Mechanical Alchemist

Dawn Group had robbed Gold Digger Island's secret base, which was akin to stirring a hornet's nest, causing a series of aftershocks.

After the incident was reported, it seemed as though the entire world was searching for them.

The Royal Navy, several hundred pirate groups under the banner of Morlock Poppen, the "King of the Western Sea," the various coastal lords of the Royal Navy's territory, along with some oddly assorted forces.

Some came seeking vengeance, others to negotiate for technology, and then there were those looking for partnerships or to rob them... In short, all kinds of brokers and intelligence organizations became active. The black markets of the Royal Navy's lands were also experiencing an unprecedented bustling scene.

Yet, as the principal culprits, Su Lun and his companions paid no mind to the official commotion. In order to avoid those people, they deliberately took a long detour at sea, passing the warzone south of the Royal Navy's lands, and headed for the Maffa Empire.

By the time they arrived within Maffa's borders, a month had passed.

....

That day.

Above the second largest city of Maffa, Manuel Hill, a large airship was slowly navigating through the sky.

Steampunk airships, a mode of transportation well-suited for Maffa's hilly mountainous terrain, eliminated the need for bridge construction and roadwork. With low operation costs, convenience, and speed, the technology saw perennial research and improvement, maturing increasingly and had indeed become the mainstream means of transportation between major territories in Maffa's inland.

This was a passenger airship, with a gondola below the balloon that provided ample space.

Su Lun in leisurely western attire was sitting by the window, appreciating the view of the clouds.

The Dawn Group wasn't in a position to openly expose themselves, so the day before, Qian Tiao and the other members had landed in a different city. The entire pirate group scattered into smaller units, taking the opportunity to resupply on land and enjoying some relaxation and entertainment.

As for Su Lun, he boarded the airship with the "hostage," Miss Dora.

This was the trading spot he had deliberately chosen.

Although Su Lun was confident that few could trap him now, he remained cautious.

After all, he had incidentally kidnapped the marshal's daughter, so it was best to be careful.

The airship's confined space negated the possibility of an ambush by a large force. And in the skies, Su Lun was confident that if a fight did break out, he would have the advantage over anyone else.

Glancing at the rivets on the airship, he felt somewhat emotional; Maffa's airship technology was truly decades ahead compared to Royal Navy's purely ornamental airships. The technical content of just this civilian steampunk airship would match some of the Royal Navy's military airships.

....

The flight time passed slowly, and Su Lun was browsing the newspapers provided by the airship transportation company for passengers.

In about six hours, they would arrive at the imperial capital, Capitron.

The "Maffa Daily" was much richer in content than the decaying newspapers of London. As the land was under military dictatorship, there was hardly any political squabbling. The news mostly focused on societal and technological aspects, such as industrial exhibitions, mechanical expos, competitions for patents by mechanical academies... and of course, the highly developed entertainment news.

Su Lun found it quite engrossing.

Coming from the Royal Navy, it truly felt like a cross-era sensation.

From an ancient age of knights and magic to the steamy era of machinery.

Opposite him, Miss Dora bore an expressionless face, probably still sulking from being locked up in a dark room.

At this moment, Dora no longer appeared as the freckled technician from before, but had reverted to her original appearance as a short-haired, capable Mechanic.

Her features were not excessively stunning but by no means poor.

Especially the heroic spirit in her brow, which added a sense of efficiency.

The change in appearance was to mask her identity, but now that she was exposed, there was no need for disguise. After all, the granddaughter of the Moses family was not a secret.

Truthfully Su Lun didn't want to confine her, but she was simply too clever.

Her learning and thinking abilities were so impressive that even Mr. Hei couldn't stop praising her. If she stayed in the minor void world any longer, she would probably figure out all his secrets in no time.

So to keep the secrets and not expose the location of the Dawn Group, he arranged a single room for her in the castle.

Though she was well-fed and well-treated,

she still harbored some resentments.

The two sat opposite each other, the atmosphere slightly awkward.

As Su Lun read the newspaper, he could still catch the disgruntled and resentful gazes of the ransom girl from the corner of his eye, as if she were saying, "You preach about the great righteousness of civilization, but you're still going to exchange me for ransom?"

Although Su Lun had a thick skin, he still felt a tinge of guilt inside.

On one hand, he bamboozled the girl about "righteousness," and on the other, he extorted her family for a lot of stuff.

Right now, he was just waiting for someone to come and ransom the girl.

Eventually, being watched like that made him uncomfortable, and Su Lun felt that he should say something.

While reading the newspaper, he started making small talk with the ransom girl.

"So, Miss Dora, have you also been to Lyndon?"

"Yes. I was an exchange student at the Mechanical Academy and spent some time at the Royal Academy in Luying. Which class are you from, sir? Maybe we've met before. My class had many amazing genius students, like the Fike of the Rega family, August of the Rodriguez family...oh, and Miss Yekaterina, the most beautiful student in the capital. I had quite good relationships with some of them..."

"..."

Their conversation was sporadic and casual.

Su Lun could tell that the professional habit of the ransom girl was acting up again.

In her words and actions, she kept probing for clues about his background and identity.

However, he indeed hadn't expected that Dora would know these people.

Su Lun chuckled, unsure of how to respond.

To say he didn't know them, that definitely wouldn't be true.

To say he knew them, well, both the geniuses you mentioned were killed by me;

and the last one was "Fike's" wife.

Having confirmed that she wouldn't be harmed, Dora no longer had any concerns.

Seeing that Su Lun didn't respond, she asked directly, "Sir, you talked about dimensional invasions, civilization continuity, and I think it all makes sense. But someone like you shouldn't be unknown. Are you sure you're not lying to me, that you're really called 'Su Lun'?"

As a professional intelligence officer, the basic skill is to memorize information on important figures from various places.

Dora thought that someone as capable as the man in front of her should be well-known.

But the name "Su Lun" didn't match any key member of the prominent families in Luying that she could recall.

Moreover, almost all the top professionals from Luying graduated from the Royal Academy, so how could he not be one of them?

This was bizarre.

Hearing this, Su Lun just smiled, "There's nothing to lie about, I am called 'Su Lun'. When your family comes to ransom you, you'll naturally find out."

Dora's gaze turned colder, and she retorted, "Huh... I'm very curious to know how much ransom you've extorted from my family."

"..."

Su Lun chuckled upon hearing this but did not respond directly.

Instead, he found the topic too alienating and replied jokingly, "As the savior who rescued you from the fiery pit of the mine, I originally had no thoughts of seeking recompense. But after contacting your family, they insisted on showing their gratitude, and it would have been impolite for me to refuse."

Since they were not familiar with each other, reaping some benefits was naturally the best outcome.

"..."

Miss Dora listened to this shameless reply and rolled her eyes.

Kidnapping is kidnapping,

and now it's turned into rescuing me?

If you hadn't caused trouble, my covert operation would have been halfway to completion by now!

...

The airship sailed through the sky leisurely.

Although it seemed slow, it was actually not due to the thousands of meters from the ground.

Su Lun contemplated as he looked at the towns billowing with steam on the ground.

Aside from the city where the Lords resided, the rest of Ruying was practically rural farmland. In contrast, Ma Fa was highly urbanized; hardly any primitive villages could be seen, but instead densely populated steel towns.

Just on this point, the gap between the two countries was extraordinarily vast.

The airship had to fly very high, offering a broad view.

Su Lun, seated by the window, suddenly caught a glimpse of a large thundercloud in the distance.

The heavy dark clouds, flashing with silver lightning, were frightening from such a height.

The commercial airship they were on circumvented the thunderclouds, but Su Lun noticed a rusty little airship heading straight for the thunderclouds.

"Huh?"

Su Lun softly uttered in surprise.

His eyesight was excellent, and he immediately saw someone climb out of the small airship's cabin and, holding a runic lightning attractor, managed to draw the lightning to it.

In no time, the airship resembled a dandelion of lightning, spectacular to behold.

Miss Dora, who was opposite him, noticed his gaze and glanced outside the window, then explained, "That's a 'Lightning Hunter.' Those Hunters collect the lightning in special containers to create energy spheres. Like energy baryte, it is a rather excellent source of power, widely used in the field of mechanics."

As she spoke, something else came to mind and she added, "But after all, lightning is uncontrollable, and a slightly unstable storm could destroy the ship and its crew. It's a very dangerous job..."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun suddenly realized and was impressed by Ma Fa's technology that could capture the power of lightning.

Alchemy truly is a magical science that creates miracles.

At that moment, the announcement for the self-service meal sounded on the ship, "Dear passengers, please note that lunchtime has arrived..."

Ruying was surrounded by the sea and lived off the sea, with most of its products coming from the ocean.

Meanwhile, Ma Fa was backed by the endless monster-infested mountains and had rich products with a wide variety of food.

On the self-service meal table, there were many fruits Su Lun had never even seen before.

Red, yellow, green... the colorful and tempting fruits exuded inviting aromas.

Miss Dora, feeling a bit hungry, stood up to get some food.

But then, almost without thinking, she casually asked, "Sir, what would you like to eat?"

Su Lun replied offhandedly, "Some fruit would be nice. Thank you."

"..."

Dora felt a twitch at the corner of her eye.

I was only being polite, yet you took it quite literally.

Are you suffering from Ruying's aristocratic illness?

Although I am a captive, as the legitimate daughter of the Moses family, am I expected to wait on you like a handmaid?

Though she had many complaints in her mind, Miss Dora turned and left her seat anyway.

Her expression turned peculiar the moment she turned her back on Su Lun.

Why did I have to be so talkative just now?

Could it be that I have been brainwashed by faith too?

No, that can't be!

With the 'God Profaner' installed, there's no way I could be hypnotized.

Dora felt increasingly strange in her heart.

Moreover, after spending a little time with him, she also realized that this "Su Lun" was very unusual.

He seemed like a genteel lawyer or dentist in his usual demeanor.

Rational, gentlemanly, reticent.

Yet, the terrifying killing intent he showed upon their first meeting was still vivid in her memory.

He was definitely a person capable of killing without batting an eye.

It was as if he had two personalities in his heart, one a normal person, the other a homicidal maniac.

A very contradictory person.

Lost in thought, Miss Dora absentmindedly arrived at the food counter.

She picked up a plate and began selecting fruits.

...

Su Lun took out his pocket watch to check the time, which was almost the scheduled trade time.

Although they were thousands of meters above the ground, he knew this minor difficulty would surely not stop the Moses family.

Just then, while Su Lun was reading the newspaper, his gaze suddenly sharpened as if he had noticed something, "Have they arrived?"

He could clearly sense someone flying up rapidly towards the airship from below, then entering through a ventilation duct.

"Just one person."

Su Lun glanced outside the window and was slightly surprised.

Though the incoming person was strong, they certainly wouldn't be able to keep him if a fight broke out.

Su Lun locked onto the individual who had flown up and watched as they entered the cabin.

However, to his surprise, a burly old man appeared in his field of vision. Despite his silver hair, the man was brimming with vigor, his ruddy complexion suggesting a vitality that surpassed most young people.

"'Thunder Tiger' Meredith Ben Moses?"

Su Lun recognized the identity of the visitor immediately.

He was also quite astonished; had the grand navy marshal of Mafa actually come in person to deliver the ransom?

After the old man entered, he took off the wind goggles from his pilot's leather cap and spotted Su Lun sitting there right away.

Meredith walked straight over, his face showing annoyance as he cut to the chase, "Where is my granddaughter?"

Su Lun could hear the doting concern in his tone.

It was as if, in the old man's eyes, nothing mattered more than his granddaughter.

Before Su Lun could speak, a young girl suddenly appeared behind the old man.

Miss Dora recognized the person and exclaimed, "Grandfather?"

Obviously, she was just as surprised that her grandfather had come in person.

This call, however, caused Meredith's previously fierce expression to stiffen, and the harsh words he was about to speak were swallowed back.

Seeing his own granddaughter casually appearing in front of him with a full plate of fruit, a twitch of confusion crossed the corner of his eye.

Was she not...

...kidnapped by the infamous pirate crew, "Dawn Pirate Gang"?

The Moses family was thrown into chaos upon hearing the news. (For the Mafa people, newspapers are the most important source of information about the pirates. Duke Rafael had painted the Dawn Gang as vile, obscene, and filthy high seas pirates.)

Although Meredith didn't think the situation was that bad, the old women and wives back home were one scare after another, saying if the ransom wasn't paid she would be "disposed of."

The more the situation escalated.

He couldn't rest easy, and so he had come himself.

But... what was the situation now?

Meredith had even prepared for a military showdown if even a single hair on his granddaughter's head was harmed.

Any pirate gang, even those claiming to be the King of the North Sea, King of the Western Sea... those who dared kidnap the legitimate granddaughter of the Moses family, even if the ransom was paid, should be ready for annihilation!

But faced with the scene in front of him, even the grand marshal was thrown off.

The three looked at each other, the atmosphere a bit strange.

After a moment of confusion, Dora finally put the tray down on the table and pulled her doting grandfather down to sit, "Grandfather, why did you come?"

Meredith looked at the smile on his granddaughter's face, which was not at all like someone who had been wronged.

Moreover, considering their amiable demeanor, were these two about to have a meal together?

It was like throwing a punch into empty air.

The anger he'd bottled up along the way, and all his plans for beating up the kidnapper seemed to have nowhere to go.

Meredith was pulled down to sit on the couch, yet he remained unsmiling.

He looked at Su Lun and went on the offensive right away, "So you're the famous 'Reaper'?"

Su Lun didn't respond.

He could tell that the old man was quite interesting; ferocious, yes, but without any real intent to kill.

Miss Dora, sensing the odd atmosphere, tugged at her grandfather's arm and called out with a reproachful tone, "Grandfather!"

At this, Meredith felt even more unsettled.

But he dropped his combative stance and took out a storage ring, his expression still less than friendly, "I brought what you asked for."

Having no emotional ties, Su Lun took the storage ring without hesitation.

Meredith explained begrudgingly, "The storage ring contains six hundred tons of 'Living Silver', which is almost all the stock in the royal treasury. You'll also find the information on the dwarven ruins you needed. I assure you, this is the most comprehensive information available on the market about that ruin!"

As he spoke, he squinted at the young man in front of him, trying to discern something, and continued, "As for the alchemy notes of Sir Isaac that you wanted to inquire about, I indeed know about that. But it's a state secret..."

Su Lun listened as the old man obviously tried to whet his appetite and looked up.

Six hundred tons of 'Living Silver', which corresponded to thirty gargoyles.

The ransom he was getting for a hostage he had taken opportunistically was already a huge windfall, so the rest didn't matter as much.

But unexpectedly, the old man did know the whereabouts of the notes.

Indeed, asking any information broker was no match for asking these big shots.

A glint of cleverness flashed in Meredith's eyes, and with a change of tone, he said, "However, before I tell you more, I want to ask what do you need that notebook for?"

Su Lun didn't understand why he was asking this, but his intuition told him that the notebook was of great importance.

He had nothing to hide, so he straightforwardly said, "Our leader of Dawn, 'Mr. Jing', she is a direct descendant of Sir Isaac."

Now that the inter-dimensional invasion was a reality, Mr. Jing's identity no longer needed to be a secret. Revealing this identity would yield more persuasive power and unity.

Besides, given Dawn's recent surge, it was impossible for the grand navy marshal of Mafa to be completely unaware of it.

Upon hearing this, Meredith pondered for a moment.

Su Lun thought the other party would discuss conditions.

But after a brief contemplation, the old man said straightforwardly, "The notebook is in Mafa, but I can't give it to you now. I need some time. And I can only promise to try my best; it's not guaranteed."

Su Lun also thought for a moment, "Fine!"

Soldiers have a reputation for quick action, and he liked these kinds of straightforward deals.

Though it was just a verbal promise, his gut told him that the old man kept his word.

When he said he would try his best, then he certainly would.

....

Miss Dora, watching the two of them face off, had a trace of apprehension in her bright eyes.

Although there was no table pounding or glaring, the atmosphere of the negotiation was not exactly warm.

Her arm remained looped through her grandfather's, as if fearing that they might start fighting at any moment.

Her grandfather, not wearing his battle armor, might not necessarily be able to beat the man across from him.

Meredith had brought the ransom, and usually, that would mean it was time to "release the hostage."

But now, with his granddaughter right beside him, the process wasn't necessary at all.

And from beginning to end, the "kidnapper" had shown no intention of using this as a threat.

This was also the fundamental reason why Meredith did not get angry.

After a brief conversation, the old man had already gleaned a general idea of a person's character.

As an Imperial Navy Marshal, he was all too familiar with "Dawn."

A thought flashed through his mind.

He felt that he should say something else, and without beating around the bush, he directly asked, "I heard that Your Excellency has robbed Rafael's mines. I would like to ask if you are interested in selling any of those technologies and equipment you have on hand?"

Su Lun was not surprised by his request.

He had always had a good impression of this grand marshal, who, despite seeming aggressive, was actually very approachable.

Su Lun did not hurry to refuse but instead countered, "With the planar invasion a certainty, do you intend to use this technology externally or internally?"

"..."

As these words were spoken, it was now Meredith's turn to be troubled.

A complex welter of thoughts flashed through his eyes, and for a moment, he didn't answer.

The affairs of the Empire were not solely up to him as the Navy Marshal.

At least the pro-war faction now wished nothing more than to annex Luying. The temporary ceasefire was painfully achieved through his efforts in conjunction with several old bones.

Noticing his hesitation, Su Lun knew that the political issues couldn't be clarified in a few words, but he did not wait any further and said, "Since Your Excellency hasn't made up your mind, then I will take my leave. As for the information about the notes, I will contact your family later."

About the intelligence regarding the Gods' plane, Su Lun had already told Miss Dora everything he could.

She would naturally explain it to the old man upon her return; there was no need to waste his breath on it.

Today's meeting was only about discussing the ransom.

Other matters could be addressed later.

Su Lun did not plan to waste time here. Seeing the old man silent and not expressing a stance, he turned to Miss Dora with a smile, "Miss Dora, until next time."

"?"

Dora was taken aback. Had the negotiation already ended?

She felt she probably shouldn't be bidding farewell to a pirate, but instinctively waved her hand anyway.

Su Lun smiled.

With a flash of spatial fluctuation, he had already disappeared from his seat.

...

Once Su Lun left, Meredith and his son were left staring at each other.

Seeing his granddaughter unharmed and even a bit plumper in the face suggested she hadn't been mistreated over the past month.

A flood of questions ran through the mind of this Marshal of Mafa.

But the topic of "planar invasion" weighed heavily on his heart.

It was the most troubling issue he faced recently, one he felt completely powerless to solve!

Dora, seeing her grandfather's gloomy face, took a fruit out from her plate, like she did when she was a child, and asked, "Grandpa, do you want one?"

Meredith, looking at his granddaughter safe and sound, let out a long sigh of relief.

As long as she was unharmed, everything was worth it.

He muttered to himself, "Ah... I said there was no need for you to go undercover. Even without that mechanical beast technology, Luying has no chance in the upcoming battles. Now that Rafael's secret base has been raided and the undercover plan has ground to a halt, those guys at the military should calm down. Well, it's good that she's back..."

"..."

Dora's feelings were complicated.

Was her freedom exchanged for ransom?

But somehow, she felt she had never lost her freedom in the first place.

She even thought that even without the ransom, that Mr. Su Lun would not have troubled her, right?

What made her feel even more conflicted were the conversations she had with Mr. Su Lun over the past days.

She once had an unshakable conviction to become the most outstanding Mechanic and struggle for the rise of the Empire. That's why she joined the military department immediately after graduation and gradually became a top intelligence officer.

But now, she was conflicted.

In the face of the planar invasion, those ideals somehow seemed...suddenly meaningless.

Watching his precious granddaughter looking distracted, Meredith asked, "Girl, what's the matter?"

Dora counter-asked, "Grandpa, do you know about the 'Gods' race'?"

"???"

Meredith looked at her surprised, unfamiliar with the term.

He knew about the planar invasion but had no intelligence regarding the Gods' race.

The conversation between the grandfather and granddaughter quietly altered the future political landscape of the Mafa Empire.

...

The aircraft flew towards the Mafa imperial capital, Kabitrund, without encountering any turbulence, smoothly all the way.

In the cabin, after discussing those oppressive, breath-stealing matters, they began talking about Dora's recent "kidnapping" experience.

This brought some laughter.

"What! That man emptied Rafael's secret base? No wonder the Luying high-ups are in such an uproar..."

"Oh, that's the infamous Dawn Pirate Group. You didn't suffer, did you, girl..."

"Grandpa, I think your information might be wrong. The people of the Dawn group aren't bad. And that Mr. Su Lun...he's not really a bad person either."

"Oh, but isn't he the pirate who kidnapped you?!"

"He is a pirate, alright. But in a way, they also rescued me. Otherwise, Grandpa, you wouldn't have seen Dora for many more years..."

"Even though what you say is true, girl, why do I feel like there's something off with your logic?"

"Ah... let's not talk about that. Grandpa, do you know that Su Lun? What's his background? I've never heard of him before."

"He has another identity, as the current first in line to inherit the Rega Landa family."

"Ah? Then why did he become a pirate?"

"How would this old man know what you youngsters are thinking...oh dear, Grandpa's precious little cotton jacket is about to be lost."

"..."