Chapter 98: Sunnygleam Materials Workshop – 2

“I initially just wanted to inquire, but it seems you do indeed know something.”
The old man stared straight into Su Qing’s eyes. “Think about that customer of yours—his formula and crafting process, that time.”
Su Qing’s forehead ached slightly.
“What do you mean?”
[I offset 697 N.]
Su Qing suddenly felt flustered; he wanted to flee, but a coldness crept across his forehead, his body becoming hard to move, his brain’s control over his limbs rapidly weakening.
The old man pulled the zipper on his clothing, from which tiny eyes had sprouted; his facial skin receded like a tide, revealing a red-skinned man beneath, a demon seemingly without epidermis, only muscles.
Riiip! The skin on Su Qing’s forehead split apart from the center to the sides, just like a zippered garment, while the flesh inside turned into a chaotic, murky liquid.
“Hmph, let me recall it myself, then.”
Ring-ring!
The wooden door, embedded with frosted glass, was forcefully pushed.
The red-skinned man revealed a trace of tension as he glanced back, then swiftly jumped over the counter with both hands.
Bang! A heavy kick caused the unstable doorstop plate to tremble slightly.
The irregular edge of the wooden door slid off the deformed short iron plate, creaking as it wobbled into a half-circle opening.
“It’s already this late, and you’re still locking the door? These are exactly the busy days for business.”
A young man’s voice came from the doorway; a figure bearing a seven- or eight-out-ten resemblance to Su Qing stepped in, sniffed the air, and glanced suspiciously around the room.
“What are you doing?”
The Su Qing inside the room calmly looked up, his tone flat:
“Wiping the table. What, don’t you see it?”
The young man at the door scratched his head and eyed Su Qing a few times after moving some stuff: “What do you want for breakfast today? Don’t tell me ‘anything goes.’”
[I have synchronised today’s memories. My name is Su Qing.]
The Su Qing inside the room gazed at the figure who was still tidying supplies at the doorway.
Su Qing looked at his back and smiled, “Not picking a fight with me today—I’ve already eaten.”
Su Li’s shoulders trembled slightly just outside the door.
……
“Look, a forest up ahead!”
Xu Xiuchuan pointed at the trees in front.
After traveling dozens of miles by train, the sky had grown bright.
They had to start walking, and after four hours, they finally spotted signs of human habitation.
It was a medium-sized shantytown settlement, and a team of people who looked like lumberjacks walked out carrying axes.
“How about checking there if there are any lost-memory models for sale?”
“We’re not at Carefree Trade Zone yet. Even if there are some here, there probably won’t be many.”
After the three of them asked around, the person guarding the entrance shook his head, explaining that it was close to Carefree’s territory, and most people held onto items to trade supplies there instead of selling models.
“Carefree’s territory isn’t far. Just follow the forested area and you’ll get there.”
Suddenly, a few faint sounds of commotion came over.
The three looked over and saw two people being shoved out by a few others from another entrance of the unevenly laid-out shantytown.
“This is… a rare material… it can definitely solve your…”
“Get lost…”
“You old fraud.”
With a thud, a brown leather suitcase was tossed onto the gravel floor like trash, its contents spilling everywhere as it popped open.
“What’s that about?” Yang Zicang gestured with his chin.
“Oh, probably another bunch trying to pass off fakes as genuine.”
The guard said with a dismissive tone.
“Isn’t the Autumn Meeting coming up? A lot of scammers are hanging around here, trying to fabricate receipts for engine resources. Hah, even the Wuyou crowd wouldn’t lift an eyelid at their junk, let alone Hub Town.”
“But these materials of mine can really solve your engine problems, and they’re even better,” said the man shoved to the ground, arguing with spirit. “These are magical artifacts from another world!”
“Hahahaha.”
“You’re busting our guts. Even if we brothers were desperate for clothes, we wouldn’t fall for your con.”
The man who was pushed away in the distance had a face cycling through pale and flush, looking deeply humiliated and furious.
“I used to be famous, a real celebrity!” he muttered under his breath, venom in his tone.
“Haha, look at you—you’re nothing but a damned fool.”
The skeletal-thin young man beside him picked up the battered suitcase. “Mr. Chen, I said this wouldn’t work. Let’s try our luck in the Great Tent Grounds instead.”
“Great Tent Grounds? I can’t even get a foot in the door with those shed masters.”
Yang Zicang walked over. “What does your magical equipment actually do?”
“By relying on mental energy, you can activate the enchanted formations on it. It provides insulation, boosts physical strength, and lets you swing heavier weapons.”
“Even if what you say is true, it’s useless. Here, who still fights with ordinary weapons? Time series dictates everything, get it?” one of the men at the gate drawled lazily.
“At least, warmth is really helpful in the winter here. And tempo series won’t give you a steadier grip on your hoe—it’s such a pity no one’s willing to invest in me or give me a research lab.”
Yang Zicang listened and found it increasingly familiar—could it be one of those “fossil relic” formulas that Ma Chao had collected?
“Did you get that formula from Crimson?”
Teacher Chen and the other person became tense, quickly gathering the items scattered on the ground.
“You still need an experimental base?” Xu Xiuchuan asked, somewhat startled.
The assistant cut in, “For research, you see. Interdimensional materials are really hard to come by. You need a lot of magic crystals to catalyze them and infuse ordinary materials with the elemental power of the magic crystals.”
“Enough, enough.” Zuo Feixian raised a hand to stop him. “Surely it’s a scam.”
It did sound like a scam—even if someone believed it, they wouldn’t be willing to invest in a project like that.
“You’re the fraud. How can you jump to conclusions like that? If you don’t believe me, take a look at where you’re standing. Did a tour guide bring you here?”
Teacher Chen, already feeling displeased, exploded at these words.
“Xiao Liu, let’s go!”
He dusted off his clothes, cast a resentful look at Yang Zicang and the others, then grabbed his bag and headed toward the woods.
Yang Zicang sighed helplessly at Zuo Xianfei. These two were truly troublemakers who wouldn’t stay out of trouble.
“Folks, a few more miles ahead is the Wuyou Goods Zone. We’ve got a shop there that buys and sells blueprints, formulas, and materials. Go check it out—it’s called Liqing Materials Workshop. The two owners there have a special knack for making engines.”
A gatekeeper pointed toward the distant woods.
Xu Xiuchuan’s eyes lit up. The three of them had rushed over a hundred li just to buy the Lost Memory Model.
“We’re almost there. Let’s hurry up.”
……
The three, full of drive, quickly delved deeper into the forest grove, where various trees grew and they could already see the cargo convoys heading for Wuyou.
“These forests are also maintained by the Inert-Mind Engine. Our base camp will be just this lush and beautiful one day,” Zuo Feixian said cheerfully to the other two.
These trees had all been transplanted from the scenery screens that appeared on this land and were then stabilized by the Inert-Mind Engine.
The plot of land left behind by Qin Meng also needed to be stabilized with an engine, or it would vanish. Thus, they were in dire need of a large number of Lost Memory Models and the corresponding Lethe Water.
Under a tree, Zuo Feixian shook himself off twice, turned around to tie the thin rope around his waist that doubled as a belt, then waved his arm like a great leader and said:
“Someday, we will turn this barren land into primeval forests and golden wheat fields!”
Xu Xiuchuan picked his nose.
“How many people would have to die for that?”
Zuo Feixian ran over and kicked the guy’s butt with his worn-out sneakers, which were akin to straw sandals.
“You’ll only find fault. Next life, be an ox.”
Yang Zicang had brought several pairs of shoes for everyone, but the other two were reluctant to wear them. To them, they wouldn’t change shoes as long as the ones they had on weren’t torn, unless it was too cold.
A group of people advancing along a forest path ahead turned to look at the three. The crowd here wasn’t exactly bustling, but it was far more lively than a desolate, uninhabited place.
At that moment, the three all heard a sound of goods crashing down.
The wheel of a wooden cart suddenly broke, sending the goods tumbling to the ground, where a stone statue shattered into pieces upon impact.
The cart-puller stood utterly frozen in place, at a loss.
“What’s going on?”
This caravan included both human laborers and animal-drawn carts. A man in a dark brown coat walked over from the front of the convoy.
Several other cart drivers came up to look at the wheel, murmuring among themselves.
“That’s odd. This is a brand-new cart—how did the wheel break after just a few dozen miles?”
YangZicang glanced under the cart. The White Shadow Thought-Dragon emerged behind him and suddenly surged toward the ground.
The commotion made a few people in the distance turn their heads. Just as they were about to cry out in alarm, they saw the giant centipede dragging out the phantom of a crocodile-like monster embedded in the earth.
“A monster!” they exclaimed.