Chapter 291: Chapter 288: The Fog Disperses (Part 2)
"I forgot to tell you—between us, there is no parting, only intersection."
After saying this, he set sail once more, heading into the distance without a backward glance.
This time, the small figure did not look back.
The tiny boat drifted farther and farther away across the glittering surface of the water.
A trail of white spray stretched out from Mo Ling’s feet, reaching into the distance and plunging straight into the horizon where the sea met the sky.
Just as the small figure had said, there was no parting, only intersection.
They were never two parallel lines.
In that moment, Mo Ling felt as if he, too, were sailing into the distance, following that trail of spray.
The boundary between the blue sky and the sea was blurred by the shimmering light, but Mo Ling could faintly sense that the line wasn’t unreachable. It seemed to be waiting for him, not far away.
As long as the trail of spray kept extending forward, it was bound to intersect with that line.
Moreover, it wasn’t a simple intersection. It was perpendicular.
Perfectly perpendicular.
Mo Ling’s gaze followed the spray across the surface of the sea and plunged into the perpendicular line of the horizon.
Then, the line shot up from the sea, piercing the sky.
And so, a perfect three-dimensional right angle emerged.
Just like the perfectly formed corner of the Block...
Mo Ling stared blankly at the corner, the shimmering sea making him a little dizzy.
The scene before his eyes began to overlap.
When he came to, he realized he had somehow returned to the inside of the Block. The corner he had just seen was, in fact, a corner within the Block.
Mo Ling walked over and stared at the corner for a long time, but he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
He sat on the bed, taking a long moment to process the fact that he was back inside the Block again.
’How did I get back here so suddenly?’
Mo Ling couldn’t quite figure it out. Whenever he took on that form, it never lasted long.
Unable to come up with an answer, Mo Ling shifted his perspective outward again.
Only then did he realize that he had, at some point, returned to the coast.
The Block was currently lying on the beach, basking in the sun.
The fog had long since dissipated. Sunlight poured down onto the beach, and the Block’s metal walls reflected the light. There was no telling how long it had been there.
As his perspective expanded, Mo Ling confirmed that this was, indeed, Fishman Island.
It was just that, with the thick fog gone, the island looked surprisingly unfamiliar.
The sand on the beach glowed a brilliant gold under the sun, as if paved with a layer of gold. Without the gloomy "filter" of the fog, the seawater here looked incredibly clear.
A gentle sea breeze blew, and new shoots that had sprouted from rotten wood swayed in the wind.
With the fog gone and the sun shining down, everything seemed so much cleaner.
’It’s beautiful.’
The sight of this beach alone left Mo Ling in awe.
Controlling the Block, Mo Ling had it slowly rise and followed the path from memory, flying toward the island’s center.
Along the way, Mo Ling noticed that the mud on the island had dried up and the damp, rotting trees had been bleached by the sun. The effects of the fog were gradually fading.
’But a question popped into my mind. Is this environment really good for the Fishmen? Don’t they prefer dampness?’
However, as soon as he reached the entrance to Fishman Village, his doubts were dispelled.
A group of Fishmen were leaning against a large rock at the village entrance, sunbathing with great contentment.
As they soaked up the sun, the group of Fishmen pointed up at it, idly chatting about recent events.
What shocked Mo Ling even more was that a Fake Fishman, covered in a carapace and looking like a crab, was mixed in with them.
He was glumly complaining to the other Fishmen, "Do you all really find this sun comfortable? Why can’t I feel a thing?"
A Fishman beside him took a look, then placed a hand on his carapace and felt it.
"Your shell is already getting hot. You’ll feel it in a little bit."
"All right," the crab-like Fake Fishman answered meekly.
But the expression of the Fishman touching the carapace grew stranger and stranger, his fish-like eyes slowly widening.
"Let me ask you something."
"Go ahead," the crab replied, a little confused.
"Your shell is turning a bit red. Any reason why?"
"..."
Hearing this, the crab-person shot to his feet and scurried toward the village.
Seeing this, Mo Ling’s worries were completely dispelled.
’Looks like they’re adapting to the new environment just fine.’
Following the crab, Mo Ling floated slowly into Fishman Village.
Without the fog to obscure his view, Mo Ling discovered that Fishman Village was situated in very low-lying terrain.
Although the island’s environment had changed dramatically, this area seemed to have changed very little.
The low terrain, combined with heavy vegetation cover, kept the environment within Fishman Village damp and cool—perfect for the Fishmen.
Moreover, with the fog gone, Fishman Village had become much cleaner, losing its former sticky, grimy feel.
Though the buildings and facilities in Fishman Village were still dilapidated, the evaporation of the constant dampness gave the place a refreshed feeling.
Sunlight streamed through gaps in the foliage, adding a touch of splendor to the village’s peculiar, cobbled-together buildings.
Directly above the library in the center of the village was a circular opening in the canopy, allowing sunlight to bathe the special building without obstruction.
As soon as Mo Ling arrived, he saw Li Luo and Bai Zhou sitting on the steps of the library entrance, apparently chatting about something.
"How are you feeling?" Li Luo asked, looking at Bai Zhou curiously.
"I feel like I had a really peaceful sleep, and when I woke up, the sun was shining." Bai Zhou tapped his own head, and his diving helmet made two KLANGING sounds. It seemed he still hadn’t figured out what had happened.
He looked at the ground and shook his head. "I just remember getting back to the island, taking a nap, and then waking up lying in the village."
He stretched out a hand to catch the falling sunlight, a puzzled look on his face.
"How did the fog clear? Is the Sea Moon Rite over?"
Li Luo didn’t know how to answer. "I guess it must be."
She, too, held out her hand to catch the sunlight.
The light had returned to the island rather suddenly.
"How long was I asleep? I don’t remember a thing. They don’t think I was slacking off, do they?" Bai Zhou said, dejected.
Just then, Jeff walked over.
"Bai Zhou, it’s your turn. Go get a check-up."
"Okay." Bai Zhou nodded and ran toward a building that appeared to be the Fishman Hospital.
After Bai Zhou left, Jeff came over to Li Luo’s side and slowly sat down.
He looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. After a long pause, he finally gathered his words.
However, when he finally spoke, he asked a strange question:
"How long do humans live?"
Li Luo was taken aback. She clearly hadn’t expected that after thinking for so long, Jeff would ask a question like that.
"Most live to be around one hundred to one hundred and twenty. Medical technology has improved a lot, but in the Abyss, most humans die from accidents. Not many die of old age," Li Luo answered earnestly.
"Medical technology?" Jeff repeated quietly. "Humans couldn’t live this long before?"
Li Luo nodded. "That’s right. About fifty years ago, most people only lived to be eighty or ninety. Even earlier than that, during times of war, they might have died much younger."
"In fact, what kills most humans are diseases caused by aging. If those diseases could be cured, and if you avoid dying in an accident, a human’s lifespan could be very, very long."
Hearing Li Luo’s explanation, Jeff nodded thoughtfully.
"So, as long as you have a peaceful environment and sufficiently advanced technology, lifespan can just keep getting longer?"
"In theory, yes, that should be the case," Li Luo confirmed.
Jeff fell into thought once more.
After a moment, he spoke again. "Then if all the conditions were met, could someone achieve immortality?"
"I don’t know. Why are you asking about this?" Li Luo asked, puzzled.
"No reason. Just asking."
His expression was downcast as he slowly lowered his head.
They sat in silence for a long time.
Jeff sat on the steps, staring at the ground, lost in thought...
A leaf drifted down on a sunbeam. Jeff watched it land softly on the ground before he finally spoke:
"The Great Clan Leader... he didn’t wake up."
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