects resembling spaceships or flaming chariots. Traditional interpretations regard these as religious ascension rituals, but proponents of the ancient-astronaut theory point out that certain details in the images—such as exhaust flames and cabin-like structures—seem more consistent with descriptions of space travel than with mere religious or superstitious imagery.
It should be emphasized that all of the above evidence is based on speculative interpretations of ancient texts and artifacts, and there is no direct archaeological evidence, such as surviving extraterrestrial technology, to support the theory. Mainstream academia generally holds that the achievements of the Sumerians arose from the accumulation of human knowledge and the natural development of civilization, while the “gods” in their mythology were largely personifications of natural forces and royal authority in the society of the time.