Life Game In Other World
Chapter 438: The Legend of the Fountain of Youth (Major - )

Chapter 438: Chapter 438: The Legend of the Fountain of Youth (Major Chapter)

He Ao glanced at the middle-aged man and raised his hand to signal him to wait a moment.

Then he stepped into the back room and woke up the sleeping Ennie.

Ennie looked at her father’s cheeks, a bit dazed at first, intending to act spoilt and linger in bed for a while longer, but the sight of the surrounding tents gradually brought back the memory of yesterday’s events.

Then she jolted upright from the bed.

The place had changed, and she could not afford to lounge in bed at ease anymore.

There were no toiletries available here. The young girl simply wiped her face and tied her messy, exploded hair into a ponytail before following He Ao out the door.

The middle-aged man was waiting outside quietly.

He was aware that He Ao did not completely trust them, which was quite normal in the wilderness. If He Ao showed no caution at all, he would have suspected He Ao of being a swindler.

Afterward, He Ao followed him deep into the camp, passing by as the surrounding Wilderness Wanderers curiously watched them.

The homes of these Wilderness Wanderers were largely alike, predominantly uniform wooden cottages.

However, there was one wooden cottage that was rather special. It was located at the very center of the camp, with a footprint equivalent to five or six smaller cottages, roughly circular in shape, its outermost timbers painted with simple white wash, appearing somewhat grand and solemn, the most eye-catching building in the entire camp.

Yet the middle-aged man did not lead He Ao into this cottage but took him to a simple small cottage at the very back of the camp, adjacent to a cliff.

The door of the cottage was ajar, seemingly in anticipation of guests.

The middle-aged man did not push the door open but stood at the entrance and gestured for He Ao to enter.

He Ao glanced at the half-open door before him. Through the faint gap, he could see that the light inside was rather dim.

He gently placed his hand on the wooden door and pushed it open.

The interior of the cottage was sparsely decorated, with a few small wooden chairs and a simple, rectangular wooden table, behind which sat an elderly man with half-white hair and a face lined with wrinkles.

The elderly man was sitting with his eyes half-closed and hands resting on his legs, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The middle-aged man seemed accustomed to this scenario; he lifted his hand to signal He Ao to come in, then stood at the doorway, turning his back to watch the outside.

Ennie looked around with a hint of confusion, but she did not speak, simply standing quietly behind He Ao.

He Ao stepped forward, crossed the threshold, and entered the cottage.

Ennie followed him in.

Creak—

The middle-aged man behind them reached out to close the wooden door.

The elderly man sitting farthest inside slowly opened his eyes.

"Welcome, traveler from afar, please take a seat."

His voice was very hoarse, as if he were on the brink of death, and he spoke slowly, with the late-in-life breathiness characteristic of the elderly.

"Hello."

He Ao nodded politely and took a seat on one of the chairs.

Ennie sat down behind him.

"I have heard your story, guest, and indeed it is astonishing, but I truly cannot imagine what here could attract you."

The elderly man spoke slowly, but every word was enunciated clearly.

In fact, his words carried an undertone of bidding the guest to leave.

To the Wilderness Wanderer families, accepting a person of unknown origins was a dangerous affair.

The Andavi family had been generous enough to accommodate He Ao for a night. Someone knowledgeable of decorum would now be preparing to take their leave.

Of course, they did not have to depart immediately. Most strong travelers who arrived unexpectedly could choose to leave offspring within the family. This was one way for Wilderness Wanderer families to absorb excellent genes from the outside.

But He Ao hadn’t come here just to rest for the night. He lifted his head, gazing at the Elderly and asked in a gentle voice, "I’ve heard that the Andavi family is guarding a legend about the Fountain of Youth."

"It’s just a simple legend," said the Elderly slowly, "Many of the Wilderness Wanderers across this wilderness know about it, and if you, sir, wish to hear, I can share it with you."

"I would like to hear it in detail."

He Ao straightened up, adopting a pose of eager attention.

"Legend has it that a long time ago, before the cities were built on this wilderness, a massive earthquake occurred. The earthquake ripped a fissure in the earth, and from that crack gushed out a milky-white liquid, forming a pool of water."

The Elderly continued his slow narration, "At first, those living nearby didn’t know what this spring water was. The people at the time thought it was the blood flowing out of the earth. Since it was pure white, they believed it was related to Heaven, so they came to regard it as the blood of both Heaven and the earth,

"This pool of water, from the very beginning, has continuously attracted the living beings around it. Those who lived nearby had peculiarly extended lifespans, so people began to believe in its power to grant immortality. The reputation of the Fountain of Youth gradually spread out, and that’s the legend of the Fountain of Youth."

"Does this Fountain of Youth truly grant immortality?"

He Ao softly inquired.

The Elderly lifted his wrinkled eyelids, glanced at He Ao, and then said slowly, "Yes."

"Hmm?"

He Ao watched him intently.

He heard a certain conviction in the Elderly’s tone.

"In the legend passed down through our generations, drinking from the Fountain of Youth indeed grants immortality," the Elderly said slowly, "It’s just that immortality might not necessarily mean for humans."

"Not necessarily for humans?"

"That’s what our legend says, and I don’t know how to interpret that sentence."

The Elderly said softly, "If you, sir, like our family, you’re welcome to stay a bit longer in the camp."

With that, he closed his eyes once more, ceasing to speak.

Squeak—

The wooden door was pushed open again, and a middle-aged man stood at the entrance, gazing at He Ao and Ennie within, "Mr. Pete, would you like me to show you around the camp?"

This cabin was not soundproofed, so the middle-aged man outside must have heard their entire conversation clearly.

"Alright."

He Ao glanced at the Elderly and, without delay, stood up.

He had a premonition that this Elderly definitely knew more about the Fountain of Youth. The fact that he wasn’t speaking now simply meant He Ao hadn’t presented anything persuasive enough to him yet.

To find out what might persuade the Elderly, He Ao would first need to understand his needs.

The middle-aged man was slightly surprised by his readiness but still began to show He Ao around the cabin.

He Ao walked quietly alongside the middle-aged man, listening to his introductions.

This middle-aged man must be a D-level Transcendent. The Andavi family had allowed He Ao in, probably confident in their ability to subdue him.

After all, from the description of that young man, He Ao was just a sharpshooter.

A sharpshooter without his powerful sniper rifle is powerless when confronted by a Transcendent at close range.

After the young man was taken away, he must have been subjected to a night of inquisition by Ennie. Most likely, he would have revealed all that he could.

However, given the middle-aged man’s confidence, there must be other hidden resources within the camp, certain that even if He Ao concealed his strength, they would be able to confront him confidently.

He Ao followed the middle-aged man’s steps forward.

The camp wasn’t big, yet it was fully-equipped, like a sparrow with all its organs intact.

Inside the Andavi family, a rather clear division of labor had already been established: professional hunters, professional butchers, professional bakers.

The entire family didn’t rely solely on manual work; He Ao saw many assembly line machines that came from Fortress City.

The Andavi family had dismantled these large assembly line machines, retaining only the portable components, and then replaced conveyor belts and machineries with manpower, successfully maintaining the normal operation of some basic industries like slaughterhouses, garment factories, and so on.

Automation was transformed into semi-automation, but the ability to resist risks increased.

The difficulty lay in how to train a group of technical workers who could skillfully operate machinery.

Similar factories existed in Ronald’s camp before, but they always ensured the automation process, with the entire production line moved out from the city.

It was difficult for the Wilderness Wanderer Camp to gather a large number of skilled workers with foundational knowledge, letting Wanderers control machinery was not much better than having them fight black bears with their bare hands.

To have quality workers, there must be quality education.

There must be an established system of schools within this camp.

Indeed, just a few steps further, He Ao saw buildings resembling mobile schools.

Teachers were giving lessons to students inside the huge tents, and there weren’t just one of these large tents; many of them were grouped together, with children of different ages sitting in different tents.

This was already a systematic form of education.

This camp looked very much like a miniature society.

As He Ao walked past the school, some sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls, vibrant with youth, were let out by their teachers and followed He Ao.

Ennie immediately became alert, stepping in front of her father, watching those young girls warily.

Intuition told her that these girls, about her own age, wanted to be her mom.

He Ao laughed and ruffled the girl’s head, saying, "Don’t worry, it’s nothing."

Ennie pouted, but did not move aside.

He Ao laughed and turned away from the school, continuing forward.

Beyond the factory and school was the residential area, where many young women were controlling small machinery inside their homes to produce textiles or mechanical components.

As He Ao passed through these areas, some of the women, graceful in figure with full chests and hips, would occasionally glance up at him.

Their gazes were as gentle as water, their pupils deep as an abyss.

These women had clearly borne children, their eyes tender as autumn waves, their whole beings exuding a moist radiance.

Among the Wilderness Wanderers, women who had borne children were in high demand because this meant they had a lower chance of complications during childbirth and stronger fertility.

These must be the favored daughters of this tribe

···

They shouldn’t be called daughters,

According to the customs of the Wilderness Wanderers, these should all be widows whose husbands had died unexpectedly···

He Ao fell silent for a moment, then shifted his gaze away.

Although they said they were showing him around, in reality, it was for him to pick and choose, to see if there was anyone he liked, with whom he could leave his genes.

He Ao lowered his head, lost in brief thought.

At this moment, standing behind He Ao, Ennie felt her father seemed to be tempted.

She sighed. If her father wanted to remarry, she could not stop him, so she simply turned her gaze elsewhere, pretending not to see.

At that time, He Ao raised his head, looking at the middle-aged man, "Is this all there is to the camp?"

Then he pointed to the white wooden house at the very center of the camp and asked softly, "May I visit that place?"

Seeing where he pointed, the middle-aged man’s expression changed slightly,

"Please wait."

He took a walkie-talkie and went to the other side.

After a moment, he came back and spoke softly to He Ao, "The chieftain says you can visit, but we ask that you keep quiet."

"Alright."

He Ao nodded.

He then walked towards the building, chatting with the middle-aged man.

Meanwhile, Ennie stood behind, stunned for a moment. She glanced at He Ao’s back, then at the charming widows.

Was Dad really not considering it again? There were several sisters who looked very kind···

The young girl was unsure whether to feel happy or lost. She sighed and hurried to catch up with He Ao.

By then, He Ao had already started chatting with the middle-aged man.

"Is that building a temple?"

"No, it’s a hospital."

"Hospital?"

He Ao was taken aback.

In his memory, Wilderness Wanderers rarely had anything to do with hospitals; most Wanderer families had a clinic, or having a doctor or a pharmacist was already quite impressive.

But a hospital, that’s not something a couple of doctors could support.

"Yes."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly. After receiving the directive allowing He Ao to enter the hospital, he clearly showed much more respect for He Ao, "The hospital is the most solemn place of our clan, only medical staff, patients, and persons of distinguished status may enter, please."

He Ao approached the white house, looked at the building, and then glanced around at the neighboring structures.

There were stairs in front of the white house, and the whole building was raised on a stone foundation, making it taller than the surrounding buildings.

This ’hospital’, rather than a hospital, seemed more like some kind of temple.

The hospital doors were open, He Ao stepped up the stairs and walked straight in.

The hospital was a multi-level building, and overhead, He Ao could see there were more floors.

"The hospital has three levels,"

the middle-aged man explained,

"The first floor is for general outpatient services, where we mostly treat sicknesses or handle simple injuries.

"The second floor is for inpatients, where clan members with serious injuries or illnesses are placed under care.

"The third floor is the research area, where our doctors and pharmacists work on new medicines."

Ennie looked at the building, expressing genuine admiration, "It’s so advanced."

If such a structure were in a city hospital, it would be completely normal, and she wouldn’t be surprised.

But to have such a seemingly complete hospital structure on top of the wilderness, within this camp, was astonishing.

At the moment, the first floor was busy with ordinary people seeking medical care. The outpatient department was divided into many small cubicles, each with young doctors in white clothing treating patients.

These young doctors were ordinary people; He Ao glanced at them, then followed the middle-aged man up to the second floor.

The second floor was divided into many areas, with beds placed for patients, and an elderly doctor in his fifties or sixties was making his rounds.

He Ao took a glance at the elderly doctor and paused.

The breath of the elderly doctor was not weak.

Then he used Divine Sense to examine the energy flow within the elderly doctor’s body.

Faint white energy was circulating within the elderly doctor’s body.

Transcendent!