Mechanical Alchemist

The news that the evil dragon Kazka, who had lurked on Thunder Sea Island for a hundred years, was slain quickly spread to Atalan City.

The city's residents cheered, finally rid of this great menace.

However, no one knew that a mysterious cloaked figure had already blended into the crowd and made their way to the Town Lord's castle.

Soon after, in the dungeon of the Town Lord's residence.

Town Lord Bald and his delicate wife and family had originally been hiding in the dungeon, waiting to hear the dragon had left after consuming the sacrifices.

But instead of good news, they received disastrous tidings.

At this moment, the dungeon was filled with over a dozen humanoid stone sculptures, their faces frozen in terror.

Only Bald was still alive.

The Lord's body had already partially transformed into a demonic form, the hidden power bestowed upon him by his worship of the Evil God.

It was thanks to the Evil God's power that they had managed to stand firm in Atalan City for hundreds of years.

Yet even so, in front of this mysterious cloaked person, Bald still had no power to resist and could only kneel in terror, begging for mercy, "My lord, my Rodriguez family indeed has a royal secret chest passed down through generations. But because of the treasury burglary and fire the night before last, it has been stolen by someone."

Upon hearing this, a grey light suddenly shot out from beneath the cloaked figure's hooded gaze.

Bald still wished to flee, but his body visibly turned into a grey, petrified state.

...

Meanwhile.

Su Lun, having been invited, joined the Miracle Legion's Dragon Knights on their journey to the royal capital of Eklundza in Silver Dragon Country.

The dragons could not carry many people, hence it was just him and Qiantiao.

The rest of the Dawn Brigade continued by ship, heading north along the coastline.

Riding a dragon for the first time, Su Lun found it quite novel.

However, after riding for a while, his interest waned significantly.

Lesser dragons and pure-blooded giant dragons may look similar, but their strength is worlds apart, like comparing a lion dog to a lion, practically two different species.

Perhaps because he had just battled with a giant dragon, the contrast was very stark.

But being dragonkin, these flying dragons were much stronger than ordinary magical beasts of the same rank.

Su Lun thought if he could get a few samples for the war workshop in his little void realm, he might be able to craft some mechanical flying dragons to meet special combat needs.

Lesser dragons burst forth with speed swiftly, but their long-distance flying was rather average. Most of the time they glided on air currents, stopping frequently to rest and feed, and they typically didn't fly at night to make haste, covering merely two to three thousand kilometers in a day.

It was also quite unstable.

Riding them, apart from looking impressive, was not particularly comfortable.

Commander Bennett had said it was a full two days' flight to the capital.

Su Lun braced himself, meditating in a seated position on the dragon's back.

Since they had departed in the afternoon, it wasn't long before darkness fell.

The company of Dragon Knights then landed in a forest.

They set up camp, lighting a bonfire in the campsite.

After spending half a day together, Su Lun learned that these dragons were quite troublesome to tame. Relying solely on hunting was insufficient for the Dragon Brigade's needs, hence the knights needed to carry a large supply of meat. Humans might tolerate hunger, but these magical beasts could not go unfed.

By the bonfire, despite the simplicity of a marching camp, Su Lun and Qiantiao were treated enthusiastically.

The knights had hunted down some magical beasts unique to Dragon Country, roasting them over the fire, soon filling the air with a delectable aroma.

Su Lun and Qiantiao received the finest portions.

They found Commander Bennett's company quite enjoyable.

Conversational, valiant, distinguished in demeanor... There was always a common language among the strong, and Bennett had made a good impression on them.

As Su Lun had stripped the common language of Dragon Country, communication was effortless.

After supper with nothing else to do, Bennett and a few of his high-ranking officers eagerly asked about the legendary overseas civilizations.

"Commander Su Lun, what kind of nation do you come from? You and your companions seem very unique, as if what you're practicing isn't fighting spirit..."

"We are alchemists from the human empires to the west. Um... roughly similar to your mages, fond of studying all things natural. But we don't have a deity to worship. We're an adventure group, mainly wanting to venture into the Ancient Dragon Country..."

"The Old Dragon Kingdom Ruins? Oh, that place is incredibly dangerous. To my knowledge, there are many high-level monsters there..."

"Commander Bennett, your intelligence has been a great help to us! I mean, it would be even better if we had sea charts."

"Of course, the royal library has some sea charts left by adventurers. If you need, I can gift you some."

"I noticed some of your crew have metallic limbs. My goodness, it's amazing, how can metal arms grow together with flesh?"

"Those are mechanical prosthetics, also a branch of alchemy..."

"Our ancestors always said that the Eternal Night Sea is incredibly perilous. How did you cross it? Oh, my grandfather was an explorer; he once wanted to navigate that dangerous sea, but in the end, he disappeared..."

"..."

As the chat went on and they grew more familiar, the topics of their conversation also broadened.

Su Lun knew these royal knights were also probing for information, but he had nothing much to hide.

Through the chat, he also learned some secrets known only to high-ranking officers, such as the legends of the eighth-order Silver Dragon guarding the snow-capped capital, and some tales of the Ancient Dragon Country.

However, Su Lun felt that the most vital issue was the interdimensional invasion.

Quickly informing the high echelons of Dragon Country's three great kingdoms about this intelligence could prove beneficial in thwarting the actions of those divine realm mages.

Hearing Su Lun's words, Commander Bennett was also shocked, "A plane invasion? Like the one from Hell Volcano?"

"Yes."

Su Lun nodded and briefly explained what he knew.

He had learned from the Naga that at the center of the ruins of the Ancient Dragon Country to the east, there was a volcano connected to Hell, from which infernal creatures occasionally emerged to harm humans.

Therefore, these Dragon Knights could also quickly grasp the concept of a plane invasion.

As Su Lun elaborated, the knights immediately sensed the crisis.

Although they did not fully believe his word, at least the information was relayed, and they would be somewhat prepared with this intelligence in the future.

The only reason he said so much was that Su Lun speculated that if those beings from the Divine Plane learned of the existence of human realms in this sea area, they would definitely turn their attention here.

After all, their ships were previously destroyed by the Dawn Brigade, so even if more people were transported over, they could only be trapped on Rainbow Island.

To change the situation, they would inevitably need some boats.

If they could enslave the three great kingdoms, they would have completely secured their footing for treasure hunting in this maritime region.

Even, Su Lun faintly felt that the mages might have already discovered the existence of the three great kingdoms and had already attempted to infiltrate them.

...

As the topic of conversation shifted to plane invasions, the mood became even more solemn.

As it was nearly midnight, Commander Bennett did not disturb them further and arranged the best tent for Su Lun and his companion to rest.

Unwittingly, the night deepened.

Su Lun and Qian Tiao were meditating and resting in their tent.

With hundreds of flying dragons in the camp and no magical beasts daring to come near in the forest, it was very quiet.

But around one or two o'clock at night, Su Lun suddenly heard some noises—the camp had gained additional people.

He did not open his eyes but muttered to himself, "Huh... so they've brought back a prisoner?"

In the afternoon, during their flight, he had seen communication hawks flying in, indicating that the Miracle Brigade seemed to have been assigned a secret mission, with some of its members dispatched elsewhere.

The group that had just returned was the same one that had left in the afternoon.

With Soul Perception, Su Lun could easily distinguish them.

Moreover, upon their return, they brought with them a prison carriage covered in black cloth?

It seemed that the Miracle Brigade intended to take this "prisoner" with them to the capital.

Clearly, there was a human in the carriage, but the soul fluctuations were slightly unusual, causing Su Lun to sense something was off: "Strange, what is in this carriage?"

Curious, Su Lun paid extra attention.

It was not about strength... but it felt somewhat cold and eerie, like it was not a pure human soul.

Outside the tent, a black crow was staring intently at everything in the camp.

Sharing the sight, Su Lun saw this scene clearly as well.

Oddly enough, the carriage was placed in the center of the camp, heavily guarded by knights, yet no one lifted the black cloth to peek inside.

Probably some kind of secret prisoner.

But after all, it had nothing to do with him, so Su Lun had no intention of prying further.

After observing for a while and detecting nothing unusual, Su Lun let go of his curiosity and continued his meditation.

...

The night deepened.

Suddenly, Qian Tiao also opened her eyes and frowned, "I feel... something's not quite right tonight."

Hearing this, Su Lun also opened his eyes.

He held the black umbrella and took a careful reading of the surroundings but detected nothing.

Everything was normal in the camp, knights were taking turns resting, the flying dragons were quiet, and there were no signs of activity from the prisoner in the cage.

Looking at the drowsy black crow, it showed no concern either.

There were no anomalies.

But Su Lun dared not be careless.

Qian Tiao was a pure combat professional, and her sense of impending threat was extraordinary.

The two exchanged glances but could not confirm what exactly the disquietude was pointing towards.

Were they being watched?

Some kind of mysterious spell targeting them?

Perhaps divination?

Su Lun's mind raced with a series of conjectures.

Their strength now placed them at the pinnacle of the professional pyramid. If an enemy wanted to divine their whereabouts, it would be almost impossible. But if it indeed happened, it would surely be a big problem.

Could it be that the mages from the Divine Plane were making some significant move?

With this in mind, Su Lun and Qian Tiao became even more vigilant.

However, shortly after Qian Tiao had that uneasy feeling, she suddenly spoke up urgently, "They're here!"

Without warning, a mournful dragon's cry rang out from the forest.

"Ao~"

Those were the cries of a Dragon Sentinel from the Miraculous Legion stationed on the perimeter, sounding as if they were brutally killed in an instant by some monster.

Almost simultaneously, everyone in the camp quickly reacted, and the sentry bellowed, "Enemy attack!"

In a flash, the vast camp sprung into action.

Su Lun and Qiantiao also stepped out of the tent, just in time to see Commander Bennett approach with an apologetic look, explaining, "Sorry for disturbing the two esteemed guests' rest. It seems like a beast tide. Encampments in the No Man's Land forest often encounter them."

As he spoke, he was putting on his helmet and preparing for battle, adding, "You two just continue to rest. Don't worry too much; we'll handle it."

Su Lun nodded in response, with nothing particular to remind them of.

These professional Knights had ample battle experience; there was no need for him to say more if danger was present.

Bennett didn't say much more either and quickly went to his own Dragon, mounted it in one smooth motion, and took to the sky.

...

There were one to two thousand Dragon Knights in the camp, a part of which had already taken to the skies, a combat force not to be underestimated.

Neither Su Lun nor Qiantiao intended to join the battle, they simply watched from the side of their tent.

The fight was extremely fierce, and the noises of combat from the forest grew more and more intense.

Gradually, they realized this was no ordinary beast tide.

Qiantiao placed his hand on the sword at his waist, releasing his Sword Qi, keenly catching the sounds of battle, and muttered, "This doesn't look good..."

Su Lun also nodded, frowning in thought.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted to the black cloth-covered prisoner carriage not far away.

"Could it be they're after that prisoner?"

This thought emerged in Su Lun's mind.

After all, an ordinary prisoner carriage wouldn't require an elite Kingdom legion to escort it.

And coincidentally, they encountered a beast tide just as the prisoner was delivered.

Su Lun felt he and Qiantiao might have been implicated.

If he could help, he wouldn't mind lending a hand.

But the Dragon Legion was strong, and if they reached a point where the guests had to help, the enemy would likely be frightfully strong.

Still, Su Lun felt it was best not to intervene.

However, things didn't go as he wished.

Just then, a sudden disturbance arose!

Suddenly, an eerie gray light illuminated a corner of the distant sky. The dozens of Dragons still flapping their wings in the sky instantly stiffened in motion, and both humans and dragons turned into a chalky color.

As they plummeted from a hundred meters in the sky, the sound of crashing stones echoed through the entire camp.

With their excellent night vision, Su Lun and Qiantiao clearly saw the bizarre scene, their pupils sharply constricting.

Because they also couldn't understand what that gray light was all about.

Had it killed more than a dozen fifth-tier Dragons in a second?

In the camp, someone also shouted, "It's a Gorgon! Everyone, don't look into its eyes!"

Surprised, Su Lun listened.

To think they had encountered the legendary Gorgon?

Without hesitation, they both closed their eyes.

They knew the danger of the mythical creature said to petrify those who gazed upon it.

The statue of Tanni's mother was currently in the small void realm, and no solution had been found for that Divine Arts-level petrification.

Su Lun certainly didn't think he had any means to withstand it.

Right after this unexpected change, the Dragon Legion, initially formidable, immediately showed signs of collapse, and the "stone-shattering sound" by their ears grew more and more frequent.

As the noise of battle drew closer, Su Lun immediately realized that what was approaching might be a Gorgon of a very high tier!

...

"Heading for the camp?"

Su Lun found it strange; Gorgons, with their Demigod lineage, were top-tier beings in myths, just like Dragons.

Why would one bother attacking a human encampment for no reason?

In an instant, several clues in his mind suddenly connected.

Who was in the camp's prisoner carriage?

Why did the Queen of the Silver Dragon Country fall victim to the Gorgon's curse of petrification?

Who exactly was the wanted "Helen"?

Su Lun felt this matter might be tied to some great secret and was instantly ready to teleport at a moment's notice.

A Gorgon, suspected to be high-tier, was not easy to deal with, and without certainty, he wasn't about to take risks.

However, they weren't the only ones thinking of retreat.

As soon as the Gorgon appeared, it caused tremendous casualties in the Dragon Legion, who had no effective means to counteract it.

At that moment, a Knight in armor also closed his eyes and hurried over, speaking rapidly, "Esteemed guests, the Commander has ordered me to inform you to prepare for evacuation!"

Su Lun remembered this was Bennett's deputy, and he nodded politely, "Hmm."

Although he didn't need anyone's help to escape, the fact that Commander Bennett still thought to prioritize the safety of his guests and evacuate them first at such a critical moment was quite decent.

For a time, the entire camp's dragon knights divided into three groups: Commander Bennett led a team in frontline combat, some were transferring the prison cart, while another group planned to flee with Su Lun and others.

But just as they were about to mount their dragons, an unexpected change occurred.

Qiantiao, as if sensing something, suddenly became very stern, "Such powerful Sword Qi!"

Only a moment later, Su Lun also sensed the sudden arrival of the intense cold Sword Qi, and urgently exclaimed, "The 'Dragon Hunter' Bartolo Figaro, has he come?"

It was in this instant that a tyrannical and bone-chilling Sword Qi suddenly exploded within the forest.

The air around them rapidly cooled, and through the shared vision with his black crow, Su Lun saw snowflakes beginning to fall.

This burst of Sword Qi had been silently unleashed from hundreds of meters away, instantly turning the tide of battle!

The dragon knights, who had previously been retreating step by step and using their lives to block the monsters, were suddenly invigorated.

Everyone knew that a powerful reinforcement had arrived!

As a Sword Saint, Qiantiao could fully perceive the depth of this Sword Qi and with an extremely solemn expression, he sighed, "This sword has already surpassed the Saint Realm, has someone truly reached the legendary 'Sword God Realm'..."

Sword God?

Su Lun was also slightly shaken inside.

Through his perception, it seemed that Bartolo, the 'Dragon Hunter', had slain the serpent-haired witch with a single sword strike, and the monsters besieging the camp in the forest dispersed in an instant.

He opened his eyes just in time to see an old man sheathing a single-edged long sword back into a bamboo cane scabbard in the distance.

Su Lun recognized that famous white blade, and pondered to himself, "The 'Lyric of Frosted Bloom', the number two sword among the 'Twelve Renowned Artisan Blades'. That's indeed the 'Sword Demon', the Great Grandmaster of the Shintō Munen-ryū of swordsmanship, Saito Misaburo..."

His Bounty Order was still hanging at the guild of camp bounty hunters to this day.

And his sword, the 'Lyric of Frosted Bloom', ranked even one spot higher than the Demon Blade 'Onimaru Hyakumezōngai' which Qiantiao wielded.

...

Because of Bartolo's sudden appearance, the situation was immediately reversed.

Watching him slay the serpent-haired witch with a single stroke, Su Lun also marveled, "What tremendous power..."

If it really was the 'Sword Demon' they were speculating about, he was already at the peak of the seventh tier when there was a bounty on his head.

It appears now he has already stepped over the threshold of the eighth tier.

Moreover, just now that one sword strike, even Qiantiao said it had surpassed the Saint Realm, clearly showing that Bartolo's Sword Dao cultivation was unfathomably high by now.

It wasn't long before Bartolo used a cloth bag to collect the head, enabling the dragon knights in the camp to dare approach that area of combat to clear the battlefield.

Su Lun also walked over, curious to look at the legendary serpent-haired witch.

What he saw was a headless corpse with a serpent's tail and a human body.

From the severed neck, hot blood was still gushing out; strangely enough, the blood on the left was black while on the right it was red.

Upon closer examination, the left side was extremely poisonous, while the right was a medicine capable of healing many illnesses.

Su Lun marveled at the uniqueness of these mythical beings whose entire bodies were treasures.

Commander Bennett was also quite pragmatic and even took the initiative to give him a vial of the blood, politely stating it was because they had almost been dragged into danger.

Su Lun didn't feel any particular inconvenience, since there had been no real danger for them from the beginning.

And now, they had the 'Blood of the serpent-haired witch' needed for the petrification antidote.

He looked at Bartolo and greeted, "Senior, we meet again."

Bartolo nodded slightly, apparently aware that he had been recognized.

Now that they had met again, Su Lun was not in a hurry to cozy up.

At that moment, an appreciative Commander Bennett approached and said, "Senior Bartolo, we owe you a great deal this time. Otherwise, tonight would have been disastrous... By the way, what brings you here?"

Bartolo responded, "Earlier, I detected the serpent-haired witch's trail in Atalan City and have been tracking it ever since, just in time to see it driving the monsters to besiege you all."

Upon hearing this, Bennett asked in surprise, "The serpent-haired witch came from Atalan City?"

Bartolo nodded and added, "Yes. It killed sixteen people of Town Lord Bald's family in Atalan City, leaving some traces, so I followed them here."

Bennett, puzzled, asked back, "Ah? Why would the serpent-haired witch kill Town Lord Bald?"

Bartolo shook his head, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Perhaps... it has something to do with the one in your prison cart."

...

As Su Lun listened to their conversation, his expression didn't change, but his mind was becoming increasingly perplexed.

He had originally thought this incident was caused by someone from the Miracle Legion, but hearing Bartolo's words, an idea immediately popped into his head: Could it be targeting me?

Why did the serpent-haired witch kill Town Lord Bald?

Why?

A daring guess flashed through Su Lun's mind.

Just the day before yesterday, he had stolen a Serpentine Staff from Town Lord Bald's treasury.

What a coincidence that the serpent-haired witch showed up shortly after?

Could it be coming for the staff?

If that was really the case, how did it know the staff was in his possession?

What relationship does the serpent-haired witch have with the person in the prison cart?

In an instant, Su Lun felt he might have unknowingly become entangled in a rather serious event.