Mechanical Alchemist

After Kai and the others had left, Su Lun didn't continue to stay at the original site of Central Prison Ruins.

According to Sereya's words, now that the "Heart of Isaac's Alchemy" was on him, the Fallen Angel could sense it and would come looking for him at any time. Only with Mr. Jing by his side could the danger be minimized.

He signaled to Mr. Jing and then headed in the opposite direction of the trio, searching for a relatively safe place in the depths of the ruins to wait.

It was a tower building that was still relatively sturdy.

Su Lun jumped in; the place had a broad view with all sides having broken windows that let in the breeze, allowing him to detect any incidents promptly.

But he had just stopped when a mysterious person whose face couldn't be seen appeared out of thin air. It was like a beam from a projector lit up, and then the person was there.

Seeing the iconic gold-patterned cloak, Su Lun knew it was someone from the Jing Organization.

Um... This method, even more bizarre than teleportation, was probably Mr. Jing himself.

By now, he had more or less figured out some of Mr. Jing's abilities; she seemed able to mimic anyone's appearance and abilities.

This was clearly a very rare innate ability.

The system of knowledge in Old Lington was mostly derived from ruins discovered, characterized by gaps and fragments.

The explanations about innate talents were also not comprehensive, with some parts missing.

Especially for S-grade talents, there were almost no records or descriptions.

Prior to this, Su Lun did not know what Mr. Jing's talent was but felt it must be rarer than A-grade.

And just now in the cursed space, he had acquired a copy of the "Compendium of Human Talent Awakening." Out of curiosity, he had flipped through the first few pages and saw an talent - "S-011-Mirror Guardian."

It was a talent that could mimic "almost" any ability as long as one could understand it.

Clearly, Mr. Jing possessed this kind of talent.

....

The person in the cloak saw Su Lun and asked, "Did you see her?"

Upon hearing the tone of the voice, though he couldn't discern if it was male or female, Su Lun knew it was Mr. Jing; he responded, "Yes."

Listeing to him, the cloaked person let out a barely perceptible, melancholic sigh.

Su Lun probably knew what she was melancholic about.

One of the causes of the cursed space was the fall of ancient powerhouses, where their strong regrets and residual energies formed special spaces.

The existence of the cursed space at "Dawn Central Prison" was, in a sense, actually Sereya's "graveyard."

She had presumably died when Dawn City was destroyed.

The dissipation of this cursed space also meant that no traces of Sereya's existence could ever be found in the world again.

Su Lun looked unchanged, but he felt somewhat strange inside.

He had already confirmed that this Mr. Jing did indeed know Sereya from a thousand years ago.

That meant, the person before him was a real "old freak" who had lived for a thousand years.

Normally, ordinary humans could extend their lifespan by advancing in their professions or by other special means, but two to three hundred years was usually the limit.

Nobody had ever heard of living for a thousand years.

Thinking of the exaggerated healing ability Mr. Jing displayed after being wounded, Su Lun thought: Could it be that she is not human?

He now knew that this world's intelligent life forms were not limited to humans; just on the surface alone there were dwarves, goblins, orcs, elves, half-orcs, trolls, sea tribes, dragons...

And various strange mythological races, special races from other dimensions...

Oh, and Fallen Angels, whose status as gods was unclear.

Su Lun felt certain that Mr. Jing was definitely not an ordinary human.

....

The cloaked Mr. Jing, appearing more mysterious than when she transformed into a thousand versions of herself, also had a somewhat chilly vibe.

It was unclear whether this was due to her true nature's aura or just her personality.

She glanced at Su Lun, seeming to guess his suspicions, but didn't explain, instead asking, "Do you know everything about the situation now?"

Su Lun nodded, "Yes."

He knew that Theresa would definitely come for him and wanted to understand the enemy's strength to be mentally prepared, so he asked, "What kind of power does she have at the moment?"

Mr. Jing clearly knew whom he was referring to, shook her head, "Hard to say."

Su Lun, "Hard to say?"

Mr. Jing said, "The other limbs have already been located by us beforehand, but she also obtained a small part. She's probably recovered to the level of the fourth order. However, that kind of fourth order, with an understanding of the laws, is absolutely not something ordinary human fourth orders can compare to."

"..."

Su Lun listened with a slight frown, understanding.

It was like how he currently only had the standards of a second-order professional, but his understanding of the laws had already reached beyond the third order, allowing his battle capability to far surpass others of the same rank.

"Let's not talk about this,"

Mr. Jing pointed to the sky, implying there was no need to elaborate, "there shouldn't be a problem."

As he spoke, there was no indication that she planned to leave; she sat down cross-legged not far from Su Lun.

Neither of them explicitly mentioned the Fallen Angel.

The perception of a god is sensitive, able to pick up whispers about Him.

Su Lun understood the gesture.

With such a powerhouse by his side, he wasn't overly worried.

Sir Isaac had set his plans in motion for a millennium, naturally having other measures in place.

At that moment, Su Lun suddenly remembered the information stripped from the soul of forensic doctor Servis Gerard.

Feeling it was necessary to speak up, he added, "Mr. Jing, I've learned something else. Duke Rafael already suspects Theresa of 'demonic possession.' Aside from the duke's people, it seems there's also an exorcism team from outside."

"An exorcism team?"

Mr. Jing listened, pondering for a moment, seemingly considering something.

If that team had avoided the Umbrella Organization, they certainly came in secret, and Mr. Jing's people weren't notified.

"Hmm... we indeed need to be cautious."

She thought for a while and then took out what seemed to be a communicator, an Alchemy Ring, and gave a few instructions.

Su Lun looked curiously at the ring-shaped communicator.

Probably because they were familiar with each other and he knew she wouldn't mind, he appraised it briefly.

[Daggus Goblin Communicator]

Explanation: A product of alchemy from the goblin era of mythology, a true antique; it can ignore certain spatial barriers for ultra-long-range targeted communication. 'Daggus Splitter Worm' is a mythical creature existing since the Mythological Era. The Matriarch Worm can sense the position of its splinters, precisely transmitting signals to each other; this type of worm was widely used in the goblin civilization during the Mythological Era for secret intelligence transmission;

"What a great item,"

Su Lun noted to himself.

This was more sophisticated than any communicator he had encountered before.

The ability to ignore spatial barriers in communication felt somewhat like an "encrypted satellite phone."

And it didn't need a signal tower.

It must be an exclusive communicator of Mr. Jing's organization.

Mr. Jing, having noticed Su Lun's examining gaze, finished transmitting the message, then magically produced a similar ring and tossed it to him.

Su Lun, looking at the communication ring in his hand, asked, slightly surprised, "Mr. Jing, is this for me?"

"Yes, it's convenient for keeping in touch,"

Mr. Jing nodded, adding, "There aren't many of these. If you lose one, there's one less, so be careful not to misplace it."

"Oh."

Su Lun put the ring on his finger, suddenly feeling a strange sensation.

With his own exclusive communicator, was he now a member of Mr. Jing's organization?

But why didn't he also get one of those impressive-looking cloaks?

Also, wasn't a second awakening of talent a prerequisite for joining?

Before he could think further, Mr. Jing indeed asked, "Do you want a cloak?"

The tone was casual,

but the question,

clearly, was an invitation for Su Lun to join.

Before he could answer, Mr. Jing continued, "Mr. Jing is a very loose organization, with no specific duties or obligations. Everyone is now working together on specific tasks because of the common goal of leaving the tower. In the future, it will be like the 'Rosicrucian' of the former era, a purely academic circle for alchemy..."

A few sentences clarified the purpose of the organization's existence.

Su Lun didn't hesitate, promptly responding, "I want it."

That Gold-Patterned Cloak was indeed a fine item.

Of course, most importantly, his interactions had been very close with several bigwigs of Mr. Jing's organization—thousand, nineteen, Mr. Jing, Mr. Hei...

Even if not, in the eyes of others, he now was.

Hearing his response, Mr. Jing nonchalantly tossed him a gold cloak.

Though it also featured common alchemy symbols like snakes, eagles, fire dragons, and thorn flowers,

there were noticeable differences in detail compared to others Su Lun had seen before, including some "exclusive" markings, like a scythe that represented the Reaper?

Had it been prepared in advance?

Su Lun silently noted, tucking away the cloak.

With just those two simple sentences, he had joined the current leading reactionary organization in Old Lington.

It was like buying a head of cabbage.

Both of them remained calm.

At that moment, Su Lun remembered something and took out the "Furnace Lamp of Volgan," returning it to its owner, he said, "Mr. Jing, this is the brass lamp I took earlier..."

The lamp was returned,

but the heart had already been transformed into the "Isaac's Alchemy Heart" and sealed, so it could not be retrieved.

He had intended to explain, "That heart..."

But Mr. Jing didn't seem to care at all, shaking his head and cutting him off.

She saw the ring on Su Lun's hand, a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes, and she simply said, "I know."

Hearing this, Su Lun didn't say more.

Indeed, Sereya had been right; she had given the "Isaac's Alchemy Heart" to Su Lun, and Mr. Jing wouldn't mind.

After the exchange, the two of them stopped talking.

They sat cross-legged in meditation, waiting for Teresa to come knocking.

....

Previously in the cursed space, Su Lun had been listening to Sereya's teachings and hadn't had the time to thoroughly reflect on his gains.

Now, he also had the time to properly tally them.

This meditation session immediately felt different from before.

Multitudes of thoughts could operate simultaneously in his mind, and yet, they were clear; what kind of experience was that?

It was probably like upgrading from a dual-core processor to an octa-core one.

Su Lun used to need to maintain a certain level of awareness even while sleeping to suppress other emotions in his mind.

Now, with those negative emotions completely released, Su Lun immediately felt his brain's processing speed soar.

The whole world seemed incredibly clear and well-organized.

The most effective aspect, naturally, was the secret technique of spiritual power.

Even in ancient times, the secret technique of spiritual power was considered a high-end secret technique.

Like breathing techniques, they also varied in quality and effectiveness.

Su Lun had also encountered Sabina's spiritual power; a succubus's power was charming, soft, and could instinctively lower one's guard, arousing primal desires;

He had also seen Mr. Hei's, whose spiritual power was very "sharp," like a needle, able to pierce directly into the secrets of the heart...

There were also some aggressive spiritual secret techniques, domineering, bizarre, tricky...

Different spiritual secret techniques ultimately shaped different characteristics of spiritual power.

Su Lun learned the exclusive secret technique of Sereya's Puppeteer lineage, an epic secret technique passed down from the last epoch—the "Starry Sky Visualization Technique."

This secret technique produced spiritual power that was very scattered, but the emphasis was on "plenty."

Like the stars in the sky, tiny points of light.

It was incredibly suitable for controlling puppets.

Previously, Su Lun's spiritual power was like a loose pile of sand.

His "rationality" was like a small sand castle on a beach, with very little to use, and that excess spiritual power was still a burden.

But now, with this secret technique, Su Lun clearly felt a difference.

Gathering sand into a tower, growing taller and taller.

During meditation, he could clearly feel the spiritual power in his brain coalesce into the shape of a "willow tree."

All the spiritual power was fully utilized, consolidating into the trunk.

And the tendrils of spiritual power could spread out like willow branches...

This characteristic was more than suitable for the profession of a Puppet Master.

As long as his spiritual power grew strong in the future, these "willow branch" tendrils of spiritual power would multiply endlessly, extending infinitely...

Moreover, Su Lun could not only grow his spiritual power through visualization.

He could also augment it by harvesting residual souls from corpses through "Reaper of Death," a secret technique that highly suited his innate talents!

.... Stay tuned for updates on empire

Su Lun had learned the secret technique of spiritual power, completely resolving the potentially lethal threat of backlash from spiritual power overwhelming his mind.

Now he could still manage negative emotions, not by "blocking" them, but by "channeling" them.

The additional spiritual power fluctuations created by negative emotions directly became nourishment for his spiritual secret technique.

Now he could really get a good night's sleep.

As the negative emotions vanished, it seemed that Su Lun had lost a desperate measure, which was the "Red Eye State."

But that was not the case.

Negative emotions can stimulate the body's hormones to be secreted excessively.

Like before in the cursed space, where Su Lun fully released his emotions, breaking through the safe limits his body could bear, he even briefly possessed the strength of a third, or even fourth tier fighter.

Now that the raging negative emotions were gone, there were no external stimuli.

However, Su Lun had mastered another method, forensic doctor Gerald's unique alchemy, "Hormonal Frenzy!"

After digesting his memories, Su Lun discovered that this guy was not only the leader of the umbrella organization but also a true biological genius.

His research in human anatomy and biology had reached a very high level. Particularly in the study of corpses, no one in Old Lington could match him; he was unparalleled.

In the past, Su Lun's method of using hormones was barbaric—just opening the valve and roughly gauging the intensity, then leaving the rest to fate.

But Gerald was different; he controlled precisely!

He could control almost every tissue in his body, control the precise secretion of his hormones to enhance battle power.

The "Black White Red" clowns were the three stages of hormonal frenzy that he had researched, requiring sealed objects to control the three types of uncontrollable state manifestations.

The first stage excited the body, with almost no risks; the second stage doubled the strength but came with the risk of muscle tissue tearing; the third stage was a lethal dose, but it could also far exceed the original strength.

This method was much more scientific than Su Lun's barbaric approach.

....

Thinking of this, a strong interest and curiosity suddenly surged in Su Lun's heart.

He wanted to know how Gerald managed to unravel such a complex system as human hormonal secretion and mastered it?

After listening to his teacher Seraya's teachings, he now understood that an alchemist must not only know how to use but also understand why.

With that thought,

he rummaged through a pile of notes from his storage space.

People who are invested in research usually have the habit of keeping research diaries.

Gerald was no exception.

Su Lun found his many years of research outcomes in his storage ring.

Tens of densely packed research journals, all numbered.

Su Lun opened the first one, numbered 001.

Rows of neatly written research notes appeared before his eyes.

"I like studying corpses; to me, they are communicative..."

"I found that people secrete different hormones under different emotions. Fear, joy, excitement, sorrow...some hormones clearly invigorate, while others make one timid. I want to clarify the connections..."

"People who are dying secrete hormones very chaotically. I try to choose live targets, provide them with different stimuli, and record the data..."

"Experiment number #771, confirmed that fear and excitement both secrete a hormone that excites the body..."

"Since hormones are controlled by sensory emotions, controlling the emotions could potentially control continued secretion..."

"Experiment number #1222, I finally mastered a method to absorb hormones from other corpses. The external Qi-blood can supplement the body's own insufficient hormone production..."

"Experiment number #1555, after injecting three times the quantity of hormones, the test subject collapsed. Human bodies are indeed too frail, even though they can exert stronger battle power..."

"..."

Not merely skimming ten lines at a glance,

but listening to the continuous, clear and pleasant "rustle" of pages turning.

So fast that each page only stayed for a second or two.

Yet the sound of flipping through the pages was not hurried, even maintaining a rhythm.

He was practically scanning each page at a glance, flipping over quickly.

Even with content that required understanding, his mind could process it swiftly. Even encountering calculations that necessitated time, it did not affect his reading speed.

His brain would allocate a portion of focus to concentrate on calculations, while the rest of his thoughts continued to flip through and absorb new content.

This was the marvelous outcome brought about by a 5% increase in brain capacity development and the release of spiritual power...

With the double learning halo of "Isaac's Alchemy Manuscript" and "Seraya's Blessing," Su Lun's learning efficiency had reached a level that would seem inconceivable to ordinary people.

Su Lun was completely immersed in this wonderful and novel sensation,

reading, learning, mastering, pondering...

He voraciously absorbed the knowledge.

Hearing this page-turning sound, even Mr. Jing, who was meditating, couldn't help but glance over.

She looked at Su Lun, paused momentarily, seemed to think of something, and then slowly closed her eyes again.