Gilgamesh was at a loss and said to Jiyusudra: "What should I do, Jiyusudra, where will I go?"

Jiyusudra ignored him and immediately called the sailor and said: "O Urshanabi, the man you brought here is full of dirt. Take him to the bathing place and let him wash away the dirt.

Moisten the body with fine oil, throw away the animal skins from his body, put on a gorgeous robe worthy of him, and let him return to his city brand new!"

Seeing that denying was useless, Gilgamesh could only follow Urshanabi to the bathing place. He washed away the dirt with clean water, revealing his snow-white skin, and his body was as fit as ever.

He put on close-fitting underwear and brand-new robes, put on the sacred cloak that only belonged to elders and priests, tied up his curly hair, and restored his original radiant appearance.

On the vast coastline, Urshanabi sailed the boat, and Giusudra and his wife came to see Gilgamesh off.

Gilgamesh looked back reluctantly on the boat, his eyes praying sadly for something. His lips moved, but he didn't say anything after all.

The boat climbed over the waves on the beach and began to leave the ocean.

Looking at the lonely back of the young man, Jiyusudra's wife complained to her husband and said: "Gilgamesh came here after all the hard work and exhausted all his strength. How can we bear to let him return empty-handed?"

?What can you give him so that he can return to his hometown in glory?"

Jiusudra was persuaded by his wife and felt compassion, so he shouted to the departing boat to stop. Gilgamesh had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and he immediately punted the boat back to the shore.

Jiusudra said to him: "Gilgamesh, you have suffered so much to come here, I should be able to give you some gifts to take back. Come, let me tell you something, a

A secret that only God knows! There is a plant that looks like a wolfberry, with thorns that look like thorns. That plant can rejuvenate people and keep them youthful forever!"

Hearing this, Gilgamesh asked in a low voice in surprise: "Where is this plant? How can I get it?"

"This kind of grass grows in Apsuri, I will take you there right away!" Jiyusudra said.

Gilgamesh was brought to a well behind the mountain. The "well" was much larger than an ordinary well. It was covered with an iron plate that would never rust, and incomprehensible runes were engraved on the iron plate.

"This is one of the entrances to Apsu," Jiyusudra explained.

"Apsu" is the abyss, and also generally refers to the entire underground freshwater system, which is officially the domain ruled by Enki. Gilgamesh was so excited that the Grass of Immortality was right in front of him. What a pity for God, and the hard work paid off!

Jiyusudra recited a spell, and with a burst of golden light, the restrictions on the manhole cover were lifted. Gilgamesh opened the huge and heavy iron cover, and a blast of crisp air blew from below.

He looked down and saw that this was indeed no ordinary well, but a clear underground river flowing through it. The water was as deep as a lake.

Jiyusudra said: "You have to be careful, the water here is very deep, and that kind of grass grows at the bottom of the water."

This was not a problem for Gilgamesh, after all, he grew up by the river! He found two heavy stones, tied them to his ankles with ropes, then lifted the stones and jumped into the water. He was

As soon as his hands were loosened in the water, the heavy stones dragged him down, and it took a long time before he sank to the bottom of the river bed.

The water here is very cold. Gilgamesh searched carefully in the water. Hidden among the rocks, there was really a shimmering water plant full of spikes. The water plant was very strange. At the bottom

It is divided into 7 stems, each stem is spiral-shaped, with a skirt-like leaf edge attached to it. The leaf edges are full of small thorns, and there are small balls like buds growing on the top.

Gilgamesh gently pulled out the plant from the roots to the ground, ignoring the sharp thorns that hurt his hand. Then he searched under the water, but found nothing. So he untied

The rope on his feet and the buoyancy of the water lifted him up to the surface.

After reaching the ground, Gilgamesh asked Jiyusudra excitedly: "Is it this kind of grass? Can this kind of grass really make people rejuvenate and stay young forever?... It can save my friend En

Qidu?"

Jiusudra shook his head slightly and said: "It is this kind of grass, but I have never eaten it. Even if I eat it, I can't see the effect. The fruit of eternal life on the table of the gods is different from this kind of grass. It

I don’t know how many years it can keep people young and how long it can extend their lives. You can try it, but if you want to bring people back to life, I have never heard of it!"

Gilgamesh's expression darkened, but after all, he had obtained the Grass of Immortality, which was his last hope. Take it back and try its effect, maybe it will work?

At this time, he remembered Enkidu's warning that if he took the grass back to Uruk and then ate it, the grass would be stolen and eaten by a snake on the way, and all his efforts would be in vain!

Gilgamesh thought to himself, let's test the poison for Enkidu and see if it works first! So he ate half of the Everlasting Grass on the spot.

After taking this sacred herb, Gilgamesh felt his whole body relaxed and his mood improved.

This is of course a psychological effect, because it takes some time for the stomach to digest.

Gilgamesh asked Jiyusudra's wife for a clay pot, and kept the other half of the celestial grass with its roots in the soil in the pottery pot with water from Apsu, so that it could be brought back fresh.

!

At this point, all the adventures came to an end, and Gilgamesh felt extremely relaxed and happy. He thanked Jiyusudra and his wife deeply and said goodbye to them.

Under the vast glow, the Giusudra couple watched Gilgamesh and Urshanabi take a boat away with smiles on their faces. Although they only got along for a short time, they felt that Gilgamesh was just like them.

Like his biological son.

Let's look back at the epic, which is indeed a tragic plot:

Gilgamesh was hot and tired on the way back. When he passed by a clear and cold spring, he decided to wash away the dust and sweat there. He bathed in the spring, and while resting, a snake smelled the fragrance of the everlasting grass.

It glided over quietly and swallowed up the eternal grass.

After the snake ate the grass of immortality, it immediately transformed. It shed a layer of skin and slipped away quietly. The snake gained youth. Every time it was on the verge of death, it could rely on shedding to retain its youth forever. But what about humans?

Didn't get it either.

After Gilgamesh took a bath, he found that the Everlasting Grass was gone, and there was only a layer of skin shed by the snake after eating the Godly Grass next to the spring. Only then did he understand what had happened.

The ancestor of mankind gained immortality accidentally, and his pursuit was also quietly lost accidentally. Gilgamesh couldn't help but feel sad.

He understood now that what he had been told was the truth: even the greatest and bravest heroes must learn to live joyfully, appreciate the happiness in front of them, and finally accept their inevitable fate.

No matter how reluctant he was, Gilgamesh managed to control the fear that lingered in his heart after his friend's death and accepted his mortal fate.

Gilgamesh's journey ends at the foot of the city wall of Uruk where it began, bringing this magnificent heroic epic to an end in such a tragic way.
Chapter completed!