Ground Stars / 地上星 · Ch.92 第92章 货贸地前的威胁 -2
第92章 货贸地前的威胁 –2
Chapter 92: Threats Before the Trade Fair – 2
「我本来只是想问问消息的，看来妳的确知道啊。」
“I just wanted to ask around, but it seems you really know something.”
老人直直的看著苏晴的眼睛，「妳那位姓顾的客人，想想他当时的配方和制作过程。」
The old man stared straight into Sue Ching’s eyes. “Think back to your customer, the man with the surname Gu—recall his formula and the process at the time.”
苏晴额头有点疼。
A dull ache throbbed in Sue Ching’s forehead.
「什么意思。」
“What do you mean?”
[我抵消了697N.]
[I offset 697N.]
苏晴突然感觉慌乱，他想逃跑，但额头发凉，身体难以动弹，大脑对四肢的控制快速瓦退。
Suddenly, panic seized Sue Ching. He wanted to flee, but his forehead went cold, his body felt frozen, and his brain’s control over his limbs rapidly crumbled.
老人拉动身前衣服上长出细小眼睛的拉链，他脸上皮肤潮水般退去，变成了红色皮肤的人，仿佛没有表皮只有肌肉的恶魔。
The old man tugged at the zipper studded with tiny eyes on the front of his clothes. The skin on his face receded like a tidal wave, revealing a red-skinned being beneath—like a demon stripped of epidermis, all muscle.
撕拉！苏晴的额头皮肤如同拉链衣服般从中向两边拨开，里面的血肉变成混吨的暗沈液体。
Rip! The skin on Sue Ching’s forehead split open from the center like a zippered garment, the exposed flesh turning into a dark, turbid liquid.
「哼，就让我亲自来回忆吧。」
“Hmph, let me just dive into the memory myself.”
铃铃！
Jingle!
嵌著毛玻璃的木门被人用力推动。
The wooden door, inlaid with frosted glass, was shoved with force.
红皮肤男人露出几丝紧张回头看了眼，他双手快速在柜台上壹撑跳了过去。
The red-skinned man glanced back nervously, then swiftly vaulted over the counter with both hands.
嘭！沈重的壹脚将不太稳的挡门拨片踢颤动了下。
Bang! A heavy kick sent the shaky doorstopper rattling.
木门不规则的边缘从变形的短铁片边缘滑开，嘎吱声中颤颤巍巍的张得半圆。
The irregular edge of the wooden door slipped past the bent metal latch, creaking as it swung halfway open, trembling.
「都几点了还锁门，这两天正是做生意的时候。」
“It’s so late and the door’s still locked. This is the perfect time for business these days.”
门口传来道男生的声音，壹个跟苏晴七八分像的青年擡腿走入，随后拿鼻子嗅了嗅，疑惑地瞟了瞟屋内。
A male voice came from the entrance. A young man, with features seven or eight out of ten similar to Sue Ching, stepped in, then sniffed the air with his nose and glanced around the room in confusion.
「妳在做什么嘛？」
“What are you doing?”
屋内的苏晴神色平静的擡头，语气平静道：
Inside the room, Sue Ching looked up with a composed expression and replied in a calm tone:
「擦桌子，没看到吗？」
“Wiping the table—can’t you see?”
搬了点东西，门口男生抠了抠脑袋看了几眼苏晴：「今天早饭要吃什么，别跟我说随便。」
Moving a few things, the young man at the door scratched his head a couple of times and glanced over at Sue Ching. “What will we have for breakfast today? Don’t just give me a vague answer like ‘anything.‘“
[我已同步今日回忆，我叫做苏晴。]
[I’ve synced today’s memories. My name is Sue Ching.]
屋内的苏晴看向在门口往屋内盘材料的身影。
The Sue Ching inside the room watched the figure by the entrance sorting materials into the house.
苏晴看著他的背影笑道：「今天不打我的，我吃过了。」
Watching his back, Sue Ching smiled and said, “If you’re not going to hit me today, I’ve already eaten.”
门外苏黎的肩膀微微壹颤。
Su Li by the door gave a subtle twitch in his shoulder.
……
「看呐，前方有森林！」
“Look, there’s a forest ahead!”
徐秀川指著前方的树木。
Shiu Siuchuan pointed toward the trees in the distance.
乘列车赶了几十里路后，天色大亮。
Having traveled dozens of miles by train, the sky was fully bright by then.
几人不得不开始步行，四小时后的现在，终于看到人烟了。
They had to start walking, and now, four hours later, they finally spotted signs of human habitation.
那是片中型棚户聚集地，壹队类似林木工的人扛著斧头往外走。
It was a medium-sized shantytown settlement. A team of lumberjack-like individuals trudged out, axes slung over their shoulders.
「要不去那里看看有没失念Moexl出售的？」
“Want to check out there for any Abandoned Moxel being sold?”
「还没到无忧货贸区，这里就算有应该也少吧。」
“We’re not at the Unburdened Goods Trade Zone yet. Even if there were any here, there should be few, right?”
三人去问过后，守在门口的人摇摇头表示，这里距离无忧的地盘很近了，大家基本都留著去那里换物资，没谁会愿意出售Moexl。
After the three of them asked, the person guarding the door shook his head and said that this place was very close to Carefree’s territory, and most people were saving their goods to trade for supplies there; no one would be willing to sell Moxel.
「无忧的地盘不远，妳们顺著林区走就能到。」
“Carefree’s turf isn’t far—just follow the forest path and you’ll get there.”
忽地几声隐约吵闹传来。
Suddenly, faint sounds of an argument drifted over.
三人望去，只见高低错落的棚户区的另壹道门前，有两人被几人给推出来。
The three of them looked over and saw, at another gate of the uneven shantytown, two people being shoved out by several others.
「我这是…稀有材料…绝对能解决妳们的…」
“These are… rare materials… they can definitely solve your…”
「快滚…」
“Get lost now…”
「老骗子。」
“You old con artist.”
啪塔，壹个棕皮皮箱被丢垃圾似的丢到砂砾地面上，箱子散开里面的东西滚落壹地。
*Thump.* A brown leather suitcase was tossed like trash onto the gravel ground; the case burst open, and its contents scattered everywhere.
「那是怎么回事？」杨子藏拿嘴努了努。
“What’s going on over there?” Yang Zicang nodded toward the scene.
「哦，应该又是想来鱼目混珠的家伙们。」
“Oh, probably another bunch trying to pass off fakes as the real deal.”
守门的人不以为然。
The gatekeeper said dismissively.
「秋订会不是快到了嘛，好些招摇撞骗的人在这附近来，想混点制作引擎的资源。呵，就他们那些东西，在无忧那边都看不上眼，更别说枢纽镇了。」
“The Autumn Order is almost here, you know. A lot of swindlers have been hanging around trying to scam resources for making engines. Ha! The stuff *they*‘ve got wouldn’t even catch Carefree’s eye, let alone Hubville’s.”
「我这些材料，真的能解决妳们的引擎问题，而且还更好。」那被推倒在地上的人力争道：「我这是异界的魔法装备！」
“These materials of mine can really fix your engine problems, and they’d even be better!” The man pushed to the ground argued, “These are magical equipment from another world!”
「哈哈哈哈。」
“Hahahaha!”
「笑掉老子大牙，老子们再缺衣服也不会上妳这个当。」
“That cracks me up. Even if we’re desperate for clothes, we wouldn’t fall for your scam.”
远处被推开的那人脸色青红相间，显得很憋屈气愤。
The man pushed away in the distance had a face flushed red and blue, looking both aggrieved and furious.
「我以前还出过名，是个名人！」他气愤的滴咕了句。
“I used to be famous once, a real celebrity!” he muttered indignantly.
「哈哈哈，瞧妳那熊样。」
“Haha, look at you, such a miserable sight.”
他身旁的干瘦如柴的小伙捡起被摔的箱子：「陈老师，我就说不行的，我们还是去大作棚地碰碰运气吧。」
The scrawny young man beside him picked up the dropped box and said, “Professor Chen, I told you this wouldn’t work. Let’s try our luck at the Great Workshop Area instead.”
「大作棚。那些棚主我见都见不到。」
“The Great Workshop Area? I can’t even catch a glimpse of those Penglords.”
杨子藏过去道：「妳的魔法装备有什么效果？」
Yang Zicang walked over and asked, “What effects do your magical equipment have?”
「依靠精神力可以激活上面的法阵进行保暖，还能提升体力，挥动更沈重的武器。」
“You can activate the magic array on it with your mental energy to stay warm, boost your stamina, and swing heavier weapons.”
「就算妳说的是真的，也没什么用嘛，这里的人哪会用普通武器战斗，时序就代表壹切妳懂吗。」门口壹人懒散的开口。
“Even if what you say is true, it’s still useless, isn’t it? People around here don’t fight with ordinary weapons—Chronos is everything, you know,” someone lounging at the entrance spoke lazily.
「至少保暖在这里的冬天很有用的，而且时序不会让妳锄头握得更稳。可惜没什么人愿意投资我，给我实验基地。」
“At least keeping warm is very useful in the winters here, and Chronos won’t help you grip a hoe any better. It’s a shame no one’s willing to Invest in me with an experimental base.”
杨子藏越听越觉得这东西耳熟，难道是马超收集过的那种「化石遗物」配方？
The more Yang Zicang listened, the more familiar it sounded. Could this be the formula for those “fossil artifacts” that Matt Chao had collected?
「妳的配方该不会是从绯红那边搞过来的？」
“You didn’t just get that formula from Scarlet’s side, did you?”
陈老师两人顿时神色紧张，开始快速收捡地上散落的物品。
Professor Chen and the other man suddenly tensed up and hurriedly started gathering the scattered items on the ground.
「妳还要实验基地？」徐秀川有点诧异。
“You still want an experimental base?” Shiu Siuchuan asked in slight astonishment.
助手接过话道：「做研究啊，异界材料很难弄的勒，要很多魔晶石来催化，让普通材料蕴含魔晶石的元素力。」
The assistant took over the conversation: “Doing research requires rare materials from the otherworld—they’re hard to come by, you know. It takes a lot of magic crystals to catalyze ordinary materials, so that they contain the elemental power of magic crystals.”
「得得得。」左非闲擡手示意他停止：「肯定是骗子。」
“Enough, enough,” Zuo Feixian raised his hand to stop him, “Definitely a con artist.”
这听上去的确像骗子，哪怕有人相信，也不会有意愿去投资这样的项目。
It certainly sounded like a scam. Even if someone believed it, they wouldn’t have any desire to invest in such a project.
「妳才是骗子，哪有这样胡乱定性的？不信的话，妳要不看看妳站在什么地方，妳难道是导游带来的？」
“You’re the con artist! How can you arbitrarily label others like that? If you don’t believe me, take a look at where you’re standing. Were you brought here by a tour guide?”
本就心里不舒服的陈老师壹听这话就炸了。
Professor Chen, who was already feeling upset, burst out angrily upon hearing this.
「小刘，我们走！」
“Xiao Liu, let’s go!”
他拍拍身上的尘土，气愤地看了杨子藏三人壹眼，拎著包往树林方向而去。
He brushed the dust off his clothes, cast a furious glance at Yang Zicang and the other two, then grabbed his bag and headed off toward the woods.
杨子藏无奈的对著左非闲叹了口气，这两人真是不省心的主儿。
Yang Zicang shot Zuo Feixian a helpless sigh. These two were truly troublesome souls.
「哥儿几个，再往前面几里路就是无忧货区了，那边有个咱们的铺子，收售蓝图、配方、材料之类的，妳们去那儿看看，叫黎晴材料坊，那里的两位老板对制作引擎有特殊心得。」
“My friends, a few more miles ahead is the Wuyou Trading Zone. Over there, we have a shop that buys and sells blueprints, formulas, and materials—stuff like that. Head over and take a look. It’s called the Li Qing Material Works. The two bosses there have a special knack for building engines.”
壹个守门的出声指著远处树林。
One of the gatekeepers spoke, pointing toward the distant woods.
徐秀川眼睛壹亮，自己三人紧赶慢赶百多里地，不就是来买失念Moexl的嘛。
Shiu Siuchuan’s eyes lit up. After rushing for over a hundred miles, this was precisely that they had come for—to buy the Lost Mind Moxel.
「就快到了，咱们快走吧。」
“Almost there, let’s hurry on.”
……
充满干劲的三人快速深入这片长著各种树木的林场，已经能瞧见前往无忧的货队了。
The three of them marched with full vigor deeper into this woodland of various trees, already able to see the Cargo Crew heading for Carefree in the distance.
「这些林场也是失念引擎所维持的，咱们的大本营以后也会这样茂盛漂亮。」左非闲笑呵呵的对身旁两人道。
“These woods are also maintained by the Shin Engine; our headquarters will one day be this lush and beautiful too.” Zuo Feixian said cheerfully to the two beside him.
这些树都是从各种出现于这片大地的幕景中所移植而来后，再用失念引擎所稳定的树林。
These trees were all transplanted from the various scenes that had appeared across this land, then stabilized using the Shin Engine.
秦蒙留下的地块，也需要制作成引擎来彻底稳定，否则会消失，因此急需大量的失念Moexl，以及对应的忘川溪水。
The land left by Chin Mong also needs to be made into an engine to fully stabilize it, otherwise it will disappear. Hence, they are in dire need of vast amounts of Moxel of forgotten thoughts and the corresponding water from Lethe Stream.
左非闲在壹颗树下抖了两下，转过身来系好腰上当作裤腰带的细绳子，如伟人般挥著手臂道：
Under a tree, Zuo Feixian shook himself twice, turned around to fasten the thin rope around his waist that served as a belt for his trousers, and waved his arm like a great man:
「总有壹天，我们要将这片荒芜之地，变成原始森林和金黄的麦田！」
“One day, we will turn this barren wasteland into primordial forests and golden wheat fields!”
徐秀川抠了抠鼻头。
Shiu Siuchuan picked at his nose.
「那得死多少人啊。」
“How many people have to die for that?”
左非闲跑过来，用穿著堪比草鞋的运动鞋踢了这家伙的屁股壹脚。
Zuo Feixian ran over and kicked this fellow in the ass with his sport shoes, which were as worn as straw sandals.
「妳就知道擡杠，下辈子妳变牛去吧。」
“You’re always being a contrarian. In your next life, become an ox until you wear out.”
杨子藏为大家每人带了几双鞋过来，但这两人舍不得穿，对他们来说，脚上的不烂就绝不会换鞋，除非太冷。
Yang Zicang had brought several pairs of shoes for everyone, but these two were reluctant to wear them. For them, they wouldn’t change their shoes until theirs fell apart, unless the weather was too cold.
前方壹队从林间小道前进的人转头看了三人壹眼。这里的人群算不上络绎不绝，但也比了无人烟要有人气得多。
Ahead, a group of people marching along a forest path turned to glance at the three of them. The crowd here couldn’t be called a continuous stream, but it was far more lively than a desolate wasteland.
正在这时，三人都听到了壹阵货物跌落的声音。
Just then, all three heard the clatter of cargo tumbling to the ground.
壹个板车的车轮突然断了，上面的货物跌落壹地，而其中的壹尊石雕摔在地上成了碎片。
The wheel of a cart suddenly broke, sending its load spilling everywhere, and among the wreckage, a stone statue shattered into fragments.
拉货的人整个怔怔地站立在原地，不知所措。
The cart driver stood frozen in place, utterly at a loss.
「怎么搞的。」
“What happened?”
这只车队有人力，有兽车。车队前方壹个穿著深褐色外套的男人走来。
The convoy included both human labor and beast-drawn carts. A man in a dark brown coat strode over from the front of the line.
另外几名车夫跟过来看了眼轮子，几人窃窃私语。
A few other drivers followed to examine the wheel, whispering among themselves.
「不应该啊，这车是才做好的新车，怎么几十里路就断了。」
“That’s strange—this cart was brand new, built just recently. How did the wheel snap after only a few dozen miles?”
杨子藏看了眼车下，他身后的白影念龙浮现而出，猛然冲向地面。
Yang Zicang glanced beneath the cart, and behind him, the Pale Shade Wyrm materialized, lunging abruptly toward the ground.
这动静让远处几人转过头来，几人刚要惊叫，忽然见到大念龙叼著个类似鳄鱼的怪物虚影嵌了出来。
The commotion drew the gaze of the distant men; just as they were about to cry out in alarm, they saw the Great Psionic Wyrm tear out a phantom silhouette resembling a crocodile-like monster.
「有怪物。」几人惊道。
“There’s a monster!” several of them exclaimed in shock.