I'm trapped in a block

Chapter 1242 The First Playing Card

"Poker wasn't always poker, and the abyss wasn't always the abyss."

"Playing cards only become playing cards when someone gives meaning to those 'cards with pictures'."

"The abyss is the same..."

"Whatever it is, whether it is a behemoth that devours the world or a cancer that spreads to various worlds, it will always have its starting point."

"There, it was born for the first time, appeared for the first time, was defined for the first time, was given rules for the first time, and was called 'the Abyss' for the first time. And at that time, it was like the first playing card that appeared..."

"It is unique."

……

Upon hearing the word "unique," Martin instantly understood.

Regardless of what meaning is given to the abyss, and regardless of how many decks of cards are printed, it was unique at the time of its creation.

That was the very beginning, and even though it has been stained with paint, it cannot conceal the fact that it is unique. It was only after that point in time that its uniqueness gradually disappeared.

This has nothing to do with whether it carries the power of the abyss; it simply exists there, fixed squarely in the center of the river of time.

Everything there is unique.

Martin got excited just thinking about it.

This means he can use the power belonging to the abyss to find that starting point without having to avoid anything.

Lu Ruqi's gaze toward him gradually filled with anticipation.

"Can you find it?"

"Yes, but it will take me some time. It's far away, and the dream is deep... but I'll find it eventually..."

Unlike the world outside the abyss, it was at least not without any trace.

Anything that has ever existed in the abyss leaves a trace in the dream, not to mention that it's the starting point...

Martin's consciousness sank into the depths of his dream, where he conveyed commands to his countless "brothers," and those identical "Martins" instantly transformed into tentacles, searching through the layers of the dream.

The limbs of dreams extend into every world. Wherever there is consciousness, there are dreams. Dreams record these worlds with pixels and string them together with brilliant colors.

As the pixels flickered, those invisible tentacles replicated in the light, reaching into each pixel.

Martin's glass jar became empty, and he froze in place. His consciousness was no longer in this empty shell, but had fallen into an infinite dream.

The starting point of the abyss can be traced, just like finding the very first node by following the forked branches.

All the Martins start tracing forward from the end of the branch. The adjacent Martins meet at the nearest node, tell each other directions, and begin to overlap again, continuing their search until they meet another Martin, and overlap once more...

They continue to converge, overlap, meet, and combine, their numbers dwindling, and the speed at which they overlap and emerge increases.

They ran on the edge of dreams and leaped on the crooked branches.

At this moment, the consciousness dreaming among those branches might occasionally see a figure rushing by, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Martin uses those consciousnesses as a springboard, categorizing dreams based on the trajectories they follow. This helps him discern directions, identifying which side is the "main trunk" and which side is the "branch."

Until they crossed the boundary of this world dream and met another Martin, they ran towards each other in the same manner, without slowing down at all.

In the instant of their collision, they exchanged information. The glass jars crashed together, their tentacles intertwined, and after a flash of pixels, their speeds began to increase, and they raced off in another direction...

"Martin? Martin?"

Lu called Martin several times, but Martin didn't respond. He just stood there, the kimchi jar completely dark.

Seeing that Martin did not respond, Lu Youqi reached out his hand again, wanting to pat Martin on the shoulder.

However, his hand passed through Martin's body.

When his hands were suddenly empty, Lu Youqi was stunned for a moment.

He thought for a moment and realized that Martin had probably gone to find the so-called "starting point," so he took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and silently stayed by Martin's side. He didn't know how long Martin meant by "taking some time," so he could only wait.

But what he didn't expect was that he would wait for two years.

……

After finishing a long day of work, Lu returned to his house.

The world he lived in was on the verge of collapse. Normally, he and Martin would be preparing to set off for the next world by now.

Lu looked in the mirror. The man in the mirror looked even more haggard, and his glasses couldn't hide the deep dark circles under his eyes.

He glanced at Martin, who was still standing there, and sighed deeply.

"Why haven't you come back yet..."

Almost every day, Lu Youqi hoped that Martin, who was standing there, would move, but things didn't go as planned. Martin became a "phantom" that could be seen but not touched, standing there motionless for two years.

Lu Qi didn't care about Martin's sudden departure. After working together for so many years, he was used to Martin's style. However, he was a little worried that Martin might encounter difficulties and be delayed on his way to find the starting point.

The thought of these worries made his chest feel tight, and he couldn't stop coughing.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The cough came on so suddenly that he knelt down, half-kneeling on the ground, one hand on the table in front of him, the other pressed against his chest.

Just as he finally recovered and was about to stand up by supporting himself on the table, his hand slipped, and he slid to the ground...

A force lifted his limp body and slowly helped him up.

After Lu stopped, he immediately looked back with a surprised expression.

Martin, whom he had been longing for, stood behind him, his hand still in a supporting gesture.

Neither of them said much, and they just stood facing each other until the bottle on the table fell to the ground, shattering the tranquility...

"did you find it?"

"found it."

"Thanks for your hard work……"

Neither of them said anything more.

"Has anything unexpected happened?"

"No, everything went smoothly and didn't take long."

"Two years."

"Well, it didn't take long at the end of the dream's fork at first, where the flow wasn't fast. But the closer you get to the starting point, the faster time passes. I can't help it, it's a necessary time expenditure."

"I see."

Lu Qi didn't say much; he was already very happy that Martin had returned safely.

"Shall we set off now?" Martin asked somewhat eagerly.

"Don't rush, let's eat first." Lu Youqi replied calmly, "You don't need to eat, but I do. I'm a human being."

“I am human too,” Martin blurted out.

"Those who don't eat are not human."

"..."

Martin was speechless. He seemed to sense a faint resentment in Lu Youqi's words...

(End of this chapter)