Mechanical Alchemist

The Reiss family's leading scavenger team was not large, and their progress was slow.

It took ten days for them to finally reach the Central Prison of Dawn City.

Even though part of it had collapsed from a distance, the structure could still be recognized as a peculiar building shaped like a pentagram. By its shape, it resembled a giant pentagram formation.

"Commander, a cursed space has been detected in the ruins over there, with a very large coverage area, energy fluctuations S+, and the space is stable..."

"Judging by the building, it should be a prison. It's preliminarily identified as a large composite-type cursed space. Requesting high-ranking professionals to assist in the reconnaissance..."

"It has been confirmed that the entrance to the space is currently inaccessible, requiring special conditions to open..."

"..."

Due to consecutive days of fierce fighting, the original team of four or five hundred had suffered heavy losses, and only about fifty to sixty wounded survivors remained.

The vanguard forces of the Cross Society were almost completely annihilated, and Miss Lena's elite troops also suffered severe losses. Of the team's dozen or so second-tier professionals, only six were left.

Even the three members of the supervisory team, who never participated in combat, had lost several, with the military from the inner city sending new ones to fill their places.

No one could retreat without completing the mission.

Looking at the prison ruins in the distance with black miasma swirling around the space vortex, despair hung on everyone's faces.

They had never seen such a large space entrance before.

The only piece of good news was that within a certain range of the cursed space, there usually weren't any deformed monsters or abyssal creatures lurking.

Before long,

an old man clad in runic light armor led a recon team back.

The elderly man was naturally the only third-tier professional among them, Butler Anthony.

With a shortage of hands, even second and third-tier professionals had to personally lead teams to explore dangerous routes, to reduce casualties.

Anthony discussed the findings with the supervisory team members,

then, as usual, those fellows reported the intelligence back to their superiors using the military communicator.

The team set up camp on the spot.

....

As the number of survivors was not large, the team members chose a sturdy building that was easy to defend, erecting an encampment using mechanical arms and armor.

Now, upon hearing the order to camp, everyone began taking out their marching tents from their backpacks and started setting them up.

Old Butler Anthony found Miss Lena, who was setting up her tent.

Her personal maid had also died in combat three days prior, and the young miss was not asking to be served; she was doing everything herself now.

Anthony reported with a heavy tone, "Miss, that cursed space entrance is currently inaccessible; it appears to require special triggering conditions to enter. Marjorie's team is currently trying to decipher the method of entry..."

"I know."

Lena, her expression calm, did not stop working on the tent upon hearing this news.

Seeing the change in his young mistress, a flicker of relief passed through Anthony's eyes, but he soon voiced his concern, "Miss...it's preliminarily judged to be a 'T-level' space. This time, I fear we may not make it through."

"Mm."

Upon hearing this, Lena paused for a moment.

But apparently having already prepared herself mentally, she spoke with resolved and indifferent tone, "If it really is T-level, it's pointless to explore it in batches. Once we find a way to enter, I will join the exploration myself this time."

"This..."

Anthony looked at her with a complex expression and said no more, "Yes, Miss."

They were all well aware,

that no one could defy or escape the duke's orders.

Since the start of the scavenging, they had only two possible outcomes.

Either complete the mission,

or be annihilated.

If they did not continue the search, even attempting to escape, they would surely not survive.

Eventually, failing to complete the mission would inevitably bring disaster upon the entire Old Lington family.

Lena had been prepared for the entire force to be wiped out from the moment they set out.

This moment was bound to come sooner or later.

Lena heard the news and didn't forget to comfort the loyal old butler, "Grandpa Anthony, the situation may not be as bad as it seems..."

"Ah..."

Butler Anthony let out a small sigh, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

At this moment, Miss Lena thought of something and turned her head to look at the man in the corner setting up a tent, the ever so solitary Mr. Zoro.

Upon reflection, she walked over and greeted him, "Mr. Zoro."

"Mr. Zoro" responded, "What is it, Miss Lena?"

His face covered with a full-face gas mask that was crude and had complex mechanical modifications, it was impossible to see his features clearly. His voice sounded very hoarse through the filter canister.

"Thank you for looking after me all this way."

Miss Lena bowed to Enzo, fully aware of how much Mr. Zoro had looked out for her during their journey.

Otherwise, a few days ago, during the battle with that third-tier [Three-headed Giant Serpent with a Human Body], she would have been either dead or severely injured. Back then, Butler Anthony was tied up by the monster, all of her personal guards were killed in battle, and if not for Mr. Zoro, she would have also been hit by the monster's corrosive poison gas.

Indeed, as Auntie said, he was very powerful.

After bowing, Miss Lena continued, "Mr. Zoro, what I want to tell you is that after figuring out how to enter the cursed space, I will lead all the members of my family in. You are not a contracted member of our family, and there is no need for you to join us... "

"No, Miss Lena, you don't need to be so polite,"

Mr. Zoro shook his head, his tone sounding not as heavy as Lena's, "After all, Aunt Qian asked me to take good care of you." Discover hidden tales at empire

"You have already done more than enough, thank you so much."

Miss Lena sincerely expressed her gratitude once again, then revealed the harsh truth, "That might be a 'T-level' space, there's no need for you to die alongside me."

Listening to this, Mr. Zoro shook his head, seemingly smiling, "No, what I mean is... even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't."

He paused and then said with deep meaning, "Moreover, I did not plan on leaving anyway."

"???"

Upon hearing this, Miss Lena showed a puzzled expression.

She was just about to say something more when suddenly, an urgent report came through the communicator.

"Miss, we have a large force on our left quickly approaching us... looking at the flags, it's the people from the Clark family!"

"Miss, a force is also coming from our right, it's people from the Olli family!"

At this report, the entire camp immediately tensed up.

....

The Dawn Relic was already vast, but dozens of teams were simultaneously clearing it, so in reality, the distance between each team wasn't far.

Miss Lena's team drew the sixteen slot, with the Olli family at fifteen and the Clark family at seventeen.

Although mist and ruins obscured their view, preventing sightings, the sounds of gunfire and combat indicated that these teams were actually quite close to one another.

It was like pieces of a cake being divided, the closer to the core city area, the closer the distance between each team.

In fact, a few days earlier, Lena and her team had already noticed the movements of the two teams on either side.

Those families had enough manpower to divide into several groups to clear the land, progressing rapidly.

The hunting group in front, with the young masters and misses' main team following behind.

Much more relaxed than their team.

....

A few minutes ago, within the Olli family's team, a few kilometers away from Miss Lena's team.

Young Master Danze was leisurely enjoying his afternoon coffee inside the tent.

Compared to the fierce front-line battles, although they too encountered some minor monster attacks here, it was negligible.

After all, they had the Deputy Chairman of the Hunter's Guild, the famous third-tier professional, the Thunder Sword King, Nero Redgrave.

Ever since the last ambush by Su Lun, Danze had not dared to stray far from this third-tier professional.

He and the bearded swordsman were sipping coffee while playing chess on a black-and-white checkerboard, chatting.

As they talked, they came back to the topic of the attack a few days ago.

"Mr. Nero, what do you make of the strength of that SS wanted criminal, Su Lun?"

"It's hard to say..."

"Hard to say?"

"I paid close attention during that ambush. The true strength Su Lun exhibited then was just that of an average second-tier professional. But his eight-armed spider spear's teleportation ability in the relic is exceptional. Even for me, it's not easy to catch him..."

"Just good at running, that's all."

"It's not that simple. Now that we've confirmed that guy has relations with the reactionary organization, he shouldn't be underestimated. Besides, have you noticed that he hasn't shown his second-tier advanced abilities yet? I suspect the intelligence we have is far from his real strength."

"The advancement choices for a Puppet Master are quite limited. The guy is young, yet his puppet-control skills are so proficient, his professional ability is almost certainly the 'puppet-control technique' direction of advancement. After all, you know as well, puppet control requires a lot of time and energy to practice... It's impossible to awaken other unrelated abilities."

"Hmm, this analysis makes sense."

"In my opinion, that SS most-wanted criminal, Su Lun, seems to be relying on the scythe in his hands that's bound with a seal to wreak havoc. The guy really is lucky, having mastered a secret technique for zombie refinement that can evade the curse's backlash from sealed items. However, now that I've completely stabilized my second-tier realm and have mastered this 'Stanitz's Chessboard,' should Su Lun come again, I guarantee he won't return."

"Although I think you should be a bit more cautious, Young Master Danze, with that cursed object and combined with the 'Puppet Theater,' indeed, there's no reason for you to lose against any second-tier professions..."

Upon hearing this, a smug smile appeared on Danze's face.

While the two were chatting, at this moment, a subordinate came to report.

"Young Master, the Black Tower has sent an order for us to dispatch people to help the Reyes family's main branch team open a large cursed space..."

Hearing this, both faces showed surprise.

Turning his head, Danze asked, "Mr. Nero, are you interested in having a look?"

"Of course."

Nero, narrowing his eyes slightly, added, "Since the Reyes family's main branch has been offended, it's essential to eradicate them completely. Now that the Black Tower has tacitly approved of your actions, Miss Lena and Old Anthony must not be allowed to leave the relic alive. Otherwise, there might not be such a good opportunity next time. Carnegie Reyes is very capable, having survived such division before. If we can't completely break them this time, a weakened tiger is still troublesome..."

Danze smiled, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

....

Lena had long been aware that the vanguard team of the Clark family on the left had far surpassed their team in terms of progress, and she had been keeping a close eye on them.

Now these guys had suddenly changed their route, obviously with ill intent.

Sure enough, not long after, a hunting party of several hundred emerged from the distant mist.

Looking at the family crest engraved on their equipment, it was precisely the elite team from the Clark family.

The young man leading the Clarks, dressed in brand-new hunting gear, was naturally Young Master Eli Clark.

After half a month's absence,

this Young Master, seeing Lena's few dozen remaining soldiers, spoke in a tone full of mockery, "Yo, Miss Lena, it seems like you're not in a good situation, are you?"

The visitors were clearly hostile, and Butler Anthony had promptly guarded Lena. He looked at the three bodyguards beside Young Master Eli, his pupils contracting slightly, and whispered in introduction, "Be careful, Miss. Those are the Ice, Lei, and Earth elders from the Old Lington Mystical Studies Association, very strong elemental Magicians. They also have troublesome cursed items in their hands. Combined, even I am not sure if we can gain the upper hand in a short time."

There were three people beside Young Master Eli.

An archer with a blue longbow, a woman in a robe with a Lei-patterned Magic Wand, and a green-haired punk strongman.

Lena glanced at them, then turned her gaze coldly to the approaching group and responded, "What have you come for?"

Eli, leading his squad, strolled over and said lazily, "I just received notification from the higher-ups at the Black Tower, saying that you might not be able to handle this high-level cursed space, so I've brought people over to help you out."

It wasn't necessary for him to come personally, but now hearing that it was Lena's team, Young Master Eli couldn't resist kicking them when they were down.

Lena frowned slightly upon hearing this. She glanced at the three white-helmeted inspectors nearby, seemingly inquiring about something.

The black-faced commander of the inspectors responded plainly, "The order from above is only to oversee your pioneering efforts. We won't interfere in family affairs or get involved."

After saying this, the three inspectors deliberately distanced themselves, as if making a statement: if you fight, don't get us involved.

Not expecting these people to mediate anyway, Lena shouted, "Everybody, listen to my command! Kill without mercy anyone who approaches the camp!"

At her command, both sides almost simultaneously raised their guns.

Click-click sounds of dense firearms being loaded filled the air.

Tempers flared, and it seemed they were on the verge of fighting at the slightest provocation.

.....

With a nearly tenfold difference in numbers, the Clark family held an absolute advantage.

Young Master Eli appeared completely undaunted by the guns pointed at him, with three bodyguards around him, making firearms virtually useless against him.

He even gestured for his men to lower their weapons.

After all, even if they allowed the opponent to shoot first, the Reyes family had no chance of winning.

He continued to provoke Lena, "Yo, Miss Lena, there's no need for that. I think... we can have a good chat."

As if it were coordinated, just as the Clark family arrived, Young Master Danze from the Olli family also emerged with his team.

Young Master Danze, seeing the two poised groups, gloated, "Tsk tsk... did I come at a bad time?"

By his side was a heavily made-up young woman who resembled Lena to some extent.

It was none other than Miss Betty Reiss, the second daughter from the Reyes family's secondary branch, and Young Master Danze's fiancée.

She had played a significant role in the efforts to undermine the main branch this time.

She looked at Lena and couldn't help taking pleasure in her misfortune, "Sister Lena, long time no see."

.....

The two opposing forces amounted to nearly a thousand men, all of them enemies.

In the current situation, it seemed that Lena's party might not be able to enter the cursed space and would be annihilated outside instead.

Young Master Eli advanced step by step, pressing, "Miss Lena, now... shall we talk?"

Lena, facing enemies who had closed in to within fifty meters, showed no fear and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The gunshot echoed.

The bullet hit right in front of Eli's feet, producing white smoke.

Lena, holding the gun, said calmly, "Come any closer, and the next shot will be in your head."

Apparently anticipating the bullet's trajectory, Eli's bodyguards didn't even bother to look up.

Though Eli shuddered with fright, the smirk on his face grew even wider.

Turning his gaze to the guards beside Lena, he uttered an intriguing statement, "You don't want to live for yourself, but don't you think of your subordinates?"

Those words acted like a signal.

Just then, a second-order commander named Pruitt Keith suddenly led a dozen subordinates to distance themselves.

Upon noticing this, Old Butler Anthony roared, "Pruitt, what are you doing!"

Pruitt, looking at Lena, said, "Miss Lena, I apologize. I've made many contributions to the Reiss family, but I don't want to die here..."

Clearly, these men had been bought off.

Undercover up to this point, there was no need to keep hiding.

Whether it was the cursed space ahead or the predicament here, staying with the ranks of the Reiss main family seemed like certain death.

Saying this, they held their guns at the ready and walked out of the hastily constructed camp.

Lena's team was already short on people, and with more than ten defectors, a gaping hole appeared in the camp's defenses immediately.

Most crucially, the blow to morale was severe. With these men gone, the eyes of those remaining were filled with anger and despair.

Old Butler Anthony wanted to strike down the traitors, but with covetous enemies all around, he dared not act recklessly.

Lena did not speak, nor did the worsening situation cause her much change.

The hand holding her gun remained as steady as ever.

At this moment, Young Master Eli's scornful gaze intensified as he asked again, "Now, has Miss Lena changed her mind?"

The plight of the Reiss main family had become a dire predicament at that moment.

Without turning her head to look, Lena pondered for a moment, then said indifferently to the remaining guard squad beside her, "If anyone still wants to leave now, I won't blame you."

She was well aware that they had come to obliterate the Reiss main family.

To surrender?

It would achieve nothing except humiliation.

After a pause, she continued with resolute tone, "But if you stay, prepare to fight to the death with me!"

Upon hearing these words, the guards, who had just been demoralized by their leaders' betrayal, suddenly became impassioned.

The guards rallied around Lena, ready to fight a decisive battle.

"Miss, we won't leave!"

"Sworn to live and die with our family!"

"Right! Sworn to live and die with our family! To battle till the end!"

"..."

The crowd was excited, the spirit of the dozen men burning fiercely, boldly confronting the nearly a thousand encircling enemies.

And Old Butler Anthony seemed to have released some secret technique; his head began to sprout horns, his bones cracked loudly, and his figure expanded into that of a muscular, nearly two-meter-tall humanoid mountain goat.

Looking at this group of people, the experts from the Oliver and Clark families frowned, even the third-order professional "Thunder Sword King" Nero Redgrave looked solemn.

He watched the old goat whose presence had suddenly surged and muttered to himself, "'Magic Goat' Anthony, the champion of the Old Lington fighting contest twenty years ago... Tsk, it's been a long time since I've seen this form."

A third-order professional fighting desperately was not to be taken lightly.