Mechanical Alchemist

When Su Lun returned to the campsite, the news of Miss Teresa's team being ambushed had already spread.

Although no one knew what had happened, it was clear that additional guards had been stationed at the city gates. One could even see second-order professionals personally manning the gates, scrutinizing those entering the city for any suspicious persons.

However, this had no effect on Su Lun.

Since too many from the inner city had recently come to the Scavenger campsite, the entry fee had skyrocketed, and hotel accommodations had long been fully booked. Ordinary Scavengers couldn't afford to stay in the city, and many had pitched tents near the campsite's city wall.

This actually made things easier for Su Lun.

In an area of the tent section near the city wall, away from prying eyes, he used teleportation to enter the city.

The patrols inside the city were unusually strict as well.

He returned to the Rose Hotel, and after a short while, experienced a door-to-door inspection.

Thanks to his nearly perfect forged identity, he easily passed the check.

Su Lun didn't wander about but stayed in the hotel, meditating to assimilate the fifth-order knowledge he had stripped away that day.

....

Only after harvesting the memories did Su Lun learn that the people of the surface world did not absorb dark spiritual power to advance, but normal spiritual power.

He also learned that there were many factions among the ancient alchemists. The mainstream was called "Light Sorcerers," but there were also "Dark Sorcerers," "Necromancers," "Shadow Sorcerers," and "Toxic Sorcerers"...

Apart from the Light Sorcerers, the others were minority factions.

This underground city belonged to the "Dark Sorcerers" lineage.

In the following days, Su Lun was almost entirely immersed in digesting knowledge and contemplating those higher-order laws that exceeded his current level.

It was a delightful and magical experience, as if each moment brought a wealth of insight.

Su Lun devoured the knowledge like a whale, satisfying his hunger in one go.

After digesting it, he finally understood what those so-called "transcendent order barriers" mentioned in the texts were all about.

Indeed, the view from above was truly different.

The peaks that once seemed insurmountable (second order, third order) were merely slightly shorter hills, all within full view at a glance.

....

On this day.

Su Lun was in his room at the hotel.

Threads manipulated books that hung all around the room, while his eight arm-spiders, along with his hands, quickly flipped through these airborne tomes.

These were the textbooks from the Black Tower Academy that Mr. Hei had given him.

Although he had read them countless times, they contained much that he had not been able to understand before.

Now, Su Lun could read ten lines in a glance, swiftly going through the texts, deciphering the previously incomprehensible content that had been marked.

Especially those parts which required prior personal contemplation and understanding of alchemy knowledge, now nearly made sense at first glance.

After a while,

He had finally scanned through the texts, removing nine out of ten markers.

Su Lun let out a long breath, "Phew... I used to think the people from the Black Tower Academy were impressive with their amount of knowledge. But the high-order professionals from the outside world, they truly open one's eyes..."

Even in the surface world, fifth-order professionals were considered experts.

That "Grote Lester," as the captain of Duke Raphael's guard and a graduate from the "Luying Empire War Academy," possessed a systematic and incredibly vast knowledge.

Closing those texts, Su Lun's face was radiant, and he murmured to himself, "I've basically mastered the alchemy knowledge of the first and second orders. Now, I just need a bit more proficiency, and I can start working on third-order runes and enchantments. My rune puppets are about to get even stronger..."

He now deeply realized that "knowledge truly is a priceless treasure."

Su Lun profoundly experienced why the "Reaper of Death" was defined as an S-tier talent having a heaven-defying aspect.

Before, when harvesting peers of the same rank, it didn't feel remarkable. But now, having harvested across three major ranks, he had a sudden surge in growth.

The significance of knowledge gained absolutely can't be compared with obtaining a few sealed items!

After the third rank, every advancement on the extraordinary path has its barriers, it's not just about reaching the standard dark spiritual power values or finding materials to advance. One also needs to comprehend the corresponding laws, which is the true shackling element that countless alchemists die trying to overcome.

....

After digesting the knowledge in his mind, Su Lun suddenly thought of something and his hands began to form sorcerer's seals.

The seven-pointed star seal was slowly lighting up, but Su Lun seemed to sense something, and his brow furrowed. The sorcerer's seal changed again, losing one point and becoming a six-pointed star.

With the spell successfully condensed, on a closer look, his skin had suddenly turned as if cast from pure gold, with a visible sense of indestructible metallic quality to the naked eye.

This was naturally the casting of the Flesh Alchemy spell—[Vajra].

The original [Vajra] was a fifth-rank spell that involved very high-level laws and difficulty. In theory, a fourth-rank might barely be able to use it, but those of the third and second ranks would not even come close to managing it.

Yet, against all odds, Su Lun did it.

But there was a slight difference between this and that fifth-rank figure's dazzling gold manifestation, as Su Lun's golden coating also had a tinge of faint black.

The spell powered by dark spiritual power had some differences.

However, a complete spell required a huge amount of energy to maintain, and the current state of Su Lun's body and dark spiritual power couldn't sustain it.

Because he had a thorough understanding of the spell, he simply downgraded it a level on a whim.

The essence of the spell was to condense the element of gold into multiple layers of a highly refined state on the surface of the body, like overlapping gold leaf. Skimping on a few layers would decrease the defensive power.

After all, Su Lun didn't need a defense capable of withstanding fifth-rank attacks; a downgraded version was sufficient for him.

"So strong..."

Su Lun felt his body for a moment.

He took out a dagger and stabbed at himself, clearly feeling the sensation of scraping against metal as the sharp dagger failed to leave even a scratch on his skin.

Thinking it over, he then drew a musket and shot toward his own palm.

"Bang!"

The sound of the gunshot echoed in the room.

With a soundproof barrier in place, there was no fear of disturbing the neighboring tenants.

His palm trembled slightly as Su Lun looked at the deformed bullet in his hand, his gaze indifferent. Read new chapters at empire

Then, he switched to alchemy bullets.

Another shot.

This time, the alchemy bullet made a slight indent on the skin, but it quickly recovered.

After firing two shots for testing, Su Lun had already roughly estimated the defensive limits of the spell. He pondered, "Both physical and magical defenses are high, able to block attacks from third-rank professionals for a short time at least. But the consumption is also significant. Moreover, the solidification of muscles clearly affects agility..."

The reason that fifth-rank "Grote Lester" could have nearly invincible defense was not only due to his spell proficiency but also directly related to his profession and alchemical grafts.

For a Puppet Master like Su Lun to achieve this level with the Flesh Alchemy Technique was already very satisfying to him.

At least, it gave him the ability to protect himself in a head-on encounter with third-rank professionals.

And it wasn't just defense; there was also body movement technique.

In this harvest, Su Lun also gained another complete skill [Extreme Air-Stepping Technique].

This was an advanced version of Kai's ghostly movement technique.

Typically, melee professionals above the third rank could possibly master it through arduous skill training.

To put [Stepping on Air] in simpler terms, it means "stepping on air". However, Kai's version only allowed for horizontal advancement, while this advanced skill allowed one to step on air and ascend vertically. The difference in skill difficulty was substantial.

Su Lun had tried it on the way back to camp before; he could leap through the air for short distances, and it felt very good.

Within a short distance, it was several times faster than the teleportation of an eight-arm spider lance.

One defensive move, one escape, his life-saving measures increased greatly.

....

As evening approached, Su Lun was, as usual, tinkering with his new odd puppet in his room.

But as he was working, suddenly noises from outside the window reached him.

"Hurry and look, Princess Teresa's entourage has arrived outside the camp!"

"Wow~ I heard that even the big shots from the inner city rarely see the little princess, and she actually came to the Scavenger camp. This is a rare opportunity; let's go have a look..."

"Hiss, what a lavish display. The guards from the Duke's mansion seem so strong..."

"..."

It was unclear whether it was because the main force was moving slowly or because they had encountered an ambush and had slowed down, but the young lady from Duke Raphael's mansion arrived at the camp several days later than expected.

Hearing the noise outside the window, Su Lun leaned against the window and looked in the direction of the sounds.

He had chosen this room before because it offered a broad view, allowing him to see the camp's gate and main street directly from his room.

Su Lun gazed out.

The entourage of Duke Raphael's young lady was indeed grand, with presumably hundreds of people accompanying her.

The crowd surrounded a carriage-like special steam machinery locomotive.

In the team, some even carried flags embroidered with the exclusive noble emblem of the harp and lion pattern of the Raphael family. The guards, in uniform dark cyan uniforms with cross helmets and sword-bearing heavy armor at the forefront, and there were dozens of women and slaves in servant attire, as well as butlers, tutors, cooks...

"So many strong people..."

Su Lun squinted to take a closer look.

This standard entourage of a high-ranking noble was enough for him to distinguish the primary from the secondary at a glance.

Apart from Miss Teresa's personal maids, the closer to the locomotive, the stronger their powers.

Because of some fragmented memories he had separated before, Su Lun felt some faces were familiar, yet he could not recognize them.

A fifth-tier guard captain had died, and clearly, there were other fifth-tiers in the team. Near the locomotive, the pale-faced man dressed in military attire with his cap brim pulled down low was obviously one of them.

And around him, those dozen or so robed magicians constantly emanated a thick elemental fluctuation, a sight others might not understand, but Su Lun knew it represented the fourth-tier magicians' defensive measure "Elemental Barrier."

Clearly, these were just the visible guard forces; who knew what was hidden.

This team was frighteningly strong.

....

The Dawn camp had originally been a war town existing for Scavengers, and did not have very spacious streets.

The team entered through the city gate and then stopped in front of the narrow streets.

The knights knelt on one knee while the maids opened the doors of the locomotive.

An old nurse led out a girl who was wearing a veil.

She wore a wide-brimmed hat with a pink bow, a floral short skirt, and simple little leather boots, and was not very formally dressed. But when she appeared, she exuded an air of nobility as if a swatch of color had entered a black-and-white scene, capturing everyone's gaze.

Su Lun glanced over, then retracted his gaze, not planning to look any further.

These high-ranking Duke's daughters were trouble the more you looked at them.

And just at that moment, he suddenly heard a knock on his door.

Upon opening the door, to his surprise, it was Qian Tiao, whom he hadn't seen for several days.

Su Lun greeted her, "Sister Qian Tiao."

"Mm-hmm."

Qian Tiao replied languidly with the exhausted expression of someone who had gambled for days and nights, stepping inside and muttering, "Ah, finally back..."

As she spoke, she headed straight for the bathroom and stripped off her dirty clothes, tossing them out, "Could you hang these up for me?"

"..."

Su Lun raised his eyebrows helplessly at the sight of her bare back. This gambling-addicted lady was getting more and more familiar; she used to cover up a bit, but now she didn't even bother with the bra.

The sound of water trickling came from the bathroom,

Su Lun hung up the clothes and continued tinkering with his rune puppet.

Before long, Qian Tiao emerged from the shower.

She was drying her hair with a towel when she suddenly asked, "Are you free tonight?"

Su Lun, who was engraving a critical rune, didn't look up, "Nothing much."

Qian Tiao inquired, "Then how about you change into a different outfit and accompany me to a wine reception?"

"A wine reception?"

Su Lun looked up at her, feeling that her tone was slightly different.

Qian Tiao explained, "Yes. That young lady from the Duke's household has arrived, and the major families in the inner city are naturally throwing a welcome reception. Plus, they'll be drawing lots for Scavenger assignments at the reception, and Rena, that little girl, isn't in the best situation... Well, and then, if you could disguise yourself with a new identity, you could help me keep trouble at bay..."

"..."

With that explanation, Su Lun finally understood.

Although Qian Tiao was an executive of the Cross Society, she was also the second Miss of the Evelyn family of the inner city. Few people in the outer city were aware of her identity, but it was common knowledge among the great families of the inner layer.

This gambling-addicted lady disliked the social gatherings of high society, yet she still had to consider her family.

She could ignore other receptions, but not the one welcoming the young lady from the Duke's household. For such an event, every household and anyone with a reputable name had to attend. No one dared ignore the Duke's authority.

Listening to her, Su Lun realized that he was expected to act as her...escort?

He didn't mind doing this small favor, but it was the first time Qian Tiao had spoken about her family affairs, and he was somewhat curious.

And as they spoke, he watched the gambling-addicted lady actually pulling a dark cyan court dress from her storage ring?

"Eh..."

Su Lun looked surprised.

As far as he remembered, aside from kimonos and battle armor, he had never seen her in any other styles of clothing.

Oh, there was also nightwear and the state of undress.

But...

A high-society lady's dress???

Qian Tiao, noticing that peculiar look, retorted irritably, "Hey... Su Lun kid, what's with that look? You think I want to wear this..."

At a high-society wine reception, entering in a flamboyant kimono heavy with social flair would probably attract more attention than Princess Teresa herself.

Su Lun smiled, "Ah... I think it looks pretty good."

"..."

Qian Tiao gave him a blank look, but ignored the comment.

After drying her hair, she started getting into her dress in front of the dressing mirror, grumbling as she went, "Putting on a dress is such a hassle..."

Su Lun refrained from staring at her as she changed.

But after a brief wait, when the room fell silent and he glanced over, he was taken aback by the sight.

It must be said, a gambling-addicted lady with her hair up high in a court lady's dress truly was a fine sight!