Chapter 100: The Altar and the Holy Water
Chapter 100: The Altar and the Holy Water
After advancing for a while, passing through many trees, vines, and rocks, Wu Hao, along with the group of apes behind him and the guiding old ape in front, arrived at the central area of this underground space.
This place, referred to by these apes as the "altar," is usually off-limits to any ape. Even now, except for the guiding old ape and Wu Hao, the other apes stopped their steps when approaching the periphery of the altar.
Arriving at the central position of the altar, Wu Hao quickly noticed a small circular pool enclosed by stones. It could be more accurately described as a rock formation resembling a landscape feature found in a park.
However, the central circular pool in this altar was entirely different from ordinary stones found outside. The entire structure, which stood at less than 3 meters tall and occupied an area of less than 2 meters in size, had a crystalline white appearance. At the center of this structure was a concave area about the size of a porcelain bowl, containing a milky-white, translucent liquid that filled about 3/2 of the concave space.
Seeing this, Wu Hao understood that this unknown liquid was likely the "Holy Water" mentioned by these apes. "I wonder what this crystal-clear liquid is and how it can allow these apes to live for hundreds of years," Wu Hao thought to himself. Although he didn't know what this substance was, from the memories of the ape, he knew that despite being less than a porcelain bowl's worth, it had taken hundreds of years to accumulate this much.
Based on this alone, it's clear that this liquid must be something extraordinary. Although these apes consumed small amounts of it at regular intervals over the past few centuries, most of it has been preserved intact.
"Chief Dam, this time I will only take a small amount of this holy water with me. The rest, you and your people should continue to guard it well," Wu Hao pondered for a moment and spoke to the old ape beside him.
While this old ape possessed the highest intelligence among all the apes here, it didn't have any ulterior motives. In its eyes, guarding this "holy water" was the lifelong duty of their ape clan.
The reason Wu Hao only intended to take a small amount of the liquid this time was twofold. First, he currently lacked suitable containers for storage. Second, he couldn't guarantee that carrying away these liquids wouldn't cause them to lose their effectiveness.
Therefore, for the sake of caution, he thought it best to take only a small quantity and, once back at his base, conduct research and analysis. If necessary, he could return here with specialized equipment to collect more of this mysterious liquid.
"Great Divine Emissary, guarding the holy water is our duty, and we will protect it with our lives," Chief Dam solemnly declared.
Seeing a relatively short ape standing before him, speaking in this manner, Wu Hao couldn't help but be reminded of the movie "Planet of the Apes." These apes in front of him were like a real-life version of that film!
For the next few hours, Wu Hao participated in a ritual held by the ape group at the altar. Afterwards, he explored the entire underground space. Finally, he used a container similar to a small bamboo tube, provided by Chief Dam, to collect a few drops of the "holy water." He sealed it carefully with another section of the container and handed it over to Wu Hao with great solemnity.
Seeing the container brought by Chief Dam, Wu Hao understood that these procedures had been passed down among the apes for generations.
This bamboo-like plant was one of the few types of vegetation in this space. The unique underground environment was illuminated entirely by the luminous stones that filled the overhead space. These stones provided constant light, ensuring the brightness of the entire area and meeting the growth requirements of certain plants.
The plants able to survive in this underground space were vastly different from those on the surface. They had adapted to the unique light and environmental conditions of this underground world. These plants were essentially an entirely new species unknown to humans.
After receiving the "holy water" from Chief Dam, Wu Hao didn't linger any longer. He had a basic understanding of this underground space now. Whether it had formed naturally or was a relic of some ancient Earth civilization didn't matter to him. What he knew was that he was the only one who had discovered it so far.
Inside this underground space, the most important thing was undoubtedly the liquid that required a long time to accumulate. Based on the information he had obtained from Chief Dam's memories, he knew that these liquids formed once a year, and it took a whole year for a single drop to appear. Given the significant amount in the small depression below, it was clearly the result of centuries of accumulation.
As for the purpose of this liquid, Wu Hao only knew the simplest one: it could extend the lifespan and increase the longevity of any living creature.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that just this one property alone would make it a miraculous substance, driving all of humanity into a frenzy. After all, this was something that could increase one's lifespan.
Scientifically, it had been shown that human lifespan was far more than the relatively short 100 or so years that most people reached due to various factors like diseases. Throughout history, there were records of extraordinary individuals who lived for several hundred years, even though many of these accounts were considered folklore. However, now that Wu Hao had witnessed this remarkable liquid, he wholeheartedly believed in those historical records.
The world was full of wonders, not to mention the unsolved mysteries that persisted even today. It was clear that ancient humans possessed great wisdom and advanced civilizations, on par with or even surpassing modern humans.
"This expedition to the Dragon God's Ridge has yielded tremendous rewards. Now, I should return to the base first, study and analyze this liquid, and also deal with those humans near the base's cabins. Otherwise, if they continue to stay there, it will pose a significant risk to my coming and going from the base," Wu Hao contemplated with a sense of satisfaction and determination.
As for the exploration team from the government that had appeared near his base's cabins, he was determined to find a way to make them leave. Otherwise, the risk of exposing his base would increase significantly.
Simultaneously, Wu Hao needed to conduct a detailed analysis of the mysterious liquid he had obtained in the Dragon God's Ridge to ensure its optimal utilization.
Announcement We made it to 100 chapters! Pretty fuckin awesome. I know I said I was gonna do 3 chapters a week but this week I gave you guys 6. Thats because..........I'm still unemployed and have fuck-all going on in my life.This chapter upload first at NovelBin.Com