Chapter 238: Chapter 236: Seeking Immortality
When humans first arrived on the 3rd Floor of the Abyss, they were terrified and desperately tried to find a way out.
But the 3rd Floor of the Abyss was not a place one could come and go from as they pleased.
After countless failed attempts, they could only accept their circumstances. They found a relatively safe island and settled down.
Then, the humans began to gradually explore this strange sea.
After encountering all sorts of strange phenomena, they came to believe this was the Immortal Realm, a world where Immortals lived. That, they thought, was why so many wondrous things happened.
It wasn’t until they encountered a race they could communicate with that the humans learned the basics about the Abyss.
That race was called the Chali.
The Chali Race’s settlement wasn’t far from the human island; it was only a half-day’s voyage away.
However, the waters around the Chali Race’s island were perpetually shrouded in fog, and humans tended to avoid the area whenever they passed by.
That is, until a small fishing boat was caught in a storm while out at sea and, by a twist of fate, washed up on their island.
The moment he set foot on the island, the fisherman was seized by a strange figure covered from head to toe in twisted tree roots.
The roots covering the figure constantly writhed and crept, looking as menacing as venomous snakes.
Before the fisherman could realize what was happening, one of the roots had coiled around his body.
"Don’t kill me!" the fisherman shrieked, begging for his life. But in response, he heard a gentle question:
"Why would I kill you?"
It took the fisherman a long moment to realize the gentle voice was coming from the root itself.
And the bizarre creature connected to the root was watching him with curiosity.
"Are you the one talking to me?" the fisherman asked, mustering his courage.
"Yes, this is how we communicate," the creature said, pointing to the root. "It connects our Soul Spirits."
"Soul Spirit?"
Although the fisherman spent his days at sea now, he had once been one of the empire’s foremost Alchemists. That innate desire to seek immortality still lay hidden deep in his heart.
"You’re an Immortal? To be able to communicate with a Soul Spirit!" he exclaimed in astonishment.
"I am not an Immortal. This is a natural instinct for our race," the creature explained patiently.
Hearing the words transmitted by the root, the fisherman remained unconvinced. He assumed the Immortal was just being modest.
’There’s always a higher mountain, an Immortal beyond Immortals. An Immortal who won’t admit their station must do so because there’s an even greater being above them.’
And just like that, the fisherman convinced himself, firmly believing the creature before him was an Immortal.
"Immortal, would you take me as your disciple?" The fisherman pointed to the catch on his boat. "You can have all of this, Immortal."
He had managed a bountiful catch in the storm. His boat was filled to the brim with all kinds of seafood, as well as some junk he’d planned to take back to the island for the others to study.
Of course, the fisherman felt his "offering" was a bit shabby, but he figured it was worth a shot.
’Maybe the Immortal has been in seclusion for so long, he’s craving some seafood?’
’It’s not like becoming a disciple is that simple, anyway,’ he thought. ’Immortals have their own rules. They wouldn’t agree so easily.’
To his surprise, however, the creature stared at the seafood on the boat, its eyes widening beneath the cover of roots.
The fisherman, a seasoned courtier from his time serving the emperor, was an expert at reading people. He immediately spotted the craving in the Immortal’s eyes.
’An opening?’
He quickly stepped aside to give the Immortal a clear view of his haul.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the Immortal turned and stammered, "What does it mean... to take someone as a disciple?"
’He doesn’t even know that?’
’Has the Immortal been in seclusion for so long that he’s gotten a bit confused?’
The fisherman looked at the Immortal, clad only in bark and roots, and sighed to himself. ’It seems the path to immortality comes at a price.’
While lamenting this inwardly, the fisherman began to patiently explain to the Immortal.
"It means you’d be my master, and I’d learn from you..."
Listening to the fisherman’s explanation, the Immortal had an epiphany.
"Okay! In that case, you can be my master. I’ll listen to you."
"Huh?"
And just like that, the fisherman took an Immortal as his disciple...
The root-covered Immortal called over his companions, and together they carried all the seafood from the boat away.
Utterly bewildered, the fisherman followed his new disciple on a grand tour of the island, only then slowly realizing he was among an entire race of these beings.
A race he had never even known existed.
"Disciple, what is your race called?"
"The Chali Race, Master."
"Why that name? What’s its origin?"
"There is crossing, and there is separation. Thus, Chali."
"..."
The fisherman stared at his earnest disciple for a long time before finally blurting out, "I don’t get it."
...
And that was how the humans came to learn about the Abyss from the Chali Race.
The Chali Race loved seafood. As long as the humans brought it to their island, they would patiently answer any question.
They held nothing back.
As they continued to learn about the Abyss, this group of humans—whose goal was the pursuit of immortality—finally asked the Chali Race the ultimate question:
"How can we live forever?"
The humans never expected that the Chali Race would actually know the answer.
What they expected even less was that the Chali Race, who had always answered them forthrightly, would suddenly become evasive.
They clearly knew the answer, but they refused to speak of it.
The subject was like a taboo for their race. Every member of the Chali Race would fall silent at the mention of immortality, refusing to utter another word.
Only the fisherman’s disciple ever let a small hint slip during one of their conversations.
"Master, why are all of you humans asking how to live forever?"
"It’s our ultimate goal. Why?"
The disciple was silent for a long time.
"Over this time, Master, you’ve taught me Alchemy and Medicine Making, how to read the stars, divination, and feng shui. I’ve learned a great deal."
"Alchemy requires ingredients; the finer the ingredients, the more precious the pill."
"The same is true of the heavens. A long clear spell leads to drought; a long drought must end in rain."
"Divination speaks of opposites, of creation and destruction. Where there is a positive, there must be a negative."
"When the wind comes, the water flows. When the wind stops, the water stills..."
"Master, these are things you humans have known all along."
The more he listened, the more uneasy the fisherman became. He felt his disciple was hinting at something, but he couldn’t grasp the meaning behind the words.
"What does any of this have to do with immortality?" he couldn’t help but ask.
The disciple sighed and shook his head helplessly.
"It’s nothing. I just feel that human knowledge is so vast and profound. There’s much I still don’t fully understand."
Hearing this, the fisherman assumed his disciple was just venting. He patted one of his roots and said, "It’s alright. Take your time and learn."
"Okay."
But the disciple still looked as though he had something more to say. He glanced around, and once he was certain they were alone, he placed both his hands on the fisherman’s shoulders.
His expression was dead serious.
"Master, your people must stop asking. Humanity cannot afford the price of immortality."
"You cannot even bear the cost of knowing what that price is."
In his disciple’s eyes, the fisherman saw a plea of a kind he had never witnessed before.
