Mechanical Alchemist

"Hey, brothers, look what I fished out! An 'Androfor gold-carved flintlock pistol'! Oh my, this is a craft from a hundred years ago, only the noble gentry could possess such a firearm. I think it suits our Captain perfectly."

"Wow—a whole case of twelve-year-old Popodi Manor golden rum! Hahaha, we're in for a treat tonight."

"Quick, look! There's actually a top-tier gemstone in this guy's storage ring."

"..."

The people of Liberty Dawn were fervently salvaging the spoils of war.

With each surprising discovery, the crew's spirits soared higher.

After Su Lun used the mechanical octopus to salvage the large objects from the ocean's floor, he didn't personally bother with the rest.

Fragments of three pirate warships were scattered across several nautical miles; salvaging them was a meticulous task that would take many days. This was a rare, delightful time for the crew during the otherwise tedious sea voyage.

Since Liberty Dawn had taken the lead in battle, the soldiers of Sacred Judgment didn't take part in collecting the spoils. These professional soldiers didn't covet the loot and stayed on their ships to avoid any appearance of conflict.

...

The battle hadn't cost much, but Captain Barrett's condition was rather bad.

He had earlier taken two punches from 'Demon Hand' Dorsel, dragged his severely injured body to join the final pursuit, and finally collapsed into the sea, where he was carried back to the ship for treatment.

Upon hearing the news, Su Lun returned to the Dawn.

In the ship's cabin, Dr. Banks was performing surgery on Barrett.

Standing by, two deputies from the Judgment group watched tensely. After all, Dr. Banks' appearance after biocellular alteration was somewhat frightening.

Su Lun walked in and asked, "Doctor, how is it going?"

Dr. Banks didn't stop his work and said, "The spleen, lungs, and liver all have severe trauma; the situation is quite bad. Those two punches would have killed a regular Rank 6 professional. Fortunately, his physique is of a growth-oriented career. I am using the active components of eternal cells to restore his damaged organs. The problem isn't too big..."

As he spoke, his arm transformed into something like black fluid, merging into Barrett's damaged chest cavity.

This method made the watching deputies' skin crawl. It was precisely because the onboard doctor of the Judgment group couldn't handle it that they had brought the injured here. They had not expected to witness a treatment even more bizarre than black magic.

Listening to these obviously severe symptoms being described in such an understated tone, their expressions were extremely complex.

"Oh, that's good."

Su Lun wasn't surprised.

Dr. Banks was not only a top-tier biologist but also a very skilled surgeon.

One could say that as long as a person wasn't dead, there was nearly no chance of dying in his hands.

Just then, the previously unconscious Barrett suddenly woke up.

He looked palely at the "monster" fiddling with his chest, his gaze turning as sharp as a tiger's in an instinctive combat response. But then, catching sight of the deputies and Su Lun out of the corner of his eye, he quickly regained his composure.

Su Lun asked, "How do you feel, Captain Barrett?"

If it hadn't been for Barrett managing to control 'Demon Hand' Dorsel earlier, ending the battle wouldn't have been so easy.

Though he came to save him, Su Lun had reaped a great harvest and now owed Barrett a favor.

Barrett, perceiving his own steadily improving condition, and understanding what was happening, said, "I feel my body recovering."

After a pause, he looked at Su Lun, then at the strange individual treating him, and sincerely said, "Thank you."

Su Lun smiled slightly, unconcerned, and introduced, "This is Dr. Banks, our chief medical officer and biologist of Liberty Dawn."

He didn't go into further details.

The two exchanged polite greetings.

Seeing Barrett on the operating table, Su Lun remembered something and said, "Oh, there's one more thing."

With that, he directly pulled out a glass container from the storage space.

A tank full of greenish fluid held a sturdy silver arm inside it.

Upon closer inspection, one could see clear muscle texture on the silver arm, and even the faint pulsing of veins and nerves.

The texture was metallic, yet the detail was indistinguishable from a human limb.

Su Lun explained, "Captain Barrett, this is the 'Hand of Silver' prosthetic I told you about. I have already tested this, and after integration, it can almost perfectly replace a normal limb. Moreover, it has strong 'memory healing' and 'toughness' characteristics, melding perfectly with flesh without hindering the flow of spiritual power. I even think its performance might be better suited for combat than an original human limb."

He had tested it many times on zombies, and these effects were conclusions drawn from those tests.

'Revitalizing Silver' is a divine material, with features well-documented in ancient texts.

Ancient Great Alchemists highly valued this top-tier material. If it weren't for Su Lun not being an extreme "Explosive Modification Sorcerer," he might have even considered turning his limbs into such metal bodies, greatly enhancing his survivability.

"That amazing?"

Barrett looked at the silver arm in the culture dish, his eyes showing anticipation.

"Yes."

Su Lun nodded, put the glass jar on a table next to the operation table, and said earnestly, "This was part of our deal earlier. Now, the finished product is yours."

Barrett glanced at the arm, hesitated only a moment, then earnestly said, "If possible, could you help me attach it now? I'd like to try it out."

The installation of the unfamiliar prosthetic limb onto the body was a matter that required great caution.

However, after two interactions, he had absolute trust in Su Lun.

Moreover, the loss of his arm had really impacted him greatly. He had been targeted by pirates during this period, and strength was too important for their current situation in the adjudication group.

Since it was his own product, Su Lun also felt that he should include installation and after-sales service.

"Of course,"

he cheerfully accepted and then said to Dr. Banks, "Doctor, could you help me with this?"

"Sure."

Dr. Banks was also eager to try out these interesting surgical procedures.

Su Lun had an eight-limb spider spear, and limb stitching surgeries were all too familiar to him.

Under the cooperation of him and Dr. Banks, they started the busy procedure of reconnecting the severed arm.

...

When Su Lun walked out of Dr. Banks's lab two hours later,

the integration of the Hand of Silver had gone smoothly, and Barrett had not shown any signs of rejection. The task ahead was to observe and see if there were any areas for improvement.

On the sea, the crew was still energetically salvaging spoils from sunken ships.

Su Lun didn't stay on deck long; he returned to the captain's cabin.

There was too much to digest today, both the spoils and the harvested Soul Shards needed a lot of time to process.

Plus, he had acquired the much-coveted "Living Silver."

Su Lun was somewhat impatient.

In his storage ring, there were about ten cubic meters of silver metal, likely all the inventory of the adjudication group.

It must be said, Barrett's generous nature made him a pleasant companion.

Looking at this top-tier puppet metal, Su Lun couldn't hide his anticipation.

He took out the alchemy notebook he had acquired in the Central Prison of Dawn City from Sereya, flipping to the volume that contained details on the "Gargoyle."

The notebook had detailed design schematics and thickly packed data.
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During these days, Su Lun had been consciously collecting related materials, and now that the main material was in his hands, he was eager to craft the "ultimate alchemy golem" envisioned in his teacher's notes.

Su Lun placed the mold, blueprints, and materials one by one on the workbench, and after making sure everything was ready, he began the creation.

This task took several days.

....

With Dr. Banks's superb medical skills, Barrett's injury healed quickly.

The installed Hand of Silver achieved the expected results perfectly, not only showing no adverse reactions but, as Su Lun had predicted, this bionic metal arm was even more suited for combat than the original natural limb.

Following the limb repair, Barrett's strength did not just recover to a sixth-order peak but, due to the special properties of the metal arm, he gained a powerful "Iron Arm" that was proficient both in offense and defense. Due also to his life-and-death experiences during this period, he sensed some breakthroughs in his realm.

Su Lun was very satisfied with his own work.

However, after Barrett was healed, he did not stay with the Dawn Squad for the journey but led the "Sacred Judgment Legion" away on their own.

It wasn't that he was rejecting the Dawn Squad's goodwill, but rather because they had urgent business to attend to.

Barrett said that if the matter was resolved, he would look forward to meeting again.

Su Lun didn't ask where they were going.

He knew that, although the adjudication group's members were in dire straits, they still retained their dignity. Even at their lowest, they were reluctant to be indebted to anyone.

Recruiting them now would seem more like charity. For that group of unwilling warriors, it would likely shatter their last bit of dignity.

Su Lun provided them with a substantial amount of supplies and bid them farewell personally.

Later, from some news gathered by the crew, he learned that Barrett and his team had gone on a rescue mission.

The affairs of the "Sacred Judgment Legion" were somewhat complicated; since they last stumbled upon a potential collusion between the royal family and "heretics" in the Cursed Valley, they had been continuously pursued and hunted.

But as they had been drifting at sea, it wasn't easy for the royal household of Luying to kill them.

That's when they resorted to a stratagem.

It seemed that the intelligence department of Luying's military deliberately left some members of the adjudication group alive in the capital, only for them to be captured by slavers and sent to Romandon as gladiators.

They were just waiting for them to attempt a rescue.

The previous pirate attacks were part of Luying's intelligence department's scheme to use others to accomplish their ends.

The news of Barrett's death hadn't been confirmed yet, and it was highly likely that the "bait" was still alive.

So, a rescue was definitely underway.

But such a rescue, clearly a trap, was bound to be fraught with danger.

Now, the adjudication group had bounties posted by Luying, the Bounty Hunters Guild, and the pirate black market. Their appearance anywhere would immediately attract the attention of various forces.

Su Lun thought that Captain Barrett probably didn't want to involve his team, Dawn Squad.

Indeed, it was difficult for Su Lun to get directly involved in the rescue. He could only wait for Barrett to speak up.

Moreover, Dawn Squad had their own matters to address.

...

On this day, the weather was clear.

Standing on the mast, one could already see the coastline at the horizon.

In about half a day's time, they would arrive at the Roman Nation.

Dr. Banks's biological marker led them here, meaning that the "Frost Moon Princess" Skadi was likely nearby.

Su Lun and his team needed to rescue Kai and find those submarines, so naturally, they had to dock and check the situation.

It had been somewhat quiet on the Dawn these days.

The crew wasn't fooling around either, because everyone was busy advancing themselves.

The last battle had yielded several thousand Spatial Implants and fusion materials, which left the members of Dawn Squad spoiled for choice.

Previously, there was no choice, but now, almost every professional could choose to incorporate Void abilities at a certain stage.

Whether it was for combat or survival, "Spatial Ability" was one of the best options.

The spoils of war contained Spatial materials suitable for various professions, and everyone in Dawn Squad found materials that suited them.

Being mostly from the lower echelons, the squad treasured this great opportunity; everyone practiced diligently, aiming to integrate the Spatial materials as soon as possible.

Moreover, with models like Qian Tiao and Su Lun, the crew had aspirational targets, and the atmosphere for cultivation was increasingly improving.

Inside the captain's cabin, Su Lun continued to study the Alchemy Golem.

At this moment, in front of him appeared a three-meter-tall, burly "Gargoyle."

It had a demon-like humanoid body, horns on its forehead, a triangular tail, and sharp fangs, with a pair of massive bat wings on its back. Sturdy and robust, its entire body displayed a thick, dark silver color. If one got closer, they could feel the cold energy seeping from its body surface, and the oppressive feeling of death originating from the material.

After all, the so-called Living Silver was said to be a product of divine flesh corruption.

And this Golem's overall appearance was very "smooth", its head, various joints, buttocks... all had a roundness unlike human structure. This wasn't for aesthetics but was the most stable structure for the material "Living Silver", as researched by Celaire.

Many materials have their most stable forms. Just like ordinary glass, the flat shape differs greatly in the stress it can handle compared to a spherical state.

This detail might seem mundane, but Su Lun had tested it before; the special curvature on the Golem's body could deflect attacks like bullets, a phenomenon one could understand as "curvilinear deflection." Most damage could be reflected, and the attacks did not even reach the Golem's basic defenses.

Previously, Su Lun was merely amazed at the clever design of the blueprint, but only after actually constructing the physical Alchemy Golem did he realize how profound his teacher Celaire's expertise in puppetry was.

So profound that he felt he could only look up to her, although he had reached a master level in "Puppetry," "Engineering," and "Mechanical Studies."

If not for this complete blueprint, Su Lun, even with Living Silver, would absolutely not have been able to create such an exquisite Alchemy Puppet.

At this moment, Su Lun was using an Octo-spear to apply the final layer of coating to the Gargoyle.

His skilled craft allowed him to complete the highest standard of coating he could draw at his current stage.

The materials were top-notch; the craftsmanship could be improved later.

Finally, it was done, and Su Lun let out a long sigh of relief.

Gazing at it, he raised his gun and fired.

With a "clang" sound, the bullet failed to leave any mark on the Golem.

After multiple attempts, Su Lun found that none of the methods in his hands, except the Dark Scythe, could directly damage the Gargoyle.

Thinking it over, he called Qian Tiao.

....

Qian Tiao entered from the deck.

Although both of them slept in the captain's cabin, one half was a resting area, and the other half was a mechanical workshop.

She pulled open the curtain in the middle of the room and, seeing the Alchemy Puppet that Su Lun was examining, asked, "What's up?"

Excitement sparkled in Su Lun's eyes as he pointed at the Alchemy Golem and said, "I want you to help me try out this Gargoyle."

"Oh, you finished it?"

Qian Tiao raised her eyebrows and gave it a look.

She knew that Su Lun had been tinkering with this thing these past few days.

Seeing the finished product, she felt ... it didn't seem very impressive.

At least, this slightly chubby Alchemy Golem didn't look as good as other puppets, nor did it have the intimidating appearance of mechanical combat armor.

When Su Lun asked her to try it out, Qian Tiao naturally knew what he meant.

Her hand on the hilt, a cold light flashed, and a crescent of Sword Qi precisely hit the Gargoyle.

However, Qian Tiao's eyes widened in surprise.

She discovered her sharp Sword Qi was actually repelled?

That slash just now, while not exceedingly powerful, could easily sever a few centimeters of steel.

"Huh..."

With a light gasp, she also noticed something intriguing, "That's quite interesting."

She saw that her Sword Qi had clearly touched the alchemy golem, but it was rebounded right off its surface.

Su Lun seemed quite pleased with this and suggested, "Why don't you try hitting it harder with another slash?"

She asked, "Aren't you afraid it will be damaged?"

Su Lun's eyes revealed a teasing smile, "It's not that easy to damage."

Listenting, she didn't say much. At that moment, flames and air currents suddenly surged around her, she accumulated Sword Qi for three seconds, and then suddenly drew her blade again.

This time, the Sword Qi, filled with dominance, streaked out of the blade and almost at the moment of unsheathing, there was the sound of the blade sheathing back.

On closer inspection, there was clearly a one-foot-long gash on the shoulder of the alchemy golem.

"This..."

She couldn't believe that a slash powerful enough to kill a fifth-tier professional had only left such a small wound, and she found it inconceivable.

Moreover, before the thoughts in her mind could even turn into an expression of surprise on her face, she watched in disbelief as the wound on the alchemy golem miraculously healed!

The Sword Qi had left no trace on it at all.

Seeing this, she exclaimed in awe, "Your puppet is that powerful?"

Su Lun explained with a smile, "The 'Living Silver' not only has extremely high physical and magical defense and a stable structure, it also has a strong memory feature. Once its form is fixed, even if it is cut into two, it can fuse back together and return to its original state in a short time."

Listening to this, she suddenly realized and thought, "This puppet is indeed impressive. With this memory feature, even a sixth-tier professional wouldn't be able to damage it. It's good for safeguarding. Too bad, if controlled by threads, it might not be flexible enough..."

Normally, choosing strong defense means sacrificing some agility. Such a large metal lump, anyone would think it's quite clumsy at first glance.

Thus, she thought, the defense is enough, but in the realm of high-tier professional combat, it could probably only serve as a "shield."

However, as soon as she finished speaking, a strand of blue hair by her cheek stirred in the wind.

Her gaze sharpened, and she caught onto something.

Looking again, the space in front of her was empty, the puppet alchemy golem had disappeared without a trace.

She knew the gargoyle was now behind her, reflecting for a moment, she asked in surprise, "Spatial Teleportation?"

"Yes!"

Su Lun nodded, explaining, "I solidified a 'Teleportation' spell inside it."

This is truly what makes the gargoyle an alchemy "golem."

Because it can use magic!

This is the brilliance in Ceresia's puppet research.

Not only is its form similar to humans, but the gargoyle also has an almost identical meridian system to humans. That is to say, from its design, it was meant to utilize various energies like humans and then convert them into alchemy through the principle of equivalent exchange.

Theoretically, this is like a computer with top-tier hardware; as long as Su Lun could install various "software", it could perform various functions.

Such as spewing dragon flame, releasing lightning, storms, floods, and other spells; it could also inflict stun, pierce, and other types of physical damage.

Recently, his "Space Law" had advanced to a sixth-tier level, and that's why he solidified 'Teleportation.'

With this speed, it temporarily compensates for the golem's clumsy disadvantage.

Unfortunately, Su Lun's current "software" wasn't sophisticated enough. In the future, once it's perfected, this will become an almost flawless alchemy creation without any weaknesses!

Seeing this, she couldn't help but remark, "You really did create a powerful weapon. If there were enough of them, these creatures could probably encircle and kill top-tier professionals..."

Even she found it extremely troublesome.

Alchemy bodies feel no pain, fear no death, and slashing attacks can't inflict fatal damage, which almost renders them invincible.

"Hmm."

Su Lun felt grateful; this was a crystallization of his teacher Ceresia's wisdom, a great alchemy creation, the pinnacle of the Puppeteer lineage of puppet making.

He also thought that a gargoyle legion was a decent idea but then shrugged his shoulders, saying, "But I don't have enough materials, I could only make two or three more at most. Forget about a legion, having a few gargoyle bodyguards will greatly enhance my survival capabilities."

He didn't need quantity now but needed to improve the quality of these gargoyles.

This gargoyle had significant potential for future upgrades.

Apart from not having a soul...a gargoyle is essentially a form of alchemic life.

Thinking this, Su Lun thought of a certain "Pandora" enshrined in the cabin, a bona fide alchemic life form.

If he could study her body, Su Lun felt he might solve many mysteries.

Unfortunately, Pandora would definitely not be willing.

Su Lun thought he could only wait until their relationship improved in the future before considering asking her.