Mechanical Alchemist

Saint Gothia Hotel is considered a very high-end hotel in the southern part of Lingdun City, with luxurious and exquisite decorations in the room.

Last night, as the two passed by the hotel, they thought about finding a place to stay overnight.

If they could choose a good one, naturally, they shouldn't shortchange themselves.

However, having just experienced an incident, checking in at midnight would easily attract attention from interested parties.

So, they didn't register at the front desk and directly climbed over the wall into room 4001.
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It was a clandestine stay for the night.

In the morning, Su Lun woke up on the luxurious king-size bed in the room.

He looked at Sabina lying beside him and silently praised her, indeed a supreme creature capable of absorbing vigor and essence.

Clear of desires?

Pah!

In front of a succubus, there's no chance of being desireless.

Such a night had left Su Lun, even with his top-notch physique among those at the fifth tier, still feeling a trace of fatigue after resting all night, which speaks volumes about the energy expended.

The innate ability of the "Succubus" doesn't just boast other powers; in terms of pleasures, it is indeed the top indulgence in the world that leaves all men longing for heaven.

Moreover, the innate abilities would grow as one ascends in rank.

Though Su Lun had experienced it early on, Sabina's skills in pleasures had become more adept. That night, Su Lun thoroughly enjoyed a sensory experience that constantly floated on clouds, passion soaring higher and higher, always drifting in utmost ecstasy.

It must have been some slight noise he made, for at that moment, Sabina also opened her eyes.

She looked at Su Lun, who was gazing at her, and asked with a smile, "Master, did you rest well last night?"

Su Lun looked at the profound and teasing ambiguity in her beautiful eyes and helplessly shook his head.

As delightful as a succubus is, it truly shortens one's life.

Conversely, after a night's ordeal, there wasn't a hint of weariness on Sabina's charming and mature face; rather, her complexion was rosy and even more radiant than before.

Seeing Su Lun's worn-out expression, she couldn't help but snicker.

It was all her own doing; how could she not be pleased?

At that moment, Sabina sensed something and her beautiful eyes suddenly brightened, barely concealing her excitement, "Ah, Master! I feel that I can almost advance to the fourth tier now~"

Su Lun, slightly surprised, responded, "So soon?"

Sabina had been stuck at the third tier for a long time, with a solid foundation but lacking comprehension of fourth-tier laws, unable to condense an elemental barrier.

This threshold was a significant one, with most low-tier professionals trapped by it for life.

And Sabina's ability to comprehend was not particularly outstanding on its own; most of her energies were expended on intelligence work. Thus, without a significant chance, it was nearly impossible for her to overcome this hurdle on her own.

However, she had a special talent.

Sabina's talent was a familial bloodline inheritance, "Succubus," and her family also had a secret technique of deep cultivation.

This secret technique was slightly similar to Su Lun's "Death Reaper," capable of directly absorbing others' insights for her own use.

Previous trials had shown clear effects.

But it was still significantly lacking; to think that in one night, it actually succeeded?

Sabina nodded, taking the opportunity to fawn over her master, "Yes, it's mainly because you are amazing, Master. Your comprehension of laws has already reached the sixth tier, a whole three major tiers above me. Just a little absorption from you greatly benefits me. And last night, I absorbed not just a little, but many times..."

"Oh?"

Su Lun genuinely sensed the flattery and joy in Sabina's tone and was sincerely happy for her.

With the complex situation in Lingdun, if his maid could quickly advance to the fourth tier, her ability to protect herself would significantly improve.

This was good news.

But... it was just the quantity; the effect shouldn't have been so exaggerated.

Sabina, seeing his confusion, blinked and excitedly explained, "Last night, I used the second resolution of the innate secret technique, and I didn't expect it to be so effective! It's not just the fourth tier; I even feel like I have some insights into the fifth and even sixth tiers."

Su Lun then understood.

But hearing about the second resolution talent from Sabina, his gaze became slightly uneasy.

Typically, a second resolution talent greatly enhances the abilities of the first resolution and awakens some very special powers.

After resolving into the second resolution, Sabina's "Succubus" was called "Myriad Morphing Succubus."

It was as the name suggested.

Following the resolution, not only were her spiritual power, charm techniques, and physical resilience greatly enhanced, but she also acquired the new ability of "myriad transformations."

For an intelligence professional, this was an absolutely perfect divine skill.

As long as Sabina had seen someone, she could flawlessly mimic that person.

It wasn't just the appearance; even the aura was exactly the same.

If not for Su Lun's Soul Perception ability, it would even be hard to distinguish real from fake.

But his Soul Perception was a capability brought by the second resolution "S-004-Death Reaper." To say whether there was another person in the entire realm who had awakened this exceptionally rare S-tier talent was uncertain. Even if there was, reaching a second resolution was almost impossible.

So under normal circumstances, Sabina's transformation ability was very hard to expose.

This ability was also why she had quickly established a foothold in Lingdun and safely gathered intelligence.

It was excellent for disguising and collecting intelligence on ordinary days.

But last night, Sabina demonstrated the marvelous use of this ability in pleasure.

So, multiple delights brought multiple insights?

Tsk tsk, what a wonderful talent.

...

Su Lun thought of some enchanting scenes from the previous night.

Sabrina keenly sensed his change and said seductively, "Master, would you like me to help you get up?"

As she spoke, her delicate body pressed closer.

In an instant, a warm touch enveloped him.

Sabrina's peachy form was already spectacular, and this direct, unobstructed closeness allowed the heavy oppressive sensation to be distinctly felt.

After waking up, Su Lun had no intention of lingering in bed.

Despite his body still feeling the urge after being pushed to the limit, he listened to the tempting offer.

But he decisively refused.

Succubi are delightful, but one must not indulge too much.

Moreover, they had sneaked into the room in the hotel, and though no one disturbed them in the late night, the hotel would resume welcoming guests come daylight. People arriving could be sensed beforehand, but it could still catch them off guard and disrupt the mood.

Su Lun threw off the blanket and decisively got out of bed, saying, "I have important matters to attend to today."

"Oh."

Sabrina obediently responded and then added, "Then let me help you get dressed."

This act of service finally became proper.

As the bedsheet was lifted, spring light flashed briefly.

Although Sabrina was becoming increasingly "bold," she never forgot her status.

She got up and busied herself.

In Emperor Luying's realm, it was standard for nobles to have maids attend to their daily needs. Not having three to five young girls in maid uniforms help with washing up and brushing teeth in the morning would make others suspect you were bankrupt.

Su Lun had no luxurious indulgence typical of a noble lord and intended to do it himself, but Sabrina did not allow it.

From washing up to getting dressed, he barely lifted a finger as Sabrina flawlessly handled everything like a qualified maid.

...

Soon, it was bright outside the window.

Noises of steam motorcars roared from the streets; Lingdun City was gradually waking up.

Just as Sabrina had finished helping Su Lun get dressed, her encrypted communicator suddenly rang.

She walked over, picked up the handbag from beside the bed, checked the message, and then turned to Su Lun to report, "Sir, a message has come from 'Earl Shadow'. It said the issue from last night has been resolved and the person who leaked information at the ball has been caught, and the matter has been clarified. So, they want to give us an explanation."

"..."

Su Lun listened silently, a thoughtful expression appearing in his eyes.

This was a situation he had anticipated last night. Members who breached the rules of the ball would be dealt with by the organizers.

He hadn't expected it to be resolved just over one night; that person's influence was indeed significant.

Su Lun didn't want to risk being exposed again, but he was still concerned about that batch of imported equipment.

Thinking that there was currently no issue with the ball's organizers and after considering various risks, he finally said, "Alright. Contact them and see how they want to explain."

With his permission, Sabrina used the communicator to reply.

Soon, she received a response, "They've captured everyone involved. Aside from a few who died during interrogation, the rest are still alive and have been brought over for us to see. There's also some compensation as an apology from Earl Shadow."

"They brought the people over?"

Su Lun's eyes shifted as strategies began to form in his mind, "Then let's arrange to meet in an open area."

This was also just right.

As long as the people were still alive, he could Soul Search them.

The true nature of things wasn't something that could be easily obscured with a few words.

Sabrina nodded and then asked, "How about we meet at the National Library Square? It's not too crowded in the morning and is quite open. Besides, Mr. Hei is also there, so there shouldn't be a problem."

Sabrina understood the situation in Lingdun better than he did, so Su Lun thought the arrangement was fine and said, "Good, let's meet there."

....

Su Lun and Sabrina quickly got dressed and left a cleaning fee of one thousand risos in the room, then hung the cleaning sign on the door.

The housekeeping maid, seeing the money, would happily pocket it and then quietly clean up the room, rather than gossiping about how two thieves stayed the night and messed up the room.

The two jumped down from the fourth-floor balcony.

In a deserted alley at the street corner, Su Lun pulled out a steam motorbike, started it up, and sped through the city streets with Sabrina.

Twenty minutes later, they had already arrived at the Franklin District beside the National Library Square.

They parked the motorbike ahead of time and walked the rest of the way without noticing anything unusual.

There were no high-level professionals ambushing them, no large groups of professionals lurking around; everything seemed normal.

The sky was overcast, with occasional rays of morning sunlight piercing through the clouds onto the square.

The fountain babbled, and a few early birds were already foraging in the square.

When Su Lun arrived, he watched a ragged boy wearing a flat cap attract a plump pigeon with some bread crumbs, then quickly grab it and stuff it into his clothes before making a swift escape.

It was only eight a.m., the square's administrator had not yet arrived at work, making it the best time for vagrants to catch pigeons to improve their meals.

Su Lun, using a black umbrella as a walking stick, walked with Sabrina to their destination.

It wasn't a holiday, so there weren't many people around, and the square was quite clear at a glance.

Nearby the square, a refrigerated truck emblazoned with "South City Meat Union Factory" was parked.

Two individuals were inside the driver's cab, both third-tier professionals.

There were still six inside the carriage.

But for Su Lun, they posed no threat at all.

Sabina glanced over and confirmed, "That's the car of the Red Oak Society."

Su Lun nodded, and the two of them walked over.

Sabina was attending the ball disguised as "Countess Demacula," and had no need to hide, so they both walked over directly.

The people inside the vehicle seemed to recognize Sabina and came down after opening the door.

The two men, clad in suit coats, were bulky in build, the leader of whom had a scar on his face looking respectfully at Sabina. He spoke, "Honored lady, the person has been brought to you."

As he said this, he signaled the other to open the van.

Sabina glanced briefly, expressing the disdain expected of a high noble, and asked, "What exactly happened?"

The scar-faced man replied, "The one who leaked your information at the ball was 'Red Parrot Trade Company's Maira Truman. Four people were involved in total, one was the driver and another was a singing maid. Sadly, that woman didn't survive the interrogation, and has died. Inside the van are Truman and his two intermediaries, along with a few other related personnel."

Su Lun vaguely remembered the "Red Parrot Trade Company," which belonged to a large plantation owner's family from the southern part of Luying. They primarily dealt in major agricultural and livestock products such as crystalline cocoa, cotton, and timber, considered to be a wealthy family in the south for centuries. Even in Lingdun Imperial Capital, Truman was considered a top-tier wealthy man.

Sabina, expressionless throughout, turned to the scar-faced man and asked, "You wouldn't mind my man personally checking out the situation, would you?"

The scar-faced man respectfully said, "Of course. Lord 'Reaper' sent us to bring the people over as an explanation to you. You may dispose of them as you see fit."

Sabina took a glance, and Su Lun, her "bodyguard," caught on immediately.

He went straight into the van, and then with a "bang", he shut the door of the van.

Inside were six people covered with bruises, barely hanging onto life, but evidently, they had faced considerable torment the previous night.

Su Lun identified one of their souls as a member he had encountered at the ball the previous night.

Seeing someone approaching, two of them who were still conscious immediately showed expressions of despair and pleading.

But Su Lun had no time to waste with these people.

He took out a sharp dagger and swiftly slit the throats of all six.

Six clouds of "gray mist" appeared, and after Su Lun harvested them, the events of the previous night became crystal clear.

The two intermediaries were completely unaware and had been dragged into this unwittingly.

Only Truman was the mastermind.

And as Su Lun had expected, someone had used that batch of imported machinery as bait.

Not only at the Full Moon Ball but also within many black market channels.

As long as Su Lun kept an eye on machinery news within Lingdun City, he would almost certainly encounter various versions of "baits."

If he showed interest, he would definitely bite.

However, since Su Lun had only been in Lingdun City for two days and had not had time to wander around, he had gone to the ball first.

But then the problem arose, Truman was merely a pawn.

He merely followed the planned scheme to leak the information; afterward, his participation was not needed, and he knew very little.

Moreover, Su Lun discovered the conspiracy and killed the driver the previous night, and those behind the scenes, knowing their plot had been exposed, decisively cut off that lead.

All the "uplinks" Truman could contact had been silenced.

Therefore, in the end, it was still unknown who the true mastermind behind the scenes was.

Of course, it didn't matter if it was unknown.

After all, Su Lun could guess that it would only be one of a few families that could make a mega-rich man their pawn.

Compared to how things happened, Su Lun wasn't very interested.

Rather, he was more concerned about the aftermath.

If he could be baited last night, then the information might have been leaked.

The good news was, after thoroughly scouring Truman's memory, Su Lun found that these people didn't know Sabina's identity at the ball.

It was merely fishing according to a certain protocol.

Once the fish bit, the next steps followed, and the ambush was carried out by others.

Even the deceased driver didn't know he was carrying "Countess Demacula."

With nothing exposed, there was no big problem.

Su Lun also breathed a sigh of relief

.....

Su Lun had obtained the information he wanted and deliberately lingered a while longer before coming down from the carriage.

This made it seem not as if he had gone up to kill people right away but had indeed "interrogated" for a while.

However, the two men in suits didn't care what he actually did up there.

The intelligence from these people had already been extracted, rendering them valueless.

Guests wanting them dead was their prerogative.

Seeing Su Lun getting down from the van, Sabina immediately understood the meaning behind his calm demeanor.

Now that there was no aftermath, it was time for compensation.

The scar-faced man also understood, and without waiting for her to speak, he immediately said: "Lord 'Reaper' had me bring his most sincere apologies to the lady. The lord also said that the subsequent troubles had been cleaned up, absolutely not disturbing your life, and assured that such incidents will definitely not happen again at any future balls, please rest assured."

As he spoke, he took out a box, and when opened, inside was a gold coin with an old pipe logo etched on it.

Sabina obviously knew what it was; a flicker of unreadable emotion flashed in her eyes.

The scar-faced man handed the box with the gold coin over, then added: "The lord said last night's deal will be executed according to the contract, and the goods will be shipped out as per your needs normally. Future payments for the goods are waived, considered as our Red Oak's apology. Also, the lord had me bring this token as an apology for last night, please kindly accept it."

Su Lun appraised it briefly. It was nothing special, and he naturally accepted it for Sabrina.

The two gang members were also very decisive. After informing Su Lun of their purpose and arranging some matters to deliver the goods at sea in two days, they did not stay longer and directly drove away.

...

Waiting for the truck to disappear around the corner, Su Lun then curiously asked, "Is there something special about this pipe Gold Coin?"

A thoughtful look flashed in Sabrina's eyes as she said solemnly, "It's a token. It can get 'Earl Shadow' to personally take care of a problem once."

After pausing, fearful that Su Lun might not understand the significance of the coin, she added, "I have never seen this coin either, only heard that someone at the ball had used it to resolve a huge problem, although I don't know the details. But there's a legend circulating at the ball saying, if you use this coin, you can solve all troubles in Lingdun City! For example, sir, if you wish to sleep with a royal princess, you could use it."

"I see..."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun realized that was how the rumor had originated.

Moreover, since Sabrina had mentioned it, it was very likely true?

He looked at the Gold Coin again and immediately felt that this adventure was worth it.

The claim that it could solve all troubles was obviously an exaggeration, but it was indeed priceless.

From attending the ball yesterday to dealing with the leakers today, everything had been carried out swiftly and decisively. Su Lun also realized that this 'Earl Shadow' was more mysterious and powerful than the rumors in the underworld suggested.

At the very least, the batch of imported equipment worth billions of liras was casually given away, something an ordinary gang leader wouldn't have the audacity to do.

And after this incident, Su Lun also deduced that the people at the ball weren't aligned with those setting the trap.

At least for now, they bore no malice towards them.

Having undergone such events last night, outsiders might not know what had happened, but 'Earl Shadow,' who had interrogated those people, must have also guessed why Su Lun needed those devices on his side.

If the information was accurate enough, that person might even have guessed that Sabrina's disguised identity as 'Countess Demacula' acquiring those devices might be directly related to 'Dawn.'

But the fact that no ambush was set up today, rather an apology, probably meant genuine disinterest in Su Lun's mechanical technologies and neuro-mechanical techniques.

It could also be a gesture of goodwill, wariness, or some other reason.

But having such dignity, it certainly wasn't an ordinary gang anymore.

That 'Earl Shadow,' or the force he represented, must stand at a very high echelon.

So high that he must be one of the few looking at the scenery from the pinnacle of the Luying pyramid.

This made Su Lun even more curious about his identity.

He even guessed that perhaps the Yekaterina and the Lennox family behind her were linked to 'Earl Shadow.'

After all, his future wife was one of the few in the Luying Empire who fit this profile.

But based on the current information, it seemed not entirely satisfactory.

This made things quite perplexing.

...

Su Lun and Sabrina did not linger in the plaza, and did not even disturb Mr. Hei, but left directly.

They received good news and a handsome reward early in the morning, and both were in a good mood.

Soon, the news from last night regarding the "Bactch Pharmaceuticals" production of the Potion as well received feedback.

The new Potion was named "Crimson Potion," aimed for specifically treating the spreading Red Death disease among the lower layers of Lingdun City. Initially, the plan was to release the new medicine in a few days.

The problem now was, the Potion could not check out clean.

Moreover, the pharmaceutical company's major shareholder was the Rodriguez family, one of the six Senior Councilor seats; ordinary people had no right to interfere.

Therefore, regular means were entirely unable to stop Bactch Pharmaceuticals from selling the new drug.

Once widely sold, the number of people contaminated by parasites would skyrocket.

However, Su Lun did not need to worry about it anymore,

He had already passed the message to Yekaterina.

The word of mouth would have no proof, but she would definitely believe him.

Although he did not know what his fiancée intended to do, Su Lun knew, since the Lennox family had chosen to align with the ambitious Rega Montero family, they surely had significant plans.

If the imperial power was really taken over by the devotees, it would definitely not be what the Lennox family wanted to see.

Su Lun didn't bother with the "Crimson Potion" issue any further, primarily because he felt that he couldn't intervene in matters at that level.

But his intuition told him something odd was still at play.

Clearly, if a big pharmaceutical company was releasing medicine, if it were not for Su Lun's lucky early insight, widespread contamination would have been an inevitable reality.

But why then would there be a "redundant" arrangement to distribute the Potion through the underworld beforehand?

And why would such an important person personally handle it?

He recalled the 'Curator' he had taught before; that person could control the 'Ghost Bride' and so must have extremely strong powers. Even among the outer faithful, he probably was at the level of an Arch Bishop.

Su Lun's intuition made him suspect there might be some trickery behind this issue that he was unaware of.

But the next full moon ball was still a half-month away.

He then asked Sabrina to inform the Mirror organization's intelligence professionals to investigate the 'Curator's' background and also look into any anomalies in the area that the Vaughn brothers had controlled previously.

....

The tasks were all assigned, and the rest of the investigation would take time.

Su Lun and Sabrina then drove to the Luying Imperial College.

There was still official business to attend to today.

He intended to check on the condition of Isaac's Alchemy Manuscript, archived in the imperial college, and to see his eldest apprentice Gek, whom he had taken in and let free-rein.

PS. Not feeling very well, I'll catch up on yesterday's missed updates in the next couple of days.