A squad clad in worker uniforms was urgently dispatched by the mayor to descend into the deep pit.
Dispatch station chief Ron Dara went down for a look himself. Seeing the surging seawater in the dark cave and the skeletal remains of structures emerging from the water here and there, he had absolutely no idea where to even begin.
Search efficiency like this could never outpace the bizarre talents of the Fogfolk.
“Terrible… at this rate, the master blueprint of the dispatch station will definitely be snatched by someone else. “
“Let me go. ” Muse, wearing a safety helmet, stood beside the soft mud tunnel and said, “I’ve got somewhat of a connection with Yang Buchen. Ah, he even fooled me back then—I thought someone was impersonating him. “
……
By the time the two could head to that residence, Yang Zicang had already stepped out.
Lucius stood at the door with an air of distinction, smiling gently:
“Just now, through perception of the force field, I detected what seem to be bomb residues inside your body. It would be best to have them removed as soon as possible. Otherwise, some people could use these iron elements within you to cause you harm. “
Yang Zicang touched his chest. “Thank you, Secretary. “
“Hey, Mr. Buchen! ” The two ran up breathlessly from the square.
“Finally managed to catch you when you’re not busy, Mr. Buchen! ” Muse waved his hand.
Long Dalla had never exerted himself so intensely; this short distance nearly took the old gentleman’s life. Yet, parched and thrilled, he perked up, seeing that the man before him had apparently wrapped up his personal affairs.
Just as he was about to speak, a figure stepped out from the side and inserted himself before them.
……
Yang Zicang examined the face deliberately revealed by the arrival, its features lined with dark, intricate patterns.
This gentleman addressed “Yang Buchen: “
“Sir Mist Dweller, I am a distributor from the Moon Realm who came specifically upon hearing of your exploits. Would you have a moment to discuss the details of this incident? “
“Distributor? ” Yang Zicang’s gaze shifted from the distributor’s face to the two figures running in the distance.
“Which layer of the Moon Realm are you a distributor for? “
-｛Distributor February. Di’an exudes an air of wariness.｝
“Let’s talk up there. ” The man gestured to a spacious carriage nearby.
The two people about to run in behind him were filled with anxiety, but Yang Zicang had already been guided by the man and was walking in that direction.
“Wait, don’t! “
-｛Distributor February. Di’an excitedly declares that I am brewing a glorious new prelude!｝
Long Dala shouted, “You’re the hero of our city, Krostiten! Don’t go, we need you now! “
Yang Zicang stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the flustered duo with a scrutinizing gaze.
The unfamiliar distributor beside him paused, his expression shifting before he smiled at the two and said:
“Ah, so there’s business again. Well, I’m from the third layer of the Moon Realm. Also, I have two friends from the fourth and fifth layers arriving in the next couple of days. “
“Is that true? “
If he could secure trading rights with the distributors of the Moon Realm’s fifth layer, then his Bloodline Statue, still missing its first fully awakened ring, would only need the potencies of the sixth and seventh layers of Moonlight.
-｛Distributor April Odesia notifies: ‘Letter.’｝
The sound of the Beacon made Yang Zicang’s expression waver with hesitation.
Indeed, the letter Xue Qi went to fetch contained the latest contact address of the friend—the distributor whom Distributor Ode had asked about, who could extract precious experiences from the previous Track of Destiny. That shop owner was also from the Third Layer of the Moon Realm.
Seeing Yang Zicang’s expression, the newcomer said:
“What’s the matter? Has our hero Mr. already acquired the purchase rights from my fellow townsman? “
“Yeah, I’ve got in touch with a distributor from the Third Layer of the Moon Realm. “
Mios, nudged by Long Dara, spoke up: “Dear Mr. Bu Chen. “
“We really have something urgent to ask you. I’m the stationmaster of Central Dispatch. ” Long Dara, by her side, sounded very anxious. “With your help, it might take no more than an hour—no, half an hour—to resolve our matters. “
“I’ll take my leave to assist these two gentlemen first. ” With a hint of suspicion rising in his heart, Yang Zicang bid the person farewell.
He glanced at the swelling crowd in the square. Though distributors generally didn’t meddle actively in the actions of suppliers, roundabout interventions were still possible. After all, at that moment, they were also ordinary citizens recognized by the times and fate on this very continent.
……
The three moved to a relatively quiet spot, and Yang Zicang cautiously expanded his greatly enhanced “Musing Night, ” enveloping them all.
“What exactly is the matter? You two. “
Moonlight had already begun spilling over the boisterous crowd and onto the shoulders of the people before him.
“I’m Ron Dara. We met at the afternoon reception, Hero Sir. I’d like to ask you to help retrieve documents about the Central Dispatch Station from the pit. There are files among them that are critically important to us. “
Speaking, the mine captain in his safety helmet pulled out two photos of buildings, along with a blueprint of a safe from the data vault, likely freshly drawn by someone. He also handed him a map of the Dispatch Station.
“I saw a lot of people going down there this afternoon. They’ll find them back, right? “
“No, ” Ron Dara seemed to have made up his mind about something: “Those files absolutely can’t fall into the hands of people from other nations. “
“What exactly is in them? “
“They are… the construction documents of the Dispatch Station. “
Yang Zicang’s heart tightened a little.
He knew the materials used for this dispatch station were clearly out of the ordinary. This was a chance to get at the station’s core secrets.
Needlessly to say, the prompt of new glorious prelude from the distributors, Yang Zicang quickly changed his attire and set off immediately, not even having time to notify Zorro.
Descending the rope ladder into the deep pit, his feet landed on soft mud. With his helmet lamp blazing, Yang Zicang immediately expanded ｛**-Radiance: subtitle...**｝ (Silent Night), causing some of the patrol members in the nearby caves to faintly feel as though an eerie wind had brushed across their bodies.
“The data vault is about in that direction, ” said Ron Dara, who had climbed down after him, pointing toward the northeast corner.
Focusing his senses toward that place, Yang Zicang found no trace of the architectural wreckage or cabinet bodies from the photos in this area of the water channel.
“Follow me. “
He casually chose a piece of floating debris, stepped nimbly onto it, and then pulled up the dispatch station chief, whose body kept slipping in the mud. Following the current, they drifted into one of the dark passages at a brisk pace.
“This place doesn’t look promising either. ” Yang Zicang glanced at the map in his hands.
“The current central dispatch station has expanded a lot compared to the old days. This map is just a route plan for travelers; many areas aren’t marked on it. “
Yang Zicang folded it up and stowed it in his pocket. “Why is the central dispatch station’s system so advanced, yet it hasn’t become a breeding ground for the fiends? Do you know what’s going on about this? “
The station chief, drifting with the current, swept his gaze left and right, searching meticulously, and every time he spotted something in the hands of passing patrol teams, he’d nervously glance twice.
“But in truth, many years ago, when the dispatch station was first built, it wasn’t all that different from railway stations on the mainland. But now, within this dispatch station, there are transformations unique to this era. “
Yang Zicang listened intently.
“Once, there were three other dispatch stations on the continent that were even more advanced and sophisticated than ours back then. Their designs were already at the technological limits of this era—ours included, naturally. Then, one day, one of those stations replaced its signal technology with something more cutting-edge. And then, woosh! “
The station chief made a hand gesture like he was spreading his arms wide: “The whole station broke through the technological constraints of the era and turned into a man-eating demon. It directly caused over three thousand casualties. The economic losses were simply astronomical. “
“This… ” Yang Zicang frowned.
“Soon after that, a similar incident happened. From then on, all the nations across the continent dared not use a complex railway system anymore. They would rather keep only a single track and a single platform than risk the terror of having their technology secretly upgraded by others. “
“So I guess the last dispatch station was torn down by themselves? “
“That’s right. That was done by the current Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy when he was young. We received quite a bit of their railway building materials here. “
So that’s how it was. Yang Zicang stroked his chin, lost in thought.
He found himself unexpectedly understanding the sentiment of the designer who had conceived the Central Dispatch Station.
“That’s why its blueprints are so precious. “
“Yes, exactly. Now that it’s destroyed, we have to find the remaining master design documents, ” Long Dala pointed at a bend in the road. “The files in the archive room should be somewhere behind that. “
Yang Zicang looked up, and in his perception, there was no special construction debris behind that minor tributary. Then he realized: either someone had already taken them away, or else the archive room had a level of detection shielding that was very high.
He directed his hovercraft to change course, passing through a small moonlit hollow, and arrived at a deep cave whose entrance was buried in collapsed earth.
Stepping on the dirt as he climbed up, Yang Zicang, now standing atop the high ground, saw in the dim light of the miners’ lamps several broken walls and ruins plunging into a flooded hollow.
“Ah, here it is! It rolled all this way, all the way to the warehouse district. “
Just as the station chief was about to charge down, several soft-bodied sea creatures suddenly shot out from the bottom of the water.
“Watch out! ” Yang Zicang lunged forward, a short sword sliding from his cuff and erupting into roaring flames as he slashed at these creatures, likely mutants from the Mist Sea.
｛I haven’t gained 42N in a long time.｝
｛I’ve gained another 32.3N.｝
Slap! As Yang Zicang cleaved through the last blue-and-white spotted creature, with its shell filled with frantic energy and resembling a lobster, the churning water finally quieted down.
｛I have obtained 107N.｝
“Wha—eya? ” Yang Zicang gasped in alarm. This unassuming little thing actually possessed a lifespan so long that even an ordinary human might not match.
“They were so ferocious! Scared me half to death. Looks like I’ll have to rethink the patrol team selections. “
“It must be the aura here that’s repelling them. ” Yang Zicang, having descended, could already detect traces of anomalous energy emanating from the building debris.
“I see the filing cabinet! ” The sharp-eyed Long Dala excitedly waded through the water over to it and brushed his hand against a plain, unadorned cabinet in the corner.
It was far too heavy, having sunken mostly into the mud. The massive chunks of fallen debris had already pummeled its surface, leaving it cracked and pitted.
“Damn it, I doubt we can move the shell of this thing. “
-｛Distributor Loki Tata Mingqi expresses “Watchful concern. “｝
-｛Distributor Tata Mingqi signals “Arrival. “｝
Yang Zicang paused slightly.
“Let me handle this. ” He walked over, the short sword in his hand densely covered in the resonant gray flames of the “Five Elements Force Field. “
The blade of the Void Zero Chrono Weapon touched the iron sheet. Within the elemental force field, the “Fire ” element, which counters “Metal, ” rapidly flowed and adhered to the blade, inch by inch cutting through the iron sheet that was already corroded beyond shape.
After a while of work, the two of them flipped through a thick pile of documents to find a set of files slightly dampened by water stains.
“This is the master design drawing for the Central Dispatch Station! My god, I’m so glad it’s all here. “
Rondara, unable to contain himself, grabbed a booklet at random, flipped through it twice, and kissed it.
Yang Zicang also picked one out at random, his mind already tracing the reinforced memory patterns he had envisioned, scanning through the thick document with both eyes.
The dispatch station chief wanted to take it over but felt awkward about burning the bridge before he was even across the river.
Seeing this Fogfolk scanning the pages as if rushing through a garden, Rondara felt a sense of relief, thinking that at such speed, he couldn’t possibly remember anything.
The intricate lines on the drawings—even if you studied them page by page—were probably impossible to recognize as anything useful.
“This is only the overall design plan. Not all the construction blueprints. “
“Of course! ” Long Dala said. “The construction drawings weighed a full ton. And they were already burned in front of everyone the moment they were completed. This was also to avoid being… well, being targeted. “
Yang Zicang knew perfectly well who they were being targeted by. Turning to Long Dala with the recorded documents, he said, “Station Chief, why don’t you go out and find someone to move these files? I’ll stay here and guard them. “
“Ah? Well, Hero, don’t you have that blanket thing? “
“How could I use that so casually? Ordinary people who see a blanket floating around against all reason might go insane. “
Everyone already knows that, okay!
Long Dala’s expression shifted as he stared at the files in the cabinet, refusing to give up:
“But… if I go out now, what if there are still monsters in the water? “
“What monsters? They were just ordinary marine life. Besides, the distance there and back isn’t far. “
Just as I thought—typical Fogfolk behavior!
None of them are good people. They’re just a bunch who spend their time prying into others’ secrets, and for fun, tweak the course of events along the way.
The contents of these files probably won’t remain safe.
But can he even read it all?!
As long as I hurry back!
Long Dala forced a smile, speaking very politely, “Then if you’d be so kind, Hero Sir, could you please see me up? “
As Yang Zicang sent Long Dala upwards, he unconsciously unfolded the worn sheets in his chest, and to his surprise, it immediately connected with Zorro.
｛**{H.Glide for text may try– Zicang sending: S } } }Get to my location immediately, as quickly as possible. _}
｛**{Aut } Wait automatically (open d over “HeY text could lead)—Zich resets. Dual sending? Possibly correction after collation among text remaining between interfaces—It will default system work=but really saying: system(, go?) ZZZ } }. Where are you? Hmm, Dereiano has sensed you—we’re on our way. }
Dereiano perceived himself?!
So the man beside Zorro was actually of such high strength.
As Yang Zicang sent the anxious Long Dala out of the water-bent passage, two figures jumped down from above the pit and landed beside the piled sludge.
“Follow me quickly. ” Yang Zicang led the two inside, casually picked up a broken stone, and began carving on a wooden plank. In just ten seconds, he had drawn a memory magic pattern.
“Your mental power should be fine memorizing this. Once you reconstruct these patterns in your mind, we need to remember all of them before the man just now can hire a porter. “
“What, all of them! ” Dereiano stared in shock at the stack of paper piled as high as the floor-to-ceiling safe, each sheet comparable in length to world history documents.
“With this memory magic pattern, memorizing them shouldn’t be an issue. Give it a try. “
So saying, Yang Zicang pulled out the materials he had already half-read and began memorizing them quickly, his eyes scanning like a camera.
As for Zorro, who had also worked at the Lost Illusion Company, there was no need to say more—after memorizing the magic pattern, he immediately got into the zone.
As for Dereiano, once Yang Zicang found out the extent of his mental strength, he already knew that among the three of them, this man should be the one with the most experience using patterns to record data.
The rustling sound of flipping pages echoed in the silent, dark pit. Suddenly, sounds of conversation and ripples in the water drifted in from outside.
“Someone’s coming. ” A visibly tense Zorro glanced back over his shoulder, then immediately returned to his reading, steadying his focus. He had already discerned hidden implications from the blueprints he had just recorded, which fostered a sense of reverence within him for this data—far more than what others might hold.
Dereiano’s body exuded shimmering projections infused with Stellar Yuan, warping and expanding the surrounding energy. Like nightfall, they dimmed the light within the cavern.
Sure enough, the voices passing by gradually faded into the distance.
“This material is about… the carcass of the Malignant One-Faced Fiend, ” Dereiano’s tone carried an air of disbelief. “Could it be that someone was already experimenting with the materials to build Shadow-Vine Fortress way back then? “
“Shut up and hurry up, ” Zorro urged, even more impatient than Yang Zicang. Despite the dull ache now creeping through his head, he flipped through the next set of notes even faster.
Dereiano’s hands flew in a blur, like a single-handed shuffle of a poker deck, as he read through two books at once.
Yang Zicang’s eyelids twitched slightly—such a level of mental fortitude was absurd. His left hand, in fact, was still flipping through his book upside down.
From afar came another ripple of water sounds.
“Speed it up. they’re coming back. That old man’s quick on his feet. ” Dereiano accelerated even more, glancing as only four books remained. Yang Zicang finished scanning his material at high speed and tossed it aside casually. “I’ll go stall them. “
“Good! ” Zorro held his breath without looking back. “Give us another eight minutes. “
“Six minutes will be enough. ” Dereiano said, putting back one book and taking out two more.
Yang Zicang swept his gaze left and right, selected a few large pieces of construction debris from the ground, gave them a shake, then hoisted them up and tossed them out.
After two round trips, Yang Zicang had thrown out the chunks of stone, blocking the waterway at the curve with some pillar-like platforms that could obstruct small boats.
Just at that moment, Ron Dara arrived with Muses and two others, standing on a simple wooden raft that drifted along with the current. The raft came to a halt against these stones.
“Ah, Mr. Buchen, what are you doing? “
Yang Zicang brushed the dirt off his hands and laughed. “How about this? Now you can step right up here and hand over the documents. Dammit, I’m exhausted. “
“Hero sir, you truly think of us Wood-Surf people! ” a young man on the raft shouted excitedly.
“Not a problem. Did you bring any waterproof fabric? Just the raft alone… “
“Yes, yes, we also brought a wooden crate. ” Another person behind him took out a waterproof tarpaulin from a wooden chest.
Yang Zicang strode up to the nearest piece of brickwork, rocked left and right to test its stability, and just happened to block Ron Dara’s path as he was about to step onto the stone.
“Mr. Muses, I never expected an esteemed figure like you to come and help in person. “
“It’s better to handle these documents ourselves to be safe. You’ve really put yourself out this time—I doubt you’ve slept a wink since last night. ” I hope you’ll get some good rest soon.
“This is nothing much. ” Yang Zicang stood up and stepped onto another stone, saying, “I’ll secure them. These documents cannot afford any mistakes. “
“Indeed, that’s true, ” the others nodded, watching Yang Zicang stabilize the building-debris-like stones one by one.
Coming full circle, he estimated that over six minutes had passed. Any further delay might appear deliberately conspicuous. Yang Zicang turned around and said, “I think it’s safe. Get up here quickly. “
“I’ll go first! ” a young man said, then sprang agilely upward, landing on the muddy shore in a few steps. Long Dala followed. Yang Zicang subtly shifted aside, about to activate his “Orchestration ” ability to trip someone into the water, buying a few more moments. Suddenly, he sensed a fleetingly faint trace of Stellar Yuan energy—briefly present then withdrawn.
It was Dereiano signaling that he was done.
Those two work fast. But where could they have hidden?
Deep in one rut and shallow in another, Long Dala trudged through the mud up the steep slope. When he saw the cabinet settled silently in the darkness—with its architectural documents perfectly intact—he let out a long sigh of relief.
……
Hiding sideways beside the deep cave, shielded behind a massive block of building debris, Zorro and his partner held their breath, listening to the noises of removal and the non-stop compliments flowing toward Yang Zicang from the others.
Dereiano lightly nodded at Zorro, his eyes filled with genuine praise for the man outside.
After they had all left, Dereiano said softly, “The materials your friend has provided us this time are enough to confirm some things. “
“I’m sure that their plans regarding the material source weren’t conceived just recently. “
Zorro, looking utterly haggard, felt a pang of pain in his heart.
“They’ve been planning all this for a long time. Those claims about keeping the Nightmares from scaring the natives, and sending them to a happy place to learn how to mimic human appearances—they were all lies! “
……
By the raft, after carefully packing the materials, Muse looked at Yang Zicang. “Hero, could you do us the honor of coming with us? “
“If I go, it might seem a bit off, don’t you think? “
“But what if something happens on the way… “
“No problem, we’re here with you, ” said the two people on the raft. “And there are ‘railway workers’ right near the pit. “
“That’s true. But I actually have something I want to discuss. “
Muse looked at Yang Zicang, who was crouched down washing his hands.
“Mr. Buchen? Do you think such a file of information is enough to be placed in the Secret Box and brought to the Next Era Land? “
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