Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun sliced open the safe in the pawnshop, retrieved the ring he had given to Kama, and then headed straight out the door.

The ring had been pawned by Kahn from the Rotten Tooth gang, a compulsive gambler and frequent visitor to the pawnshop. A ruby ring worth millions on the market, pawned for less than a hundred thousand risos.

Su Lun walked out and directly circled to a back alley in the leather market where a group of people were gathered, playing poker.

His gaze swept over the crowd and, lucky for him, he spotted Kahn almost immediately.

"Hey, Kahn, where did you strike it rich to be betting so big today?"

"Tsk tsk, pulled off a big one, made a couple hundred thousand."

"Hey, next time you get a gig like that, introduce your brothers, will you?"

"Sure thing."

"..."

The guy seemed to be on a lucky streak, his face flushed with excitement, and a large pile of money in front of him.

Nearby, some gang members with viper tattoos on their arms were also present, armed with guns and weapons.

Su Lun walked straight towards the gambling booth, then drew the pistol from under his trench coat. Without a word, he shot the guy right in the center of his forehead, creating a bloody hole.

"Bang!"

The sound of the gunshot and the exploding head resonated simultaneously, splattering blood on the gambling table.

The other gamblers at the table were stunned for a moment, their faces then drastically changing.

Those who were timid had already fled in panic, while those gang members thought they were facing an attack from a rival gang and instantly drew their guns. But Su Lun didn't give them a chance to shoot, firing several shots like lightning, turning the heads of three other men who had reached for their guns into smashed watermelons.

He did not bother with those who fled but directly harvested the grey mist from the bodies, subsequently learning about another man, the kidnapping "middleman" Ridge Chapman.

...

Su Lun was very familiar with gang operations, and he knew well that these low-level gangsters didn't know the ins and outs, they just took money to do jobs.

Usually, between the employer and the kidnappers, there were some brokers who hovered on the fringes of high society.

These guys were usually information brokers with wide connections and unpredictable sources.

Ridge Chapman was such a middleman, mingling in high society circles on a daily basis, specializing in handling dirty tasks for the nobility and the wealthy that they preferred not to touch themselves.

He also had a good relationship with the cadre of the Viper gang, a man who had dealings in both worlds.

At this moment, in the mansion at 16 Martin Street, the portly Chapman was just awakened in his luxurious bed.

A night of frolicking with two naked ladies beside him had taken its toll on his energy.

"Gunshots?"

Chapman vaguely thought he heard a gunshot from the leather market a kilometer away, which made him open his eyes alertly.

As a professional businessman, he felt somewhat uneasy.

Recalling the recent deal, it seemed like only the urgent task arranged last night had some problems?

Normally, a kidnapping was a standard operation, just a matter of sending people to do it.

But somehow, after hearing that gunshot, he couldn't stop his eyelids from twitching.

"It was just a minor noble with no real backing, shouldn't that kidnapping have gone smoothly? Besides, it was arranged by that Big Shot..."

Chapman thought to himself, but still felt something was off.

Thinking it over, he decided to get dressed and go out to see what was happening.

But just as he got out of bed and was putting on his trousers, without hearing any noise at his door, he suddenly saw a person appear out of thin air in his room.

Before he could get a clear look at the person, his vision followed his rolling head to the floor, and then he plunged into endless darkness.

Su Lun peeled the "grey mist" from the body, finally getting the information about the employer: "Marquis of the Purple Moon, Bach family."

Having the Reaper's talent, he didn't need to waste time interrogating; he had managed to roughly figure out the entire sequence of the kidnapping incident in just ten minutes since leaving Abner's hotel.

Although the person Chapman was commissioned by wasn't from the Bach family, but rather someone closely associated with the Bach family. However, as an information broker, the beheaded guy had also guessed that the person behind the employment was the Bach family's Miss Elsa Bach.

Su Lun had seen that person before.

Previously at the "National Puppet Master Competition", competing against Kama for first place was that noble lady.

Obviously, the investigation had led here, and the thoughts were clearer now, one might think it was a kidnapping case triggered by jealousy.

The Miss had a motive, and all clues pointed to her hiring someone to kidnap Kama.

It seemed logically impeccable.

But it was precisely because it was too clear that Su Lun was more vigilant.

He had deduced the real situation through the clues,

but what if this very trail was intentionally set by someone?

Su Lun would never underestimate his enemies.

Intuition told him that the incident was targeted at him.

Not just a simple act of jealous revenge.

After all, Hydra's Caroline was likely to have guessed his identity.

The Viper gang was a gang controlled by Hydra.

Some of the kidnappers were members of the Viper gang.

The clues were already very clear.

And Miss Elsa wasn't wrongly accused, although manipulated, she harbored ill intentions.

Even if he anticipated a trap, Su Lun had no intentions of backing down.

His eyes flashed coldly, thinking, "Framing through another's hand? It seems they want to lure me into the trap and aim for more. Well, I'd like to see what these guys are really planning!"

With that thought, using a Marquis's daughter as bait for a conflict indicated clear motives and capabilities from a few specific families.

The goal wasn't hard to guess.

At this juncture, with the impending marriage alliance with Yekaterina, it was nothing but a scheme to disrupt the marriage or settle personal scores.

Moreover, the cleverness was in the fact that the people behind the scenes had anticipated that Su Lun would follow these directed clues to find the person who had hired the hitman, and he would definitely confront Miss Elsa.

That was the unsolvable part of the trap.

As long as he cared about the safety of his disciple, he inevitably had to enter the game.

But the key to this game was that the opponent had to succeed in their conspiracy by capturing Su Lun.

Otherwise, everything would be meaningless.

However, Su Lun's strength was not easy to capture now.

He thought about it and directly dialed Sabina's communication, saying, "Confirm immediately where 'Miss Elsa Bach' is! Also, contact that 'Marquis of Shadows' and ask how much trouble that Gold Coin can solve."

On the other end of the communicator, Sabina heard Su Lun's arrangements and immediately got into action.

...

Meanwhile, while Su Lun was searching for clues.

Caroline also received a message.

During her time on the cruise ship, she hadn't guessed the identity of that "Mr. Nicholas."

But after returning to Lexington, Caroline collected information from various sources and roughly guessed.

Even if not the man in the newspapers, he was definitely a top-tier powerhouse.

So, she had been keeping an eye on his two disciples' movements recently.

After all, on the cruise ship, their Hydra Company owed him a significant favor, thinking to look after "Nicholas's" disciples if they encountered trouble to build a relationship for future interactions.

But she didn't expect, the moment she got up today, to hear the news that people from the "Viper Gang," controlled by the company, had gone to kidnap a Miss Kama.

This scared her quite a bit.

Her intuition immediately told her that big trouble was ahead!

As a high-ranking executive of Hydra Company, a quick inquiry informed her everything.

She hurriedly drove to find Miss Elsa Bach, the employer.

...

Number 11 Winery Street in Franklin District, where an art exhibition was taking place.

Rushing there, Caroline entered and immediately saw Miss Elsa, leisurely viewing the art exhibition.

The Bach family, behind Miss Elsa, was an allied family by marriage to the Andres family, the major financial backers of the "Hydra Trade Group."

Caroline, due to business interactions with the Bach family, had also seen Elsa several times.

After the bodyguards passed the message, she got the opportunity to approach Miss Elsa.

Seeing Caroline's anxious face, Elsa did not recognize her and asked arrogantly, "A person from Hydra? What are you here for?"

Although Caroline held a high position in the Lexington underworld, in the eyes of these high nobility ladies, she was merely a tool for handling the family's affairs.

Caroline couldn't afford to be polite and went straight to the point, "Miss Elsa, did you arrange to kidnap Miss Kama? Where is she now?"

The first thing she wanted to confirm was whether the person was still alive.

As long as the person was alive, there was still room to salvage the situation.

Hearing someone directly mentioning the kidnapping she arranged, a hint of displeasure surfaced in Elsa's eyes.

When had subordinates started questioning the nobility about their affairs?

Moreover, the matter of kidnapping was not something to be proud of, how could she admit it?

She did not hide her dissatisfaction and coldly responded, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Caroline's eyelid twitched.

If she hadn't just reported the trouble here to the boss, and the upper levels had demanded a resolution to this issue, she really wouldn't want to intervene, letting this arrogant lady pay for her arrogance!

But despite her annoyance, Caroline had no choice but to continue speaking, only more tactfully, "Miss, you might have gotten yourself into trouble. That Miss Kama from the Boyer family has some big shots behind her. Also, she previously helped a Senior Councilor with a big favor, so there is some relationship there. If you know where she is, could you let me handle it?"

Upon hearing mention of "Senior Councilor," Elsa's expression finally showed a slight change.

She pondered for a moment, and though she gave no answer, she disdainfully refused to deny it, saying, "What trouble could arise? The Boyer family is just a fallen minor nobility."

Caroline knew "Nicholas" definitely didn't want her to talk about his presence everywhere, but at this moment, she had no choice but to speak up, "Kama has a very capable teacher, might be a top-tier professional."

Elsa had thought it was something about an influential noble, only to hear this? Exactly what?

"A teacher?"

Her tone was full of scorn, "Hehe... So what if he's a top-tier professional? This is the imperial city of Lexington, not just any backwater territory where anyone can act reckless!"

Top-tier professionals were numerous in Lexington, even the captain of the Bach family's guards was a seventh-tier professional.

So what?

In Lexington, what mattered most was power and status, not some brute without any background.

As Caroline was trying to explain further, Elsa interrupted, "What, you don't think someone would dare offend a high noble in Lexington, do you?"

Caroline was anxious, obviously, the lady hadn't realized the severity of the situation.

Others might indeed not dare act rashly in Lexington. But that person who could directly confront two hundred thousand pirates, with such a heavy intent to kill, do you think he wouldn't dare?

Anxiously, Caroline said, "Miss Elsa, it's not that simple! I can't explain it all now. When I came here, I already asked, and those involved in the kidnapping have all been killed. Plus, if it is really him, you were also manipulated. The person beside you who instigated you to kidnap may have a problem."

As soon as the words were out, Caroline knew these explanations were pointless; she quickly asked again, "How about Miss Kama?"

Elsa frowned hearing this preachy tone, displeased, she said, "Do I need you to instruct me on what to do?"

Even if it was wrong, did she have a say?

Caroline, "I dare not."

Elsa disliked this cryptic way of exchanging information and asked with a displeased face, "Just who are you talking about?"

Although Caroline knew she shouldn't tell, she could only reveal her guess, "It might be the 'Reaper' from the newspapers."

Hearing this, Elsa finally realized the situation might be a bit more serious than she thought. She muttered to herself, audible only to her, "No wonder that woman's Puppetry Technique was so powerful; it turns out she was his disciple."

But even knowing that Kama had a teacher, she didn't think that the so-called 'Reaper' could cause trouble in Lexington.

Caroline pressed again, "Is Miss Kama... still safe now?"

Hearing this, Elsa did not respond, merely glancing disdainfully.

Seeing that expression, Caroline's face instantly turned pale, thinking to herself: It's over!

She was very clear,

If the hostage doesn't die, one can still employ favours and muddy the waters;

But once the hostage dies, there will be no end to this matter!

Caroline's face clouded over, but now that things had come to this, all she could say was, "Miss Elsa, please return to your mansion immediately and do not go out. Someone will notify you once the matter is resolved."

She estimated the time—it had only been a few minutes since Chapman had been killed; there should still be time to retreat.

"Is that necessary?"

Elsa frowned.

Even now, she didn't think it was a big deal.

But considering the recent spate of assassination attempts, she thought her own life was important and there was no need to gamble with those from the lower echelons of society, albeit reluctantly she said, "Alright."

With that, she signaled to her bodyguard to leave.

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief, thinking at least this young lady was safe.

But just then, an anomaly occurred abruptly.

A ripple of void flashed in the exhibition hall, and out of nowhere, a man in an overcoat with a crow perched on his shoulder appeared.

As soon as Caroline saw the newcomer, her face drastically changed.

The scene she least wanted to see had still unfolded!

She just wanted to stop him, but before she could speak, she watched as the man vanished then appeared next to Elsa.

The person was none other than Su Lun!

...

Su Lun gripped Elsa's neck and lifted her into the air, giving no chance for her bodyguard to react, and demanded in a deep voice, "Where is Kama?"

Elsa had been a pampered girl from heaven since childhood—who had ever dared to choke her?

Although being choked induced a primal fear, at this moment a surge of rage inexplicably welled up within her, overpowering her fear, and she yelled, "You lowly scum, how dare you attack a top noble! Do you know this is a capital offense?!"

Su Lun's eyes were cold, and as he listened to the woman, the black crow on his shoulder squawked.

To still be so arrogant when being choked—was this woman brainless?

Obviously not entirely.

Su Lun also noticed something peculiar, as if this woman's emotions were being influenced by some mysterious force.

Because he knew that this woman was likely manipulated by someone else as well, Su Lun did not kill her right away.

He just wanted to find out Kama's whereabouts quickly and rescue her, so he asked again, "I'll ask you one last time, where is Kama?"

Hearing this murderous interrogation, before Elsa could answer, Caroline from not far away muttered under her breath in a bad feeling and hurriedly interjected, "Don't!"

She spoke very quickly, "Could you give me some face and let Miss Elsa go first? We can talk about the matter."

She knew well that as long as the person was alive, there was room for negotiation.

But now, with the person already gone, they had to first find an excuse to keep Miss Elsa safe.

"..."

Hearing this, Su Lun tilted his head, his gaze suddenly sharpening.

He also never expected to see the woman he had briefly encountered on the cruise ship here.

For the matter on the cruise ship, Hydra Corporation had even sent him a significant cheque, making them somewhat acquainted.

But precisely because she was present, the problem had escalated!

Just seeing this woman for a moment, Su Lun keenly captured the panic in her eyes.

Caroline being here and recognizing him meant that she probably knew very well the ins and outs of the kidnapping case.

But if she had no skeletons in her closet, there was no need for her to panic.

All she had to do was speak out immediately about Kama's location, and the crisis could be alleviated on the spot.

Instead, she did not, rather forcefully suppressing that trace of panic, she asked him to let go first?

If one could still be argued as nervousness, the panic that Elsa displayed when questioned just now almost confirmed a fact.

That is, they couldn't provide Su Lun with the answers he wanted.

With that thought, a burst of anger surged in Su Lun's heart, "Sir, do you think your face is worth the life of my disciple?"

In an instant, a tidal wave of killing intent flooded from his eyes, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of Elsa's neck.

Elsa, named a puppetry genius by the Royal Academy and a second-order academy student whose combat power rivaled third-fourth tier professionals, was utterly powerless in Su Lun's hands, twisted like a helpless hen.

Though he had guessed something, Su Lun still did not want to push matters to the extreme, asking one last time, "Within five breaths, tell me where Kama is!"

"No, please!"

Caroline by the side was utterly anxious but powerless.

The killing intent that had suddenly risen from the man in front of her caused this fourth-tier professional not to dare make any move to rescue.

Amidst her anxiety, she was also shocked: How strong was this man exactly?

Elsa naturally could not answer.

Seeing that the man in front of her truly dared to kill her, only then did intense fear emerge in her eyes.

She wanted to cry for help, but the desperate suffocation plunged her into endless fear.

As time breath by breath passed, her face also turned red from the lack of oxygen, nearly dying on the spot.

Su Lun showed no intention of stopping.

This woman was the mastermind behind the kidnapping, regardless of her status or background.

If anything happened to Kama, Su Lun himself, as a teacher, would definitely need to seek justice for his disciple!

Just as the noble young lady was about to perish on the spot,

an anomaly occurred abruptly again!

At the fifth breath, Su Lun, without hesitation, clenched forcefully, and a crisp "crack" resounded through the entire exhibition hall, making everyone's scalp tingle.

Caroline was utterly disheartened, her face turning pale.

But upon closer listening, she realized it wasn't the sound of bones breaking.

And upon a closer look, the Miss Elsa whose neck had been snapped, had burst into a cloud of shattered wood shavings!

Caroline obviously knew what this meant and was overjoyed in her heart, "Finally caught up!"

....

Su Lun had snapped Elsa's neck, but instantly, he realized something was amiss.

"Life-replacement puppet?"

Su Lun's pupils shrank sharply, and in his senses, the Elsa he was holding felt completely wrong, and her soul fluctuations had instantly shifted to about ten meters away.

In just that instant, someone had used an exceedingly sophisticated puppetry technique to swap the person in his hands!

Su Lun squinted and looked over, just in time to see a white-haired old man appearing in the exhibition hall, beside whom stood a bent-over Elsa, gasping mercilessly.

The newcomer was none other than Elsa's teacher, the president of the Puppeteers' Guild, Master Aubrey Hernandez!

Master Aubrey, seeing the murderously furious Su Lun, even in his capacity as a seventh-tier professional, was inexplicably intimidated.

As the intuition of a top-tier professional kicked in, the moment he saw the man in the duster, he gauged that this individual was extremely powerful!

Upon seeing the black crow, he vaguely guessed Su Lun's identity.

Though recently in Lington many people with black crow pets appeared, all mimicking that infamous "Death God Puppeteer."

But while lower-tier professionals might be said to be imitating, higher-tier professionals... probably would disdain to do so.

Su Lun, seeing before him the dignified seventh-tier professional, president of the Puppet Masters' Guild, Master Aubrey, had not the slightest intention of backing down.

On the contrary, because this man had rescued the person he intended to kill, the desire to kill within him grew even more agitated.

Defending one's charge without a cause?

Master Aubrey didn't know why a high-tier professional held such a strong killing intent towards his second-tier disciple, but he guessed there must be a reason, so he carefully asked, "Who are you, and why do you attempt to assassinate my disciple?"

Su Lun sneered coldly and asked, "My disciple, Kama Boyer, has been kidnapped. It was by the young lady beside you. Now, I only want one answer: where is my disciple?"

Hearing the name "Kama Boyer," Master Aubrey's expression changed slightly.

As the president of the Puppeteers' Guild, how could he not know about the talented puppeteer girl who had tied for first in the previous puppeteers' contest with his own disciple?

So this was her teacher?

Instantly, the old man also understood the reason behind the situation.

His own disciple indeed had some proud and aloof temperament typical of noble families. It seemed she had kidnapped Miss Kama out of jealousy.

Although Master Aubrey also felt this behavior was incorrect, now was not the time to discuss it.

Regardless, he could not just stand by and watch his own disciple be killed.

Caroline, watching Master Aubrey arrive, felt a sense of stability in her heart.

But at the same time, she was also beset by a twinge of guilt.

From here to the Puppet Masters' Guild branch on Gunpowder Street was not far. When she came over, she had thought about the possibility of encountering a dangerous situation that she couldn't handle alone, which is why she had taken the opportunity to notify the main branch of the Alchemists' Guild a few blocks away.

With a seventh-tier professional here now, naturally Miss Elsa was no longer in danger.

But she was a bit worried about this "Mr. Nicholas" in front of her. After all, concerning this kidnapping, no matter how you looked at it, Miss Elsa was at fault, and the other party coming to seek justice was both reasonable and expected. What's more, previously on the cruise, "Nicholas" had also given them substantial help, and she owed him a favor.

Caroline felt conflicted.

In Ruying, the law served the nobility, and now that the crime of attacking a noble had been established, the one in mortal danger was "Nicholas."

Fearing the situation could spiral out of control, she quickly interjected, "There might be some misunderstanding here..."

But Su Lun paid no heed to the woman trying to play both sides, and in front of the old man, he demanded again, "So, where exactly is my disciple now?"

"..."

Aubrey listened, his face growing grim, as he indeed did not know how to respond at the moment.

His disciple was young and impulsive, which was somewhat excusable.

No matter how thick-skinned he was, he could not twist right and wrong.

Just then, Elsa, too, recovered from her intense feeling of suffocation.

After the euphoria of escaping death, she felt an unprecedented humiliation, and suddenly anger flared up within her.

Now that her teacher had arrived, she had no more concerns, and she arrogantly admitted everything, sneering, "Hmph! What if I arranged for someone to kidnap her? I had her kidnapped and even had her killed. What can you do now? Damned lowborn, do you still want to kill me?"

As she spoke, she forcefully threw a box from her Storage Ring.

The box crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces, two bloodstained severed hands instantly falling to the floor.

Seeing this scene, a flicker of suspicion flashed through Aubrey's eyes.

He knew his disciple had a bit of a noble temper, but she shouldn't have been so reckless.

But it was too late to stop her now.

With those words, Su Lun, seeing those bloodied severed hands on the ground, immediately recognized them as Kama's!

For a Puppet Master, having their hands cut off was the end of their professional career.

What a venomous woman!

Su Lun raised his hand as if conjuring a trick and pulled out the black sickle, slashing towards the distant Elsa.

With a "clang," the spatial rift created by the black sickle struck a puppet.

Aubrey watched as his protective puppet was cut open with a large slash, his gaze filled with cold fury. Even a Great Grandmaster had his patience limits. Being threatened pointedly and attacked only kindled a fury within him. Suppressing his anger, he said, "Your Excellency must not think that, with me here, you can still kill someone."

After all, nobles always feel their lives are superior to others.

Your disciple might be dead, but at best, she was just a minor noble without hereditary rights.

But my disciple almost died too!

Ignoring that you nearly killed a high-ranking noble and still daring to strike?

Besides, with the appearance of the black sickle, he had already confirmed the identity of the person before him.

The killing intent in Su Lun's eyes flickered ominously. Facing the pressure of a seventh-tier professional, he showed no fear and simply stated, "The person I intend to kill, you can't protect!"

As the situation unfolded, he had probably already guessed what the conspirator behind the scenes was planning.

Not to kill would leave his anger unassuaged.

Since there is a conspiracy, let me see what this conspiracy looks like!