第一百二十七章 大甲方清神香丸 -3
In the mountain area, sixty to seventy li southwest, the deputy shed master of Kaso Shed’s main area was stepping out of an emergency meeting, deep in thought.
山区西南六七十里处，箜山大棚区的副棚主正从紧急召开的会场中，思索着迈门而出。
A young man with a somber expression quickened his pace and whispered in the deputy shed master’s ear:
一名面色深沉的年轻人快步跟上，在他耳边低语：
“It seems the Big Client goods team was set up by the guys who took down the wasteland truck goods team a while back.”
“大甲方货队，似乎就是前阵子端掉荒车大货队的那伙人建的。”
“What!”
“什么！”
The deputy shed master let out a low exclamation. Glancing at the shed supervisor passing by, he lowered his voice to the steady young man:
副棚主一声低呼，看了眼附近走过的棚区主管，低声对着沉稳的年轻人道：
“Back at the meeting just now, when the shed master asked, why didn’t you speak up?”
“刚才会上棚主问的时候，你怎么不说。”
The man smiled and said, “Team leader Yuan Kun has been increasingly winning the shed master’s trust lately. Deputy master, look at the goods team construction you used to oversee—where is there room for your participation now? Being too idle around here isn’t a good thing.”
此人笑了笑，道：“袁昆队长最近越来越得到棚主信任了。副棚，原本你管理的货队建设，你看现在哪里还有你插手的份儿？在这里太清闲，可不是件好事啊。”
The deputy shed master’s expression shifted slightly.
副棚主脸上微变。
He pulled the young man forward. “Zhang Ao, it’s best not to say things that sow discord among the brothers. Still, your criticism of Yuan Kun is quite spot on—that man is too arrogant. Monopolizing control of the goods team is no good. Tell me, how do we make him realize his mistake?”
他扯着年轻人往前走去，“张傲，不利于兄弟和睦的话还是少说。不过，你对袁昆的批评也是很正确的，这个人太自大了，独揽货队大权可不好。你说，我们该怎么让他认识到自己的错误呢？”
Zhang Ao glanced around; noticing that no one passing by was paying attention to their conversation, he said briefly:
张傲左右看了看，周围路过的人并没注意自己两人的交谈，于是简言道：
“The sale of Building Jia-1 was announced in advance, but it won’t open until next Tuesday. The days in between are clearly left for us large shed areas to negotiate.”
“甲子间提前放出售卖风声，却定在下周二才开卖，中间这几天，分明是留给咱们这些大棚区斡旋的时间。”
“Exactly, that makes sense.”
“没错，是这个道理。”
“Given Yuan Kun’s temperament, he’ll surely take advantage to pressure others. Based on my understanding of Da Jia Fang’s boss, this guy isn’t just strong—he’s also quite tolerant. I think it’s better to let someone else give him a beating and teach him a lesson, rather than us going after our own.”
“以袁昆的性子，肯定会借势压人，而以我了解的大甲方的当家来看，这伙计不光实力强，性格上还挺包容人。我看，咱自家孩子自己下不去手，让别人出手敲打敲打，长长记性也挺好。”
Upon hearing this, the deputy shed chief froze for a moment, then studied Zhang Ao’s calm expression and slowly cracked a hint of a smile.
副棚主闻言，脸上一愣后，端详着张傲平静的神色，嘴角慢慢扯出一丝笑意。
“Master Zhang has a point. That kid really could use some reprimand.”
“张师说得有道理，那小子的确该吃点教训。”
……

The sky was gradually changing.
天色渐变。
At that moment, Aya felt utterly dizzy, countless Mental Links reaching out to her, making Ning Yang break out in cold sweat just watching.
此刻阿雅人整个人都有点眩晕，无数心灵链接在与她联系，看的宁洋在一旁冷汗直冒。
“Yang, Brother Yang, this person bid four hundred years and wants to buy everything. He says he can arrive tonight.”
“杨，杨哥，这个人出价四百年，说要全部收购，他晚上就能到。”
“Ignore him.”
“不用管他。”
“Oh.” Aya severed the link, and immediately countless threads shot toward her; the dense cluster of threads on her chest had already formed a small cone of light.
“哦。”阿雅断掉链接，马上就有无数丝线射来，她胸前密集的丝线已经形成个小光锥。
“Two hundred fifty? No sale!” Aya decisively cut off a random Mental Link she had connected to.
“两百五？不卖！”阿雅果断断掉随机连到的某个心灵连接。
In just a few minutes, Aya’s standards had already skyrocketed.
仅仅几分钟，阿雅的眼界已经高得不行。
Before she made the “proclamation,” she was still wondering how anyone would buy such incense pills priced by YangZicang at up to two hundred years of chronology. For her, even giving up a day or two, let alone a year or two, of lifespan was a difficult thing.
在她进行“宣告”之前，还在想杨子藏将这种香丸定价高达两百年时序，怎么会有人买。对她来说，不说一两年，一两天的寿命给予都是件艰难的事情。
But now, these densely packed purchasing messages completely dumbfounded this young girl who, despite having endured hardships, was actually still quite young. Too many people were rushing to offer high prices; for those with real strength, they only regretted that YangZicang had set the price too low, and several individuals even declared they wanted to buy everything.
可现在，这些密密麻麻的求购信息让这个历经磨难、实则年纪尚轻的女孩彻底懵了。太多人争相出高价，对于有实力的人来说，只恨杨子藏定价太低，甚至有好几人扬言要包场。
At this moment, countless voices seemed to sound in Aya’s mind, but strangely, each thought was presented clearly and did not interfere with her thinking. She suddenly wondered if the lofty status of statues in temples might be the same as her own.
此刻阿雅意念中仿佛无数人的声音作响，但奇异的是，每一道心声都清晰的呈现，并且没有干扰到她的思绪。她突然想到，不知寺庙里高高在上的塑像，是否也是如自己这般。
The woman lifted her face, full of confidence, sweeping away her previous despondent expression, her cheeks glowing with an energetic and bright radiance.
女人抬起脸，充满自信的她，一扫之前的颓容，脸上洋溢着精神饱满且明亮的光泽。
“Yang Ge, someone has offered eight hundred years, saying they’ll take however many there are, and at the very least, please keep fifteen portions for them.”
“杨哥，又有人出价八百年，说有多少要多少，最低请给他留十五份。”
YangZicang shook his head, “Not selling.”
杨子藏摇摇头，“不卖。”
The other party didn’t even know what the clearing incense pill was before offering eight hundred years—either they were a fraud or a figure with immense power. And with too many big shots coming, it would only disrupt his plan.
对方连清神香丸是什么都不清楚就开口八百年，不是骗子就是势力过大的人物。而大佬来得太多，反而会干扰他的计划。
He just wanted to find people to test the strength of the phantom, not to hand over the treasures inside willingly.
自己只是想找人去试探幻影的实力，并不是想将里面的宝物拱手相让。
Although he was essentially playing with fire, where one wrong move could cause everything to fall apart. On the other hand, there was no choice but to earn these chronology.
虽然自己实际是在玩火，稍不注意就会鸡飞蛋打。但另一方面来说，这时序自己不得不赚。
The timing from selling Moli’s skill book—letting others use it freely ultimately belonged to someone else. Only by earning this timing myself this time could I later use it, give it away, or acquire assets in Hub Town, enjoying the peace of mind that comes with control.
莫里的技能书卖掉的时序，人家给自己随意使用，终归是别人的。自己能靠这一次赚到时序，后续不论是自己用还是给别人，抑或购置枢纽镇的资产，支配起来才心安理得。
Out of nowhere, he lifted his head to look into the distance… Zorro.
莫名的，他抬起头看向远方……佐罗。
“Brother Yang, this person is offering four hundred years for seven portions.”
“杨哥，这人说四百年求购七份。”
Aya’s voice interrupted Yang Zizang’s thoughts, and he nodded, saying:
阿雅的声音打断了杨子藏的思绪，他点点头道：
“This one can be considered.”
“这个可以考虑考虑。
“Then I’ll note it down for now and see if there are any higher bids.” Aya said proactively.
“那我就先记着，再看看有没有更高点的出价。”阿雅主动的说道。
Teacher Chen crouched beside them, swallowing hard.
陈老师蹲在旁边咽了咽口水。
In his mind, he kept estimating—just from the timeline income Aya had been mentioning so far, if all were agreed to, it would be at least thirty to forty thousand!
他内心一直在估算，光这一会儿阿雅念叨过的时序收入，若全部同意，已至少三四万！
He felt a bit dizzy; this was much faster than his own struggle to scrape together fossil artifacts and equipment.
他感觉有点眩晕，这可比自己拼死拼活去弄化石遗物装备来的快当多了。
Xu Xiuchuan and the others were also feeling somewhat dazed.
同样有点晕乎的还有徐秀川等人。
They could hardly fathom how much timing revenue starting sales from this point would yield—enough to return to Earth and let an entire city’s people live for centuries, being worshipped as gods.
几人难以想象若从这会儿开卖到底能收入多少时序，怕是回到地球就能成为让一个城市之人都长生数百年，被人当成神灵给供起来。
As for Little Liu and the others, they were already ecstatic beyond reason.
至于小刘几人，早就兴奋得忘乎所以了。
“We usually can’t even find a decade or two of timing. With Brother Jia making a move—ah, enough said.”
“我们平时连十年二十多年都难找到。甲哥一出手，唉，不说了。”
Zuo Feixian sighingly remarked: “A man as brilliant and mighty as I am most appreciative of Old Yang.”
左非闲感叹：“我这般英明神武的男人，最是与老杨惺惺相惜。”
“Is the man of Jiazi years surnamed Yang?”
“甲子间兄弟姓杨？”
Shed Master Song was full of admiration. Hearing the words from those nearby, he asked curiously.
宋棚主佩服不已，听到旁边几人的话，便好奇问道。
Luo Bin grinned and stepped closer: “Old Zuo is talking nonsense. My last name is Yang, given name Dazang, and he and I resonate.”
洛宾笑嘻嘻站了过来：“老左在扯犊子，我姓杨，名大藏，他在跟我相惜。”
“D-Da… Dazang?” Shed Master Song was stunned.
“大，大肠？”宋棚主错愕。
Zuo Feixian came over for a kick, but Luo Bin was faster, lifting his leg and striking first, “Watch my groin!”
左非闲过来一脚，但洛宾更快，抬脚后发先至，“看坤！”
“Aoooow—”
“嗷呜——”
Zuo Feixian extended his arms downward and collapsed to the ground.
左非闲双手下伸，整个人倒了下去。
Shed Master Song winced sourly for a moment but said nothing and turned to get back to work—there were still several wooden cabins not yet built.
宋棚主牙齿酸了酸，什么也没说转身干活去了，还有好几个木屋还没搭好呢。
Not far away, several women from the shed area were busy cooking everyone’s meals. A lively crowd of over twenty vendors from the sales team gathered noisily to share food from a big pot, bustling with excitement.
不远处，几名棚区的妇女在为大家做好饭菜，二十多人的售货队伍喧闹的聚在一起吃大锅饭，好不热闹。
“These goods of ours—I used to worry whether there’d be too many to sell, but now it looks like we have no trouble unloading them.”
“咱们这些百货，之前我还觉得会不会太多，根本卖不掉，结果现在我看，这是不愁卖啊。”
“Right, that’s all thanks to our team leader’s sharp eye.”
“对，还是咱们货队长的眼光高。”
In the two sheds beside stood mountains of clothes and shoes, as well as items such as pen nibs, ink, and paper, and even kettles, iron pots, and chests.
旁边两个棚子中，有着成山的衣服鞋子，还有笔头墨水纸张，乃至水壶、铁锅、箱子等物品。
The most abundant among them were tools, such as pickaxes for mining, machetes and shovels for logging—providing for all needs of production and daily life.
而其中最多的还要数工具，比如挖矿的镐头，伐木的砍刀、铲子等，可谓是生产生活都一应俱全。
These were all items obtained from the Deserted Wagon Caravan last time.
这都是上次从荒车大货队所获得的物品。
Some handcrafted pieces had been used to make engines, but most of the supplies sourced from Hub Town, being already replicas made by engines themselves, could not be reused as materials for crafting engines.
其中部分手工制造的被用来做成了引擎，大多数从枢纽镇进货的因为本就是引擎所复刻，就没办法继续用作引擎的制作材料了。
Niuwa carried a steaming bowl of rice, “Brother Ning, and Brother Jiazi, it’s been so long since we’ve had this much fun and liveliness. I really wish it could always be like this.”
牛娃端着热腾腾的饭碗，“宁哥，还有甲子哥，好久没这么开心热闹了，真想一直这样啊。”
“Shut up, don’t jinx it.” Zuo Feixian jumped up from the stool.
“住嘴，别立flag.”左非闲从板凳上跳了起来。
Waving his chopsticks, he said, “Today’s a day of fortune. May we all live long—spit that, live forever and ever. There’ll be plenty of good food and drink ahead, right, Captain Jia?”
他挥着筷子道：“今天是发财的日子，咱们以后都长命百岁，呸，万岁万岁，以后好饭好菜多着呢，对吧，甲队长。”
Everyone burst into laughter, though it resonated in everyone’s hearts.
众人一阵哄笑，不过这话说到了大家心中。
Even if they had “easily” gained extended lifespans, a long existence would feel like a punishment if every day was lived in hell.
虽然有“轻易”获得的寿命，但若是随时都像是活在地狱之中一般，漫长的岁月不过是一种惩罚。
At this moment, the food in their hands—ordinary meals on Earth—were rare delicacies in this world, only accessible to shed masters on a daily basis.
此刻他们手中的饭菜，这些在地球寻常的食物，在这世界却是大棚主们才可能每天享用的美味。
If every day could be like this, they thought living here for thousands or millions of years would truly feel like being immortals.
若天天有这样的日子，他们觉得在此活上千年万年，也真的算是神仙了。
……

The next morning, just as dawn broke, a roar approached from afar. A car modified by ferasil dust swept in, covered in dust, its body already twisted and grotesque.
次日清晨，天刚蒙蒙亮，一阵轰鸣声便由远及近，一辆经过恶魇改装的轿车卷着尘土疾驰而来，车身已是狰狞怪诞的模样。
“Folks! Haha, good morning, everyone!” The person in the car jumped out dozens of meters away and walked toward the camp.
“各位！哈哈，大家早上好啊！”车上的人在几十米外跳下车，朝营地走来。
Shed Master Song led his people forward to meet him, polite yet cautious. As a “quadrilateral” Ability user, he wasn’t top-tier himself but naturally suppressed low-level models.
宋棚主带人迎了上去，客气中带着警惕。有他这个“四边形”能力者在，虽然实力不算顶尖，但对低级模型天生具有压制力。
“Everyone here to see the goods?”
“各位是来看货的吗？”
“Yeah, yeah, we’re the Wasteland Boys, oh yeah!” One person in the car waved an electric guitar, plucked a string, and produced a harsh, screeching noise.
“是啊是啊，我们是后荒男孩，哦耶！”车上一人挥舞电吉他，手指一拨，发出刺耳的噪音。
He laughed heartily, tossed the guitar back into the car, and flipped over to jump down.
他大笑着把吉他扔回车上，也翻身跳下。
Before Shed Master Song could finish his question, the sound of hooves came from another direction, and several large horses carrying riders galloped over.
宋棚主还没问完，另一边又传来马蹄声，几匹高头大马驮着人影奔来。
Yang Zicang quietly studied the visitors.
杨子藏静静打量着来客。
These people wore straw hats and had guns at their waists that were clearly crafted from Nightmares, looking like a group of oddly dressed Western cowboys. Anyone who could obtain gun-type Nightmares in the city either had an extraordinary background or had created and subdued the Nightmares themselves to acquire such weapons.
这些人头戴草帽，腰间佩着的枪械明显是恶魇所化，活像一群打扮怪异的西部牛仔。能在城市里搞到枪械类恶魇的，要么来历不凡，要么就是自己制造并降服了恶魇才获得的武器。
Either way, these individuals were no slouches.
无论哪种，这些人的身手都不会差。
The leader pulled on the reins, cupped his fist in salute, and said, “Big Party A’s cargo team? A pleasure. We’re the Kongshan cargo team. I’m Yuan Kun.”
为首之人挽着缰绳抱拳道：“大甲方货队？幸会，我们是箜山货队，在下袁昆。”
“Welcome.”
“欢迎光临。”
The menacing Nightmare car slowly approached, and the horse team stopped nearby. Seven or eight people gathered around.
那辆狰狞的恶魇轿车缓缓驶近，马队也停在附近，七八个人聚拢过来。
“Lucky for us we happened to be scouting this A-level overlapping zone, or we’d have missed the opportunity,” Yuan Kun said.
“幸好我们正好来探查这片A级交错地，否则就错过机会了。”袁昆说道。
The guy who played the guitar stepped forward and asked, “May I ask what treasures you’re selling? Can they really keep us safe when entering the mountains?”
弹吉他的那人上前问：“不知你们卖的是什么宝贝？真能保我们平安进山？”
Just then, someone with sharp eyes noticed the words on the wooden plaque inside the tent nearby.
这时有人眼尖，瞥见了旁边帐篷里木牌上的字迹。
“Clarity Incense Pills?”
“清神香丸？”
“Correct. This is exactly the item that can ensure your safety in the mountains.”
“没错，正是此物能保各位安全入山。”
Zuo Feixian couldn’t wait to pick up a incense pill and step forward. Before he had even gotten close, a faint, refreshing fragrance wafted over, instantly clearing the minds of the few people present.
左非闲迫不及待地拿起一颗香丸凑上前去。还未靠近，一股清幽香气已然飘来，几人顿觉头脑清明不少。
A man beside Yuan Kun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and praised, “Fragrance seeps into heart and lungs, the soul follows in its wake. What a marvelous scent.”
袁昆身旁一人闭眼深吸一口气，赞叹道：“幽香入心肺，神魂自相随。好妙的香气。”
“As expected of a learned scholar, haha — our crew’s cultured man has been conquered by this incense pill.”
“不愧是酸秀才，哈哈，咱们货队里的文化人算是被这香丸给折服了。”
After a hearty laugh, Yuan Kun pulled on the reins and said coldly:
袁昆大笑完，勒着缰绳冷眼道：
“But the question is whether this incense pill will actually work.”
“就是不知道这香丸起不起作用。”
His gaze swept over the more than twenty people in the camp. Except for a few, most carried the unmistakable shabbiness of the shack district.
他目光扫过营地这二十多人，除个别外，大多带着小棚区特有的穷酸气息。
With just one glance, Yuan Kun felt he had already seen through the background of these people.
只一眼，袁昆便自觉看透了这些人的底细。