Mechanical Alchemist

As midnight approached, the sea was pitch black, and the submarine was coated with a special light-absorbing substance that rendered it invisible to the naked eye.

Although Su Lun couldn't see the exact shape of the submarine in the water, judging by the distribution of the Soulfire, one of the submarines was significantly longer than the other two, estimated to be over 130 meters in length.

Conventional combat submarines wouldn't be built so large, issues with turning radius, speed, and noise — larger size is problematic in many ways.

If one of the three submarines had such an exaggerated displacement, then it was most likely that so-called "secret mechanical research base." After all, mechanical workshops require a certain amount of space to install those large forging machines.

Its large size could only make sense for this purpose.

Su Lun didn't bother with the submarine heading straight for him; instead, he braved the water pressure and directed himself toward the two submarines that were diving rapidly.

Luckily, the sea bed in this secret realm wasn't too deep; otherwise, if they were to hide hundreds of meters below the sea surface, he would really have no way to deal with these guys.

...

Su Lun's actions were decisive; before the mages could react, he had already appeared in front of that huge submarine.

Once again, he took out eight glass jars from his storage space. As soon as the jars shattered, eight specially-modified mechanical octopuses came to life. They stretched out their tentacles, brandishing their suction cups, and clung to the hull.

Before he could even take action, Su Lun had discerned that the outermost layer of the submarine was a titanium alloy pressure-resistant shell, with a highly advanced toughness coating and strong runes—its armor was much stronger than that of the other two submarines. Thus, the mechanical octopuses cutting through it was not very efficient.

To force the submarine to halt its descent, he swung the black scythe in his hand, making several swift slashes, and finally managed to cut a triangular breach in the thick armor on the surface of the hull.

This degree of damage wasn't enough to significantly harm the submarine in a short time, but the crew inside certainly wouldn't dare to continue diving.

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It was at this moment that a flash of lightning suddenly appeared on the outer layer of the submarine, erupting into an exaggerated arc of purple electricity.

The eight mechanical octopuses stiffened from the shock, almost losing their grip and falling from the hull.

Even Su Lun, who was not far away and enshrouded in runes, felt as if his tongue had been numbed by electricity.

Having encountered mechanical octopus attacks many times, how could the mages of Mafa not be prepared? This arc attack was likely a measure added later to prevent mechanical octopuses from clinging on.

Unfortunately for them, Su Lun had already anticipated this.

If he were the designer of the submarine, electricity would indeed be the best way to deal with mechanical octopuses.

But since he had thought of it, these eight specially-modified mechanical octopuses were also equipped with special diversion and insulation devices. A shock like that wasn't a big deal to them. They continued to cut into the hull, intent on thoroughly destroying the submarine.

Su Lun didn't actually want to destroy this submarine; he was forcing these people to surface and keeping his true intentions unclear to the enemy.

...

For submarines, mechanical octopuses were like an incurable disease that couldn't be shaken off.

The people of Mafa had already experienced this.

But last time, there were only a few.

This time, there were as many as fifty to sixty!

At that moment, the other two submarines also ejected several soldiers clad in mechanical armor, who upon spotting Su Lun, began to swarm towards him.

Su Lun wasn't afraid of fighting in the water.

Although his own movements would be constrained, the mechanical soldiers were equally limited, and most importantly, mechanical octopuses were highly agile and varied in the water, performing at their best!

As per his usual tactic, the mechanical octopuses took control of the mechanical soldiers, and Su Lun seized the opportunity to start reaping with his black scythe.

It was almost always a single stroke, or two, that could sever a mechanical armor.

Even without sight, he could distinguish the enemy's position through the clinging threads in the seawater with his Soul Perception.

...

As expected, after Su Lun had killed several mechanical warriors, the opponents recognized him as the same person they had encountered before.

After all, Duke Raphael's secretly researched mechanical octopuses had only been introduced to the world not long ago, which caused the previously invincible submarines of Mafa to suffer significant losses and they had not thought of an effective countermeasure.

After that large submarine was damaged, it indeed started to surface.

The other two did the same.

They wanted to reach the surface and then figure out how to deal with the mechanical octopuses.

And just then, a fiery red mechanical battle suit burst out from the submarine.

As soon as it appeared, the steam boiler on the mechanical armor spewed out exaggerated steam, the seawater churned with massive bubbles, rushing over with the swiftness of a cheetah.

Su Lun found it familiar, it was naturally the "Major-General magic blade X1 type mechanical battle suit."

This mechanical battle suit, with the combat power of a tier-6 professional, was a headache even if a thousand came at once. Its high-end protection, which was almost entirely resistant against physical and magical damage, made it as difficult to deal with as a metal turtle shell.

Originally, Su Lun couldn't handle it, and upon encountering it, he would have to retreat.

But now, he had an additional trump card in his hand.

The Major-General charged forward, and before he arrived, the "Magical Energy Magma Python Knife" he wielded in his mechanical arm stabbed forward like a whip. The high-temperature red whip boiled in the seawater, and swathes of white steam rose before the eyes.

Seeing this unit appear, Su Lun knew the mechanical octopuses would be ineffective against it and didn't waste them trying to block its path.

Without dodging or evading, he continued to swing the black scythe, slashing at the lower-tier controlled mechanical warriors. Occasionally, he even had time to lash out at the submarines twice, creating gashes and forcing the crew to accelerate their ascent.

In the blink of an eye, the scalding red whip came slicing through the boiled water vapor; Su Lun spared it only a peripheral glance, and a massive figure appeared at his side, absorbing the blow with its robust body.

With a "snap," it seemed as though one could hear the sizzling sound of something being scorched.

One had to admit, the "Magical Energy Magma Python Knife," capable of penetrating the protective aura and elemental barrier of a tier-6 professional, was indeed formidable. Even though the gargoyle's defenses were so strong that even the black scythe struggled to cut through, this whip left a charred wound an inch deep, revealing a metallic shine with a silvery hue.

But in an instant, the wound on the gargoyle healed as if it had never been there.

Seeing this, Su Lun's slightly furrowed brow also relaxed.

Since the whip didn't bother the gargoyle, the battle could almost entirely proceed according to plan.

With many new functions, the current alchemy golems couldn't be defeated, if not kill the enemy outright.

Equipped with the "Four-Color Elemental Heart" as the energy core, if it came down to endurance, it would surely outlast that Major-General's mechanical battle suit.

As long as he persisted a little longer, Su Lun's goal would also be achieved.

The Major-General, seeing his whip was ineffective against the gargoyle, clearly knew this to be a Puppet Master's trick.

He didn't tangle with the puppet and once again the power boiler charged up, his form quickly changing position against the strong water resistance. The rushing and teleportation made explosive-like commotion in the sea, which was extremely exaggerated.

Unfortunately, no matter how many times it teleported, the gargoyle's instant movement was always there to block its path beforehand.

The Teleportation technique, though with intervals, was still much faster than the mechanical battle suit, and was completely within Sur Lun's control.

The gargoyle Su Lun controlled held back the enemy's strongest Major-General, greatly reducing the threat from the rest.

...

Even with the appearance of the Major-General, the attackers were not killed, and indeed, the people on board the three Mafa submarines panicked.

The submarine surfaced in a very short amount of time.

Su Lun also stepped onto the back of the submersible and emerged from the water, where he could clearly see that it was an enormous vessel over one hundred and fifty meters in length and more than twenty meters wide.

The other two combat subs were much smaller, only about eighty to ninety meters long.

Once they reached the surface, the mechanical octopuses were also exposed to the air.

As the hatch on the command tower opened, hundreds of mechanical warriors clad in various types of battle armor filed out.

These mechanical warriors fearlessly entangled themselves with the mechanical octopuses, with a few taking on one, using ship-cutter swords, siege hammers, powerful demolition tools... all sorts of methods were utilized in an effort to rapidly clear away the octopuses.

Su Lun, however, had no intention of letting things go their way, and seized the moment to slice down with his black scythe.

At the same time, with a "whoosh" sound, a signal flare shot into the sky and exploded into a splendid firework display.

This was clearly a call for reinforcements.

Although Su Lun had used a signal jammer to block the signals in this sea area, he couldn't prevent this kind of physical method of calling for reinforcement.

"Time to end the battle quickly..."

He muttered to himself, clasping his hands in a magician's seal, and instantly crosses condensed in the sky.

Then, tossing out several scrolls, hundreds of curse dolls appeared on the surface of the sea.

While the Rune Vajra dolls were strong against professinals, they were nearly ineffective against these fully-armed mechanical warriors.

But the warriors hadn't noticed that among those Rune Vajra dolls, there were a few [Siren Banshee Dolls] hidden within.

As Su Lun was setting up the puppet army, he popped open his black umbrella with a bang. The spell he had been preparing for quite some time was just about to coalesce when he gave a soft cry, "Nightfall Domain, activate!"

In an instant, nearly a hundred thousand wraiths burst forth from the umbrella, turning the sea surface into a ghastly spectacle.

With its strong necromancy spell penetration, although the wraiths couldn't invade the armored suits with spiritual defense right away, the attack was sustained. As long as one stayed within the domain's range for long enough, they would eventually be influenced by the wraiths.

There was an original shortcoming to this move—if the opponent didn't succumb immediately, they could escape the range of the wraiths.

But now, Su Lun was practically "guarding the corpse."

He stood on the submarine, and the mechanical warriors, in order to protect the submersible, had to come close for a melee attack.

But once they got near the coverage range of [Nightfall], they would be affected.

As for ranged attacks, they were also severely limited.

Patterns like fish scales emerged on Su Lun's skin, clearly the [Ximing Laiwa's Sea God Runes]. Alchemical bullets struck him, creating ripples like those on the surface of water, yet they were completely harmless.

Although the mechanical battle armors were equipped with heavy artillery capable of destroying ships, they also dared not fire at will.

The range of the artillery was too wide. It wasn't clear whether they could damage Su Lun, but it would definitely damage the submarine.

No one dared to fire recklessly.

...

Mystic attacks are the last thing mechanical warriors want to encounter.

Only magic could defeat magic.

The black umbrella's function had been experienced by that "Commodore" before, and it was clear they were prepared for it.

It was after the "Nightfall Domain" unfolded that the equipment compartments on the arms of the mechanical warriors clicked open, revealing neatly arranged magic scrolls much like potions. Among them, a white scroll shot out, detonating in midair and emitting a "Holy Light Technique" that burst forth like the dazzling white light of a flash grenade.

Dozens were released at once, illuminating this vast expanse of sea.

The red spirits released from Black Umbrella were caught off guard and a portion of them were instantly burnt by the Holy Light, while some retracted back to the bottom of Black Umbrella.

Su Lun looked on impassively. "Holy Light Scroll?"

The Nightfall Domain he was now deploying, driven by his Death rules, wasn't something a low-level Holy Light Technique could dispel.

Even with the Light rules as a counter, to dispel his technique, at least a Level Six kind of law from the realm would be needed. But scrolls of that caliber weren't readily available. Normally, a Sixth Order Magic Scroll required a Level Six professional to spend several days crafting, with a high cost and a limited shelf life.

It was absolutely impossible to mass-equip them as regular war preparedness resources.

This batch of third- and fourth-order scrolls only managed to slightly slow down the erosion of the evil spirits and were of little effect.

The presence of Su Lun remained unsolved.

The Major, still entangled with the gargoyles, made the mechanical warriors commanded by the Colonels and Lieutenant Colonels seem too feeble and ineffective against Su Lun's methods.

Instead, constrained by the mechanical octopus, Su Lun was reaping mechanical warriors one after another with his black scythe.

Mechanical warriors kept pouring out of the submarines, and swarms of puppets were blown to pieces. However, Su Lun found the opportunity to let the "coincidentally" demolished corpses of the [Siren Dolls] fall into two of the attacking submarines.

The pressure-resistant shells of submarines have a very high technological content, able to defend against most spiritual and sonic attacks. Only by throwing them inside was there a chance of injuring people.

...

Su Lun looked like he was about to destroy the submarines,

while the Mafa mechanical warriors, heedless of their own lives, were intent on protecting them,

so the battle was very fierce.

It looked like Su Lun was gaining the upper hand, but actually, his mechanical octopus was also heavily damaged in the battle.

Killing a thousand enemies, he might not have lost eight hundred, but certainly five hundred.

But his face displayed an exceptional composure throughout.

It wasn't that he didn't care about his hard-earned possessions; he was actually waging psychological warfare.

He was waiting for the giant submarine to open its hatch before persistently controlling the mechanical octopus to continue slicing the hull.

It seemed like he was there to damage the submarines, but he couldn't really afford to sink the ships.

If he delayed any longer and exceeded the planned time, he would have to retreat.

By then, though he would have killed some mechanical warriors, he would also have lost most of his mechanical octopuses, which could only be considered a pyrrhic victory.

That was not the outcome he wanted to see.

Although it pained Su Lun to see his hard-earned mechanical octopuses being spent, he continued the consumption.

He knew the other side was definitely more panicked than he was!

In everyone's mind, this was a premeditated ambush.

If the enemy dared to make a move, they must have secure confidence.

Moreover, it was an enemy encountered time and again.

And sure enough, Su Lun gambled right!

Just then, the hatch of the large submarine suddenly opened, and a distinctly shaped mechanical warrior was ejected out.

The mages knew that if they didn't kill Su Lun, the consequences would be disastrous.

Even if they managed to hold out until reinforcements arrived, they would suffer heavy losses.

They couldn't afford to gamble.

It was the moment the hatch opened that Su Lun felt a spirit rush in, and he let out a sigh of relief in his heart, "Finally, there's a chance!"

That spiritual projection was naturally the art of Astral Projection from Pandora.

This was the most crucial part of the plan.

As long as Pandora's spiritual power could invade, those inside who were not wearing battle armor could be controlled. The value of this vessel could then be preserved to the greatest extent possible.

But before Su Lun could rejoice, at that moment, the mechanical warrior in mid-air suddenly turned its head.

Within the All-knowing Eye, an unfeeling red light eyeball was seen.

[Alpha Laser Alchemical Eyeball]

Quality: Dark Gold

Description: Red eye effect, piercing gaze.

Curse Characteristics: Can quickly determine the target material's defense state and energy barrier type, emitting laser beams of different wavelengths accordingly, causing 100% penetration to targets not above the item's level of law, along with additional effects such as burning and light corrosion damage; users who have not comprehended high-order light-related laws will consume a significant amount of life energy and suffer permanent blindness;

Explanation: A product of alchemy from the Dawn Era, a magic eye forged from a Void Evil Eye, releasing a fatal beam of light at the cost of blindness; extremely fast attack speed, by the time you see it, it's already too late;

It was upon this eye-to-eye meeting that Su Lun internally cursed.

People usually think that mechanical warriors, being far less advanced in alchemy research than ordinary professionals, are less likely to possess such odd cursed items.

Mafa may have started with mechanics, but that doesn't mean they lack traditional professionals.

The one before him is an alchemist disguised in battle armor, using a very dangerous cursed item!

As the red glow lit up in the enemy's eyes, his body visibly withered away.

Yet, it was this glance that made Su Lun feel as if his scalp was exploding.

He had never underestimated the enemy.

But the weird and bizarre cursed items in this world are truly endless and unpredictable.

How fast is the speed of light?

Almost simultaneously as Su Lun saw it, the red light had already struck his forehead.

The red light penetrated his Death Barrier as easily as poking through paper, then like a sharp knife, it drilled fiercely into his skull.

Fortunately, he was bolstered by [Rune Vajra]

Skin, muscle, and then bones, were all engraved with runes.

Su Lun felt as though his head was about to explode from the intense burning.

But it was this momentary resistance that gave him the chance to teleport.

"Swoosh~"

Next thing you know, Su Lun had appeared several meters away.

He was panting heavily, his back already drenched with cold sweat.

Luckily, the runes inscribed on his skin were [Ximing Laiwa's Sea God Runes], divine-grade runes that, even at 15%, had a principle level far above most top-tier techniques.

Had he been protected only by [Rune Vajra] before, he would have been instantly killed by that red light.

"Damn!"

Having walked the line of death, a curse burst from Su Lun's heart.

As he teleported, he swung the black scythe in his hand, decapitating the individual who had unleashed the red eye.

Su Lun tugged on the threads and pulled the metal-embedded head into his hands.

Without lingering, at that moment, Pandora's psychic message came through his mind: "We've got control!"@@novelbin@@

His heart lifted with joy, the fear from his brush with death instantly dissipating.

Having control over the people inside the submarine meant that half of the plan was already a success.

He immediately sent a message: "Close the hatch door. Miss Pandora, please protect me for a moment!"

Pandora responded promptly: "Okay!"

No sooner had she spoken than the hatch of the submarine was sealed shut. A figure clad in a cloak approached over the waves and landed beside Su Lun.

Seeing Pandora by his side, Su Lun's sense of security soared, and he spoke quickly, "Thanks for your help."

Pandora nodded slightly in acknowledgment, "Mhm."

With such an unfathomable ally at his side, Su Lun had no more concerns and didn't bother to go after the mechanical warriors. He clasped his hands together, and a black hole slowly began to form in his palms: "Alchemy·Void Whale Swallow!"

Then he looked at the submarine and slammed his palm down.

As dark spiritual power was infused, the black hole grew larger and larger.

That's right!

Su Lun's plan was to seize this submarine right in front of the Mafa mechanical warriors!

....

Almost exactly as Su Lun had anticipated, right when Pandora took control of the large submarine's crew, Chien sent over an urgent message.

"Su Lun, we've been attacked by the main force of the North Sea fleet. We've managed to stop the first wave, but a powerful enemy is on their way. We can hold out for a maximum of half an hour. Be careful over there."

"Good! That should be enough time!"

After responding, Su Lun didn't say more, continuing to channel dark Spiritual Power to make the mouth of the [Void Whale Swallow] technique grow larger.

To "swallow" such a submarine over one hundred meters long was indeed a risky move!

It required a significant amount of time.

As the black vortex in Su Lun's hands grew, the Mafa crew realized what he was attempting.

The enemy didn't intend to sink the submarine fleet; they wanted to hijack it!

Good heavens, are these people mad?

The admiral was fraught with anxiety and disbelief.

But he couldn't escape the harassment of the gargoyle, only able to watch helplessly as the black hole in Su Lun's hand got bigger and bigger.

"Damn it, the enemy's real goal is to take 'Royal Number 7'! All combat personnel of Ship One and Ship Two, come out of the bay and kill the enemy with all your might!"

"Yes!"

At that command, mechanical warriors from the other two submarines also began to emerge from their hatches.

But an unexpected scene occurred.

No sooner had those mechanical warriors been ejected than they began to tumble into the water in a drunken state, falling with a splash.

"Heh."

Su Lun watched, his eyes slightly narrowed, not the least bit surprised.

He had thrown a few "Siren Dolls" into the submarines just a moment ago, and those subsonic waves, imperceptible to the human senses, had been covering the area for quite a while now. They might not be lethal, but they were certainly sufficient to cause a group of physically weak mechanical warriors to become dizzy and disoriented.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Lun controlled a zombie to swing its black scythe and reap a few more soldiers.

....

"Damn it!"

Watching his subordinates fall into the water one after another, the commodore's face turned ashen. He swiftly retreated hundreds of meters, leaving the coverage of Su Lun's puppet theater.

Since he knew that the enemy's intention wasn't to sink the submarines, there was no need to protect the vessels at the cost of their lives.

He had also realized that Su Lun needed to stand still to cast his Spatial Techniques, presenting a rare opportunity.

But he was also reluctant to take the risk.

Sink the "Royal No. 7 Secret Mechanical Research Institute"?

No,

If the vessel were sunk, all the precious research instruments inside would be destroyed—an immeasurable loss!

It wasn't just a matter of financial and technological loss; numerous researchers would be lost as well.

The catastrophic consequences could even affect the alliance between Mafa and the King of the North Sea!

That was more responsibility than a commodore could bear.

Without an explicit order from Her Royal Highness Princess Stika, no one would dare make that decision!

But if they didn't sink it, there was still a glimmer of hope.

This was the Void Domain. If reinforcements from the North Sea Fleet, the true experts, came to their aid, they could still retake it!

With this in mind, the commodore immediately issued an order: "Everyone, attack from a distance! Do not harm 'Royal No. 7' but kill those two first!"

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the hundred or so mechanical warriors also stopped their tussle with the mechanical octopuses and withdrew hundreds of meters away.

Then they raised their guns and bombarded Su Lun and his companion.

Su Lun watched as the mechanical warriors left and did not control the mechanical octopuses to chase them. Instead, he continued cutting through the other two submarines.

With the current situation, it was certain that the other two warships were beyond reach, but he also couldn't leave them for the enemy to chase after them later.

Just then, the sounds of "crackle and pop" rang in his ears as various bullets and artillery shells fell like rain.

Su Lun controlled the gargoyles to shield him, and the Alchemical Golem stretched its huge wings wide, blocking almost all the attacks.

The occasional bullet that slipped through was hardly painful.

For the artillery shells, there was Pandora.

This Alchemical Automaton displayed an amazing feat of catching artillery shells with bare hands, shocking Su Lun considerably.

Looking at the intensity of the attack, Su Lun knew the enemy had reservations and lacked the resolve to sink the submarine.

However, this was as he expected.

Had it been a regular submarine, it would probably have been sunk by now, vessel and crew together.

But now, having confirmed it was the "Secret Mechanical Research Base," the people of Mafa certainly weren't willing to destroy it.

Technology, equipment, personnel—these were all priceless treasures.

Especially the technicians brought from Mafa, if lost, were gone for good.

Moreover, Su Lun had received word from Qian that high-rank professionals had bypassed their blockade and were heading straight over. In no more than ten minutes, they would arrive.

Therefore, the people of Mafa probably thought they "could still counterattack" and therefore refrained from using their most devastating weapons.

The "commodore" had led several charges in an attempt to cause trouble for Su Lun and disrupt his casting.

But not once did they manage to get past Pandora and the gargoyle's interception.

Helplessly, they could only watch as time slowly ticked away.

Both sides were playing for time.

....

Thus, they were at a deadlock for several more minutes.

"Void Whale Swallow," this technique was terrifyingly draining on dark spiritual power, Su Lun's face was ashen from the continuous output, showing signs of nearing collapse.

And the progress of the technique in his hands looked to have reached only halfway.

This successfully deceived the enemy.

But in reality, Su Lun had already completed ninety-nine percent of it.

This was a little spatial trick he had stripped off earlier, using some special layers of space to confuse visual perception!

Suddenly, a look of joy burst from Su Lun's eyes: "Got it!"

Guessing the enemy's reluctance to destroy the submarine was one thing, but there was a risk involved.

After all this suspense, he was waiting exactly for this last moment.

The cost he had previously paid was about to be rewarded a thousandfold, even ten thousandfold!

Struggling against the sensation of impending collapse, Su Lun changed the sorcerer's seals once more, and the black hole suddenly expanded by a hundred meters, visibly engulfing the entire submarine.

As the technique was retracted, the massive submarine disappeared without a trace from the sea's surface.

"Got it inside!"

Su Lun's heart surged with ecstasy as he instantly lost his strength.

No longer caring about tidying up the aftermath, Pandora grabbed hold of him, and with the Moon Reading Illusion Technique employed, dozens of shadows remained on the sea's surface.

The people of Mafa wanted to pursue, but after chasing a short distance, the lights and shadows dissipated, and where could any trace of a person be seen on the sea's surface?