In the forest, Sue Ching ran while contacting Peng Zone several miles away.
{What? Are you serious? Ah Qing is gone, and this one is a fake?}
In the sensory transmission, the head of security within Peng Zone listened to Su Li’s words and exclaimed in astonishment.
–Yes, when I sensed something was off and tried to contact him via Syn-Link outside the door—he was standing right behind me—but my message sank like a stone dropped into the sea. Besides, Ah Qing never eats breakfast, especially since we arrived in this world.–
{Could it be that he simply stepped away for a moment…}
The head of security found himself lost for words.
Moxel couldn’t be reached, yet the person stood right there alive and well—he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
–Though I hate to admit it, I think the person here is no longer him. Their temperaments differ too greatly.–
{We’ll be there.}
Peng Zone had taken protective shares in the two brothers’ shop. Their talent for material identification had significantly boosted Peng Zone’s revenue, both in materials and Chronos points.
That was why they took this matter so seriously.
……
Xiao Liu and Professor Chen had originally felt dismissive of them after a verbal conflict earlier. But now, seeing that the guy actually had real skill, they relaxed a little.
Yang Zicang used the tools here to steadily inject the warm red magic crystals into some ironware through an energy conversion magic array known only to the Big Peng Zone.
After finishing that, he took out the materials processed by Professor Chen and his companion for secondary refinement, separating out quite a bit of impurities.
Everyone present saw the utility of these items. Sue Ching and Professor Chen both nodded—one intended to take a set directly, while the other planned to make one himself.
Half an hour later, the busy group laid out the components of this soft armor in a row. After inspection, Yang Zicang extended a hand to the two of them.
–What for?–
–Don’t play dumb. If you don’t have the fossil itself, you must have a rubbing, or a replica blueprint—hand it over.–
Professor Chen reluctantly retrieved a soft cloth from a hidden compartment beneath the crate.
–Since you’ve got this, we’ll have to split things equally, alright? It was unbearably expensive—cost a bloody fortune.–
He had bought it from the person who preserved the original fossil. Though it wasn’t the exact blueprint, it could anchor the results of the Shin Engines produced by these components, shaping their final form to resemble that ancient set of equipment in the fossil.
–Pretty much ready now, right? Can we start?– Little Liu asked candidly, seeming a bit tactless.
By now, Yang Zicang’s actions over the past half hour had completely won him over.
Yang Zicang nodded.
Sue Ching lit a wall lamp inside the room, and the mysterious, chaotic atmosphere of the whole space began to spread. The elemental light of the magic crystals started to be drawn away, coalescing like mist above the magic array into a floating orb of light.
Inside the ethereal orb were the figures of two young men—the projections of the Su brothers themselves.
–This is the Wangchuan we’ve prepared.–
Professor Chen handed over a tube filled with the Wangchuan Spring. No matter from which angle one looked at this transparent resin tube, it always displayed an illusion of someone sewing clothes.
As Yang Zicang tossed materials into the orb of light, the eyes of the group grew brighter and brighter.
It seemed there was indeed a glimmer of success.
……
A squad fully equipped with weapons advanced swiftly through the forest, with Su Li walking alongside them.
–Hurry, there are three more people over there, but it’s unclear whether they are friend or foe.–
–Is there danger?–
Indeed, none of these people could reach Sue Ching’s Moxel anymore, as if he simply didn’t exist in this world.
_-**Probably okay. One of them is a QuadMoxel—he didn’t give me too much trouble, and it’s true he doesn’t recognize the fake Sue Ching inside.
–By the way, his ability is strange. He’s a translucent monster.– Su Li added.
He might have kept quiet—but as soon as he spoke, this whole group nearly crashed into the back of the squad leader, who had suddenly stopped.
–Translucent?–
The squad leader lowered his head in thought, then his eyes widened. –Could he be someone with a psionic ability!–
Rumors circulating in this world suggest that aside from physical, acoustic, or psychic abilities, there also appears to be a type of attack based on telekinetic force.
–Telekinetic force?–
The people nearby looked at Su Li and the team leader in surprise.
The bloodline relics of telekinetic abilities are not found within the city, so no one has acquired a force field capable of defending against telekinetic attacks, making this power nearly invincible.
Correspondingly, those who possess such abilities are exceedingly rare, and it seems one must obtain it through special means.
What exactly those means are—many experts are eager to figure it out, let alone people like us. Just being aware of this information is already remarkable.
–Su Li, you couldn’t be mistaken. If he really is a telekinetic type, then even if all of us went over together, we might still fall into his hands.–
–Is it really that serious?– Hearing this, Su Li began to feel uncertain.
He looked at the middle-aged man beside him, his heart bitter as he said, –Brother Wang, what do we do then? Should we ask the Unworried for help?–
–Telling them would be one thing, but afterwards we’ll be kicked out. If, as you say, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy, let’s first go take a look and talk it over.–
At that moment, inside Li Qing’s Material Workshop, they had reached the most critical step.
–Will it succeed?–
Several people stared intently at the young man’s movements.
[I, the great Quad, begin my first attempt at creating a fossil relic.]
As even Yang Zicang felt a twinge of nervousness while placing the final piece of leather armor into the orb of energy, turning it into pure power, and then adding the thread processed from sturdy monster tendons, the orb erupted with blazing light!
Wham! A murky aura burst outward as its essence swiftly contracted, dropping a crystalline engine to the ground.
With lightning speed, Yang Zicang reached out, caught it in his hand, and let out a sigh of relief. Turning around, he extended his hand with a grin.
–Not bad. Take a look—is this what you wanted?–
The group gathered around.
–It actually worked!–
–Heavens! It’s even better than I imagined.–
Professor Chen, touching the Shin Engine in his hand, had already turned to stone from shock.
Though it was just a three-cylinder engine, it radiated a faint glow of flames.
Within its crystalline material, the phantom of a deep, ancient set of armor shifted ceaselessly—one moment a burst of erupting fire, the next an armored suit.
–We truly succeeded! After all this research, all the effort poured into this Shin Engine—it’s finally real!–
–Hmm.– Yang Zicang nodded, smirking as he watched the two clutch the engine in excitement.
Through this, he had also confirmed that the information left by Matt Chao was correct. He still had three similar recipes in his collection—a huge fortune by any measure.
–Quick, write it down—every step.–
Professor Chen tossed the engine back to Yang Zicang, pulled a pen out of the crate, and, recalling Yang Zicang’s steps and the process of refining the materials, began writing continuously.
Sue Ching reached out to the young man before him and said, –May I take a look?–
Yang Zicang handed him the engine. The Sue Ching before him studied it closely, like the true boss of this place.
Even Zuo Feixian and Shiu Siuchuan couldn’t believe it had actually succeeded.
They had already started envisioning the future.
–How do you plan to turn this into equipment?– Yang Zicang looked toward Professor Chen and the others.
–What else can we do? We’ll have to go to Hubville. Brother Jiazi, how are we going to split this engine?–
Professor Chen, who had casually agreed earlier, was now the one in the biggest dilemma.
–What do you think?–
–I…– Professor Chen writhed in agony.
Xiao Liu sighed. He wanted to say, just give it to them; what’s the point of agonizing over a crappy mess? The formula is what truly matters.
–Sell it to me, Master Jiazi Term,– Sue Ching said, holding the Shin Engine.
–Master?– Professor Chen glanced at Sue Ching, then at Yang Zicang. –Do you know him?–
–Just met him. To be precise, I only heard his name this morning.–
–Where did you hear my name?– Yang Zicang looked him straight in the eyes, utterly puzzled.
–Where else would it be? From the auction house next door, of course.–
–Auction house?–
Sue Ching glanced at the sky outside the door: –Hmm, if I haven’t got it wrong, your lot should be starting soon. What, you don’t know the auction time?–
Yang Zicang turned back in surprise, frowning.
Just then, a daisy-chain shot in.
It was an unfamiliar Syn-Link.
[Daxinfa Penglord Wang Jian wants to Invest 1N in me.]
A stranger being able to Invest so precisely meant they were close by.
–Who is it?–
{Jiazi Term, oh hey there, I’m the vice-hoard from Daxinfa. I’m sincerely inviting you to come to our settlement and become one of us.}
{I can offer you an extra five hundred years of lifespan per year.}
On the other end of the Syn-Link, the person sitting inside the venue spoke quickly.
–Hey, how did you get to know about me?–
Yang Zicang was a bit dazed, but he vaguely guessed it must be because of that damned auction.
{Huh? Didn’t you have someone auction off your water well engine there?}
–Me?–
Water well engine, auctioned off by me?
Yang Zicang’s mind instantly raced with many unlikely guesses.
Several daisy-chains shot in. While they weren’t linked, he could sense the visitation information contained within.
[Far-reaching Goal Penglord Zhao Duoqian wants to Invest 5R in me.]
[The Light Barrier’s Anonymous Giver of Penglord seeks to Invest 1N in me.]
[The One Named Never Bright wishes to Invest 10N in me.]
[The King of Claims from Worry-Free Commerce wants to Invest 1R in me.]
–H-how come there are so many!– Yang Zicang stood dumbfounded.
Watching the Moxel lines constantly flickering into existence from the void, Professor Chen finally realized that the young man before him was likely no ordinary figure.
……
Riding on the flatbed cart for most of the day, Ning Yang and Zhao Qi had already traveled over twenty li from their settlement, relying on these mutant beasts pulling the wares.
The few beasts drawing the cart came from the Noval-tier Crossover Viewscape; as long as one could afford to feed them, they commanded great value in this land.
–Lord Ning of the Peng, why the long face?– a crew member of the Cargo Convoy asked with concern.
Ning Yang forced a smile: –A traitor got out of here around these parts, taking the engine we were prepping for the Autumn Selections. It’s been nagging at me these past two days.–
In private, Ning Yang had suspected whether Zhao Qi had sent someone to steal the engine, but he dismissed that line of reasoning.
When that guy left, the engine was still in my hands; I checked it both that night and the next morning, and the Shin Engine was just fine.
–Ah, so you lot in Peng Zone still planning to make a splash at the Autumn Selections? Found an engine worth showing off?–
–Humor set aside, let’s not dwell on something that’s already sunk.–
–By the way, I just heard from your people that a couple of days ago, during the Jiazi Term, one person managed to intimidate dozens of your lot. Is there any truth to that?–
–Well…– Ning Yang’s expression shifted.
He turned to look at the few people he had brought along from his group; at that moment, they were chatting and laughing with the Cargo Crew, as if they were sworn brothers.
These loose-lipped bastards blabber everything.
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