Ground Stars / 地上星 · Ch.117 第117章 收购药材
第117章 收购药材
Chapter 117: Acquiring Medicinal Herbs
｛朋友，能够告诉我们，你们是怎么抵御精神幻境的攻击吗？ 我们根本不敢进入里面，几百米就会出问题。｝
“Hey, buddy, can you tell us how you fend off mental hallucination attacks? We can’t even step inside—a few hundred meters in and trouble starts.”
｛对啊，能不能告诉咱们进去的方法，我们只想在周边打点猎物。｝
“Yeah, could you share how you get in? We just want to hunt at the edges.”
自从这山出现附近，已经好些人进入后身死。
Since this mountain appeared nearby, many have already ventured in and never returned alive.
关于精神攻击，甚至是念能力相关物品的消息在附近已经不是新鲜事，虽然大多数人对那种宝物都心知肚明不是自己所能得到的，但他们依旧想要进入山中——因为其中的野兽生命是他们获取额外时序的来源。
Tales of mental attacks, even matters concerning Nen-related items, are nothing new around here. Though most people know such treasures are beyond their grasp, they still long to enter the mountain—because the beasts within are a source of extra Chronos for them.
可惜这里对他们来说却是个禁地，只能伏击偶尔跑出的野兽，可那得看运气。
But to them, this place is a forbidden zone; they can only ambush the occasional beast that runs out, waiting for luck to smile on them.
而眼前之人却能进山解决它们。
Yet, this man standing before them could waltz right in and deal with them.
洛宾又解决了几只发疯的巨兽，直到它们根本不敢靠前，纷纷转身逃离后，才撸了草叶抹了把剑上的血迹，哈哈一笑道：
Robin Lo slayed a few more frenzied beasts, only stopping when they dared not approach and turned to flee instead. He wiped the blood off his sword with a tuft of grass and said with a hearty laugh:
「不好意思各位，我们只是进来找人，就不陪你们玩了。」
“Apologies, folks, we’re just here to find someone. Can’t hang around to play with you.”
｛哥，你们不继续了吗？ 我们给你投资。｝
“Bro, aren’t you guys going to keep at it? We’ll foot the bill—Invest you.”
融资Moexl中一片哀嚎。
Wails of despair echoed through the financing Moxel.
众人遗憾不已的见到自己分得的或几月、或几年、或十来年的额外寿命红利。
Everyone looked on with regret as they saw the extra lifespan dividends they had received—be it a few months, a few years, or over a decade.
洛宾喜滋滋的将剩下的一百五十年左右的时序分一半给杨子藏，被杨子藏白了眼拒绝。
Robin Lo cheerfully offered half of the remaining 150 years or so of Chronos to Yang Zicang, but was met with a glare of refusal from her.
「薛老二没有找到，看上去是凶多吉少了。」
“Xue Lao Er hasn’t been found. It doesn’t look good—most likely trouble.”
……
杨子藏两人只是略微失望，枢纽镇中的乔明早就患得患失无比。
Yang Zicang and the other felt only slight disappointment, but in Hubville, Qiao Ming was utterly consumed by anxiety.
「只希望还没有人听到Moexl对发现时序战器的汇报。」
“I can only hope no one’s heard Moxel’s report about discovering the Chronos Wargear yet.”
逐银的朋友竟然能够在山里行动自如，这让乔明既佩服又担心。
The fact that Ju Yin Chase’s friends could move freely in the mountains filled Qiao Ming both with admiration and worry.
他只寄希望于这两人后面真能找到武器，并按照约定还给自己。 否则面对两个四边形，想要靠失频之地上某些势力去施压交出武器，也纯粹是白日做梦。
He could only pray that these two would actually find the weapons later and return them as promised. Otherwise, facing two Quad-class opponents, trying to pressure them into handing over the weapons through some factions in the Shibin Wastes would be nothing but a pipe dream.
失频之地，山外。
Shibin Wastes, outside the mountains.
杨子藏与洛宾两人在山林外围转悠了半天，解决了几只野兽后开始轮流睡觉休息。晚上列车能出现后，他们出发前往附近的吉运大棚区。
Yang Zicang and Robin Lo wandered around the outskirts of the forest for half a day, took down a few beasts, and then started taking turns sleeping and resting. After the night train showed up, they set off towards the nearby Jiyun Dapeng Zone.
夜风习习。
The night wind rustled softly.
在失频之地的人们迫于生计，对昼夜的概念已经模糊，夜晚的大棚区外行走着道道拎着小桶打忘川溪水的人，棚内更是热闹，似乎跟白天没什么区别。
In Shibin Wastes, people driven by survival had long lost their sense of day and night. At night, outside the Dapeng Zone, figures carrying small buckets to fetch River Lethe’s water could be seen trudging along; inside the sheds, the place was even livelier, bustling as if it were still daytime, seemingly no different from broad daylight.
「什么人。」
“Who’s there?”
「我们想来收点药材，比如银叶草，晾干的幻影藤，彩虹果的果实。」
“We’ve come to collect some herbs. For example, silver-leaf grass, dried phantom vine, and rainbow fruit.”
棚区的守门人没有再多问两人，给他们指了指外来人的交易区后就放他们进入了。
The gatekeeper of the Peng Zone didn’t ask them any more questions. He simply pointed them toward the trading area for outsiders before letting them through.
半小时后，杨子藏扛着大包小包的药材从门口走出，看得守卫瞪大了双眼。
Half an hour later, Yang Zicang emerged from the gate—his shoulders laden with bulging sacks of herbs—which made the guard’s eyes pop wide open.
「好便宜啊，这么多都才花了不到二十年时序。」
“So cheap! All this stuff cost me less than twenty years of Chronos.”
洛宾咂舌不已：「那枚药丸的成本最多也就五个月，竟然敢开价一百年。」
Robin Lo clicked his tongue in surprise: “The base cost of that pill is at most free months’ worth of Chronos, and they have the nerve to start at a hundred years.”
「那是等着我还价，砍到脚背五年一枚他也能赚十几倍。」
“That’s just leverage for haggling. Cut it down to five years a pill like with my shoes, and they’d still make a tenfold profit.”
洛宾翻动着手上买来的一本药材目录看了看，这份植物手册反而是最贵的东西，花了他10N。
Robin Lo flipped through the herbal directory he’d just bought. This reference on flora had actually cost the most out of everything—a whole ten beings in Chronos.
里面都是失频之地上常年来总结出的有用的植物标本和名称，名称部分是约定成俗后取的，还有部分是通过破译出的异界书籍上所获得的资料。
Its pages were packed with useful flora and labels long compiled over the years in the Shibin Wastes. Some names were adopted through common usage, while others came from data decoded in otherworldly scriptures.
「我以前有一本记载了异界魔纹法阵的书来着。」拿棍子扛着包的杨子藏边走边道。
“I used to have a book on otherworldly magical arrays once.” Still slinging her herb-laden bag over staff, Yang Zicang began walking along as she spoke.
「以前？」你才来多久啊…洛宾想了想，提了下肩上拽着的大包，无语着问，「书呢？」
“Once?” You haven’t been here that long… Robin Lo thought, then he shifted the weight on his shoulder and asked, words dryer than this desolate land found.,”Where’s the book now?””
「拿来挡老鼠的那一枪，碎了。」
“Shattered—by the gunshot I purposely aimed at the rat under it.”
「……」
「……」
那不是这家伙刚进这世界时发生的事吗，这狗屎运。
Wasn’t that right after this guy first entered the world? What a lucky break.
到临晨三四点的时候，杨子藏跑遍了这附近的几座中大型棚区，只要是能制香丸的药材，全都给买了。
By three or four in the morning, Yang ZiCang had scoured every medium-to-large Peng Zone nearby, buying up all the herbs that could be used for making incense pills.
这事甚至惊动了小记者。
This even caught the attention of the little journalist.
无聊的小家伙们好奇的打量着大包小包的杨子藏，不过因为并没有诞生名气增长，它们也只是好奇的看看而已。
The bored little guy craned his neck, curiously sizing up Yang ZiCang loaded down with bags—but since there was no surge in fame, it was just a passing glance of idle interest.
枢纽镇中，守着几个荧幕的值班人员打了打哈欠。
In Hubville, the duty staff stationed in front of several monitors let out yawns.
「他们这是在干嘛？」
“What the hell are they doing?”
他们都有点疑惑的看着里面的杨子藏两人在各棚区穿梭，跑了一晚上。
Somewhat puzzled, they watched as Yang ZiCang and his companion shuttled back and forth across various Peng Zones, hustling all night.
「不晓得啊，前因后果都没有，谁知道他们白天干什么来着。」
“No clue. No context, no backstory. Who knows what they were up to during the day.”
……
整夜转悠的杨子藏已经收购了堆积如山的药材，等忙完已经快回温了。
After a whole night of crisscrossing the city, Yang ZiCang had amassed stockpiles of medicinal herbs. By the time he was done, the temperature was nearly warming up again.
趁着列车回到城市地铁轨道前的最后时间，杨子藏乘着恶魇地铁来到了枢纽镇不远处，随后带着洛宾步行往着地平线边缘的朦胧城市。
Just before the train cleared its return onto the city subway tracks, Yang ZiCang rode the nightmare subway to a spot not far from Hubville, then set out on foot with Robin Lo, heading toward the hazy city on the edge of the horizon.
再次进入如雾气笼罩的镇中后，莫里褪色的身影已经等待在此。
As they stepped once more into the mist-shrouded town, Morris’s faded figure was already waiting there.
「上午好。」
“Good morning.”
「早啊，子藏先生，又一夜没睡吧。」
“Morning to you too, Mr. ZiCang. Another sleepless night, huh?”
「还好，白天睡觉暖和。」跟左非闲几人混多了几天的杨子藏开玩笑道。
“It’s fine,” ZiCang joked, having hung around Zuo Feixian and the others for a few days. “Sleeping during the day is warm enough.”
「哈哈，好。嗯，这恶魇机器是我找人借的最好的。」
“Haha, right. Well, this nightmare machine is the best I’ve managed to borrow.”
他身边是个类似电台的东西，不过长着鳞甲般的纹路，是个被击杀的恶魇所化的模器。
Beside him was something resembling a radio, but its surface bore scale-like patterns—a modular device transformed from a slain nightmare.
洛宾一眼就看出来了它的用途，可以将融资Moexl扩展更大范围，也能接受到更远之人的Moexl融资请求，同时进行对陌生人的主动投资也能达到更远范围。
Robin Lo could tell at a glance what it was for: it could extend the range of Moxel financing, reach farther people’s Moxel funding requests, and also allow Pro-Invest actions with strangers over a greater distance.
「反正那些增加几公里几十公里的破烂玩意儿花时序买了也没意思，以后有机会我收个好点的，这个先用着。」
“Anyway, there’s no point spending Chronos on those crappy little things that just add a few dozen kilometers. I’ll get a better one someday—this’ll do for now.”
「能扩展多少公里？」
“How many kilometers can it extend?”
「嘿嘿，这东西的扩散范围足足有两百多公里，这可是高级货，难怪人家舍不得卖。」
“Hehe, this thing covers up to over two hundred kilometers. It’s top-tier gear—no wonder the owner was reluctant to sell.”
洛宾点点头，这东西在自己的请保中也是数一数二的了，眼前这人竟然能借到，看来信用很好。
Robin Lo nodded. Even among his own resources, this device would rank among the finest; that this guy could borrow it meant he had solid credit.
「不过，你到底想干什么？」
“But seriously, what do you plan to do?”
「你会晓得的。」杨子藏将它抱了起来试了试重量，今天来主要就是为了它。
“You’ll find out.” ZiCang picked it up to gauge its weight—today’s main goal was this very item.
「现在人缘好多了嘛，这种东西也能借到。」
“Your connections are pretty good these days, huh—being able to borrow something like this.”
「这都多亏了代练契约。」
“That’s all thanks to the practice contracts.”
洛宾的耳朵倏地竖了起来。
Robin Lo’s ears sharply perked up.
「你不知道现在枢纽镇的高手们是怎么疯的，连我们城中那些红Moexl的家伙们也求爹爹告奶奶的想跟我取得联系，就为了份能直接使用的秘技。」
“You have no idea how crazy the powerhouses in Hubville have gone. Even those Red Moxel guys in our city are groveling and begging me to get in touch, just for a ready-to-use secret technique.”
莫里昂起了脑袋，「还好一开始我就走的私人高端路线，要不然上街都会被人围住走不动路。但现在名声也慢慢传出去了，压力大啊，嘿嘿。」
Morris lifted his head, “Good thing I took the private high-end route from the start—otherwise, I’d be surrounded and unable to move on the streets. But now the reputation is slowly spreading, and the pressure’s building, hehe.”
「哦对了，还有你要的能力球。」莫里将一小袋能力球递给杨子藏。
“Oh, right, and the ability spheres you wanted.” Morris handed a small pouch of ability spheres to Yang Zicang.
旁边的洛宾听得内心怦怦直跳。
Robin Lo’s heart was racing as he listened nearby.
好家伙，原来那些技能书是从你小子手上获得的。
Damn, so those skill books came from this guy.
洛宾的小眼珠子在杨子藏和莫里身上瞄过来瞄过去，琢磨着自己以后有多大可能获得一本不错的秘技。
Robin Lo’s beady little eyes darted back and forth between Yang Zicang and Morris, pondering how likely it was that he’d get his hands on a decent secret technique in the future.
现在光自己所知道的就有火焰、雪霜、沉吟之夜，以及琉璃感知这四本。
From what he knew now, there were four of them: Flame, Snow Frost, Chime Night, and Lucid Sense.
其中雪霜的存在感是最弱的，因为凝聚雪花的时间比爆出火焰的时间长很多，而且冰冻能力有限，但有时候又有特别功效，特别是类似雪山的寒冷地带，那将是最强的秘技。
Snow Frost had the weakest presence, since it took much longer to condense snowflakes than to burst out flames, and its freezing power was limited. But it had special uses sometimes, especially in cold areas like snowy mountains—then it became the strongest secret technique.
不知道他们还有多少自己不晓得的好东西。
He had no idea what other good stuff they had that he didn’t know about.
「你觉得这次能搞到多少时序？」莫里问。
“How many Chronos do you think we can get this time?” Morris asked.
「不知道，几百公里的话，他们过来都要很久。而且哪怕我把药材收完，最多半个月，这些药材就会重新被采摘到。」
“I don’t know. If it’s several hundred kilometers away, they’d take ages to get here. Plus, even if I’ve harvested all the herbs, in at most half a month, these herbs will be picked clean again.”
「也对。这生意只是前期暴力。」
“That makes sense. This business is only lucrative at the start.”
「嗯，会制香丸的不止我们，到时候价格就便宜得多了，所以能大量赚到时序的只有第一二个礼拜而已，但也是次不错的机会。」
“Yeah, we’re not the only ones who can make incense pills. By then, the price will drop significantly. So the real opportunity to make a fortune from Chronos only lasts the first couple of weeks. But it’s still a pretty good chance.”
洛宾越听越不对劲，「等下，你弄这些东西是想卖香丸？」
Robin Lo grew increasingly uneasy. “Wait, you’re putting all this together just to sell incense pills?”
杨子藏笑着递给了莫里一小袋香丸，并从中拿出枚丢给了洛宾。
Yang ZiCang smiled and handed a small pouch of incense pills to Morris, then took one out and tossed it to Robin Lo.
两人嗅了下，感觉浑身毛孔都打开了。洛宾瞬间感觉浑身酥麻，一半是熏的，一半是激动的。
The two took a sniff and felt as if every pore in their bodies had opened. Robin Lo instantly felt a tingling sensation throughout—partly from the incense, partly from excitement.
「真想过来跟你们一起啊。」莫里道。
“I really wish I could come and join you,” Morris said.
「这个简单，只需要你植入我的站台我就可以进来接你了。」
“That’s easy—all you need is for me to implant my station, and I’ll be able to come and pick you up.”
莫里是亲眼见过杨子藏的念龙拔出站台的，对那景象有点下意识的害怕，他摇摇头：
Morris had seen with his own eyes Yang Zicang’s Thought Dragon pulling out a station, and the image left him with an instinctive dread. He shook his head:
「哥们，不是我不相信你，是我一想到有那种东西在我脑袋中，我就感觉会精神失常，等我克服心理障碍再说吧。」
“Man, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but the thought of having something like that inside my head would drive me crazy. Let me get over my mental block first.”
顿了顿后，他道：
After a pause, he continued:
「上次的事我问好了，一间三十平的普通小商店，租金是一年五万时序，但只对排名三十名以前的城市之人开放。」
“I’ve inquired about the matter last time. An average small store of thirty square meters has an annual rent of 50,000 Chronos, but it’s only open to people from cities ranked in the top thirty.”
「什么，你们还打算开店？」埋头算账的洛宾吃惊的脱口而出。
“What, you’re planning to open a store?” Robin Lo, who was engrossed in calculations, blurted out in surprise.
莫里嗯了声，继续道：
Morris hummed in acknowledgment and continued:
「我们想要搞到自己的店铺。目前只能从这些人手里转租，或者直接买前十五名的店铺，一小间就要二十万时序起，每年要缴税最低一万时序。好处就是，店主不用抵扣每个月的三百年时序了。」
“We want to get our own shop. For now, we can only sublet from these people, or directly buy a shop from the top fifteen—which starts at 200,000 Chronos—with an annual tax of at least 10,000 Chronos. The advantage is that the store owner doesn’t have to deduct 300 Chronos per month.”
这就是成为枢纽镇商户的好处。
That was the benefit of becoming a merchant in Hubville.
洛宾吃了个大惊。
Robin Lo was taken aback.
这个是A+级的消息，至少值两千，不，现在自己的见识广了，什么两千三千的，这个消息至少值五千时序。
This was A+-level information, worth at least 2,000—no, now that he’d broadened his horizons, what was 2,000 or 3,000? This information was worth at least 5,000 Chronos.
他心情澎湃的想到，要是自己能获得一间商铺，是不是就可以不用那么卖命了，在传说中的枢纽镇开店，可是不用担心任何安全问题的地方。
His heart raced with excitement as he thought: if he could get himself a shop, wouldn’t he not have to work so desperately? Opening a store in the legendary Hubville was a place where there were no security worries.
只要卖卖商品，每个月都会收入很多时序，跟长生不死的神人没区别。
Just by selling goods, one could earn a lot of Chronos every month, no different from an immortal deity.
就是那店铺贵得咬人。
It’s just that the stores were painfully expensive.
「那你们还有多少代练契约，再卖点买个呗。」洛宾迫不及待的道。
“Then how many more proxy training contracts do you have left? Sell a few more and buy one,” Robin Lo said impatiently.
没搞错的话，自己可能因为身边这家伙而逆天改命也说不定。
If he wasn’t mistaken, he might just have a chance to turn his fate around because of the guy beside him.
莫里正想说话，杨子藏摇摇头。
Morris was about to speak, but Yang Zicang shook his head.
「物以稀为贵，哪怕是能稳定A级区域的队伍，一下子能拿出几万时序的也并不多见，最近我们已经卖了四五本了，继续卖就得掉价了。」
“Rarity brings value. Even teams capable of stabilizing A-grade zones rarely have tens of thousands of Chronos to spare at once. We’ve already sold four or five copies recently; if we keep selling, the price will plummet.”
「没错，这批代练契约的获取可遇不可求，下次再搞到它们就不知道是什么时候了，所以要省着点卖。」
“Exactly—acquiring this batch of proxy contracts is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who knows when we’ll score more? So we have to sell them sparingly.”
「而且等我们的店铺搞出来，代练契约的售卖是其中最重要的商品，要维持商铺的长盛不衰，它们的细水长流很有必要。」
“Also, once our store is up and running, selling proxy contracts will be its crown jewel. To keep the business thriving in the long haul, we need to smartly supply them over time.”
说完后，杨子藏转头似笑非笑的看著洛宾：
After speaking, Yang Zicang turned to Robin Lo with a bemused smirk:
「你说，这个情报的价值有多大。」
“Tell me—what do you reckon this intel is worth?”
「七八千以上…… 咳嗯，子藏兄弟，你要对我有信心啊。」
“Seven to eight thousand, at least… *Ahem*—Brother Zicang, you gotta have faith in me.”
洛宾转头看向莫里。
Robin Lo spun around to face Morris:
「这位朋友，我是杨子藏的好哥们，一起出生入死过的。 以后大家都是兄弟，有事可以找我。 我们互相交换点寿命如何？」
“My man, I’m Yang Zicang’s right-hand—we’ve bled and crawled through hell together. From now on, we’re brothers. Got a problem? Come to me. How about we swap a bit of lifespan of our own?”
莫里冷静扫过胖子的脸，微笑不语。
Morris cast a cool glance over the fat man’s face and smiled without a word.
说著洛宾展开了自己的Moexl：
With that, Robin Lo unfolded his Moxel:
「我原来只是个三角形，一见著子藏兄，你猜怎么著，我的Moexl晋升成功了！」
“I started as just a measly triangle, but as soon as I ran into Brother Zicang—guess what? My Moxel evolved!”
莫里顿时惊为天人，下巴都要张脱臼了。
Morris was instantly floored, his jaw nearly dislocating from sheer shock.