I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 89

The petite mineral tribe member kept chattering, leaving Mo Ling dumbfounded.

“The Vein Mutation Disease really is extraordinary.”

Mo Ling wandered the streets for a while, finding that Neon Village  was indeed much more developed than the outside mines.

The mineral tribes here were diverse, with no factional strife, and different tribes chatted amicably.

Everyone had their own tasks, some were repairing buildings, some were reinforcing stone pillars, others adjusting prisms.

Most common were all kinds of art forms; mineral tribe members making sand paintings, sculptures, murals were everywhere.

Some arranged rows of colorful crystals and tapped them, producing beautiful music from the sound of stone and metal.

Nearby were horn-like brass instruments, and harps made from gemstones.

Most of all, there were percussion instruments of various tones made from crystals, producing both crisp and deep sounds.

There were also cymbal-like instruments made of copper and iron, producing rhythmic metallic sounds.

All these instruments had distinctive timbres, pure and harmonious, blending cleverly in a single piece, as if they’d practiced together for ages.

The mineral tribe members played their own-material instruments with great skill, no less than the masters Mo Ling had seen on TV.

After listening for a while, the musicians played even harder when they saw an audience.

When the music ended, Mo Ling left under their reluctant gazes.

“Life here really is rich and flavorful.”

But it made sense-mineral tribes didn’t need to eat or sleep. Without war or Vein Mutation Disease, they’d probably just lie around by their veins.

Originally without desire, after being transformed by Vein Mutation Disease and gaining emotion, they’d naturally pursue pleasure.

“Maybe this is the mineral tribes’ utopia. That’s not so bad.”

It was certainly better than being drafted into war at birth.

After a stroll, Mo Ling returned to where he started. The petite mineral tribe member seemed more and more interested in Shi Beng, constantly asking him all sorts of odd questions:

“What do you like to do?”

“Is fighting outside hard?”

“How did you overcome fear? Why don’t I see ripples on you?”

“Aren’t you afraid of me at all? Is it because I look better?”

Shi Beng answered sporadically, and as soon as he finished, another question came. The petite mineral tribe member even answered for him, her face growing shyer and edging closer, but always careful not to touch him.

“It’s time to find the village chief,” Li Luo said to Shi Beng.

“I’m not going,” Shi Beng replied. “You go ahead.”

Mo Ling almost thought Shi Beng was attracted to her, but then figured that basalt head probably didn’t get it.

“You’re staying here alone?” Li Luo asked, giving Shi Beng and the petite mineral tribe member a strange look.

Shi Beng nodded, standing still, staring intently at the dazed petite mineral tribe member.

No way, is he really attracted? Mo Ling even wondered if Shi Beng had caught Vein Mutation Disease.

But a deep, steady voice came from inside Shi Beng’s helmet:

“Yes, I’m staying here.”

“I want… to face my fear!”

The petite mineral tribe member was stunned by Shi Beng’s words and asked, “Face what fear? Is there any danger here?”

Shi Beng didn’t answer, but cut her off.

“Take me to your house. Let the fear come even stronger.”

The petite mineral tribe member was puzzled, but seeing Shi Beng accept her invitation, she smiled happily and nodded.

Soon, her face was full of shyness again. “Right away? Want me to show you around? There’s lots of fun stuff in Neon Village.”

“No, let’s go now. I can’t wait.”

“Okay~” The petite mineral tribe member lowered her head, hands behind her back, staring at her feet, very embarrassed.

Shi Beng stood firm, like a knight about to ride into battle.

After saying goodbye to Li Luo and agreeing to meet later, Shi Beng followed the petite mineral tribe member into the village.

Mo Ling watched them, feeling his thoughts drifting to strange places.

He shook his head to clear away impure thoughts and floated toward the building the petite mineral tribe member had pointed out.

It was a cylindrical building, made entirely of beautiful, slightly black ancient stone slabs. Though not as dazzling as the gemstone buildings, the carvings on top were extremely delicate and beautiful.

As Mo Ling approached, the internal structure appeared in his vision.

Inside this elegant building were spiral stairs, layer upon layer descending underground.

Each floor was filled with different objects, and some mineral tribe members were focused on research at platforms.

“It’s actually a research institute.” Mo Ling was surprised by the contrast between the building’s inside and outside.

“Why would the village chief be in a place like this?”

Mo Ling had thought the village chief would be in an office-like hall. Maybe the petite mineral tribe member had pointed to the wrong place?

When he got to the bottom, Mo Ling found the cylindrical building looked humble from afar, but up close it was magnificent.

His vision couldn’t even take it all in.

Circling the stone pillar, something even stranger happened.

The pillar had no entrance.

It was a column extending upward to the hollow’s ceiling, with no visible doors.

If Mo Ling couldn’t see inside, he would have thought it was a solid pillar, just for support.

The pillar’s wall was made of dense, slightly black crystals, with no sign of an entrance-not even a seam.

Li Luo followed the cube around, and after finding no entrance, was also puzzled.

She seemed to think the pillar was solid, and instinctively reached out to knock. A deep sound echoed out.

She grew more puzzled, looking up and down the pillar, probably doubting the petite mineral tribe member’s directions.

But as soon as Li Luo lowered her hand, the spot she’d knocked on began to change.

From the spot she’d just touched, the black fragments making up the pillar slowly floated out. Li Luo quickly stepped back.

Then the black fragments scattered and anchored in the air.

A semicircular opening appeared in the pillar, just big enough for Li Luo and Mo Ling to pass through.

The opening slowly expanded, and the black fragments that floated into the air arranged themselves in neat curves from the top of the opening to the ground, forming a giant hemisphere.

Once the opening stabilized, the black fragments also stopped, quietly suspended in the air.

Between the black lines formed by the fragments, there was just enough space for Li Luo and Mo Ling to pass.

Mo Ling stared at the beautiful, even curves, full of shock.

These were magnetic field lines!