Mechanical Alchemist

The warship departed, and the Knight Order returned to the castle, the beautiful seaside city quickly regained its serenity.

The battle had destroyed large swathes of houses and there were many casualties.

After Mr. Jing and his cohorts retreated, Count Osaca seemed to awaken from his fury, realizing how foolish an act he had committed.

Because of a troublesome, worthless son, he had offended old friends and incurred the wrath of a mysteriously powerful being, nearly bringing disaster upon his own Ackerman family and the city...

The key was, regardless of the woman's background, the act of kidnapping women meant he had no ground to stand on!

Once he calmed down, Count Osaca did not pursue the matter, nor did he order a search for any remnants within the city; it was as if nothing had happened.

Because of this, Su Lun could walk the streets without being hassled by city guards.

On the other hand,

The explosive news of Viscount Primor's death spread through Gadronte Harbor at an astonishing speed.

In taverns, squares, and streets, the townspeople were talking about the battle in the commercial streets.

No one was indignant at the disruption of the city's order, nor was anyone saddened by the death of the lord's son.

Instead, there was widespread rejoicing.

The common folk all secretly praised the hero who had rid them of this menace.

With the nuisance gone, merchants, tourists, and residents... finally dared to let their beautiful wives and daughters walk the streets again.

No one dared say why they were happy, but celebrations were everywhere.

...

The auction was still some time away, so Su Lun visited the Adventurers' Guild to inquire about the main materials needed for his advancement.

But he did not get the results he wanted.

Spirit beasts were rare to begin with. Despite the high price of materials, few adventurers would think of targeting such creatures. To ordinary adventurers, those of the spirit genre are deadly beings capable of killing someone silently, and they would normally choose to avoid them when encountered. Moreover, a third-tier spirit beast could likely result in the death of even a fourth-tier professional should they encounter one.

Without any leads from the Guild, Su Lun posted a bounty.

It wasn't long before professional information brokers contacted him.

He received several pieces of information, which may or may not have been outdated.

Su Lun noted down two pieces that seemed more reliable.

One was that a year ago, near the "Roman Strait" in the north, a sea creature with suction cup tentacles capable of emitting spiritual power to confuse sailors was spotted, suspected to be the "Nightmare Octopus."

Another piece of intel mentioned that in some part of the "Silent Forest," there was talk among adventurers of a spider that could kill a person in their nightmares, suspected to be the "Nightmare Spider."

The information was vague, but having leads was good enough.

After all, he still needed time to progress to the third tier.

And for making the third-tier "Spiritual Tentacle" prosthetics, he needed brain tissue from a live beast, so he would have to make the trip himself.

So he noted down the coordinates and also took the opportunity to travel the legendary Far North Ice Field.

If he couldn't find anything, there was also a "Blizzard City" on the ice field where adventurers on the plains mingled, and perhaps there would be more detailed information.

....

The evening slave auction was on Oak Street in the southern part of the city, near the southern waterfront fish market, conveniently located at the "tip of the boot" shape of Gadronte.

After leaving the Adventurers' Guild, Su Lun inquired about the route in the city and took a waterfront steam train that ran along the coast through most of the city districts.

It is said that when the train tracks were being built, they were above the sea level.

But in recent years, the sea level has risen, and the train tracks have gradually become submerged.

However, this did not affect the train's normal operations and it had become a landmark of Gadronte—the steam train that runs on the sea.

By now night had fallen, and the starry sky sparkled brilliantly.

The boundless starry sky reflected in the sea, making the train seem to travel within the Milky Way itself.

As the waterfront steam train swept along the coast, cutting through the surface of the sea, it stirred up ripples in the galaxy, like a lengthy sea-blue skirt studded with resplendent diamonds.

Su Lun leaned against the window, mesmerized by the beautiful view before him.

The stars lay above him, reflected in the sea, then caught by his gaze...

At that moment, it was as though his eyes, too, contained a dazzling galaxy.

Before long, the train arrived at its station, Oak Street.

Seeing the bright neon signs of the taverns at night, Su Lun realized that the pub street was also located here.

Girls clad in cool attire enthusiastically greeted passersby.

"Handsome, fancy a drink? Come to our Giant's Tavern..."

"Visit our Windmill Tavern, we have the best rum from the Capital City..."

"..."

The auction house was not far off, and there was still a good while before it began, so without hurry, Su Lun stepped into a pub with a sign that read "Dolphin Tavern."

He extracted those fragmentary memories from among the Seasnake Gang's riffraff that had some recollection of this pub's name.

Entering the pub, the scene before him overlapped with those fragmented memories.

This looked like one of Gadronte's "information black markets."

There were two price boards over the bar, one displaying drink prices.

'Sailor Beer £100/pitcher'

"King's Guillotine £188/cup"

"Gold Rum £3000/bottle"

"..."

Su Lun snapped his fingers towards the bartender and called out, "A cup of 'King's Guillotine,' please."

There was also a board marked with the wanted notices of pirates, hanging portraits.

Densely packed, the one with the highest bounty was naturally Oleg J. Popov, the "King of the North Sea," with a reward of 8.477 billion.

However, this was just a number, as no bounty hunters would consider going after that top-tier powerhouse.

Then highlighted in red were some pirates who frequented nearby seas.

"'Cyclops' Seymour Ulah, captain of the 'One-Eyed Pirate Group,' fifth-order professional, with a bounty of 136 million riso; charges as follows, looting the 'Thornbird Commerce' convoy, massacring over two hundred people..."

"'Drunkard' Zelko Jones, captain of the 'Black Shark Pirate Group,' fourth-order, with a bounty of 74 million riso. Charges as follow..."

"'Anchor Man' Bryce Fleming, first mate of the 'Lazy Cat Pirate Group,' fourth-order, with a bounty of 30 million riso..."

"..."

Su Lun glanced at the ones below, roughly discerning a pattern in the bounties.

Those bountied were generally third-order professionals and above; fourth-orderers had bounties in the tens of millions.

The threshold for a bounty over a hundred million was roughly the domain of the great pirates of the fifth order.

Sixth-orderers were around ten billion.

"Frost Giant" Gaal Popov and "Solar Flame General" Gladys Ormedo, whom he had seen before, were also on the list.

After receiving his drink, Su Lun sat alone at the bar, listening to the tavern's patrons boasting and chatting.

What he heard the most about was naturally the daytime assassination attempt on "Viscount Primo."

Being the person involved, he naturally knew what had happened, listening to those demonized stories, he occasionally chuckled.

This tavern had many sailors and fishmongers lurking around, who spent years at sea, all reeking of fish, a smell not even alcohol could mask.

Su Lun didn't underestimate these people.

After observing for a while, he also noticed that among these folks, some occasionally revealed wary gazes; these guys were no ordinary people.

Ordinary people don't carry such fierceness.

They were probably pirate informants.

Outwardly, Gadronte Harbor didn't welcome pirates, but in the face of huge profits, there would always be opportunistic merchants engaged in shady business.

Pirates needed information for robberies, they needed to fence stolen goods, and they needed middlemen for negotiating ransoms after taking hostages...

Therefore, in a port city like Gadronte Harbor, a number of pirate informants, spies, and black market traders engaging in "gray business" were lying low.

Su Lun listened for a while, getting a bunch of miscellaneous and mostly useless free information.

Upon reflection, he took out three silver coins and stood them on their edges next to his cup.

This was the "secret code" to communicate with information brokers, indicating you were in the know.

Soon, a skinny man with a black felt hat approached and swept the three silver coins into his sleeve with a wave of his hand.

He ordered a drink for himself and sat beside Su Lun, "Hey, buddy, what kind of information are you looking for?"

Su Lun glanced at the man and said calmly, "Who was it that took action in the assassination of Viscount Primo during the day?"

"It was two outsiders who took action, seeming to know 'Blood Earl' Antonio."

Su Lun sipped his drink and replied coldly, "I'm looking for something useful, not this rubbish that everyone knows."

The man in the felt hat, eyes circling shrewdly, quickly explained, "No, sir, please don't doubt the capabilities of my information, 'Mr. Know-It-All' Polly! This is the latest information, currently no one knows the identities of those two outsiders! However, I do have a highly confidential piece of information..."

Upon hearing this tone, Su Lun knew the price was about to go up.

He generously placed a few more silver coins on the bar, but kept his hand on them, "Then offer me some information you think I'd find interesting. I'll pay if I think it's worth it..."

Polly looked around stealthily before whispering, "The woman who took action is a high-ranking member of the vampire race. 'North Sea King' Oleg has issued a very high bounty, looking for a group of people wearing gold-patterned cloaks, one of them a vampire. Sir, if you're confident, you might consider taking up this bounty..."

Being bountied by pirates?

Su Lun heard this without changing his expression.

It was no surprise to be bountied by pirates after having taken down a few squad leaders in a tower rush.

However, the good news was that neither the pirates nor the Earl's estate were paying too much attention to Su someone like him.

Mr. Jing was too conspicuous; all the information focused on her.

"Anything else? Any other interesting information?"

"I've heard that a lot of high-quality treasures from the black market are appearing at this auction, including many ancient artifacts..."

"I don't know why, but many big arms dealers have come to the harbor these past few days. I suspect there might be some major arms deals happening soon, but the information is still very limited..."

"A very special ship arrived at the harbor, and some suspect it's the secret arrival of intelligence agents from the Ruying royal family in Gadronte Harbor..."

"There's a batch of very valuable antiques among the goods of the 'Red Dolphin Commerce,' worth at least several billion. The ship sets sail the day after tomorrow..."

"The Great Bounty Hunter 'Fist of Justice' Hodge is staying at 'Moon Bay Inn'..."

"..."

You get what you pay for.

This guy was also well-informed and knew how to observe words and expressions, Su Lun spent money and got quite a lot of interesting information.

After drinking most of a cup of wine, Su Lun also had a general understanding of the situation in Gadronte Harbor.

Seeing that the time for the auction was almost up, he prepared to finish his drink and leave the tavern.

At this moment, however, the noisy tavern fell into an eerie silence.

From outside, "pfft", "pfft"..."click", "click"... sharp sounds came.

Without looking, Su Lun's keen hearing identified them as the sounds of steam boilers and mechanical devices friction.

Dense, quite a number, at least a full mechanical guard squad.

He cast his gaze over, and indeed, a team of steel guards with strict military discipline happened to walk past the tavern's main door.

People started looking sideways, and the tavern suddenly quieted down.

Because the attire of this group was too eye-catching!

They were wearing standard full-coverage combat mecha, their mechanical bodies exceptionally robust, like that of bear-like men. On every battle armor's left shoulder was a three-dimensional silver eagle, while on the right was the national emblem, a blue background with a gold Mafa steam and hammer pattern. The enchanted battle armor covered every joint, with chains, rivets, mechanical power tubes... The overall design epitome of a distinct dark industrial style.

On their backs, they carried exaggerated huge steam war hammers, alloys shields, saws, large swords... and various types of exaggerated heavy external firearms.

The single steam boilers provided power for the heavy armors; each step resulted in a burst of white steam from under their feet.

They appeared clumsy, but their movements were far from slow.

The paint on the armors was mottled, a clear sign of battle scars.

Just the sight of their imposing aura alone made it difficult for onlookers to breathe, indicating they were truly elite forces fresh from the battlefield.

This was the core technology of the Mafa Empire, external full-body mecha.

With the helmets on, one man became a moving iron fortress!

....

Laypeople enjoy the spectacle, experts see the technique.

While others sensed the battle armors' fierceness and might, Su Lun couldn't take his eyes off the details.

He squinted at the leader, a bald man with a sideburn beard, and murmured to himself, "Sixth-tier composite rune magic... The Mafa Empire military's rune craftsmanship is indeed high."

He himself was proficient in machinery and runes and recognized the sophistication of that battle armor at a glance.

After a moment of inspection, he was even more astonished.

"Amand alloy, magic-patterned brass, Dragon Blood iron... all super rare metals. Not to mention the technological content, just the material cost alone, the price of this set of general-grade battle armor, is probably equivalent to a whole city..."

Su Lun couldn't help but feel astonished as he identified the runes and materials, and had roughly estimated the combat power of this mechanical battle armor.

This set of armor pushed the limits of conventional elemental resistance and physical resistance.

It could be said that if faced with a traditional profession whose damage output didn't exceed the armor's defense limit, this guy could stand in place and remain unmoved by an attack.

Not to mention the output capabilities of the battle armor not yet displayed, as well as the personal combat strength of the bearded bald man himself...

Su Lun assessed in his mind, "A mechanical warrior like this, at the very least, is equivalent to a sixth-tier professional. Against someone with countering abilities, they could even match a seventh-tier professional!"

The technological complexity of this set of armor was something he still couldn't match.

However, such top-tier armor was an exception.

Enchantment and rune magic are not simply about the runes technique; it also requires materials capable of withstanding high-level inscriptions.

At least the armors worn by the soldiers behind the bearded bald man were significantly less impressive—two sets of fifth-tier, the rest possessing third-tier runes, fourth-tier armors.

To Su Lun, this troupe of mechanical warriors seemed like a collection of high-end mechanical technologies on the move.

While he envied the view, his brain reflexively contemplated how to deal with it, analyzing, "The resistance to both physical and magical attacks is very high, with fierce firepower. There aren't many weaknesses to exploit. The defense against spiritual power is weak, and perception could be used... If only I could get a set to study in detail."

Thinking this, Su Lun turned to Polly, the "know-it-all" beside him, and asked, "Who were those people just now?"

Polly replied, "That's Bluul Turner, the leader of one of the Mafa Empire's four ace armies, 'Empire Hammer'. With the current conflict between the two nations, he was originally in the Emperor's capital as a negotiation ambassador. No one knows why he's come to our northern parts... Seems like he just arrived this morning."

Only then did Su Lun realize, thinking to himself: So they're a diplomatic delegation, no wonder their armors are so advanced.

He then asked, "Is there a way to get hold of such battle armor?"

Polly heard the question as if it were incredible, laughing, "Hey, buddy, I'd say forget about it. Those kinds of armor have high bounties on the black market, but no one has ever managed to get their hands on them. The Mafa military officer's armors are highly technical and all equipped with self-destruct systems. Incorrect dismantling methods or activation by the warrior will cause it to explode, damaging key precision components. Even in battle, it is very rare for complete armors to be captured."

"..."

Su Lun listened, not too surprised; it was just a technological protection measure.

But he was thinking of something else, a contemplative look in his eyes.

What were these guys doing here?

Heading toward the auction based on that direction?

Wait a minute, that major arms dealer, the royal espionage department of Ruying, they all came to Gadronte Harbor densely these past two days?

Su Lun speculated that there might be something else among the auction items.

....

Su Lun had just come to Gadronte Harbor to attend this auction, mainly for the batch of Dalu slaves; he had no idea what else would be at the auction.

Even the intelligence merchants didn't know, so Su Lun didn't bother to guess wildly.

It wouldn't be long before it was revealed.

The wine was finished, and the start time for the auction was close.

Without lingering in the tavern, Su Lun headed straight to the auction venue.

The auction house was a renovated old theater, and asset verification was required for entry.

Su Lun presented valuables worth a million and thus received a temporary auction item catalog at the entrance.

As the opening approached, elegantly dressed gentlemen and ladies, who looked very wealthy, arrived one after another, discussing the items that would soon be up for auction.

It seemed that the auction house had already informed other major clients about some of the items, and smaller buyers like him were only finding out now.

Upon glancing at the item catalog, Su Lun immediately felt a sense of familiarity, "Hmm... items from Old Lington?"

The underworld was ruled by dark magicians, and many of the materials and occupations produced there were different from those on the surface.

For example, those cursed crystal ores are a type of gemstone with dark energy unique to the underground veins!

In the end, there were also "Mystery Items" marked with question marks...

Seeing these, Su Lun quickly guessed what the main source of goods for this auction was.

Most likely, it was the loot seized by the Fourth Fleet of the King of the North Sea from Old Lington!

"That mysterious item... couldn't it be the blueprints and materials for the 'Super Mech Warrior', could it?"

Su Lun, recalling various pieces of information, considered this possibility.

The Mafa Ambassador, along with arms dealers...

He felt that only such an item could attract so many people with sensitive identities.

Mech warriors were primarily used in large-scale wars, requiring large numbers to be effective in groups. Those interested in such blueprints were either mechanics or large forces. After stripping the Soul Shards from a group of research institute mechanics, Su Lun knew that the technology threshold for "Super Mech Warriors" was extremely high. He felt that the pirates did not have the technology or resources to create a mechanical army, so the blueprints were of little use to them.

Keeping a backup and then selling it to a large force would maximize benefits.

As Su Lun pondered, he entered the auction hall.

The opera house was similar to a movie theater, with a stage in front and two levels of seating.

He was led by a hostess to a seat in a corner.

Soon, the lights focused on the stage, and the auctioneer started the proceedings.

....

Checking the auction catalog, slave auctions were scheduled for mid-intermission, so Su Lun had to wait.

Quickly, item after item appeared on stage.

Ancient Breathing Methods, ancient Spell Scrolls, historic tomes, high-grade materials, mechanic blueprints, and ready-made products... all were rare and fine goods seldom seen in the world.

In the surface world, the demand was great due to the large base of professionals. In a major city like Gadronte, even "silver-grade" occupation materials were highly coveted.

In Old Lington, however, thanks to ruin excavations, ancient artifacts were abundant, and there was no shortage of gold-quality materials and equipment. Pirates had looted far too many treasures...

These exquisite items immediately set off wave after wave of bidding frenzies among the various bidders.

As Su Lun watched each item being auctioned off, his brow furrowed.

He even knew the origins of some of these auction items...

That group of pirates indeed had killed many people.

....

The auction was in full swing when, at that moment, in a private room on the second floor,

a purple-haired woman took interest in the item currently up for bid.

This was none other than Yekaterina Lants, the fourth daughter of Duke Lance, the lord of the northern six provinces.

She seemed especially interested in ancient books, bidding on nearly every one that came up.

Not long after, an old butler hurried into the room and reported, "Miss, it has been confirmed; the last item of the auction is the complete blueprint for the 'Super Mech Warrior' and some research materials. Should we prepare to bid on it?"

Upon hearing this, Yekaterina's face showed little surprise, but she shook her head and chuckled, "Bid? No. Those people from the Mafa Empire are determined to get it, and we cannot outbid them. The price they are willing to offer is beyond us..."

The old butler seemed to understand his mistress's temperament very well and asked, "Shall I make an attempt then?"

Yekaterina had clearly already considered her options and shook her head again, "We must obtain the blueprints. But there is no need for us to make the first move. 'Military Intelligence' has now exposed several important agents buried in the north for this operation; they will not let the blueprints fall into enemy hands. Let them start the fight..."

"Yes," agreed the butler.

After a moment of contemplation, the butler fell silent.

Yekaterina, with a mischievous smile growing on her face, mused, "This is going to be lively, hehe... Those pirates are clever, auctioning off these blueprints to intensify the war so they can fish in troubled waters."

After a pause, she added, "That pirate leader Oleg is likely to be 'crowned' after this. The war will draw us in the north six provinces as well. Although it's not all bad news... Let's prepare in advance."

"Yes, Miss," the butler confirmed.

Yekaterina added, "Oh, and have someone keep an eye on that vampiress, find out exactly who she is and what she's up to. I have a feeling she'll be a major threat to us in the future."

"Yes!" the butler responded decisively.

....

Inside the bustling auction hall, outside, a group of people dressed in various occupational outfits were meeting in secret.

"Are you certain that the blueprints for the 'Super Mech Warrior' will appear at this auction?" one asked.

"Yes, Commander," confirmed another.

"Those damn arms dealers have not divulged a hint of information. To seek exorbitant profits, they really disregard even the safety of the empire!"

"Several of the big arms dealers are backed by the empire's top royalty and nobility, and they are not afraid of our Military Intelligence. They probably want to keep the blueprints in their own hands..."

"Forget it, report the situation to Her Majesty the Empress! Mobilize all available personnel. If we can't buy it, even if we must intercept the Mafa delegation, we must not let the blueprints slip through!"

"Yes, Commander!"