Ground Stars / 地上星 · Ch.48 第48章 代练契约 -1
第48章 代练契约 –1
Chapter 48: Proxy Contract –1
｛伤势不是关键，我们去总部那边应该能找到治愈的能力。可是，马超的能力却无法应对…那大概也是他放过小雨的原因。她可能活不过下壹个熟睡午夜。｝
{The injury isn’t the real issue; we should be able to find healing abilities at headquarters. However, Matt Chao’s ability is something we can’t deal with… That’s probably why he let Xiao Yu go. She might not survive the next deep sleep of midnight.}
[这是什么意思？]
[What does that mean?]
｛赵安龙曾说过，凡是被马超盯上的人，都将在熟睡中死于他的剑下。目前，我们只能让她尽量不要睡觉。否者马超就能直接进我们基地了。｝
{Zhao Anlong once said that anyone Matt Chao sets his sights on will die by his sword in their sleep. For now, all we can do is keep her from falling asleep. Otherwise, Matt Chao could directly enter our base.}
「该死的混蛋。」
「Damn bastard.」
杨子藏握紧了拳头。
Yang Zicang clenched his fists.
那所谓的马超，尽然对壹个十七八岁的女孩下毒手。
That so-called Matt Chao actually dared to lay a deadly hand on a girl of seventeen or eighteen.
此刻杨子藏心烦意乱，再也没有心情去作更充裕的进入邮徽世界的准备。毕竟这儿也物资匮乏，原计划寻找些高科技物品，比如发电机或者蒸汽机，或是机床之类的准备工作只能作罢。
At this moment, Yang Zicang’s mind was in turmoil, leaving him with no mood to prepare more fully for entering the Yore-Realm. After all, resources here were scarce too, and the original plan to seek out high-tech items—such as generators, steam engines, or lathes—had to be abandoned.
[给我几天，我会亲手结果了他。]
[Give me a few days, and I’ll personally finish him off.]
壹想到这些，杨子藏心情烦恨地主动返还了那1N投资，断掉心灵链接对梁喜厉声道：
At the thought of this, Yang Zicang, vexed and furious, took the initiative to return the 1NInvest, severed the Syn-Link, and spoke harshly to Liang Xi:
「梁喜，等下还要麻烦妳跟我再进入我们的新驻地。」
“Liang Xi, I’ll trouble you to come with me again later to our new stronghold.”
「是准备打扫清洁吗？」
“Are we going to clean up?”
「不，我要再次回那里。」
“No, I’m going back there again.”
梁喜震惊的看著他。这下子少年是真的羡慕了，他也好想进入获得技能。
Liang Xi stared at him in shock. At this moment, the youth was genuinely envious—he too longed to go in and acquire a skill.
……
几小时后，两人带著水、食物、火石以及几本书和壹柄剑准备返回新交错地。
A few hours later, the two carried water, food, flint, several books, and a sword, preparing to return to the new cross-point.
洛宾原本屁颠屁颠的想跟来，被杨子藏冷眼壹瞪。
Robin Lo had originally bounced along eagerly wanting to follow, but was met with a cold glare from Yang Zicang.
看著两人离去的洛宾啧了声。
Watching the two leave, Robin Lo clicked his tongue.
「这个王育安真是个蠢货。」
“This Warren Wang is a real fool.”
……
这次草垫上铺了软毛毯，虽然是夏季但异度空间内气温并不高。
This time, the straw mat was covered with a soft wool blanket. Though it was summer, the temperature in the dimensional space was not high.
旁边摆放著几本工具书，有基础的物理、化学以及药物方面的资料。剑与金属球则在身体另壹侧，而雕像被杨子藏握在手中。
Nearby lay several reference books—basic materials on physics, chemistry, and pharmaceuticals. The sword and metal sphere rested on the other side of his body, while Yang Zicang held the statue in his hand.
这些他都叮嘱梁喜可以在自己熟睡后挪开。
He had instructed Liang Xi that these items could be moved away once he fell into a deep sleep.
同时，梁喜也将其身上剩余的壹千年时序分出了七百年给自己，以备不时之需。
At the same time, Liang Xi had split seven hundred years from the remaining millennium of Chronos on his body, passing it to himself for unforeseen needs.
他已经打定主意非要在里面搞个天翻地覆出来才肯罢休，如果没有强有力的能力，自己根本活不了几天。
He had firmly resolved to stir things up to no end inside—without a powerful ability, he wouldn’t last more than a few days.
擡起右臂，Moexl浮现光芒出现在指尖，聚成信封般的模样，周围环境变得混吨地旋转起来。
Raising his right arm, Moxel glimmered into radiance at his fingertip, condensing into a shape resembling an envelope, as the surrounding environment swirled in chaotic rotation.
[我开始第二次使用本枚完整邮徽，剩余使用次数1/3。]
[I begin using this complete postal emblem for the second time, remaining uses 1/3.]
意识被抽离，再次被混吨漩涡卷入，送往意念世界的彼端。
Consciousness was extracted, once again drawn into the chaotic vortex, hurled toward the distant end of the mind’s realm.
[失落王庭，青白之星为您服务。]
[The Lost Court, Star of Cyan and White, at your service.]
……
「嘎，噶嘎。」
“Caw, caw, caw.”
壹群野鸭受惊扑腾著翅膀飞走。
A flock of wild ducks, startled, flapped their wings and flew away.
杨子藏捂著头起身，他发现自己依旧出现在当初离开时的山头上。
Yang Zicang held his head as he rose, realizing he had once again appeared on the same hilltop where he had left last time.
身上上次的服装消失了，取而代之的是自己这次所穿戴的衣物。那些物品也全部散落身旁，但没有小雕像，就像上次进入没有那页「书页」壹样。
The clothes from the previous visit were gone, replaced by what he had worn this time. All his belongings were scattered around him, but there was no small statue—just like the previous entry, where there had been no “page.”
杨子藏俯身捡起梁喜找到的金属球抛了抛，转头看向身后杂草丛生的小平台，茅屋也早已破败，但前方多了些废弃的供品痕迹。
Yang Zicang bent down, picked up the metal ball Liang Xi had found, tossed it lightly, and turned to look at the overgrown small platform behind him. The thatched hut had long fallen into ruin, but ahead, there were traces of discarded offerings.
「每次进入，都是彗星刚过境，应该已经几十年过去了吧。」
“Every time I enter, it’s right after a comet has passed. It must have been decades already.”
杨子藏有些感慨，似乎在自己离开的几十年中，有人知晓自己上了这山，来此拜祭过。
Yang Zicang sighed with emotion, sensing that in the decades since his departure, some had known he had gone up this mountain and had come here to pay tribute.
远方的景色出现了些许变化，壹个新的小镇出现在山下，远方也多了些竹林和树木。
The distant landscape had changed somewhat. A new town had appeared at the foot of the mountain, and further away, more bamboo groves and trees had grown.
看来这壹次哪怕没有自己在，有千年来获得灵物战器的人也终于靠自己挺过了次恶魇之灾。
It seemed that this time, even without him, those who had obtained spirit tools and weapons over the past millennium had finally managed to survive the demonic calamity on their own.
……
将带进来的物品整理好，特别是几本书籍。
Organize the items brought in, especially the few books.
大陆各处的发展并不平均，但也并未有跨时代的差距。目前大部分地方还是部落制，但有了这几本书，杨子藏相信这个世界会出现很迅速的发展。
Development across the continent is uneven, but not by a cross-era margin. For now, most regions remain tribal, but with these books, Yang Zicang believes the world will undergo rapid progress.
毕竟基础科学是壹切发明创造的基石。
After all, basic science is the cornerstone of all inventions and creations.
他来到熙攘的小镇，很多人的穿著还是原始的兽皮裹身，只有少数人套著麻布衣。
He arrived at a bustling town, where many were still clad in primitive animal hides, and only a few wore linen garments.
二十多年后，杨子藏离开了这边的小镇，前往其它地方。
Twenty years later, Yang Zicang left this town and ventured elsewhere.
……
身著灰裘的「首席追随者」扎古达，跪立于神像前。
Zarguda, the “First Follower,” clad in a gray fur cloak, knelt before the statue of a deity.
他的生命已经走过大半了，可自从年轻时见过壹次那位圣贤过后，便再也未睹其真容。
Most of his life had passed, yet ever since he had caught a glimpse of that sage in his youth, he never again beheld his true visage.
「崇高的不死之王。请您降下圣谕，为何您会离开…您，放弃我们了吗？」
“O revered Undying King. Grant us your sacred decree—why have you departed… Have you forsaken us?”
大殿内。
Inside the great hall.
披著粗燥盔甲的数百壮汉们手握奇形怪状的圣物，看向最前方的领袖，壹片哀然。
Hundreds of robust men, clad in crude armor and gripping bizarre relics of sanctity, gazed at the leader at the front, their faces steeped in lamentation.
从荒芜的古代开始，每六十年会有怪物出现之征兆，持续时间约为壹年。每到这壹年，那位从上古时代就必定来应对灾难之人就会出现。
Since the desolate ancient times, every sixty years, a sign of monsters’ arrival would emerge, lasting about a year. In that year, the one destined to confront the calamity from the age of old would invariably appear.
他被称为「藏于两个甲子之间的应世者。」
He is known as “the One Who Appears Between Two Sexagenary Cycles.”
这壹年被称为「甲子间」，可上次，应世者「不死之王」没有出现在这里。
This year is referred to as the “Jiazi Term,” but last time, the “Undying King,” the one who was supposed to respond, never showed up here.
遍布大陆的圣火追随者们在今日齐归圣殿。
The followers of the Sacred Flame, scattered across the continent, have all gathered at the holy temple today.
二十多年来，这些身穿特制长衣、手持圣器的勇士们已经走遍了大陆，确认了壹个信息——上个甲子间，整个大陆都没有那位圣者的踪迹。
For more than two decades, these warriors—clad in custom tunics and wielding sacred relics—have traversed the entire continent, confirming one fact: during the previous Jiazi Term, there was no sign of that holy one anywhere on the continent.
祷告与忏悔完毕后，这只队伍的领袖站起身来，目露威严。
After the prayers and confessions, the leader of this company rose to his feet, a dignified glint in his eyes.
「诸位勇士辛苦了，城中已齐备美酒，接下来的七日，请大家尽兴欢乐。」
“You have labored bravely, warriors. The city is ready with fine wine. For the next seven days, feast and rejoice to your hearts’ content!”
「喔喔喔喔！」
“Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!”
众人拄著手中的武器，发出阵阵轰鸣。
The crowd leaned on their weapons and let out thunderous cheers.
扎古达脸上浮现出笑意，或许这批勇士就是不死之主的化身，又或许记忆中那个飘渺的身影，只是上个首领找来的人而已。
A smile crept across Zaguuda’s face. Perhaps this batch of warriors were the incarnations of the Undying Lord, or perhaps that fleeting figure in memory was merely a man his predecessor had dredged up from somewhere.
……
在两位身材健美的女孩搀扶下，扎古达回到圣殿后方粗旷的岩石宫殿。
Supported by two statuesque young women, Zaguuda made his way back to the rugged stone palace behind the temple.
他能感受身体内的生命力壹年比壹年衰弱。
He could feel the life force within him waning year by year.
传说每位首席追随者传位于下代之时，那位存在都在现场，他不禁想到，自己传位下壹代时，那位不到场该怎么办。
According to legend, every time a Chief Follower passes the title to the next generation, that Being is present. He couldn’t help but wonder—when his own turn comes, what would he do if the Being fails to show up?
「阿爸。」
“Dad.”
壹个头发略微发黄的男孩走来。
A boy with slightly yellow hair walked over.
「今天练武了吗？」
“Have you practiced martial arts today?”
「唉，练了。」男孩心虚的回应。
“Sigh… yes, I did.” The boy replied, guilt written all over his face.
扎古达满意点点头：「只有最勇猛的勇士才能成为追随者，妳不要辜负我的期待。」
Zagu nodded with satisfaction. “Only the bravest warriors can become Followers. Don’t let my hopes down.”
脸圆圆的男孩嘿嘿笑著说道：
The round-faced boy grinned and said:
「阿爸。勇士们回来了，我想去城里给他们收集些奖励。」
“Dad, the warriors are back. I want to go to the city to collect some rewards for them.”
扎古达冷眼看了眼这个十五六岁左右的孩子，他闪烁的目光令自己有点心烦。
Zagu glanced coldly at the boy, who looked around fifteen or sixteen. His evasive gaze irked him a little.
「别惹乱子。」
“Don’t cause any trouble.”
脸庞还有些外挺的阿希扎古达呼吸沈重的面露喜色。
Ashizagu, his face still slightly protruding, breathed heavily, a flicker of joy surfacing on his face.
「知道了。」
“Got it.”
他迫不及待拔腿就跑，路过门外的侍女身旁时，还顺手在女孩裙下的大腿上抓了壹把。
Without a second thought, he took off running. Along the way, passing a maid outside the door, he didn’t hesitate to grab a handful of her thigh beneath her skirt.
……
「真的回应了！」
“It really responded!”
莫里激动地躺在床上。心愿护符的回应在刚才出现了。
Morris lay on the bed, trembling with excitement. The response from the Wish Talisman had just come.
「快，快睡著。」
“Quick… go to sleep, now.”
被数十个小青皮果子般的东西包裹著的他，却越想越睡不著。
Wrapped in the embrace of dozens of small, green, raw-like fruits, the more he tried to sleep, the more he couldn’t.
「糟糕啊！」
“This is terrible!”
这里过去三分钟，那边就过去了半小时，至于邮徽世界就更不知多少年了。波波利看著他这样子，有点莫名其妙，不过黄发的少年还是想了个办法。
Three minutes here, half an hour passed there, and who knows how many eons had slipped by in Yore-Realm. Bobori watched him like this, a bit bewildered, but the blond youth still came up with an idea.
「莫里，我有个主意，但妳得坚持下，几分钟后我就开门。」
“Morris, I have an idea, but you’ve got to hold on—I’ll open the door in a few minutes.”
被窝里的莫里扭头警惕问，「妳想做什么。」
Morris turned his head from under the blanket, asking warily, “What are you up to?”
「妳瞧著就好。」
“Just watch and see.”
没多久，空气中布满了浓郁的木炭和酒精味。
Before long, the air grew thick with the pungent smell of charcoal and alcohol.
……
莫里发现自己清醒在壹片森林内，他迟疑了那么两秒后回过神来，快速翻起了身，坐在床边。
Morris found himself wide awake in a forest; he hesitated for two seconds before snapping back to reality, quickly sat up, and perched on the edge of the bed.
那个可恶的混蛋不怕把自己憋死吗？
That damn bastard wasn’t afraid of suffocating himself, was he?
「妳就是莫里？妳好，听得懂我的语言吗。」
“You’re Morris? Hello, can you understand my language?”
忽地壹道声音传来，莫里擡头看去。森林中，手持黑色长枪的年轻亚洲男人像是路过般，站在草丛后方望著自己以及…自己屁股下的木床。
Suddenly a voice came through, and Morris looked up. In the forest, a young Asian man holding a black lance stood behind the grass as if passing by, gazing at him and… at the wooden bed beneath his backside.
「哈喽，唉，是的。」
“Hello… uh, yes.”
两人对望壹眼，莫里看了看天上的太阳，以比较标准的中文道：「妳是梦境的主人吗？请问怎么称呼。」
The two exchanged glances. Morris glanced at the sun in the sky and said in fairly standard Chinese: “Are you the master of this dream? How should I address you?”
「叫我子藏就行。妳是从哪个国家进来的，居然还会中文。」
“Just call me ZiCang. Which country did you come in from, and you even speak Chinese.”
「我是妳们所谓的外教，附近这几座城市基本都是妳们这半球的人。」
“I’m what you folks call a foreign teacher—most people in the cities around here are from your hemisphere.”
他从深褐色的实木床上站起身来，踩在松软草地上，眼神中带著警惕的扫过森林。
He rose from the dark brown solid wood bed, stepping onto the soft grassy ground, his gaze sweeping through the forest with vigilance.
远处传来鸟鸣与隐约水流声，阳光透过树冠缝隙，斑驳地洒在他的身上。
In the distance came the chirping of birds and the faint sound of flowing water, as sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, dappling his body.
「这几座城市？」杨子藏歪著头看了他壹眼。
“These several cities?” Yang Zicang tilted his head and shot him a glance.
「咦，妳不知道吗？能获得完整邮徽的人，居然还没有听过枢纽镇的存在？」
“Huh, you don’t know? Someone who’s earned a complete postal crest, yet hasn’t even heard of Hubville’s existence?”
「那是什么地方？」
“What kind of place is that?”
莫里摸了摸褐黄的头发：
Morris stroked his tawny hair:
「真不知道？唉，这么说吧。类似妳所在的那种奇怪的城市，这世上还有好壹些呢，而连通它们的就是枢纽镇。我想，我们不是同壹个城市的人。」
“Really don’t know? Ah, let me put it this way. There are still plenty of strange cities like the one you’re in across this world, and it’s Hubville that connects them all. I guess we’re not from the same city.”