I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 116
Fishman?
Under Li Luo’s shocked gaze, Bai Zhou opened the front of his diving helmet, revealing a glass window.
Through the glass, his face could be seen.
“See? I’m a fishman. I have to stay in water.”
Li Luo looked inside.
It was a human face, submerged in water. Though the water in the helmet made it look strange through refraction, there was no denying it was a normal person.
Mo Ling was also startled by Bai Zhou’s words.
Previously, Mo Ling had examined the inside of Bai Zhou’s helmet and found it was just a person soaking in water. He’d assumed it was some relic’s cost.
“Soaking in water can prevent distortion,” Mo Ling had guessed.
But now Bai Zhou claimed to be a fishman?
At that moment, Bai Zhou glanced at the time on his electronic screen.
“Time to change the water.”
He walked to the pool, took off his diving helmet, and water poured out.
A delicate face appeared, though stubbly and a bit pale, it was clearly human.
His skin wasn’t swollen from long-term soaking, just looked like someone who’d just finished swimming-apart from a few drops of water, he was no different from a normal person.
But now he was holding his breath, lips tightly shut, face reddening.
Still holding his breath, he shook out the helmet to empty it, then put it into the pool to fill with fresh water.
Once the helmet was full, he quickly put it back on his head.
Before the water could spill out, he tightened the helmet and took deep breaths inside.
“Haven’t changed water for a while, it feels strange.”
Mo Ling was dumbfounded.
“So weird. Clearly a human, but insists on being a fishman?”
“I’d like to exchange information. Can you tell me how you resist the distortion?” Bai Zhou asked.
With Mo Ling’s consent, Li Luo explained the red headscarf’s principle.
He nodded, “An ability that locks in self-recognition? That matches my guess. The Black Tower is distorting identity recognition, not just language.”
Hearing this, Li Luo eagerly asked, “So you also use identity-locking?”
“No, because I’m a fishman, I’m immune to distortion,” Bai Zhou explained seriously.
“……”
“But you’re obviously a normal human…”
Just then, Li Luo thought of something and asked, “What’s your relic?”
Bai Zhou pointed to his diving helmet.
“Have you uploaded the relic information?” Li Luo pressed.
Bai Zhou nodded.
Li Luo quickly searched her electronic screen and soon found the helmet’s entry.
……
【Relic: Diving Helmet】
【Cost: The user will permanently believe themselves to be a fishman】
【Ability: Underwater breathing, water control, strength enhancement, fishman language, and other ‘fishman abilities’ the user ‘believes’ they possess; further development possible】
【Discovery location: Abyss Second Layer】
【Discoverer: Bai Zhou】
……
So, it’s another identity lock!
But it locks your identity as a fishman.
Bai Zhou saw the relic entry but didn’t care at all.
“What’s written there is wrong. I’ve always been a fishman.”
He even explained to Li Luo the reason for his “misunderstanding.”
……
Bai Zhou had originally been a fishman living in the endless ocean of the Abyss Third Layer, but a storm separated him from his tribe.
Fishmen who leave the tribe rarely survive. Bai Zhou tried to find a way back, but the storm was so fierce he didn’t even know where he’d ended up.
The Abyss Third Layer was extremely dangerous, full of terrifying sea monsters and strange distortion phenomena on the islands.
Luckily, fishmen are immune to distortion, so Bai Zhou lingered near the islands, barely surviving.
But his luck ran out, he was caught in an ocean current, and when he came to, he’d reached the Disorderly Dunes of the Abyss Second Layer.
That was a death sentence for a fishman-the Disorderly Dunes are a forbidden zone, even scarier than the bottom of the Abyss.
But he was lucky: not far away was the Black Tower. He collapsed in front of it.
When he woke up, he was wearing the diving helmet, lying in the Black Tower’s infirmary.
A group of researchers was staring at him in curiosity.
“Bai Zhou, are you all right?”
They actually knew his name?
Bai Zhou was surprised, but this was the Abyss, anything was possible. Maybe it was some identity-detecting relic.
“I’m fine.” Only after saying this did Bai Zhou realize something was wrong.
Why could he understand human language and respond?
“We found you collapsed outside the Black Tower, wearing this helmet. Did anything happen to you before that?” a researcher asked with concern.
“Didn’t you put it on me?”
Bai Zhou was puzzled, but since they’d saved him and showed no prejudice, he told them his story.
The researchers listened with odd expressions.
After a few more questions, they said, “Just rest for now. If you have any questions, ask the nurse.”
“Your relic info has been recorded. There’s no point explaining, you wouldn’t believe it. If you have questions, come find me.”
They took a photo of his helmet and left.
Relic?
Bai Zhou touched his helmet, as if understanding something.
“I get it! This helmet lets me communicate with humans and fully understand their behavior!”
Among fishmen, relics are rare, so Bai Zhou was thrilled. But after the excitement, he grew afraid.
“What’s the cost?”
Then he saw a mirror by the bed. Inside the helmet was a completely unfamiliar human face.
“The cost… is turning my appearance into a human?”
Humans… so ugly.
But for now, this relic’s ability had saved his life-a real lifesaver.
And these humans hadn’t shown any prejudice for him being a fishman; they’d even saved him.
“Humans are so friendly.”
“I like humans.”
He grinned at the mirror, his strange behavior startling the nurse. Only then did he realize someone else was there and quickly apologized.
“I think I’ve recovered. Can you take me to the Abyss Third Layer?” Bai Zhou asked the nurse seriously.
The nurse was stunned, then shook her head wildly.
“Why not? Is it because you have to pay?” Bai Zhou suddenly realized he wasn’t among fishmen anymore.
He remembered elders in his tribe saying human society was complicated and everything required something called “money.”
An elder once told him, “Humans are an amazing race. They use money as a ‘cost,’ making resources flow rapidly. They call it a ‘universal equivalent’, truly an astonishing invention.”
Bai Zhou still remembered the longing in the elder’s eyes.
“Humans really are great!”
But now, the scariest thing was-
-he had no money.
Bai Zhou tugged at the nurse’s sleeve and asked seriously,
“Where can I get money quickly?”
Storyteller Dlanor's Words
1 chapters daily, 2 chapters daily in October. If you notice any errors/problems please tell me.
