Mechanical Alchemist

The fighting within the inner city grew louder, and the flames of battle spread quickly throughout the city.

The blasts from destructive heavy weaponry caused shockwaves, one after another, sending up mushrooms clouds. Towering buildings collapsed thunderously in the fierce explosions, their booming sounds incessant like thunderstorms, setting fire to half the sky.

The flourishing inner city was suddenly plunged into chaos.

It was midnight when the pirates attacked, and the residents were in their dreams when the violent noises abruptly woke them.

Having scouted out the information beforehand, the pirates knew that the wealthiest people lived in the uppermost district of the city. Leading the charge were dozens of squadron captains with thousands of ferociously poor pirates who stormed into the mansions of great families to start looting.

The private guards of these families, usually second and third-tier professionals with excellent equipment, were considered a top defense force in Old Lington City—they thought they could handle any robber...

But in front of this group of fifth-tier professional pirate squadron captains, they were like paper, utterly incapable of resisting.

The pirates were like a pack of wolves that had pounced into a flock of sheep without any power to resist.

"Brothers, let's move fast, the boss said to loot for two days first! Women, treasure, whoever snatches them gets to keep them!"

"Hahaha... The chance to strike it rich has come!"

"These city women are damn delicate, a hundred times better than those coarse-skinned wives on the ship who could almost be used as sandpaper! Oh boy, I guess this is what those high nobility ladies from the empire are like..."

"Gaga... Brothers, charge!"

"..."

Just as Su Lun and the others deduced, the pirates didn't have the capacity to hold the territory; they were only there to loot.

It would take three days for Duke Rafael's reinforcements to arrive, meaning that in these few days, the pirates could freely kill, burn, and loot.

The nightmare had come for the residents of Old Lington.

...

In the seventh district of the inner city, atop the tallest building in Old Lington, there was a luxurious mansion with a white stone sculpture fountain and a garden of colorful tulips.

A lively banquet was taking place there.

It used to be a property of the Reyes family, but due to Family Head Carnegie Reyes frantically selling off properties, this mansion, which represented the symbol of the first financial consortium in the inner city, had also been sold.

Now, it had become the headquarters of the Anderson group, their former competitors.

After the catacombs affair, the powers of the inner city were reshuffled, and the Anderson family had subtly become the foremost financial consortium of Old Lington.

Today, the Anderson family head was hosting a grand banquet for guests, including Clark, Oliver, David, Smith... heads of major families, along with their wives and daughters, gathered altogether, clinking their glasses in celebration, extremely lively.

They were celebrating their victory after years of struggle.

The Reyes family had sold various vital assets and was now ousted, never to rise again.

From then on, the inner city was under their control.

But the unexpected happened very suddenly.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang..."

The intense noises from the heart of the black tower stunned the high society individuals wearing luxurious gowns at the banquet hall.

Someone was attacking the Duke's residence?

The inner city was vast, and the news of pirates quickly spread to all the major families.

"My lord, madam, it's terrible! A band of robbers has charged out from the Duke's residence, they are slaying everyone they see."

"Where's the guard? Quick, alert the guards!"

"Lord Burt, this is grim! A bunch of robbers are heading toward our district, they have super-rank professionals among them, extremely strong... The city guards simply couldn't hold them back, they were scattered instantly..."

"It's terrible, the thieves have already stormed the building, Guard Captain Mark has been killed, the guards can't hold them back!"

"..."

Bad news came one after another, the turn of events was overwhelming.

Just a few minutes ago, upon hearing the noise, these big shots of the inner city were still able to maintain their elegance and composure.

Although they didn't know what the so-called "robbers" were, having been used to the rule of the Duke's residence, they thought the formidable city guard would defeat the robbers.

After all, in their view, the black tower guards possessed the power to annihilate everything.

But unexpectedly, each message was bad news.

The bandits were like a relentless torrent.

After the Duke's residence was breached, the city guards couldn't stop them at all, and the gang of robbers shockingly made their way to the building at an utterly unanticipated speed.

Only then did these lords and ladies realize and start to frantically flee.

But it was too late.

Shortly after the news arrived, a few pirates who had removed their winged suits landed on the rooftop, blocking everyone's path.

The banquet had invited the president of the Wilderness Hunters Guild, a third-tier professional "Magician" Meg Owen,

a powerhouse at the pinnacle of Old Lington City.

He looked at the uninvited guests and shouted forcefully, "Who are you?"

Unexpectedly, before his voice fell, a head dropped to the ground.

A third-tier powerhouse, dead in an instant!

The pirate squadron captain, wrapped in a red headscarf, had killed Meg, wiped his bloodied dagger, and sneered disdainfully.

In that brief moment, his subordinates by his side had already killed all the first and second-tier guards.

The group of old masters and ladies were huddled together in the banquet hall, trembling uncontrollably.

The pirate leader with a red bandana had a greedy smile on his face and did not continue to kill.

He swaggered into the banquet hall, grabbed a handful of meat from the table laden with sumptuous food and fruit, and stuffed it into his mouth, making the juices flow, "Tsk tsk, you guys sure know how to enjoy yourselves..."

He followed it up with a gulp of red wine, visibly relishing it.

At that moment, his gaze landed on a well-dressed lady not far from the dining table, and he walked over with lecherous eyes.

The lady in the blue low-cut long dress was backed into a corner, her face pale with fear, with no way to retreat.

The pirate with the red bandana seized her, and in front of hundreds of people in the banquet hall, his rough hands forcefully groped her chest. He seemed to really enjoy the unusual smoothness, grinning with his smoke-stained yellow teeth, "Hey, these melons are damn smooth..."

The woman shrieked in fright, trying to break free, but the pirate in the red bandana easily ripped her long dress.

With a "rip," the long dress tore apart.

The lady's entire upper body was then exposed to the air.

Gone was her elegance, replaced by sheer panic.

Seeing the lady hurriedly covering her chest, the pirates nearby burst into loud laughter.

Watching this disgrace of the noblewoman, a man in a suit stood up.

"You..."

But before he could say more, a line of blood appeared on his neck, and his head tumbled to the ground.

A fountain of blood performed before the eyes of the banquet hall; over a hundred people, like quails frightened into submission, shrank their necks, and no one dared to speak again.

The group of pirates, with their absolute power, showed the top elites of Old Lington what "weakness is the original sin" meant.

"Anyone else want to talk?"

The pirate with the red bandana scanned around, "If no one wants to speak, then listen to what I have to say!"

He smirked coldly and shouted loudly, "I am the Pirate Squadron Captain of the Fourth Fleet under Lord Oleg. I am now giving you a chance to live. Pay up for your lives..."

The pirates, experienced in robbery and ransom, were very adept at this.

They knew well that controlling these "Big Shots" was far more efficient than searching for treasures themselves.

The banquet hall was everywhere stained with blood, and the human fountains on the ground were still twitching. The terrified masters and ladies had already been scared out of their wits, none daring not cooperate...

This scene was replicated in other parts of the inner city.

The residences of the major financial consortia were the first places the pirates visited.

...

The pirates were looting throughout the city.

Meanwhile,

in the secret laboratory in the First District of Old Lington.

This place served as the secret base for the research of mechanical warriors, an area even the higher-ups of the Umbrella organization were not permitted to access.

After the Black Tower was breached by pirates, the city's guard could hardly resist, and the only place still putting up a decent resistance was this mechanical research institute.

Using the thick mechanical doors of the factory and its mechanical warriors, the people inside continued to fervently resist.

A group of pirates was furiously attacking but couldn't breach the entrance for a long time.

"Damn it, attacking this lab wastes so much of my time! The seventh squad just messaged that they've looted so much treasure that their storage rings are full, and the women are collapsing from exhaustion... When the general comes and breaks open these damn mechanical doors, I'm going to stuff the head of whoever ordered the doors closed up his asshole!"

"Captain, Duke Rafael's 'Super Mechanical Warriors' made a huge impact in the war. The blueprints have skyrocketed in price on the black market; the major lords have been bidding sky-high for them. This is the most valuable thing; I heard it could be traded for a Duke title in the Mafa Empire..."

"Haha, right. No wonder Duke Rafael is as rich as a nation; he had such a goldmine... We're going to make a fortune now! Has the general arrived yet?"

"He'll be here soon."

"..."

The research institute had mechanical doors, and the buildings were mostly underground.

Once the doors were closed, they are difficult to breach with cannon fire.

Unfortunately, among the pirates were sixth-tier professionals.

These mechanical doors, indestructible to third and fourth-tier professionals, could not last long under the assaults of a sixth-tier professional.

Before long, a nearly two-meter tall bald woman arrived at the entrance of the facility.

"General!"

"General!"

"..."

A group of pirates greeted her.

This person was none other than the Vice-Captain of the Fourth Fleet under the King of the North Sea, with a bounty of 8 billion and 810 million rys, known as Solar Flame General Gladys Ormedo. A sixth-tier professional, she had awakened a very rare talent [A-036-Volcano Woman], a fire element variant talent believed to have originated from a mythological era where a female demon controlled lava.

Upon her arrival, without wasting a word, she clasped her hands in the sorcerer's seals, and suddenly, a great flurry of fire erupted.

On a closer look, her entire body had turned into a magma state, and every step she took left pits burned into the ground, hissing with blue smoke from the dripping magma.

She placed her hands on the mechanical door and uttered softly, "Alchemical Art: Volcano!"

A crimson seven-pointed star formation lit up, and suddenly, her arms erupted like a volcano, spewing scorching magma.

Lumps of magma fell on the nearly one-meter-thick alloy doors, visibly beginning to melt...

The group of pirates watching the door gradually break open gleamed with excited ferocity.

....

The commotion in the inner city was loud, but in contrast, the outer city remained unaffected.

The streets were filled with onlookers who pointed and commented on the flames of battle within the inner city.

The group of pirates seemed to know their stuff.

The outer city was mostly old, low houses, post-war Syrian-style slums, and numerous factories spewing thick white smoke, which hardly seemed worth plundering.

Not a single pirate visited the outer city.

The pirates appeared to have planned ahead, quickly seizing several city gates in the inner city after breaking through the Black Tower, blocking the escape of the inner city's inhabitants, entrapping them completely.

In two days' time, they had thoroughly looted the area.

...

After the message to assemble was sent out, the black market in the northern city's Shadow Alley.

Su Lun later found out that the black market was actually the main base of Mr. Jing's organization in Old Lington City.

And the once seemingly mysterious organizer was Mr. Jing.

In a secret basement deep underground, when Su Lun and Qian Tiao arrived, three individuals wearing gold-patterned cloaks were already there.

Though the cloaks of Mr. Jing's organization appeared similar, Su Lun now understood that one could distinguish each member's identity through the gold patterns on their cloaks.

Among the three present, the one with a "mechanical gear" pattern was number nineteen, the "fist" symbol belonged to the two-section Red Demon Kai, and the one with a "book" pattern was Mr. Hei.

When the two arrived, everyone nodded at each other but did not speak.

As Su Lun was a new member, the three of them gave him an extra look.

But viewing the "black scythe" pattern on his cloak, everyone seemed to guess Su Lun's identity.

Within a few minutes, a few more arrived.

Not counting Mr. Jing, there were only eight people in the organization.

Except for one wearing a cloak with a "rotten flower" symbol, Su Lun had seen them all.

The atmosphere was very solemn.

Just the presence of these few people together created an oppressive aura that instantly enveloped Su Lun.

Even without any movement, the aura these people emitted was so strong it made breathing feel constricted.

Su Lun knew that apart from him and number nineteen, the other six were all fourth-tier professionals who had awakened their second innate talents.

Those who could awaken a second talent were undoubtedly individuals who had experienced profound life-and-death realizations, naturally exuding a fierce aura.

These were people with tigers in their hearts.

As Mr. Jing had said, professionals capable of awakening a second talent were exceedingly rare even a thousand years ago.

Usually, it indicated...

They had the potential to advance to the seventh tier and truly explore the top realms of Alchemy!

....

No one spoke.

The pirate attack had come very suddenly, and the intelligence within Mr. Jing's organization was extremely limited.

Over the communicator, Sabina continued to report the situation inside the inner city.

The Umbrella organization possessed a large intelligence system in the inner city and had a clear grasp of the pirates' movements.

Apart from a few secret laboratories' hidden forces, the city had almost not organized any effective counterattacks.

"Biological Research Institute Number Seven encountered several large abominable creatures entangled with the pirates, but with a fifth-tier professional intervening, they won't hold out for long..."

"Mechanical Research Institute Number One had many mechanical warriors join the battle, temporarily holding off that group of pirates. However, a very strong professional among the pirates, utilizing lava powers, is about to breach the institute..."

"Those pirates are extremely brutal, killing anyone they see, the residents of the inner city are suffering heavy casualties, especially in the upper city's affluent districts and the major financial conglomerates' residences..."

"..."

Su Lun shared the real-time intelligence, listening to the reports, the atmosphere in the room grew even heavier.

....

Soon after, a flash of light passed by, and a figure emerged in the room.

This eerie manner of appearance seemed to have become routine for the group, and no one was surprised.

The person was naturally Mr. Jing.

"Boss!" Experience more tales on empire

Everyone spoke up to signal their recognition.

In the presence of the powerful, they all showed great respect.

Mr. Jing nodded his head, not bothering with pleasantries, and said directly, "I've more or less investigated the situation. The good news is that 'King of the North Sea,' Lord Oleg, did not come. It's his Fourth Fleet that came. These pirates wiped out the guards stationed at Black Reef and destroyed the defenses and traps along their path, clearing a lot of trouble for us..."

Upon hearing this, a collective sigh of relief was breathed by everyone.

Lord Oleg was rumored to be a tier-eight professional, one of the top powerhouses in the terrestrial world.

Mr. Jing's strength had not fully recovered yet, and if that guy had shown up, there would have virtually been no room to maneuver.

Not coming was indeed good news.

And with the pirates clearing the way, it meant much less hassle in storming the tower.

However, with good news, that also meant there was bad news.

Indeed, after pausing for a moment, Mr. Jing continued, "But the bad news is that the fourth fleet contains two sixth-tier professionals, namely 'Solar Flame General' Gladys Ormedo, and the King of the North Sea's youngest son 'Frost Giant' Gaal Popov. Both of their combat strengths are formidable, and their innate abilities are quite tricky. With my current strength, I can handle one of them with some confidence, but two would be problematic. Among these pirates, there are also over a dozen fifth-tier squadron captains and fourth-tier deputy captains... If we storm the tower now, the risk would be substantial. So, I want to ask for everyone's opinions."

With this remark, everyone fell into deep thought.

Previously, storming the tower involved facing a trusted aide of Duke Rafael, which they had planned for many years and understood most of the arrangements, so the problem was not too significant.

But now, the situation had suddenly changed.

They were facing an entire fleet from the 'King of the North Sea'.

The sixth-tier professionals who even Mr. Jing found troublesome were definitely not simple.

After all, the 'mine pit' had limited developmental space, and even though they were powerful and had great growth talents, they had only recently advanced to the fourth tier.

Even if the second-tier talents and some special cursed items could compensate for some combat power, barely reaching the fifth tier, there was still a world of difference from the sixth tier.

....

Hearing Mr. Jing asking for opinions, Red Demon Kyle thought of something and was the first to speak, "Based on the current intelligence, from Duke Rafael's territory to the Black Tower here, the warships would take at most two to three days if they travel at full speed. So these pirates will probably not stay, and are eighty percent likely to retreat in two days. Waiting for that moment to leave, without guards or pirates, would be the safest plan..."

Upon saying this,

everyone fell silent,

feeling something was off but couldn't quite figure out what exactly was wrong.

If it were that simple, Mr. Jing obviously wouldn't have brought it up for discussion.

Upon hearing this, Su Lun slightly furrowed his brows.

Kyle's analysis actually had no fault.

But due to lacking some essential understanding of the surface world, he had overlooked some factors.

Having gathered some fragments of memory from outside, Su Lun was probably the person here, besides Mr. Jing, who understood the external situation the best.

Thinking it over, he felt it necessary to share some intelligence he thought of and thus spoke up, "I think waiting for the pirates to leave before storming the tower is not a good choice."

Upon saying this, everyone turned their attention to him.

Su Lun continued, "After all, once we leave Black Coral Reef, we'll need a sea vessel capable of withstanding wind and waves. If we wait for the pirates to leave, I believe they definitely won't leave us a intact sea vessel."

Realizing he had overlooked some aspects, Kyle then suddenly understood and muttered to himself, "Oh right...there's also the sea."

After a pause, he looked at Su Lun again and asked, "Do we absolutely need a ship, or can we swim across? If we need a ship, how big should it be? Can we build one ourselves?"

"Swimming...probably won't work. The intelligence shows there are many terrifying sea beasts below...the safest would be to travel on a large sea vessel."

Su Lun's face twitched slightly, then added, "Black Coral Reef is in a stormy area, with very strong wind and waves nearby, and the weather changes unpredictably. A small boat simply wouldn't safely carry us across the sea to land."

People from the underground world had never seen the sea, nor had much concept of it.

They didn't even know what a standard sea vessel was, nor understood the impact of weather, waves, and storms on sailing...

They probably thought the ocean was just a larger underground lake.

But after hearing Su Lun's brief analysis, everyone gradually understood a bit more.

Seeing that Mr. Jing remained silent and didn't object, they naturally accepted this explanation.

And didn't ask further.

Now was not the time to discuss this in detail.

Hearing this, Mr. Hei pondered for a moment, then agreed with Su Lun's viewpoint, saying, "Hmm...I also agree with attacking now. Otherwise, after this pirate attack, Old Lington's coordinates will be exposed in the surface world. The Duke's Manor will definitely send heavy troops to guard it, and the defense of the Black Tower will become stronger in the future. The wealth of Old Lington is invaluable, and it's very likely that the Luying Empire's royal family might also get involved. Missing this opportunity, any future attempt to break out will not be easier than now. Moreover, the fact that Princess Teresa's team was annihilated has probably already alerted the Duke's Manor. If it were not for the war between the two great empires drawing their attention, Duke Rafael might personally come to investigate. If we delay further, there might be some unforeseeable changes..."

Hearing this, everyone also understood why Mr. Jing mentioned that storming the tower was very risky and did not suggest the option of not doing it now.

It seemed like they had a choice, but in reality, they had no choice.

In the underground, Mr. Jing also couldn't fully recover to her peak strength, she still needed to go to the outside world to find some advanced materials.

Attacking now would be very risky.

But if they didn't attack now, unforeseen problems would become even more numerous in the future.

They might be trapped here forever.

Upon hearing this, everyone understood and expressed their agreement.

Card said, "I also think that attacking now is the best opportunity."

Thousands said, "Agreed!"

Lei said, "Agreed!"

....

The Organization of Mr. Jing was a very loose organization, and members had the right to make their own choices.

They were gathered together for the same goal.

All having experienced significant life and death realizations, their decisions were not difficult.

After a few simple statements made things clear, all members voted in favor.

Mr. Jing actually meant the same.

After all, it was just one choice.

Whether to participate.

To storm the tower, one must be prepared to face death.

After the voting, Mr. Jing didn't say much more, saying, "Since everyone agrees to act now, everyone go prepare. Two hours later, meet at the secret passage, ready to storm the tower!"

Everyone said, "Yes!"