I'm Trapped in the Block

Chapter 228: Chapter 226: Rune Curve

As he marveled at this, Mo Ling also discovered that both the Fishmen and these Fake Fishmen had a very high level of trust in the ancient codex.

’It’s like some kind of behavioral guide.’

At first, Mo Ling had thought the Fishman codex only recorded certain rough accounts, much like human history books that document major past events.

But after seeing the codex for himself, Mo Ling realized his understanding had been off.

Compared to a ”history book,” the Fishman codex was more like a ”diary,” recording past events in meticulous detail.

At the same time, this also increased its credibility.

’Nothing is more believable than the firsthand experiences of one’s predecessors.’

After hearing Jeff’s explanation, Li Luo, who was standing to the side, looked pensive. His gaze on the small ball was still filled with some doubt.

”What are these balls that trapped the Old-Eaters used for?”

”To set up the Moon Altar,” Jeff said. ”We need to place these balls in their corresponding positions.”

”And what does that do?” Li Luo pressed.

Jeff shook his head. ”I don’t know. The codex only records how to set it up, not its specific function.”

Hearing this, Li Luo was a bit surprised.

”You’d risk so much to set it up without even knowing what it does?”

During the Old-Eater hunt just now, if not for Mo Ling and Li Luo’s presence, these Fake Fishmen would have surely suffered heavy losses.

They would actually take such a huge risk for a setup whose purpose they didn’t even know?

Jeff looked at the confused Li Luo, picked up one of the small balls from the ground, and slowly explained, ”It is precisely because we don’t know the specific function that we must set it up with meticulous detail.”

”It’s like when you humans assemble a machine. We are a group of assemblers who have no idea what the parts do, putting together the ’machine’ that is the Moon Altar.”

”Because we can’t tell the function of each part, we don’t know which ones are critical and which are merely for ’aesthetic’ purposes. Therefore, we can’t make any cuts. Any seemingly minor step could be a crucial point.”

”Moreover, this step is particularly tedious, which makes it even more likely to be an important one.”

Jeff sighed and said helplessly:

”When you don’t have a complete grasp of the technology, this is the only way. You have to use the brute-force method, replicating the entire chain perfectly without simplifying or omitting anything.”

”Only then can we guarantee that there will be no accidents.”

Listening to the conversation between Jeff and Li Luo, Mo Ling also realized the crux of the problem:

The Fishman codex was a ”diary,” that much was true.

But when a normal person writes a diary, they write a ”narrative,” not an ”instruction manual.”

A diary is a record one writes for oneself.

So, no one would ”teach” themselves in it.

For example, a diary might say, ”I used the key to open the door.” It wouldn’t say, ”I used the key to open the door, because the mechanical structure of the lock is like this, with a latch bolt, chassis, pull tab...” and then conveniently include a schematic diagram.

You wouldn’t find things like that in a diary.

This was also a kind of technological barrier, because these ”principles” were just common sense in the eyes of the recorder, something that could be ignored.

With this peculiar recording method of the Fishman codex, the Fishmen could only copy the actions of their predecessors.

But they didn’t know *why* they performed those actions.

To prevent any accidents, they could only copy it verbatim, not daring to make any changes.

’This is the limitation of the format.’

While offering both authenticity and continuity, a diary would inevitably carry the recorder’s one-sidedness and subjectivity.

This was the price...

After Jeff finished speaking, Li Luo nodded in understanding.

”How do we place these balls?”

”Put them in the slots.” Jeff looked around and pointed to the center of a distant runic line, where there was a very well-hidden opening.

From a distance, the runic line looked extremely thin, but upon actually walking onto the Moon Altar, one would find it was as wide as a road. The opening was hidden within the engraved Fishman script.

It was located right where the eye of a Little Fish was carved. If Jeff hadn’t specifically pointed it out, no one would have ever thought it was a slot.

The opening was a concave hemisphere, just about the same size as an Immortal Wood Ball.

’No wonder the Immortal Wood had to be processed like this.’

Mo Ling had been wondering why the Immortal Wood had to be made into balls. Wouldn’t it be better for hunting if they were made into rods?

Or a net, to be thrown directly into the sea.

Wouldn’t that be a more efficient way to catch Old-Eaters?

Now, the answer was right before his eyes—it was to match the slots.

The Fishmen had planned the next step long ago.

”Can I place it now?” Li Luo asked curiously.

”Of course. Go ahead and try.”

Having gotten an affirmative answer, Li Luo took the small ball and walked over to the slot.

He then crouched down and carefully placed the ball inside.

The ball rolled smoothly into place, settling into the recess. A strange suction seemed to hold it fast.

When Li Luo tried to pull it out again, the ball was already firmly embedded in the recess, completely immobile.

The Little Fish on the runic line now had an eye.

Suddenly, the fog stopped moving...

The sea breeze vanished.

In an instant, the air near the Little Fish abruptly froze.

The rhythmic sound of the waves also disappeared in a flash.

The small balls still rolling on the ground came to a sudden halt.

Even the movements of everyone present suddenly became stiff.

...

Mo Ling, who had been staring at the slot, immediately grew tense upon seeing this bizarre change.

”What’s happening?”

He immediately rose higher, expanding his vision to its furthest extent, covering the entire area.

’Everything’s stopped?’

Mo Ling witnessed a shocking scene. Within a spherical area roughly fifty meters in diameter around the fish’s eye, everything had stopped moving.

Outside the spherical area, everything was perfectly normal.

Whether it was objects or people, they were all frozen within this space.

The only things that could move within this spherical area were the Blocks.

However, Mo Ling soon discovered something else that was moving.

The runic line!

After having its ”eye dotted,” the Little Fish had begun to swim within the frozen region!

It was truly swimming, not an illusion!

The Little Fish seemed to have suddenly come to life, following the interconnected Fishman script and beginning to circle the entire spherical area.

It was like a newborn life, curiously looking around and interacting with the scenes depicted in the Fishman script.

When the Little Fish jumped into the sea, it would create a splash.

When it dove into a school of fish, it would lead them to scatter everywhere.

When it swam to the moon, the moon would illuminate it, making it glow.

It would also flee from the sun, be chased by sharks, get stranded on land, and then bounce its way to other characters...

However, these interactions only occurred within the spherical area.

Whenever it reached the edge of the sphere, the Little Fish seemed to hit a wall, completely unable to get out.

After swimming along the edge for a while and realizing it was trapped, the Little Fish swam back.

It then continued to roam along the runic lines...