Rules Ch.363

Chapter 363: The Fountain of Youth (20)

After going through quite a few twists and turns, Grant successfully took over the orphaned heir’s body and inherited all the “assets” of the previous body.

He did not mistreat the family members of his former body because of this. After all, in terms of blood relations, they were the blood relatives of his original body.

Unfortunately, the orphaned heir’s body was still incompatible with Grant’s soul. Its side effects were more severe than ever, and it aged far more quickly than his second body had. Grant had been in it for less than five years when the new body could no longer be used.

Fortunately, by this time, Grant’s grandson, Eli—the son of his second body—had grown up.

The sixteen-year-old boy was tall and handsome, brimming with youthful energy. His entire body radiated the kind of health and vitality that could make anyone envious. He was practically the perfect candidate for a new vessel.

So Grant used the same trick again. He made a will first, then began plotting to take over Eli’s body.

Before long, the orphaned heir died in an accident, and the wealth accumulated by the Megan family once again fell into the hands of Eli, the sole male heir of the family’s main line.

Eli’s body was much easier for Grant to use than the previous one.

At first, Grant could not understand why this was the case. Then, one day, as he stood before a mirror, he caught a fleeting glimpse of himself and noticed a faint resemblance to himself in Eli’s features.

The demon had said that the bodies to be taken over needed to be carefully selected. The more compatible a body was with his soul, the milder the side effects would be.

So, which body was the most compatible with Grant’s soul?

Naturally, it was his own body.

Unfortunately, that body had long since died and been buried in the earth.

His son’s body had inherited half of Grant’s blood, and it lasted for thirteen years. His grandson’s body had inherited one-quarter of Grant’s blood, making its compatibility somewhere between that of his second and third bodies. The distant relative’s blood connection to Grant was exceedingly thin, and the compatibility of his body was terrifyingly poor…

Did this mean that as long as he increased the concentration of “Grant’s” bloodline within a body, he could artificially create a usable vessel?

Frequent changes of body were simply too troublesome. In order to prolong the amount of time he could use a body, Grant came up with a terrifying idea.

He searched through his blood relatives and settled on a candidate—Rolinta.

……

Grant climbed the steps, one at a time.

He did not move quickly.

This body was extremely poorly compatible with his soul. It had been fine when he first invaded it, but as time passed, the side effects of changing bodies gradually began to manifest. Like a machine that had not been oiled in a long time, his limbs often felt stiff as he walked, and sometimes he could barely even move a finger.

Fortunately, as long as he had the Fountain of Youth, none of this would be a problem.

Suppressing the impatience in his heart, Grant forced himself to remain calm and continued forward at a slow pace.

After nearly ten minutes, he finally reached the last step.

A stone-paved platform appeared before him. The square platform was roughly half the size of a basketball court. A walkway ran through the center, with an oval spring pool built on either side.

On the left, water flowed from the mouth of a creature carved in stone that looked like a cross between a snake and a turtle. The water was a vivid, crystal-clear green. On the right, water flowed from a magnificently feathered bird sculpture, its color a pale, fleshy pink.

Grant only needed one glance to guess that the statue on the left was a sea turtle, while the one on the right was a sea eagle.

In Native American culture, the sea turtle represented eternity and longevity. It was the guardian of sacred life. Naturally, the spring flowing from the mouth of the sea turtle statue was the Fountain of Longevity.

As for the sea eagle, like many birds, it maintained its physical prime for a long period after reaching adulthood. Only during the final stage of its life would its bodily functions undergo a precipitous decline.

The Native Americans did not understand the reason behind this. They simply observed that sea eagles remained young and strong for so long and concluded that they were favored by the gods and capable of remaining youthful forever.

And because sea eagles flew so high, in Native American stories, they came to be described as messengers of the gods.

From this, it could be inferred that the pink spring water flowing from the sea eagle on the right was the Fountain of Youth.

The notes mentioned that the Fountain of Longevity took effect through bathing, while the Fountain of Youth had to be drunk.

To test his guess, Grant first walked over to the green spring. He scooped up a handful of water and poured it over the back of his other hand.

The effect was practically instantaneous.

The moment the spring water touched his skin, his fingers, which had previously been stiff and unresponsive, immediately became as nimble and flexible as though the signals connecting them to his brain had suddenly been restored. They moved exactly as he wished.

Sure enough, the spring water could resolve the aftereffects of changing bodies!

The problem that had plagued him for more than a century was finally about to be completely eradicated. Even Grant, normally so restrained with his emotions, could not stop his hands from trembling slightly.

He took two collapsible water bags from Everly’s backpack, filled each with one of the two kinds of spring water, and carefully stowed them inside the backpack.

One of the water bags held 1.5 liters, while the other held 0.5 liters. The larger one was for the Fountain of Longevity, which was meant for bathing. Everly had conducted experiments before and determined that thoroughly wetting a person’s body required roughly one liter of water. The smaller bag was for the Fountain of Youth, which was meant to be drunk. It would not add too much weight to the pack while still providing enough for one person.

Once the two bags were packed away, the surface of the water, which had originally been almost level with the edge of the pools, dropped slightly.

It seemed the guard had been telling the truth. The Fountain of Youth was not inexhaustible. It could actually run dry if too much water was taken from it.

Inside the consciousness space, Everly remained immersed in the secret scenes she had glimpsed during her deep dive, her mind shaken to its core and unable to recover for a long time. It was only now, when she saw that Grant had packed only enough spring water for one person, that a jolt ran through her consciousness and an ominous premonition surfaced.

Sure enough, as she continued watching, Grant began taking off his coat.

He intended to bathe in the Fountain of Longevity!

Realizing this, Everly grew so anxious that she almost couldn’t resist taking action.

But the “Blessing” stopped her—

“When the herd of bison lowers its head to graze, don’t be in a hurry to draw your bow. Wait until their ears are no longer held high and they’ve become completely absorbed in feeding. Only then will your arrow strike true and bury itself firmly in their bodies.”

“The best prey belongs to the most patient hunter. Wait a little longer. Only when he has the powers of both longevity and eternal youth in his grasp will he finally let down his guard. That will be the moment to strike—and then we can ensure nothing goes wrong!”

The “Blessing” was right.

After hundreds of years of continuous devouring, Grant’s consciousness had grown into a colossal entity. Everly’s own willpower was as insignificant before him as a single stalk of wheat. Even with the Sacred Tree Bracelet assisting her, Everly had to find the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack. Otherwise, she might fail simply because Grant’s willpower was too strong.

Everly forcibly suppressed her anxiety and continued observing, waiting for her opportunity.

In truth, now that she had come all this way, she had naturally considered whether she should use the springs herself.

Although in many movies and television shows, immortality was portrayed more like a curse than a blessing, Everly felt that this was because only one person was granted eternal life. Watching the people around you grow old and die one after another would be incredibly painful. The deeper your feelings for others, the more painful each farewell would be. Over time, it was only natural to come to see immortality as a curse.

But if you had family, friends, or a loved one by your side, things would be completely different.

Everly had only one family member: Old John. As for friends, the only ones she was close to were Misha and Orff. Those two friends had relatives and friends of their own, and neither of them would be willing to abandon everyone else in exchange for immortality.

So Everly ultimately made her decision: she would take two portions each of the Fountain of Longevity and the Fountain of Youth back home, place them in front of Old John, and let her grandfather make the decision.

If her grandfather chose only one of the two—most likely the Fountain of Youth—then she would make the same choice as him and use only the Fountain of Youth. If her grandfather was willing to accept both springs, then naturally, with someone to accompany her through a long life, she would gladly accept both as well.

Unfortunately, Grant had thrown all of this into disarray!

Everly glared furiously as Grant wantonly used her body, stripping off her inconvenient clothes, shoes, and socks before immersing her entire body in the spring.

“Hiss…”

The spring water was somewhat cold. Once immersed in it, threads of chill seeped through her skin and pores, spreading into every part of her body. Both Grant and Everly couldn’t help shivering in the consciousness space.

After getting somewhat accustomed to the sensation, Grant took a deep breath and submerged his entire head beneath the water.

His sensations were synchronized with Everly’s. Through a thick membrane that felt like a layer of glass separating them, Everly could feel her entire body being wrapped in the finest silk. An indescribably pleasant sensation flowed in delicate waves from the soles of her feet all the way to the crown of her head.

Time was limited. After soaking for half a minute, Grant climbed out of the Fountain of Longevity, randomly picked up a piece of clothing from the ground, draped it over himself, and walked barefoot to the Fountain of Youth.

He knelt beside the spring, scooped up a handful of water, and drank it.

The Fountain of Youth was icy cold, with a faint metallic tang reminiscent of blood. There was no need to swallow it. The instant it entered his mouth, it was absorbed through the oral mucosa and disappeared.

Grant closed his eyes and sensed the changes for a while.

A faint chill traveled downward from his throat, spreading throughout his body like threads of ice. Once the cold sensation faded, a gentle warmth continuously welled up from within, spreading through every limb and bone.

His body felt as though it had been immersed in a hot spring. The joints and bones throughout his body seemed to be reforged from the ground up, constantly making soft cracking sounds. During the process, some of his aged tissues returned to their vigorous prime, while old injuries sustained during training healed without any treatment. When he casually clenched his fist, he could feel an endless stream of strength surging from within.

This was the feeling of being young—a feeling he had not experienced in a very long time!

It had been far too long since he had experienced such vitality and joy… Frequent acts of devouring had caused Grant’s consciousness to become increasingly bloated. The excessive redundant information would damage the body’s functions the moment he entered someone else’s body, leaving Grant in a constant state of illness.

Even while alive, his joints and internal organs were decaying and deteriorating with every passing moment. Pain followed him like a shadow, and even breathing could leave him feeling tightness in his chest. This was the everyday life Grant had long since grown accustomed to.

He truly had not felt this good in a very, very long time…

What a wonderful body this was! So wonderful that he had almost become infatuated with it!

Suddenly, Grant felt an intense urge to look at himself in a mirror.

There was a voice deep inside him constantly urging him: Hurry, take out a mirror and have a good look at yourself. Although the gender was somewhat less than ideal, this was still a moment of immortality worth commemorating. Didn’t he want to see what this body looked like after becoming a perfect vessel?

Of course he did.

He had worked toward this moment for countless years, endured unimaginable suffering and hardship, and had finally reached the moment when he could reap the rewards. Naturally, he had to use his own eyes to witness this beautiful moment.

Giving in to the desire in his heart, Grant walked over to the pile of clothes on the ground and pulled Everly’s pocket mirror from her coat.

The mirror’s metal casing snapped open. The two circular mirrors facing each other reflected the sky and Grant respectively.

One side reflected the slowly opening metal dome, while the other revealed a face that was both familiar and strange.

Seeing the face in the mirror, Grant froze on the spot.

Of course he knew her—

Rolinta. She was his granddaughter, his daughter, his younger sister, his wife, his mother, his grandmother… And yet she was also a stranger to him, because all this time he had been trying to forget her, along with the vicious curse she had left behind before her death:

“I curse you! Your entire life will be spent pursuing immortality, but your pursuit will ultimately cost you your life. You will die on the road to immortality. You will die at the very last moment, just before you succeed. You will die, you will die, you will die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die…”

Accompanied by that shrill, mournful voice, scenes from a hundred years ago flashed before his eyes, and Grant plunged into the depths of his memories.

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