Chapter 118: The Black Monster

Three days have passed since the discovery of the magma lake. All sections of the mines, with the exception of the bottom-most Northern Sector A, have resumed normal operations. Having personally inspected the site for the first two days, I found nothing particularly unusual outside the subterranean magma lake. Without fire resistance potions, one cannot enter the lake to uncover the secrets hidden within the molten rock; we are limited to external observation. Since magma is not water, observation from the outside yields little insight. As the core of the Kingdom, Mo Fangyuan has too many official duties to remain stationed there indefinitely.

Viewing it as a form of training, he delegated responsibility for the magma site to his student, Jie Weirong. He hoped that this talented first pupil of his would seize the opportunity to gain practical experience while contributing to the prosperity of the Block Kingdom.

In the King’s office, Mo Fangyuan’s craftsmanship never ceased. He had been maintaining the same posture for an hour, drafting laws. This was something he would never have imagined doing back when he was a student.

[Criminal Law (Civil)]
[Intentional Homicide: Those who commit intentional homicide shall be sentenced to life imprisonment or forced labor without human rights, depending on the severity of the circumstances.]
[Intentional Injury: Those who intentionally injure others, causing disability, shall be subject to equivalent or unequal physical harm, and fixed-term or life imprisonment, depending on the severity.]
[Rape: Forcing others to engage in reproductive acts shall result in the revocation of reproductive rights and fixed-term or life imprisonment, depending on the severity.]

Mo Fangyuan’s thinking was clear, simple, and direct—the mindset of an ordinary person. To summarize it in one sentence: a killer must pay with their life; one who injures must be cut in return. Having been oppressed by capitalists and corrupt officials in his past life, Mo Fangyuan now possessed the power to create laws and demanded only fairness—absolute fairness. As for the idea that fairness should make concessions for the sake of social stability... Mo Fangyuan could not accept that. If one cannot even achieve fairness, what kind of order is there to maintain?

[Theft: Those who steal the property of others shall return said property and be subject to fines and fixed-term imprisonment, depending on the severity.]

After adding new content to this "Criminal and Civil Code" and revising contradictory or unreasonable loopholes, Mo Fangyuan placed it back into a chest and began to continue drafting "Patriotism Studies" and "Basic Redstone." Knowing his own limitations, he planned to spend a long time writing, revising, and organizing these three books, striving to reach the absolute limit of his capabilities. Afterward, he would conduct small-scale trials to use the eyes of the masses to find flaws—because these three books were not just for his own use, but for all the people of the Block Kingdom; any error could lead to serious consequences.

[Patriotism is glorious, patriotism is honorable, patriotism is loving yourself! Loving your mother!]

[Xiao Ming is a self-loathing citizen. Since childhood, he has been brainwashed by so-called public intellectuals, yearning for the "freedom" of the monster factions and deeply rejecting his own motherland. He often complained about why he wasn't born in a monster nation instead of here... Until one day, a pandemic riot broke out across the world. The monster factions fell into chaos, filled with arson, killing, and looting. Their leaders, disregarding public safety, allowed the riots to continue for their own amusement, labeling it "freedom" and leaving the populace in agony. Only the Block Kingdom said "no" to the pandemic riots, and through love and justice, they redeemed them...]

Satisfied with inserting the negative example of Xiao Ming into "Patriotism Studies," Mo Fangyuan set down his quill. "Patriotism... it requires plenty of negative examples, which can then be compared with our great motherland to convince them!"

"Minister, what on earth is that thing?"

Behind the mountain, Iron Nose hid behind a snowdrift, staring ahead with an expression as if he had encountered an impossible creature. The captain of the Second Field Army squad, leaning beside him, had his pupils constricted in shock, though his bouncy, oversized nose, swaying with the falling snow, ruined the gravity of the moment.

"As expected... it is exactly as His Majesty the King said... this world is beyond our imagination. What we know is merely the tip of the iceberg!" Iron Nose swallowed hard, his voice trembling. He had never encountered such a terrifying creature. Being young, he had never faced such a situation and was nearly paralyzed with fear.

In reality, the creature Iron Nose and his team encountered might truly be a legendary, impossible beast—or rather, a monster!

"Good heavens, what exactly is that thing!"

A pure black shadow felt incredibly oppressive, as if the mountains and the earth were struggling in vain against being engulfed by it.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Suddenly, it moved! In an instant, the sky darkened and the earth began to crumble! Every movement it made brought forth the groans of the earth, producing vibrations and pain that ordinary people could not endure. Its stature was tall enough to rival the sun and moon; its strength was enough to challenge the earth itself...

From the perspective of Iron Nose and his men, this colossal "Titan" monster was walking across the land with a leisurely gait, leaving withered life and blighted soil in its wake. It was merely moving, yet it exerted such terrifying power...

Its obsidian-like scales covered its body, arranged in an indescribably beautiful pattern; its feet, which blocked out the sky, were enough to trample everything; its massive, pale claws and fangs were so shocking that it felt as if it could tear through time and space with a mere flick...

"Minister, we must retreat!" a squad captain said in terror, his will unable to withstand such pressure. Iron Nose believed that even the most valiant warrior in the myths of the Block People would not dare to attack such a mythical monster. The gap in power was despairing.

The sheer scale of its black-scaled body, larger than any mountain range, produced an explosive sense of oppression that overwhelmed any sentient creature.

"Let us return to those two villages and bring the people back! If we stay away too long, who knows what might happen to them..."

The squad captains, possessing the wisdom of self-awareness, unanimously agreed to abandon exploration and consolidate their current gains. Heaven knows if they would lose their lives if they continued.

"Sigh! Let's go... This matter is of the utmost importance; we must inform His Majesty about this creature..."

Forced by the presence of the distant, gargantuan black Titan, and knowing that survival was paramount, Iron Nose chose to abandon the exploration and returned to the Block Kingdom with the fifty-odd villagers.

Inside the magma lake, after four days of effort by the Watchers, the surface had been covered with obsidian, and the pillar reaching toward the sky in the center was finally revealed to everyone's view. It was a single-block stone pillar made of cobblestone, completely unremarkable. Bringing Zhang Lingyun here confirmed that this was the very magma lake where she had transformed into a "Magical Girl."

Upon confirming this news, Mo Fangyuan lowered the danger level of the magma lake by one tier, while raising its mystery level by one.

"Well... Zhang Lingyun, is this where you underwent your transformation?"

After confirming that the pillar was indeed, as Zhang Lingyun had described, just an ordinary cobblestone pillar used for building a path, Mo Fangyuan asked her about the Magical Girl matter.

"Your Majesty, I still have a mission in the Black Forest that needs to be completed!"

"If there is nothing else, I think I should return to the Black Forest!"

Zhang Lingyun’s expression was sour; she was clearly very emotional about what Mo Fangyuan had said. She had accepted that cursed "Elite Ball" for the sake of the Block Kingdom, yet after the transformation, His Majesty the King had not rewarded her, but instead began to distance himself from her. What was the meaning of this? Was he treating her like a disposable tool? To be discarded once used? Zhang Lingyun puffed out her cheeks in anger.

"It’s over!" Mo Fangyuan cursed inwardly. Things were looking bad. Zhang Lingyun had truly changed; even her personality had become entirely feminine.