I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 238

“It’s an invisible lock…” Jeff continued his account.

Initially, this discovery caused extreme panic among the mermen race. They instinctively believed this was the influence of some Relic.

This Relic’s cost covered an entire race, causing this phenomenon.

However, the mermen race searched their entire race but couldn’t find the corresponding Relic.

This phenomenon appeared and disappeared mysteriously, like a dark cloud hanging over the mermen race, wherever the mermen race went, it followed.

The mermen race had no idea where this phenomenon originated from and could only study its surface manifestations.

They also tried many ways to solve this phenomenon or use other methods to circumvent the “skill slot” judgment, but none were effective at all.

So the mermen race gradually began calling this phenomenon the “racial lock”—a lock hanging on the mermen race that limited their development.

Compared to the actual impact this lock brought, the panic weighing on the race was even more despairing.

Not daring to develop, not daring to research, not daring to innovate…

Because as long as they learned something new, old skills would be eliminated, and no one knew what would be eliminated.

The biggest cost among them was, time.

The cost for the mermen race to obtain these secrets was too great.

The mermen race wanted to get these secrets through conquest, trade, and attempts to solve the racial lock, these three steps became the mermen race’s racial policy.

Just like this, invasion of other races, seizure of knowledge, and attempts to solve the racial lock became the mermen race’s racial policy.

However, in the Abyss, no one would help other races for no reason, and most races would carefully preserve their core secrets, not casually giving them to foreign races.

To free up energy for diplomacy, trade, and probing… all these would waste the mermen’s time in solving problems.

Racial developmental stagnation couldn’t be delayed.

Under the racial crisis, external conquest could both ease internal conflicts and give all mermen an eternally existing “hope.”

Their entire race moved onto the dragon-shaped fortress, constantly repeating these three steps. Their methods became increasingly extreme, and the mermen race’s hearts grew colder.

“Hope can solve many problems.”

“Yes,” Jeff nodded. “But we need hope.”

Jeff spoke calmly, still showing no emotion, as if what he was describing wasn’t his own race’s affairs.

His words remained calm.

“The mermen race’s current skills have largely become war skills. Although we try our best to avoid it, acquiring new skills is unavoidable.”

Standing still meant falling behind.

The dragon passed through clouds and mist, seeming to have a slight descending trend.

Jeff broke the long silence, pointing to a small island shrouded in thick mist below and asking, “That’s the island you mentioned, right?”

The racial lock continued to limit the mermen race. After attempts proved fruitless, the mermen race had to seek help from the outside world, looking for solutions from other races.

Bai Zhou’s fists had clenched again. He lowered his head, and a muffled voice came from his mouth, “Actually, invasion can’t solve any problems, can it?”

The ripples on the protective shield trembled slightly, clouds and mist quickly drifted past. On the platform, the three stood quietly for a long time without continuing to speak.

Bai Zhou walked to the platform’s edge, looked down, and a trace of nostalgia flashed in his eyes, “Yes.”

“Prepare for landing.”

Jeff’s voice reached the components beside him, and runes flickered.

Then those components began driving other components to vibrate, with light rising and falling, forming a wave that seemed to transmit an invisible sound wave throughout the entire dragon.

“Was he giving commands?”

In Mo Ling’s sight, the wave of light extended all the way to the dragon’s tail.

Then the dragon accelerated, rapidly descended, and rushed into the thick mist of the small island below.

As soon as they entered this thick mist, Mo Ling smelled that familiar odor, decay, fishiness, all kinds of rotting smells hitting his face, incredibly familiar.

“This is Merman Island?”

The smell of Merman Island was truly unforgettable. Although you’d adapt somewhat after staying long enough, this strange odor was indeed very distinctive.

“The air is quite nice,” Jeff beside him remarked.

He seemed very satisfied with the environment here.

This made Mo Ling even more certain this was Merman Island.

“So they only came to Merman Island at this time?”

What Mo Ling hadn’t expected was that the mermen actually came to Merman Island seeking immortality.

Thinking of the unchanging appearance of those mermen two thousand two hundred years later, Mo Ling couldn’t help but speculate, “Did they really find a method for immortality?”

But why did the mermen race become so backward? And why did they always stay on this island?

While he was puzzled, the dragon had slowly landed, its massive body crushing a rotted forest and coiling up together.

“We’re here.”

With Jeff’s words, the components at the platform’s edge crossed each other, forming a downward staircase leading directly to the ground.

Other parts of the dragon’s body also began slowly opening, and many mermen walked out with flying components circling around them.

A merman hurried to Jeff’s side, with components beside him flickering and projecting a precise map.

He pointed to a location and reported to Jeff, “General, we’ve finished scouting. It’s a relatively backward civilization, all gathered here.”

“Mm.” Jeff nodded. “Let’s go.”

He waved his hand, putting heavy component armor on both Bai Zhou and Mo Ling.

The spacesuit-like armor wrapped the two tightly, even making their faces unclear.

The armor even thoughtfully created a cube-shaped helmet, wrapping Mo Ling’s head.

Then, at Jeff’s command, all the armor flew into the air. Like schools of fish in the ocean, they suddenly accelerated, gathered into a group, and swept forward.

Mo Ling only felt like he was wearing a thick outer garment, but this layer of clothing didn’t affect his movement. It was very light, cool and cold, with a slight floating, stagnant feeling.

He didn’t need to control it either, just let the armor lead him, merging into the mermen race’s fish swarm and floating forward.

The speed got faster and faster, but Mo Ling didn’t feel any discomfort. This armor was very stable without any trembling.

Runes flickered, the faster the speed, the softer the sensation. Gradually, Mo Ling only felt his body was wrapped in cool cotton.

“This is much more effortless than flying myself.”

Not only that, Mo Ling also discovered this armor had many functions: combat, reconnaissance, camouflage… However, these functions all seemed to be prohibited, not allowing him to use them.

Besides that, only some very basic functions remained, like maps, movement, transportation, and such.

Right now, this suit was a simplified version of armor, just to prevent Mo Ling and Bai Zhou from falling behind.

Mo Ling flew while fiddling with various functions.

“Who doesn’t like mecha?”

Finally, after Mo Ling used the fire-making function to create fireworks in the fish school, all functions of his armor were prohibited.

Mo Ling could only obediently let the armor control him and fly forward.

Soon, a village appeared before them…