Mechanical Alchemist

Before harvesting Augustus’s memories, Su Lun had learned many secrets of the Rodriguez family and was stunned by the wealth of this ancient noble family that had been noble for hundreds of years.

This kind of great nobility had interests in all walks of life, owning an unimaginable ability to generate wealth, possessing fortunes worth trillions.

However, although an old ancestor of the Rodriguez family had died, the others were still alive, so any plans to dip into this cake had to be considered in the long term.

Fortunately, the old guy didn’t put all his eggs in one basket. He had disguised himself as "Williams" and rented a secret safe deposit box at the royal bank.

There were hundreds of banks, big and small, in the Luying Empire, but there was only one that bore the national emblem.

That was the "Luying Royal Savings Bank."

It was a small treasury of the Bonaparte royal family, the safest bank in Luying, beyond the reach of any institution’s investigations.

Also, because one could open large anonymous accounts, it was the favorite secret bank of various invisible tycoons.

The headquarters of the royal bank was located at 1 Saint Glorius Road, in the wealthy district on the north bank of the Lyndon Lokwarren River, less than eight hundred meters in a straight line from Frederick Palace.

Disguised in a luxurious classical suit, Su Lun hired a lavish, retro carriage and made his way to the Luying Royal Bank.

It was a Gothic-style building that looked like a church on the outside.

Underneath the bank was an underground vault whose size was unknown.>

Because he harvested detailed memories from Augustus, Su Lun succeeded in entering the VIP hall of the bank using handwriting verification and a secret code.

After stating his purpose, the deputy bank manager led him downstairs to the private safe deposit box area.

...

"The defense is really tight," he remarked.

Su Lun followed the middle-aged manager and rode the elevator dozens of meters down into the earth. He sensed the space around him and realized the bank’s vault was equipped with an even more complex anti-theft system than the Royal Academy’s collection room.

Moreover, its neighbor was Bonaparte Palace; there were more covert guards patrolling the nearby streets than ordinary pedestrians. No big-time thieves had ever thought of targeting it.

Soon, the middle-aged deputy manager brought Su Lun to a room filled with safe deposit boxes, the defense spells and restrictions of which were astonishingly elaborate.

The middle-aged man used the bank’s key to open the safe deposit box with the quaintly patterned label "No. 1062," and then left with a word, leaving Su Lun alone at the scene.

As soon as the safe deposit box was opened, inside was a nine-digit alchemical combination lock, resembling a tumbler.

This series of authentication methods, theoretically, should have been impossible for anyone but the owner to retrieve the contents of the safe deposit box.

Yet Su Lun, following the harvested memory, manipulated the alchemical lock’s code, and with a "click," it opened.

The moment it opened, he was immediately dazzled by the glow of the gemstones inside the box.

Gazing at the pile of exquisite gemstones, energy barytes, and demon cores, Su Lun hadn’t felt that sudden rush of becoming fabulously wealthy in a long time, thinking to himself, "I’ve struck it rich..."

Every gemstone that could be placed in this safe deposit box was top-notch.

Flawless gemstones, elemental core crystals, magical beast crystal cores of the seventh and eighth rank... dozens of them!

In Su Lun’s warehouse were two "Cursed Core Crystals" he had brought out, each worth over a hundred million apiece.

These two were brought from Old Lington, and were not for sale on the market.

Yet in the safe deposit box, there were over a dozen of the same grade "Elemental Core Crystals," gems so extraordinary that only one would be produced from an entire vein.

These top-tier alchemical materials were hard currency in the market, strategic resources always in short supply.

And those seventh and eighth rank demon cores were essential materials for top-tier automata.

There appeared to be eleven or twelve of them at a glance.

Just this pile of gemstones was worth tens of billions of Lyson!

Su Lun happily stored all the gemstones into his spatial storage.

The colorful luster of the safe deposit box disappeared immediately.

There were two small boxes inside.

Su Lun opened one which was accessible to find it was filled with a stack of thick papers and parchment scrolls. Flipping through them, they were stock certificates, bonds, and bearer deposit receipts.

"Luying Royal Railway Company," "Selayne Mining Group," "Lyndon Water Company," "Imperial Tobacco Company"...

Looking at the stock certificates of these vital economic enterprises of Luying, Su Lun felt as if he saw hens that could lay golden eggs.

These monopoly industries made money even faster and more steadily than being a pirate; there was no difference from printing money.

If the empire fell, these monopoly companies would not collapse.

These documents were probably the fallback Augustus left for the Rodriguez family.

Even if the family encountered major problems, with these assets, they could rise again.

Su Lun couldn’t help but marvel at how these top-tier families had maintained their legacies for hundreds of years without decline, possessing truly extraordinary heritage.

Since they were a hidden fallback, all these bonds and certificates had no association whatsoever with the Rodriguez family, and Su Lun didn’t hesitate to accept them with a smile.

He thought about giving these securities to Lei Na after he went out. If managed well, they could generate a continuous and substantial income. Moreover, the business secrets about the Rodriguez family that he had extracted could make a fortune if controlled by someone who understood business.

Su Lun searched again and found that, aside from bonds and the like, there were some ancient antique items in the box, some of which bore the noble crest of the Rodriguez family. They seemed to be old tokens passed down through the family lineage.

Su Lun wasn’t interested in these items, but he was curious about their age.

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The few stone carvings, once appraised, turned out to be tens of thousands of years old?

The origins of these antiques were so ancient that even the old ancestor, Augustus, didn’t know when they were passed down.

If they were not found somewhere, then the Rodriguez family truly had a long history.

As Su Lun flipped through the items, suddenly, a snake-shaped fragment caught his attention.

[Urobolos Fragment]

Explanation: An incredibly intricate alchemy fragment, probably only one-fourth; inscribed with the name of the dwarven godsmith ’Iswitt Hammer’; besides the aura of primordial matter, you see more unfathomable *** information;

"To have found another piece..."

Su Lun’s expression changed slightly when he saw this item.

Because he had a piece, too.

Previously in the Sea Ruins, he had encountered the soul monster of the "Pirate Emperor" Francis Drake from over two hundred years ago. That fellow had once stolen about half of the fragment from the Mafa Empire. Now the fragment was in his pocket dimension.

Su Lun tried and found that the break in the two fragments fit perfectly together, but he was still missing about one-fourth of the whole.

Originally having only half, he hadn’t been too concerned.

After all, if the Mafa Empire had had a complete piece, it wouldn’t have been stolen by half.

Now that he had found another quarter, Su Lun began to feel hopeful.

He thought about inquiring around. If he had the chance to put it together, he could also see what this thing really was.

Then.

Su Lun’s gaze fell on the last treasure chest inside the safe.

This was a magic sealed box with some symbols that looked like runes, yet were utterly different from the alchemy civilization’s rune language system.

It looked like a chest for storing important items.

The identification showed it to be [an unknown high-tier runic language system], functioning as a magic lock, needing a specific method to open it.

Upon seeing this chest, Su Lun also pondered, "What could be inside?"

This chest was so ancient even Augustus didn’t know where it came from.

In any case, it had been passed down through the family for generations, with no one able to open it.

This chest, along with that [Siegfried’s Dragon Slayer Dagger] and the knight training method, were all part of the Rodriguez family’s heritage items.

After studying it for a moment, Su Lun could not find a way to open it.

Upon reflection, he decided to seek out the knowledgeable Mr. Hei.

...

After raiding Augustus’s secret vault, Su Lun didn’t encounter any mishap and left the royal bank smoothly.

Before long, he rode his motorcycle to the National Library in the Franklin District.

He walked in with familiarity, and then found Mr. Hei, who was buried in the work of organizing ancient books in the book sorting area.

Upon seeing Su Lun arrive, Mr. Hei greeted, "Su Lun, you’ve come at the perfect time. I’ve managed to decipher that ’Twenty-two Arcana Tarot Card’ — the [Cyclops Hanged Man Card] — that you asked me to translate."

Expectation surfaced in Su Lun’s eyes as he walked over and took a seat on a nearby chair without ceremony, asking, "Oh? Is there really a big secret hidden inside?"

That tarot card had been acquired earlier on the Queen Rodrica cruise ship, and since he couldn’t decipher it himself, he entrusted it to Mr. Hei.

He didn’t hold out much hope.

After all, even Su Lun himself, a master decoder, with the All-knowing Eye, couldn’t decipher it, which spoke volumes about its complexity.

But Mr. Hei had given him a pleasant surprise.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Hei set aside the ancient book he was organizing and responded, "The content deciphered is a treasure map. It records a place called [Mimir’s Well]. There’s also a mythic epic that broadly tells the story of a giant who sacrificed one of his eyes by the waterside and then obtained some runes. The person who made this card left a treasure map on it, saying it could lead to that well. Oh, and there’s a sacrificial rite. But after a careful comparison, I noticed that the sea region marked on the card is an unknown area that isn’t charted on any of Luying’s sea maps..."

"This..."

Upon hearing this storyline, Su Lun’s pupils slightly constricted.

By the spring’s edge with utmost gaze...

Wasn’t this the mythical tale he had seen in the giant’s ruins within the Silent Forest?

The card actually recorded the same story?

After saying a simple sentence, Mr. Hei noticed Su Lun’s intense interest and took out the tarot card, saying, "Take a look for yourself."

Su Lun immediately focused his attention on the card.

Having already decrypted the encryption method, he glanced at the card and saw beneath the image of the Hanged Man a sea chart that appeared like a holographic projection.

At the center of the sea chart was a "horseshoe-shaped" huge island.

Then, there was the myth of the eye sacrifice Mr. Hei mentioned before and a mysterious ritual to obtain the spring water.

"It really is."

Upon seeing this, Su Lun’s thoughts began to race.

The myth about sacrificing eyes he still had never seen in any tome, and Mr. Hei said he had never heard of it either.

But the fact that this same legend was recorded both in those giant ruins and on this "Hanged Man card" made the matter worth pondering.

Before, Su Lun didn’t believe that this set of "Twenty-Two Arcane Tarot Cards" was truly a work of the Dawn Elders. After all, legend is just legend, and merchants selling these antiques like to add some mysterious background, which is how they fetch a higher price.

But now, he was beginning to believe it.

Anything related to mythical civilizations was never simple.

"Does the ’Mimir’s Well’ truly exist?"

Su Lun felt that this might be an opportunity closely related to the origins of his "All-knowing Eye" talent, and if the conditions were right, he definitely needed to go and see for himself.

But obviously, the conditions were not yet ripe.

The sea chart on the card showed only the surroundings of "Horseshoe Island," roughly indicating it was in the West Sea.

But with only this bit of information, finding that island in the vast sea was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Mr. Hei possessed a photographic memory, and he said he had not seen it, which meant that the Lyndon sea charts really did not include it.

It was like a glimmer of hope had suddenly appeared, only to be completely extinguished.

Su Lun pursed his lips and showed a helpless smile, complaining, "The one who drew this treasure map really meant to give people a hard time, huh? Without the detailed route, how can one search for it?"

However, Mr. Hei chuckled and offered another perspective, "Have you considered that maybe the reason the exact route wasn’t drawn is because that sea area is too dangerous? Whoever left the treasure map on the tarot card didn’t want to lead people to die in vain. If a ship did approach that sea area before, this information would already be enough to confirm its location. The absence of it on current sea charts means that no one has survived approaching it."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun’s eyes lit up, and he suddenly understood, exclaiming, "That makes sense."

The current level of sea navigation in the Emperor Luying’s empire wasn’t low; thousands of adventurers had expanded the empire’s sea charts many times over the centuries.

But the fact that this area hadn’t been discovered yet meant it was either extremely remote, or extremely dangerous.

Either way, they were regions of the sea currently unreachable by humankind.

Su Lun sighed softly, "Another treasure map without a lead."

Although the card was decrypted, it was likely to just gather dust in the warehouse.

Exploring unknown sea areas was not something you just decided to do; it could take decades, even centuries...

The holographic-like map on the card also reminded Su Lun of the "Black Sam’s World Sea Map" he had obtained before, which seemed to be made using the same techniques.

The Pirate King thirty years ago had never returned from exploring unknown sea areas...

Su Lun thought about this and felt slightly bemused.

...

For now, he could set aside the matter with the tarot card, as Su Lun recalled the purpose of his visit and took out the special sealed magic chest.

He asked, "Mr. Hei, could you help me look at this magic chest and see what kind of restriction is on it, and if it can be decrypted?"

Mr. Hei took one look at the chest, and his eyes immediately showed a very cautious expression.

He pushed up the glasses slipping down his nose bridge and took the magic chest very seriously, examining it closely.

Su Lun stood by quietly, watching without speaking.

After studying it for a while, Mr. Hei finally spoke, "This isn’t a rune from the alchemical civilization system. It seems to be a kind of high-level magic script."

With Mr. Hei’s uncertain tone, Su Lun replied with slight surprise, "Mr. Hei, you don’t recognize it?"

"It’s normal that I don’t recognize it. The river of civilization is as splendid as a galaxy, and the knowledge we understand is but one in a billion."

Mr. Hei smiled lightly, as always, with his characteristic humility.

But his tone shifted as he continued, "However, I have seen similar symbols on antiques from some interrupted civilizations. Because so few have survived, the alchemical world has not yet confirmed what they definitely represent. By the way, where did you get this thing from?"

For him, Su Lun had nothing to conceal and directly explained the situation with Augustus.

Mr. Hei seemed to think of something upon hearing this.

After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Su Lun, did your All-knowing Eye see anything different about these symbols?"

After appraising them again, Su Lun replied, "I saw some transcendent characteristics similar to high-level runic languages."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Hei fell into deep thought and after a long while, he finally said, "That must be it. It’s very likely ’Dragon Language Magic.’"

Su Lun too was quite surprised to hear this, "The language of dragons?"

This was an area where, despite his vast acquisition of knowledge, he had remained oblivious.

"Yes."

Mr. Hei nodded confidently, and his extensive knowledge was on full display when discussing such a topic, "In the ancient mythological civilizations, alongside the languages of demons, elves, and gods, the dragon language was known as one of the ’four advanced language systems.’ They are not texts that mortals can come into contact with and understand because these high-level linguistic texts are not just patterns; they contain certain specific laws and transcendent properties, much like alchemical runes. To put it plainly, the high-level language system is like a magic spell; it possesses magic power inherently."

As Su Lun listened, he pondered, somewhat comprehending and somewhat not.

After a pause, Mr. Hei gave an example, "It’s like the eldritch whispers that come with certain cursed items. Ordinary humans can’t withstand those words that contain transcendent properties and end up with distorted minds."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun immediately understood.

Mental distortion was a condition he knew all too well!

Mr. Hei continued, "I’ve suspected that these symbols are related to the dragon civilization because the antiques where these symbols are found are generally associated with ancient civilizations where giant dragons existed. But since those artifacts had lost their transcendent properties, the symbols alone had lost the expressive meaning of a high-level language system, making it impossible to determine anything. However, this box is the only one I’ve seen that has preserved its magical attributes so well and comes from the Rodriguez family, so it’s most likely a ’Dragon Language Magic Box.’"

After a bit of enlightenment, Su Lun felt his knowledge expanding and asked, "Then, Mr. Hei, are you able to decode it?"

Mr. Hei spread his hands with a helpless expression, decisively saying, "I can’t. It’s beyond my current level of understanding. Even I can’t perceive the transcendent properties on these symbols."

"..."

Su Lun just shrugged.

Without the All-knowing Eye, he couldn’t see them either.

But it was as expected.

After all, the Rodriguez family had passed down this box for hundreds of years and tried everything, yet no one had ever opened it; the box was naturally not going to be easy to open.

If it was described as dragon language magic that humans couldn’t understand, everything made sense.

So, it appeared that the Rodriguez family’s self-proclaimed "descendants of the Dragon Slayer" wasn’t just an attempt to adorn themselves with false honors.

Perhaps it was real after all?

Unexpectedly, Mr. Hei added, "However, you can ask your teacher. She should know more. After all, our ancestor was once a demigod and had seen dragons with his own eyes."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun had a sudden realization, "That’s right!"

Sir Isaac had indeed seen dragons with his own eyes, and as his closest daughter, Mr. Jing might know something about dragon language magic, wouldn’t she?

Su Lun, not bound by the same generational gap as Mr. Hei, directly dialed his communicator.

Upon asking,

Mr. Jing indeed knew a bit about the dragon language!

...

Su Lun had come to the National Library and hadn’t wandered around, choosing instead to stay there.

Having just advanced to the sixth level, he had much to learn that required interaction with peers of the same level.

Mr. Hei was just perfect for that, as he had also advanced to the sixth level not long ago, and moreover, he was a Scholar capable of solving a variety of problems.

But when Su Lun mentioned that he had added the Royal Library’s mirror gallery to his little void realm, Mr. Hei couldn’t hide his envy.

The primary reason why Mr. Hei chose to become this administrator was that it allowed access to a wealth of knowledge, fulfilling his yearning for knowledge and aiding in his career advancement as a [Scholar].

Although the administrator’s position offered tranquility, there were many miscellaneous tasks that could eat up some time.

Moreover, the Royal Library had far richer collections than those of a public library like the National Library, with many more high-level alchemical tomes... It was almost like comparing gold to silver.

Mr. Hei immediately expressed his intention to move into the small void realm once he had handed over some intelligence work for the Jing organization.

Su Lun felt it was a good idea.

The two then settled in the library, reading and exchanging insights on their advancement.

It wasn’t until two days later that Mr. Jing suddenly contacted him, informing that she had arrived in Lyndon by ship.