As a botanist, Lily had always believed that a mythical tree capable of curing all diseases was hidden deep within the mysterious Amazon rainforest.
The arrowhead Lily possessed was a sacred artifact of the indigenous Puka Michuna tribe, who worshipped the mythical tree, and it could guide its bearer to the tree's location.
Thus, Lily once again approached Shaw, pleading with him to bring his men and help her search for the mythical tree.
At first, Shaw remained skeptical, dismissing such a thing as nothing more than a fairy tale for children.
However, after Lily's persistent persuasion—and after unlocking more than a dozen new "gymnastics poses"—Shaw was ultimately convinced by her, if you know what I mean.
He figured that, since he had nothing better to do, accompanying a woman on an adventure wasn't such a bad idea.
Thus, Shaw led his elite subordinates deep into the Amazon rainforest in search of the legendary mythical tree.
Near the Amazon River, Shaw hired an experienced indigenous guide named Frank.
The main reason he chose Frank was because he recognized the man's face immediately.
A powerful intuition welled up inside him.
This guide had to be the protagonist of this world.
The reason was simple.
Frank had the face of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
A face like that clearly didn't belong to this era.
Naturally, Shaw concluded that Frank had to be the protagonist, making him believe a little more in the existence of the mythical tree Lily had described.
Sure enough, wherever the protagonist appeared, the villains were never far behind.
Prince Joachim of the German Empire also began searching for the mythical tree, traveling aboard his submarine.
Shaw's subordinates clashed with the prince's forces on the Amazon River, resulting in a fierce battle that inflicted heavy casualties on both sides.
During the intense fighting, Shaw made an astonishing discovery.
Frank possessed immortality.
Whether cut down by swords or riddled with bullets, Frank always recovered within a short period.
His body seemed to possess endless vitality and regenerative power.
Later, through his conversations with Frank, Shaw learned something even more incredible.
Frank also possessed eternal youth.
Time itself seemed incapable of affecting him.
Judging by his age, Frank had already lived for more than four hundred years.
This astonishing revelation immediately ignited Shaw's greed.
Just as every ruler longs for eternal life,
Shaw also wished to obtain this mysterious power, pursue true immortality, and enjoy his authority forever.
Later, through Frank's own account, Shaw learned that the source of Frank's extraordinary abilities was his former commander and brother-in-arms, Aguirre.
Many years earlier, Aguirre and his soldiers had brutally massacred the Puka Michuna tribe that had once saved them.
As he lay dying, the tribe's shaman cast a terrible curse upon them.
Although the curse granted Frank immortality and eternal youth, it also permanently bound him to the Amazon River Basin.
They became prisoners of this land.
If they attempted to leave a certain distance, countless vines from the jungle would emerge and mercilessly drag them back.
However, these restrictions did not discourage Shaw.
Instead, they only strengthened his determination to achieve eternal life, making him even more committed to finding the mythical tree.
At the same time, Frank desperately wished to break the curse.
The two immediately hit it off and decided to embark once more on the arduous journey to find the mythical tree.
Meanwhile, Prince Joachim also found Frank's former companions, who had been sealed away many years earlier.
When Aguirre led his men in massacring the Puka Michuna tribe, Frank had betrayed them and protected the shaman's daughter instead.
For this, Aguirre and his men struck him down, leaving him on the verge of death.
As a result, the shaman also included Frank within the scope of the curse, granting him immortality alongside the others and preventing him from dying that night.
However, from that day onward, Frank was relentlessly hunted by Aguirre and his former companions.
In order to escape them, Frank devised a trap and buried them deep underground.
Doing so prevented the vines of the Amazon from dragging them back and also severed the life force continuously supplied by the Amazon, turning them into stone statues and subjecting them to an even deeper curse.
When they eventually awakened, they discovered they had completely lost their human forms, their bodies grotesquely twisted by the curse.
The jungle itself had begun consuming them.
Aguirre was cursed by serpents, his entire body transforming into a monstrous mass of snakes.
Others became living trees, some turned into beehives, while others dissolved into living mud.
In short, although Aguirre and his companions lost their human bodies under the curse's torment, they gained powers far stronger than before.
At the very least, they could transform into elements and no longer needed to regenerate damaged flesh.
Prince Joachim discovered the place where Aguirre and his companions had been sealed.
Using water from the Amazon, he successfully awakened them, intending to use their power against the immortal Frank.
The pursuit by Aguirre and his companions quickly forced Shaw's group into a desperate situation.
These indestructible monsters, capable of manipulating the forces of nature, left ordinary humans completely helpless.
The only option was to run.
Shaw led his people while fighting and retreating, eventually managing to escape Aguirre's pursuit.
After another long and arduous search, they finally reached the legendary mythical tree before anyone else.
However, by this point, the mythical tree had already withered with age, appearing like nothing more than a dead trunk that would crumble at the slightest touch.
Fortunately, the Puka Michuna tribe had preserved the mythical tree's final spark of life.
As long as an altar was erected and exposed to moonlight, the tree would bloom one last time, producing mysterious flowers known as Moon Tears.
This miraculous plant possessed the power to remove every curse, yet it could also inflict every curse, making it an incomparably precious resource.
However, this would also be the mythical tree's final bloom.
It had already exhausted everything it possessed.
Once the moonlight faded, the mythical tree would perish forever.
Shaw immediately ordered his men to gather as many Moon Tears as possible.
While Shaw collected the flowers and mourned the impending death of the mythical tree, it suddenly released all of its remaining life force and established a profound spiritual connection with him.
During that communion, the mythical tree passed all of its memories to Shaw.
Among them were invaluable pieces of knowledge, including methods for cultivating the mythical tree and producing Moon Tears.
After obtaining this priceless inheritance, Shaw immediately used the power of the Moon Tears to effortlessly lift the curses afflicting Aguirre and his companions.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he raised the gun in his hand.
Two shots to the chest.
One shot to the head.
Aguirre and his companions died permanently.
Afterward, Shaw returned to his own territory carrying the mythical tree's seeds and the harvested Moon Tears.
There, he began an ambitious new project—
constructing the Mythical Tree Altar.
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