Mechanical Alchemist

The "Wind Rider" was frozen on the ice, and everyone on board paled at the sight.

With such a vast expanse of ice, melting it was almost impossible.

Mr. Hei, who was controlling the wind, remained calm in the face of danger and shouted sternly, "Chisel the ice, push the ship!"

Upon hearing this command, Red Demon K quickly teleported down from the ship and punched the ice with immense force.

The ship itself trembled violently.

"Crack," "crack," "crack"...

The sound of the ice splitting rang in everyone's ears.

The ship didn't have a deep draft, and these punches, brimming with fire energy, shattered the ice that had trapped the ship.

If it were an ordinary ship, those heavy punches might have broken both the ice and the ship, but the "Wind Rider" was now enveloped with "Decay Flower" magic, which enabled the ship to auto-repair any damage, so it wasn't a big issue.

In just a few breaths, Red Demon K had moved from the bow to the stern, and with a few brutal punches, he directly freed the ship from the pit in the ice.

Then came another thunderous roar as the armor struck fiercely.

With a "thud," the ship, propelled by that tremendous force, was suddenly knocked out of the ice pit.

Onboard, Su Lun swayed slightly and marveled inwardly at the dramatic display of power, "Such astonishing strength... truly one of the strongest melee talents."

The ship broke free from the ice. Decay Flower manipulated growing branches wildly, stabilizing and balancing the ship.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hei's Windstorm Technique kicked in again, inflating the sails, and the Wind Rider slowly started moving on the ice.

"Quick! Have the mechanical warriors go down and help push the ship too!"

At that command, the Reis family's mechanical warriors also jumped down, with the steam boilers roaring loudly as they helped to push the ship.

Although mechanical warriors had limited use on high-end battlefields, their strength was absolutely superior.

With the help of these dozens of individuals joining the effort to push the ship, the Wind Rider picked up speed, sliding across the ice.

The harbor exit was now in sight, and victory seemed within reach.

But then, bad news followed.

....

The "Frost Giant" Gar had been caught up in a fight with Mr. Jing, battling it out on the ice.

Just then, Mr. Jing's urgent voice suddenly came through the communicator, "Get moving, the pirates from underground have broken the seal, they're coming out!"

Hearing this, everyone on the Wind Rider became visibly tense.

The pirates left on the outside were mostly fodder, but the elite of the King of the North Sea's fourth fleet were out plundering underground.

There was also another sixth-tier professional mentioned in the intelligence, Gladys Ormedo, the Solar Flame General!

But almost immediately after Mr. Jing's warning, intense shouts of battle came from the castle behind them, as if thousands of troops had burst out of the black tower.

A red figure leaped out ahead of the others with a swoosh.

Seeing the two-meter-tall bald woman, Su Lun's pupils shrank suddenly, and his mind immediately matched the newcomer with the person from his memories, he shouted loudly, "Be careful, that's Gladys!"

Behind her, the squadron captains also led hundreds of pirates, swarming out with a ferocious momentum.

"Damn it, who dares to mess with us when we're in the middle of a haul?"

"Could it be some strays from Duke's estate?"

"Who cares who it is? If they dare to tread on our territory, let's kill the bastards!"

"..."

The pirates clamored loudly, surging like a torrent.

But the distance was still long, and the Wind Rider was sliding quickly on the ice. By the time the majority of the pirates reached them, they would have nearly left the harbor.

However, clearly, this distance was not much for those fourth- and fifth-tier squadron captains!

In the blink of an eye, Su Lun saw at least dozens of fourth- and fifth-tier professionals chasing after them.

Mr. Hei was still navigating the ship and couldn't lend a hand, and "Decay Flower" had transformed into a banyan tree, fixed onto the ship.

The rest, without hesitation, leapt from the ship to intercept the squadron captains, "We will hold them off; you go ahead!"

But that wasn't the worst of it.

Su Lun's eyesight was exceptional, and his attention was always on the distant sixth-tier 'Solar Flame General' Gladys Ormedo.

The bald woman didn't rush forward but instead leaped onto one of the castle's arrow towers and looked down from her elevated position.

Gar's battle with Mr. Jing had reached a stalemate.

Despite the heavy physique frequently being sent flying, Gar's robust body combined with the "Frost Dragon Scale Armor" meant that, for a while, Mr. Jing couldn't finish him off.

Right at that moment, Gladys pinched her sorcerer's seals, and she began unlocking her alchemical implants.

With a flash of light, a pair of fiery wings slowly emerged from her back, and scales began to sprout all over her body.

On a closer look, her entire being had transformed into a humanoid dragon.

Su Lun immediately identified the implants on her body, his expression growing even graver, "Gold implants 'Wings of the Nether Dragon', silver implants 'Flame Python Scale Armor' and 'Deep Sea Giant Shrimp's Cannon Claw'…"

When he saw the woman taking off into the sky, her hands suddenly morphing into something resembling cannon barrels, his face drastically changed, and he urgently shouted in the communicator, "Be careful, that woman is about to launch a lava cannon!"

No sooner had he spoken than the human-shaped dragon in the sky lit up with alchemical formations, and the cannons in her hands glowed with a crimson light, like a steam boiler gathering force. Two seconds later, she uttered a light cry, "Fire Alchemy: Magma Injection!"

The powerful recoil from the ejection staggered the bald woman backward, as a visible gust of air blasted from her giant claws, compressing the surrounding air into ripples.

Upon closer inspection, a scalding hot blob of lava, which twisted the air around it with its heat, was sent flying forth with a "boom."

Her spell was as fast as a bullet!

Su Lun's eyes narrowed slightly, "This prosthesis..."

Although that "Deep-sea Prawn's Giant Claw Cannon" was merely of black iron quality, and maybe just suited for withstanding high temperatures and pressurized ejection, it allowed the bald woman's magma alchemical technique to have its range and speed increased several fold.

Normally, a professional's spell has limitations in casting distance and speed.

Take the "Fireball Technique", for instance, one not only has to gather the fireball but also understand wind manipulation techniques to launch it. However, solely relying on oneself, both the launch speed and distance are quite limited and could be easily dodged by others.

But who has seen a blob of magma shot at the speed of a bullet like this?

Turning spells into "shells" and prostheses into "cannons," this woman effectively turned her own hands into "magic cannons."

Indeed, it confirms the saying among professionals: there is no strongest prosthesis, only the one that best fits the professional's capabilities!

....

The crimson blobs of lava burned intensely, shooting over like cannonballs.

High-tier professionals could dodge, but the ship could not!

Just as the lava was about to hit, at this critical moment, Red Demon Kai leaped from the stern of the ship, blocking the vessel with his body and punching the incoming blob of magma fireball.

With a "bang," the fireball exploded in the sky.

On this moonlit icy surface, it burst into a spectacular firework.

Seeing this, everyone on the ship finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But who could easily catch a direct hit from a sixth-tier professional?

After a flash of light, Red Demon Kai appeared a bit disheveled, spewing out a mouthful of dark blood.

In the distance, the bald woman, now surprised to see Kai's true form unveiled without his cloak, remarked with amazement, "Huh—so it's the twice-awakened Red Demon? No wonder he could take a hit from me..."

Setting aside the matters of killing and hijacking the ship, just looking at the current situation—who would let these people go?

The mysterious man in the cloak, who could suppress Gal, seemed far from ordinary even among sixth-tiers.

A second-stage Red Demon was now added to the mix...

And the others...

No, everyone on that ship seemed abnormal!

By simple deduction, those people must harbor "big secrets."

Moreover, Old Lington itself was a treasure vault, and surely those who escaped had valuable things aboard the ship!

As the thought flashed through her mind, a cold sneer crossed the bald woman's face as she muttered contemptuously, "Since you could take one of my hits, then let's see if you can still handle this!"

With that said, dozens of overlapping crimson alchemical formations suddenly ignited behind her, and she raised her two cannon-like giant claws forward, already shaping the spell, "Magma Mystery: Meteor Incineration!"

....

Su Lun kept his eyes fixed on the woman in the sky, and seeing the layered hexagram arrays forming behind her, he knew she was about to unleash a major move.

Truly, the instant the sorcerer's seals were completed, the sky seemed to ignite, as the fire element grew denser and denser.

Then, he watched as the bald woman's giant claws emitted fire.

If the previous shot was a single fire cannon, then this was rapid-fire like a machine gun.

Thud, thud, thud, thud...

The line of fire continuously spouted from the giant claws, and in a flicker of light, hundreds of red-hot balls of magma appeared in the sky.

The thick fire element formed waves, and even from a distance, they all felt a burning sensation.

Upon witnessing this, everyone aboard the Chengfeng felt their faces turn pale.

Who dares to stand against a wide-range alchemical technique of a sixth-tier professional?

The only choice was to avoid it!

Even with teleportation, Su Lun wasn't sure he could keep safe under this spell.

And most crucially, if the ship were destroyed, given the situation, they would have no chance to seize another and set sail!

The gap in strength between them and this pirate fleet was just too vast.

They were facing the destruction of the ship and the loss of lives.

At that moment, a mirror image suddenly flashed into existence, positioning itself in front of the Chengfeng.

Mr. Jing's cloak was still frosted over, looking as if her fight with Gal had not been easy. She teleported over without pause, her hands coming together with a clap, and massive vampire wings emerged behind her, her spell already taking shape, her expression stern, "Mirror Mystery: Hundred Blossoms!"

In an instant, in front of her bloomed a dense array of circular mirror wheels, neatly lined up like blossoming flowers.

The moonlight cast down, spilling silver light across the entire island, as if a hundred moons were guarding her, brightening the entire field of view.

As the spell took shape, the hundreds of lava fireballs also fell from the sky.

The scorching fireball fell, looking like it could easily shatter those thin mirrors.

But then, something eerie happened...

The fierce fireballs, upon touching the mirror surface, didn't cause the slightest disturbance; they completely merged into it!

The bald woman who was flying in the sky in the distance saw the change in Mr. Jing's vampire-like body and was slightly astonished at first, "Vampire?"

As she watched her spell being absorbed by the mirror, her face changed dramatically, and a look of shock and fear appeared in her eyes as she bellowed, "Get out of there, quick!"

Naturally, the shout was directed to the pirates still in the castle.

Without any hesitation, she flapped her dragon wings and left the spot instantly.

The very next second, before others could understand what had happened, shadows of fireballs suddenly appeared in the hundred mirror reflections in front of Mr. Jing.

Then, those fireballs actually passed through the mirror surface and emerged!

Just like when they had arrived, over a hundred fireballs were "pop pop pop" catapulted towards the distant castle.

She had... completely reflected the spell back with the mirror!

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"..."

Fireballs landed within the castle one by one, erupting with mighty blasts as if meteors had struck.

Even the specially reinforced defenses were blasted with holes by the onslaught of fireballs.

Just in that instant, the entire castle was as if it received a carpet bombing of artillery, turning into a sea of flames.

The pirates who had not managed to evacuate wailed pitifully.

One could imagine the disastrous consequences if the spell had hit the ship instead.

"Mr. Jing's ability is so strong..."

Su Lun understood, seeing that it was somewhat like his own "Black Hole Baby," using the opponent's strength against them.

However, the clear difference was that while Black Hole Baby releases someone else's spell and there's an energy decay mid-way, the spells reflected by Mr. Jing's mirrors were an exact copy of the opponent's.

This is the S-class talent "Mirror Guardian's" replication ability!

...

Escaping even for an instant in a battle between high-ranking professionals is not easy.

Mr. Jing took advantage of his superior maneuverability to temporarily alleviate the perilous situation of the Wind Chaser.

Gall, having lost his target, charged forward once again with large, striding steps.

This grotesque giant might look clumsy, but that was only relative to other Tier 6 professionals. To lower-tier professionals, his speed was almost indistinguishable from teleportation!

And those pirates under the command of the "King of the North Sea," who roam freely across the northern seas and make even the imperial navy of the Luying Empire helpless, would they not have some tricks up their sleeves?

Mr. Jing, in order to protect the ship, stayed put to cast spells, which gave those pirates an opportunity to act.

Among these pirate squadron captains were also experts with strange abilities!

Just as the fireballs were catapulted, everyone suddenly saw a chain of light flash and disappear, as if some mark had been struck on Mr. Jing's body.

Others didn't see it clearly, but Su Lun, with his All-knowing Eye, did, and his heart chilled, "Soul Chains? Mr. Jing has been locked on!"

Mr. Jing obviously noticed something too, but there was no time to react; Gall had already closed in, and the two once again clashed fiercely.

However, the sole good news was...

The Wind Chaser finally left the ice surface and exited the U-shaped harbor!

And at that moment, to prevent the bald woman from pursuing, Mr. Jing turned the battlefield towards those pirate ships in the harbor, ready to release large-scale spells in a fight to the death if needed.

The bald woman had no choice but to give up on chasing the Wind Chaser to defend, and together with Gall, they barely managed to entangle Mr. Jing in a two-on-one.

....

The Wind Chaser finally appeared on the sea surface.

The wind howled, and the ship's speed was exceptionally fast.

There were some pirate ships outside the harbor, but none was as fast as Su Lun's black-sailed ship; they couldn't possibly catch up.

The pirates behind wanted to give chase, but the lower-ranking pirates didn't have the strength, and the few high-ranking pirates who could fly also didn't dare to approach rashly.

If Mr. Jing could hold them off for just a little while longer, the Wind Chaser would be safe.

In the distance, the battle on the ice was intense, with Mr. Jing holding his own against two Tier 6 opponents.

Normally, with her abilities, she could escape if she couldn't win, and nobody could hold her back.

But Su Lun knew that she couldn't leave.

Not to mention that Mr. Jing's current strength was already stretched thin against two Tier 6 opponents.

There were also the encircling thousands of pirates who definitely wouldn't let her leave easily.

Of course, the key was the fleeting phantom of the iron chain that had just vanished.

Mr. Hei and the others had clearly seen the glimmer of the chain before, feeling a sense of ill omen in their hearts.

They wanted to help, but at that moment, the voice of Mr. Jing came through the communicator, "Emmerich, take them and go first!"

The tone was more serious than ever before, brooking no doubt.

Mr. Hei's unease grew worse, but all he could do was obey, responding, "Yes, Teacher!"

Qian Tiao, Kai, Card... several members of the Mirror Organization had also shaken off their adversaries and returned to the ship.

Although they were more or less injured, fortunately, everyone was now aboard.

The few of them stood at the bow, silent.

They were very clear that they could not directly interfere in a battle of that magnitude.

Even if they went, they would not be of much help.

Speeding away in the ship would at least ease some pressure on Mr. Jing.

Mr. Jing didn't speak of her circumstances, and others didn't know why she didn't leave.

But Su Lun knew.

Among that group of pirates, someone had used a very special alchemical item.

A piece of a Divine Artifact.

[Tartaros's Soul Lamp Chain (Fragment)]

Quality: Legendary

Description: A lamp ignited by a soul that points the way to the underworld

Curse Traits: By using the chain to unleash a 'Soul Mark', the target's soul can be bound, preventing it from escaping a radius of three kilometers from the chain; if the chain does not consume the marked soul within twenty-four hours, it will consume the user's soul instead; killing the holder will automatically dissipate the Soul Mark;

Detailed Explanation: This is no ordinary chain, it is a remnant capable of binding souls, and also a trinket from a forbidden soul lantern;

That chain had marked a soul.

This meant that if Mr. Jing didn't kill that pirate captain who had tricked her, she couldn't leave.

But how was she to succeed when besieged by two sixth-tier professionals and thousands of pirates? Considering how well the pirate tactics were coordinated, it was evident that this was not their first time ensnaring someone in such a way.

Mr. Jing's situation was very bad!

...

Getting out of trouble should have been a good thing. Your journey continues on empire

But for some reason, as Su Lun stood on the deck looking towards the increasingly distant battlefield, he felt more and more oppressed.

Thoughts flitted rapidly through his mind, weighing safety against gain and loss.

But the feeling inside him refused to be suppressed.

Su Lun's mind flashed back to several images.

Although his time with this "senior sister" was short, he had received many favors from her, a friend as well as a mentor.

If Mr. Jing died...

Su Lun shook his head.

Without Mr. Jing, none would have escaped.

Naturally, he couldn't just watch as she faced peril.

Especially when he knew he could do something about it.

Su Lun was aware that although his own rank wasn't high, among those who had escaped from Old Lington, he was the only one who could intervene in that high-rank professional's battle.

Because he had the [Xiupunos's Night Sickle]!

With this in mind, a resolute glint crossed Su Lun's eyes, and he calmly said to Qian Tiao and the others nearby, "I'll be right back."

Before anyone could ask questions, he leapt up and disappeared into the vast night and the rolling waves.

On this venture,

it was not certain he could help, but he had to try.

If he couldn't right the wrongs that disturbed his peace of mind, what use was learning all these skills?

At the age of twelve,

he could challenge the injustices with a mere dagger,

why would he hold back now?

No matter how strong the enemy, he couldn't let fear stop him from drawing his sword!

As his thoughts cleared,

the frustration in Su Lun's chest suddenly lifted.

He was completely unaware that the "will" and "spirit" Mr. Jing once mentioned to him were now taking shape.