Mechanical Alchemist

Approaching midnight, Su Lun rode his motorcycle to the Kaketro Port in the southern district.

According to the intelligence he had received, the "Curator" had used her channels within the Lingdun Black Gang to say that a batch of goods would arrive tonight.

The visibility on the dock was low, the air filled with moist fog, and scant moonlight reached the ground.

Still, one could see some sneaky figures within the docks.

This place was a normal passenger and freight dock during the day, but at night it was alive with stowaways and smugglers.

At the agreed location, Su Lun saw Mr. Hei, who was already there in a golden-threaded black robe.

The two met and nodded in recognition.

Mr. Hei intended to get straight to the matter, but seeing the unusual pallor on Su Lun’s face, he couldn’t help but joke with a laugh, "Young Su Lun, didn’t sleep well last night?"

Not knowing what he was alluding to, Su Lun didn’t respond directly.

Even though he was now a sixth-tier professional, strong enough to kill a demon beast with one punch, spending a day and a night with Sabrina and Lena had worn him out.

Hearing the jest, Su Lun didn’t mind at all, as the two were old friends; he shamelessly chuckled, "Yeah."

Mr. Hei also laughed and mused, "Being young is great."

Smirking, Su Lun raised an eyebrow, knowing it wasn’t the time for chit-chat, and added, "I’ll have to rely on you tonight."

Mr. Hei nodded with a smile and said no more.

Su Lun pinched the Suren Sorcerer’s Seal, and a spatial black hole appeared in his hand; Mr. Hei stepped into it.

Tonight, both parties were fishing, and it was a matter of who was more skillful.

The "Curator" was certainly well prepared.

Su Lun wasn’t sure he could win or if there might be other unforeseen events. Having Mr. Hei with him gave him more confidence.

Although his senior sister was there to support him, she wouldn’t intervene unless absolutely necessary.

...

Su Lun glanced at his pocket watch. The goods were due to arrive at one in the morning, and there was still half an hour to go.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with the occasional sound of insects in the grass.

Su Lun quietly merged into the darkness, his gaze fixed on the distant docks, slightly unfocused.

Suddenly, a cloaked figure emerged silently from the darkness.

Upon seeing him, Su Lun greeted, "Senior sister?"

Feeling no soul presence, it was clear it wasn’t her real body but a mirror image.

"Hmm."

Mr. Jing responded, lifting his cloak to reveal a face of cold pride.

With excellent night vision, Su Lun found the face that suddenly appeared slightly unnerving, his expression flickering strangely.

Mr. Jing noticed and casually asked, "What’s wrong?"

Su Lun shifted his gaze away, unable to meet his eyes, "Nothing."

He felt he had always been straightforward, never as "guilty" as he was at that moment.

All because of Sabrina’s misuse of her charm demon abilities.

Triggered by the situation, certain memories involuntarily surfaced.

Like some idioms from past lives, though normal, had been creatively used by some authors and could no longer be faced straightforwardly.

Such as in broad daylight, hesitatingly, and hitting the nail on the head...

Sounding normal but upon closer inspection, they felt off.

The more he thought about it, the more inappropriate it seemed.

Su Lun reigned in his wandering thoughts, internally remarking: Just as I expected.

Their conversation paused momentarily.

If Mr. Hei could see the unusual pallor on Su Lun, then could Mr. Jing miss it?

Moreover, with Sabrina now being an important intelligence officer within Jing’s organization, how could Mr. Jing not know of her secondary charm demon ability?

Upon recalling Su Lun’s expression just now, it was impossible not to guess what was on his mind.

Mr. Jing’s expression remained devoid of any emotions, only glancing out of the corner of his eye for a moment before muttering under his breath, "Nonsense."

His tone didn’t seem angry, but rather carried the resignation of an older sister toward a naughty younger brother’s antics.

Su Lun dared not continue that line of conversation.

But in his heart, he was full of respect and admiration for his sister, open and unashamed.

After an odd fleeting moment, there was nothing awkward about it.

Having been together so long, Mr. Jing was naturally familiar with Su Lun’s temperament. It was also why she merely said a seemingly faux-angry "Nonsense" instead of truly getting angry.

Moreover, while on the ship before, being always needled without restraint, he had grown accustomed to it.

The straightforwardness of the two immediately dissolved any hint of awkwardness in the air.

Mr. Jing shook her head slightly, as if to skip the topic.

Her expression was as indifferent as ever when she brought up official matters, "I came to tell you that tonight there might be a top expert from the Giant’s Hermitry coming. I might not be able to look after you, so be extra careful on your own."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun frowned, "A top expert?"

His eyes shifted as he thought of something and then asked, "Sister, did you visit Master Pierre?"

Su Lun also remembered arranging a meeting time for his sister with the Ninth-Order Royal Grand Offerer at the round moon dance last night. That man, the leader of the intelligence agency, knew more about the Red Death than anyone else.

Mr. Jing nodded and replied, "I did."

Su Lun was curious about what kind of fascinating conversation could occur between two Great Alchemists, born a thousand years apart yet standing at the peak of the alchemy field, and what sparks of wisdom they could ignite for this era.

But before he could speak, Mr. Jing guessed what he was curious about and directly said, "We discussed some insights on career advancement later on, exchanged knowledge on alchemy. Master Pierre also provided many suggestions for ’Dawn’, discussed the current situation with Rulong, and some of the future. He left some instructions. In short, this visit was very beneficial to me and greatly beneficial to the organization’s development…"

After a moment’s thought, she added, "As for the rest, I can’t talk about it now."

As Su Lun listened to the earlier part of the conversation, he wasn’t too surprised.

But the last phrase "can’t talk about it," made him instantly understand.

They must have discussed something about the Giant’s Hermitry.

The divine system has many strange and mysterious powers.

For example, merely mentioning a name could cause certain deities to sense it.

It’s still uncertain what the outer gods behind that evil sect are like, so being more cautious naturally makes more sense.

Su Lun nodded seriously without asking further, "Understood, sister."

Sister said a top professional would come; tonight’s events seemed more serious than anticipated, instantly adding pressure.

The two spoke no more, and in the darkness, they stood like merely two shadows.

...

Exactly at one o’clock midnight, a small steamboat arrived at the pier.

Several people disembarked from the boat, dressed in ragged combat gear, looking like mercenaries just off the battlefield.

These were the "Iron Boots Mercenary Group" members, just back from the south in Stormka territory, where two lords were currently forces over a mining site.

Another piece of news was that three days ago, in the battle zone in Stormka, thirty thousand militiamen had mysteriously disappeared and were still unaccounted for.

These pieces of information pieced together, it wasn’t hard to guess that someone on the battlefield was harvesting lives, like on the cruise ship, refining the Blood Refined Crystal Core needed by the Evil God.

The intelligence was very directed; anyone who kept tabs on the Giant’s Hermitry could guess.

Su Lun knew this was a bait to lure him.

But since it was part of the plan, there wasn’t much to consider.

He watched a few individuals load several large boxes into a vehicle and immediately teleported to follow them.

Su Lun had predicted the steam limousine’s route in advance and had set a trap. As the target vehicle sped towards him from the direction of the pier, he had already stretched a crystalline thread across the road.

The motorcycle sped by, bringing a whiff of blood along with the street breeze.

Upon closer inspection, the sharp thread had smoothly bisected the vehicle.

Without a sound, the event hardly stirred any battle noise.

The blood-stained thread hung suspended in mid-air, and the sheared car chassis crashed into a wall corner several meters away, with the front of the car deformed, exploding with a loud "bang."

The fourth-tier Mercenary captain in the car had noticed something off in time and leaped out of the car door, but before he could flee, a gargoyle appeared in front of him.

The gargoyle’s left hand cast a Spatial Confinement spell, and with a grab of his right hand, he burst the heart of his foe upon contact.

Su Lun teleported to the motorcycle wreckage, first harvesting several clusters of "grey mist," and confirmed from the intelligence that these guys indeed came to harvest Crystal Cores from the battlefield.

He didn’t pay much attention to the corpses but turned towards the several black suitcases.

One of them had been sliced open by a thin thread, revealing a pineapple-sized Crystal Core emitting a strange red light inside.

Upon examining it, it turned out to be a [Thousand-Men Blood Refining Crystal Core].

...

Su Lun looked at the Crystal Core, and his thoughts began to whirl.

Fishing certainly requires real bait; this Blood Refining Crystal Core was an evil product of the Giant Hermit’s sect.

This thing was useless to ordinary people, and even the Su Lun before advancing to the sixth rank would have considered it nothing more than a stone.

But now, looking at this Crystal Core, there was a slight heat in his eyes.

This one was two to three times bigger than the one he had obtained before, containing a life essence so exaggerated it was frightening.

After all, it was the crystallization of eight thousand lives.

Upon seeing this, Su Lun inadvertently glanced at his attribute panel again.

The previous crystal, after being absorbed, had caused his strength to skyrocket past a thousand from 760. After fully digesting it over the past two days, it had stabilized at a value of 925.

His vitality rating also increased significantly from A+ to S-.

Meaning, the Crystal Core on the cruise ship had temporarily boosted his strength by 165. With this, he was much closer to the required 4300 strength to merge with [Isaac’s Giant Strength].

Under normal circumstances, this would be completely impossible.

If he had to rely solely on his own physical training, it could possibly take several years. Later, as he reached the limitations, it would become increasingly difficult.

But now, there were three suitcases.

This was a shortcut to heaven.

Su Lun instinctively calculated the attribute improvements the three crystals could bring him, suppressing that feeling of anticipation, he sighed softly, "The evil methods of the Evil God indeed offer an irresistible temptation."

Not to mention anything else, just these few Crystal Cores alone made Su Lun feel immensely rewarded.

...

As the thought flashed through his mind, Su Lun collected all three suitcases, constantly projecting his Soul Perception, keeping an eye on the surroundings of the streets.

At that moment, a rustling sound suddenly came from beside his ear, and suddenly, cool raindrops fell on him, causing Su Lun’s pupils to sharply contract: they’re here!

Having been detected by these strange raindrops twice already, Su Lun knew it was the coming of the [Ghost Bride].

The enemy was obviously well-prepared.

Su Lun suddenly looked up to see, on the rooftop of a red brick building some meters away, a terrifying wax statue in a plain white wedding dress standing there, staring directly at the accident scene with cold, resentful eyes.

And it wasn’t just that one; as the rain fell, the wind blew through the streets and alleys, emitting sounds like mournful howls.

Although no physical body was seen, through his Soul Perception, that ghostly terrifying wax figure [Sleeping Beauty] was also slowly drifting over.

Su Lun had encountered these two terrifying wax figures before, their power roughly around that of a sixth-rank profession, troublesome due to their ability to elementalize. But for someone wielding supreme authority, the threat wasn’t too significant.

Su Lun didn’t take them too seriously.

His gaze continued to search through the darkness.

However, an unexpected incident occurred!

At that moment, he suddenly felt the force field around his body violently change, as if gravity had surged tenfold, pressing down like a mountain, putting a terrifying pressure on his internal organs, forcing them downward.

It felt as though his soul was being pulled out, causing Su Lun’s face to drastically change, and he shouted in his mind, "Earth Element Arcanum: Force Field Distortion!"

The advanced use of "Earth Element" magic could change the regional force field, just like now.

Had Su Lun’s physical condition not far exceeded that of ordinary mystical profession practitioners, this alone might have caused some organs to burst on the spot under the intense pressure.

The key was that this spell had almost no warning, very discreet.

Su Lun caught his breath, and then he looked up, seeing at the corner of the street behind him a Headless Knight, wielding a great sword, shrouded in black mist, slowly riding towards him.

The hooves hit the ground with a rhythmic "clang, clang, clang."

With every step, the eerie force field trembled.

This terrifying knight, clearly without a head, somehow made Su Lun feel as if it was staring directly at him.

Su Lun had no time to be surprised.

Not only that, but at nine o’clock, there appeared an old woman wearing a witch’s hat and engulfed in ghostly flames.

Upon identification, the figures were "Water Image: Ghost Bride," "Wind Image: Sleeping Beauty," "Earth Image: Headless Knight," and "Fire Image: Witch of Grimm"... all four elemental wax figures were present.

Seeing this, Su Lun wasn’t too surprised.

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Ever since he first encountered the "Ghost Bride," he had guessed that the puppeteer behind the scenes had assembled these things.

The four terrifying wax figures were all well-known strange tales, originating from who knows how many years ago.

The wax figures in front of him were not just a coincidental naming, but contained some form of curse power.

It was akin to deities made from incense worship in the Mountain Hermit Country.

People thought strange stories were terrifying, and that thought would materialize the strange fantasies from the stories, absorbing spirits such as grudge, fear, and despair. Their power grew stronger and stronger.

That is to say, the controller was a true master of Necromantic Spell Formula and divine secret techniques.

She had turned these strange tales into wax figures of corpses!

...

The aura of the four terrifying wax figures merged into one, and instantly, a pressure that one would only feel facing a seventh-order professional engulfed him from behind.

Su Lun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the four horrifying wax figures enclosing him, feeling a certain threat.

But it was not fatal.

In his heart, however, he was scheming, "Dean Heideman must have come too. Otherwise, she should know that these few terrifying wax figures aren’t enough to hold me back."

As expected, just as this thought arose, a cloaked figure slowly approached from a distance.

Although the face was unclear, Su Lun, with his Soul Perception, recognized that this was none other than the Dean of "Ancient Magic and Archaeology Institute," Heideman Elpuso.

Terrifying wax figures are also a kind of puppet.

No matter how formidable, if the controller was not nearby, their combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

Seeing this woman take matters into her own hands, Su Lun knew he was finally facing the "big fish" he had been waiting for tonight.

The Archaeology Institute was a very niche field at the Royal Academy, and noble young masters and misses did not wish to deal with tombs and corpses all day, so there were very few students. Dean Heideman herself was also low-profile, not well-known. People did not think she was a powerful master; they mostly saw her as an administrative dean.

However, as soon as this person appeared, the killing intent she exuded made Su Lun’s scalp tingle, not the least bit inferior to any seventh-order professional he had encountered!

It was not just powerful, it was sinister.

This cloaked woman was shrouded in an aura of death all over.

Even the black crow on her shoulder let out a "caw" as a warning.

...

"Tsk tsk... let’s see what confidence you have in killing me!"

Su Lun’s gaze hardened, knowing his enemy came prepared.

But she came alone, which meant, Heideman was certain she could kill him.

Seeing this person showing no courtesy, he raised his black scythe with one hand and swiped a slash toward her.

However, an unexpected scene occurred.

Although Su Lun’s slash was just a probe and he did not expect to kill her outright, the spatial fissure caused by the black scythe’s slash was still a great threat to anyone below the seventh order.

Yet as the blade slashed down, Heideman did not dodge; instead, a flash of elemental brilliance appeared in front of her, and the "Headless Knight" had already blocked her.

"Eh... Is this Elemental Instant Transmission? With no spatial fluctuations, how did she manage it?"

Su Lun was slightly startled.

The All-knowing Eye identified some things, but it was still beyond comprehension; he only knew it was the effect of some kind of Necromancy.

However, the other party’s goal was indeed to kill Su Lun.

Just as the black scythe slashed down, Heideman’s hands changed sorcerer’s seals rapidly, taking advantage of the "Headless Knight" blocking the attack, she successfully condensed the spell formula, and with a single palm strike to the ground, a sinister smile leaked from the corner of her mouth, "Necromancy: Terror Wax Museum!"

In an instant, the scenery around them rapidly changed.

The previously dim street scene quickly receded like a tide, turning into a desolate manor in the wilderness.

PS. Ah, I submitted a leave request yesterday, waited a while but no one responded, so I went to sleep. When I woke up, I found out everyone disagreed with the leave. Well, I hurriedly made up for it.