Mechanical Alchemist

Having discussed the secrets of the dark tower, the conversation shifted back to the current mission.

Qian Tiao seemed a bit tired too and said with her eyes closed, "Su Lun, be careful when the time comes. Although Mr. Hei's plans have never gone awry, I can only ensure that I don't die in battles of that intensity. Chances are, I won't be able to look out for you. Be careful not to die."

"Mhm."

Su Lun listened and smiled.

Not to mention anything else, this gamble-loving woman had always taken good care of him.

His mind was still digesting the shocking information he had heard tonight when suddenly he thought of something else.

Since the topic had come up, Su Lun didn't hesitate and directly asked, "By the way, Sister Qian Tiao, does that '§' symbol on your cloaks have any special meaning?"

As he spoke, he traced the shape of the symbol with his finger in the air, forming two S-shapes.

If it were Mr. Hei, Su Lun, even if curious, wouldn't have asked.

But with Qian Tiao, it wasn't as formal.

If it was something she couldn't disclose, she would directly say "I can't say."

If she could disclose it, it also meant that the information was not too secretive.

At this question, Qian Tiao casually responded, "That symbol represents a talent—[S-003-Fate Controller]. It was the talent that Sir Isaac awoke to. A thousand years ago, it was also the emblem of a special organization in Dawn City. You might have guessed, our organization indeed has some connections with Dawn City, but..."

She suddenly stopped there and changed her tune, "As for the rest, you can ask the boss when the time comes."

"I see..."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun inwardly exclaimed, just as he thought.

Back in the [1911 Hotel] in the cursed space, when he saw 'Magician' Edward giving a half-kneel knightly salute to that cloaked figure, he had guessed that there must be some connections between Mr. Hei's "Mirror Organization" and the special operation group from old Dawn City.

As for a symbol representing a talent, he wasn't surprised.

When he saw that one of the five statues at the Storm Manor had this symbol, Su Lun had guessed it was some sort of S-level talent.

But surprisingly, it turned out that Sir Isaac, hailed as "Demigod," was the one who awoke to this strange-sounding talent.

[Fate Controller]?

Ranked higher than his own [Death Reaper], what kind of special abilities might it possess...

Su Lun was somewhat curious.

The "Mirror Organization" used this symbol to signify identity, which clearly held some special meaning.

Since Qian Tiao didn't elaborate, he didn't press further.

As they spoke, Qian Tiao seemed to remember something and added, "Last time at the [1911 Hotel], I heard you performed well. The boss even mentioned you specifically~"

Upon hearing this, Su Lun chuckled.

....

The "Mirror Organization's" hidden identity was the biggest secret in Qian Tiao's heart. Revealing it tonight, she truly regarded Su Lun as one of her own.

As they talked, the conversation flowed more openly.

From the secrets of the dark tower to alchemy, and then onto some personal topics.

They talked until midnight, significantly bringing them closer.

...

The next morning, Su Lun's biological clock accurately woke him from his meditation.

Qian Tiao, on the other half of the bed, was still sound asleep.

This gambling woman really didn't guard against Su Lun at all, that sleeping posture... was truly unrestrained.

Su Lun smiled, pulled the covers up over her, didn't wake her up, and started on his daily tasks.

Reviewing alchemy texts, crafting intrigues, studying mechanical gadgets...

He still needed to prepare for that upcoming ambush.

Although he wasn't the main force, if something unexpected happened, he needed to consider how to escape.

Su Lun had spent the recent times like this, finding nothing amiss with staying in his room.

Busy yet fulfilling, time also quickly flew by.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Sister Qian Tiao finally showed signs of waking.

It seemed she had caught up on the sleep she had missed during the previous two days and nights.

She groggily got out of bed, rubbed her eyes, and complained, "Oh... I was wondering why my dreams kept sounding like a rat gnawing on something. Turns out it's you, kid, messing with these broken pieces of wood early in the morning..."

"It's the afternoon now, Sister Qian..."

Su Lun thought she was talking to him and turned around to look.

But he realized that this gambling-addicted woman wasn't even looking at him; she floated past him as if sleepwalking.

Probably out of habit, Qian took off her bathrobe as soon as she got up in the morning and threw it on the bed, then went naked to the bathroom.

Su Lun watched, touched his forehead, and then his gaze returned to his puppet.

Soon after, he could hear the sound of the shower splashing.

....

Before long, the water stopped.

Su Lun heard someone coming out of the bathroom, but he didn't turn around and continued intently working on his own strange puppet.

The gambling-addicted woman seemed to have woken up after her bath and started dressing loudly in the room.

Seeing Su Lun manipulate eight spider limbs to make puppets simultaneously, she got curious and said, "Wow, you have a nice method there. One person doing the work of seven or eight..."

"I am a Puppet Master, after all."

Su Lun responded.

He glanced up and saw Qian wrapping her chest in the dressing mirror.

He only looked for a moment before averting his eyes and joking softly, "Sister Qian, don't keep wrapping it up. Medically speaking, it's not good for development."

"Tsk~"

Qian hummed indifferently, came over, picked up a half-finished "Nightmare Doll" from the table, and observed, "Your rune craftsmanship is quite impressive. Being able to draw second-level runes so proficiently, you'd be considered a top-tier rune enchanter in Old Lington."

"Still a long way off..."

Su Lun responded offhandedly.

It wasn't false modesty; his skill really was far from Mr. Hei's level.

The two of them were very close, skin touching, and he could clearly feel Qian's body temperature.

Although the gambling-addicted woman didn't use perfume, Su Lun also smelled a faint fragrance on her.

Ah...the scent of soapnut shampoo.

Qian only looked briefly, seemingly uninterested in the puppet, and set it down.

She went to the dressing mirror and tied up her lush green hair with a red cord.

Immediately, she looked spirited and bold.

Qian didn't wear makeup or fancy clothes, making her extremely efficient when going out.

She slipped on her kimono sleeves, covering the tattoos across her back and arms, and waved grandly at Su Lun, "Let's go, kid Su Lun, time to head out."

"Oh."

Su Lun thought there was some action, so he packed up his things and followed her out.

What he didn't expect was,

Qian directly took him to the gambling den,

and gambled heavily again.

Indeed, if a gambler has money in their pocket, they think about gambling.

But fortunately, the nearly nine million Qian had left from last night was all gone after not too long.

Now she was quiet.

For the following days,

the two of them stayed quietly in the hotel room.

Su Lun didn't feel any different having another person there, life went on as usual.

Even many times, when it involved knowledge from top professional fields, he could still ask Qian.

But this gambling-addicted woman became quite dull; without gambling, she kept complaining, "I have no happiness," or just slept a lot.

Ah... and also, she increasingly did not consider herself an outsider in the shared room.

...

Six days later, news from Mr. Hei arrived.

Finally, the team of Princess Theresa from the Duke's residence had set off.

Su Lun and Qian Tiao left the camp and headed for the designated ambush site.

It is worth mentioning that the team from the Duke's residence did not take the three routes familiar to the caravan, but chose a secret passage instead.

It was the same secret passage Su Lun had used when he crossed over to this place.

There had been no news about this passage, and Su Lun thought he was the only one who knew about it.

Unexpectedly, not only did the people from the Duke's residence know about it, but Mr. Hei and his associates were also well aware of it.

The map was very detailed.

Su Lun had an eight-armed spider spear, and Qian Tiao was a top professional, so they moved quickly.

In just half a day, they had already reached the designated ambush site.

It was a spacious cavern.

The area was large, with several passageways that could be used for a quick retreat.

....

Su Lun looked around the environment and immediately found a suitable place for hiding and launching a stealth attack.

Qian Tiao pointed to the expansive cave and said, "Alright, you stay here. Just find a place to hide and be careful not to be discovered. We will lure them here later, and everything will proceed according to the plan."

This gambling-addicted woman was wearing a suit of battle armor today, and her face showed a seriousness Su Lun had never seen before.

Before they set off, Su Lun had felt that she was constantly accumulating blade energy.

Her aura had also become increasingly dangerous.

Even though she deliberately restrained herself, standing next to her, Su Lun felt as if he was next to a sharp blade edge, causing a faint sense of dread.

The plan was thoroughly memorized; there was nothing more to explain. Su Lun nodded and said, "Hmm."

"Be careful yourself."

Qian Tiao warned him, then disappeared into the depths of the cave without further words.

The first ambush site was not here; this cavern was only the location for the kill.

Su Lun looked around the cavern, then unfastened his gear and climbed the rock wall with his eight-armed spider spear.

He used silk threads to hang himself upside down on the rock wall, and the invisible zombie also hid nearby.

There were no traps here.

The plan was simple and brutal, someone was to attack the team of Princess Theresa, but the actual target was one of the guards.

To lure the man here, then kill him.

As Mr. Hei said, the simpler the plan, the less likely it is to be seen through.

The more complex the trap, the more likely there are to be flaws.

....

After hanging on the web, Su Lun was like a spider patiently waiting for its prey, not making any noise thereafter.

During that time, he even saw two groups of three assassins rushing past.

He knew they were the professional assassins from the princess's team responsible for scouting.

They were there to check the safety of the road, eliminate traps, and ensure the team's safety.

Su Lun didn't dare to be careless and opened his senses, focusing intently on listening to the noises within the cave.

Finally, after waiting almost a whole day, a sound like mountains collapsing came from deep within the cave.

"They're here!"

Hearing the noise, Su Lun instantly became alert.

The sound of battle came from the cave, at first imperceptible, but soon roaring like thunder, making his scalp tingle.

"Hiss~ that's a bit too exaggerated."

Su Lun took in a breath of cold air.

Although he was mentally prepared, feeling the violent fluctuations of elements in the air, he also felt a sudden thrill.

He hadn't even seen it face-to-face yet, but the noises alone were enough to make his hair stand on end, let alone the terror of the battle itself.

"With a thousand words to say, an ordinary third-tier professional wouldn't stand a chance of escaping under that 'target'!"

He slowly inhaled and then minimized the sound of his existence to the lowest.

He restrained his emotions, leaving only a numbing calm in his eyes.

....

Just a few moments after the noise of the battle reached them, several figures dashed out.

Before they arrived, Su Lun heard the sound of the mechanical propulsion devices and immediately guessed that they were super mechanical warriors—Number 19!

Su Lun dared not stare directly, his gaze scattered, and he saw a sturdy red giant accompanying Number 19.

"A Stage Two 'Red Demon' awakening?"

Su Lun looked at the man and immediately recognized his talent.

But this Red Demon was much stronger than the 'Red Demon' Goron he had seen at the Cross Association before!

The Red Demon before him was not only red-skinned and muscled but also covered in a layer of lava armor, with flames spilling out a foot all around. The entire figure resembled a lava giant stepping out of a volcano's mouth, possessing such formidable defenses that Su Lun even felt a "Quadruple Shot" might not harm him.

Alongside this Red Demon and Number 19, there was another cloaked figure.

At this moment, a fiery, six-armed Rakshasa Woman's phantom materialized behind the cloaked figure, and even though the cloak covered her face, Su Lun knew this was the formidable Qian Tiao.

Right now, Qian Tiao displayed her never before seen six-armed state, her momentum sharp to the utmost.

Yet even with these three top-tier powerhouses joining forces, they were being chased in a wretched flight!

Whether it was the Stage Two Red Demon, Number 19, or Qian Tiao, none seemed capable of standing a single round.

At a touch, they were sent flying, crashing into a pile of shattered rocks.

The cannon-like noises in the cave came from these three individuals being frequently thrown about.

The three struggled collectively, covering for one another just to avoid being killed!

Behind them, a surging golden light approached.

...

Su Lun dared not directly face that "target," but the sheer aura of the golden light was like a collapsing mountain, instilling an innate terror as if beholding a great horror.

"What a domineering aura, is this a fifth-tier powerhouse..."

Su Lun murmured to himself.

In the blink of an eye, the group had already reached inside the grotto.

As the target reached the ambush spot, suddenly a purple light screen appeared in the surrounding space.

"A spatial barrier?"

Su Lun looked familiarly, neither surprised nor unexpected.

What surprised him more was that at that moment, he watched in disbelief as two cloaked figures emerged from the darkness nearby.

Yes, they walked right out of the darkness!

He didn't know by what means they used, appearing from the shadow of a rock without warning. It was like a portal, yet no spatial fluctuations were felt.

Su Lun was astonished; he'd hidden for a day and, incredibly, had failed to notice two people hidden a few dozen meters away!

Once the barrier was established, the battle began immediately.

One of them deployed an advanced spell "Thorn Entanglement" as soon as they acted.

Seeing the proficiency of the move, Su Lun thought it was probably Mr. Hei!

The other cloaked figure, upon emerging from the shadow, turned completely into a purple ghostly light, then vanished without a trace—clearly a top-tier assassin!

...

Su Lun looked at the base of the shadow on the ground, guessing that the golden light seemed to be a two-meter-tall gilded giant.

Mr. Hei's "Thorn Entanglement" took root and rapidly wrapped around the legs of the golden target, binding him tight.

But it only held for a moment before the gilded giant tore apart the entangling thorns.
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A scornful sneer echoed in the sealed space.

"So you were targeting me..."

Even though ambushed, this fifth-tier professional did not seem to hold any regard for his opponents, scoffing, "Didn't expect...after several years without cleaning, the rats in the sewer have grown this fat...

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