Chapter 29: Bro, Lend Me Some Time

Apart from the final warning, the paper also listed the benefits of reporting to headquarters.
Were the drinks and flashlights available for exchange there?
After reading it all, Yang Zicang tore the paper to shreds on the spot. Could any benefits rival a Century Weapon?
“The force field ability requires resonating at headquarters, right?” Yang Zicang said while tearing the paper.
“Uh-huh.”
Liang Xi was eager to show off.
A force field appeared with a whoosh, thin and hovering just in front of him.
“It can channel up to a hundred years of time for defense,” Liang Xi said.
Yang Zicang turned to him in surprise. “A hundred years? Can it be amplified to five hundred?”
“I haven’t tried, but it should work. When I channel ten years, I get fifty—pretty smooth! If only my model could have such a high multiplier.”
So that was it.
A fivefold amplification!
“Bro, this power comes from that statue to all of us. Once you resonate with it, you can use the force field. The statue is huge—tall as a mountain, housed in a massive temple.”
Yang Zicang let out a breath, feeling a tingling sensation spread through his whole body.
“The group that has been occupying that place for a long time is what we call ‘Headquarters.’ Some of them were big shots back on Earth—there were movie stars, chairpersons of major corporations, scientists, and scholars. But a lot were also just ordinary people with powerful models.”
He didn’t care about this so-called Headquarters. What caught Yang Zicang’s attention at this moment was that the maximum Force Field input of a hundred years’ sequence could achieve a five-hundred-year sequency increment.
He silently sensed the information contained within the Quadrilateral Model.
[Primary Corpse Leap, remaining uses: 1.]
[Complete Stamp Emblem.]
Yang Zicang squinted his eyes and looked at Liang Xi, who was hopping cheerfully, moving her light shield back and forth.
“Ah Liang, do you know the Stamp Emblem?”
Liang Xi turned his head and looked at him blankly.
Yang Zicang sensed the Stamp Emblem. When he focused on it, the Emblem relayed some vague information: it could pinpoint the Dreamscape he intended to go to.
……
Luo Bin, peering into the distance at an abandoned garden, withdrew his binoculars.
“Why isn’t there anyone? This should definitely be the place.”
His brow furrowed slightly.
[I, the Great Quadrilateral, am certain—the key figure is nearby. I’m not wrong, not wrong!]
“…….”
[I am truly worthless.]
“Damn it.”
As he left, from atop a nearby structure, a figure emerged, looking down upon the scene below.
It was a broad-shouldered, bald-headed man with a stature like a small giant.
The black long trousers on his thick legs flapped loudly in a gust of wind.
……
On the dilapidated street.
“You down there. Who are you?”
Wang Yu’an looked ahead at a group of people who seem displaced, trudging along with shabby luggage.
“Finally cornered you here. Ha, when you encounter such a rare chance to drag things out, why are you running away?”
Yang Qian stepped forward from the crowd: “What do you want?”
“Me? Ha, as a professional investor, I’m here to bring you money, of course.”
“Professional investor?” The group exchanged puzzled glances.
Wang Yu’an ignored them, pulled Yang Qian aside to the roadside, and leaned in with a hand on his shoulder, whispering away from the crowd.
“You want to invest in me?” Yang Qian had heard of such people before.
“Here’s an investment opportunity for you.”
“You want me to invest in you?”
“Within a set time, invest in someone. Ha, I watched your previous battles anonymously. Really, a complete mess. That’s the difference between a pro and an amateur.”
Wang Yu’an tapped his head with a finger in a carefree gesture.
“What?”
“It’s all in this one thought.”
Yang Qian gave him a sidelong, disdainful glance.
“I’ll give you at least five thousand Time Units. You spend all of them on that person, following my investment directions. But I take ninety-five percent of the Time Units.”
“Taking away so much! Leaving me only five percent.”
“Much? How could it be much? You’ll get a five percent yield of Time Units and a four-cornered friendship from that person’s promise—priceless, right?”
Yang Qian’s body trembled slightly.
“You don’t mean…” Yang Qian glanced around hastily, lowering his voice urgently: “Don’t tell me you want me to invest in that Yang guy!”
“Exactly. You’re the best candidate—otherwise, if he realizes it, he wouldn’t accept such a large amount of time sequence.”
Wang Yu’an patted him on the shoulder:
“You’re the only one he invited. I can’t figure out what kind of luck you’ve had, that I get a chance to remind you again to seize this investment. It’s probably your ancestors’ blessing!”
“But…”
“But what else is there to hesitate about?”
“I already turned him down.”
“You don’t have any psychological reservations, do you?”
“That’d be so embarrassing!”
“You’re right, saving face is most important.”
Wang Yu’an took a deep breath, gently patted his shoulder again, and forced a smile:
“Just do it for my sake, swallow your pride a bit.”
“Then, can you give me a bit more. How about… six percent?”
…..
After clumsily swinging his spear a few times, Yang Zicang received a Mental Link from Luo Bin.
“What’s up? Good timing, actually I wanted to ask you about the post emblem.”
{Post emblem? Ha, it really shows you got it yesterday. That jump skill really suits you; that’s the ability of the post emblem. Although it’s a random dream, the abilities you gain are always well-suited.}
Yang Zicang walked downstairs, smiling: “Can you tell me more about it?”
On the other end, Luo Bin looked at Yang Zicang with a similar grin.
{Information isn’t free for nothing, you know.}
“No way, bro, I just… just started…”
{Don’t rush, I’m just making you aware of their value. Trust me this kind of intel—valuable fresh intel like this starts at a decade minimum. How else do you think I earn my time sequence?}
So this guy’s some kind of information broker.
Yang Zicang sized up the other party in his perception scene with ill intent, wondering how much Time Sequence his intel would be worth in this guy’s hands.
However, Luo Bin probably wouldn’t sell it, at least not so soon.
As if drawn by his thoughts, the image of Luo Bin in his perception scene zoomed in a bit, the main view focusing entirely on him.
Luo Bin said arrogantly:
{If one day you earn over a hundred years of Time Sequence per hour, you can obtain a Partial Stamp Emblem that same day. Also, if you get a Partial Stamp Emblem for three consecutive days, you’ll receive a Complete one…}
He spoke as if reciting a textbook, and Yang Zicang quickly interrupted him.
“What’s the difference between Partial and Complete?”
{Hey, another ten years. That’s me giving away two ten-year worth of consultation fees for free. I’m being cheap here, since nine out of ten people in this place are short-lived and can’t afford the pricier stuff.}
“Stop wasting time; I’m on a tight schedule.”
Back on the way, Liang Xi watched Yang Zicang as he seemed to be talking to himself.
{Tight schedule? What good will knowing that do you? A Complete Stamp Emblem is hard to get.}
Luo Bin, still on the edge of the museum, introduced the functions of the Complete Stamp Emblem one by one.
Only then did Yang Zicang realize that besides being able to actively locate Dream Fields, it also had a certain chance of granting mysterious new abilities in those dreams, and most importantly, it could be used to extend the stay time with Time Sequence.
Good thing he hadn’t rushed in recklessly; he had hardly any spare Time Sequence.
……
The two chatted via Mental Link and then headed back to the room to meet up.
In the dim light, Luo Bin opened a can of beer as soon as he arrived, glanced at Yang Zicang, and asked, “Want one?”
“No thanks.”
Gulp.
“Good lad, eyeing the Complete Stamp Emblem? Hah, this world is truly mysterious. I know two people who suddenly became very strong, and I personally suspect they might have obtained the Complete Stamp Emblem.”
Gulp, gulp, gulp. Burp.
“Hey, if you could get perfect intel on that, you could sell it to me. It’s said that the Complete Stamp Emblem can be traded—don’t know if that’s true, just a rumor.”
With a clatter, another can of beer was opened.
“Drinking like this, aren’t you afraid of ruining your health?”
Yang Zicang rubbed his hands together, looked at him, and offered a word of concern.
“At headquarters, there are plenty of people on the streets who have developed healing abilities but have little combat power. They’re eagerly waiting for me, their lord, to come and swap their ability spheres. I’m doing this to boost their sales in advance.”
“…” Liang Xi silently took a sip of mineral water.
A folded line of light flickered.
Luo Bin, slightly tipsy, looked at the two across from him—a silken thread connected them.
In his mind, Liang Xi told Yang Zicang, “This information is false. Healers are in high demand by various organizations and receive excellent treatment. Items imbued with powerful healing abilities are very expensive.”
Yang Zicang did not expose Luo Bin but instead rubbed his hands and said,
“Um… Brother Bin.”
Yang Zicang himself was disgusted by his own tone when he uttered these two words.
Liang Xi turned his head in surprise to look at his big brother Yang.
Luo Bin raised an eyebrow, watching the young man across from him, who looked somewhat awkward, with vigilance.
“Well… could I borrow some lifespan… temporal energy? I can write you an IOU.”
“Get lost.”