I'm Trapped in the Block

"This is a disaster for the entire Transparent Race, and a disaster for the entire world!" the elder declared passionately.

The soldier heard this and patiently explained, "It won’t take over the entire world. After death, all living things become nutrients and return to the natural cycle. It’s the same for the Transparent Race and the Flesh Race."

But the elder refused to believe it, retorting angrily, "You of the Flesh Race don’t understand at all! You only defend yourselves because you yourselves are indestructible."

"For generations, our people have been trying to solve this problem. We’ve made untold efforts."

"In the beginning, our Prophet tried to reconcile with the Flesh Race, but they paid us no mind. All they cared about was slaughtering us, completely ignoring the disaster."

"After so many years, we’ve long since given up on reconciliation. The only way to save the world is to fight endlessly and drive the Flesh Race out."

The elder grew more distressed and resentful with every word.

Seeing this, the soldier shrugged at his companion, as if to say it was impossible to get through to the elder.

Then, the elder turned to Captain Su and explained apologetically, "My apologies, I got a little carried away. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to direct that at you."

"The Flesh Race in this area have been fighting us for so long... When I speak of these matters, I find it hard to control my temper."

Captain Su waved a hand, indicating it was fine.

At that moment, Mo Ling felt the same way as the soldier.

A mixture of exasperation and amusement.

’That Prophet is quite the character, coming up with a disaster scenario like that. A total charlatan.’

The more Mo Ling thought about it, the more he found the Transparent Race People to be truly foolish.

Even Li Luo, who was usually expressionless, puffed out her cheeks, unable to completely suppress a smile.

Before long, the group arrived in an area filled with giant mushrooms, their caps glowing with a faint blue light.

"We’re almost there," the elder said excitedly, unconsciously quickening his pace.

Within the mushroom forest, all sorts of man-made structures began to appear, most of them made of stone.

Small farm plots were scattered about haphazardly, enclosed by low fences. Inside, various stunted crops struggled to grow.

Within the forest were also small, conical piles of stone, built from similarly-sized cobblestones.

The stone piles were clustered together, looking like the product of some ritual.

"What are those?" one of the soldiers asked the elder.

"Those are gravestones," the elder explained.

The soldier asked in confusion, "But don’t you dissolve into water the moment you die? What do you need gravestones for?"

But what the Transparent Race People did next explained the purpose of the gravestones.

They walked over to the cluster of conical stone piles, dug a pit, and placed weapons and clothing soaked with the liquid remains of their people inside.

Then they gathered more cobblestones of a similar size from the surrounding area and began to hurl them forcefully into the pit.

They were furious as they did so. It didn’t look like they were mourning their ancestors; it was more like they were attacking an enemy.

They threw more and more cobblestones until they formed a new pile.

Not only that, but they also hurled their remaining cobblestones at the other, pre-existing gravestones.

After one of the Transparent Race People finished, their companions would walk over and continue the process.

Everyone watched this burial custom, completely dumbfounded.

When only a single stone remained for each of them, the Transparent Race People formed a circle around the new pile. Holding the last stone, they closed their eyes and began to recite a eulogy:

"The Transparent are born of gods, their souls born of heaven and earth."

"Bend the indestructible wood into a bow."

"Fashion the indestructible thorn into a dagger."

"Weave the indestructible hide into armor."

"Shape the indestructible bone into a sharp blade."

"Drive out the indestructible things."

"Grind the indestructible soul to dust."

"The Transparent body dissolves, but endless memory remains."

...

After reciting the eulogy, the Transparent Race People, still surrounding the pile, fiercely smashed their last stones onto it in unison.

The rite was complete.

The stones settled, forming another perfect, conical pile.

After watching the funeral, Mo Ling finally began to understand a few things.

It turned out their weapons and clothing were made from what they called "indestructible things."

It seemed this bizarre burial custom had only developed after the Flesh Race arrived in this world.

’I never expected the Flesh Race’s influence on their culture to be so profound.’

But because of their foolishness, this influence seemed almost laughable.

Once the funeral was over, the elder led the human team deeper into the settlement.

The stone buildings became more numerous and ornate, built up against the giant mushrooms.

At first, there were only simple huts built from irregular stone blocks, but farther in, they saw tall houses made from dressed stone bricks.

Eventually, they even saw a building with pillars reminiscent of Earth’s Parthenon Temple.

The Temple was supported by tall stone columns. It had a gabled roof, and the triangular pediments at each end were adorned with exquisite reliefs.

Not long after they saw the Temple, shouts rang out from up ahead.

"Oh no! It might be a Flesh Race invasion!"

Sure enough, two groups were locked in a fierce battle within the settlement.

One side consisted of the familiar Transparent Race People.

The other was a race of incredibly tall beings.

They looked like demons from Earth’s mythology, with sharp horns, wings, and powerfully built frames that stood over two meters tall.

Their skin was bright red, crisscrossed with luminous patterns like flowing lava, and they wore crude clothing.

These demons were incredibly powerful fighters. They easily handled the surrounding Transparent Race People, showing no fear as they swung their weapons, brimming with battle lust.

A single flap of their wings was enough to deflect the arrows shot by the Transparent Race People. The arrowheads couldn’t even penetrate their skin.

Seeing this, the Transparent Race People accompanying them rushed to join the battle against the demons.

Captain Su raised a hand, signaling his team to hold their position.

Mo Ling, however, maneuvered the Block closer to the battlefield to get a bird’s-eye view of the situation.

A Transparent Race person who appeared to be a leader, dressed in ornate clothes and covered in arcane runes, stood atop a massive boulder and shouted furiously:

"You of the Flesh Race have gone too far! Our living space is already this small, and still you oppress us! Now you even attack our village! What is it you want?"

One of the demons below looked up and retorted, "Attack your village? We just came to ask some questions! The moment we arrived, we were ambushed. You’re the ones who attacked us!"

"Cut the crap! Hand over the Flesh Race People you captured. Stop wasting time, or your village won’t be standing for much longer."

Hearing this, the Transparent Race leader on the boulder trembled with rage. "We haven’t captured any of your people!"

Neither side would back down, and they continued to argue endlessly even as they fought.