I'm Trapped in the Block

In the dim depths of the sea, the golden-glowing Little Elf relentlessly pressed its questions. A woman sat slumped to the side, weeping silently.

Her teardrops fell through the deep sea water, yet did not merge with it.

The Little Elf recited her innermost desires, devoid of all emotion.

It was the ultimate desire, and also the ultimate pain.

Only what you yearn for but cannot have becomes a wish.

The woman clapped her hands over her ears in agony, but the Little Elf’s voice still pierced her eardrums. What once was a heavenly sound was now like a devil’s whisper.

After emotionlessly reciting the woman’s inner thoughts, the Little Elf stared at her coldly for a long time.

"I will grant your wish, just as you’ve described."

"I will let you escape from here."

The Little Elf raised its hand and placed a necklace around the woman’s neck.

The moment it was on, the necklace began to tremble. A flash of light engulfed the woman, and in an instant, she vanished.

"So I’ll let you escape ’here’," the Little Elf said faintly after the woman disappeared.

Mo Ling watched this scene unfold, completely stunned.

’Where did it send the woman?’

Something seemed off about the Little Elf’s current state.

Observing closely, Mo Ling saw that the Little Elf’s expression was slightly twisted, its cold indifference tinged with a wooden stiffness.

’What happened?’

Mo Ling looked toward the Oasis City resident under the park bench. He too was now being questioned by the Little Elf.

Unlike the woman who had been oblivious to her situation, this resident seemed to realize that the scene before him was a past event and that he was in some kind of flashback.

Still, his legs trembled with fear.

"What is it you desire most?" the Little Elf asked again.

Hearing the Little Elf’s words, the resident looked around, and as if struck by a sudden thought, he asked in return, "Are you the Wishing Spring?"

He seemed to know of the Little Elf’s origin.

"Yes. You may make a wish."

However, the resident didn’t make a wish right away. Instead, he looked at the Little Elf and demanded, "How did you get out? Is what’s happening now your doing?"

His voice suddenly boomed, and his legs stopped shaking.

The Little Elf didn’t answer his questions but continued to urge him, "Hurry and make a wish. Don’t you have any wishes?"

The resident pushed himself to his feet. "Only children make wishes. I can fulfill my own wishes. Go find someone else."

He glanced at the collapsing land around them. "If you really are the one behind this, you’d better fix it as soon as possible."

The Little Elf once again ignored the resident’s warning. It seemed the only thing on its mind was wishes.

"Everyone has wishes. Children have wishes, adults have wishes. You certainly have them too. Why won’t you let me grant yours?"

Hearing the Little Elf’s question, the resident gave it a strange look. "Why should I let you grant it? It’s my wish."

His tone was calm and natural.

The Little Elf seemed stunned by the resident’s words, unsure of what to do.

"You’ve been in Oasis City for so long, you’re practically one of us. The people of Oasis City are fond of you. Stop this before it’s too late." The resident seemed convinced that the Little Elf was the culprit behind everything and continuously tried to persuade it.

But it was as if they were talking past each other.

The Little Elf completely ignored the resident’s advice. With a wave of its hand, a golden image materialized out of thin air beside them.

It was the resident’s wish.

He couldn’t help but look toward the image.

As a farmer in Oasis City, his relic could make plants change their form.

For example, it could make watermelon grow on potato sprouts but would only require the environment for growing potatoes.

His vegetable greenhouses supplied practically all the fruit in Oasis City.

A single greenhouse for growing cabbage could produce fruits of every season: strawberries, oranges, mangoes—you name it, he had it.

The title on his Hunter’s Badge was "Phantasmal Plant," but in Oasis City, everyone called him the "Big Greenhouse King," because the greenhouses outside the high walls were his kingdom.

Even though it was such a corny title, he enjoyed it immensely.

But he had his own troubles.

Oasis City’s population was growing, and the fruit supply was severely inadequate. He couldn’t possibly do everything by himself, which also caused the price of fruit in Oasis City to climb higher and higher.

He was swamped with work every day, but there was still not enough fruit.

The price of his relic was that it made him perceive everything around him as a plant—a kind of conceptual distortion.

The more he used the relic, the more obvious the price became. However, over the years, the Big Greenhouse King had learned to ignore this distortion, though the price still lowered his work efficiency.

His only wish was for all the hardworking Hunters in Oasis City to be able to eat fresh fruit. It sounded very simple and modest, but it was incredibly difficult to achieve.

On the golden screen, a scene appeared where everyone was happily eating fruit together.

Looking at this scene, the Big Greenhouse King showed a smile of yearning. It was a desire from the bottom of his heart.

"How about it? Let me help you achieve it," the Little Elf tempted.

But those words shattered the Big Greenhouse King’s fantasy.

"No need. I can achieve it myself."

"I’m planning to recruit some Hunters who can control plants, or find some relics that can accelerate crop growth. If that doesn’t work, I’ll report it to the officials and have them help me search."

"Food is a huge deal in the Abyss. There are plenty of Hunters with these kinds of relics. I refuse to believe there’s no one else who can do the same work as me."

The Big Greenhouse King said confidently.

But his confidence made the Little Elf panic.

"Your wish is simple, and it would be very easy for me to grant it. All you have to do is make a wish to me. Isn’t that the easiest thing in the world?"

The Little Elf opened its hand, and a flashlight appeared in its palm.

"A flashlight that accelerates plant growth just by shining it on them."

The Big Greenhouse King’s eyes widened as he stared at the flashlight, but he didn’t say a word.

Seeing that it couldn’t move him, the Little Elf changed tactics with a flick of its hand, and a small camera appeared.

"A camera that can duplicate objects. As long as the photo exists, it will continuously produce the photographed object from the photo. The price is simple, too—it uses toilet paper as film."

As it spoke, it glanced expectantly at the Big Greenhouse King.

The Big Greenhouse King looked absolutely stunned. He stared intently at the camera, practically drooling.

"How about it?"

The Big Greenhouse King nodded. "Not bad."

Hearing his reply, the Little Elf was ecstatic. "Then hurry and make a wish to me! I’ll give you this camera, and the flashlight from before, too. If you want, I can give you both."

The Big Greenhouse King was still staring fixedly at the camera. He swallowed. "I mean your ideas are not bad."

"Accelerating crop production, directly duplicating crops... you’ve got some good ideas about agriculture. I’ll have to look for people like that when I’m hiring..."

The Little Elf hadn’t expected the Big Greenhouse King to think like that at all.

"Aren’t the relics you want right here in my hands? All you have to do is wish, and they’ll be yours. Isn’t that a good thing?"

The Big Greenhouse King shook his head. "No."

"Only children make wishes. Adults make them happen themselves."

"Are you an adult? Want to come work in my greenhouse?"