Someone carried a small lantern and ran far away in search of ore containing other materials.
As an engine, it didn’t require a large quantity, since the glass body of the kerosene lamp was not heavy to begin with.
Once all the materials were ready, one person said to Yang Zicang:
–Brother Yang, just go in and do it yourself. With the blueprint, it’s simple—unfold your Moxel and touch them in order.–
Yang Zicang walked into the shed, sat down beside the pile of materials with the blueprint, and placed the last missing obtuse Deprived Moxel onto one corner of the light radiating from the blueprint.
[I am about to begin crafting the Shin Engine: Kerosene Lamp.]
The Moxel emerged and flickered to life before his chest.
Because his back was turned to everyone, compounded by the chaotic light within the shed obscuring his movements, they failed to notice the Quad that shot into his hand in a split second.
Following the guidance of the light emitted by the blueprint, Yang Zicang pointed his hand toward the black stream water infused with illusions.
As the crimson magic crystal’s light dimmed, the water in the small bucket quickly dissipated in part, merging into the phantasm of a crafted kerosene lamp emanating from the blueprint.
Subsequently, Yang Zicang sequentially clicked on the ore materials, plant materials for crafting the lampwick, and other items. After they all transformed into rotating energy before him, he finally tapped on the dimly glowing, forlorn Moxel.
Whoosh~
The wind of energy slowly swirled.
[I, the great Quad, sense a kin transitioning into a nascent state.]
The dark, dull crystal containing the Moxel trembled violently, abruptly floating up and absorbing the entire mass of energy into itself.
Yang Zicang felt at that moment like a mystical alchemist-magician.
Amidst the radiance, a grotesque, incongruous factory image materialized within the crystal, reminiscent of a patchwork factory scene from a dream.
One by one, visions of elegantly shaped glass bottles with elongated wicks flashed by.
[Because I am Quad, I can help it condense more pulses.]
The crystal suddenly blazed brightly.
–So bright! Hopefully, this engine won’t fail,– whispered several people outside the shed.
The crystal elongated within the light, forming a small engine-shaped crystal Moxel, its interior holding the image of an oil lamp.
The light abruptly retracted into its core, and just before it landed, Yang Zicang caught it with one hand.
Crack. The blueprints spread across the ground fractured, as if they had weathered an eternity in an instant, withering into useless, decrepit trash.
[I obtained the Shin Engine. Its heart can pump 165 more times.]
It can produce 165 kerosene lamps—that’s its limit. Sensing the message transmitted naturally by the tiny crystal engine, this was a hundred more than the sixty-five encoded in the blueprints.
–So cute!– Mu Xiaoyu gazed at the fist-sized engine, stars gleaming in her eyes. Its appearance was indeed appealing.
–Here, for you to play with.– Yang Zicang stooped as he exited the workspace and handed the Shin Engine to the elated girl.
–Can it be used to make kerosene lamps?–
Mu Xiaoyu spun around, placing the small engine on her upturned hand, and spoke to her companions.
–We can’t handle that. Unless it’s a terrain-type item, machines for crafting things only exist in Hubville.–
The six ragged figures sighed with a hint of disappointment.
More precisely, they could only be used in the shops of Hubville. Yang Zicang let out an inward sigh—having a shop there would be incredibly difficult, wouldn’t it?
–Hey, wait a second.–
Suddenly, one of them, upon seeing the small engine, stammered while pointing at it: –Am I seeing things wrong? Why does it have three cylinders?–
–Hey, wait—isn’t that the core provided by Blunt Moxel? It actually triggered an upgrade?–
–There’s such a thing?– Yang Zicang looked at them.
The manual wasn’t an encyclopedia—it only gave a rough overview of the Shibin Wastes.
That person spoke with envy in their tone: –If the maker’s Moxel has more lines than the Lost Moxel, there’s a slim chance of triggering a cylinder upgrade on the Shin Engine. But that probability is less than even one percent—how did you manage such ridiculous luck?–
–This is something pristine, man. Look at the bottle inside—it’s so beautiful, like something you’d only find in the Palace of Versailles.–
–Last I checked, the Palace of Versailles doesn’t burn kerosene lamps.–
–Wasting such an upgrade for a three-cylinder engine on this junk… what a shame. Not many people are willing to spend triangular Moxels on this kind of thing. I feel like this engine alone could fetch at least three years’ worth of Chronos.–
He lamented that such a rare upgrade had been squandered on this trinket.
Yang Zicang already knew the blueprints these people would hand over wouldn’t be great—but he never expected them to be this pitiful.
He lifted his head to glance at the sky. Outside, it was already midnight.
–Just handle the Invest, then. I’ll reimburse each of you with fifty years of Chronos.–
–Alright, alright, alright.–
The long-waiting crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief as they flicked out their Moxels—four triangles and two broken lines—hurling them straight at Yang Zicang.
[Wang Chong Invested 1R for me.]
[Qian Zhongsheng Invested 1R for me.]
[Chin Mong Invested 1R for me.]
[Shiu Siuchuan Invested 1R for me.]
[Fan Xiuyun Invested for me…]
Perhaps it is because this is a gathering place for losers; the proportion of Molly Particles is much higher than in the city—two out of a randomly encountered group of six possessed them.
As the six invested, Yang Zicang’s Molly Particles flickered and shot out, darting toward the crowd, whose faces were etched with disbelief.
[Yang Zicang refunded my 1R investment and generously returned an extra 50N.]
Chin Mong, cowering at the back, felt an unbelievable sense that his extra Chronos had truly increased.
[Yang Zicang returned 1RInvest, overpaying me 50N.]
「……」
–You… Moxel is a Quad?–
The six watched with varied expressions as the square slowly rotated within the small ring on Yang Zicang’s chest.
One person’s throat moved with difficulty.
This was the first time they had ever seen a true Quad Moxel owner. Yet none of them had expected it to be in a place like this.
–Bro, even a figure like you has fallen on hard times… truly, misery finds its man everywhere.–
–Is any one of you willing to be my contact? I’ll place a coordinate on him, and sometimes I’ll come over at night.–
They glanced at each other, none willing to take on such a task.
–Fifty years.–
A few people shook their heads.
–One hundred.–
Some showed hesitation, whispering among themselves for a few moments. But in the end, no one answered.
–Five hundred.–
Wang Chong quickly said, –Me, me!–
–I can too, Brother Yang.–
Several people were taken aback, then hastily raised their hands.
Yang Zicang pointed to the first to speak: –Alright. It’s you, Wang Chong, right.–
The remaining few regretted their slow reaction.
A faint phantom of a small platform appeared in Yang Zicang’s palm, and with a toss, it dissolved into mist, merging with the mental power of the man before him.
–Is that it?– Wang Chong sensed, but found no unusual phenomena—he had simply gained five hundred years of Chronos.
–Brother Yang, I know you have a lot of Chronos, but from now on, you might want to conserve it whenever you can out here. This stuff is damn hard to earn,– Wang Chong kindly reminded him.
They all began to feel a fondness for this man.
–Thanks for the advice.–
Yang Zicang smiled, then glanced at the girl beside him and said, –Let’s head back.–
A few thought he meant going back to some makeshift shelter somewhere, but within seconds, they heard a faint, dreamlike –Wooo—– sound.
Qian Zhongsheng looked up in bewilderment.
In the vast, deathly silent expanse between heaven and earth, the air began to stir with wind.
–Wooo~–
BOOM! The six of them stared in shock as a train of energy tore through the air, materializing in the dim twilight.
–Wh-What is this!–
It was solidifying from thin air, just like the legendary ghost train.
The young man in front tossed his fruit stand into one of the cars, which had now become real, then jumped in, pulling the girl by the hand and helping her aboard.
They involuntarily stepped forward.
Fan Xiuyun, standing outside the car door at its drifting threshold, shuddered, his lips quivering as if he wanted to speak.
The youth on the train turned back.
–A pity.–
–Could you not…–
–Farewell.–
Yang Zicang gazed at them for a moment, and the gradually accelerating train suddenly burst away, vanishing into the wind.
The six, ragged figures, watched its departure.
–This is a strong person in this world.–
–I understand now—we don’t deserve to go to other cities.–
……
Once aboard, Mu Xiaoyu spoke up awkwardly:
–You’ve gotten so strong already, so fast… I don’t even have a Moxel yet.–
For her, less than a day had passed.
–For me, though, it’s been a long time.–
Yang Zicang slowed the train in his mind, giving her a rough account of his battles with Lu Zhishen and Matt Chao, making Mu Xiaoyu’s heart tighten with tension.
–If it were me, I could never do all that.–
She felt somewhat disheartened; the mere thought of forcing herself into a fight was terrifying.
As if sensing that they were too close, he dared not look at Mu Xiaoyu any longer and turned toward the train track, saying:
–Matt Chao, your former train conductor used to come here often—what was he trying to do?–
{The previous conductor was entrusted to create an item of the kind you’re holding, though it’s no ordinary object. He also obtained some special engine formulas—do you want them?}
The train unhesitatingly sold out its predecessor Matt Chao’s hard work.
This was, of course, an opportunity too good to refuse, and Yang Zicang had no reason to decline. However, he was somewhat puzzled as to why Matt Chao’s train would betray its own master so thoroughly.
Just then, a streak of light shot over.
{Zi Cang, the two people you rescued have survived. I truly thank you for this.}
It was Director Chen. Yang Zicang said:
–There’s no need to bring this up again—I only did it as the councilor instructed. By the way, Brother Chen Yu, do you know which of the three people died?–
Yang Zicang had a vague suspicion, but he couldn’t be certain. If the one who died really was that person, then the loss to headquarters would be immense.
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