Chapter 94: The Lost Drops of the Spring of Life

“Stonehaven, it has to be you. You must be the one who took the Divine Beast pet egg of the Dark Violet Sky Dragon. To escape the Dark Arch Sorcerer, the Double Headed Raven King, and steal the egg right under his nose… I never would have imagined it. Truly impressive.”

Marcus said nothing. The Appraiser’s flattery slid right off him, and he simply watched the old man, waiting for whatever he would say next.

“Hahaha…” The Appraiser suddenly burst into loud, delighted laughter. His long white eyebrows and beard shook with each breath. “Stonehaven, you really did get the Divine Beast egg, didn’t you? I knew I was right.”

’Holy cow,’ Marcus thought. He had never seen the Appraiser act so gentle or kindly. He looked like a grandpa fussing over a favored grandson. Had the man undergone a complete personality transplant?

“Yes,” Marcus admitted with a small nod. He had no idea what the Appraiser was planning, and he felt the old man was setting something up, but there was no point denying the truth.

“Old Man, what is the history behind the Elven Path?” Marcus asked quickly, taking advantage of whatever bizarre good mood the man was in. The Appraiser being this eager to talk set off more alarms in Marcus’s head than anything else, so he decided he might as well keep him going.

“A thousand years ago, for reasons no records ever explained, the Elven people sealed their holy ground, the Elven Canyon. The Elven Path is the only route that leads into it. In the early years, many fearless adventurers searched for the Path and tried to enter the Canyon. Unfortunately, the Elven Gate within the Path was sealed by the Elves’ Five Element Evasion technique. Without drinking the Holy Water from their Sacred Spring, the Spring of Life, no one could pass through. All of those adventurers returned empty handed. Over the last millennium, the Elven Path faded from human memory, and the Elven Canyon became one of the forbidden lands of the Dreamland Continent.”

The Appraiser explained all of this with a patient tone and a friendly smile, which only made Marcus even more uneasy.

’Something is definitely going on.’

“To the people of today,” the Appraiser continued, “the Elven Path is nothing more than a legend. Hardly anyone knows where it actually is, so the fact that you found it is no small achievement.”

“Old Man, has no one entered the Elven Canyon for a thousand years? You said the Holy Water lets someone pass the Elven Gate. Has no one managed to get any?” Marcus pressed. The Appraiser never volunteered information like this. Marcus figured he should get whatever he could before the old man snapped back to his usual self.

“Hmph… hmph…” The Appraiser gave two cold snorts. “The Holy Water from the Spring of Life is the Elven people’s greatest treasure, their very lifeblood. It produces only one drop every fifty years, and it belongs solely to the Elf Queen. If a human drinks a single drop, it strengthens the body. Five drops will remake a person entirely. Ten drops will make one invincible. It is not something ordinary people have the slightest chance of obtaining.”

’Holy smokes.’ Marcus could not help imagining what a single drop would feel like running through his veins. The thought alone made him lightheaded.

“Old Man, where can someone get the Holy Water?” Marcus asked before he could stop himself, the eagerness slipping into his voice.

“Where can someone get it? You really are bold,” the Appraiser muttered, giving him a disdainful look before continuing. “Before the Elves sealed the Canyon, five drops of the Holy Water existed on the Dreamland Continent. One drop was used by a Master Craftsman to forge a weapon, creating the Cleric Artifact known as the Staff of the Divine Spirit. Another drop went to a Master Alchemist who attempted to refine one of the continent’s Ten Supreme Elixirs, the Pill of Ascension and Creation, but the attempt failed and the drop was wasted. A third drop was consumed by Princess Sea Soul, the most beautiful woman of her age a thousand years ago. It allowed her to maintain her youth and beauty for a full century, making her the fairest mortal in the world, second only to the Goddess of Dreams.”

“What about the other two drops?” Marcus asked, leaning forward as the Appraiser paused and stared at the ceiling with a strained expression.

“The other two drops vanished into the world, taking chaos and bloodshed with them.” The Appraiser let out a weary sigh, shaking his head again and again. “Man dies for wealth, just as a bird dies for food. Those two lost drops from the Spring of Life have claimed more lives than you could imagine.”

“Old Man, is there any news about them at all?” Marcus pressed. Those two drops represented the only possible way into the Elven Canyon, and his nerves tightened as he waited for an answer.

’Every treasure is fought over. Bloodshed is normal. Strength decides everything,’ Marcus thought calmly. ’If someone holds a Divine Artifact I need, and they refuse to hand it over, then I will simply make them drop it. That is how this world works, provided I am strong enough to enforce it.’

“The last two drops of the Holy Water have been missing for ages,” the Appraiser said. “Plenty of adventurers have searched for them, but all have failed. However, I did hear that the Saint Doctor, Dr. Silas Vance, managed to obtain one of the drops in a secret realm some years ago. He intends to use it to refine the Pill of Ascension and Creation.”

“What exactly is the Pill of Ascension and Creation, and why does it require the Holy Water?” Marcus asked. This was the second time he had heard its name, and curiosity gnawed at him.

“The Pill of Ascension and Creation is one of the Ten Supreme Elixirs of the Dreamland Continent. If consumed, it increases a person’s level by one hundred and greatly enhances all basic attributes.”

“What? There is something that broken?” Marcus blurted out, staring wide eyed.

“There are records,” the Appraiser continued, “that the Goddess of Dreams once gifted a Pill of Ascension and Creation to her favorite pet, a small fox. After consuming it, the creature evolved into the Divine Beast known as the Nine Tailed Sky Fox in a single day, becoming one of the super Divine Beasts of the continent. So the pill absolutely exists, but refining it is harder than reaching up and grabbing the stars. In fact, the Holy Water from the Spring of Life is only the weakest of the necessary ingredients. The recipe calls for Holy Dragon’s Blood, Aetheric Sourcewater, the Elderwood Heartcore of the Northern Sea, and the Primordial Radiant Flame Essence for alchemy, along with eight other priceless ingredients. None of them can be gathered by human effort alone. Even if by some miracle someone collected every component, the success rate for refining the pill is only ten percent. It is difficult, difficult, difficult to refine.” He shook his head heavily, repeating the word with clear frustration.

“Old Man, do you know where the Saint Doctor, Dr. Silas Vance, lives?” Marcus asked. He had no intention of giving up on the Spring of Life. Besides, anyone capable of refining such a legendary pill had to be extraordinary. Meeting such a person might offer him an unexpected advantage.

“The Saint Doctor has been in seclusion for many years. If his whereabouts became known, the ruthless figures under the Demon Lord alone would bring him endless trouble. He must also guard the drop of Holy Water.”

“I see,” Marcus said thoughtfully. “Old Man, you really do know everything. Then tell me this. Do you know anything about the four legendary secret locations? The Cloudfall Cascades, the Phantom King’s Temple, the Phoenix Canyon, and the Elemental Nexus?”

By now, Marcus was convinced the Appraiser wanted something from him. Otherwise, the old man would have finished the appraisal, puffed out his beard, narrowed his eyes, and pretended Marcus no longer existed, which was his usual routine. The fact that he was still speaking patiently, answering every question, and acting almost friendly made it obvious.

Since fate had handed Marcus this rare chance, he intended to squeeze every bit of benefit out of it.

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