I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 236

When humans first arrived in the Abyss Third Layer, they were also very panicked, trying everything possible to leave.

However, the Abyss Third Layer wasn’t a place you could come and go as you pleased.

After multiple failed attempts, they could only make peace with their situation and found a relatively safe small island to settle on.

Then, humans began gradually exploring this strange sea.

After encountering various bizarre phenomena, people at the time thought this was a fairyland, a world where immortals lived, which was why so many wonderful things happened.

It wasn’t until they encountered a race they could communicate with that humans learned about the basic knowledge of the Abyss from them.

That race was called “Chali.”

The Chali tribe’s gathering place wasn’t far from the humans’ small island, it only required half a day’s sailing to reach.

However, the area around the Chali tribe’s island was always filled with mist, so humans would usually avoid this region when passing by.

Until one small fishing boat encountered storms while fishing and by chance arrived at their island.

As soon as he reached the island, the fisherman on the boat was seized by a strange person whose entire body was covered in twisted tree roots.

Without realizing what was happening, a tree root wrapped around the fisherman.

“Don’t kill me!” The fisherman desperately begged for mercy, but what he got in return was a gentle question:

“Why would I kill you?”

The fisherman found the source of this gentle voice after searching for a long time, it was actually coming from the tree roots.

And the strange-looking person connected to the tree roots was looking at him curiously.

“Are you talking to me?” the fisherman asked, mustering his courage.

“Are you an immortal? You can actually communicate with souls!” He was very surprised.

“I’m not an immortal. This is our race’s instinct,” the strange person explained patiently.

“Souls?”

“Yes, this is how we communicate.” The strange person pointed to the tree roots and said, “They can connect our souls.”

Hearing the words from the tree roots, the fisherman still didn’t quite believe it. He thought this was just the immortal being modest.

“There are people beyond people, immortals beyond immortals. The immortal doesn’t admit to being an immortal because there are higher existences.”

The tree roots on this strange person kept extending and crawling like venomous snakes, looking quite fierce.

The fisherman, though now fishing daily, had once been one of the empire’s top alchemists. That nature of seeking immortals and asking about the Way was still hidden deep in his heart.

In the storm, he had gained quite a harvest. His boat was full of various seafood, along with some debris he had planned to take back to the island for others to study.

“Immortal, could you take me as your disciple?” The fisherman pointed to the catch on his boat, “You can take all these things, immortal.”

Of course, the fisherman also felt his “apprenticeship gift” was somewhat shabby and was just trying casually.

He didn’t think becoming a disciple would be this simple either. Immortals had their rules, how could these immortals agree so easily?

“Maybe the immortal has been in seclusion on the island for so long that they want to eat seafood?”

Just like that, the fisherman convinced himself and firmly believed that the person before him was an immortal.

However, what he didn’t expect was that this strange person, looking at the seafood on the boat, had eyes that stared straight under the covering of tree roots.

The fisherman, being an old hand who had once observed expressions around the emperor, immediately noticed the desire in these immortals’ eyes.

“There’s a chance?”

He quickly moved aside to let the immortals see the catch on his boat.

Sure enough, before long, that immortal turned around and asked him hesitantly, “What does taking you as a disciple mean?”

“You don’t even know this?”

Had the immortal been in seclusion too long and become somewhat confused?

The fisherman looked at this immortal who could only wear tree clothing and sighed, “It seems seeking immortals and asking about the Dao also has its price.”

While sighing, the fisherman also began patiently explaining to the immortal.

“It means you become my master, and I learn things from you…”

Listening to the fisherman’s explanation, the immortal suddenly understood.

“Good, then you be my master. I’ll listen to you.”

“Huh?”

Just like that, the fisherman took an immortal as his disciple…

That immortal covered in tree roots found his companions and moved all the catch from the fishing boat back.

The bewildered fisherman followed his newly acquired disciple around the island for a long time before slowly realizing this was actually a race.

A race he had never understood before.

“Disciple, what is your tribe called?”

“Chali tribe, Master.”

“Why is it called this name? What’s the origin?”

“There is crossing, there is separation, thus Chali.”

“…”

The fisherman looked at his serious-faced disciple and after a long time finally managed to say, “I don’t understand.”

…

Humans learned about various things in the Abyss from the Chali tribe this way.

The Chali tribe loved eating seafood. As long as you brought seafood to the island, they would patiently answer humans’ questions.

They knew everything and said everything.

While continuously learning about the Abyss, this group of humans whose goal was seeking immortals and asking about the Way finally asked the Chali tribe that question—

“How do we achieve immortality?”

Humans hadn’t expected that the Chali tribe would actually know the answer to this question.

What they expected even less was that the Chali tribe, who had always answered seriously before, began concealing things at this moment.

They clearly knew the answer to this question, but they just wouldn’t say it.

This matter was like a taboo for their race. Every Chali tribe member would close their mouth after hearing about immortality and refuse to speak no matter what.

Only the fisherman’s disciple had revealed a bit of information to him during their conversations.

“Master, why do you humans all ask how to achieve immortality?”

“This is our ultimate goal. What’s wrong?”

The disciple was silent for a long time.

“During this time, Master, you’ve taught me alchemy and medicine-making, observing celestial phenomena, divination, and feng shui. I’ve learned a lot.”

“Alchemy requires materials, the better the materials, the more precious the pill.”

“Celestial phenomena are the same, long clear weather must bring drought, long drought must bring rain.”

“Divination has opposites, mutual generation and restraint, where there’s positive there must be negative.”

“When wind comes, water naturally comes; when wind stops, water also stops…”

“Master, some things you humans have long known.”

The fisherman felt increasingly uneasy listening, feeling like his disciple was hinting at something, but he couldn’t understand the meaning in his words.

“What does this have to do with immortality?” he couldn’t help but ask.

The disciple sighed and shook his head helplessly.

“Nothing. I just feel that human knowledge is too vast and profound. There’s much I haven’t fully understood.”

Hearing this, the fisherman thought his disciple was just complaining and patted his tree roots, “It’s fine, learn slowly.”

“Okay.”

However, the disciple still looked like he had something to say. He looked around, and after confirming no one was there, placed both hands on the fisherman’s shoulders.

At this moment, he was extremely serious.

“Master, stop asking. Humans cannot bear the cost of immortality.”

“You can’t even bear knowing what that cost is.”

The fisherman saw in his disciple’s eyes a pleading he had never seen before.