I'm Trapped in the Block

It was with this understanding that sand ships came into being.

These were elongated transport vehicles encased in a special alloy.

They resembled metal airships.

Compared to normal ships, sand ships were more like submarines, completely sealed to protect the humans inside.

Their shape was also very different from a normal "ship," because a sand ship’s purpose wasn’t to float on water, but to travel through waves of sand.

Of course, sand ships also had the same facilities as normal ships, since they were, after all, meant to carry people.

Sand ships required no power at all. Their only function was to protect people from harm within the sand waves.

All sorts of creatures lived within the sand waves, and these creatures would forage for food in them.

They weren’t picky and would devour any object swept up by the sand waves.

Naturally, sand ships were also part of their diet.

However, as the culmination of humanity’s efforts to explore the Abyss, sand ships were built using the power of certain relics and the most durable materials available. The creatures within the sand waves were completely unable to harm them. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The only thing that needed to be ensured was that the sand ship could smoothly sink into the sea of sand, merge with the sand waves, and be carried into the sea.

The document in Li Luo’s hands also contained progress on the opening of Oasis City’s port.

Oasis City’s designated sand ship had already been delivered to the city. It was currently stored, completely intact, in a warehouse. On the day the port opened, specialized personnel would transport it to its designated location.

"The moment the crisis ended, we inspected the sand ship. It hadn’t sustained any damage," the man with the glasses said.

"That’s why I assumed the ticket you mentioned was a ticket for Oasis City."

Li Luo nodded. "I see."

The man with the glasses continued, "That Vortex Turtle’s actions seem to have made the sand waves around Oasis City even more turbulent. We’re taking this opportunity to send a pioneer fleet out from Oasis City in a few days to test the route."

As he said this, the man with the glasses tapped his electronic screen a few times, bringing up an interface. He then handed the screen to Li Luo.

"This is the registration form for the pioneer team. I happen to be in charge of this, so just fill it out. You can consider it your ticket."

Li Luo looked at the registration form, a little surprised. "This is all it takes?"

The man with the glasses nodded. "Take a look at the pioneer team’s duties. It’s pretty straightforward. After all, the technology is very mature now."

Hearing this, Li Luo began to look through the terms on the registration form.

The terms clearly stated the reason for this expedition:

Different ports corresponded to different locations on the 3rd Floor of the Abyss. The arrival point after taking a sand ship to the third floor was not fixed.

Therefore, every time a new port opened, a pioneer team composed of powerful Hunters had to be organized. After reaching the third floor, they would confirm the location, mark it, and establish contact with the third floor’s monitoring station.

From then on, all sand ships from this port would arrive at the same location.

This would also make it easier for people to establish a connection point at that location in the future. Of course, that was no longer part of the pioneer team’s duties.

Simply put, they were looking for a team to scout the way.

The other terms mostly involved following commands, obeying arrangements, and details about compensation—just as the man with the glasses had said, it was very straightforward.

You could even move about freely on the 3rd Floor of the Abyss, provided your safety was guaranteed. However, in the end, you had to report to the monitoring station and file a report of your itinerary.

"So, what do you think? Not too bad, right? But joining the pioneer team does carry a certain degree of risk. If you need a ticket from a more established port, I can help you apply for one, but I can’t say how long that would take," the man with the glasses asked.

"No need. I’ll join." After carefully reading the terms a few more times, Li Luo began to fill out the form in earnest.

Soon, Li Luo finished filling out the form and handed the electronic screen back.

The man with the glasses just glanced at it briefly, submitted it for Li Luo, then switched to another interface and directly approved the application.

His efficiency was as high as ever.

"Alright, it’s done. Just wait for the notification. They’ll tell you where to assemble. I’ll have a word with the pioneer team’s captain and ask him to look out for you. You can just treat it as a normal sand ship voyage."

"If there are no surprises, you’ll depart in three or four days." The man with the glasses stood up and shook Li Luo’s hand.

Li Luo hadn’t expected things to be settled so quickly. She clearly hadn’t processed it yet.

Just a few minutes ago, she was still worrying about getting a ticket, and in the blink of an eye, her trip was already confirmed.

While Li Luo was still dazed, Li Xiangyi had already taken her hand. "You’re leaving so soon? You’re not going to stay in Oasis City a little longer?"

"No, I have to get to the Bottom of the Abyss as soon as possible," Li Luo said seriously.

"Why?" Li Xiangyi looked confused. "Isn’t it really dark there?"

"Have you been there?" Li Luo was puzzled by Li Xiangyi’s words.

"No." Li Xiangyi shook her head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then how do you know it’s dark?"

Li Xiangyi scratched her head. "It’s so deep, so it has to be dark, right?"

Li Luo fell silent. Li Xiangyi’s train of thought was always impossible to follow.

"Do you have to go?" Li Xiangyi still didn’t understand.

Hearing Li Xiangyi’s question, Li Luo looked down, a rare gesture for her, as if lost in a memory. "Yes. I have to go."

"Then, do your best." Li Xiangyi didn’t ask why, just smiled encouragingly. "I’m bad with directions, but it must be really far away, right?"

"Yes, very far."

"It’s okay. No matter how far away a place is, as long as you keep walking, you’ll get there eventually..."

...

For the next few days, Li Luo wandered around Oasis City with Li Xiangyi. Li Xiangyi’s guiding threads gradually spread throughout the entire Oasis.

However, there were still some hidden corners she would have to explore on her own over time. At least now, getting by in her daily life was no longer a problem.

The two of them also went to visit Old Xu again.

"The pioneer team?" Old Xu was shocked when he heard Li Luo had joined. "Isn’t that incredibly dangerous? The pioneer teams back in my day were suicide squads. Barely any of them made it back alive."

"The technology is mature now. It’s just that the arrival point is uncertain," Li Luo quickly explained.

"The uncertain location *is* the biggest danger!" Old Xu was still not reassured. "Of course you wouldn’t know since you’ve never been. It’s all ocean over there, and the creatures are bizarre beyond belief. What if you fall into the sea?"

Having found a topic, Old Xu began to recount his adventuring experiences again.

"The seas there aren’t like the seas on Earth. They all have all sorts of strange properties!"

"The ocean in some areas rejects all bone matter. After a human wanders into that sea, they’ll first develop osteoporosis, and after a while, their bones will dissolve completely, turning them into a pile of mangled flesh."

"You’ve had boneless chicken feet, right? Pretty soft, aren’t they?"

"Then there are places that look like islands but are actually the fishing organs of some kind of creature. The moment you step onto that ’island,’ you’re instantly crushed into a ball by high pressure. Your blood and flesh mix together and become nutrients for that creature."

"Like a beef meatball. A really bouncy one."

As he spoke, Old Xu even made a ball shape with his hand and bounced it on the table, each bounce higher than the last.

"What would you do if you fell straight into a place like that? It’s all water, so you’d have nowhere to run."

"I’ve also seen ocean regions that heat up automatically, even reaching a boiling point at night."

"Doesn’t matter what kind of creature it is, they all turn into stew!"

Old Xu spoke with great animation, a look of reverence on his face.

Li Luo listened, completely stunned, and couldn’t help but swallow hard.