Mechanical Alchemist

Draft

Because he was well-prepared, Su Lun successfully stole the artifact carrying the divine power of the "Sea King."

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But he also knew that this was the most dangerous time.

The moment he grasped the icy crown, the surrounding seawater suddenly solidified into a transparent humanoid monster. The "Sea King" could teleport at will within the seawater, a very troublesome ability.

Su Lun had identified this earlier, so without any hesitation, he used "Teleportation" for the first time in the seawater. With a flash of light and shadow, he instantly left his previous position, a tingling sense of a deadly crisis flashing by, as if he had just brushed shoulders with the grim reaper.

He didn't need to look to know that he had just dodged a possibly fatal attack.

Su Lun's combat instincts were fully extended, not daring to hesitate for a moment, he had prepared his hand to form a sorcerer's seals, "Hormone Rampage - Fifth Unleashing!"

A surge of hormones flooded his limbs, veins on his forehead bulging, his muscles instantly knotted and swelled, as if a volcanic force was erupting within his body. The sorcerer's seals transformed again, and his dark golden skin was already faintly shimmering with dense runes, activating both "Rune Vajra" and "Elemental Barrier" simultaneously.

Almost at the same moment as his spell formation coalesced, a powerful water pressure instantly squeezed toward him.

"Snap!"

Su Lun's body was crushed into fragments, bursting into pieces of puppet debris.

He had used "Substitute Puppet."

Su Lun had already appeared several meters away.

Having exhausted two rapid life-saving methods, his gaze intensified. The fifth level of Hormone Rampage caused dark spiritual power to overflow from his body like flames, creating a large controlled area in the sea.

Su Lun also felt that terrifying pressure; dark spiritual power surged out protectively, and fortunately, the Elemental Barrier formed by his law of Death absorbed most of the damage, otherwise, he would have likely burst on the spot. Even so, he felt as if a great mountain was pressing on his chest, and he realized that if he dared to take a breath, he would instantly burst into a cloud of blood mist.

He was well aware that in this environment surrounded by seawater, no external force could block the attack; only his own physically strong body could hold on for a moment, giving him a chance to survive.

Just then, the surrounding seawater suddenly boiled, forming countless sharp water blades.

The water blades swept through like a storm, slicing open the Elemental Barrier formed by the law of Death, cutting into Su Lun's dark golden skin as if they were flaying him.

"Clang," "Clang," "Clang"...

It sounded like a water knife cutting through a steel plate, and Su Lun felt as though his whole body was in excruciating pain as if on fire. If he hadn't recently enhanced the runes inscribed in his body, he might have been tossed into a meat grinder.

Even so, he couldn't hold on much longer. The surface of his skin was lacerated by the water blades, blood exploded instantly, and his vision was filled with red. Fortunately, his muscles and bones were also inscribed with runes, which still supported him.

However, at this moment, a look of joy sprang up in Su Lun's eyes; he knew he had succeeded!

Because at that moment, Pandora finally arrived!

Pandora burst into his view in an immensely terrifying form; her body seemed to be condensed from blood-colored moonlight, standing seven to eight meters tall, surrounded by hundreds of ghosts with blood-colored pupils that were utterly emotionless and horrifying.

As she entered, blood-colored silk ribbons danced wildly, the surrounding seawater steamed away, uttering a soft reprimand, "Tsukuyomi - Lunar Divine Path!"

Su Lun felt the pressure around his body suddenly lighten, and he didn't dare hesitate for a moment, quickly handing over the crown to Pandora.

Holding this hot artifact in his hand meant that the "Sea King" would keep troubling him.

As expected, as soon as the object was handed over, all the pressure around them abruptly dissipated.

Su Lun's mouth overflowed with fresh blood, and he gasped for air. A great relief surged through his heart, and he thought, "Puppet Master, indeed it's the flesh that performs miracles! Teacher Seria had great foresight!"

No matter how strong a puppet is, if the flesh can't endure, it is but an external object.

He also felt fortunate to have such a good teacher who had shown him a clear path.

Only by cultivating both the body and profession, one could have a chance to see the world beyond the peak of an alchemist!

...

Once Pandora obtained the "Crown of Pope Fryley," the Sea King had no intention of troubling Su Lun anymore.

Because Su Lun didn't know the use of that object, but Pandora did!

She possessed a unique way of stealing the Power of Faith, which was the skill Sir Isaac and Teacher Seria initially bestowed upon her when they created the alchemic homunculi.

Their goal was to create a real deity.

The moment Pandora got the crown, a dazzling brilliance suddenly burst from her hands.

Su Lun watched as strands of golden thread were released from the crown and absorbed into Pandora's body.

"She can directly extract the Power of Faith..."

Su Lun understood, his eyes sparkling with clarity.

It was clear that the situation had reached the turning point of the battle.

This was originally the stronghold of the "Sea King," surrounded by the ocean, constantly supplied by an unending force of the elements, practically impregnable.

But once the Power of Faith was extracted, the situation was reversed.

By striking at the root of the "Sea King's" source of power, the foundations were undercut.

Su Lun didn't dare linger in this Crystal Palace for too long, understanding that the closer it was to the end, the more dangerous it would be as gods fought.

Enduring the stabbing pain of wounds corroded by high-level water elements, he teleported to the edge of the aquarium-shaped barrier.

With another Spatial Displacement, he just ran out.

Breathing in the air again, Su Lun felt a huge relief.

He could not interfere with the battle inside the barrier anymore, so he glanced at the multiple blurry wounds on his body, thinking of treating them first. Although these wounds were not fatal, the corrosion from the high-level water elements was like poison and troublesome to clean. It was impossible to rely on just the body's self-healing.

He deactivated the formula of the "Rune Vajra." In that instant, the wounds in his body exploded, spurting out a great cloud of blood mist.

The "water poison" frantically destroyed his body tissues, relentlessly burrowing into the flesh.

Su Lun, expressionless, took out some potions that neutralized the water poison and poured them over his wounds, causing white smoke to hiss forth.

The pain was excruciating, and his muscles involuntarily twitched from time to time.

As Su Lun tended to his wounds, he watched the battle inside the barrier.

The red glow representing Pandora now overwhelmingly dominated, forcing the blue "Sea King" faction into a continual retreat.

The struggle at the brink of death was the most terrifying.

Although the water barrier had absorbed the majority of the energy collision shockwaves, from the outside, the entire barrier looked like a balloon bulging everywhere, ready to burst at any moment.

...

After the battle had continued for over half an hour, suddenly, the water barrier burst like a water balloon with a loud "bang."

The heavy rain poured down from the sky, drenching the forest.

"Is he dead?!"

Su Lun quickly urged the herald bird towards the crystal palace, and sure enough, he saw Pandora standing there alone. After the fierce battle, not only had her aura not weakened, but it had become more ethereal than before. The terrifying pressure in her blood-red eyes was unbearable to look at, fierce aura swirling in her Tsukuyomi Law Phase.

The large-bodied "Sea King" was already lying on the ground, his trident fallen to the side.

Seeing this scene, Su Lun, not caring about the tearing pain of his wounds, hurriedly approached.

He feared some misfortune may have befallen Pandora, so he directly had the herald bird stop in front of her.

Pandora glanced at the black crow, and as if she could see Su Lun a thousand meters away with a single look, she finally showed a hint of mortal emotion and indifferently said, "It's done."

Su Lun, feeling joy upon hearing this, teleported over in nearly the blink of an eye.

He saw Pandora and asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

Pandora slightly nodded, withdrawing her Law Phase.

Then, looking at Su Lun again, her pearly teeth slightly parted as she added, "Thank you."

Her tone was not the cold aloofness of the past but an unprecedented gentleness, a heartfelt gratitude.

Su Lun naturally knew what this thanks was for. Watching Pandora with the now dim crown in her hands, he grinned and responded, "No need for thanks. We're just helping each other out."

If he hadn't risked his life to infiltrate, Pandora wouldn't have gained this crown.

The Power of Faith was very important for divine paths. Su Lun felt that she definitely gained a lot from this experience.

Of course, without Pandora, the situation Su Lun and the others faced in the sea ruins would likely have been very dire.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Su Lun felt that after this experience, their relationship had clearly deepened.

However, there was no time for pleasantries now.

Su Lun saw the golden mist rising from the Sea King's corpse.

It was his first time seeing a golden soul, presumably because this was a demi-god.

This "golden mist" was a true treasure for him.

Su Lun attempted to touch it, and it was like unlocking the gate to a massive library.

Normally, stripping a soul from someone was like peeling apart a book.

But now, though the book was roughly the same, it was extremely "large."

But most of the soul of "Sea King Drake" contained content related to divine faith, not the path of an alchemist like Su Lun, so those parts were of no use to him.

However, many aspects related to universal laws were useful.

Su Lun thought it over and stripped some away.

'You have stripped the soul of 'Francis Drake (deceased)''

'You have gained 'Water Element Law Comprehension 61%', element experience +171412'

'You have obtained a special Divine Rune script [Ximing Laiwa's Sea God Rune], understanding at 15%'

'Spiritual power +12251'

'...'

If he could bear it, Su Lun planned to absorb this "golden mist" completely, a rare opportunity he would not waste.

But just stripping two parts felt like throwing the sea into the ocean, and he immediately felt "overwhelmed."

Su Lun felt dizzy for a moment, nearly losing his balance.

Pandora, nearby, asked unusually, "Are you all right?"

Shaking his head, his eyes still foggy like a hangover, Su Lun replied, "I'm fine."

It wasn't a major issue, but the sheer volume of knowledge he had just stripped made it a bit hard to digest.

He didn't dare to talk more, focusing on absorbing the foreign knowledge desperately before the "golden mist" disappeared, trying to take in as much as possible.

Though Su Lun hadn't completely stripped the Water Law mastered by Sea King Drake, he had acquired most of it.

His current rank was still too low to make full use of such advanced comprehension of the laws, but the path ahead was paved. Going forward, his study and use of Water Element Spells and runes would be smooth.

And that [Ximing Laiwa's Sea God Rune] was what Su Lun most desired, a Divine rune!

This was the tattoo of fish-scale patterns previously on Drake's body.

These were runes passed down by the Sea God Ximing Laiwa. Even Drake had only understood about 15%.

But just this 15% had directly blocked the spatial fissure of the black sickle, enough to demonstrate its power.

The principle of the rune was like a punch thrown into the water, where the force would be partly dissolved by the water's vibrations.

The [Sea God Rune] allowed the layers of Water Element to compact tightly around the body, forming a special elemental barrier that could dissolve even more external forces.

Su Lun had previously felt that his Rune Vajra's defensive power lacked some higher-tier runes. Now, this [Sea God Rune] was a perfect fit!

The rune language in the high-ranking domain, like "Dominance," was no longer merely the peeling off of knowledge but a "world perception ability" on the level of enlightenment. If it weren't for the fourth-order career choice's understanding of runes, he would not even have been able to peel off 1%.

This was the surprising gain that made Su Lun feel excited.

For his future growth, its value even far exceeded that of a sealed artifact!

....

Sea King Drake was killed, and Su Lun was also temporarily free from the pressure of death.

Although there were still other troublesome undead creatures in this sea ruin, without the command of the Sea King, the threat was reduced by seventy to eighty percent.

Su Lun contacted Qiantiao through the communicator, and indeed, the pressure from the monster siege that Dawn Group encountered was also immensely alleviated.

Without the deterrence of the Sea King, those high-ranking creatures, seeing that they couldn't gnaw through this tough bone, gradually scattered and fled.

The people of Dawn Group were making a breakout, heading towards the Crystal Palace.

Su Lun, who was seriously injured and still digesting the knowledge he had just stripped, didn't rush to gather the treasures inside the Crystal Palace but sat cross-legged in meditation at the original spot and waited.

Pandora, although victorious, was not relaxed after a big battle and likewise sat cross-legged in meditation.

After waiting for a while, suddenly there was a disturbance in the jungle.

The sentinel raven was blasted by a shot, and in his perception, hundreds or thousands of soul fires also appeared.

Su Lun opened his eyes, only to realize that instead of waiting for the Dawn Group, he had waited for some adventurers attracted by the battle commotion here.

This group of people, each carrying something on them at a glance, even included some acquaintances.

The man leading a black panther and a fifth-order Big Beard, was naturally the leader of the treasure-hunting group they had previously encountered on the southern side of Devil's Island, followed by a bunch of people with the same team emblem.

However, the leader of this band wasn't Big Beard but a sixth-order, curly-haired middle-aged man dressed in red and black marquis noble attire.

The people from the imperial capital all had an air of arrogance about them; their attire, demeanor, and equipment were noticeably a few levels higher than the average adventure group. Su Lun glanced at the badges on their chests and recognized these as people from the Luying "Adventurers' General Union," probably an officially funded adventure group.

However, he had no interest in dealing with these people.

Pandora didn't move either; even as people arrived, she even hid her face.

...

The forest here was in disarray because of the battle, but precisely because the trees and vines were cleared away, the architectural ruins on the ground were even more visibly apparent.

Even the Crystal Palace in a distant water pit could be seen.

On the ground, the energy of Sea King's corpse had already dissipated, barely discernible. But next to it, the brightly shining trident was eye-catching.

Anyone with eyes could tell that this was definitely a great treasure trove.

Su Lun felt those numerous greedy, burning gazes, and his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

He also heard the excited murmur of those people.

"Look, there's a Crystal Palace over there! My God, I've never seen a palace entirely built of crystal before, this is even more luxurious than the Frederic Royal Palace..."

"My God, I can already see the golden glow shining in the palace, there must be countless treasures there!"

"This Devil's Island is filled with treasures, this place must be a treasure vault. Haha, we're going to be rich..."

"The 'Four Elements Heart' might be here, if we really find it, we could become nobles..."

"Did you notice, that trident on the ground looks like a sealed cursed item..."

"Shush..."

"..."

That group was completely dazzled by the treasures everywhere; looking at those treasures, they even completely overlooked the two strangers in front of them.

It's understandable, even Su Lun's state of mind was not calm upon seeing those treasures before, let alone some common adventurers.

Leading the black panther, 'Red Nose' Myles naturally recognized Su Lun, and he had a favorable impression of this young man who had previously offered them kind advice, not perceiving him as an enemy.

Moreover, the restless scratching of the black panther at his side seemed to remind its master not to make certain dangerous moves.

Seeing the adventurers already mesmerized by the treasures, he quickly spoke up, addressing the curly-haired marquis, "Chairman Siegel, the 'news of the sea ruins' I mentioned to you before was informed by this gentleman. We..."

He got this far in his speech but suddenly choked on his words, clearly unsure how to proceed.

Normally, treasure hunting followed a first-come, first-served rule—whosoever found the treasures first owned them.

But in reality, on the lawless islands of the wild seas, few adhered to this rule, and there was little difference between adventurers and pirates.

Besides, with such a multitude of precious treasures before them, Myles knew everyone would definitely not give up.

They had over eight hundred people, would they easily relinquish the treasures to two individuals?

He was willing, but his companions definitely would not be.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, the curly-haired man named Siegel narrowed his eyes and began sizing up Su Lun and his companion.

His gaze was sharp, and he was also assessing the strength and risks of the people in front of him.

Su Lun's external injuries appeared severe; "sea poison" made his wounds heal very slowly. He seemed utterly drained, and despite so many people arriving, he remained in meditation. It gave the impression that he couldn't lift a hand due to heavy injuries.

Little did they know, this was simply because Su Lun didn't want to deal with them.

Siegel's hand rested on the handgun at his waist as he asked, "Which group are you with?"

Su Lun responded expressionlessly, "Dawn Group."

Their Dawn Group's information would inevitably become known to others after this incident, so there was no harm in revealing it.

"Oh?"

Siegel seemed uncertain about where exactly the confidence in the attitude of the two before him stemmed from.

If he were a top-tier professional, this seasoned adventurer who had spent years at sea should have heard of them to some extent.

Yet this "Dawn Group" sounded completely unfamiliar, as if it were a minor third-rate team.

However, although he had not witnessed the previous battle, he had experienced its aftermath, which was certainly not a minor skirmish.

Siegel's eyes shifted but he did not underestimate Su Lun's strength, and he cautiously proposed, "This Devil's Island is rich in treasures, and since we've all met by fate, let's uncover them together."

His words were clever, not asserting who arrived first. Proposing to develop the treasures together was also a way to test the other party's reaction.

"No. I think you're misunderstanding something."

Su Lun sighed slightly, seemingly troubled, but elaborated further, "Previously, a very powerful undead creature occupied this place, and we expended great effort to kill it. By the rules, the treasures here belong to us. If you wish to hunt for treasure, look elsewhere."

Upon hearing this, the expression of the 800 opponents across gradually turned dangerous.

Were these two unable to read the situation?

If they had agreed to the proposal to excavate together, they might have shared some treasures.

Were they intending to monopolize everything?

Their "Prince Carnap's Treasure Hunt Group" was not to be trifled with.

In Luying, no one dared to offend them.

Moreover, in the eyes of the royal official adventure groups, any group that wasn't royal was not a problem.

Upon hearing this, Siegel's expression also soured as he scoffed, "Your Excellency intends to monopolize the treasures here? Heh..."

Ultimately, as a noble, he still cared for some semblance of dignity. He mocked and then retorted, "My subordinate had discovered a crystal palace here earlier. Your Excellency just happened to appear here for unknown reasons. Now you claim the treasures are yours, do you think that's appropriate?"

Give up?

That was naturally impossible.

Since negotiation had failed, the only option left was to take it by force.

He, a distinguished noble, had already shown immense kindness by allowing a lowly adventurer to share a slice of the cake, and this fellow still wasn't satisfied?

The talks had now collapsed, and at this moment, the man with the black panther, "Red Nose" Myles, interjected to make peace, saying, "You see, sir... we are from 'Prince Carnap's Treasure Hunt Group.' The gentleman here is the Prince's trusted aide, the Honorary Vice-President of the Adventurers' Guild, and an Imperial noble. We came here…"

He felt that when they had encountered each other previously, Su Lun had kindly cautioned them about the situation here.

The current stance didn't seem too favorable.

Reminding the other party of one's own status here could also prevent getting into trouble best avoided.

Otherwise, even if the treasures here were taken by some "Dawn Group" and brought back to Luying, they would still have to be relinquished.

But before he could finish, Su Lun interrupted him, saying sternly, "I have said all that needs to be said. This is a treasure discovered by our Dawn Group. If you want treasure, look elsewhere."

He paused, then looked at a few members of the so-called Judging Group he had recognized earlier, and added, "Also. I said I know your Captain Barrett, and he is here on the island. So, if they want to make a move, it's best you guys don't get involved."

Upon hearing this, "Red Nose" Myles and a few members of the Judging Group looked extremely troubled.

Given the sensitive nature of the "Judging Group" at this time, was it appropriate to bring up this topic?

At this, Siegel glanced sideways at his subordinate Myles, guessing something yet ominously making no scene.

He stared at the unyielding Su Lun and no longer masked his threat in his tone, "What do you mean, Your Excellency? Are you also acquainted with Barrett, that traitor?"

Su Lun knew these guys were bent on murder for treasure. Uninterested in explaining a third time, he said, "If you want a fight, bring it on. If not, get lost!"

At these words, Siegel's spirit immediately lifted.

Real or not, he now had a perfectly legitimate reason to fight.

He shouted aloud, "By Her Majesty's order, anyone associated with the traitor is to be killed without mercy!"

With that, he instantly drew the firearm at his waist and pulled the trigger at Su Lun.

"biu~"

A blue light burst from the muzzle.

When that shot was fired, apart from the black panther group who remained still, nearly everyone raised their firearms and opened fire.

....

Su Lun had noticed earlier that the man's waist holster carried a Magic Energy Handgun.@@novelbin@@

This Magic Energy Gun was a type of powerful Alchemy firearm that the Luying Royal Academy of Sciences had been developing in recent years. It not only fired alchemy bullets, but the entire firearm structure was also a specially designed Magic Conductor. It was essentially a supplement for the shortcomings of gunmen in the field of high-level professions.

But the Magic Energy Gun was powerful indeed, though slow to reload and incredibly costly.

Apart from nobles, nobody else could afford to use such a device.

Su Lun watched the barrage of gunfire and explosions without flinching.

For at that moment, a burly figure suddenly appeared before him, and his imposing, thick silver arm struck and shattered the blue light with one punch.

The figure's puppet body moved in front of Su Lun, taking the full brunt of the gunfire and cannon fire behind him.

After positioning himself,

the air only then filled with a series of "pop" "pop" "pop" explosive sounds!

The group finally recognized the disheveled yet resolute man.

The few from the black panther group immediately knew him, and with a mix of joy and shock, exclaimed, "Captain Barrett!"

Barrett nodded slightly without saying much, just side-stepping to reveal Su Lun, clearly indicating that his identity was special.

Simultaneously, Tsukuyomi also suddenly appeared on top of a stone pillar. Her hand on the hilt of her sword, she lazily looked down at the group eyeing them eagerly, and muttered, "Oh... seems like someone wants to mess with our Dawn Group..."

At that, it sounded as though a large number of people were converging from the jungle.