Mechanical Alchemist

It was when the combined fleet of the Imperial Strait and the godly plane's Mage Council were locked in fierce battle that Lingdun City, now the capital of the United Empire, was bearing witness to these events.

At number 19 on Holy Radiance Avenue resided the mansion of Duke Reginard Roberts, known as "Duke of Misty Mountain."

Once, the Roberts family was one of the six Senior Councilors of the Luying Empire, and now, Archduke Roberts held the position of Minister of Military Affairs for the United Empire.

Half a month ago, the Empire's secret intelligence agency received confidential information: Mages from the godly plane were planning to secretly cross the sea. The Empire's command center immediately made a decision, dispatching the combined fleet led by Marshals Meredith Ben Moses, nicknamed "Thunder Tiger," and General Rostov to set sail in secret and launch a surprise attack on their port while the enemy's fleet was still convening.

Should the surprise attack prove successful, not only would it greatly delay the invasion of Luying by those from the godly plane, but it would also provide a substantial boost to the morale, which was otherwise flagging.

Although the risk was significant, it was a gamble that had to be taken.

However, they hadn't expected that, just last night, disastrous news arrived.

The combined fleet lost contact before they even reached the predetermined waters.

People speculated that perhaps they had encountered a storm, or perhaps a special magnetic field... and temporarily lost contact.

But Archduke Roberts, one of the decision-makers of the entire surprise attack operation, was plagued by an increasingly ominous premonition that the fleet might have been ambushed.

To cause a disappearance of a well-equipped fleet of more than two hundred thousand, one need not think hard to know that the only ones capable of such a deed were the foes from the godly plane.

Such a top-secret plan was not known by many within Luying, yet it still got exposed beforehand, which was quite mystifying.

And this situation also meant that a significant issue might have arisen among some high-ranking individuals within their own ranks.

It was noon, and the sun was shining brightly.

In the manor's garden, with his goatee, Archduke Roberts was sipping coffee, his gaze on the sea charts he had been studying all night, the furrows of worry between his brows never dissipating.

At that moment, a handsome young man in a crisp military uniform walked into the garden from afar and said with concern, "Father, you haven't rested all night. I think you should get some sleep rather than drink more coffee."

This was Alexis, the eldest son of the Roberts family.

Archduke Roberts, looking at his son, finally allowed a trace of a smile to appear on his face.

He didn't respond to the comment about the coffee; instead, he asked, "Alexis, when are you planning to hold your wedding with Kama?"

As if they had a silent agreement, Alexis didn't answer the question but instead started talking about another matter, "Father, I've come to bid you farewell. I've decided to join the reinforcement fleet heading to the Imperial Strait. We sail tonight."

Upon hearing this, Archduke Roberts was not particularly surprised.

He had watched his son grow up; how could he not know what he was thinking? He simply said, "Your mother's opinion is..."

Before he could finish, Alexis, thinking his father wanted to persuade him otherwise, interrupted, "No, Father, my mind is made up. I am an officer of the Empire, and our Roberts family is part of the Alchemy civilization. We, the former grand nobles, have the best resources and the best equipment. In such a civilization's disaster, no matter what, I shouldn't be shrinking back. I should be on the front lines of the battlefield now!"

His words were resolute and filled with conviction.

Hearing this, Archduke Roberts looked at his son with eyes full of pride, "You are truly worthy of being the eldest son of the Roberts family. But I wasn't trying to persuade you."

After pausing, he continued, "What I meant to say is, it would be best to hold the wedding before you go to the front lines. Such a fine lady, you can't let her down..."

Alexis, upon hearing his father's words, showed a hint of a reaction and replied, "I've asked Kama about it. She said that with the Empire in crisis, a modest ceremony will suffice. I've also told her about my decision to go to the front lines, and she supports it."

"Hmm," was all Archduke Roberts said, with no further commentary, "then take care."

If the mansion collapses, no one will remain unscathed.

Moreover, as the eldest son of the Minister of Military Affairs, he could not shrink back during such a sensitive time.

Alexis nodded, "I understand, Father."

...

The father and son were chatting in the garden when, all of a sudden, a figure flickered in the courtyard, adding a shadow from seemingly nowhere.

Being able to evade the manor's guards, this person was clearly a highly skilled assassin.

Archduke Roberts's gaze sharpened slightly, as if he was not surprised, and remained calm.

Alexis, however, frowned deeply, looking at this uninvited guest and asked coldly, "Who are you?!"

The newcomer did not lift the hood, exuding a cold and mysterious aura like a Poison Snake.

He addressed the father and son, his voice chilly, "Who I am is not important. What is important is that I can bring a piece of news that you, Archduke, might be very interested in."

Hearing this, Archduke Roberts's expression flickered briefly, as if he guessed the identity of the visitor, and replied indifferently, "Oh? Let's hear it."

The mysterious person seemed to smile upon seeing the interest of the Archduke and said, "I can responsibly inform you of an intelligence, that the combined fleet is destined not to return. I hear your son is heading to support the front lines... Consider this news a word of caution."

Upon hearing this, Archduke Roberts had yet to reply when Alexis's complexion changed drastically, and a surge of anger rose within him.

This man's words were certain... the fleet had been ambushed!

Indeed, there were traitors among them; someone had leaked the fleet's surprise attack plan to those from the godly plane.

And this person before him was one of those traitors!

Initially wanting to summon the manor's guards to capture and interrogate this intruder, a glance at his father made him suppress his fury and remain in place.

Archduke Roberts, listening, remained calm and composed. After pondering for a moment, he simply asked, "Are you a member of the 'Heaven's Eye Sect'?"

The mysterious person seemed to laugh, "Duke, who I am is not important. What matters is that I can offer you some advice."

Archduke Roberts glanced at him, "Oh?"

The mysterious person then spoke, "If the Duke is willing to cooperate, someone else will discuss the details with you later. Of course, you must have guessed that I am but a minor character, whereas behind me is a power nobody in this plane can resist. So I can assure you, once you agree to cooperate, you and your Roberts family will remain safe and sound."

Archduke Roberts, upon hearing this, laughed, "Tsk tsk... I am curious, traitor alchemists who surrendered and became slaves, do you people really not feel any shame at all?"

Hearing this, the mysterious person's tone became murderous, "Are you refusing?"

Archduke Roberts, not in the least bit intimidated, has already guessed the identity of his visitor and scoffed instead, "The once Legendary Bounty Hunter 'Thief Emperor' Carlo Meldis, has become a slave to the foreign gods' sect, how laughable."

Continuing, he said, "If I were you, I'd run fast. Maybe you could cling to life for a few more days. Tsk tsk, a seventh-tier assassin, do you really think you can go wherever you want in Lingdun?"

With these words spoken, the mysterious person also seemed to sense something, his expression under the hood changing drastically.

He didn't dare delay, his figure already fading into transparency.

However, before leaving, he did not forget to threaten, "Hmph, you don't know what's good for you! You and your family will regret your decision today!"

Archduke Roberts did not attempt to stop the other from fleeing, his expression still indifferent, but with a hint of contemplation in his eyes.

...

Luying and Mafaxi had now formed a united empire. After Empress Yekaterina's enthronement, she carried out a series of sweeping reforms.

One could say that the overall power of the United Empire now is much stronger than during the era of the Bonaparte royal family.

With the Imperial Strait as a natural moat, even the gods from the heavenly plane would find it impossible to dismantle the alchemy civilization in a short time.

Therefore, Archduke Roberts was not the least bit surprised to find himself approached by someone.

As the Minister of Military Intelligence, he controlled information and resources that could be equated to the lifeblood of nearly half the empire. The enemy would naturally not overlook such a loophole.

Watching the enemy flee, Alexis asked, "Father, aren't we going to chase him?"

Archduke Roberts shook his head as if everything was under control, "He won't escape. His Majesty the Emperor had already guessed that someone would come knocking at this critical moment, preparations were made in advance."

Alexis: "His Majesty the Emperor?"

"Yes, His Majesty has control over the largest intelligence organization, the Military Intelligence Division. He would certainly be aware of the situation in Lingdun."

Archduke Roberts, with a flash of something unusual in his eyes, spoke.

Although Empress Yekaterina once had to call him uncle, he had to admit she was a convincing sovereign.

He couldn't help but reflect, "Empress Yekaterina is the most talented monarch I have ever seen, a hundred times better than Queen Charlotte. If she remains in power, it won't be long before the alchemy civilization will enter an unprecedented golden age. It's a pity that the plane invasion came so suddenly, this situation is difficult to handle..."

Alexis also looked pensive for a moment.

After all, Yekaterina was still his junior from his first term. He never imagined she would become such a capable emperor.

However, the empress's resolve and boldness were widely recognized, and this was also why the empire could remain stable during these times of crisis.

Obviously, now was not the time to be contemplative. Alexis, after a moment of thought, asked again, "Father, are you saying that guy just now was from the 'Heaven's Eye Sect'?"

To the Roberts family, a bounty hunter, even one with the famed title of one of the "Top Ten Legendary," was no big deal.

By contrast, the power behind him was of crucial importance.

"Of course," said Archduke Roberts with a complex expression. "Queen Charlotte's Faith Freedom Act not only led to the invasion of the heavenly plane but also left behind some followers of the outer gods. We didn't completely eradicate them at the time, and now the consequences have surfaced. What's worse, if they could approach us, they would naturally approach others too. It seems like some of the empire's top-level officials have become the 'Surrender Faction,' swayed by the forces of the heavenly plane."

The topic made both father and son appear grave.

Alexis furrowed his brows, "Should we report this to Her Majesty the Queen? It seems that the joint fleet may have been betrayed by a mole, and the odds are grim. The enemy might even be attempting a 'divide and conquer' strategy, aiming to erode more of the empire's fleet."

"It's too late," said Archduke Roberts, shaking his head.

That was the reason he hadn't slept all night.

Because he had already anticipated this possibility. Now, he had only confirmed the worst-case scenario from the mouth of another.

He added, "If they dare to speak openly, it must be that they are confident the matter has been settled. In the face of absolute power, all schemes are but an illusion. The joint fleet, I'm afraid, is more likely doomed than not."

It was this very feeling, of being aware of an enemy's schemes but unable to counteract them effectively, that felt like a heavy stone pressing on one's chest.

Alexis, with a hint of urgency, asked, "But do we just do nothing? Should the fleet still attempt to provide reinforcement? If we don't go and if Marshals Meredith and Rostov need rescue, and we don't go..."

Upon hearing this, Archduke Roberts suddenly looked up at the sky, his gaze growing deep.

He too seemed full of doubts.

After a moment of deep thought, he said, "Last night I had sent a message to Her Majesty, and she responded with a phrase: 'Even in the darkest night, there will be stars all over the sky'."

Alexis listened, his face full of confusion.

Just then, the sound of combat erupted from the distant streets.

The battle was intense, and even within the manor, the vibrations could be felt.

Archduke Roberts knew that it was the assassin he had sent out earlier who had been cornered by the people from Imperial Intelligence.

From the start, the fate of this assassin had been sealed.

Remembering the communication from last night, Roberts felt a bit more at ease.

He glanced at his son again and said, "Alexis, do you know that even yesterday, His Majesty had already guessed that the 'Thief Emperor' Carlo Meldis would come knocking, and warned me to be extra careful."

Alexis was clearly quite shocked. No wonder his father wasn't the least bit flustered—it turned out he had been prepared: "Imperial Intelligence's information is that precise?"

Duke Roberts shook his head, "No, it's not just that. Few people know that His Majesty is an inscrutable 'Astrology Magician.' So it's likely he's aware of what's happening now and what's about to happen in the future. His Majesty's strategic foresight is something beyond our comprehension."

Alexis's gaze became complicated as he listened, then said, "But...we should still do something, right?"

Archduke Roberts, too, seemed at a loss and shook his head, "I don't know. His Majesty has made no statement, leaving it to the council to decide. I suspect that this time, he seems to want those rats hiding in the gutters of Lingdun to come out into the sunlight. As for the joint naval fleets, it feels like he has some other assurance, as if there's a turnaround in the situation."

Alexis said, "Ah... but how could there be a reversal without the empire's main fleet going to the rescue against such strong foes from the divine portal plane?"

Archduke Roberts was still puzzled and shook his head, "We'll just do what we need to do, and within our power, to remain blameless. Those fiends from the divine portal plane will definitely not preserve Alchemy civilization. Even if some choose to live as slaves, our Roberts family will absolutely not betray our family honor or abandon Alchemy! If the joint fleets really were ambushed, the nearest reinforcements won't arrive at the site of the incident until half a month later. So there's no need to rush these one or two days. But I feel that there might be some major changes happening with this situation."

Hearing this, Alexis donned a solemn expression and gave a military salute, saying, "Yes, Father!

At that moment, the sounds of battle just outside the street abruptly ceased.

It had started unexpectedly and ended just as quickly.

Yet as someone visited the Roberts family manor, there were also several mysterious visitors heading to the residences of other ministers.

Almost everyone in the higher echelons of Lingdun now knew about the likely annihilation of the joint fleets, leaving the capital covered in a pall of gloom.

For the followers of the "Eye of Heaven Sect," it was a pre-victory celebration.

With the joint fleet destroyed, the breakthrough of Luying's homeland was within reach.

In such times on the brink of collapse, there were those within the united empire who, like the Roberts family, firmly chose to live or die with Alchemy civilization, while others opted to join the "surrender faction," choosing to betray their civilization and their compatriots.

Suddenly, various forces of unrest reared their heads in Lingdun.

However, most of these scenes were under the surveillance of Imperial Intelligence.

Just as Archduke Roberts had surmised, the figure in the palace planned to take this opportunity to deal with those rats hiding in the gutters.

....

In the evening, at Frederic Royal Palace.

Inside the stately palace, what was supposed to be an urgent meeting turned into a fierce argument among the ministers.

The joint fleet's loss of contact was now almost certainly due to an attack.

The conservative and rescue-faction ministers were red in the face arguing over whether to mount a large-scale rescue.

"The enemy has cut off the signals, clearly employing a 'surround and support' tactic. We must not send more troops to their deaths! Now the best choice is to hold our positions. Without our ships, the enemy cannot mount a serious attack, and holding our ground is the best course of action."

"Even if the joint fleet has indeed suffered a misfortune, I believe that the experienced marshals Meredith and Rostov would never leave the enemy with a single good warship. We still have naval superiority. If we rashly strike and lose more fleets, we'll completely lose our advantage!"

"A defensive strategy is correct, but if we don't rescue, we'll lose the two marshals and more than two hundred thousand seasoned soldiers. This is a loss not just in terms of equipment and personnel but also in morale! If we don't rescue, how disheartened do you think the front-line soldiers will feel?"

"Exactly! General Tosf is right. Moreover, the enemy's arrangements on Mafaxi Coast are still rudimentary. Now is the best chance for a surprise attack. If we take no action till they establish a good defense line, we'll have no opportunity. I support continuing reinforcements and raids!"

"I agree!"

"..."

Everyone was aware that sending reinforcements carried a huge risk, but to not reinforce was also wrong.

It was a debate doomed to have no resolution.

And upon the throne, Empress Yekaterina, clad in an embroidered golden robe, silently watched. Her purple hair stood tall, her beauty masking an imperial majesty.

She remained silent, fiddling with two meteorites in her hands, silently observing everything before her.

The ministers were perplexed. Why was the usually decisive and swift Empress so quiet today, letting the ministers argue among themselves?

But, judging by the speed with which the chaos in Lingdun City was quelled before it could rise, Her Majesty the Empress clearly had an accurate judgment and control of the situation.

No one knew what Yekaterina was thinking.

Then, suddenly, an elderly voice broke the silence, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, there's no point in continuing this argument. What do you think?"

The speaker was Merlin Gregory, clad in a gray mage's robe.

He was the current Chief Court Mage and the only ninth-tier professional in Lingdun.

Merlin was once an eighth-tier magistrate for Prince Carnap of a certain Bonaparte royal family. With the opening of the portal and the raising of the limit on laws of nature, the threshold for advancement had been greatly reduced.

No one expected that the Prince would have a Cosmic Essence, which also allowed Merlin to advance smoothly to the ninth tier.

But this Merlin was also a typical representative of the "Old Faction."

This faction, composed mostly of old nobility, supported the traditional feudal rights of hereditary lands and opposed the new policies in secret.

Now that Yekaterina had ascended the throne, a series of new policies had abolished the royalty and the hereditary rights to fiefs of the nobility.

These "old factions" were now both a support and a great hindrance to the empire.

After all, he was a ninth-tier alchemist, and at this critical moment for foreign affairs, no one could do anything to him. This Merlin also had significant influence in the imperial court, even showing signs of wielding power over the authorities.

When Yekaterina heard the inquiry, she simply said, "Let the council decide by vote."

Master Merlin, however, seemed somewhat dissatisfied and said, "Your Majesty, I believe we should dispatch a large force to rescue them, that would be the best course of action."

Yekaterina listened, her expression unchanged, and responded indifferently, "Very well."

Upon hearing this, a faint triumphant smile that was hard to detect flashed across Master Merlin's eyes, "Good, since that is the case, I think we should immediately send a fleet to reinforce!"

The ministers present heard this and said no more.

Although Yekaterina had not been on the throne for long, everyone realized she was an emperor of great talent and grand strategies. In this situation, no one could have done better than her.

The ministers also thought she needed the support of the "old factions" and had made the necessary compromises.

Naturally, no one else had anything more to say.

However, just when everyone thought the meeting had concluded,

suddenly a messenger guard burst in, exclaiming excitedly, "Urgent report! Urgent report!"

Normally, no matter what the urgency of the report, it had to be relayed through a specialized intelligence department and even be kept confidential.

Not like this, storming into the palace.

But there was one exception.

That was a war victory report!

Looking at the intruding messenger guard, all the ministers felt a great sense of perplexity.

Since the start of the war with the invaders from the celestial planes, they had suffered defeat after defeat, and even the minor victories were Pyrrhic. Where could such a victory report come from?

Yet, unbeknownst to everyone, the Yekaterina seated on the throne muttered under her breath in the same voice she alone had just heard, "Has it finally arrived..."

The messenger guard's face was flush with excitement as he quickly reported, "Your Majesty, a great victory! A great victory! The coalition fleet has sent an urgent message, reporting that between three to five this afternoon, our fleet near the Larman Archipelago in the Imperial Strait annihilated eight celestial plane battalions, each ten thousand strong in magic units!"

His voice echoed like a mighty bell throughout the entire great hall of the palace.

But upon hearing this, the expressions of all the ministers in the palace stiffened synchronously, as if they couldn't believe their own ears.

The more senior ministers even rubbed their eyes and ears, thinking they were having hallucinations.

For a moment, the vast palace was silent, save for the increasingly heavy breathing.

Listening, Yekaterina's own clear purple pupils trembled slightly. Although she had divined some positive outcomes with astrology, she had not expected a victory so great.

She commanded authoritatively, "Report in detail."

The messenger guard opened the scroll in his hands and reported loudly once more, "Just received the report, the imperial coalition fleet was supported by the 'Dawn Group,' and together they wiped out eight celestial plane magic battalions, slaughtering over eighty thousand enemies, destroying more than five hundred enemy warships. Our fleet only lost one battleship, thirty-two killed in action, and seven hundred injured..."

Upon saying this, everyone in the palace heard him clearly.

And because they heard him clearly, it was even more unbelievable.

What!

To annihilate eight ten-thousand-strong magic battalions with such minimal casualties?

If they were told that the coalition fleet had paid a terrible price to repel the enemy, they would have already considered it a great victory.

After all, no one was more aware of the combat power of the celestial plane magic battalions than they were.

Yet, the fleet had managed to "wipe out" eighty thousand enemy combatants with an incredibly low number of casualties?

How could this be!

Could this be a false report?

But everyone also faintly hoped it was true.

Even if it was a dream, they did not want to wake up.

At that moment, Yekaterina on the throne, upon hearing "Dawn Group," suddenly understood and murmured to herself, "So that's how it is."

As more and more detailed war reports came in and the ministers rushed to peruse them one after another, they finally dared to believe it was true.

Suddenly, the palace was alive with emotion; old ministers wept openly, an outburst of jubilation filled the air!

...

Before long, news of the "Imperial Strait Great Victory" spread throughout Lingdun City via special newspaper extras, and then swiftly across the entire empire.

This great victory served as a shot in the arm for everyone on the alchemical plane, significantly boosting military morale.

At the same time, the "Dawn Group" forcefully entered everyone's field of vision.