Yang Zicang continued, –President Wang, I’m truly embarrassed to say this, but could you lend me some Chronos? I’ll repay you as soon as possible.–
–Sure, is five thousand enough?–
A surprised sound escaped Yang Zicang’s throat.
–That generous?–
–Of course. Just pay me back before the end of the month in normal time.–
–Wow, President Wang, I’ve underestimated you. If I’ve done anything wrong before, please forgive me.–
–Interest is also five thousand years—pretty low, all things considered. Or, you could stabilize a few Grade-B cross zones for me and give me all the Chronos harvested from them.–
Yang Zicang lowered his hand, smiled apologetically, and turned to leave.
Warren Wang twisted his head to stare at his retreating back and said, –You’re short on Chronos, aren’t you? How about this—less debt: stabilize four cross zones for me by the end of the year. What do you say?–
Yang Zicang turned his head, squinting slightly.
President Wang suddenly felt a flicker of unease.
–I just realized—you know too much about me.–
–What are you talking about?–
–Weren’t you targeting me before? Why did you suddenly trust me on this Leap Canyon mission?–
Yang Zicang pointed at the towering, jagged stone pillars outside the cliff.
–You killed King Li. You proved your strength.–
–Just that? Ha. Then how did you know I’m short on Chronos?–
–Well… you yourself said you wanted to borrow Chronos from me, didn’t you?– Warren Wang said, his guilt evident.
Yang Zicang turned his head to look.
Robin Lo had already run far off.
He let out a cold sneer.
–Truly, ‘everyone is working hard to grow stronger!’–
Sensing something amiss, Warren Wang heard Yang Zicang ask, –What’s the maximum amount of Chronos you can control at once?–
–You… what are you planning?–
Noticing the tense atmosphere between the two, Wang Chijian walked over.
–What are you two doing?–
–Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t do anything.–
Yang Zicang took a deep breath and looked toward the tree. The Moxel on his chest lit up, quickly spreading into the void.
–What are you doing?!– Wang Chijian exclaimed in shock.
–What do you think? Of course, I’m making the Chronos I desperately need.–
[I am Yang Zicang. I have a fruit here that permanently grants an extra ten years of life. It can make you young again! It’s essentially gaining the equivalent of Chronos for a full lifespan.]
A thought transmission can be faster and more precise—many can directly grasp the deeper meaning behind the words.
–You bastard!–
[Quantities are limited, opportunities are rare. Hurry while they last! Group orders are welcome!]
Warren Wang was beside himself with rage. Then, he hurriedly continued: –Cut that fucking broadcast of yours. I’ll lend you five thousand years of Chronos right now!–
–I don’t want to borrow anymore. I’ll earn it myself.–
–Earn your ass off with my fruit? Get real!–
{What the hell is this?}
{Yang Zicang, what are you up to again?}
–Get lost, you piece of shit.–
[Ladies and gentlemen, look around—these are my first batch of customers. The elders being kept by the ‘Golden Group’ restored their youth after eating the divine tree’s fruit, and their lifespans have been further extended beyond before.]
Many outsiders were pondering what kind of benefit this could bring.
{Yang Zicang, you’re chicken-shit, but I trust your judgment. I’ve never seen you peddle junk. Spill it—how much Chronos for this thing?}
–You’re out of luck.– This time, Yang Zicang shouted it outright.
{Fuck!}
–Hold on, we can still talk.– Manager Wang rushed over to soothe him.
The people around were about to approach, but a glare from the young man silenced them. After all, they couldn’t eat a second fruit anyway, so why bother provoking someone this desperate, who’d even pawned off his Cent-Arms?
The only one truly frantic here was this so-called Manager Wang. A voice broke into the mental connection.
{Wait, Brother Yang, if that’s really the case, and there are thirty slots available, I can offer a thousand years of Chronos.}
There were still at least three to four hundred leaves left on the tree.
–One thousand five, I’ll only sell two hundred portions.–
{Deal.}
Warren Wang scurried over and whispered through gritted teeth:
–Yang Zicang! You don’t have to expose your ability for this little Chronos. Stop now. I’ll compensate you with a full thousand Chronos—just don’t bring anyone else here from now on.–
–I’ve already closed two deals.–
–You!–
–But you’re not wrong. Still, if you ‘Invest’ your full Chronos in me, you expect it back, don’t you? You tell me—does that sound fair? I won’t ask for much: three thousand Chronos as a kickback, and I’ll never touch this tree again.–
–You have absolutely no business ethics.–
–My ethics are about on par with yours. Take your time thinking about it. Don’t think I don’t know what you bought from Robin Lo.–
Warren Wang was momentarily speechless.
[Less than a hundred portions left.]
Yang Zicang broadcasted almost without pause in his mind.
{What, that fast?}
{Didn’t you just sell fifty-two portions a moment ago?}
Warren Wang quickly said, –Alright, alright. Deal.–
Yang Zicang looked at the man beside him, a smile spreading across his face. –Pleasure doing business.–
In over two thousand years within the dream, aside from a few savants, most of those primitives still gaped like gorillas—all drool and slack jaws.
Now, with all this Chronos, he could finally afford a measure of peace of mind to advance the course of civilization.
Warren Wang also breathed a long sigh of relief—that damn guy had finally relented.
Yang Zicang cleared his throat and declared in a firm voice, –My guest says he’ll take all the rest. Everyone, let’s call it a day. As for the two of you earlier, please contact me privately afterwards.–
{Yang Zicang, wait—I just contacted my friend.}
{I’ll offer one share per sixty years; reserve three spots for me.}
{You liar! Don’t anyone believe a capricious scumbag like him.}
Those who hadn’t been in a hurry seconds ago suddenly erupted into chaos, but the Syn-Link quickly faded and disconnected.
Yang Zicang declined everyone’s Invest to avoid the risk of being under surveillance for another whole day.
–I’ll go pick someone up.–
–Wait.– Warren Wang called out to him. –Yang Zicang, let me tell you one thing seriously. I’ll pay you this 3000N for this project, and a B-grade Cross Distortion is fine, but later, when you’re stronger, help me stabilize an A-grade Cross Distortion here.–
–You’re still planning to get something for nothing. Ask anyone you like—an A-grade Cross Distortion probably can’t be managed with just 3000N.–
Warren Wang’s expression flickered briefly.
By the time everything was sorted out again, several more hours had passed.
On the way back, Yang Zicang and Liang Xi walked at the very rear of this seventy-to-eighty-person line.
–Bro, you earned a ton of Chronos just like that—I’m so jealous.–
Both parties had paid out 1500N and 1100N apiece, a spectacle witnessed by everyone nearby, sparking intense envy among the crowd. Wuxia effortlessly bagged over two thousand years of extra Chronos. He even has more business acumen than poor-luck Boss Wang.
Naturally, Yang Zicang was overjoyed. He whispered with a mix of glee and regret:
–The chance to hit such a jackpot again next time? Might be tough. And this probably still won’t be enough.–
What you earn more, you spend even more. The complete Yore-Realm is a huge guzzler of Chronos.
Liang Xi shook his head: –But Bro, your air-banking and acceleration skills are perfectly suited for these rough terrains. From now on, anyone in this crowd who gets a similar order will definitely come to you.–
It wasn’t just this young man who saw it—everyone in the team had reached this consensus: amidst such complex landscapes, this ability is simply god-tier.
B Right now, Yang Zicang was already mulling over what to take into the Yore-Realm. Weapons, tools, daily necessities—would Kill really be nice to have some high-tech gear, but unfortunately such items are prone to spawning Chilldemons.
Just as that thought struck, a folded beam shot right in.
[Chu Chiang wishes to conduct an Invest for me.]
[** Chu Chiang invested 1N on my behalf.**]
–Eh, Chu Chiang, how did you get in?– Yang Zicang chuckled to himself, while Liang Xi glanced over.
{Yang Zicang, Mu Xiaoyu was almost captured by Matt Chao on her way to find you.}
The smile froze on Yang Zicang’s face, and his gaze turned icy in an instant.
{But don’t worry too much; a headquarters agent happened to pass by and rescued her. However, she’s badly injured, and I’m afraid she may not be able to handle the dangers ahead.}
[Then I really have to thank that person. How did Xiaoyu come here?]
Across from him, Chu Chiang stood in complete darkness, accompanied by two others.
{Three people came tonight, saying they met you on the road and that you pointed them this way. They claimed to know the route you took, so Mu Xiaoyu, worried about you, followed them.}
Yang Zicang recalled the three people he encountered on the road—could it be them?
How could this happen?
Those damn bastards! He wished he could immediately stomp those ungrateful beasts into the ground and beat them senseless.
{She heard that someone stole the weapon you just acquired, and a lot of people were causing you trouble. Xiaoyu was afraid you didn’t have enough Chronos, so she wanted to enter this accelerated zone.}
Yang Zicang’s heart ached with concern.
He couldn’t say he had any special feelings for this girl he’d only known for a short while, but she was willing to risk everything to help him based on nothing but rumors—who else would do that for him?
[How badly was she hurt?]
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