Chapter 229: The Pool of Eternal Life
Two days later, Edward woke up from his sleep, fully refreshed and his mind clear and readied. He drank a potion to satiate his hunger and provided enough nutrients for his body. Once that was done, he finally rendezvous with Hermione and Zi Yuan.
The four of them were finally having a normal conversation.
“I apologized for the way I treated you and your daughter in your own home,” said Edward.
“It was us that acted a little too rash. Your wife has explained the situation to us,” replied Zi Yuan calmly and elegantly.
“I know that many people have come here with nefarious motives, so I understand your reaction,” replied Edward. “Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared, let’s discuss the situation.”
He then looked at Hermione to explain.
“I told Zi Yuan that we would help her deal with the Dragon Emperor and make sure that he is no longer a problem.”
Edward pondered for a moment, “The easiest way is to use the Eye of Shangri-La and resurrect him. Then, the moment he comes back alive, we pierced his heart with a cursed dagger and instantly killed him.”
“That seems a little too dangerous,” said Zi Yuan.
“No really. Before reviving him, we can enchant a room with many magic spells to ensure that nothing goes wrong.”
“That sounds too dangerous,” said Lin.
“Yes, we would like a safer solution,” added her mother.
Edward pondered for a while. According to the Mummy 3 movie, this was the tactic that Lin used to try to kill the Dragon Emperor. After Alex O’Connell excavated the tomb, she immediately attacked it with the only cursed dagger capable of killing him.
Unfortunately, this coffin of the Emperor was a decoy as he was not buried there, so the plan failed. Edward taught that using the same tactic would be accepted by the two.
“In that case, let’s just send him into the void.”
“The Void?”
“You can think of it as another world where no one could get ever find him to revive him. And that is only if he could survive there,” explained Edward. The only reason he suggested the first method was because it was easy, cheap, and effortless.
Now, he has to go through a lot of trouble, and honestly, he did not think that the Dragon Emperor was worth it. In terms of worth, he is the less valuable amongst all the mummies in the series.
There are only two things valuable about him: the first one is his mastery of the five elements, and the second is his ability to shape-sift into powerful monsters.
When it comes to the former, Edward can learn about them through the Oracle Bones and Zi Yuan. As for the former, it was only granted to him after he bathed in the Pool of Eternal Life.
“How will you send the Emperor to this other world as you stated?” asked Zi Yuan. Edward did not answer her but used his watch to contact Morgana.
“Boss, you finally remember me,” complained the little elf.
“You know how I get when I get too focused. So, did you get the tree?”
“Yes; I have created a garden full of lunar energy to house it.”
“Were there any complications in the process?”
“Not at all.”
“That’s good. Let me ask you, in your current state, how long would it take you to send someone to the void?”
Morganna placed her little finger on her chin, making a thinking pose: “Depends. If I physically brought it out with the floating city, a couple of hours. If you want me to remotely send it, then it will take a week.
“If you bring the item to the city, then it would take two days.”
Edward pondered for a moment, then decided to live the decision to the mother and daughter.
“Besides the first options, you can choose one of the other two.”
Edward did not want the city to leave this universe and leave him unprotected, even for a couple of hours. Who knows what can happen in the meantime?
Additionally, he did not want to exit and reenter this universe; this was a waste of energy and could lead to other problems. So, he explained the other two choices to Zi Yuan and let her decide.
“The second choice is fine.”
Then, Edward took the three of them to Ningxia Province in China.
Using the Gouging Spell, he and Hermione managed to dig out the Emperor’s tomb in just two hours. Finally, they took his body which had turned into a terracotta status.
Finally, Edward took the group to the Amazon Forest where the Floating City was currently landed. During the entire event, Lin had a fascinated look all over her face; she has never seen such a beautiful and advanced place in her more than 2000 years of life.
As for Zi Yuan, she was calm and collected during the entire event; she looked like an enlightenment monk who has is not affected by mundane life.
Then, in front of the two, Edward sent the emperor’s body to the void. As he expected, the latter disintegrated in just a few seconds; his immortality was rendered useless.
Back at Shangri-La, Edward looked at Zi Yuan and Lin who were packing their things, and asked: “What are you going to do now?”
Zi Yuan paused as she took a brief look around, “I have lived a very long life. And that time, my only concern has been the revival of the Emperor. Now that I’m free from my duty, it’s time to live a normal life.”
“Don’t you have any regret regarding giving up your immortality? Any reluctance at all?”
“None whatsoever. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the normal laws of the universe. For many years, I have managed to escape. Now, it’s finally my time.”
Edward sighed as his respect for this woman grew exponentially. He could never accept deaths so peacefully, nor would he choose it willingly. The world is so vast and there are so many things he wants to see, experience, and accomplish. So, he would never willingly end his immortality.
Of course, this was not the only reason he respected her. For more than 2000 years, Zi Yuan has remained loyal to her husband, General Yang. What’s more, even though she could resurrect him with the Oracle Bones, she never did so as she respected the rights of the dead to rest in peace.
How many people, when given the power to resurrect their loved one without any consequences would refuse to do so? Only a handful.
“A wise old man once told me that death is just another journey. Although I refused to partake in said adventure, I hope yours is fulfilling.”
“Thank you,” said Zi Yuan with a beautiful smile; this was the first time that Edward saw her smile, and it was truly wonderful.
“What about you? Do you know what you’re going to do afterward?” asked Edward to Lin.
“I have not decided yet,” she replied with a low voice, obviously still sad about her mother’s decision.
“Well, I hope you do find out soon enough.”
As Edward watched the family walk down the mountain followed by three yetis, Hermione suddenly asked him:
“Attracted by her?”
“Can’t say I was not.”
“Then, why didn’t you make your move?”
“One, I’m not stupid enough to flirt with another woman in front of you. Two, I genuinely respect her too much to do so.”
“Now I’m jealous of your respect for her.”
“If you can reach a state of mind where you can see ‘death as another adventure’, then I’ll respect you even more than I do now. Alright, let’s go check out this Pool of Eternal Life.
“I want to know its secret.”
“In just a few days since arriving in this universe, we have benefited a great deal,” said Hermione.
“Indeed. Compared to my last trip where I had to plan and fight powerful entities to get some benefit, this universe is indeed easier.”
“Why do I feel like your words are a red flag before everything goes wrong.”
“You’re overthinking things, nothing will happen.”
As he said that, he started to chant a spell that removed bad luck from him. Hermione just giggled at him after seeing this. Soon, they arrived at the clear pool located in the middle of this large cave.
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Title: Divide the Work
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