Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun followed Mr. Hei as they descended.

The two walked past the streets of the black market, then scaled a fence, continuing onward through the dark depths on a steel pipe over a meter in diameter.

Beneath their feet was an endless abyss that would probably make the heart of an ordinary person tremble with fear. Su Lun felt fortunate for his good sense of balance, otherwise a single slip might have sent him plummeting into the boundless darkness.
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After traversing several dozen meters of the pipe, Mr. Hei seemed to remember something. He pulled out a cloak and handed it to Su Lun, saying, "This is the entry token for this small circle. Wearing it will save you a lot of trouble."

"Hmm."

Su Lun nodded, took the cloak, and upon glancing at it, found it oddly familiar—it was the same type of cloak Mr. Hei wore, wasn't it?

[Invisibility Cloak]

Detailed explanation: An alchemical cloak with an advanced invisibility formation, it has certain abilities to distort vision, alter the voice, and weaken spiritual detection.

Great stuff!

Upon donning the cloak, Su Lun felt as if his body was cut off from the outside world, suddenly experiencing a sensation akin to peering at people from a hidden cave.

This gave him a much greater sense of security than his high-collared trench coat ever did.

The two continued on their way, passing through an abandoned sewer.

Mr. Hei spoke as they walked, "Before we go in, there are a few simple rules to explain. This circle operates on a membership basis. Only with the recommendation of three or more members can a new member qualify to join. You'd better not say that you joined through me, or it might cause trouble. Of course, with this cloak, no one will question you.

Also, don't inquire casually about other members' identities, and be careful not to let anyone probe yours..."

"There will be one or two exchange meetings every month. Information will be printed in the third row of the advertisement column of the 'Lyndon Daily News'. The decoding method is the 'Hill cipher'..."

"The people here are a mixed bunch, not as friendly as you might imagine. They could be fugitives, nefarious alchemists, or spies from other organizations with ulterior motives..."

"If you're looking for material knowledge, you can see later how others exchange it."

"..."

Su Lun listened carefully, nodding frequently.

Soon, the two arrived in front of a rusted iron door, walked in, and the space opened up dramatically.

This was a space about the size of a basketball court, with pipes of varying sizes all around, resembling an observation room of some ancient sewage system.

Despite visiting the black market many times, this was Su Lun's first knowledge of such a secret meeting place at its base.

....

There was only a solitary gas lamp in the room, illuminating the central stone round table engraved with the intricate pattern of the Hexagram Alchemy Array.

Gloomy, mysterious, and silent.

The vast space was utterly quiet, the air thick with an aura of mystery.

Mr. Hei appeared to be the host of the gathering. Upon his arrival, the cloaked figures resting in the dark corners gathered around.

"Mr. Hei..."

The crowd greeted one by one.

Mr. Hei nodded in acknowledgment.

Su Lun only glanced casually, noting fifteen figures around the round table, differing in height and build, yet all clothed in the same cloaks, their features obscured and voices altered. Thinking that beneath those cloaks could be second-tier professionals from the outer city, possibly even executives from their Crusader Association, he didn't look further.

Mr. Hei started, "Alright, today's exchange can begin now."

Everyone seemed to know the drill, wasting no time on banter, and dove straight into the matter at hand.

Su Lun had imagined a serious and austere meeting of a mysterious organization, but it sounded more like a casual social gathering.

Instantly, the meeting became lively.

"I need information. The butler of the inner city's Castor family was assassinated, and the killer fled to the outer city. I want to know through what channels the guy left the city. In addition to a bounty, the Castor family will also provide an opportunity for cooperation..."

"..."

"The Sunbird Armament Factory's eastern city branch had a batch of munitions taken in a raid. Is there anyone here who can contact the group involved? I'm not looking for trouble, but I'm interested in that merchandise, and the price is negotiable..."

"..."

"Any news on the S-ranked fugitive from the inner city?"

"Word is she was last seen in the west city district. 'The Umbrella Organization's' people are keeping a tight watch. They got wind of her, but nobody's caught her yet..."

"Does anyone know the background of that woman?"

"Heh, it's said she's a very formidable mechanical warrior who escaped carrying some 'research secrets'..."

"That kind of difficult character, even if she's carrying earth-shaking secrets, I reckon nobody would dare to take on the task. Oh, except for that organization..."

"..."

The cloaked figures exchanged information with each other.

If there were secrets in need of trade, they'd be written in envelopes and exchanged.

For less important matters, they'd just casually follow the conversation, everyone sharing what they knew, often piecing together the full truth of the matter.

These were, after all, high-tier professionals from the outer city, the level of events they discussed was very high, and their sources were incredibly broad. Moreover, almost all questions asked received an answer.

It was like watching the news, with Su Lun quietly listening on the side, only then did he realize how bustling it truly was within Old Lington.

After listening for a while, he had roughly figured out the function of this small circle.

Here, they could learn about real-time intelligence regarding the entirety of the outer city, and even the inner city.

Su Lun also noticed that it seemed like everyone at the round table, except for him and Mr. Hei, had spoken up to some extent.

It was as if there was an unspoken understanding or a rule that had become customary.

No one could freeride on information; to participate in the exchange, one had to offer up some intel of their own.

This was probably why Su Lun always felt as though someone had been stealing glances at him, likely because they could tell he was new.

....

After the exchange of intelligence had passed, it was time for the item trading phase.

A cloaked person began, "I'm in need of advanced materials for the rare profession of 'Withering Mage.' The direction of advancement is roughly 'Water Elemental Control', preferably a high-quality silver product from relics. The price is negotiable..."

Immediately after speaking, someone joined in.

"I just happen to have a silver cursed item 'Swamp Crocodile's Tear,' which should meet your needs. But I want to trade it for a set of the latest model of 'Frost Giant Combat Armor' from the inner city..."

"That item is classified as 'controlled goods' by the inner city's military... It's not merely a matter of price."

"I'll throw in a set of second-tier rare water spells 'Acidic Dissolution' skill scrolls on top..."

"Deal! But the armor will take about a week to get ready."

"No problem."

The two quickly struck a deal, without any unnecessary chatter.

Both parties' items were briefly examined by Mr. Hei. It seemed that even though one person hadn't brought out the armor and was perhaps making some sort of promise, a deal was still struck.

It was then that Su Lun understood that Mr. Hei was not just the host of the gathering but also an 'Appraiser' and a 'Guarantor.'"

Everybody seemed to trust him wholeheartedly.

Materials and scrolls he vouched for could immediately close a deal.

Su Lun knew of some of Mr. Hei's identities, so he wasn't too surprised.

What astonished him even more was the immense power these cloaked individuals wielded!

"Frost Giant Combat Armor" is said to be the latest generation of battle armor recently equipped by the inner city's city guard. These things haven't even been fully distributed to the army yet, and someone can already obtain them?

....

Once the trading segment began, back-to-back, Su Lun heard mention of many high-level artifacts he had never even heard of.

"I need a sinister cursed item that works against high-order specters, preferably someone could bring out the 'Crucifix Holy Emblem' from the Carter family in the inner city. The price is negotiable..."

"I have several manuscript pages from 'Alchemy Metaphor', written by the Great Alchemist 'Master Arnold' from Sir Isaac's era. However, the content has yet to be deciphered, and I can't guarantee that it definitely pertains to alchemy. I want to exchange it for a piece of information..."

"Who can provide a lead on third-tier advancement cursed materials for close combat professions? Anything in that range would do..."

"..."

One after another, the cloaked individuals put forth their demands, each seemingly prepared with items of a quality sufficient to trade for what they required.

The needed materials were all very high-level, almost always above silver quality.

Moreover, not a single price was mentioned aloud by anyone; they all bartered with goods instead.

It was then that Su Lun understood why there were so few second-tier materials sold in the black market shops. Even if there were any, they would only be a few low-quality samples.

Since high-tier cursed materials were limited in production and had an even smaller audience.

Unlike first-tier materials which cater to everyone, upper-tier materials were only useful to those with professions of second tier or higher, and even if displayed, would rarely sell.

Those who could obtain high-grade materials probably weren't short on money, and what they lacked more was materials that suited them.

Therefore, bartering was the best way to go.

....

After quietly listening for a while, Su Lun had completely figured out the rules of the exchange meeting.

At that moment, he remembered what Mr. Hei had suggested earlier about coming here to inquire, so he spoke up.

"I need a complete set of ancient alchemy training techniques for spiritual power. Also, I'm looking for cursed threads with a particularly fine, strong texture, ideally suitable for a Puppet Master's control... The price is negotiable."

Although Su Lun didn't know the value of the two materials, he also felt that he probably didn't have any items of equal grade to offer in exchange.

But whether there were fish or not, it was worth casting the net first.

As soon as he spoke up, the cloaked people around the round table fell silent for a moment.

"Spiritual techniques" belonged to a very advanced domain, and it wasn't clear if any of them knew what that was.

And the market demand for Puppet Master materials was very small, with few holding onto them for trade. Even if someone had it, they would likely sell it in the inner city.

Su Lun saw that the room had grown cold the moment he opened his mouth, and he was being sized up by a group of people.

He was fortunate that his cloak concealed him from prying eyes; otherwise, being stared at by a bunch of professionals of at least second tier, he might not have been able to stand there calmly.

Just when it seemed the topic was about to be skipped over, someone suddenly spoke up.

"I don't have the 'spiritual technique' you mentioned, but I do have a kind of thread that meets your criteria and possesses a very miraculous cursed property. If you're interested, have a look."