Mechanical Alchemist

"Teacher."

Su Lun respectfully performed a salute to the Great Alchemist from a thousand years ago standing before him.

"Hmm."

Selena nodded her head, revealing a gentle smile.

Her eyes full of contentment as she gazed at Su Lun. "Although time has slipped by us, we have finally met. It's a pity that I don't have much time to teach you, so... as your teacher, let me give you some gifts for our meeting."

As she spoke, Selena took out the glass vial containing the "Fallen Angel's Heart" and with a single hand formulating a seal, she uttered softly, "Seal Release!"

Once again, the runes on the glass vial lit up.

In that instant, Su Lun felt as if the rustic vial didn't contain a beating heart but a savage ferocious beast.

The aura that leaked out imposed upon him like the overwhelming force of a mountain range.

Dominant, holy, majestic, with an aura of chilling evil, and that flood-like surge of dark spiritual power...

It made one feel a need to worship subconsciously, a sense of insignificance.

It was the pressure of a lower-order being looking up at a higher-order entity, an oppression stemming from the hierarchy of life itself.

That aura was like looking up at the starry night sky, endlessly profound, yet too high to touch.

"This is the breath of a god..."

Surging waves of astonishment welled up in Su Lun's heart. Discover hidden stories at empire

The word "god" had always been just a simple term in his understanding.

Indescribable, unnameable, but ultimately thin and superficial.

But this was no match for the very real sensation before him.

For the first time, Su Lun felt the presence of a deity.

Selena, her gaze misty, looked at the heart in the glass jar and said, "This is part of the laws belonging to a divine creature. I don't expect you to understand it but to let you know how vast the world is. Only from a higher vantage can one see farther. A truly great alchemist needs to be well-informed and have a broader perspective."

Su Lun nodded earnestly, his eyes shining with excitement.

In this moment, he could deeply appreciate the meaning of her words.

A frog at the bottom of a well could never leap high enough to grasp how vast the world is.

But now, he had glimpsed the expansive world beyond the well's opening through other means.

Continuing, Selena said, "Isaac once said that we live in the worst of times, but also the best of times, because we stand on the shoulders of giants. Although the current state of alchemy is not as glorious as it was in the Dawn Era, knowledge has been passed down. The sages from history have left us with an abundance of precious knowledge, and that is the true 'treasure'. This precious knowledge, however, is buried in the dust of history, waiting for us to uncover, innovate, and continue the search..."

The method of instruction was simple and straightforward, yet it left an unparalleled impact on Su Lun's heart.

But his gaze became firmer than ever.

The more wonderful the world seemed, the more he looked forward to it.

Su Lun calmed the turbulent feelings in his heart and respectfully gave thanks, "Thank you for your teaching, Teacher."

"You are quite good."

Selena, approving of Su Lun's performance under the pressure of the divine aura, nodded satisfactorily. "If there were time, I would definitely have you lay a solid foundation and gradually introduce you to this fascinating world of alchemy. The world seen through the eyes of an alchemist is far more captivating than that of ordinary people..."

Her tone shifted, "But obviously, there isn't. Therefore, the gift I give to my disciple must naturally be the best."

Upon hearing this, anticipation grew within Su Lun.

At this time, Selena took out the golden card from before and with a light flick of her hand.

The card shattered, and an antique hexagonal copper lamp appeared before them.

Su Lun naturally recognized it; this was the "Furnace Lamp of Volgan"!

"With this thing, it's much more convenient..."

Celerya murmured to herself with a smile.

At this moment, she put the glass bottle on the ground with both hands and rapidly formed a set of exceptionally complicated sorcerer's seals.

It wasn't just her hands; the eight-armed staff behind her seemed to be manipulating some kind of law.

In an instant, centered on her, air slowly condensed, forming sparks of fire elements like fireflies.

One by one,

they gathered more and more,

until they formed a ring of firestorm...

Upon another look, a fiery nonagram alchemy formation suddenly appeared on the floor of the room.

Su Lun's eyes trembled uncontrollably at the sight of the arcane patterns within the formation.

The grade of this alchemical technique was so high that it was completely beyond comprehension.

With the final sorcerer's seal formed by Celerya, she softly chanted, "Alchemy: Furnace World!"

As these words fell, the nonagram formation on the floor suddenly melted through, and a wave of heat swept through the entire room.

Upon another look, Su Lun saw a world of lava and seas of fire, as if this tiny formation had connected to an entire furnace world.

The Hexagonal Copper Lamp fell into it, its lid opening like it was releasing a fire demon imprisoned within, and a tide of wild fire elemental power surged up violently.

Despite the formation's barrier, this dreadful elemental pressure caused Su Lun's scalp to tingle.

It felt as though even the slightest contact could burn him to ashes.

Fortunately, before he could fully experience this sensation, the nonagram suddenly vanished.

The Hexagonal Copper Lamp and the heart were trapped in that furnace world.

....

After thrusting the "Heart of the Fallen Angel" and the copper lamp into the alchemy formation, Celerya also let out a sigh of relief.

Like a housewife who has just placed a turkey into the oven, she suddenly had nothing to do and was idly at a loose end.

She looked at Su Lun and asked, "By the way, did you bring the notes?"

Su Lun knew what she was referring to and took out the "Isaac's Alchemical Manuscript III" from his space.

As Celerya held the manuscript, like a housewife with a recipe book, she casually flipped through it and mumbled to herself, "Hmm... indeed, there is a slight discrepancy. Isaac made the final draft of the design even more perfect..."

With that, she maneuvered her staff to take out some more advanced materials from a cabinet, as if adding seasoning to a dish, then casually opened a crack in the ground and tossed the materials in.

It was only then that she clapped her hands, looking like her great task was accomplished.

"Now it's good. Crafting the 'Isaac's Alchemy Heart' will take some time; we have to wait..."

As she looked at Su Lun, she suddenly remembered something and said, "Have you ever wondered where this heart came from?"

Naturally, Su Lun had guessed something, "Did you, teacher, slay a god from the abyss?"

Celerya was amiable and not as stern as a traditional teacher, making her easy to talk to.

"Not me. I'm not powerful enough to fight with gods. It was Isaac who did it."

She spoke casually, continuing, "Once, an abyssal deity found a crack in this spatial channel and forcefully broke the seal, bringing abyssal creatures through to our plane. Seeing it as a low-law plane but rich in resources, It wanted to enslave this world. However, before It could wreak havoc, Isaac defeated It."

Her tone was light and unconcerned, making the story sound quite dramatic.

A deity was defeated by the "Gatekeeper" in a plane without deities?

But Su Lun was also very curious. Isaac was known as a "Demigod," which should mean he hadn't reached the level of a deity, yet he actually killed a true god.

How did he manage that?

Before he could dwell on his curiosity, Thosea seemed to guess his confusion and spoke directly, "Don't be so amazed. Magicians might be physically weak, but we also have our own strengths. That is, we can utilize external objects and alchemy to wield power far beyond our physical tier. Plus, the 'Fate Controller' is a very powerful talent, and Isaac developed it to an impressive extent. His combat power is definitely not inferior to the lower deities."

Knowing that he wouldn't understand the power at that level, Su Lun asked another question he was more curious about, "Teacher, was the god killed? Then why can this heart still beat? Could it also be some special ability of a deity?"

"No, He's not dead."

Thosea shook her head and said, "As long as the divine fire is not extinguished, those of the deity tier cannot be killed. Isaac initially intended to kill Him, but due to some special reasons... Of course, most importantly, he wanted to make use of this rare deity-tier material for some experimentation. Just like this 'Isaac's Alchemy Heart'."

Su Lun guessed something and immediately said, "Teacher... are you giving this to me as a present? But this is Mr. Jing's material. And..."

His face started to show difficulty.

After all, the heart was stolen from the laboratory by Number 19, the Hexagonal Copper Lamp was obtained by Mr. Jing through great effort, along with these other things...

Even though he coveted them, Su Lun still felt it wasn't right since they were not his to take.

"Mr. Jing?"

Upon hearing the name, Thosea obviously guessed who bore the title.

A gentle smile appeared on her face as she murmured to herself, "She actually chose such a name for herself."

After a pause, she said with certainty, "No. If I am the one giving the items to you, she won't mind."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun immediately confirmed his earlier conjecture.

Mr. Jing was the "old monster" of Dawn City who had lived for over a thousand years!

Moreover, judging by Thosea's tone, they certainly knew each other.

Since she was the teacher, there was no need for Su Lun to be distant, so he directly asked, "Teacher, do you know Mr. Jing?"

"She didn't tell you?"

Thosea neither confirmed nor denied, her eyes gleaming with a light chuckle as if recalling something.

After pondering for a moment, and with no intention of clarifying Su Lun's confusion, she simply said, "Alchemy is already quite dry, leave a little joy for life. When you see her in the future, you might have a bit of a surprise."

"..."

Listening, Su Lun shrugged his shoulders.

He didn't pursue the matter further.

Just as she said, guessing the secret of Mr. Jing's identity did indeed add a bit of fun to life.

Upon seeing the notes, Su Lun thought of something and said, "Right, teacher. I heard from Mr. Jing that the notes contain a great secret of alchemy?"

With the wife of the man who recorded the manuscript right here, it was better to ask directly rather than to make wild guesses on his own.

"Yes."

Thosea nodded and revealed a secret of ancient history to Su Lun.

"Isaac, based on documents from the Dawn Era, researched and developed what's known as 'epic-level' alchemical equipment. He wanted alchemists to possess some real deity-tier abilities even before reaching the deity tier. Thus, he needed some deity-tier materials."

She paused for a moment, then added, "However, as far as I can recall, he only seems to have written a rough draft up to now."

Su Lun listened quietly, sensing there was more to come.

"Of course, the alchemical manuscripts are just the contents of the notes. Its secrets do not end there. I heard from Isaac that he wanted to hide the secret he discovered within the notes."

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A sly smile flickered across Celia's face as she continued, "A secret we once discovered that points to the ultimate mystery of alchemy. If you find all five notes, you'll see the secret we left behind."

It was like a treasure hunt game.

They had hidden the secret within those notes.

Waiting for posterity to gather them and then discover that secret.

And also waiting for someone worthy enough to gather the notes to have access to that very secret.

Interest brimmed within Su Lun, "The ultimate secret?"

Celia didn't play the riddler and said directly, "The reason why the Akavia civilization of the Dawn Era was so glorious, legend has it, is because the five divine elders of the 'Rosicrucian Order' who created the civilization—you saw their statues in the cellar of the Storm Manor—they once witnessed the origin of the alchemical lineage left behind from the mythological era—the 'Emerald Record'—and were inspired by it. That's why they created such a powerful alchemic civilization."

Su Lun heard another new term, "Emerald Record?"

"Yes. In ancient texts, it's also called the Emerald Tablet, the Emerald Green...or other names. It's said to be the origin of alchemy, a 'thing' that records the ultimate secret of alchemy."

Celia nodded, and at this point, she frowned, questioning herself, "Strange, why can't I remember what that secret is specifically? I only remember it's related to the 'Emerald Record'..."

It was like having blackouts after drinking—clearly missing some relevant memories.

After pausing momentarily, she realized something and her expression cleared, "According to what you said, I am but a remnant of a soul. So it's certain that part of my memory is also missing. There are some things I can't fully explain to you now..."

"Oh."

Hearing this, Su Lun didn't feel much turbulence in his heart; the secret of that level was still too premature for him to be privy to.

The ultimate secret of alchemy,

and the other four notes whose whereabouts were unknown,

all of this seemed somewhat unrealistic to him.

He was still in the "mine."

He guessed that perhaps not until he reached the fifth or sixth rank, when he really counted as a master above ground...

would he possibly be qualified to come into contact with it.

.....

As they chatted, Su Lun suddenly thought of the commission he had received before.

"By the way, teacher, there's something I think I should tell you."

"What is it?"

"I previously encountered a ghost-like little girl in Storm Manor, who said her name was 'Pestoia'."

Considering everything he had seen before, Su Lun wasn't sure if she was definitely this person's daughter, so he chose his words very cautiously.

Upon hearing this, a deep affection immediately appeared in Celia's eyes, along with a touch of guilt.

She looked at Su Lun, her eyes filled with anticipation as she asked, "Have you seen her... Is she doing well?"

Her tone was somewhat tentative, as if afraid of hearing any bad news.

"Yes. I've seen her twice."

Su Lun nodded, "I can't really say whether her current state is good or bad. She has become a strange 'ghost'."

He paused before adding, "She asked me to pose a question to you."

Su Lun was about to speak when Celia said it herself, "She's asking why I burned her alive, right?"

She remained calm, but seemed to remember something, and her eyes were already filled with tears.

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