I'm Trapped in the Block

Chapter 431: Chapter 428: The Slothful One

’Relics are created just like that, so casually?’

Mo Ling couldn’t quite believe what this companion of his was doing.

’It doesn’t verify the wishes, doesn’t care about the consequences of creating relics, and just uses its power to make them at will.’

This world was barren and lifeless. Even building materials had to be made from the corpses of living beings, yet relics were somehow this abundant.

”How often are these sacrificial rituals held?” Mo Ling asked, stopping an excited creature beside him.

”Once a week!” The creature seemed to be in a great mood.

’Once a week?’

’Just how many relics are there in this world?’

”Can the sacrifices only be held here?” Mo Ling pressed.

”Of course not. They can be held in many places. If your race can build an altar, you can perform your own sacrifices. But the scale of the altar affects the upper limit of the wishes. If you build a crappy altar, the power granted to the offerings will be very weak.”

”This place is still the best, though. The Bamboo Tube Race’s altar is magnificent!”

The creature held up the pile of sludge in its hands, excitedly raising it above its head.

Hearing the creature’s words, Mo Ling finally understood the meaning behind what the vast voice had said earlier.

’The Slothful One...’

It fulfilled every creature’s wish impartially, then used a simple upper limit to restrict the power of those wishes, using relics to satisfy the creatures’ rampant desires.

It was an extremely convenient solution, but for a god, wasn’t this the very definition of sloth?

The world was broken and barren, decaying and rotten. The sea was like a stagnant, foul-smelling ditch.

Even the building materials were made from the corpses of living beings, because matter here lacked energy and was incredibly fragile.

Yet the creatures here had grown accustomed to it all, relying completely on the relics granted by their god to eke out a meager existence in this ruined world...

Once he understood everything, Mo Ling felt an overwhelming sense of suffocation.

He had only wanted to create companions to share his burdens, but this companion was engaging in something even lazier.

”The slothful are not gods...”

The vast voice rang out again, pulling Mo Ling’s consciousness into the sky and forcing him to look down upon this world that was already beyond saving.

”A god’s sloth is a pool of stagnant water...”

The entire sea was without wind or wave, let alone rain. It rotted and stank.

”A god’s sloth is a pile of bones...”

Creatures used skeletons to build their structures, recycling the scarce resources.

”A god’s sloth is a world of greed...”

The proliferation of relics made the creatures stop thinking about how to advance. Instead, they tried every means possible to build altars, spending their days scheming for ways to pray and attempting to break through the upper limit of their wishes.

”Alas, a mistake. It was a mistake from the very beginning.” For the first time, the vast voice revealed a hint of emotion.

”Sloth spreads. Once you touch it, you will fall into the abyss.”

The voice brought Mo Ling high into the sky. The lifeless sea began to crack, revealing streaks of golden light. It seemed this slothful companion was attempting another strange act.

”What is it doing?” Mo Ling asked, confused.

”It’s doing what you once did. The sloth is continuing to spread.”

’What I once did?’

Mo Ling looked at the fractured golden light and finally understood:

This Slothful One was splitting again, creating new companions.

Just like that, Mo Ling watched as the sea was carved into smaller and smaller pieces, the golden light shattering into one cluster after another.

The original puddle of water wasn’t large to begin with, and after the Slothful One’s meddling, it had already become tiny. Splitting it again would only make matters worse.

”Only living water can withstand the scorching flames. Stagnant water will only dry up.”

”Splitting only makes oneself more fragile. The sun seeps through the cracks, mercilessly evaporating the slothful soul.”

”The earth will devour isolated pools of water, but it grants passage to rivers that flow together.”

The vast voice droned on. Just as it said, the small puddles created by the split could no longer resist the sun’s evaporation or the earth’s erosion. Those lonely drops of water soon vanished completely.

With nothing to anchor them, the golden lights could only scatter, seeking a new way forward.

Gradually, the small puddle below disappeared, leaving only a muddy pit to prove it had ever existed.

”This is the fate of the slothful.”

The sea became a desert, and the relics sank into the yellow sand. The original altars became ruins, burying what was left of those former civilizations.

A civilization that relies on relics has no future.

In the blink of an eye, the former sea was now a world of sand stretching to the horizon.

New creatures appeared in the sand, but now, they no longer had a god.

Amidst a sense of endless desolation, the voice brought Mo Ling back to his own small puddle of water.

Gazing at the empty, sandy pit in the distance, Mo Ling was still shaken.

His quiet companion had vanished, just like that.

”It died. It turned into lots of pieces.”

The lively companion sidled up to the edge of the sandy pit and studied it for a moment.

”Good riddance.”

After studying the new creatures that had appeared in the sandy pit, the lively companion came over to Mo Ling’s side.

”Did you just go inside its body for a look? Was it fun?”

Mo Ling didn’t know how to answer such a question.

”It was tragic. You’d better not get lazy...” Mo Ling recounted what he had seen, offering a word of caution.

”I won’t. I’m very responsible.”

It drew close to Mo Ling, extending a stream of water that touched him.

”Do you want to come play in my world? It’s really fun.”

Mo Ling hesitated for a moment, then transformed into a streak of golden light and entered its body.

...

The sea here was very lively. Or rather, far too lively.

The sky was filled with lightning and thunder, covered by dark clouds, and a torrential downpour blanketed everything.

The ocean’s temperature seemed high. Volcanoes erupted violently, and thick volcanic ash shrouded the entire sky.

Steam even rose from the surface of the sea, and the atmospheric circulation was incredibly intense.

This scene, which looked like a terrifying apocalypse, was in fact a cradle of life.

The materials within the ocean circulated thoroughly. The temperature was suitable. Volcanic eruptions poured out energy, and countless organic compounds were scattered evenly across the sea by the abundant rain.

The extreme temperature differences created chaotic ocean currents that churned the entire sea, dredging up silt from the seabed.

Although the sea was murky, it was teeming with life.

”Here, this is for you.”

With a flash of golden light, the lively companion tossed Mo Ling a body so small it was almost invisible.

”What is this?”

”I don’t know. All the previous life forms died off. This is the only kind left.”

Mo Ling’s golden light gathered and shrank.

Finally, he could see the body’s form clearly.

It was a—cell.

A very simple cell, which was why it was so small.

A thin cell membrane enclosed clear cytoplasm, a liquid perfect for containing Mo Ling’s consciousness.

And so, with a flash of golden light, Mo Ling became a tiny cell.