I'm Trapped in the Block

He had thought they would have to sneak in again, but the church’s great doors were wide open, and a group of robed figures stood in orderly rows inside the hall.

They held their hands piously to their chests as they chanted a sacred hymn.

The hymn soon ended. They formed a line and filed out of the church, descending the steps outside. The last person to leave gently closed the door.

Upon seeing Bai Zhou, the man made a few gestures before slowly departing.

After the robed man left, Li Luo couldn’t wait to ask, "What did he say?"

Bai Zhou cautiously scanned their surroundings. Once he confirmed no one was nearby, he answered carefully, "He said the Master of Right Words is ill and shouldn’t be disturbed."

’The Master of Right Words is in this church?’

They exchanged a glance. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, they furtively pushed open the church’s great doors and slipped inside.

The interior was completely empty. There was no one there.

The church had been specially designed. Sunlight streamed in from high apertures, and though the flagstones were all black, the space seemed exceptionally bright.

"Look over there," Bai Zhou said, pointing to a strange patch of light on the wall.

It was a patch of black light.

"How can there be black light?" Mo Ling felt as if his entire worldview was being shattered.

Color is simply the brain’s perception of different frequencies of light.

When there is no light, what one perceives is black.

And yet, the light before them was undeniably black. It managed to illuminate its surroundings while remaining dark itself.

Bai Zhou walked forward curiously. Staring at the black light, he muttered to himself, "This is the first time I’ve ever seen black light."

Just then, a figure wrapped in a long robe appeared behind him. A massive hood shrouded his entire head, obscuring his face. A somewhat hoarse voice emerged from the figure.

"This is light created with the power of Word Spirit. The most fundamental creations are inherently black unless words for color are added. However, it must also satisfy the characteristics of light, which is why it manifests this wondrous property."

"The word for ’light’ in this language is pronounced something like ’tta.’ It’s like the sound that erupted from the first fissure when the heavens and earth were sundered—it must be pronounced both subtly and with earth-shattering force. Such a contradiction is nearly impossible for human vocal cords to produce."

As he spoke, he raised his palm. A sphere of black light bloomed in his hand, then vanished as he closed his fist.

Mo Ling was startled by the sudden appearance of the robed figure. He was about to attack when he realized something was wrong.

’I can understand his language!’

’This robed man isn’t distorted!’

Mo Ling’s vision plunged into the man’s form, but all he saw was empty air.

His form was like a thin membrane, an empty "model" with nothing inside.

Naturally, Mo Ling couldn’t find any of the distorted organs either.

The robed figure’s appearance had startled Bai Zhou as well. He quickly summoned his water tentacles and watched the man warily.

"I’m going to ask you a question now. Please select the option below that is not a plant."

"A. Birch tree."

"B. Mimosa."

"C. Penguin." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"D. Thorns."

The robed man sighed and replied, "It’s C, right? You don’t have to question me. I’m not distorted."

He seemed utterly exasperated by Bai Zhou’s question.

But Bai Zhou didn’t stop. He asked all ten of his questions, and only after confirming the robed figure could answer every one did he retract his water tentacles.

"Now it’s your turn to ask me," Bai Zhou said solemnly to the robed figure.

"There’s no need. I know you aren’t distorted." The robed man had no intention of asking.

But just as he had with Li Luo, Bai Zhou insisted that the man ask him a question.

Finally, the robed figure reluctantly came up with a question for Bai Zhou, who in turn answered it without issue.

Once they had mutually confirmed their status, Bai Zhou asked impatiently, "Who are you?"

The robed figure stated calmly, "The people here call me the ’Master of Right Words.’"

The moment he said this, Bai Zhou summoned his water tentacles again, surrounding the Master of Right Words, his eyes filled with wariness.

The Master of Right Words, however, remained perfectly composed. He stood his ground, looking more like an interrogator as he sized up Li Luo and Bai Zhou.

"Neither of you are distorted. Is it the effect of a relic?"

Neither of them answered, but he paid it no mind. Turning toward the church doors, he threw out a strange syllable, and a black lock materialized from thin air, sealing the entrance.

Watching him so skillfully use the power of Word Spirit, Bai Zhou grew even more wary. His water tentacles tightened, attempting to bind the man.

However, the unexpected happened. The tentacles passed right through the Master of Right Words’ body as if it were mere air.

He had no physical form. Bai Zhou swept his tentacles through the man’s space repeatedly, but they couldn’t affect him in the slightest.

The tentacles were bisected by the Master of Right Words’ form, clipping right through him as if in a video game.

"The water ability... that would be the diving helmet, right? You must have used an identity-cognition lock to avoid the distortion, if I’m not mistaken."

The Master of Right Words then turned to look at Li Luo’s donkey ears. "A relic I’ve never seen before," he said, intrigued. "It must serve the same function. You two are quite clever."

His tone was completely devoid of sarcasm; the praise was genuine. Yet, at a time like this, it sounded incredibly out of place.

"I see. You’re trying to escape the Black Tower, aren’t you?" He had effortlessly guessed their intentions.

But then he shook his head, a hint of dejection in his voice. "It’s not time yet. The Black Tower isn’t letting anyone leave right now. Even I am trapped here. And now that there are two more of you, it’s even less likely to open up."

"I know you have many questions. Ask whatever you want. We’re all trapped here anyway, so we might as well be comrades." The Master of Right Words spoke as if to himself, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere.

Bai Zhou was still churning the air with his tentacles. But though they passed through every part of the Master of Right Words’ body, they couldn’t touch anything solid. His probing having failed, he had no choice but to retract them.

"That ritual book... did you write it?" Bai Zhou asked, puzzled.

Hearing Bai Zhou’s question, the Master of Right Words looked utterly baffled. "Ritual book?"

Bai Zhou pulled the tattered book from his robes and held it up before the Master of Right Words.

Seeing the book, realization dawned on the Master of Right Words.

"Yes, I wrote this. What’s wrong with it?" Apparently, the Master of Right Words didn’t consider it a ritual book.

’Mo Ling was confused. The book’s complex contents, the various steps... it all seemed so deliberate.’

’Moreover, the "ascension" of those robed figures had clearly been deliberately guided by someone, perhaps even to accelerate their distortion.’

Just as Mo Ling was lost in thought, the Master of Right Words reached out and took the ritual book from Bai Zhou’s grasp.

’I thought he couldn’t touch anything?’

Before Bai Zhou’s shocked eyes, the Master of Right Words took the book and began to read. He grew more and more engrossed, reading with great relish. He even pointed at the contents, clucking his tongue in amazement.

"Which genius went and changed it on me like this?"