Mechanical Alchemist

On the main ship of the joint fleet, a group of soldiers looked at the figure that had appeared out of nowhere, their gazes becoming fixed in astonishment for a moment.

Most of the soldiers did not know the content of the communication between "Thunder Tiger" Meredith and Su Lun, but the sudden appearance at this critical moment clearly indicated a high probability of an enemy presence.

They also reacted instantaneously for combat, with various mechanical warriors' armor clattering and guns instantly aiming, while the floor beneath those in the Magician professions lit up with the glow of Alchemy arrays.

Everyone had a surge of anger, appearing directly on the deck of the legion's main ship, as if there were no one in their alchemical plane.

However, when they got a clear look at the newcomer, nearly everyone's serious expression turned to surprise.

Because they found the face very familiar.

There were many high-ranking officers on the main ship's deck, and many of them had attended the wedding of Fike and Yekaterina. Especially the younger officers, how could they not remember the guy who once made them so jealous that they gritted their teeth?

Even those who had not seen him in person had grown incredibly familiar with his face from the newspapers of the two great empires during the days of the wedding.

And that signature crow familiar.

Fike Regadi?

How could this guy appear here?

Although it was hard to believe, everyone stopped the actions they had been about to execute.

Having recognized the face, "Thunder Tiger" Meredith's eyes twitched inexplicably, also finding it somewhat inconceivable: it really was this kid.

But what shocked him even more was that Su Lun had Teleported here directly and accurately right after their call?

This mechanism was impressive.

It was known that military ships were equipped with various devices to interfere with Spatial Teleportation, and during the call, the Eternal Night was at least far away from the joint fleet. And he had Teleported here directly?

At least of all the Spatial professionals he had seen, none could do it so effortlessly.

Before he could think more, Su Lun smiled slightly, "Long time no see, Marshal Meredith sir."

Although many of these people had seen Su Lun, the only one Su Lun was close with was Old Marshal Baldy.

...

Just half an hour ago, Su Lun had traveled a great distance with the Eternal Night through multiple Teleportations.

After consuming a large amount of Energy Baryte during several Teleportations, they arrived at the Imperial Strait.

Originally, the Imperial Strait was vast, and finding a lost fleet was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

But with Tanni and his mother's sensory abilities, asking the fish in the sea, they easily confirmed an unusual area on the sea surface.

Then they followed it here.

Luckily, they ran into the joint fleet directly.

And they were not too late.

The fleet, although slightly damaged, still had its main forces intact.

"Thunder Tiger" Meredith looked at Su Lun, his expression slightly complex.

He was one of the few who knew that the Dawn Group was entrusted by Master Lucien to carry the seed of mechanical alchemy civilization.

Having not heard any news from the Dawn Group, he thought they had gone to the western barren sea to find a place to establish the "New Land" of alchemy civilization.

It turned out they had been near the Imperial Strait all along?

Seeing the Dawn Group coming to support them, he felt relieved.

But deep in his heart, he did not want to see them here.

Under the current circumstances, even several large imperial fleets might not be able to save them, let alone an adventure group.

Marshal Meredith frowned and asked, "How come you are here, young man?"

Su Lun did not elaborate on the process, but simply responded with a light laugh, "Earlier, we received a message from the Lu Ying side that an imperial fleet had lost contact nearby. We came over to check it out and unexpectedly ran into them."

Hearing this, Meredith's expression did not ease up as he inquired, "Was it Dora who insisted on coming?"

He still thought it was his granddaughter being willful, so his tone was not very pleasant.

Su Lun shook his head. "No. Dora is currently undergoing a full mechanical transformation, and it's not finished yet. You might have to wait a while before you can see her."

Old Marshal was Dora's biological grandfather, so using honorifics was not wrong.

On hearing this, Meredith's eyes visibly trembled, and he sighed softly, "That girl has finally taken that step, huh..."

As a grandfather, while he understood his granddaughter's grand ambitions, he still felt somewhat regretful in his heart.

But obviously, now was not the time for such discussions.

The enemy was on the enclosing path, and the situation could already be described as a matter of life and death.

But Su Lun was not at all anxious.

After all, Dawn Group had already reached the ambush position.

A few ten-thousand-person mage legions were no big threat; it's not like he hadn't killed any before.

But the soldiers on the joint fleet didn't know this and never relaxed their expressions in the face of a formidable enemy.

Su Lun could certainly feel that atmosphere of tragic determination within the fleet.

Meredith did not ask any more trivial questions, instead, he directly said, "Have you come to reinforce us?"

After a pause, he spoke straightforwardly with a grave expression, "The ones ambushing us are the Ten Thousand Mage Legions from the Divine Plane. You might not be quite aware of what a Ten Thousand Mage Legion entails, but it's a terrifying force Comparable in strength to ninth-tier professionals. Without a fleet multiple times larger than the enemy, there is simply no chance of victory... "

To avoid unnecessary panic, the United Empire's official channels had not revealed too much about the terror of a Ten Thousand Mage Legion.

Only those military professionals who had fought them head-on knew.

And only they knew just how desperate a fighting force the "Ten Thousand Mage Legion" could be.

Those mages from the Divine Plane using ten thousand men as a legion could unleash divine prohibitive curses capable of devastation, with no city able to withstand such firepower.

The fall of the entire Mafa region was due to a dozen Ten Thousand Mage Legions pushing forward.

Up until a month ago, they had already breached the imperial capital, Kabitrone.

The Alchemy Plane, lacking in high-end combat power, had few who could stand up to those seventh and eighth-tier mages stacked in the Ten Thousand Mage Legions.

Saying they were consistently pushed back would be an understatement.

This time, after receiving secret intelligence that the Ten Thousand Mage Legion was trying to covertly pass through the Imperial Strait, they had hoped to gather their legions and use the advantage of their ships to launch a surprise attack to bolster their morale. Unfortunately, the information leaked, and instead, they were ambushed.

Leading to their current dire predicament.

....

Old Marshal continued to share his concerns.

Su Lun was in no hurry; he just quietly listened.

Having clashed so many times already, how could he not know the formidable nature of the Ten Thousand Mage Legion?

Because the enemy's encirclement had not yet closed, acting now might scare some away. Therefore, he was not in a hurry and planned to wait until they were closer before capturing them all at once.

Meredith originally said these things intending to persuade the Dawn Organization to prioritize the overall situation and preserve the seed of alchemy civilization by leaving this area.

But as he spoke, he noticed Su Lun's face remained calm, and he began to wonder: How could this young man show no reaction at all?

He looked at Su Lun again, feeling that Su Lun was much stronger than during their last encounter, yet it seemed impossible that he showed no reaction to the mention of the "Legion of a Thousand Mages."

What was the source of this guy's inexplicable confidence?

Meredith thought of something, suddenly changing the topic, and asked, "Has Mr. Jing from your Dawn Organization arrived?"

As he spoke, he immediately added with doubt, "But... wasn't Mr. Jing injured before?"

Without a ninth rank, he could not think of any reason Su Lun would have such confidence.

Su Lun had been listening casually.

But upon hearing this, his expression subtly changed, and he immediately retorted, "Mr. Jing was injured?"

Mr. Jing advancing to the ninth rank did not surprise him, but he was surprised that his own sister had been injured.

Meredith strangely countered, "You didn't know? After Mr. Jing advanced to the ninth rank, he had been in the southern part of Mafa, Zambra Ironfall Province, thwarting the descent of celestial experts from the Divine Plane. But about half a month ago, it is said that a divine will from another world descended, and he was attacked by experts of the Divine Plane, suffering not light injuries. His injury led to the fall of the imperial capital, Kabitrone..."

"..."

Su Lun listened with a furrowed brow.

He truly did not know about this.

Based on the timing, it must have been when the Dawn Organization was still in the waters of Dragon Country.

Su Lun knew all too well his sister's aloof nature; if she could avoid bothering others, she certainly would.

She hadn't mentioned the injury, likely feeling that Su Lun and the others wouldn't be able to help anyway.

Realizing this, Su Lun directly asked through the communicator, "Sister, you were injured?"

On the other end of the communicator, Mr. Jing's calm response soon came, "Yes."

It seemed he had no intention of elaborating.

Su Lun, well aware of his sister's character, wouldn't dig deeper unless she volunteered the information, so he directly asked, "What exactly happened? Is it serious?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Jing finally responded, "A ninth-rank Sage of Law descended from the Divine Plane, using high-level Holy Light divine power. The injuries are somewhat troublesome and will need some time to heal."

Although spoken lightly, Su Lun knew that if Mr. Jing mentioned needing time to heal, the injuries were indeed serious.

Upon hearing this, his face suddenly turned grim.

He sensed for a moment, and Mr. Jing's location was probably still in the southern part of Mafa.

Su Lun thought for a bit, then said, "Sister, I still have some matters to deal with here. I will come over later. Is it convenient for you there?"

On the other end of the communicator, Mr. Jing didn't refuse, only faintly responding with a "Yes."

...

The entire fleet watched as Su Lun stood there, seemingly "spacing out" for a moment.

Meredith did not understand what exactly was happening, nor did he intrude.

But seeing the suddenly sharp aura of Su Lun, his eyes slightly narrowed, vaguely sensing a strange feeling that even he found unsettling.

Before he could ponder further.

At that time, Su Lun had terminated the communication. Abandoning his previous composure, he spoke of serious matters, "Marshal, you are now trapped by the army's magic from the Divine Realm, under the 'Legion Curse: Mirror Sea'. No matter which direction you sail, you can't escape. In no time, a complete encirclement will be formed, and by then, eight legions of ten thousand mages each will converge to form the 'Octagram Siege Array'. By the time you retaliate, even if the steamships have an equipment advantage, it will still be very passive..."

He wasn't anxious before because he believed the enemy would definitely not give up such a huge opportunity and would eventually fall into the trap.

But now, he was eager to check on Mr. Jing's situation, so he didn't want to delay any further.

A swift battle would be best.

Hearing Su Lun say this, Meredith expressed his doubt, "Octagram Siege Array?"

Su Lun nodded and explained, "Yes. It's a massive battle array formed by eight legions of ten thousand mages each. It's usually used for demolishing fortresses, and its power is tremendous."

The ten thousand mage legions of the Divine Realm were not just independent units; multiple legions could also combine to form a gigantic magical array.

Once formed, the combined fleet's ships, no matter how sturdy, were sitting ducks.

Meredith knew quite a bit about the Divine Realm and had heard a little about this as well.

Realizing the severity of the situation upon hearing Su Lun's explanation, he frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Su Lun stated calmly, "I think we should stop the ships now and wait for them to come to us for a battle."

As soon as these words were spoken, it stirred up a tempest in everyone's hearts.

...

The conversation between the two did not avoid the senior officers on the deck.

Listening to Su Lun, some showed shock while others displayed skeptical expressions.

Rushing might still offer a chance for a breakout.

Stopping, wouldn't that be waiting for death?

Their understanding of Su Lun was still limited to him being Yekaterina's husband and the crown prince of the Regadi family.

Although he held a high station, the military usually disliked these high nobles who had never been on a battlefield, knew nothing, yet liked to offer impractical suggestions.

Meredith, aware of everyone's thoughts, asked directly, "But if we stop, do we have a chance of winning?"

Su Lun nodded and calmly said, "Yes."

Seeing the doubtful looks on everyone's faces, he added, "When those guys from the Divine Realm surround us, the fleet just needs to focus on defense and counterattack. The rest of the combat, the Dawn Group will handle."

He still said it very diplomatically.

Yet, with those words, the vast steamship fell eerily silent.

Everyone looked at him with expressions of strangeness and skepticism.

Meredith didn't think Su Lun was joking, but he also felt it was impossible.

Out of concern for his comrades' safety, he cautiously asked again, "Have... have other ninth-tier members from the Dawn Group come?"

Su Lun, hearing this, didn't know how to explain.

Under normal circumstances, it would indeed require the presence of a ninth-tier professional or an army of a million to change the course of battle.

But Su Lun couldn't just say that he alone could take on a ten thousand mage legion, could he?

Such a statement would be even less believable.

Strength, after all, is proven in battle, not just talked about.

Su Lun pondered for a moment and simply stated, "Although whichever choice we make, the result will be the same. But stopping now to gather in a defensive formation will reduce many losses for the fleet."

Indeed, that was the case. With the arrival of the Dawn Group, the enemy's fate was already sealed. The only uncertainty now was the casualty ratio between us and them.

But upon hearing this remark, which carried an air of arrogance beyond compare, the expressions on the faces of the soldiers on deck varied greatly.

There were doubts, some found it amusing, others were sarcastic, and some were angry...

But no one chose to believe it.

Because it was simply impossible!

Even Old Marshal Meredith, who could be said to have the broadest knowledge of alchemy, had a frozen expression.

To say he didn't trust Su Lun — his instincts told him Su Lun was not joking.

To say he trusted him — he couldn't gamble the lives of two hundred thousand warriors of the fleet.

The atmosphere of the conversation turned somewhat awkward from that moment.

Su Lun didn't know how to explain further.

But just then, another Marshal, General Rostov, broke the tension.

He pondered for a moment and said, "I think... our fleet can stop fighting too. After all, it can't get worse than it is now."

Sometimes, intuition plays a big part in decisions on the battlefield.

Meredith had the same idea, but since it was a joint fleet, he couldn't decide alone.

Hearing General Rostov speak, he nodded, "Well, if that's the case, let's stop the ships and face the combat."

Now the situation was basically clear. The enemy's aim was to annihilate them and then encircle and help each other.

Stopping to engage in battle would also end the fight sooner.

Perhaps it could even prevent needless sacrifices from reinforcements.

...

Although the crew members had doubts about the incredible reinforcement "Dawn Group," since the two great marshals had ordered, no one objected.

Seven large fleets of over a hundred steam iron vessels slowed down and then assembled into a defensive formation on the sea, waiting for the enemy's arrival.

The soldiers busied themselves at their respective posts.

At that moment, unable to contain his curiosity, Meredith, known as "Lei Tiger," asked, "Su Lun kid, now that the ships have stopped. Can you tell me, do you have any secret trump card? What exactly is your plan?"

He always felt that Su Lun was secretive but confident, surely hiding some powerful trump card.

Listening to the old man's inquiry, Su Lun explained further, "Ah... my plan is just to wait for those enemies from the divine plane to approach, and then take action."

Meredith was expecting to hear some explosive plan, but as he listened, the conversation just ended.

His old face twitched, "That's it?"

"Yes."

Su Lun nodded and then revealed his true thoughts, "That way, when they're all gathered together, it will be difficult for them to escape."

Upon hearing this, Meredith and General Rostov did not know how to describe their mixed feelings.

If someone else had said this, they would have thought the young man was insane.

They must be insane themselves.

To believe such an outrageous plan.

But after the initial shock, as the saying replayed in their minds...

Wait a minute!

Something seemed off.

This guy had stopped the ship, not to repel the enemies but to prevent them from easily escaping?

Was he planning to annihilate the enemy completely?

The two old marshals exchanged glances, feeling a chill in their hearts.

Meredith cast an inquiring gaze, "What do you think?"

General Rostov, understanding the gravity, offered a wry smile, "Honestly, with my knowledge of the world and decades of combat experience, I can't believe such a plan. But I trust her Majesty's judgment. The person she chooses must be extraordinary."

Meredith also reflected, "Yes, Empress Yekaterina is indeed a brilliant monarch with grand visions. The person she picks surely won't be lacking. Moreover, if it weren't for my granddaughter saying this kid was impressive, I wouldn't dare believe such a crazy plan."

The two imperial military leaders spoke softly and then sighed in unison.

They looked again at Su Lun, who maintained his calm and composed demeanor from beginning to end, feeling very complicated inside.

This was even more unbelievable than the dire situations they had faced before.

At this point, all they could do was wait for a miracle to happen.

...

And so, the joint fleet stopped on the sea surface, with vessels arranged into a defensive battle array.

At this time, the peripheral reconnaissance group had already spotted the enemy fleet approaching.

In the distance, Su Lun also saw those civilian sailing merchant ships, some pirate ships, and large fishing vessels.

All of Mafa's shipyards had been destroyed, and all military ships had been dispatched to Luying. Additionally, Mafa's maritime shipping was not very developed to begin with. Hence, those guys from the divine plane didn't find any large ships. They only gathered some small vessels.

But eight massive mage groups had assembled thousands of ships, big and small, from all directions, which looked quite impressive.

Knowing the huge disparity in naval artillery between the two fleets, those from the divine plane began their magic attacks before even entering firing range.

The ocean roared, fierce winds raged, and thunder and lightning filled the sky, creating an apocalyptic scene on the sea...

Several mage groups wielded the formidable power of the elements; Tsunami Technique, Hurricane Technique, Ten Thousand Thunder Strikes... one forbidden-level legion magic spell after another was cast from afar.

Truly, the joint fleet had an absolute advantage in battleship equipment, but compared to the mage groups in manipulating the forces of nature, the fleet's alchemists fell far short.

The naval battle commenced from a great distance.

The sound of cannon fire was incessant, and the forces of the elements grew more violent.

Through the communicator, reports from the forward scout legions came intermittently:

"Marshal, the enemy has stopped fifteen nautical miles from us!"

"Confirmed, there are eight mage legions!"

"Not good, their position... seems like they are preparing some legion magic!"

"..."

Messages kept coming from the periphery.

On the deck, Meredith and General Rostov held a monocular each, looking sternly at the ships at the edge of their vision.

It was indeed eight legions of ten thousand mages each!

They really were preparing a formation!

They only now realized that this completely matched what Su Lun had said before!

All eyes on the ship glanced at the man in black on the deck, a crow resting on his shoulder.

Although the two sides were still far apart, the battle was becoming increasingly fierce.

Yet Su Lun did not take action.

He simply watched quietly.

He was still waiting for the right moment.

He would wait until the enemy's "Octagram Siege Array" became irreversible, then he would move, and by then, the magical backlash would be enough to trouble those guys.

...

The joint fleet, after all, possessed over two hundred thousand elite troops, including the best warship equipment.

Even the gods from the divine plane would find it tough to swallow an easy bite and might break their teeth.

So, those people were not in a hurry, especially since some high-level magics required a long time to prepare.

Ironically, it was while Su Lun was observing the battle that the sky above them suddenly filled with dark clouds, flashing with terrifying red lightning.

And strangely enough, those red lightnings, under the guidance of some mysterious force, rapidly converged into a terrifying thunder dragon!

Su Lun looked up, dismissed it with a glance, and muttered to himself, "Legion Curse: Thunder Dragon... it seems the enemy legion has a very powerful eighth-tier lightning mage."

The response from the major warships was immediate.

"Everyone, be careful! The enemy has conjured a lightning curse!"

"Activate the ninth level defensive aura! Prepare the lightning rods!"

"Magic professionals, steal elements to reduce the enemy's magic power!"

"..."

The joint fleet consisted of elites; they had plenty of experience and didn't need Su Lun's involvement, as the strategists made the best responses.

However, they still found this ninth-tier curse-level legion magic quite challenging to handle.

The lightning in the sky grew more ferocious, striking the ocean and linking the sea to the sky with chains of scarlet veins, turning the world crimson.

The ships had activated their energy shields, and those lightnings hit without causing harm.

But the sea was now filled with masses of electrocuted dead fish.

By then, the thunder dragon in the sky had taken shape, hundreds of meters long, exuding a scalp-numbing draconic might!

Nobody on deck had ever seen a real dragon, nor knew what draconic might was, yet they felt their souls tremble mysteriously, as if the thunder dragon in the sky was pressing down on them, making it hard to breathe.

Even the eighth-tier professionals on the ship were all looking grave.

Only Su Lun remained unfazed, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted in disdain for the dragon's might.

Compared to the dragons he had encountered in the Dragon Country Waters, this level of draconic might was nothing.

Seeing this, his eyes sparkled with light. He glanced at the sky, deduced something, and suddenly felt a slight surprise, thinking to himself, "Hmm... there's actually a hidden epic magical artifact 'Fang of the Thunder Dragon' involved here, quite an interesting item."

Just as this thought surfaced,

suddenly, a loud "crack" resounded!

A thick red lightning bolt streaked through the sky, slashing down as if it would cleave open a rift in space.

This red lightning bolt was aimed directly at the main ship where Su Lun was, hitting with precision!

However, the joint fleet was backed by the royal navy, and the ship was equipped with various alchemical cursed items!

Even such formidable lightning was entirely blocked by the defense shield.

But before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief,

the thunder dragon in the sky flapped its wings, and charged directly towards the main ship.

The bright red glow illuminated the pale faces of everyone, under the terrifying draconic might, they all felt the despair of imminent destruction.

Only Su Lun stood tall and unmoved. Seeing this, he had already seen through the hidden murderous intent of this magic and sneered, "Tsk tsk, so that's your plan... but how could you possibly behead the commander right away!"

With a loud "bang", the Thunder Dragon crashed into the defense shield and exploded.

Even if it didn't penetrate the shield, the massive shockwave made many lower-tier professionals on the ship faint.

They blocked it!

Just as everyone was relieved that the energy shield had blocked this fatal blow,

However,

a sudden turn of events occurred!

What nobody had expected happened.

The exploding Thunder Dragon at the site released an inconspicuous red dragon tooth that, like lightning, pierced through the defense shield and charged directly at Marshals Meredith and General Rostov!

The gods of the divine plane had found some method to lock onto the marshals' positions, but the lightning came in an instant, leaving no room to avoid.

The dragon tooth itself had incredible physical and magical penetration; this epic ninth-tier "Fang of the Thunder Dragon" magical artifact could make the defense of all high-tier mechanical armors virtually useless.

Though this lightning might not kill the two marshals, a serious injury was inevitable.

Watching the red lightning dart toward the two marshals, everyone's eyes widened in shock, but even their personal guards couldn't prevent it in time.

Marshals Meredith and General Rostov looked stern, showing no fear and were already prepared for defense. However, they knew that if they were severely injured, the morale of the entire battle would collapse before it even began.

Just when everyone's hearts were filled with despair,

Suddenly, a miracle happened!

A figure teleported and appeared tens of meters in front of the two old marshals, precisely in the trajectory of that red lightning.

But what followed made everyone's jaws drop in astonishment.

That figure actually... caught the incoming red lightning with his hand.

Got it!

Barehanded!

Seeing this, everyone, including Marshals Meredith and General Rostov, was dumbfounded!

Upon closer inspection, the figure was covered in dragon scales, a terrifying aura more fearsome than the dragon's might instantly swept across the field.

The figure stood proudly, like a divine god descending upon them!