Ethan paced back and forth inside the cave, determined a position, and looked up at the rocky ceiling above.
"What did you find?"
Jack and Elizabeth had been quietly watching without disturbing him. When they saw him stop, they approached, only to find Ethan standing still, running his fingers through his hair. But before they could ask further, he suddenly spread his arms wide.
A beam of light shot down from the seemingly unremarkable cave ceiling, enveloping Ethan.
"Come on in."
Just as he was marveling at the phenomenon before him, Ethan's timely reminder snapped them out of their daze. The two hurriedly ran into the range of the light.
As soon as they stepped inside, a wave of dizziness hit them. Then, they felt a sudden wetness around their calves. When Jack finally regained his senses and took in his surroundings, he realized they had left the cave and arrived in a place unlike any they had seen before.
"It's beautiful..."
Elizabeth's admiration made Ethan roll his eyes. He honestly didn't see anything particularly beautiful in these barren mountains. Even though nature had created countless wonders, let alone something as miraculous as the Fountain of Youth, he wouldn't have described this place as beautiful.
"Don't move yet."
Ethan stretched out a hand to stop them before they could go forward. He retrieved the Book of Inheritance, then released it, allowing it to float in midair.
"What is he doing now?"
By this point, Jack and Elizabeth were no longer surprised to see Ethan pull out a massive book out of nowhere. But they were still curious about what he was up to. They watched in stunned silence as the book opened in midair, emitting beams of light that scanned every inch of their surroundings.
"I'm recording the environment here."
Ethan had long suspected that the Fountain of Youth was a natural magic circle formed by the environment itself. To confirm this, he needed to analyze every detail of the area. If he could break down the mechanics behind this so-called "magic," he might even be able to replicate it.
This scanning function had always been available to him, but he had primarily used the Book of Inheritance for copying texts rather than analyzing environments. It wasn't until he got inspired by Tony's holographic workbench that he realized his book could do something similar. In a way, constructing magic circles with the book was not so different from this process.
The fully activated Book of Inheritance worked swiftly. With just a few sweeps of white light, all the environmental data was recorded.
Now, whenever necessary, Ethan could analyze this place in detail, ensuring that nothing was overlooked.
"All done."
After retrieving the Book of Inheritance, Ethan briefly checked the recorded information. Satisfied, he put the book away and signaled to Jack and Elizabeth that they were free to move around.
However, the two were still fixated on Ethan's now-empty hands, only snapping out of it when he reminded them of something even more extraordinary ahead—something that awaited their discovery.
"So this is the Fountain of Youth?"
Jack circled a peculiar ring-shaped stone structure several times, scrutinizing the clear water flowing over it, but he didn't see anything particularly special about it.
Elizabeth, too, felt a tinge of disappointment. Given Ethan's attitude, she had expected something more magical. But at first glance, it just looked like any ordinary spring.
"It is just ordinary spring water."
While recording details with the Book of Inheritance, Ethan hadn't been idle. He had also been closely observing the area, sensing various fluctuations in the surroundings. At this point, he had already reached a conclusion.
As he had suspected, this location had a unique natural environment that generated a special magical effect, one that infused the stone platform with an abundance of pure vitality.
By coincidence, a clear spring happened to flow across this very stone platform, precisely through the area with the highest concentration of vitality. At the exact moment when the water dripped from the platform's edge, the vitality within it would peak.
However, as the droplets fell into the pool below, the vitality within them would gradually dissipate. The magic of this place would then absorb that lost vitality, redirecting it back into the stone platform. The cycle would repeat as the water continued to flow.
In other words, the only true Fountain of Youth water was found in those small droplets still in midair, just before they touched the ground.
"The life force in the spring is constant."
This spring contains abundant vitality. As long as one drinks its water, they can replenish their life force, extending their lifespan and restoring their body to peak condition. For the elderly, this essentially means regaining their youth.
However, the magic of this place lies in the fact that the life force it contains remains constant—it neither increases nor decreases. If someone attempts to take some of it, the spring will automatically draw life force from its surroundings to replenish the missing portion.
This replenishment process is rather violent, as it randomly selects targets within a certain range. For example, if Jack were to drink a large cup of water from the Fountain of Youth, he would absorb a portion of its vitality. Immediately, the mysterious force would activate, extracting an equivalent amount of life force from nearby sources to compensate for the loss.
Ethan and Elizabeth, who are currently within range, could become unwilling targets of this extraction. Even Jack himself might not be spared, potentially losing his life in a battle of vitality recovery.
Perhaps it was due to this uncontrollable danger that someone later created the Holy Grail, allowing the magic circle to draw vitality from a specific target instead of extracting it indiscriminately.
Of course, this was just Ethan's theory, based on his analysis of the environment and his knowledge of the original events. There could be some discrepancies with reality, but as long as such a risk existed, he needed to find a way to counter it and prevent any unfortunate outcomes.
Originally, he had planned to fully analyze this place first. But now, his priority had shifted—figuring out how to extract the Fountain of Youth's water while avoiding the backlash of its mysterious power.
"I need some time."
Seeing Jack about to reach for the spring water, Ethan stopped him.
"Don't touch it yet. This isn't something that's completely safe for you."
Elizabeth, who had just extended her hand, immediately froze. She quickly withdrew it and asked the same question Jack had in mind.
"Now that we've found the Fountain of Youth, what do we do next?"
"Next..." Ethan rubbed his chin, considering his approach. "I'll need to stay here for a while to uncover this place's secrets."
"And then?"
"Then?"
Ethan mentally calculated his remaining time. He should still have plenty left, but who knew how long this would delay him? Perhaps just enough to fully analyze the Fountain of Youth, or maybe only enough to solve the problem of how to take its water with him.
"Then, I might have to return to where I came from."
Both Jack and Elizabeth instinctively felt that Ethan's destination wasn't somewhere they could easily follow. Out of nowhere, Jack even asked, "Heaven?"
"..."
Ethan was tempted to say you're the one going to heaven, but in a sense, for someone like Jack, a man who thrived on adventure, a world of endless seas and boundless journeys might just be a kind of paradise.
Brushing off their questions, Ethan refocused on studying the Fountain of Youth.
Of course, he wasn't the type to completely lose himself in research and neglect everything else. Each day, he found time for other things—chatting idly with Jack, checking in with Gibbs, and even teaching Elizabeth some basic swordsmanship.
Elizabeth's talent was indeed impressive, far superior to what Ethan had started with. Not only was she well-versed in sailing, but she also picked up swordsmanship at an astonishing speed. Her only real limitation was her physical strength. As a noblewoman, her agility was decent, but her stamina and raw power were lacking. Even after a period of training, she had only barely managed to shed her reputation as a decorative fighter.
However, with Jack Sparrow—a restless troublemaker—as her sparring partner, Elizabeth quickly learned how to use terrain and environment to her advantage. She was no longer limited to direct sword fights and had developed a flexible combat style. Against ordinary opponents, she would be more than a match.
Though these days were monotonous and repetitive, Elizabeth's energetic nature and Jack's inability to sit still made them bearable. Still, as they watched Ethan's expression grow more serious, they realized he was approaching a breakthrough in his research on the Fountain of Youth.
From then on, to avoid disturbing him, both refrained from asking Ethan to send them away and instead quietly observed his work.
Then, on this particular day, they watched as Ethan carefully drew the twentieth strange symbol onto the stone platform. His expression had been growing more solemn by the day, but now, for the first time in a long while, a smile appeared on his face.
At that moment, the air seemed fresher, the atmosphere no longer as oppressive, and even their breathing felt smoother.
"Did you finish it?"
Jack's face was full of anticipation, eager for the answer he wanted most.
"I've only completed the first step."
Hearing this, Jack thought they'd have to remain in this desolate place even longer. Fortunately, Ethan soon gave him hope.
"We don't have to stay here anymore. Once I finish sealing these springs of vitality, we can leave."
As for the Fountain of Youth itself? Ethan had no intention of destroying it. According to his calculations and preparations, his actions wouldn't cause its collapse. Instead, it would enter a period of slow recovery. Once the magic circle he arranged completely faded, the Fountain of Youth would naturally regain enough vitality to return to its original state.
All he was doing was taking away all the Spring Water of Life at once, rendering the Fountain of Youth temporarily ineffective.
(To be continued.)
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