第八十一章 小棚区的大理想
Inside the haystack.
草垛中。
Sleeping in the straw, Wang Chong looked at Yang Zicang expectantly: “If you, Brother Yang, could make the well’s Forgetting Engine, take our camp for example, there would be twice as many people as now.”
裹着草睡的王翀期待的望着杨子藏：“如果杨哥你做出水井的失念引擎，就拿我们这个棚区来说，会比现在多一倍的人。”
“But it’s not that easy.” Another voice spoke from within the dry grass.
“但不是那么好做的。”枯草里另一个声音传来。
At that moment, in Yang Zicang’s sensory vision, a gentle-faced man who had been listening synchronously to introductions from Wang Chong and Xu Xiuchuan spoke from the other end:
而此刻杨子藏感应画面中，一直同步听着来自王翀和徐秀川介绍的面相温和男士，在另一端道：
{Mr. Zicang, thank you for your trust in us. Regarding the mineral material issue you mentioned, our experts and scholars here will provide you with full assistance.}
{子藏先生，谢谢你对我们的信任。关于你所说的矿物材料问题，我们这边的专家学者们会给你提供全力协助。}
[Thank you. As for the formula for the Espression Engine, let’s start with the well, Team Leader Li Mi.]
[那谢谢了，关于失念引擎的配方，咱们就从水井开始吧，李弥组长。]
The new liaison from headquarters, named Li Mi, nodded:
名为李弥的总部新联络人点点头：
{I will make arrangements immediately. Rest well. Good night.}
{我会立即安排。好好休息，晚安。}
The mental link was disconnected.
心灵链接断掉。
……
……
Early in the morning, Yang Zicang vaguely heard commotion outside, and the air was filled with a dizzying odor.
清早，杨子藏隐隐听到外面传来喧哗，空气中弥漫着股令人眩晕的味道。
[I offset 3.07R of morbidity. Zero value retained: 847.895R. This stench was a disaster for these people, who had so little time left.]
[我抵消了3.07R.]
“……”
“……”
Total remained: s847.895R.]
这臭味对这里本就时序不多的人来简直是个灾难。
“What’s up?”
“咋了？”
The three of them, still heavy-eyed, propped themselves up from their beds, unknowingly huddling together in the cold.
睡眼朦胧的三人从床上撑起身子，不知不觉三个畏冷的人都挤到一块儿。
“Did the boiler blow up again?” A faint voice of someone scolding was heard from outside.
“又炸锅炉了？”外面隐约传来有人呵斥的声音。
“They say the paint formula went wrong.”
“说是涂料配方出错了。”
Pushing the door open, the outside was noisy. People emerged from wooden houses, their hair messy, faces covered in dust. Some yawned and brushed their teeth with cups of murky water, having no other choice anyway.
推开门，外面闹哄哄的。人们从木房子里走出，头发蓬乱，满面尘垢。他们打着哈欠，有的用水杯刷着牙，杯里的水有些浑浊，却也别无选择。
Between the houses stood an empty plot of land cluttered with piled wood. At this moment, someone was busy at work in that distant open area, while a crowd surrounded him, pointing fingers and discussing.
房屋之间有片堆放凌乱木材的空地。此刻一人正在远处的空地上忙活，一群人围着他指指点点。
“What are you making this time? I’ve almost lost a month of my life. You need to compensate me.”
“又是造啥？我快减寿一个月了，你得赔我。”
“Compensate your mother.”
“赔你娘。”
After listening for a while, Yang Zicang finally figured out what these people were doing. The ones surrounding and protecting that person were exactly the same few who, hours earlier, had been searching for the illusory cast-iron cauldron, forged and vanished in some kind of mythical style.
听了会杨子藏总算搞清楚这些人在干嘛了，围在那人身边保护他的，正是几小时前寻找铸造铁锅幻影忘川泉水的那几人。
Now, the man sitting cross-legged in the center wore a piece of clothing brought by Yang Zicang.
此刻正中席地而坐那人身上穿着杨子藏带来的一件衣裳。
“Just building a boiler. Why do you have to mess with that poisonous water?”
“造个锅炉而已，干嘛非要搞这毒水。”
The man on the ground looked up and said:
地上那人抬头道：
“If you’re just making a simple boiler for heating, of course, there’s no need to be so particular. But to become a supplier for hub towns and turn this place into a medium-sized settlement, how can you manage without a decent Forgetting Engine?”
“只是随便造个锅炉供暖，当然是不需要这么细致。但要成为枢纽镇的供货商，把咱这儿搞成中型聚集地，没有拿得出手的失念引擎怎么搞？”
“It’s just an iron barrel. Why make things so complicated?”
“一个铁桶的事儿，何必那么麻烦。”
“If an iron barrel were all it took, anyone could make it. Who would need your engine?”
“铁桶谁不会造，还要你的引擎？”
“Anyway, I think a furnace will do just fine. Do those people in the hub towns live any better than the nobility of the court?”
“反正我就觉得是个炉子就行。那些枢纽镇的人，难不成还过得比皇宫贵族好噻？”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“你懂个锤子。”
Spotting Yang Zicang and his two companions—now in clean new clothes and appearing spotless—the man who was in front of the ground furnace mixing a pungent potion lifted his head, cast Yang Zicang a glance, and then went back to tinkering.
瞧见穿着新衣服，特别是周身干干净净的杨子藏三人过来，地上正对着地炉调配刺鼻药水的男人抬头瞥了杨子藏一眼，又埋头研究起来。
A young man squatting on the opposite side saw Yang Zicang and stood up with a smile, saying:
对面蹲着的一个年轻人看见杨子藏，起身笑道：
“Hello, Jiazi? I’m the leader of the of this shed complex— er, encampment here, Ning Yang. Thanks for the clothes.”
“你好，甲子间？我是这里的棚主，宁洋。谢谢你带来的衣服。”
He extended his hand, and Yang Zicang shook it.
他伸出手，杨子藏握了下。
“This is Master Zhang. He used to be a good boiler maker, but each part has its own division of labor, so as for the selection process…”
“这位是张师傅，以前就是个做锅炉的好手，只是吧，每个部分都有不同的人分工，所以对于遴选工艺…”
“It’s phosphating.” The person sitting on the ground said without looking up.
“是磷化。”地上坐着的人头也不抬的道。
“Oh, right. I’m not very familiar with the phosphating treatment formula, but I’m slowly figuring it out.”
“哦对，磷化处理的配方不怎么熟，不过已经快慢慢研究出来了。”
“I see.” The model on Yang Zicang’s chest flickered out.
“原来是这样。”杨子藏胸前模型闪动出去。
Ning Yang, who was in the middle of introducing, froze for an instant.
正介绍着的宁洋呆滞了一瞬。
Being close, he could clearly see how many sides it had.
靠近的他很容易看清楚那是几边形。
“Brother Jiazi hasn’t just arrived, has he?” Ning Yang, who just happened to block Yang Zicang’s path, said softly.
“甲子兄不是才来的吧。”刚好挡在杨子藏身前的宁洋小声道。
“Why do you say that?”
“为什么这么说。”
Yang Zicang followed Ning Yang’s gaze and squinted. Outside the crowd, that person looked stunned—the very same one who had been thrown over fifteen meters by his shoulder throw. Upon seeing him, it seemed as if he had seen a ghost, and he quickly pushed through the crowd to run away.
杨子藏随着宁洋的目光虚眼看去。人群外一脸震惊的那人，，正是被自己过肩摔丢出十几米远的家伙。此刻的他看见自己，像是撞鬼一般，赶紧推开人堆往外跑。
Ning Yang said:
宁洋道：
“I roughly know the situation now. In this place, everyone’s time sequences cannot be mutually taken away, only neutralized. So let’s focus on getting along peacefully. For these next two months, Master Jiazi, you can stay here. Oh, right, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Let’s have a meal together—to get to know each other.”
“事情我差不多都知道了，咱们这儿时序无法互相抢走，只能抵消。所以大家以和为贵，接下来两个月甲子兄你都可以住在这里。对了，你还没吃饭吧，咱们一起聚聚，算认识认识。”
Now aware that the man before him possessed a quadrilateral-shaped model—and already somewhat favorably inclined toward Yang Zicang because of his offer of clothes—Chief Ning of the Cang, naturally, wanted to win him over.
知道眼前之人是四边形模型后，本就因杨子藏送衣服行为有些好感的宁洋棚主，自然是想拉拢眼前这人。
With such an expert who can amplify time-fold by four times stationed in his own compound, Ning Yang would have more confidence in dealing with stray monsters or troublemakers in the future.
自己棚区若有这样一位能增幅四倍时序的高手坐镇，以后应对走失怪物或找茬的人，都会更有底气。
……
……
With the invitation, Wang Chong and Xu Xiuchuan naturally followed to enjoy the meal. The other four were still unaware that Yang Zicang had arrived.
有了邀请，王翀和徐秀川两人自然跟着一块儿享福，另外四人此刻还不清楚杨子藏已到。
Inside the rock-walled room, several pots of discarded red magic crystal remnants were emitting heat, but someone had already come to cover them with lids.
岩石垒砌的屋子内，有着一盆盆废弃的红色魔晶石残晶散发着热量，不过此刻已有人来为它们盖上盖子。
During the day, the temperature here wasn’t much lower; these were only useful at night.
在白天这里的气温并不会低很多，它们只有晚上才有用。
After the meal was prepared, Ning Yang said, “Aya, go call Master Zhang to join us for dinner.”
饭菜做好后，宁洋道：“啊雅，去叫张师傅一起来吃饭吧。”
“He probably stinks pretty bad right now.”
“他这会臭得很吧。”
The woman in the room said reluctantly, but she still went out to summon the man who was concocting potions.
屋内的女人不情愿道，不过还是出门去叫那正在弄药水的男人。
A large round table was laden with fairly abundant dishes, and someone had brought transparent glass jars filled with clean water.
大圆桌上摆满了还算丰盛的饭菜，桌上还有人拿来透明的玻璃罐子装着的干净水。
“It’s truly rare to get such a hot meal here.”
“能在这里吃到这些热腾腾的饭菜，还真是难能可贵。”
“We traded resources from the shed for all this. This table alone is worth a triangle model,” Ning Yang said.
“这些都是我们拿资源从大棚换来的，这一桌子就值个三角模型。”宁洋道。
Yang Zicang asked curiously, “So where do they get their vegetables and meat?”
杨子藏好奇：“那他们的蔬菜和肉食是哪里来的？”
Just then, Master Zhang, having heard about the free meal, lifted the curtain and entered the stone house.
正在这时，听说有免费饭菜的张师傅已经掀开帘子走进了这间石屋。
“You’re new here, right. Some of these vegetable seeds are traded from Hub Town; others come from finding crossing zones into this place, planting [land-type] lost-thought engines there, postponing their collapse, and harvesting from them.”
“新来的吧，这些蔬菜种子有的是从枢纽镇换来的，有些是寻找进入这里的交错地，将【土地型】失念引擎种下后，延缓它的存在，从而收获的。”
Master Zhang sat down beside Ning Yang. “Is this young man a friend of yours?”
张师傅坐在宁洋身旁：“这年轻人是你朋友？”
“He’s the one who delivered clothes yesterday—Jia Zijian, new arrival.”
“他就是昨天送衣服来的小伙子，甲子间，新进来的。”
“Oh, oh, it’s you.”
“噢噢，是你啊。”
Zhang Yuanxin sized up Yang Zicang for a moment, then gently shook his head.
张远信上下打量了杨子藏一眼，轻轻摇摇头。
Even though he was wearing the blue cotton jacket the young man had given him, he still looked down on this kid who traded life-saving supplies for just a few nights’ stay.
虽然穿着人家的蓝色棉绒外套，不过他对这种拿保命物资换几晚睡觉地方的小年轻看不上眼。
If it were him, he would’ve found himself a place to sleep on his own; with all that warm gear, what was there to fear about camping out in the wild?
换做自己，怎么得也得找个地方自己睡，有这么多保暖的东西，还怕露宿野外吗。
Did he absolutely have to have that shabby little room to get some shut-eye?
定要那个破屋子才睡得着？
“This jacket on me’s pretty good—thanks, bro ‘Stranger.’ ”
“我身上这件不错，谢谢你啊，路人甲兄弟。”
Master Zhang sniffled, straightened his chopsticks by tapping them on the table, and then started helping himself to the food rudely.
张师傅吸了下鼻涕，拿起筷子在桌面坐了坐，开始不客气的夹菜。
“It’s ‘Strata 1960s Room’…” Wang Chong corrected.
“是甲子间…”王翀纠正。
“No harm, no foul—just eat.”
“没事没事，吃菜。”
Ning Yang, who was urging everyone to dig in, kept the mood at the table light.
招呼大家都开动的宁洋维持着桌间的气氛。
After asking Wang Chong and Xu Xiuchuan a couple of questions and learning they were merely out gathering materials, Master Zhang no longer paid them any attention.
张师傅问了下王翀和徐秀川，发现两人只是外出找材料的人后，再也没有了对两人的重视。
“I once made a boiler that big,” he said, gesturing in the air with his chopsticks. “But later on, that kind of thing just fell out of style.”
“我曾经啊，做出过那么大个的锅炉，不过后面不流行那玩意儿了。”他拿筷子在空中比划了下。
“And now we need it again, don’t we?” Ning Yang chuckled.
“现在不就又需要了吗。”宁洋笑道。
“Ah, once we nail this serum down, with my skills, trust me, we’ll charm the pants off those town folks.”
“哎呀，只要这个药水搞好了，有我的手艺，你放心咱们肯定迷死那些镇里人。”
“Yeah, for our camp to develop, we need craftsmen like Master Zhang. Hopefully, we’ll land a purchase order then.”
“是啊，咱们棚区要发展，就得靠张师傅这样的手艺人。希望到时候能拿到订货函吧。”
“So where are we stuck with the problem now?” Yang Zicang asked.
“咱们现在是哪里遇到难题了呢？”杨子藏问。
“It’s some technical stuff—you wouldn’t understand it,” Zhang Yuanxin replied without even lifting his head.
“一些技术活儿，你不懂。”张远信头也不抬的道。
Yang Zicang smiled, then turned to Ning Yang: “I heard the encampment chief is still working on the Forgetfulness Engine for the well. Is there any Wangchuan Phantasm of the well left?”
杨子藏笑了笑，转而看向宁洋：“听说棚主还在准备制作水井的失念引擎，不知道还有没有水井的忘川幻影？”
Zhang Yuanxin snorted with laughter, thankfully turning his head away, or else he would have sprayed rice across the table.
张远信噗嗤下笑了出来，还好他扭头，不然饭都喷到桌面上了。
“Hey, you mean that thing? We’ve given up on it. Easy to imagine, too hard to pull off. We’ll see if luck turns in our favor later. But I’ve got some leftover Wangchuan Spring related to it.”
“欸，你说那个啊，那东西我们已经放弃了，想得轻松做起来太难，以后看机缘吧。不过相关的忘川泉我这里还有点剩余。”
“Could you spare me a portion?”
“可不可以给我份呢？”
The phantasms floating atop those black rivulets were diverse and varied, but finding a specific one meant wasting time and relying on luck.
那些黑水溪流上漂浮的幻影各种各样，但真要去找特定的某种，就只能花时间碰运气。
Although he had mentioned seeking a Well Phantasm to the two last night, it was clear that with such a small crew, days of squatting might not yield results.
虽然昨夜跟两人说过要找水井幻影，但显然光凭这点人手，蹲上几天都不一定会找到。
“Of course. But Brother Jiazi, what are you…”
“当然可以。不过甲子兄弟是要…”
“Just giving it a try.” Yang Zicang didn’t deny it.
“试试而已。”杨子藏并未否认。
Zhang Yuanxin, having wiped his mouth, shook his head with a wordless smirk and reached for the dishes again with his chopsticks.
擦了擦嘴的张远信笑而不语的摇摇头，继续伸筷子夹菜。
“If you succeed, young brother, do remember to share the formula with us.”
“如果成功，小兄弟记得给我们一份配方啊。”
“Heh heh.”
“呵呵。”
After the meal, a woman whose face bore traces of hardship but was inherently beautiful carried over for Yang Zicang two flat, bowl-shaped glass jars.
饭后，那名脸庞虽看上去有些风霜，但骨子里是个美人的女士为杨子藏抱来两个扁平如碗的平口玻璃罐。
The black stream water sloshed inside. Its surface exhibited rippling waves, yet no matter how they shifted, the phantasm riding above remained undispersed.
黑色的溪水在里面晃荡。它表明漂浮着的水波不论如何变幻，也不会散开上面的幻象。