Mechanical Alchemist

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Pandora's existence, even among those in Dawn's group who knew, was not widely acknowledged. Now that such a person had suddenly emerged, the crew were initially startled, then immediately their expressions turned grave.

How did this woman appear out of nowhere?

They hadn't detected her presence at all!

Wariness surfaced in the eyes of the crew, and their hands instinctively reached for their weapons.

However, Su Lun had sensed her arrival in advance, and seeing the reaction of everyone, guessed they were probably "selectively blinded" by Pandora's Illusion Technique.

At the same time, he felt fortunate that he had formed an alliance with this woman.

With such mysterious mind control techniques, if she were an enemy, few aboard this ship would have survived.

Seeing that both Qiante and Su Lun seemed to recognize this woman prevented the crew from taking any rash actions.

After all, being the "most beautiful woman in the world," even with her face veiled, Pandora's inherent charm was undeniable.

Her skin was fairer than snow, her figure graceful, her exquisite face partly concealed, devoid of any blemishes. Most extraordinary was the celestial aura she possessed, which to others, enshrouded her as if in radiant Holy Light, inspiring a sense of divine beauty that felt too sacred to profane.

As she slowly approached, she drew the gaze of all present.

Kama, the new recruit, was especially intrigued, having not expected to find such a beautiful woman within the ranks of Dawn. She felt that Pandora might even outshine the Priestesses of the Temple of Aghaparnon!

....

Having heard Pandora expound on the uses of the Golden Fleece, Su Lun could guess her intent. "You..."

Unsure how to address her properly, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Miss Pandora, what is this about?"

Pandora, clearly not intending to interact much with others, responded indifferently, "I wish to speak with you alone."

Su Lun listened, his brows slightly lifting.

They had been together every day, and he hadn't noticed any changes.

But now, after not seeing her for several days, he realized Pandora's presence had become more ethereal and elusive.

Su Lun also guessed it must be due to the Power of Faith.

After all, she had gathered the Power of Faith from the Mountain Hermit's god "Tsukuyomi," and now with the "Moon Empress" ascending, the Power of Faith would continuously fortify her. That dignified aura of hers was becoming more like that of a sublime deity.

"Alright!"

Su Lun agreed without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, the crew on the deck instantly understood the situation. They stopped staring at the enigmatic woman and dispersed to attend to their own tasks.

Qiante could have stayed to listen, but she looked uninterested and had no intention of staying behind.

She tapped Tanni and Lolorita, who were entranced, with her scabbard, saying, "Let's go. We'll tidy up below deck."

"Oh."

The two youngsters, as if awakening from a dream, their previously hazy eyes now clear, finally realized they had been entranced by a strange mental state. A hint of embarrassment flushed their cheeks, and they lowered their heads and followed Qiante to the cabin.

With no one else around, Pandora directly stated her purpose, "I need the Golden Fleece."

"Oh?"

Su Lun raised an eyebrow, looking at her, but not rushing to express his stance.

This Golden Fleece was a top-tier material, its value immeasurable.

However, he wasn't really concerned about the fleece; it was Pandora's attitude that mattered more to him.

To have a request was a good sign, indeed.

Pandora explained her motives without disguising them, saying, "The Golden Fleece is offered to the gods because it is a rare material capable of bearing the Power of Faith. In the hands of mortals, it's somewhat wasted."

Having never gained an advantage in their previous confrontations, she knew that dealing with this cunning man meant that negotiating a beneficial exchange was the most straightforward approach.

Pandora, observing Su Lun's calm expression, added, "If you give it to me, I can help you with other matters. For example, dealing with that ship over there. I believe you would prefer not to kill them all to silence them."

Communications between clever individuals are convenient. Having stated her objective and conditions, Su Lun weighed the options for a moment, then felt the trade was worthwhile, decisively agreeing, "Alright!"

The deal may have seemed unequal at the moment, but he was definitely not at a loss!

Pandora's strength was growing more formidable, and her abilities had significant utility.

Su Lun had previously felt that a mere contract was too flimsy to bind this powerful ally for long.

Letting her owe him a favor, even if it meant taking a slight loss, was far better than a one-off deal.

Now was the opportunity.

As Pandora heard Su Lun's agreement, she didn't dawdle. A massive surge of spiritual power suddenly descended upon her, her gaze electric, her demeanor abruptly majestic and indescribable.

Upon a second glance, her figure shone with a bright light, almost blinding to look upon.

With a flash of light, her form appeared aboard the nearby "North Wind," and the faces of those on the ship instantly stiffened on the spot.

....

Su Lun watched as Pandora's body remained in place beside him, casting her a sidelong glance.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the glowing figure in the distance was actually a pure psychic manifestation?

He understood what this meant, and felt a shock, "A psychic manifestation! Void Wandering!"

Su Lun had come across such descriptions in texts, knowing only those with spiritual power reaching a seemingly inconceivable level could condense a 'spiritual avatar.'

This technique was reminiscent of astral projection, allowing one's mental will to leave the body and roam the void.

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Furthermore, it is said that during the mythical era, the gods descended upon the various heavenly planes using a similar method.

With just a thought, their will incarnated and descended.

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This is truly Divine Arts.

While Su Lun was still in shock, the light around Pandora faded, and she calmly said, "Done."

Su Lun: "..."

He didn't ask Pandora what exactly she did, but he could guess. "Tsukuyomi the Great" is most proficient in spiritual Illusion Technique, and she probably cast some sort of group illusion on that ship's crew, altering their memories.

But it indeed solved a big problem for Su Lun.

On the North Wind, those few who were hostile had been killed by him, but there were still hundreds of innocent adventurers implicated.

Letting them go would surely leak the information about the Dawn Group ambushing the North Sea fleet, which would lead to significant hidden troubles later on.

Yet, he couldn't kill them all either.

Although Su Lun was decisive in killing, he was not one to kill indiscriminately.

Now that the problem was solved, he looked at Pandora and said indifferently, "Thank you."

Pandora didn't say much, simply stating, "It's just a trade, after all."

With that, she packed up the chest of Golden Fleece and didn't continue to show herself on the deck, returning to her own cabin instead.@@novelbin@@

Su Lun watched, his eyebrows raising slightly.

Indeed, one feels indebted for a favor received.

Though Pandora's attitude remained cold, it had warmed compared to before.

This was a good sign.

....

Having acquired a Pirate warship, the members of the Dawn Group were busy painting and altering the appearance of their new ship.

For a wooden battleship of this displacement class, the North Sea fleet's ships were already the best, with fast sailing speed, powerful artillery, and sturdy construction...

A slight modification to the exterior, and it would not be easily recognized.

Su Lun sat on the deck, blowing in the sea breeze, lost in thought for a long time.

Having just been enlightened by Pandora on the function of the Golden Fleece, he was now fairly certain that those pirates brought the "Golden Fleece" probably for some kind of mysterious divine ritual.

Roman is a kingdom with a belief in gods, and various sacrificial activities are normally commonplace.

But the timing now, it's somewhat intriguing.

Su Lun's thoughts wandered, conjuring one possibility after another.

The value of this "Golden Fleece" was extraordinary, what presence in these seas required such a level of "sacrificial offering" for a ritual?

A god?

Su Lun thought of the treasures on Devil's Island.

So many precious items appeared in the same place, and they weren't even from the same era.

Could it be that it's not some ancient relic but rather left there as sacrificial offerings through similar ritualistic acts?

Aside from the priests of the Temple of Aghaparnon, perhaps no one knows the reason why.

With this hypothesis in mind, the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.

If the treasures on Devil's Island are all sacrificial offerings, then why does the temple allow adventurers to seek treasure?

When the news of "Devil's Island's treasure" came out, the Temple of Aghaparnon also played a role in stirring things up.

This time the news spread so quickly, Su Lun always felt there was someone behind the scenes pushing it.

News leaked, treasure seekers returned, nautical charts circulated...

Each step seemed just right, piquing people's curiosity and drawing adventurers to explore.

Just yesterday alone, at least a hundred thousand adventurers set sail to hunt for treasure, and there may be even more in the following days.

...

"What does the Roman temple want with attracting so many adventurers?"

Su Lun couldn't figure it out.

If it hadn't been for accidentally intercepting the "Golden Fleece" this time, he might still be kept in the dark.

"Right, the temple!"

Su Lun thought of the spear from the War God Tyr, the "Golden Spear of Causality," that fell from the sky trying to assassinate him.

Why did the temple want to kill him?

Su Lun was in Roman for the first time and was certain that he had no prior conflict with the Temple of Aghaparnon.

Could it be because of the "divination"?

But if it's because of that, it seemed to him that the cause-and-effect relationship was somewhat inverted.

Why would I provoke you if you don't come to kill me?

Now that enmity has been established, enemy or not, he is one now.

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Su Lun felt that mysteries were piling up.

But without some key clues, he couldn't figure it out.

Just then, another thought popped into his head, "Oh, almost forgot... Barrett!"

Su Lun almost forgot that Barrett and his two deputies were still in his "Little Void Realm."

They were already far from the coastline, so he thought it would be safe to release them.

With a pinch of the Suren Sorcerer's Seal, a spatial black hole slowly formed in his palm.

Once the exit was big enough, three figures leapt out of the void.

...

The sailboat was speeding through the azure sea, rising and falling with the waves.

Recognizing their surroundings, Barrett also knew they had escaped the Moros city-state and let out a huge sigh of relief.

Looking at Su Lun in front of him, his expression was very complicated, filled with shame, gratitude, shock... all sorts of emotions stirring within him.

After all, when they decided to go to the Moros city-state to rescue others, it was because they didn't want to be a burden to Dawn Group.

What they hadn't expected was that, in their moment of crisis, it was still people from the Dawn Group who reached out to help, allowing them to survive.

Counting this time, it was already the third time Su Lun had saved them from almost certain death.

This life-saving grace could never be fully repaid no matter what.

Barrett didn't know how to express the gratitude he felt in his heart and sighed softly, "Su Lun, young friend, you've troubled yourself once again."

With that, he and his two deputies performed a solemn chest salute towards Su Lun.

Su Lun reached out to help the deeply bowing Barrett and said, "Mr. Barrett, there's no need to be so formal. It was just a chance encounter—it was no trouble at all."

Shaking his head, Barrett sincerely expressed his gratitude, "The life-saving grace that young friend Su Lun has given us 'Sacred Judgment Group' will never be forgotten..."

No trouble at all?

That certainly wasn't the case!

The operatives from the Luying Military Intelligence were not to be underestimated; rescuing people inside the Moros city-state had definitely involved great risks.

Su Lun shrugged noncommittally.

It wasn't that no pursuit had been launched; he had taken that "Golden Spear," which had triggered a curfew throughout the city, disrupting the Luying Military Intelligence operatives' plans for an encirclement and pursuit.

He didn't continue with the niceties on this topic but instead said, "We have reliable information that says the members of your 'Sacred Judgment Group' have escaped from the underground caverns of the Moros city-state. The operatives of Luying Military Intelligence didn't capture anyone."

"Really?!"

At these words, a look of wild joy instantly appeared on the faces of Barrett and his two deputies.

At this moment, one of the deputies quickly took out the communicator he was carrying and started contacting. Watching the communicator light up green, he immediately confirmed something and excitedly turned to Barrett, saying, "Commander, there's a signal!"

Barrett, unable to hide his excitement and with a beaming face, explained to Su Lun, "This is the contact signal we had agreed upon. As long as they got out alive, they would activate a specific signal frequency, which we could receive even from a great distance. Now they should have already escaped to the sea according to the plan."

As he spoke, he became visibly more excited and broke into laughter, "Hahaha... The brothers finally made it out alive!"

This rescue mission was one where they had resigned themselves to the likelihood of death.

Now that the brothers from the group have escaped alive, this was the best news, even more important than their own survival!

As if the frustrations that had accumulated in his heart for days were dissipating, Barrett's eyes started to fill with tears as he laughed.

Su Lun, observing this grizzled warrior with tears in his eyes, was happy for them too.

This was a group of genuine, hot-blooded people.

The sunshine was brilliant, and the sea breeze was welcoming.

It was as if, after enduring the darkest times of their lives, everything was moving in a positive direction.

At this moment, he was relieved.

The knighthood's glory, status, military rank, family, concerns... they all became things of the past.

He could now embrace a new future.

In Barrett's eyes, there was no longer the previous bleak emotion. He looked at the seabirds soaring freely in the sky, his eyes lighting up with hope.

Then, Su Lun spoke up in a timely manner, "Mr. Barrett, what are your plans for the future?"

Hearing this, the excitement in Barrett's eyes immediately withdrew, as if he had already made up his mind. He said with an incredibly serious demeanor, "If possible, I would like to join 'Dawn'."

Su Lun smiled faintly, "You are most welcome!"

...

With Barrett and his Sacred Judgment Group choosing to join, the Dawn Group grew stronger.

According to Barrett himself, with the "Hand of Silver," his power is now stronger than in his prime, and he could potentially break through to Tier 6 at any moment and enter the realm of a top professional.

And the "Sacred Judgment Group" still had four to five hundred royal knights; after reunification, it would double the number of the Dawn Group.

The overall combat power of the Dawn Group was now formidable, and they wouldn't necessarily be much weaker even if they encountered a fully organized fleet of the North Sea.

Su Lun announced this news to everyone in the Dawn Group, and everyone gave a warm welcome to the new members.

Nobody treated them like down-and-out royal knights; instead, Barrett and his men's act of risking their lives to save their brothers earned the admiration and respect of everyone.

But before they could have a welcoming dinner, Su Lun organized a meeting with the high-level members of the group.

Before long, in the captain's cabin.

Qiantiao, Dr. Banks, Barrett, along with the squad leaders, gathered together.

The chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the meeting room swayed incessantly, casting a dim yellow light over a sea of exceedingly serious faces.

Su Lun recounted the situation he had deduced.

What was thought to be an ordinary treasure hunting adventure turned out to be entangled in a much more complicated affair.

Having finished speaking, Su Lun added, "The known intelligence is as such. Now, regarding how our Dawn Group should proceed, let's see what everyone thinks."

For a moment, everyone fell into deep thought, and the meeting room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long pause, with a solemn face, Qiantiao was the first to speak, "So...Su Lun, you think that the treasure of Devil's Island is actually a conspiracy planned by some people?"

Su Lun nodded, "Yes. There are too many coincidences involved, which can't help but arouse suspicion. Moreover, I even suspect that some 'prophecies' or similar abilities might be directed at our Dawn Group."

If there are powers in the future capable of bringing about a significant change to this world, Su Lun believed that their "Dawn Group" was certainly one of them.

Though the Dawn Group was still weak, it was growing robustly. With a leader like Mr. Jing, who harbored a grand ideal for the rebirth of alchemical civilization for humankind, coupled with members working hard for a common goal, the light of dawn may well shine upon the earth.

In this world, there's no hatred without reason,

After pondering for a while, Su Lun felt that the Temple of Aghaparnon people's assassination attempt was probably for these arcane reasons.

King Oleg of the North Sea had meddled in the affairs of the Temple of Aghaparnon, and now Roman's faith was no longer pure.

At this point, Barrett interjected, "I think there's a great possibility of that. When we explored some unknown sea areas before and encountered primitive tribes, we've also found that some ancient Evil God faiths are incredibly brutal, often with scenes of living human sacrifices."

Dr. Banks found it unbelievable, "But...there were over one hundred thousand adventurers this time, do those people intend to use these hundred thousand as sacrifices?"

Su Lun nodded, "If it is as I suspect, it probably is. The treasures on Devil's Island will certainly not be easily taken. The target of the sacrifice is likely to be a very terrifying entity."

These words made the atmosphere in the meeting room extremely heavy.

A sacrifice of a hundred thousand people?

This wicked act was simply hair-raising just by hearing of it.

Now that suspicions had arisen, the Dawn Group certainly wouldn't be heading towards Devil's Island.

The people of the Dawn Group were not overly kind-hearted, but they were definitely the sort who would draw their swords to redress an injustice when they saw it.

The meeting reached this point when Qiantiao also said, "Even if what we've guessed is true, I'm afraid it's too late to reverse the situation. Those adventurers have been blinded by the treasures, and they definitely won't give up their treasure hunt because of some baseless speculation. We also cannot gain their trust. And now at sea, we cannot even make contact with them..."

Su Lun responded, "Yes...that's the most troublesome part."

The return of the "Flying Fish Group" from the treasure hunt yesterday was witnessed by too many.

Greed can drive people to disregard everything.

Even if they attempted to intercept and stop every single ship, they might be perceived as having ulterior motives.

The question now is, where does the Dawn Group go from here?

After a momentary silence in the meeting room, Dr. Banks suddenly had an idea and spoke up, "That's right! Su Lun, you previously sent us a message, and I arranged for the dock workers to leave a biological marker on the 'Old Whitehead.' I can sense the direction of that ship now; it should be only a few hundred nautical miles away from us..."

Before he could finish, everyone's gaze turned towards Dr. Banks.

He continued, "Since we found the [Golden Fleece] on that ship earlier, could there be other ritual items on other ships? I suspect this level of sacrifice must require a very elaborate ritual..."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood.

Qiantiao also said, "Do you mean that if we intercept all ships of the North Sea fleet, we might stop this conspiracy?"

"Yes!"

Dr. Banks nodded and added, "Moreover, the 'Princess of Frost Moon' ship is also a key point. Even if they are to perform some evil sea ritual, the people of the Temple of Aghaparnon wouldn't dare to sacrifice anyone from the Mafa royal family! Now that the ship has come to this sea region, there has to be a problem..."

Su Lun also felt this made sense.

From the memories he had detached from Vasily, he knew that this time the North Sea fleet had dispatched at least three squadrons to the sea.

If they truly intercepted all of them, there might actually be a chance to thwart this conspiracy.

...

Dr. Banks' proposal gave everyone a glimmer of hope to break the situation.

But now another problem arose—if the Dawn Group withdrew to the outside, leaving now might be without any trouble at all.

However, if they went on to attack the North Sea fleet, not only was there risk in the battle, but they might also involve themselves in some unknown situation.

A decision so crucial to the safety of the team naturally couldn't be made unilaterally.

Su Lun proposed a vote and asked, "What does everyone think?"

Qiantiao was the first to raise his hand, "I agree to intercept the North Sea fleet."

Banks, "Agreed!"

Barrett, "Agreed!"

The squad leaders, "Agreed!"

In the end, the members of the Dawn Group unanimously decided to go.

There was risk, the unknown,

And that too was the essence of a maritime adventure.