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Synopsis
In this folktale, a kind but poor man rescues an elderly gentleman who slips off a wooden bridge and nearly drowns. As thanks, the forest spirits give him a magical "Mortar of Treasures" that can make any wish come true. With this enchanted object, the man gains vast wealth and becomes the richest person in his village. His envious sibling, coveting the mortar’s power, steals it and sails away alone in a small boat toward a distant island. During the journey, the greedy sibling demands salt from the mortar but fails to stop it from producing. The endless salt causes the boat to sink, and the mortar falls to the ocean floor, where it continues pouring out salt without end—thus explaining why seawater remains salty.