Mechanical Alchemist

"Pirate Emperor" Francis Drake was a legendary pirate entered into the history books; over two hundred years ago, this man was active on the battlefields of the Luying Empire and Mafa.

Because his strength was so overpowering, he even obtained a "privateering license" from the Luying royal family for a while, becoming a semi-official pirate, plundering a vast amount of treasure along the coast of the Mafa Empire.

This man was excessively brutal, engaging in burning, killing, and looting without restraint, and constantly switching sides between the two great empires to reap huge profits.

Later, he suddenly disappeared.

It was said that he had been killed by the Luying navy. Others claimed he had stolen some sort of precious treasure of Mafa and was chased by a ninth-tier powerful being into a corner, dying at sea.

Staring at the undead monster leader before him, Su Lun identified it by this name, alongside the ship named "Eternal Night Emperor," a Sea Emperor-class battleship—it was undoubtedly that legendary figure.

Unexpectedly, he had died here in the Sea Ruins.

As a monster, Su Lun immediately identified this guy's attributes.

[Sea King·Drake]

Explanation: A mutant monster infected with the energy of the undead, a lord-tier zombie species, possessing a primary pseudo-divine power, adept at controlling high-tier water elemental forces and the force of death laws, extremely dangerous; in his lifetime, he lost a leg, which made him not adept at teleportation; in the sea, he could appear anywhere, but on land, his strength was only one-tenth; he possessed some divine powers beyond common knowledge;

The advantages and disadvantages were clear at a glance.

Looking at this, Su Lun immediately had a strategy in his mind.

...

"Eternal Night Emperor" was completely black, with black sails, a black hull, and surrounded by billowing black smoke. It was bigger than three Dawn ships combined. As it sailed in the sea, it was like an elephant charging towards three hyenas. Its sheer presence was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

"Cannons, aim!"

"Fire!"

"..."

At first encounter, the two sides immediately began a cannon battle.

Somehow, the cannons and gunpowder from two hundred years ago had not been damaged by moisture, but the hundreds of cannon mouths truly spewed out flames.

"Eternal Night" had more cannons in its three-tier gun tower than the three combined ships of the Dawn group. When it fired, it was like setting off fireworks, the sounds were deafening, and the burning of the black gunpowder produced a large amount of white smoke, the loudness frightfully exaggerated.

But after all, the cannons loaded on that sea ship were antiques from two hundred years ago, and the undead gunners seemed to have only the instinct to fire them from life; they could not calculate the distances in a cannon battle.

The range and accuracy were far inferior to the Dawn group.

In the end, after an exchange of cannon fires, the Dawn group's cannonballs hit the hull of the "Eternal Night," while the opponent's cannonballs mostly fell into the sea.

However, hitting them made little difference from missing them.

Su Lun watched as the cannonballs bombarded the opposing ship's hull, visibly creating ripples.

But other than the parts of the hull that were already damaged, none of the cannonballs broke through the wooden planks of the ship.

Su Lun, seeing this, was not surprised at all but a gleam flashed in his eyes.

Every adventurer who roamed the seas needed a ship, and no one would refuse the allure of a "Sea Emperor-class" battleship.

"What a fine ship!"

It was the first time Su Lun felt such a strong attraction to a ship.

At this moment, he was already thinking about how to turn this ship into the main battleship of the Dawn group.

But there was a premise he couldn't circumvent: defeating the Sea King.

The cannon battle was futile. It was nearly impossible for the three battleships of the Dawn group to sink the opponent by cannon fire.

And it would be pointless.

If it weren't for Pandora's warning, Su Lun would probably have opted for a "beheading" strategy now.

Only by killing this [Sea King·Drake] would they have a chance to break their predicament, and these undead creatures would stop coming incessantly.

But now, he chose not to do so but instead commanded through the communicator, "Activate the alchemy windsail; do not engage in battle! Head twenty nautical miles southwest. There's an island there; we'll land!"

That was because Su Lun had learned a little-known secret from Pandora. That is, a pseudo-god is a collective of faith, and they do not truly die when their bodies are killed.

It's necessary to destroy the "divinity" that holds the faith to thoroughly annihilate a pseudo-god.

This was also why Pandora was not afraid of Su Lun killing her alchemic body before. After the divinity of faith is condensed, that is the "pseudo-god's" true vulnerability.

Su Lun did not know where this "Sea King's" divinity was, but he could make an educated guess.

Previously, those from the Temple of Aghaparnon had circulated a treasure map to attract adventurers in search of treasure.

In order to make it as authentic as possible, the treasure map marked many "Treasure Islands" in this sea area.

Now knowing this was the Sea Ruin and there was a "Sea King," it usually meant that the place richest in treasures would be the great BOSS's lair.

Which is to say, that "Devil's Island" on the treasure map was most likely the residence of the "Sea King" Drake's divine power.

Moreover, in the sea, Su Lun didn't feel his Dawn Group had the capability to kill this guy.

The gap between warships was too large, and the enemy possessed control over the ocean.

On land, however, it only had one-tenth of its combat power.

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In any case, landing on the island first was the most logical tactic.

"Yes!"

At that order, the three ships began to break through.

....

The fierce battle continued, and various undead monsters kept crazily jumping onto the three warships of the Dawn Group.

However, since Su Lun could harvest souls, he completely deprived these monsters of their ability to resurrect.

With the undead monster legions unable to resurrect, their threat was reduced by ninety percent.

After all, normal humans converted into undead would have significantly reduced strength; a Tier-7 professional managing to retain Tier-5 combat prowess was considered good.

Though the number of these undead creatures was horrifying, the vast majority were just skeletons, not even counting as Tier-1.

The Dawn Group's three teams already had a tacit agreement to live and die together, and their concerted efforts made the battle fierce yet not devastating.

"Clatter," "Clatter," "Clatter"...

The sound of skeletons being shattered was everywhere.

Qian Tao and Barrett moved around, slashing higher-tiered monsters.

The trio of giant warriors swung their Wolf Fang Clubs and giant shields, reaping a swath through the undead...

The sumo wrestler's palm strikes, exploding with force like cannon fire, reduced everything to bone dust with every hit...

The mechanical team, equipped with heavy mechanical limbs, rampaged through the crowd of monsters...

The Adjudication team formed battle formations, relentlessly pushing forward like an iron barrel...

Even Kama gradually adapted to the rhythm of the fight and performed exceptionally well.

With skillful puppetry technique and the rune-based strange puppets Su Lun gave her, she fought as ten, piling corpses high around her.

While fighting, the three warships used up their stored energy crystals to drive the alchemical sails, pushing their speed to the limit.

Because they decided decisively, they pierced through the encircling ring of undead monsters before it fully closed, like a dagger stabbing through rotten wood, and burst out in an instant.

....

"There are monsters in the water!"

"Those are 'Rotting Whales,' be careful not to let those creatures flip the ship!"

"Another group of 'Ironheaded Sharks' is here, damn, they've smashed a big hole in the bottom of Ship No. 3."

"Abandon ship, stack explosives, prepare to blow up Ship No. 3!"

"..."

Not long after the Dawn Group's three ships broke out, the calm sea surface suddenly stirred into large waves, and many large undead sea monsters emerged from the seabed.

Even with the Mechanical Octopus Legion engaging in separate killings, one ship was still damaged.

Worse yet, that sea emperor level "Eternal Night Emperor" ship had caught up with them.

The undead creatures that had climbed onto the ships were completely eradicated, and the Dawn Group's members crowded onto two ships, watching as the "Eternal Night" rode waves dozens of meters high, chasing after them.

"How can their huge ship be faster than us when we used the alchemical sails!"

"Sea Emperor level warships inherently possess some special wind propulsion systems; they have large displacement but are not unwieldy, always touted as 'the fastest warships on the sea.' Plus, that peg-legged guy holds a high-level cursed trident, controlling the local waves, which is very disadvantageous for us!"

"Damn it. If this continues, we'll be caught up soon."

"..."

Seeing this, Su Lun decisively ordered, "Abandon all cannons and warehouse materials, clear out the ship's storage!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing that, although everyone felt the loss, they did not hesitate and quickly started moving.

Within the storage cabin, heavy cannons were pushed into the sea alongside boxes of cannonballs, barrels of rum, and bundles of other supplies.

Su Lun's "Little Void World" contained enough food to last them a long while, even if the ship ran out of other supplies.

But it was a real pity to lose those cannons.

Not only were they valuable, but they were also irreplaceable military supplies.

However, naval combat had become pointless now. Without increasing their speed, they would not have escaped.

In an instant, various supplies floated all over the sea surface, and the speed of the ship increased dramatically, several times faster than before.

Even so, the "Eternal Night Emperor" was closing in rapidly. Members of the Dawn Group could even see high-level undead creatures on decks watching them with their terrifying, empty eye sockets.

Small islands had begun to sporadically appear around them, but those islands, visible end-to-end, offered no place to hide.

If they didn't find a solution, they would never be able to reach and land on "Devil's Island."

At that moment, Su Lun stood on the deck, looking solemnly at the relentless undead legion pursuing them.

By his side, core officers such as Qian Tiao, Dr. Banks, and Barrett looked serious as well.

Su Lun's brain was like a high-speed computer calculating all possible outcomes.

A moment later, he came up with the most reasonable plan and immediately said, "Continuing this way definitely won't work. I think we should split into two groups—one to lure the enemy and the other to circumnavigate to Devil's Island. Those undead do not yet know our purpose. Only if we can create an opportunity for Miss Pandora can we possibly survive."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded their heads.

This was the best, and the only feasible, plan.

Their opponent could catch up to them only with the "Eternal Night," so splitting Dawn Group into two would help divide the target.@@novelbin@@

One ship would act as the "bait," while the other might have a chance to reach Devil's Island.

At that time, Barrett said without hesitation, "I think this plan will work! I have the highest rank in the group; I'll take some brothers and stay to hold them off, Su Lun you go first."

Qian Tiao, not wanting to be outdone, added, "I'll stay. My 'Thunderous Hell' is more effective against undead creatures."

However, Su Lun shook his head and interrupted, "We need to have someone who can absolutely draw their attention. I'm the only one who can do that. Plus, I can handle the ship alone and have teleportation abilities. It's most suitable for me to stay."

His meaning was clear—he was prepared to stay behind alone to lure the enemy.

Upon hearing this, a look of concern appeared on Qian Tiao's face, "But..."

Su Lun did not let them speak further, shaking his head, "There's no time to hesitate. It's decided then."

After a pause, he continued, "Prepare the smoke bombs and sensory disruptors. Then everyone else should head to the other ship."

Barrett and the others, not insisting further, nodded gravely, "Alright!"

Qian Tiao looked at Su Lun and said, "Take care!"

Su Lun smiled faintly, "Hmm."

Through the communicator, Barrett gave the order, "Everyone, prepare to execute Emergency Plan T11!"

The next instant, two warships suddenly moved side by side, numerous smoke bombs launched, instantly creating a massive smoke cover on the sea surface.

Dozens of beams of Holy Light spell shot up into the sky, bursting out dazzling white light in the air.

Those undead creatures were startled and drew back. But as the light dissipated, they saw the two warships heading in different directions.

...

Su Lun was on Ship Two, surrounded by hundreds of sailors.

But in fact, he was the only living person on the entire ship.

The rest were "living dead"; there were more in the cabin, almost all he had left.

Undead creatures are highly sensitive to the life force of humans, and it was difficult to confuse them using just puppets.

Meanwhile on the other warship, all members of the Dawn Group were gathered there, hiding in the cabin and trying their best to conceal any signs of life.

Su Lun was on deck, busily controlling the "living dead sailors" as usual.

Now, his puppetry skills were profoundly proficient, and without looking closely, no anomalies could be detected. Moreover, most of those undead creatures lacked eyes, making them naturally hard to detect.

As soon as the two ships split, both accelerated to maximum speed.

Su Lun's ship lagged slightly behind, and without hesitation, he took out the black sickle and swung it towards the one-legged "Sea King" on the distant "Eternal Night."

He hadn't expected the swing to harm the tyrant-level monster but thought of it as "drawing aggro."

Due to the distance, when the spatial crack hit the "Sea King's" neck, it was less than a foot long.

Still, it was a "spatial crack"—enough to decapitate a normal creature!

But the "Sea King" didn't even flinch, and the cut was like slicing through a person made of water. His neck, adorned with fish scale tattoos, split open to reveal a jelly-like black water, which healed in an instant.

He cocked his head and twisted to look at Su Lun on the deck, as if staring at an ant.

Then, he raised his trident and casually pointed forward, condensing countless black drops of water out of thin air, suspended motionlessly.

Su Lun closed his right eye and stared at the creature with his left.

He identified it quickly—it was also a "banned item" level weapon.

[Aegir's Trident of the Sea God]

Quality: Legendary

Description: Owning it, you would feel as if commanding the entire sea;

Curse Trait: Possessing this item significantly increases affinity with water elements; using this item can control the sea currents within a certain range, with the scope and power dependent on the infused spiritual power; if not wielding high-level water element laws power, use will lead to the curse of the sea, suffering and dying of thirst;

Detailed Explanation: Aegir, the most ancient of the giant deities, holding the original power of sea laws; ancient alchemists crafted this Sea God's scepter to control the power of the ocean;

"As long as the plan succeeds, the Eternal Night, the trident... all these things will be spoils of war!"

Su Lun muttered to himself.

The next moment, those droplets shot through the air like bullets, "whoosh," "whoosh," "whoosh."

Su Lun identified the droplets—the display read [Death Arrow Rain]; he immediately judged he could handle it and hurriedly propped open the rune-laden black umbrella, with a barrier of death laws cascading around him.

Crackle and pop, the next moment, the sound resembled rain hitting banana leaves.

The raindrops struck the black umbrella but were completely blocked.

"It really did block it!"

Su Lun's eyes narrowed.

Apparently, the nearly seventh-tier spell power of [Death Arrow Rain]was something he could not withstand head-on, but incredibly, he could.

It was like using fire to burn another flame, hugely diminishing the effect.

Su Lun was sure he could maintain the aggro because he too understood the "laws of death," and not insignificantly so.

He originated from the same source as these necrotic creatures.

The "Sea King" sensed it and would definitely not let him go.

Sure enough, right after blocking that attack, the "Eternal Night Emperor" shifted its course and began chasing after Su Lun's ship.

"It worked!"

Su Lun felt a surge of joy and then steered the warship on a looping course.

A distant sister ship carrying others also seized the moment to head in another direction, frantically sailing towards Devil's Island.

...

Su Lun drove the warship, fleeing all the way. Although the monsters were getting closer and the warship was riddled with holes, he wasn't panicked.

He was just bait, while another ship of the Dawn Group was the main force.

That [Sea King · Drake] probably maintained divine arrogance, thinking if Su Lun didn't provoke it, it wouldn't bother to strike personally, or perhaps it felt all humans in these sea ruins must die, and toying with them was better—thus sending a bunch of lackeys and undead sea monsters to attack.

After a while, they didn't catch up.

Su Lun, alone on a ship, weaving through thousands of ships and tens of thousands of undead monsters, ran wildly.

Having approached the waters near "Devil's Island," islands became more frequent. Crows flew in the sky, and utilizing his knowledge of the terrain, Su Lun predicted dimensions in advance, constantly weaving through the islands like a snake.

Finally, the warship was completely wrecked.

But after all, with only one living person on board, Su Lun didn't feel much burden. He unhesitatingly abandoned the ship full of undead and switched to a speedboat, continuing his wild rampage. His spatial displacement ability had improved significantly, making him very capable of self-preservation. The escape was thrilling, yet not so easy to be caught.

Meanwhile, Su Lun contacted others and learned that the Dawn Group's main force had successfully landed on "Devil's Island."

The plan to lure the enemy was successful!