Mechanical Alchemist

The Pharmacist Danny honestly shared his background, and Su Lun confirmed that this incident likely had nothing to do with the inner city.

He also asked a few old acquaintances on Green Street, who had all heard that there were indeed outsiders in the district abducting orphans and vagrants.

So he agreed to lend a hand as a favor.

Su Lun donned a brown wig with small dirty braids, changed into a shiny leather outfit with a rock vibe, and then, using his lock-picking skills, "borrowed" an inconspicuous steam motorcycle before taking Danny along, following the scent to the West City District.

It had to be said, Danny's olfactory ability was outrageously accurate, akin to a dog's nose—it had been half an hour and he could still guide Su Lun to Knight Street in West City, more than ten kilometers away.

Su Lun had always suspected that the people abducting orphans on Green Street were from the Steam Party, and now that he had arrived in the Knight Street district, he had a good idea of who was behind it.

The anchor man, Parker, whom he had killed in a conflict, had once been the patrol captain for the Steam Party in this street district.

And from that guy's memories, Su Lun extracted some information: they seemed to have been abducting people all along, for some kind of "delivery tasks."

....

Su Lun drove Danny around the streets for a while until they found the black truck used for abductions in an unobtrusive dark alley.

But the truck was already empty.

After some searching, Danny at last confirmed that the scent of his friends was coming from a building a few hundred meters away from the truck, a place known as "Black Baron."

Su Lun had heard of this entertainment club; it was very famous in the West City District, quite bustling.

He parked the motorcycle at an inconspicuous unfinished building and let Danny hide in the Darkness.

Then he strode boldly down Knight Avenue.

The West City District was the territory of the Steam Party, also the part of the outer city most infused with steam punk elements. On the streets were many individuals sporting various mechanical arms and prosthetic limbs. Most of the buildings were Saxon or Romanesque-style domes in grey and black with iron frames and steam boiler exhaust pipes on the exteriors.

The street was filled with complex railway tracks, and there were multilevel steel train bridges above with steam trains passing by occasionally, billowing white smoke with a whoosh.

The area was awash with bright lights and lively streets—this was West City's "Green Street."

Hardly a few steps in, a shifty man with a sharp face came up to Su Lun, whispering, "Hey buddy, need a prosthetic upgrade? I've got the cheapest in the outer city and it comes with a one-year warranty..."

In the territory of the Steam Party, you might run short of anything but mechanical augmentation shops.

With his rock-star attire and no mechanical limb attachments, Su Lun appeared to these local toughs to be a potential customer.

But these shops that had to tout for business usually had subpar skills with augmentations—risks of infection, deformation, malfunctions were high.

Although he had not been here before, because of the plethora of memories he had absorbed during the last gang incident, he was familiar with the operations.

Seeing that Su Lun ignored him, the man pressed on, "Friend, I've also got high-end gear from the inner city, want to take a look?"

Su Lun didn't say a word, just flashed the fire gun at his waist, and the man knew to leave him alone.

He was well-versed in gang rules, and knew that the more courteous you are with these annoying fellows, the more troublesome they get.

Su Lun headed straight for the "Black Baron Club."

And then he encountered pimps, little girls selling flowers, and hawkers peddling cigarettes...

"Brother, want a girl? Just brought in from the inner city nobility, only three thousand lisos for the night. Hey, you might not know, but those noble ladies have incredibly tender skin..."

"Sir, would you like a rose?"

"The finest Berkeley brand cigarettes, Bagrum factory cigars, sir, would you care for a box?"

"..."

Su Lun flipped a ten-liso coin to the little girl with his thumb, took a rose, and entered the doors of the club.

Following entry was an inspection area enclosed by iron fencing, with a neat row of firearms hanging on the wall. A few burly men in suits with sunglasses; hands planted firmly on hips, were scanning the clients passing through. These were the Steam Party goons responsible for security—a job like the one Su Lun used to do.

These guys paid special attention to unfamiliar faces.

And naturally, they noticed Su Lun, who was visiting for the first time.

Venturing deep into enemy gang territory, Su Lun didn't show the slightest hint of stage fright, walking in with the swagger of a regular and casually handing a rose to a bunny girl greeter clad in a seductive costume at the door.

He couldn't recall where he had peeled off the memory, but he recognized the greeter nonetheless, "Hey, Moira, fancy a few drinks with me tonight?"

The bunny girl, upon seeing Su Lun, stuck to him immediately, "Oh~ sir, it's been a long time since you've been here..."

The professionalism of nightclub girls was just like that, charming and petulant as if they remembered you, even if they really didn't.

Su Lun laughed heartily, wrapping his arm effortlessly around the girl's slender waist as he stepped through the grand entrance of the club.

Seeing him as a familiar face in the club, those watchful eyes quickly moved away from him.

....

Entering the club led directly to a hall featuring a dance floor and a large stage.

The lights were dim, the air filled with intoxicating potions and the overpowering scent of pheromones.

Green Street's entertainment venues were patrolled every night, and Su Lun was so accustomed to them that nothing seemed new. It was the same old pole dancers and the scantily clad women on the catwalk...

A band dolled up like zombies rocked out wildly on stage while the crowd in the dance pit, driven by the beat of heavy metal music, rubbed and twisted against each other...

Su Lun was drinking with the bunny girl in a secluded booth in the corner.

A tip of a thousand lire ensured the tender and passionate services of Moira.

After all, this was enemy gang territory.

Su Lun's plan was simple: solve problems with money if possible, and avoid using force whenever you can.

Indeed, it didn't take a lot of money to get familiar faces here.

Having a drink in the nightclub made one's face known, and conducting business afterwards wouldn't seem abrupt.

Before long, after downing a few drinks and noticing the flush of intoxication on the girl's face, Su Lun felt the timing was right, clinked glasses with a "clang", and said nonchalantly to Moira, "Hey, is 'Gold Tooth' Barri around?"

In the gang's underworld, illegal human trafficking was often handled by specialized slave traders, and Barri was the broker in charge of such transactions in the "Black Baron" nightclub.

The girl took a sip of her drink and replied lazily, "Barri? Mr. Nicholas, are you looking to buy some slaves?"

Su Lun said, "Yeah. A noble's new residence in the inner city needs a bunch of kids, young but sensible, to be trained as servants, and I'm looking to pick out a few good ones to send over..."

Listening, the girl pressed closer, her charm increasing by the second, "Oh, I almost forgot, sir, your business is all with the nobles of the inner city, isn't it~ Should I notify Barri for you?"

Su Lun smiled, "That would be great."

....

Before long, a gaunt man with a gold tooth and wearing a mechanical vest approached.

"Sir, I heard that you need to buy some slaves?"

"I heard you have good stock, I'm looking for some younger ones..."

"Then you've come to the right man."

After a few straight-to-the-point exchanges, Su Lun followed Barri out the back door of the club. Then, descending a steel staircase to the basement level, he arrived at a room resembling a cell block.

Metal barred cells contained over a dozen panicked women, all young and easy on the eyes. They were topless, with only scant fabric covering their private areas, and many had fresh whip marks on their fair skin.

This sort of illegal human trafficking business was common in the outer city.

Barri introduced them obsequiously, "Sir, these are truly top-notch goods. Some were maids from noble families in the inner city not long ago. Look at those legs, they know the true ways of nobility. You buy them, I guarantee they'll make you mighty pleased~"

Su Lun wasn't there to buy female slaves; without spotting the few youngsters he was looking for, he showed his dissatisfaction, "I'm telling you, Barri, my friend, is this all you've got? I need young ones, easy to train as house servants!"

He paused, then couldn't resist adding a jab, "I've heard people say Barri has the best stock on Knight Street!"

Upon hearing this, Barri immediately puffed up his chest and boasted, "Of course! I guarantee, in the entire Knight Street area, only my goods are the most complete and the best!"

Su Lun glanced at him, meaning, "Is that all you have?"

Barri appeared troubled as he explained, "I won't lie to you, these are all genuinely top-notch goods. The lesser ones... the lesser ones were not kept."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun repeated aloud, "Look, Barri my man, I need some young ones, preferably eleven or twelve years old, boys or girls are fine. As long as I'm satisfied with the goods, we can talk about the price!"

Since Danny had confirmed that the people were inside this building, there certainly had to be other places where slaves were kept.

Barri must have known this too.

Sure enough, the phrase "we can talk about the price," immediately made Barri change his tune, "Just wait a moment, I'll bring a few for you to see."

Su Lun waved his hand magnanimously, "No need for such trouble, just take me to see them."

Indeed, there was another slave warehouse.

But as soon as Su Lun expressed his wish to go, Barri looked embarrassed, "This... I'm sorry, but it's not very convenient."

Su Lun realized there might be some secret base and did not insist. He shook his hand impatiently, "Forget it, then. Just make it quick."

"Alright, sir. Just a moment, it will be very quick."

With that, Barri left his two underlings behind and walked out alone.

With someone watching over him, Su Lun did not wander around but just sat on a chair with his legs crossed, waiting.

He appeared nonchalant, but in reality, he was all ears.

He listened to the sounds from the metal staircase outside the door. After Barri went out, he seemed to head upstairs, and then a few minutes later, he came back down.

Su Lun's ears twitched slightly as he silently counted, "That guy just now went to the third floor, the third room on the left, then came down and walked at least a hundred and ten steps towards the southwest corner. That should be in that building... Going up to consult with the big boss?"

Merely by listening to the noises outside the door, Su Lun had already deduced Barri's trajectory and was silently considering a backup plan.

....

Before long, Barri returned, followed by eight half-sized children locked in iron chains.

Their clothes were ragged and tattered, clearly indicating they were freshly caught street thieves or homeless orphans. Some appeared to have resisted and had been beaten, with bruised noses and swollen faces.

Upon seeing them, Su Lun instantly recognized a familiar face, remembered as Brown.

But... weren't there three?

Only one was here, which meant the other two were still locked up.

As Su Lun watched, he felt the situation was becoming slightly troublesome.

Seeing that Su Lun had not spoken, Barri asked, "You... you're not satisfied?"

Su Lun pursed his lips, looking unimpressed.

Actually, the quality of these few was quite good, even better than the other two he was looking for. However, if he couldn't buy them all at once, there was no point.

If he became too picky, his intentions would seem far from pure.

Su Lun shook his head and pulled out a stack of tips, leaving them on the table, as if he had lost the desire to look any further, "They might catch the eye... but the boss needs truly top-quality goods. Barri, my man, I'll trouble you to keep an eye out for the next few days, and I'll come back to look."

Although no deal was made, Barri, seeing the tip on the table, had a broad smile, "Don't worry, sir, in three to five days max, I guarantee I'll find something that satisfies you."

.....

Su Lun returned once again to the booth in the main hall, where the bunny girl was still waiting for him.

"Mr. Nicholas, you didn't find anything suitable?"

"Ah... Barri doesn't have anything that satisfies me for the time being. I'll have to come back in a few days."

"What a pity. Sir, would you care for a drink?"

Su Lun lifted his glass, yet in his mind, he thought, "If the deal doesn't go through, it seems I'll have to resort to force."

Luckily, he already knew the location where they were being held, which wasn't too much trouble.

At that moment, he suddenly felt that someone who just flitted past on the dance floor looked familiar, saying, "Huh... why does that person look familiar to me?"

Without a clear view, he couldn't remember who it was, guessing it was someone from a memory that had been peeled away.

The lady accompanying Su Lun had another round of drinks with him, and Suri felt it was time to make a move. He said, "Wait for me a few minutes, I'm going to the restroom."

Hearing this, the bunny girl seemingly misunderstood something and said flirtatiously with a smile, "Sure~ do you want me to come with you?"

In the night club, a restroom was not just a place to relieve one's bladder—it could also be a place for other kinds of relief...

Su Lun said with a smile, "Just wait for me."

Saying so, he suavely left the table.

.....

Leaving the booth, Su Lun went to the restroom.

Avoiding the drunken patrons, he directly climbed out of the restroom window and appeared in the back alley. He took off his coat and covered his face with a skull scarf.

Thanks to his exceptional hearing abilities, he always managed to easily avoid others.

"One hundred and ten steps southwest, it should be that small building. There are two guys drinking on the second floor, most likely lookouts..."

Su Lun was all too familiar with the habits of the gangs, and he easily distinguished the regular patrons from the Steam Party's gang members.

Taking advantage of the moment the lookouts were distracted, Su Lun quickly approached the small building.

Then, he slipped inside and sure enough, he saw a basement with a thick iron door.

There were three guards playing cards at the door, and as Su Lun walked over, in the astonished gaze of the three, he pulled out a silenced pistol and with two shots, he took down two of them.

Then, pointing the gun at the head of the last man, he said coldly, "Open the door."

The man was trembling with fear, "The... the key is with Boss Dam."

"Where's Dam?"

"Third floor...303."

Su Lun didn't waste any words and shot the man dead.

The lock on the thick iron door was complex, and not something that could be opened with skill alone; he turned around and walked out of the basement.

....

Su Lun also guessed that Barri had gone up to the third floor, probably to get the key.

He didn't take the staircase guarded by the Steam Party, but rather came to the alley outside the restroom where bottles were piled up, slipped into the shadows, and, using his spider limb, clung firmly to the wall and easily scaled it.

He didn't rush up but stopped on the second floor's exterior wall to listen for a moment.

"There's the sound of only one person breathing; that must be Dam."

Dam was the head of the slave traders on Knight Street, not a professional, which posed little threat to Su Lun.

He had planned to go in, kill the man, and obtain the key, solving the problem within a minute.

But, just as he was about to show his face at the window, his gaze froze.

In the room... a naked fat man was tied to a chair, and a woman with short purple hair held a knife to his throat, seemingly in the middle of an "interrogation."

The man was naturally the slave trader Dam, and looking at the woman, Su Lun finally understood why he found the person who briskly passed by in the dance floor eerily familiar.

This was actually... the mysterious woman who topped the black market's most-wanted list with a three million bounty!