第三章 所思念的圣地

Two days had passed since that massive explosion.

距离那场大爆炸已过去了两天。

{I am the Big Star Special!}

{我是大明星专列！}

The phantom train that became the big star—Xiao Machao! Now it could freely race across the sky, even in broad daylight!

成为大明星的幻影列车——小马超！现在哪怕在白天也能自由驰骋在天际！

The only problem was that it now exuded an eerie, somber air.

唯一的问题是，它现在任然是阴气森森的。

Everyone who entered it came out with a fever or fell ill, prompting Yang Zicang himself to stock up on many remedies and healing items aboard the train.

凡是进入的人，出来后没有不发烧生病的，连带着杨子藏自己也收购了很多药剂和治疗道具备在列车上。

At that moment, Deputy Town Lead Zhu Yin and others were in the train, looking at the piles of fever patches, medicines, and healing beads in the medical cabinet.

此刻，逐银副镇等人在列车中，看着药柜里成堆的退烧贴和药品以及治疗球…

“A one-stop service for getting sick and selling medicine.”

“患病卖药一条龙。”

“I always feel… this flying subway train has the potential to become an accomplice to a shady medical organization.”

“总觉得…这辆飞天地铁有成为黑心医疗机构同伙的潜质啊。”

……

……

Yang Zicang, sitting on his flying carpet, hovered between the clouds, watching the distant train glide through the cloud layers at the speed of an ordinary subway.

坐在飞毯上的杨子藏悬浮在云层之间，看着远方列车如同普通地铁的速度划过云层。

“Let’s go to a higher place,” said Luo Bin and Xu Xiuchuan and others.

“我们去更高的地方吧。”洛宾和徐秀川等人道。

Yang Zicang nodded, and the flying carpet continued to ascend in altitude. Beyond two hundred meters, it began to consume Amplified Chrono at a rate of up to one year per second. Higher altitudes required controlling more cells.

杨子藏点点头，飞毯继续拔高海拔，超过两百米后，它开始每秒花费多达一年的增幅时序。更高的地方则需要掌控更多格位才行。

“The air is so thin, my head is starting to ache.”

“空气好稀薄，脑袋都有点痛。”

With a pat, a bottle of painkillers fell into Fan Xiuyun’s arms as he clutched his head.

啪嗒，一瓶止痛片落在了捂着脑袋的范修云怀中。

“Look over there!”

“你们看那边！”

Little Liu suddenly stood up and pointed ahead.

小刘突然起身指着前方。

Ahead lay a chaotic, suspended entrance, like a flowing curtain of liquid silver.

前方是一个混沌般的悬浮入口，如流动的水银幕布。

“Could that be the Lost Illusion Company?”

“难道那就是遗失幻境公司？”

This was Xiao Machao’s discovery over the past two days. If not for close observation, no one would have been able to see it.

这是这两天小马超的发现。如果不是靠近观察，谁也看不见它。

“Doesn’t seem like it, but aside from the ‘Lost Illusion Company’, I can’t think of any other bizarre secret realms in this world.”

“不像啊，但我不知道这世界除了‘遗失幻境公司’，还能有其它什么奇特秘境。”

Yang Zicang tried probing it with the “White Shadow Nian Dragon”, but the entrance was eerily silent.

杨子藏试着以白影念龙过去查探，门口很安静。

“It should have been manifested by psychokinesis.”

“应该是念力所化现的。”

“The one who could leave their psychokinetic power here, with it still intact after that explosion—must have been incredibly formidable.”

“能将念能力留在这里，在那场爆炸中都没有损毁，看来留下它的人很厉害。”

A few people nodded in deep agreement.

几人深以为然的点头。

“I think this was left for whoever claimed the identity of the ‘Greater Glamour’. Why else would it be thrown in a place no one else could reach?”

“我看，这应该是对获得‘大明星’身份之人所留下的，不然干嘛丢在谁也上不来的地方。”

Teacher Chen tempted him, saying, “Boss, want to take a look inside?”

陈老师蛊惑地道：“老板，要进去看看吗？”

Yang Zicang rubbed his chin; he hadn’t forgotten Xingmiao’s cryptic words.

杨子藏摩挲了下下巴，他没有忘记星渺当时的那句话。

—Don’t become the protagonist of this place. What if something inside was left for the future owner of this location?

——不要成为这里的主角。万一里面留的是给此地未来主人的东西呢？

“We’ll go in only after a thorough investigation. No rush for now.”

“等调查周全再进去看吧。不差这一时。”

The flying carpet carried several people soaring through the sky, naturally cleaving the gale so those on board wouldn’t be tossed off by the speed.

飞毯带着几人在天际遨游，它自然能够将疾风分开，让上面的人不至于被高速掀翻。

Teacher Chen leaned over the edge, looking down.

陈老师趴在边缘看下去.

Below, the land faintly revealed an irregular rectangular shape, beyond which stretched an endless chaotic grayness, as if it existed within a dark void—this was not a continent on a planet.

下方的大地隐隐呈现不规则的长方形，更外面如同是永无尽头的混沌灰烬。它似乎存在于混沌暗黑之中，这并不是个星球的大陆。

“So he turned his own body into this land, leaving it here…” Teacher Chen’s hair danced in the strong wind as she sighed deeply, “Still sustaining the life that thrives on it. Is this not truly a god?”

“竟然将自己的身躯化为大地留在此…”陈老师的头发在劲风中飞舞，感慨万分：“还能供给上面的生灵繁衍生息。这，真的不是神吗？”

“I wonder if we could ever reach such power in the future.”

“不知道未来的我们，能不能成为这样的实力。”

“Then go back to the city and get that daily excellence award.”

“那你就回城市去拿到每日评优吧。”

“Why?”

“为啥。”

“Dreams have everything.”

“梦里啥都有。”

……

Amidst a mountain forest, Wuying revealed himself.

一处山林中，无影显出身形。

“Hmph, Yang Zicang… sigh, if only your power weren’t so precious, I’d truly want to be your real friend.”

“哼哼，杨子藏…呼，若不是你的能力太过珍贵，我还真想跟你做真正的朋友啊。”

As he spoke, a crease from his chest shot into the void.

说着，他胸前一道折线射入虚空。

……

The flying carpet sped forward, when suddenly a small ball of light rose and drifted up beside the group.

飞毯正在快速前进，忽地一道小光团冉冉飞起，上升到几人身边。

“Little reporter is here!” the group called out, “Come play, little cutie!”

“小记者来了。”几人喊道，“小可爱快过来玩。”

Yang Zicang had just turned to look when a crease shot toward him. He instantly understood—so Little Reporter was here to do “research.”

杨子藏刚扭头看去，一道折线射来。他顿时心领神会，原来小记者是来做“调研”的。

Smiling, he answered the channel:

他笑着接通道：

“Wuying, what’s up?”

“无影，有什么事吗？”

{Haha, nothing much. Anyway, I’ve scored some fine wine aged for years—how about a drink tonight?}

{哈哈，没什么。话说我搞到了几瓶存了好几年的美酒，晚上一起喝点？}

“Forget it, we just met the day before yesterday when I returned that treasure to you. Another time.”

“算了吧，前天还你宝物时才聚过，下次好了。”

“Alright then, but there’s a joint memorial gathering hosted by a few greenhouse bosses three days from now. You have to come. I’ll also use the chance to tell you something about the ranking battles.”

{那好吧，三天后几位大棚主有个共同举办的祭奠会。你一定要来。到时候我顺便跟你说点排名战的事。}

“Ranking battles?”

“排名战？”

Wasn’t that the fight the 41st Assessment Judge had suggested he participate in? Victory would grant an extra reward given by an elected councilmember.

那不就是“41号评议委员”建议自己参与的战斗吗。若胜利将有议员给予的一个额外奖励。

“You’re from City 41, right. To truly improve your ranking, you must defeat the current top team in City 23 by the end of the year.”

{你来自41号城吧。要真正提升排名，必须在年末击败原本23号城市的首席队伍才行。}

“I can do that. Thank you, Wuying.”

“可以的。谢谢你，无影。”

Seeing that Yang Zicang had seemingly developed some interest in the gathering, Wuying smiled with satisfaction and ended the communication link.

看到杨子藏对聚会似乎升起了丝兴趣，无影满意地笑了笑，结束了通讯链接。

After the two finished their conversation, Luo Bin chuckled and said, “That guy really earned his stripes—we’re sort of like foes turned friends.”

见两人通话完，洛宾嘿嘿笑道：“这家伙跟我们也算是不打不相识了。”

“More or less. I still think it’s best not to get too involved with him. Keeping a proper distance is good enough.”

“还好吧。反正我觉得，跟这种人还是不要过多接触，保持合适的距离就行了。”

The floating energy beneath Lili’s teeth on the flying carpet suddenly vanished. Dropping from a two-meter height onto the rug, it bounced back a few centimeters.

飞毯上方粒粒牙的悬浮能力一下消失，从两米高落在毛毯上一蹦又弹起了几厘米。

“How fun.”

{好好玩。}

Luo Bin mumbled to himself, “Wouldn’t that guy —the reporter— know about that just now?”

洛宾嘀咕了下，“小记者该不会知道刚才那个吧。”

Everyone’s eyes immediately fell on the adorable spirit. She turned her head to look back at them.

几人目光唰地落在可爱的精灵上，她扭头看向几人。

“Why is everyone staring at me?”

{你们都看我做什么呢？}

Yang Zicang suddenly wore an expression like a lecherous creep and said, “World’s cutest little beauty, Liliya… Do you know what’s inside that whirling vortex over there?”

杨子藏突然露出痴汉般的表情道：“世界上最可爱的粒粒牙小美女，你知道那边那个漩涡门里面是什么吗？”

Lili’s teeth rose, flew close, and sniffed Yang Zicang’s face.

粒粒牙飞起凑了过来，嗅了嗅杨子藏的脸。

“I smell the stink of a bad idea~!”

{我嗅到了坏主意的臭味~！}

“Stop messing around. I bet you don’t know either, right?” Yang Zicang said, crossing his arms.

“别闹，我打赌你也不知道对吧。”杨子藏抱着膀子道。

{Hmm… I really don’t know.}

{嗯…我是不知道呢。}

As expected, Li Li Ya drooped her little face in disappointment, as if a weak spot had been hit.

粒粒牙果然失落的垂下了小脸，像是被戳中了软肋似的。

Seeing that little expression, several reproachful glances glared at him from around. Yang Zicang instantly felt like he had made a huge blunder, and he waved his hands in panic:

看着这小表情，周围几道幽怨的目光怒视而来。杨子藏立即感觉自己像是捅了天大的大篓子，他慌乱摆手道：

“Come on, no one knows the answer, actually. It’s normal that Li Li Ya doesn’t know.”

“别这样，其实大家都不知道，粒粒牙不知道也是正常的。”

{Yeah, that’s right!}

{嗯，是这样没错！}

Li Li Ya, suddenly full of energy, dashed out of the flying carpet and ran off.

粒粒牙一下干劲十足的冲出了飞毯，直接跑掉了。

“She took the out when he gave it, but still ran off in embarrassment.”

“给她找了台阶，还是不好意思的跑了。”

“You sneaky devil.”

“你小子。”

Luo Bin walked over with an unsteady gait, grumbling like a doting old father: “Don’t tease the little fairy for fun anymore—she’ll take you seriously.”

洛滨深一脚浅一脚的走了过来，充满老父亲的埋怨：“以后可别随便逗小精灵，人家会当真。”

“Ahaha.”

“啊哈哈。”

Yang Zicang scratched his head awkwardly. From the people around, some voices chimed in:

杨子藏不好意思的抠了抠脑袋，周围一些人说：

“Here on out… Deputy Town Chief can always call Xiao Machao to ascend whenever. If we miss out on treasure, we’ll lose big time!”

“以后…副镇随时可以联系小马超上天。要是我们错过宝贝可就大损失！”

Luo Bin swept a glance over the group on the flying carpet—members of the squad who were blatantly or subtly egging on the plan to push forward with the mental channel exploration: “Then are you brave enough to go in?”

洛宾扫了眼一圈飞毯上，明里暗里吹促进念力洞里看看的货队成员：“那你们敢进去吗？”

The whole group shuddered in unison.

众人齐齐一个寒颤。

“Maybe we should head home for dinner instead. It’s about time.”

“要不我们还是回家吧，该准备晚饭了。”

Yang Zicang suddenly sank into serious contemplation. “Perhaps someone might still know.”

杨子藏突然郑重的思索起来，“或许还有人能知道。”

“No way, boss—are you saying you’ve figured something out now?”

“不是吧老板，难道你想到什么办法了？”

The several looked over, staring intently as threads spread from the chest of the meditating Yang Zicang.

几人看过来。直勾勾盯着盘坐的杨子藏胸前散出丝线。

[I, the Great Quadrilateral Train Commander, begin to connect with my train.]

[我，伟大的四边形列车长，开始联系我的列车。]

In a brief moment, a gaze fell upon us.

不到片刻一道目光便落了过来。

[Hub Town is watching over us.]

[枢纽镇在注视着我们。]

“Ah, it’s the Mayor.”

“啊，是镇长。”

Silver-Opal Hub Town, who had already learned the query through Xiao Machao Damingxing, replied directly:

已经通过大明星小马超知晓询问内容的银白枢纽镇，直接回应道：

{Inside that place are all the imagined regions of that being. Though she has died, her firm belief in life has brought her residual spirit to concretize a real image, one that burgeons alongside the earth.}

{那里面全是那位存在幻想出来的地方。哪怕她已死去，但因生前的强烈相信，还是由残留的精神具现出了真实的形象，伴生于大地。}

“Is it the true master of Xingmiao—the goddess who manifested this land?”

“是星渺真正的主人，也就是化现这片大地的那位女神吗？”

{By human standards, this is indeed a miracle. However, she is no divine being; you may call her a saint. As for the buildings within the illusion field… they are phantom images of the Holy Land, passed down through oral lore in her old world.}

{按照你们人类的眼光来看，这的确是神迹。不过她并非神灵，你们可以称她为圣贤。至于幻境场内的建筑…是她所在的旧世界中，人类口口相传的圣地幻影。}

“The Holy Land!” The group was taken aback—the word “Holy Land” instantly conjured a place laden with treasures!

“圣地！”几人一惊，圣地这词儿一听就是个宝藏遍地的地方啊！

But Hub Town added:

但枢纽镇补充道：

{Still, since she herself visited not the Holy Land of that old world, what’s inside differs from the true sanctuary, merely a sanctuary imagined from words.}

{不过，因为她也没有去过旧世界的圣地。所以那里面跟真正的圣地还是不一样的，这里只是她凭借文字，幻想出的圣地。}

“Well…”

“这…”

“For a sage this strong to have never set foot on a deeply cherished holy ground?”

“这样强的圣者，居然也没有去过心心念念的圣地吗？”

A trace of sympathy for the saint who had transformed into the land arose among them.

几人有点心疼这位化身大地的圣者。

{Time has worn away other fantasies. Left now are her most solidified “beliefs.” If you attempt this journey, take good care of yourselves—for you essentially stir a formidable being’s innermost heart.}

{以前还有些其它的幻想的内容，已经逐渐消散。目前剩下的都是最坚固的“相信”。你若进去，自求多福，因为你相当于去探寻一位强大存在的内心最深处。}

It is indeed so; the inside is not safe.

果然是如此，里面并不安全。

The fact that the Town Chief warned everyone at all is probably all for the sake of “Damingxing,” Xiao Machao.

镇长能提醒大伙儿一句，恐怕都是看在大明星小马超的面子上。

“It’s because of that intense faith that, even after death, this obsession materialized such a place. That’s why it was hidden so high up in the sky.”

“因为强烈的相信，哪怕死后，这份执念也具现出了那样的地方。所以才藏在这样高的天上。”

Yang Zicang looked toward the distant sky.

杨子藏看向远方的天空。

{Her lingering consciousness has died out. The information left here will soon dissipate.}

{她的残念已死，这里遗留的信息很快也会散去。}

With that in mind, Yang Zicang decided to take a glance at the entrance.

既然这样，杨子藏打算去门口撇一眼。

The flying carpet once again drew near the entrance. Outside the chaotic psychic field, he could vaguely make out a stretch of vast wilderness thronging with people.

飞毯重新靠近门口。在混沌的念力场外，他模糊可以看见片人头攒动的旷野。