I'm Trapped in the Block

Chapter 294: Chapter 291: New Direction

”Human bodies are such a pain.”

After learning from Li Luo why he was seeing stars, Bai Zhou sighed in resignation.

Even the most experienced doctors on Fishman Island had no idea that humans see stars after holding their breath; Bai Zhou had nearly led them astray.

”Still, it’s good that it’s nothing serious.” Bai Zhou adjusted his helmet, resuming his usual nonchalant air.

And so, with the examination complete, Bai Zhou and Li Luo continued to wander through Fishman Village.

Gone was the decaying, oppressive atmosphere that had shrouded Fishman Village in fog.

Now, the Fake Fishmen coming and going added a bit of life to the village.

”The village looks a lot prettier now,” Bai Zhou remarked with a sigh after they had walked around for a while.

As he spoke, he patted his helmet.

”I really can’t remember anything. Is my head really okay?”

He turned to Li Luo and asked earnestly, ”Is seeing stars really something that happens to humans all the time?”

Li Luo nodded. ”You can also see stars when you sneeze. Weren’t you a doctor back in the Black Tower? How do you not know this?”

Bai Zhou faltered. ”How come nobody told me this when I was in the Black Tower?”

”It’s common knowledge,” Li Luo said, a little exasperated.

’Looks like this was just a blind spot in Bai Zhou’s knowledge,’ Li Luo thought. ’After all, his perception isn’t that of a normal human.’

Hearing this, Bai Zhou shook his head in resignation. ”Fine. Humans really are fragile creatures...”

The two sat down again on the steps outside the library and began discussing their plans.

Upon learning that Li Luo planned to continue his voyage to the 4th Floor of the Abyss, Bai Zhou’s expression grew wistful. But he quickly sighed. ”The village is still in shambles and needs to be rebuilt. I can’t leave now.”

”If I ever get the chance, I’d like to see other places too. Fishman Island is just too small.” Bai Zhou’s gaze drifted toward the horizon.

This island had trapped too many people.

”The Fishman Race doesn’t even have a single decent ship. Once things in the village are a little better, I plan to build a ship for our people. Then we’ll be able to explore other islands, just like humans.”

He looked at Li Luo and said proudly, ”I learned a lot of human knowledge back in the Black Tower, you know.”

”Including how to build ships?” Li Luo asked curiously.

”No, I didn’t learn how to build ships. I’ll learn in the future when I get the chance.” He was brimming with confidence. ”Anyway, humans will keep coming to Fishman Island. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just be like Jeff and pester the captain every time they visit.”

Speaking of ships, Li Luo took the opportunity to ask about the ferry on the other side of the island. After all, the fog had dissipated, and he needed to start preparing for the next leg of his journey.

”The ferry on the other side is very strange. Every visit feels like they’re just going through the motions. The captain never inspects the cargo. They just send robots to move their goods to the shore, load the Fishmen’s cargo onto the ship, and then immediately turn back. There’s never any communication.”

Bai Zhou added, a puzzled look on his face:

”What’s more, they only choose to come when the weather is perfect. After the fog on the island started to get heavier, they stopped coming completely. I heard it was because the fog was too thick and they were afraid of hitting the reefs.”

At this, Bai Zhou’s expression grew even more confused. ”But they could have just circled around to the other side to make landfall. It seems like they stopped the ferry service simply because they found it too troublesome and didn’t want to take the long way around.”

”It’s as if their trade with Fishman Island is just a task to be completed. They come when they feel like it and stay away when they don’t. It’s completely arbitrary.”

After a moment, he looked back at Li Luo. ”But that’s just my impression. Maybe the island on the other side is genuinely short-staffed, which is why they don’t prioritize their trade with Fishman Island.”

”You don’t have to worry, though. Now that the fog has cleared, they’ll definitely send a ship over before long.”

Hearing this, Li Luo became curious as well. ”What island is on the other end of the shipping route?”

”I think it’s called... Paradise Island? It’s a nice name. I heard it’s very far from Fishman Island—it takes a full week of sailing to get there.”

’Paradise Island?’

’Why would it have a name like that?’

Mo Ling floated nearby, listening to their conversation. The island’s name immediately piqued his curiosity.

Li Luo seemed very interested in the name as well.

”Why is it called Paradise Island? Is the scenery there beautiful?”

”I don’t know.” Bai Zhou shook his head. ”It was named by humans; the Fishmen have no records of the island. It’s probably just too far away. Still, islands on the 3rd Floor of the Abyss are never named carelessly.”

”The scenery there must be really nice, I guess,” Bai Zhou speculated.

In any case, knowing his next destination, Li Luo finally nodded in relief.

”When the ship arrives, one of our people will come and let you know. Jeff will be leading the team to pick up the goods, and I’m sure he’ll ask you to come along. Don’t worry.”

”Okay.”

The two continued to chat idly until it was time for a meal...

An enthusiastic Bai Zhou led Li Luo to the seashore, where he summoned tentacles of water and plucked several large fish from the sea.

”I promised you I’d make you some grilled fish. Now you’ll get to see my skills.”

Brimming with confidence, he immediately began to prepare the fish.

His movements were deft. In a few swift motions, he had the fish cleaned, skewered on a stick, and roasting over a bonfire he’d built on the beach.

While turning the fish, he explained the art of grilling to Li Luo.

”Every type of fish has to be grilled differently. This one I’m grilling now is unique to Fishman Island. It has thick skin and lots of meat. Its skin is like a natural layer of aluminum foil, which makes it perfect for grilling.”

”This skin distributes the heat evenly, but that has a drawback: the very center of the fish will stay raw. You can’t score the fish to fix this, because all the juices will run out, and then it won’t be as delicious.”

”So, the best method is...”

Bai Zhou trailed off, building the suspense, before beginning his demonstration.

He summoned several more water tentacles, shrinking them until they were incredibly thin. He held them over the fire, and once they were heated to the point of bubbling, he quickly plunged the thread-like tentacles into the fish.

Then, as if knitting a sweater, Bai Zhou continuously threaded the tentacles through the fish, guiding heat to different spots and using the water to precisely control the temperature of every part of the fish as it cooked.

At the same time, these incredibly fine threads didn’t allow any of the juices to escape, locking all the flavor inside the skin.

Bai Zhou focused intently on controlling the streams of water, as if performing an extremely precise procedure.

Li Luo stared, transfixed, and swallowed unconsciously.

Accompanied by the rising smoke, the unmistakable aroma of grilled fish began to spread from the bonfire.

”Almost ready.”

The water tentacles retracted in a flash. The holes they left behind were instantly seared shut by the flames, the slight charring completely sealing them and locking all the flavor within.

Bai Zhou swiftly lifted the fish from the fire and placed the skewer in Li Luo’s hands.

”Try it. This is something you can only get on Fishman Island.”

His face wore a look of confidence unlike any Li Luo had seen from him before.