I'm Trapped in the Block

Jeff had always felt that these Fake Fishmen were no different from him.

That’s why he was always able to treat them so normally.

Having been immersed in the cultures of various races, Jeff wasn’t bothered by the concept of "outsiders." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

However, he also understood that most inhabitants of Fishman Island couldn’t accept outsiders, which was why he was slowly beginning to understand the Great Clan Leader’s methods.

"Just accepting them isn’t enough," Jeff said helplessly.

As she listened to Jeff’s unique insights, Li Luo nodded thoughtfully.

Mo Ling was surprised as well.

’You can’t judge a book by its cover.’

Jeff wasn’t as simple-minded as he looked; he was a classic case of great wisdom hiding under a simple exterior.

As he was marveling at this, the Shrimp-headed Man who had left earlier rushed back, leading a motley crew of bizarre-looking individuals.

They all had humanoid bodies and wore a wide variety of clothes, but their heads were those of all sorts of different creatures.

Mo Ling even spotted some among them that looked like land animals, such as eagles and hamsters.

But considering Bai Zhou’s case, the appearance of these creatures was perfectly understandable.

Looking closely, he saw that every one of these Fake Fishmen wore some sort of metal component. They came in all shapes and sizes—bracelets, rings, necklaces, helmets... you name it.

It seemed these components were the cause of the Fake Fishmen phenomenon.

They warped the wearer’s sense of identity, creating all these "Fishmen."

’They must have realized this long ago.’

Seeing the very conspicuous components on the group of Fake Fishmen, Mo Ling guessed that both the real Fishmen and the Fake Fishmen were aware that something was off about these parts.

However, they didn’t understand the principle behind the identity distortion, nor could they figure out the components’ true function.

Naturally, they didn’t dare to act rashly.

’Where in the world did these things come from?’

Mo Ling racked his brain but couldn’t come up with an answer.

According to the "backstory" of the Fake Fishmen, the components simply appeared on their bodies out of thin air, with no warning whatsoever.

By the time a component appeared, the wearer’s identity had already been completely warped, and even taking it off afterward had no effect.

And yet, all the Fake Fishmen still wore them.

’Perhaps they all recognize the importance of these components, and that’s why they keep them on,’ Mo Ling thought.

Just as he was pondering this, the crowd of bizarre-looking Fake Fishmen rushed up to them.

The moment they arrived, they began greeting Jeff warmly, and he earnestly returned each greeting.

"This is it," the Shrimp-headed Man said, panting. "This is everyone I could find."

"It’s enough. This is more than enough."

Li Luo stood on her tiptoes, scanning the crowd for a long while. She then turned to the Shrimp-headed Man and asked curiously, "Is there someone named Bai Zhou among you? He wears a diving helmet..."

"Bai Zhou?" The Shrimp-headed Man looked at Li Luo, surprised. "There is!"

’There really is?’

’Bai Zhou came back to Fishman Island?’

But Bai Zhou was nowhere to be seen among the Fake Fishmen.

"I don’t know what he’s been fiddling with lately, but I haven’t seen him in a long time. I couldn’t find him just now, either. Are you a friend of his?" the Shrimp-headed Man asked.

Li Luo nodded.

Hearing that Li Luo was Bai Zhou’s friend, the Shrimp-headed Man was delighted. He thumped his chest and said, "Don’t you worry. I’ll be sure to tell him next time I see him."

Seeing how enthusiastic the Shrimp-headed Man was, Li Luo quickly thanked him.

And so, Jeff led the group of motley Fake Fishmen toward the Moon Altar.

The journey wasn’t long. After crossing a few low hills, Jeff pointed into the distance. "We’re here."

Mo Ling’s view was obstructed; he could only just make out a corner of it. It appeared to be the edge of a fjord, where a support pillar for some stone structure was anchored into the hard rock.

Some Fishmen were moving cargo, manipulating currents of water to transport the goods up to the stone structure.

Seeing just a corner of the building, Mo Ling realized it wasn’t a simple "altar."

It was a wonder of some kind.

The support pillar was simply immense. Proportionally, for a structure to require a pillar that thick, it had to be absolutely spectacular.

Sure enough, all the Fake Fishmen were now gazing toward the fjord, their expressions filled with yearning.

Even Li Luo was staring blankly into the distance, as if she had seen something beyond comprehension.

Finally, she took out her recording device and aimed it toward the horizon.

On the screen, a massive, circular platform emerged, faint and indistinct within the mist.

Countless pillars of light and firelight illuminated the platform, creating the image of a bright moon within the dim, heavy fog.

The circular platform was made entirely of stone. Half of it rested on the high fjord, its thick support pillars sunk into the cliff face, while the other half was perched over the sea, suspended in the air in a precarious-looking manner.

The massive platform straddled a mountain, like a giant beast that had taken a huge bite out of it, swallowing half.

The light swept over, revealing the texture of the stone on the platform. Following the natural shape and grain of the stone, the Fishmen had used their Little Fish-shaped script to carve rows of runes.

These carved runes, both large and small, crawled all over the platform.

What was most astonishing was that the carvings were all interconnected, just like in the ancient Fishman tome Mo Ling had seen. A single ’Little Fish’ seemed to flow between the runes, meandering across the stone platform.

When the line of runes reached a corner, it would turn. If it hit a dead end, it would cross an edge and flip onto another surface, weaving back and forth. From afar, it looked like a single, endlessly winding curve.

But the runic line never intersected, much like in the game Snake, it would never touch its own body.

Mo Ling couldn’t see where the carved runes ended. He only felt that the runes covering the platform seemed to be faintly swaying, slowly crawling. But upon closer inspection, they weren’t moving at all.

’Some kind of optical illusion?’ Mo Ling guessed.

The carvings made the platform seem all the more mystical. In the mist, it was as if the platform was slowly trembling along with the runes, devouring the mountain.

’So this is the altar the Fishman Race built for the Sea Moon Ceremony?’

’It really is a wonder.’

He hadn’t been wrong. The Fishmen had expended a massive amount of manpower and resources to create such a spectacle.

Mo Ling finally understood why the Great Clan Leader was constantly talking about manpower shortages. To complete the altar’s construction, he had even relaxed the long-standing policy of isolating the Fake Fishmen.

’No wonder they’re short on manpower.’

While watching the spectacular stone platform on the screen, Mo Ling also noticed something strange about Jeff.

Jeff’s fish-like eyes stared into the distance, but not with the awe and yearning of the others.

He wasn’t looking at the stone platform, nor at the mystical rune carvings like everyone else.

Instead, he was looking at the Fishmen who were hauling cargo, his eyes filled with a profound sorrow.

Beneath the immense spectacle, the Fishmen looked like tiny ants. They formed long lines, crawling slowly as they bore heavy cargo on their heads.

They gathered together, weaving between stacks of cargo, constantly adjusting the water currents to maintain their balance as they struggled forward...