I'm trapped in a block

Chapter 1246 A Peaceful World

"We had a tough time back then, unlike you guys now, with such a high quality of life and the ability to travel everywhere..."

The old man suddenly changed his tone, adopting a serious expression:

"You can have fun, but be careful! Large trucks often pass through this intersection. You've never driven one before, so you don't know how big the blind spots are on those mining trucks. The driver can't even see a dozen people standing in front of the truck."

"Now that the sun is so bright, the light makes it even harder to see."

“If you want to take pictures, take them here, by the roadside. You can see the mine from here, the view is better, there’s no need to go to the middle of the road…”

The old man earnestly advised them, and Martin and Lu Youqi nodded repeatedly, as if pounding garlic.

As the old man finally decided to let the two go and head back to the newsstand, Lu You asked him a question:

"Sir, do you own this newsstand?"

"Yes."

Can I read the newspaper?

"Look around as you like," the old man waved his hand dismissively.

The two then leaned against the newsstand and began reading the newspapers on display.

Lu carefully examined the information about this world and discovered that its level of civilization was not high.

"It was roughly at the level before the abyss descended upon my world..."

The newspapers were mostly filled with current affairs news, such as which country had launched a missile or which country had imposed sanctions. This made Lu Qi feel somewhat disoriented, as if he had returned to his childhood.

At that time, humanity did not have a common enemy and was busy chasing each other.

Like the town near Lu You's home, this town is peaceful and serene, with its own industries and residents content with their lot. Although the new century has brought various cultural and technological shocks, the town stubbornly maintains its original appearance, just like the old man in the newsstand, still living in the memories of the past.

According to the old man, the town's mines are almost depleted, and like all places where resources are exhausted, the town is becoming increasingly desolate as mineral production dwindles.

"This place used to be very bustling, with street vendors lining the streets, but now I'm the only one left..."

The afternoon sun was blocked by the metal sheet of the newsstand. The old man thoughtfully turned on the electric fan, the blades making a creaking sound. The slightly hot air blew onto Lu Youqi's face, gradually calming his mind.

This world is just too normal...

Why is the starting point of the abyss such a peaceful place?

Lu Lu was completely baffled, so he asked the old man for the magazine hanging behind him and started flipping through it.

The old man didn't mind that the two were just looking and not buying. He sat leisurely in his recliner, swaying back and forth, holding a newspaper and reading it word by word.

"Sir, has anything important happened lately?"

"Yes!" The old man seemed to suddenly perk up, sitting up from his deck chair: "A war is about to break out in West Berding Bay! East Berding is recklessly seizing territory, North Berding has sent a bunch of assassins to kill them all, wiping out East Berding's commanders, and South Berding has deployed a fleet in the bay, cutting off East Berding's access to the sea..."

When the topic of world politics came up, the old man became incredibly enthusiastic, enthusiastically sharing his insights with Lu You.

The old man was completely bewildered by the barrage of "Berdinand" questions, but since it was his own question, he had to pretend to be interested. He spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he himself had joined the "Berdinand" war and was wreaking havoc on all sides...

"A hundred years ago, the various Bernin clans were considered brothers. Unfortunately, their advantageous geographical locations and growing strength inevitably aroused suspicion. Thus, through a series of instigations, the First Bernin War broke out. From then on, the brothers split apart, and now they are hostile to each other—"

"Boiling beans with beanstalks as fuel, straining the fermented beans for juice, Boding beats Boding, chirp chirp chirp chirp..." The old man didn't know where he copied the poem from. The first half had some logic, but the second half started to be made up.

Lu Qi understood that in the old man's eyes, these were "big things," and he and the old man were completely on different wavelengths.

While dealing with the old man, Lu Youqi also started to think.

Their arrival in this town was no accident; if nothing major is happening in the world, then the problem lies in this town.

"This town is the starting point of the abyss..."

To Lu You's surprise, he had thought this place would also be eroded by the abyss, like those worlds that the abyss had spread to, but now it seemed that this place had not rotted like the roots below.

"Why? Because it can still receive nutrients from above the roots?"

Perhaps the decay occurred beneath this world, just beyond it, and the abyssal power at the starting point continued to spread downwards without affecting this world upwards.

That's why the world is so peaceful.

But this is just Lu Qi's guess; he still needs to find the actual starting point to determine what exactly happened.

"Young man, look at how turbulent the world situation is, and look at our lives now... We should cherish the present, eat well, sleep well, pay attention to safety, and don't run around on the road."

The old man started giving advice again, which, though nagging, was full of good intentions.

"Grandpa, we're leaving."

"Okay, come visit often when you have time."

The old man waved his hand, then lay back down in his recliner and continued leisurely reading the newspaper...

"Let's go," Lu Youqi called softly to Martin, and the two slowly left the newsstand.

"Did you find anything?" Lu Youqi asked Martin as soon as they were away from the newsstand.

Martin shook his head, seemingly a little listless.

"What's wrong with you?" Lu Youqi keenly noticed that Martin was acting strangely.

“There are no dreams here,” Martin said calmly. “My power is waning.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Youqi immediately became nervous.

"How long can it last?"

"We must leave within three days, or we won't be able to leave."

They were able to travel the world thanks to Martin's power; if he were to completely decline, they would be stuck here.

“I’m trying not to use my strength right now.” Martin raised his hand and clenched his fist. The tentacles in his glass jar seemed to be starting to wilt, and their color had dimmed considerably.

His strength is waning rapidly; if he doesn't leave soon, Martin might even die...

"Could we go out when we're almost three days in and then come back in?" Routines suggested a method.

“No, do you remember what we broke when we came in? That was the edge of a dream. We were able to break through the edge and rush into this world by relying on inertia after gaining enough speed. This requires a long acceleration and a lot of energy. I can't repeat it again in a short time…”

(End of this chapter)