第一百零三章 无忧货贸地
“These damned things…”
“这些该死的东西。”
The Guard Leader of the Carefree Trading District felt as though the sky had fallen.
无忧货贸区的护卫队长感觉天都踏了。
Witnessing monsters that had lived hidden beneath ground all this while suddenly attack the Trading District’s outskirts in hordes while even excavating a large pit tens of meters deep underneath, the Guard Leader Yuan Xuelin, who had just arrived, started cursing out loud.
瞧见一直隐藏在地下的怪兽竟然集体攻击货贸区边缘，还在下方掏了个几十米深的大洞，赶来的护卫队长袁学林破口大骂。
If the monsters were to use this opportunity to attack the trade zone or the precious goods area, the losses would be catastrophic, and correspondingly, I would definitely be stuck holding the bag.
要是借此攻击商贸区，或者贵重货物区，那么损失将非常大，而相应的，自己绝对会背口大锅。
“Captain Yuan, those monsters are actually being controlled by someone. Looks like someone’s had their eyes on us all along.”
“袁队啊，那些怪兽竟然还能被人驱使，看来一直有人在打我们的主意。”
“You think I need you to tell me that?”
“需要你说。”
Captain Yuan shot him a glare, then turned to look at Su Li, who was kneeling by the edge of the pit, utterly devastated.
袁队长瞪了他一眼，随后转头看向跪在坑边失魂落魄的苏黎。
“Xiao Su, I’m not going to waste words on comfort. Anyway, in this place, death is just another form of release.”
“小苏，安慰的话我也不想多说，反正，在这里，死亡也未尝不是种解脱。”
He turned and walked over to Yang Zicang, who was standing by the entrance.
他转身来到门口的杨子藏身边。
“Thank you, sir. I’m Yuan Xuelin, the guard captain here. If it weren’t for you today, we’d have been kept in the dark, and it would have cost us dearly in the future. May I ask who you are?”
“谢谢你，这位先生。我是这里的护卫队长袁学林。今天若不是你，我们肯定会被蒙在鼓里，今后会造成重大损失。请问你是？”
His gratitude toward the young man before him was genuine; holding Yang Zicang’s hand, he was reluctant to let go.
他真诚感激着身前的小伙子，双手握住杨子藏的手都舍不得松开。
“Just a nobody.”
“无名小卒而已。”
Yang Zicang didn’t even know what to say.
杨子藏都不知道自己该说什么了。
“His name is Jia Zijian,” Teacher Chen enthusiastically interjected, as if the two of them were old acquaintances.
“他叫甲子间。”陈老师在一旁热情的道，显得两人之间像是很熟络。
A large crowd had already gathered without anyone noticing. Some experienced bystanders began to reconstruct the fight in their minds, committing to memory the name and face of the young man at the entrance.
周围已经不知不觉聚集了大批的围观人员，有些有经验者已经开始逆推战斗过程，并深深记下了门口那位年轻人的名字和样貌。
“You!”
“是你！”
Suddenly, they noticed two small glowing spots appearing above the house.
忽的，他们发现屋子上方不知何时出现了两个小光团。
A group with red armbands approached.
一队戴着红袖标的人走来。
“Hello, Mr. Jia Zijian, our shed leader would like to see you.”
“你好，甲子间先生，我们棚主想见你。”
The woman at the front was very polite in inviting the three of them.
为首那位女士很是客气的邀请三人。
Looks like my reputation has grown again, Yang Zicang mused as he turned to look at Teacher Chen and the others.
看来自己的名气又增加了，杨子藏扭头看向陈老师两人。
“You can all come together, so don’t say I’m setting a trap for your engines.”
“你们一起吧，免得说我坑你们的引擎。”
The two shabby men were overjoyed.
寒酸的两人大喜不已。
……
……
“Oh, Mr. Yang, I’ve heard so much about you.”
“哎呀杨先生，久仰久仰。”
Upon entering the room, the man in the exaggerated fur coat stepped out from behind the wide desk and gave Yang Zicang a hug.
一进屋，那穿着夸张皮毛大衣的男人从宽大书桌后面走出来，与杨子藏拥抱了下。
“You know my surname is Yang?”
“你知道我姓杨？”
After they parted, Yang Zicang stared strangely at the potbellied man.
两人松开后，杨子藏古怪的看着这肥头大耳的男人。
“Hmm, didn’t you say it yourself?”
“嗯，不是你自己说的吗？”
The man slapped his forehead: “Look at my mouth—it was your assistant who said it, acting on his own, right? That must be it, must be.”
男人一拍自己的脑袋：“瞧我这嘴巴，是你助手说的，他自作主张的对不对？一定是一定是。”
“May I ask, is my assistant still here?”
“请问，我的助手还在这里吗？”
The shed master was a bit speechless; of the two questions asked, neither had gone as he expected.
棚主有点无语，对方一共问了两句话，两句都在自己意料之外。
“He… should still be here, I think.”
“他，应该还在吧。”
It had been about ten minutes since the flurry of contact, and presumably, “his” lot had already been sold off. Yang Zicang said bluntly:
距离那密集的联络已经过去了十来分钟，想必“自己的”拍品已经结束，杨子藏干脆的道：
“I have an indecent request, and I’d appreciate the help of Shed Master Wuyou.”
“我有个不情之请，还请无忧棚主帮忙。”
“Please, go ahead.”
“您请讲。”
The shed master exuded a businesslike air, and as the master of Wuyou, he carried himself very casually.
棚主很有商人气质，身为无忧之主，他的姿态很是随和。
“Please, I need you to intercept my assistant. Be careful—he might resort to violence.”
“烦请你帮我拦截我的那位助手，请小心，他可能会动武。”
“Huh?!”
“欸？！”
Dim as the shed master’s brain might be, he immediately caught on that something was off.
棚主的脑袋再锈，也立即明白过来，这里面恐怕有什么不对劲的地方。
“Wait a moment.”
“你等下。”
A model ring emerged on Shed Master Wuyou’s chest, and a quadrangle shot out rapidly. Without saying a word, a few seconds later, he turned back with a smile and gestured for Yang Zicang and the others to come over and sit down.
无忧棚主胸前浮现出模型圆环，一道四边形极速扩展出去，也不见其说话，几秒钟后棚主便重新笑脸对着杨子藏几人招手，示意他们过来坐下。
“Well, Mr. Jia, your assistant left a few minutes ago, and our people are already pursuing them.”
“那个，甲先生，你的助手已经离开有几分钟了，我们的人正在去追。”
Hearing this, Yang Zicang was no longer very hopeful.
听到这话，杨子藏已经不太抱有希望。
It was only by riding the train that he could cover over a hundred li in such a short time.
自己拥有列车才能在这么短时间跨越百多里距离。
For that thief to make it even farther—around 160 to 170 li—in just over a day, arriving at this place, he definitely had his own secret skills. A beautiful woman set down a teacup for Yang Zicang and poured hot water.
而那小偷能在一天多时间跑出更长的一百六七十里路出现在这边，肯定有他的独门秘技。一位美女为杨子藏添上了茶具，并灌注热水。
“Please, have some tea.”
“请用茶。”
“May I ask, is your assistant planning to abscond with the money?” Wuyou leaned in and asked.
“请问，你的助手难道打算携款逃跑？”无忧探头问。
Yang Zicang took a sip of tea and said, “I don’t have an assistant.”
杨子藏品了口茶道：“我没有助手。”
“Pfff!”
“噗！”
Teacher Chen, sitting on the opposite chair, spat out a mouthful of hot tea.
对面椅子上的陈老师将一口热茶喷了出来。
He quickly pulled his sleeve to wipe the water stains off the table, while Shed Master Wuyou laughed heartily, telling him not to worry, and had someone fetch a cloth to wipe it clean.
他赶紧扯着袖子擦桌上的水渍，无忧棚主笑哈哈的表示不用在意，让人拿抹布去擦了干净。
“No assistant? So you mean the one who orchestrated the auction wasn’t actually one of your men at the Jiazi interval? Then that Forgotten Engine… Could it be that he merely borrowed your name…”
“没助手？也就是说，来搞拍卖的实际上不是甲子间你的人？那么，那枚失念引擎是否只是他借名…”
“That engine was built by me, and then I gave it to this friend of mine. He used to be a guest of honor at a small settlement.”
“引擎是我所造，然后我送给了我这位朋友，他原本是一个小聚集地的座上宾。”
Yang Zicang pointed at Zuo Feixian, who puffed out his chest.
杨子藏指向左非闲，那家伙挺了挺自己的胸膛。
It was only then that Teacher Chen took a closer look at Zuo Feixian.
陈老师这才细看了左非闲两眼。
He hadn’t expected that this unremarkable-looking man was a guest of honor in a shed district, and he speculated that the three of them might each be far from ordinary.
没想到这其貌不扬的人还是个棚区的座上宾，他猜测，这三人或许都不简单。
“And then?” Shed Master Wuyou asked with curiosity.
“然后呢？”无忧棚主好奇的道。
“My friend here took pity on the shed area’s lack of clean water, so he gifted it to that shed master. Then the next day, we were kicked out as thieves—because the engine went missing.”
“我这位朋友怜悯棚区没有干净水源，便将它送给了那位棚主，然后第二天，我们就被当作小偷给轰出来了，因为引擎丢了。”
“Huh?” Wuyou stood up in surprise, glancing at Yang Zicang, then at Zuo Feixian.
“唷？”无忧吃惊的站起身来，看看杨子藏，又看看左非闲。
Teacher Chen looked at Yang Zicang and the others in disbelief.
陈老师不敢置信的看着杨子藏几人。
Little Liu murmured in shock, “Did I hear that right? You build an engine and give it to someone, only to get kicked out as thieves?”
小刘吃惊的小声道：“我没听错吧，做了引擎送给别人，还被当成小偷给赶出来？”
Xu Xiuchuan hummed, as if speaking with difficulty: “Whether you believe it or not, if it weren’t for Brother Yang…”
徐秀川哼唧似的开口道：“谁说不是呢，要不是杨哥…”
Zuo Feixian, right in front of everyone, kicked him on the leg. Xu Xiuchuan promptly grunted twice and fell silent.
左非闲当着几人的面那脚踢了他的腿一脚，徐秀川赶紧哼哼两声，不再说话。
“I’m wondering, Brothers from Jiazi, could you still make a water engine like that again? I know the materials are hard to come by, but if you can provide them, I have a few buyers willing to trade six to seven thousand years of chronological sequence, or equivalent value in supplies, for it.”
“不知道甲子间兄弟，还能不能再做出那种水井引擎？我知道的，材料很难找，不过如果你能提供，我有几位买主都愿意出六至七千年的时序，或者对应价值物资来交换。”
“Let’s table that for later.”
“这事后面再说吧。”
Yang Zicang didn’t forget his main purpose: he was there to acquire Mutants Points models. The moment he spoke, Shed Master Wuyou offered to give him ten for free, and sell the rest at the lowest price, thirty years per piece.
杨子藏没有忘记正事，自己是来收购失念模型的，他一开口，无忧棚主二话不说就说要送十枚，其它都按最低价三十年一枚售卖给自己。
“Stay here tonight. I’ll arrange rooms for all of you,” the shed master said after their conversation ended.
“今晚就在这里住吧，我诸位安排房间。”交谈完毕后棚主道。
Seeing that Yang Zicang had mentioned nothing about his own incident the whole time, Teacher Chen couldn’t help but feel anxious.
陈老师见杨子藏从头到尾没提自己那引擎的事，不免有些着急。
Little Liu helplessly covered his face with one hand as he looked at his teacher.
小刘一只手无助的捂向了脸的看向自己的老师。
A major shed master like Wuyou supplies more than one shop in Hub Town. Every year, during the spring and autumn ordering fairs, locals gather here and travel with his convoy to Hub Town—he’s essentially the leader in the area. He gestured to the slightly impatient Teacher Chen to keep quiet and not speak out of turn.
无忧这种大棚主在枢纽镇可不止为一个商铺供货，每年的春秋订货会，附近的人都选择在这里集合，跟着无忧的货队一起前往枢纽镇，可以说是这边的领头羊。他示意有点猴急的陈老师别乱说话。
After chatting for a while longer, the shed master’s guards finally reported that they had failed to intercept the G-Suite assistant.
又聊了阵子后，棚主这边的护卫人员才来报告，没有拦截到甲子间的助手。
He really had slipped away.
真被他跑掉了。
“My apologies, you must find this quite embarrassing.” Shed Master Wuyou’s face was a bit flushed with shame.
“实在是不好意思，让你见笑了。”无忧棚主的脸上有点挂不住。
Despite only a delay of a few minutes, the man had fled. What’s more, the guards reported even more detailed information about the Material Workshop: the crocodiles down below had apparently built a small nest.
仅仅晚了几分钟就让人给跑了，而且护卫人员还来报告了关于材料坊那边的更详细情况，那些鳄鱼在下面似乎造了个小巢穴。
Having lost face twice before his guests in just half a day, Wuyou was internally cursing Yuan Xuelin and his men to the high heavens.
半天时间在客人面前硬丢两次脸，无忧的内心早把袁学林一帮人骂了个狗血淋头。
After lunch, Yang Zicang and his group were assigned by the shed master to temporarily stay in a stone house.
午饭后，杨子藏几人被棚主派人安排进了栋岩石屋子内暂住。
“Why didn’t you show the shed master?” Teacher Chen ran to Yang Zicang’s room once they were alone, asking.
“你怎么不给棚主看看？”等没人了，陈老师才跑到杨子藏的房间问道。
“Do you really value this engine that much?”
“就这么看重这引擎？”
Yang Zicang parted the curtains with his hand and glanced at the view through the wooden-framed glass window.
杨子藏拿手拨开窗帘，看了眼木质玻璃窗下的风光。
He felt as if he were in a mountain forest woodyard below, with buck-widened piles of timber stacked on the ground.
自己就像是身处山林木场内，下面摆放着一垒垒桶粗原木。
“I’m relying on it to survive.”
“指着它活命呢。”
“Alright, then how much do you think this engine of ours can sell for?”
“那行吧，你觉得咱们这枚引擎能卖多少？”
He retrieved the Voidfall Engine from his coat pocket, tossing it lightly in his hand.
他将失念引擎从衣兜内拿出来，在手中抛了抛。
Teacher Chen could barely swallow his saliva. In the past, he had grown numb to failure, which had worn away his impatient nature. But now, seeing something so close at hand yet possibly having to give it away to someone else, how could his heart remain calm?
陈老师看得都快咽口水了，以前是失败得麻木了，磨掉了急躁的性子，现在就在眼前却可能要拱手送人，怎让他心中平静。
“I don’t have a clue.” Teacher Chen answered curtly.
“我不知道。”陈老师很干脆。
Yang Zicang’s faint annoyance toward him lessened slightly.
杨子藏对他的些许厌烦少了点。
Sensing the information contained within the engine, based on the model’s description, its pulse would beat fifteen times.
感受着引擎蕴含的信息，按模型的描述，它的脉搏能跳动十五次。
“Do you have a fixed place to live?” Yang Zicang asked him.
“你有固定的住处吗？”杨子藏看着他问。
The thin man, a bit scholarly in demeanor, shook his head.
这个有点学究气质的干瘦男人摇摇头。
“Well then, let’s make a deal. I have a base. How about you move in with me?”
“这样吧，我有个地盘，你到我那里住，怎么样。”
“Uh, no, no, not interested. Once the engine’s ready, I’ll head to the Canopy District and turn it into an equipment. So don’t go telling anyone else about that formula—my entire future hinges on it.”
“唔不不不，我没兴趣。等弄好了引擎，我要去找大棚区，把我的引擎变成装备。所以配方你别乱告诉人，我下半辈子就指望着它了。”