On his way to Tortuga, Rigel thought it was a pity he had killed all those men in his rage, they could have served as "fuel" for the fountain of youth or even helped him practice his zombification.
But what was done was done.
Although he felt that those men had suffered a quick death, he only hoped that the afterlife in this world would give them the punishment they deserved.
As the ship approached Tortuga, Rigel stood on the bow, staring blankly as the land approached.
"Are you still interested in the fountain of youth?" Dalma appeared beside him at some point, as always, Rigel had stopped caring about it.
Rigel glanced at her and asked simply. "Why?"
"Because I thought it would be a shame if you died." Dalma smiled, leaning back against the railing and placing her hand on Jormun's head. The snake's eyes moved slightly, but in the end, the snake didn't remove her hand.
"I don't intend to use it." Rigel shrugged, he wasn't lying about that, his idea about using the fountain hadn't changed yet.
"Why?" Dalma asked curiously. "Are you the type who thinks a life well-lived is worth more than eternity? I've seen many men like that throughout the ages, most of them heroes of their own stories."
Her final words caused Dalma to maintain that distant, almost inhuman gaze, as if she saw the world differently.
Rigel blinked, but only shook his head. "No, I just think eternal life isn't that simple, there's probably a catch, and besides, I don't want to look like a child forever."
Dalma stared at him, stunned, for a moment before bursting into laughter again. Rigel was already used to the woman's mood swings, so he just stared at her for a moment, waiting for her to stop laughing.
"No, you're not entirely wrong, but still far from the truth." Dalma joked. "The fountain increases life expectancy, it doesn't make you a child forever. You'll still grow normally until maturity, then you'll stop aging until the years you received run out, then you'll start aging normally again."
Rigel blinked, nodding, but that still wouldn't make him wish for a cursed life.
"Regarding your idea of a curse, you're partly right. The fountain was created to test mortals, in fact, it can lead men to commit the worst atrocities. Only a few can truly benefit from its effects, if they do so correctly." Dalma said.
Rigel blinked, looking at her, his curiosity piqued, but Dalma didn't speak, she just looked at him with that amused smile, clearly pleased to know something he didn't, hoping he would beg her to tell him.
Rigel realized this over time, finding it tedious, but in the end, as he had already thought, he had other ways to live longer, having or not having the fountain of youth was purely optional.
He looked away from the woman, turning his gaze back to Tortuga, which was getting closer and closer, hearing Anamaria's shouts and the crew behind him assuring him that the ship would dock safely.
Dalma quickly realized that Rigel wasn't pretending, he genuinely didn't care whether she spoke or not. This made her very curious, wondering if it was because of his youth that he seemed not to care.
Most men only realize what a blessing youth is when they've already lost it.
"You're so boring, you know?" Dalma asked, smiling slightly, not caring much about his disinterest.
"Oh?" Rigel looked at her, amused. He wanted to say that he had never been called boring before in his life, but considering his company, Walburga and Kreacher... well, he was probably the least boring of the three.
Dalma rolled her eyes and said. "There's only one way to use the fountain safely, you have to meet certain requirements."
She raised a finger and spoke. "The mermaid's tear must be for a positive emotion, not a negative one."
She raised her second finger. "The person sacrificed must be a hideous villain, the kind who committed crimes that would offend even the gods."
She raised her third finger. "The person who drinks the water must do so without greed, the fountain of youth is used to save a dying life, not to satisfy personal vanities. The latter is optional, but by drinking without this condition, the desire for life will slowly drown the man who drinks from it, soon he will stop following the first two requirements, and when that moment arrives, the life that person will lead will be even worse than death."
"Unable to die, but unable to live, much like Hector's previous curse." Dalma concluded.
Rigel seemed thoughtful, so it really was a trick question, but these conditions are very easy to fulfill, well, not quite, but at least it's not impossible.
Sure, he didn't completely believe Dalma, but he could try it himself.
Trade the tears of the mermaids, capture some hideous villains, find a good dying person, and give it a try.
It would also be interesting to try this with a normal person who wants to live longer, then put them in his coffin and find out if the coffin's effect can deal with that desire for more of the fountain of youth.
Rigel picked up the compass and looked at it, the compass managed to point to the fountain, so at the very least the fountain wasn't something divine. Thus, the coffin's effect should work. Thinking about the coffin, Rigel even concluded that whatever the fountain's curse was, if used incorrectly, it could be useful, although it would probably take a while to get rid of the curse.
Now knowing that the fountain wouldn't transform him into an eternal child, Rigel's desire for it had increased. Before, he might have been immune to the third point Dalma raised, but now he likely characterized himself as greedy again.
Life is truly full of surprises.
However, with the count's coffin, if it worked... Rigel could actually get a lot of time to live in this world, he just needed some guinea pigs to ensure the coffin's effect would work.
--x--
[A/N: First free chapter of the week, the routine is the same, 160 Power Stones per chapter, maximum of 6 chapters.]