"Humans?"
Mo Ling roused himself and carefully observed everything in his field of view.
As the small cart continued forward, Mo Ling caught glimpses of chilling sights along the way.
He had been transported into the camp of the little black men.
The ground was covered with totem poles etched with patterns, from which hung thorny vines and ghastly white bones.
Those were human bones!
Mo Ling was certain he wasn't mistaken.
It wasn't just on the totem poles. White bones protruded from the sand and gravel of the little men's camp, some still clad in human clothing.
He lowered his gaze.
Beneath the camp lay countless skeletons, piled one on top of the other. There was no telling how many humans had been killed here.
'No wonder they said humans were about to attack,' Mo Ling thought.
'I have to find a way to contact the humans here and get myself rescued.'
The further the cart went, the more numerous the little men became, and the stronger the stench of blood grew.
The two little men pulling the cart casually tossed the metal block aside by the wall, then picked up their weapons and climbed onto the wooden ramparts.
The ramparts were packed densely with little men wielding all sorts of ranged weapons.
A little man who looked like a Wizard held a broom, continuously smearing a muddy paste onto its handle.
The paste seeped into the handle, and then the broom's bristles stood on end, shooting out toward the area beyond the wall and quickly vanishing from Mo Ling's sight.
'What kind of weapon is that?'
Before he could get a good look, a large shield outside the wall charged into his field of view.
All the needle-like bristles fired by the Wizard were deflected by the large shield.
Behind the shield, a burly man advanced steadily, hunched over to cover his comrades behind him.
This group of people were all dressed in thick combat suits, carrying tool bags, and wearing wide leather belts around their waists from which various pieces of tactical gear hung.
The little men on the wall tried everything to get their attacks around it, but the large shield blocked them all.
The burly man reached the wall and, with a powerful shove of his shield, smashed the sturdy wooden gate to pieces.
The group brandished their weapons and streamed in, beginning a fierce battle with the little men.
The burly man held the shield with his left hand, reached into his tool bag with his right, and pulled out a blood bag, smashing it against the shield.
As the blood bag burst, the great shield melted like a candle and reformed into a long spear.
He seized it smoothly, swept the spear horizontally, and knocked down a swathe of the little men who had swarmed him.
The movements were so fluid that Mo Ling couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
'Another strange weapon.'
Just then, a Young Lady led a group of little men toward the metal block, using it as cover to fight them in a circling battle.
As it happened, Mo Ling was watching with surging excitement, eager to show what he could do.
Aiming at the little men surrounding the Young Lady, he focused his will.
A dozen or so of the surrounding little men were instantly decapitated, collapsing to the ground with a thud.
A second look revealed their heads, which Mo Ling had casually tossed elsewhere.
The few remaining little men hastily retreated, stumbling out of Mo Ling's field of view.
The Young Lady's eyes widened. She stared at the metal block, a look of shock and fear on her face.
Then, as if she suddenly thought of something, she hurriedly took out everything she was carrying and placed it all on the metal block.
Seeing this, Mo Ling was suddenly reminded of the little men from before. Connecting the two events, he had an idea.
'Are they making an offering to me?'
Deciding to test his theory, Mo Ling selected a can of food the Young Lady had put out and sent it into his space.
Seeing the can of food disappear, the Young Lady visibly relaxed, her fearful expression vanishing completely.
'Did I guess right?' Mo Ling was delighted.
The Young Lady went to the cart's handle and, with a heave, her seemingly delicate body pushed the cart at high speed, charging into the battlefield.
'That girl is strong!'
Mo Ling praised her inwardly, then turned his attention back to the little men in the heat of battle.
Wherever the small cart went, the little black men engaged in combat fell like blades of grass.
Their heads vanished into thin air, leaving behind only mirror-smooth cuts on their necks as blood sprayed out.
A short distance away, the heads suddenly reappeared on the ground, their faces frozen in confusion.
This bizarre scene threw the little black men's ranks into chaos, completely shattering their will to fight.
In the end, the little men were even avoiding the Young Lady. The moment they saw the cart approaching, they threw down their armor and fled in disarray.
The group seized the opportunity to press their advantage, quickly occupying the camp.
Seeing that the situation was under control, the Young Lady, panting for breath, leaned against the metal block and sat down.
Glistening beads of sweat trickled down strands of her hair onto her slender neck.
A brand-new, silver-white metal nameplate necklace rested against her wheat-colored skin, shimmering where it was moistened by her sweat.
"First-level Hunter, Li Luo."
It was strange writing again, but Mo Ling could still understand it.
As he was observing, the burly man walked over. Only then did Mo Ling notice that he too wore a necklace of the same design, though his was more ornate.
"Second-level Hunter, Du Kang of the Shield of Transformation."
The contents of the nameplate were completely different; his even had a title.
The burly man stopped in front of the Young Lady and admonished her in a stern tone, "You were too reckless."
The Young Lady didn't answer, merely lowering her head.
The burly man patted the metal block and carefully asked the Young Lady, "What's the cost for this thing?"
The Young Lady named Li Luo took out a can of food. Mo Ling understood and accepted the can into his space.
"Food?" The burly man was clearly surprised.
Li Luo nodded.
The burly man's tone softened considerably. "You got lucky. I'll arrange for someone to register it. Don't leave the squad on your own next time."
With that, the burly man walked toward the crowd.
Listening to their conversation, a theory began to form in Mo Ling's mind.
'A cost... is that what they have to pay to use these things?'
The broom that needed the muddy paste, the shield that needed blood, and the offerings from the little men and the Young Lady before.
'They think this metal block is one of those strange weapons?' Mo Ling realized with a start.
Fortunately, he had stumbled into the right conclusion by accident. They just happened to believe that "food" was the cost for using the metal block, and not something else strange.
'At least I won't go hungry for a while.'
After a short while, a registrar carrying various high-tech instruments came over. After some routine questions for Li Luo, he started rummaging through his bag.
He took out a device that looked like a hairdryer and began scanning the metal block, then pulled out an electronic screen.
Mo Ling watched the scanner expectantly, hoping the device would discover him trapped inside the metal block.
However, the registrar didn't detect any anomalies and began operating the electronic screen.
After searching for a moment, the registrar asked, "Li Luo, this is the first time this relic has been discovered. Do you need to name it?"
Li Luo shook her head. "I'm not good at naming things."
"This is a rare opportunity, one you fought hard for. Go on, pick a name," the team member encouraged with a smile.
After a moment of thought, Li Luo looked at the metal block and answered seriously, "Iron Block."
The registrar's smile froze.
"Can't you pick a cooler name? Like, 'Deadly Block,' 'Fatal Cube,' 'Otherworldly Killing Formation,' or something? Or maybe..."
Li Luo stared at the registrar, watching him spout one flashy name after another.
The registrar's skin crawled under her gaze, and he finally relented. "Fine, 'Iron Block' it is."
He then continued his work, and text began to appear on the electronic screen:
[Relic: Iron Block]
[Cost: Food]
[Ability: Excises a cubic volume from the bodies of enemies within range.]
[Discovery Location: Abyss, First Layer]
[Discoverer: Li Luo]
...