The patchwork of vegetation and earth before them, though much smaller in area and far more barren than when they first saw it, was still an exceptionally rare sight in the Shibin Wastes—a piece of the Sightfall so vast appearing all at once was already a near-miracle.
–This was originally a marvel of the Shibin Wastes. If Chin Mong had lived, how many Sightfalls must have fallen here for him to collect?–
–Chin Mong… He was only an Edge, yet just now he broke through twice in succession, nearly becoming a Quad outright…–
Hearing Lyu Zhi’s words, the few around them all sighed inwardly. Such talent in Chin Mong was beyond anything they had ever heard of before.
–If only he’d had more time to stabilize, he might truly have become a Quad. Damn that Justiceer…–
–If onlys won’t change a thing…–
Yang Zicang glanced at the others around him:
–This land is a gift from Chin Mong to us. As long as it remains, Chin Mong will always be by our side. Come, all of you, join my Cargo Crew. The crew already has me and Chin Mong—both of us were comrades he trusted.–
–Yes!–
–We are one whole, that bastard…–
–From now on, let us protect this land well. No one else will be allowed to run rampant over it again.–
Yang Zicang activated his Moxel.
Several of their names were continuously added to the Zhù Cargo Crew through order forms.
When the last person joined, they suddenly heard a rustling sound of falling debris.
Turning to look, they saw Chin Mong’s chest area crumbling and breaking apart, finally dropping two bowl-sized chunks to reveal a hollow within.
A faintly glowing small statue appeared inside.
–What’s this?– Wang Chong asked in amazement as he stared at it.
Yang Zicang’s gaze sharpened slightly—so the ethereal statue that appeared after the death of the Moon Shadow monster was hidden in Chin Mong’s chest.
Zuo Feixian cleared his throat: –It’s a doppelganger statue. Once it resonates with the faction statues in your city, you can remotely use the statue’s abilities.–
–Oh, I’ve heard of it. It’s something like being able to form teams, create ability spheres, bestow field abilities on newcomers, and even extend the reception range and Investment distance of Moxel by twenty to thirty kilometers.–
–So there’s such a treasure? I’ve never heard of it.–
Among the six, four expressed this was the first time hearing about its existence.
Yang Zicang gently took it out.
It was a half-kneeling statue with a brownish-yellow base, sprouting various tiny energy flowers and plants from cracked fissures, resembling Chin Mong’s final pose.
–So beautiful—are these patterns manifested from energy?– Wang Chong commented while looking at it.
Yang Zicang nodded.
Unlike the statue he had obtained last time, this one had a thin silver-gray line imprinted on its chest.
Some faint information transmitted to his mind, and Yang Zicang injected one hundred years of Chronos energy.
Through the statue, he then –saw– a void space, containing several lifeless scenes, in which he seemed to glimpse a few small specks of light.
–No way…–
Typically, this kind of small sculpture could control the opening or closing of an alternate dimension, but now it had turned the terrain within into a small space roughly a kilometer in radius.
However, the current situation was that he could only vaguely sense the space within, but couldn’t enter it.
If he could enter it, it would become a rare portable spatial item.
The regret in Yang Zicang’s heart dissipated quickly—after all, what it originally represented was a living person.
……
At night, Ju Yin Chase prepared a capability orb for Yang Zicang, one that could rapidly heal physical wounds, waiting for him to collect it. However, at that moment, Yang Zicang noticed that those implanted with stations in the city by Matt Chao had already fled back to their own city.
It was an inevitable situation. With the ability to extract a station only once every three days, having just obtained his second station, Yang Zicang had no chance to enter the city and implant a new coordinate.
–Lucky I have the order letter,– Yang Zicang muttered, eyeing the plastic-like order letter in his hand.
Riding a carriage to the wall of that shadowy town, they were all shrouded in gray mist, looming as if it were a city of dreams.
The wall was of black bronze, and the gate was lofty. On the gate grew the monstrous face of a lion. Seeing the arrival of the carriage, it slowly opened its hollow eyes.
{Order letter.}
Yang Zicang, clad in an old work uniform with a hard canvas jacket and bandages on his chest, lifted the paper in his hands. His face still bore scratches and gashes as he waited for the black plastic-bronze gate before him to slowly tremble and open.
Buzz~
The gates swung open on both sides. The gloom within quickly materialized into sturdy, pitch-black buildings.
A few humanoid silhouettes in those somber buildings loitered about the streets. As Yang Zicang drew near, they swiftly dissolved into faint smoke.
In the distance, Ju Yin Chase stood silently on the steps nearby, wearing a faintly glowing badge. At this moment, his colors had significantly faded, making him look as if he stepped out of short-exposure celluloid thrillers at a low startle. There was another similarly faded silhouette beside him.
–You’ve really endured hardships this time.–
–We all saw it through the reporter’s perspective. Zi Cang. In fact you, you’re the real revolutionary to become — nurtured by No. — 41 City. That leads beneath.–
–Thanks for the compliment.– Yang Zicáng offered a faint smile as he stepped closer, then a flicker of reflection crossed his face as he savored the words: –The journalists’ perspective?–
–That’s right. Some of the little journalists’ viewpoints will appear on the town’s screens.–
–I see.– Yang Zicáng pondered those tiny creatures, but soon set the thought aside for now.
After employing the therapeutic ability sphere, combined with Lucid Sense, his severe injuries quickly began to mend.
–I’ll cover the Chronos you spent this time, no worries,– Futown Chief said breezily.
–Now that truly is good news.–
Another person beside Ju Yin Chase extended a right hand and said, –This was a joint decision, and we’ll all share the cost. Allow me to introduce myself: I’m the city’s Sheriff.–
–Hello.– The two shook hands.
–Hahaha, once your people enter Hubville from now on, I’ll see to it personally that they receive extra attention. As the Sheriff, my men have the authority to enter their cities under the pretext of protecting townsfolk, helping them out of danger. I hail from City 14.–
That was truly an awe-inspiring privilege.
Yang Zicáng could sense that these people were starting to truly value him.
–Do you know where I can get a large amount of Moxel that has lost its memories?–
–There’s no such thing in town. You’ll have to find a way yourself. Oh, and there was someone who wanted to buy the sculpture you acquired today, but I already turned it down on your behalf.–
–You know me well.– No matter what, Chin Mong would never sell his sculpture, even if it was just for keepsake.
Yang Zicang asked casually, –Are the merchants in here also from the major cities? Is it possible for me to open a shop in the future?–
Even if he crafted the best engine, he would still have to rely on others’ approval to use it—he didn’t like such constraints.
–Only cities with relatively high rankings are eligible to rent shops. You definitely couldn’t before, but now that your ranking has improved, if you truly secure the 23rd spot by year-end, you’ll be qualified to engage in shop operations. However, that requires a massive amount of Chronos—it’s not something tens of thousands can solve, or even hundreds of thousands.–
Yang Zicang drew in a sharp breath of cold air.
It was past two in the morning when he finally returned to the temporary base, and everyone was still awake. Seeing Yang Zicang back, they swarmed over and started questioning him eagerly. As he took out several Healing Ability Spheres, the sharp hope and admiration in their eyes grew even stronger.
[Muscular Extreme Healing Ability Sphere—each use consumes 10N of Chronos capital.]
A beam of light fell onto Zuo Feixian nearby.
–Wow, this thing could save lives, but it’s a bit expensive.–
–If you think it’s too expensive, just sell it to me.–
–Dream on.–
–Stop messing around,– Yang Zicang clapped his hands. –Do you know where I can exchange for a large amount of Lost-Reflection Moxel?–
The few of them exchanged glances, then looked back at the stretch of land not far behind them—a plot that for the group seemed almost endless, sprawling beyond sight. One of them turned and spoke:
–For such a large quantity, we’ll have to go to the Carefree Trade Zone.–
……
At the edge of the forest outside the Carefree Trade Zone, a solitary shop stood nestled there.
Inside this rock-walled, wooden-roofed establishment—open to the public—Sue Ching was wiping down the counter.
The light ahead brightened a few shades. Amid the tinkling chime of the copper bell on the door, a figure in a zippered jacket, an old man, pushed the door open and stepped inside.
–Young man, you’ve been here quite a while now. Have you come across any decent blueprints or formulas?–
After closing the door, he casually flicked the broken iron strip holding it askew by ninety degrees.
Sue Ching tossed aside the rag in his hand, planted his hands on the counter, and sized up the newcomer.
–What do you mean? You looking to buy a formula?–
The spirited old man chuckled. The shopkeeper’s intent was clear as day: information isn’t free. If it’s just a casual inquiry, then let’s call it off.
He looked around the space—intricate patterns adorned the walls, and on the floor tiles lay a formation about two meters wide. This room was essentially an advanced workshop, an automated one at that, designed to draw on a fixed Moxel intensity provided by its builder.
–Boss, you’re stationed near Wuyou all year round. Do you have any formulas for items with exotic magical auras from the trade zone? If there’s something good, I’d like to take a look.–
–You’re passing through for the Autumn Order Conference, right?–
The old man averted his gaze from the piles of scrolls, oil paintings, old photographs, and some fragmentary stone tablets.
–Sort of. Mainly, I want to hunt for some treasures in this big place—things like magical weapons akin to Chronos war gear aren’t bad either.–
Hearing this, Sue Ching burst into laughter.
–I not only know you’re passing through, but also that it’s your first time in. Give it up—that sort of thing, we don’t have here.–
The old man approached the counter; Sparks flickered from the young man’s chest, and a faint golden aura emerged around his body.
–Really? None at all?–
In this world, such displays were normal. This wasn’t a society with rule of law. Activating Sparks could serve as defense or a prelude to an attack—no one could say anything about it.
–But I’ve heard that this place once sold a relic blueprint from the Old Era, and you named it… a ‘Legacy.’–
–Blueprint– was synonymous with –blueprint base,– though even more archaic, essentially a raw material for blueprints.
Sue Ching’s gaze narrowed.
–Who told you that?–
He had no idea that the thing he sold was something akin to a blueprint, only realizing what he had missed after the buyer turned it into something remarkable.
But that information was kept extremely secret—given that person’s cautious nature, it’s unlikely they would casually spread it around.
Come to think of it, it suddenly occurred to Sue Ching that he hadn’t seen that guy in half a year.
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