"This was a disaster for the entire Transparent Race, and a disaster for the entire world!" the old man said excitedly.
Hearing this, the soldier could only patiently explain, "They won't occupy the entire world. Dead creatures will turn into nutrients and enter nature's material cycle. It's the same for both the Transparent Race and the Flesh Race."
But the old man still refused to believe it, angrily rebuking him, "You Flesh Race people simply don't understand. You are Undying Things yourselves, so of course you would defend yourselves."
"Our people have been trying to solve this problem for generations. We've made countless efforts for it."
"At first, our Prophet even tried to reconcile with the Flesh Race, but the Flesh Race simply ignored us. They only slaughtered us and completely disregarded the disaster."
"After all these years, we gave up on reconciliation long ago. Only by fighting without cease and driving out the Flesh Race can we save the world."
The more the old man spoke, the more grief-stricken he became.
Seeing this, the soldier spread his hands at his companions, indicating that there was no way to communicate with him.
Then, the old man apologetically explained to Captain Su, "Sorry, I got a little emotional. Sorry, I wasn't targeting you."
"The Flesh Race here has been fighting us for too long. Whenever I talk about these things, I can't help losing my temper."
Captain Su waved his hand to show that it was fine.
Mo Ling felt the same way as that soldier.
Helpless and amused.
"That Prophet was certainly something, coming up with such a ridiculous reason for a disaster. What a charlatan."
The more Mo Ling thought about it, the more he felt that the Transparent Race was truly ignorant.
Even Li Luo, who had remained expressionless all along, puffed out her cheeks, barely able to suppress the smile on her face.
Before they had gone very far, the group arrived at an area filled with enormous mushrooms, their caps faintly glowing blue.
"We're almost there," the old man said excitedly, unconsciously quickening his pace.
Various man-made structures had already appeared within the mushroom forest, most of them made of stone.
Small Farmlands were scattered haphazardly throughout the area, surrounded by low fences and planted with all sorts of stunted food crops.
There were also short, conical Stone Piles built from pebbles of identical size.
These Stone Piles appeared clustered together, as though they were the product of some ritual.
"What are those?" one of the soldiers had already asked the Transparent Race elder.
"They are tombstones," the old man explained.
The soldier asked in confusion, "Don't you turn into water right where you die? Why would you need tombstones?"
But the actions of the Transparent Race members that followed explained why those tombstones existed.
They came to where the conical Stone Piles were clustered, dug a pit, and placed weapons and clothing stained with their kin's liquid inside.
Then, they found pebbles of the same size nearby and hurled them forcefully into the pit.
They looked extremely furious as they threw them. Rather than mourning their ancestors, they seemed to be attacking an enemy.
More and more pebbles were thrown in, eventually forming a Stone Pile.
Not only that, they also smashed the remaining pebbles against other tombstones that already stood there.
After one Transparent Race member finished smashing stones, the others would step forward and continue.
This burial custom left everyone dumbfounded.
When only the final stone remained, the Transparent Race members formed a circle. Holding that final stone, they stood around the pebble pile, closed their eyes, and began reciting a eulogy:
"Transparency is born of the Gods, and the soul is born of heaven and earth."
"Fashion the undying wood into a curved bow."
"Forge the undying thorn into a dagger."
"Weave the undying hide into armor."
"Turn the undying bone into a sharp blade."
"Drive out the Undying Things."
"Eradicate the undying souls."
"The transparent body disperses, but endless memories endure."
After reciting the eulogy around the pebble pile, the Transparent Race members all viciously smashed the final stone onto it.
The ritual was complete.
The stone landed firmly atop the pile, and a perfect conical Stone Pile was formed.
After watching the Transparent Race's funeral, Mo Ling finally understood some of the reasoning behind it.
So, the weapons and clothing of these Transparent Race members were all made from what they considered "Undying Things."
Looking at it this way, this bizarre burial custom must have formed only after the Flesh Race arrived in this world.
"I never expected the Flesh Race to have such a profound impact on their culture."
But because of their ignorance, that influence even seemed somewhat laughable.
Once the funeral was over, the old man led the human squad farther inward.
There were more and more stone buildings, constructed alongside the enormous mushrooms, and their architectural style became increasingly ornate.
At first, there were only simple stone houses built from irregular rocks. Later, they even saw tall homes made from processed stone bricks.
Eventually, there were even temple-like structures with columns, resembling humanity's Parthenon.
The temple was supported by towering stone pillars. Its roof was gabled, with triangular pediments at each end, carved with exquisite reliefs.
Not long after they saw the temple, shouts came from ahead.
"Oh no! It might be a Flesh Race invasion!"
Sure enough, two groups were fighting fiercely within the village.
One side consisted of the familiar Transparent Race members.
The other side was a race of extraordinarily tall people.
They resembled demons from Earth's myths, with sharp horns on their heads, wings on their backs, and bodies over two meters tall, powerful and muscular.
Their skin was crimson red, marked with glowing patterns like lava. They wore rough, rugged clothing.
These demons were extremely formidable in battle. Faced with the encirclement of a group of Transparent Race members, they fought with ease and showed no fear, brandishing their weapons with fierce fighting spirit.
Even the arrows fired by the Transparent Race were knocked aside with a flap of their wings. The arrowheads could not even pierce their skin.
Seeing this, the Transparent Race members traveling with them hurriedly joined the battle against the demons.
Captain Su raised his hand, signaling everyone to hold their positions.
Meanwhile, Mo Ling maneuvered the Cube closer to the battlefield and looked down at the fighting.
A Transparent Race member who appeared to be their leader, dressed in magnificent clothing and covered in mysterious incantations, stood atop a huge boulder and shouted harshly:
"The Flesh Race has gone too far! Our living space is already so small, yet you still come to oppress us! You even attacked our village. What exactly do you want?"
The demons below refused to back down. Looking up, they retorted, "What do you mean, attacking your village? We only came to ask some questions, but the Transparent Race ambushed us the moment we entered. You were the ones who attacked us!"
"Enough nonsense! Hand over the Flesh Race people you captured. Stop stalling here, or your village can forget about continuing to exist."
Hearing this, the Transparent Race leader above trembled with rage. "When did we ever capture your people?!"
Neither side was willing to yield. They kept fighting while continuing to argue fiercely.
Before you continue