Mechanical Alchemist

Early the next morning, the bustling and noisy crowd filled Dock No. 2 within the Golden City's stronghold.

The dock, originally a mooring spot for several main battleships of Oleg's "First Fleet," had been cleared just for the arrival of the "Frost Moon Princess" from the Mafa Empire.

Moored at the dock was a "Sea King class" warship, nearly two hundred meters in length; such displacement marked the pinnacle of current sail-powered ships.

Even in the entire North Sea, there were only three such ships before.

This was the fourth.

The Mafa Empire's iron-clad warships were indeed formidable, and had they come to this sea area, there would have been virtually no pirate ship able to contend with them. Unfortunately, Ruying would never allow Mafa's naval ships to appear in the waters behind the Empire's territory.

The royal family never reused another's old goods, so to facilitate travel, Princess Scatty lavishly purchased this battleship, still in the shipyard, to serve as her vessel. It was repainted and decorated luxuriously, aptly named "Princess Scatty."

Beside the flagship, eight escort ships were arranged in neat order.

These ships had undergone mechanical modifications; their hulls were fitted with alloy shields and large-caliber heavy cannons, looking formidable and majestic.

The princess's royal procession was extremely grand, with a red carpet stretching a mile and a guard of honor extending as far.

Only after the saluting cannons fired did the vibrantly dressed Frost Moon Princess, Scatty Harris, slowly emerge from the city, escorted by a throng of royal guards.

...

Beyond the dock, the nineteenth squadron of the Fourth Fleet, having received their orders, had been waiting outside the port for some time.

Though officially an escort fleet, they lacked the privilege to approach the princess's ship.

On the deck, "Butcher" Banner and his confidants watched from a distance.

"This Mafa princess really has quite the presence. Just a few days since the last assassination attempt, and still so high-profile, she isn't afraid of being targeted by assassins again."

"Heh, and they tell us it's a 'secret mission'? The royals really are all about saving face..."

"You just don't get it. For the royals, face is more important than life itself. But that said, that woman is damn attractive, with such fair cheeks that nearly make me dizzy. Visible but untouchable... I really envy Captain Gar."

"Hehe, I've heard that the princess and our big boss Gar are only husband and wife in name. After all, despite Princess Scatty's beauty, in a giant's eyes, she probably isn't much different from a monkey."

"Hahaha..."

"..."

Despite their gripes, the crew's bodies were honest. When Princess Scatty appeared, they all climbed the masts with telescopes in hand, their eyes nearly popping out, uttering risqué comments now and then.

...

Inside the cabin, Su Lun and Dr. Banks also looked out through the ventilation windows, silently observing everything.

Dr. Banks' public identity was merely that of a nondescript pharmacist on the ship, and the ordinary crew members had no idea he actually controlled the unit.

"The 'Frost Giant' Gar not setting sail with them is good news."

"The battle prowess of the Mafa Royal Mechanical Guard is extraordinary, more than enough to match a fully staffed fleet, and without the need for pirates. Moreover, after the last assassination attempt, with a squadron leader-level assassin at work, the Mafa royal guard doesn't trust pirates."

"However, their warships have been mechanically enhanced, resulting in a deep draft. When the time comes, if we can avoid their cannon range, we'll have a great chance of increasing the distance. But I suspect there might be submarines below the water, and if there are... it could be troublesome."

"Hmm. We'll decide based on the situation when the time comes."

"..."

While Su Lun and Dr. Banks were deliberating, the princess's fleet slowly left the harbor.

Their pirate ship from the nineteenth squadron dangled at the end of the fleet, setting sail as well.

In his hands, Su Lun had a detailed maritime chart drawn by Tanni, which proved to be quite useful.

Along the way, he marked points and sent precise coordinate feedback to Qiantiao, who had been waiting on the open sea.

...

Today's weather is very clear, with mild winds and a bright sun.

Before long, the fleet made it out of the chaotic winds of the Devil's Sea near Hastelin and headed in the direction of the four countries to the north.

Su Lun held a rune black umbrella in his hand, watching the "Princess" closely nearby.

After sensing for so long, he finally confirmed something and turned to Dr. Banks beside him, "There are definitely submarines underwater, seems like more than one."

His tone was even, as this was within expectations.

In a blink, he looked at the dark, large-caliber cannon barrels with a smile that was not quite a smile, "We've now reached the uninhabited waters. If nothing goes wrong, that princess ought to send someone over soon."

"Indeed," Dr. Banks mused.

He glanced at the position of the sun, then added, "Su Lun my friend, you've guessed right. The fleet is heading in the direction of the 'Roman Kingdom' to the northwest. This way, our plan can be carried out smoothly. How did you guess it?"

Upon hearing the question, Su Lun explained, "The grand empire of Mafa, since it's marrying off a princess to a pirate and bringing so much mechanical equipment and technology, must be looking to trouble Luying, and there's surely an exchange of interests involved."

Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Pirate Oleg rose to power; he could part with equivalent capital for the trade, and that would be the 'Void Relics.' Hence, the 'Frost Moon Princess' was eager to set sail just days after her wedding. Assassination is probably just a pretext; more importantly, she might want to check out those relics. Now it seems, I suspect those 'Void Relics' might be somewhere in the four countries of the North Continent..."

Dr. Banks laughed upon hearing this, "Su Lun my friend, your mind is meticulous; not something common folks can match."

"..."

Su Lun, having been complimented, merely shrugged noncommittally.

Considering the intelligence at hand, he thought it wasn't too difficult to guess.

This is Luying's rear guard; the fleet wouldn't head towards Luying to their deaths.

Heading in the direction of Mountain Hermit to the northeast, they would almost certainly have to pass through the Rock Caiman Strait, where Mafa's submarines were previously ambushed. Even if the news coming out was "mysteriously vanished," the "Princess Fleet" would most likely not take the risk before it was clear.

Heading west is into unknown barren seas. It's risky and meaningless.

Therefore, they could only go northwest.

The sea affords an unlimited view, making trailing difficult, so one could only set an ambush.

Because they predicted the enemy's rough course in advance, they were able to arrive at the planned waters in anticipation.

Coincidentally, while the two were casually chatting, the communicator on the ship suddenly transmitted a grating static noise.

"Zzz..."

"Zzz..."

Dr. Banks immediately realized something and stated expressionlessly, "The communicator is being jammed by a special magnetic field; we can't even send out a signal now. Those people should be coming."

"Hmm."

Su Lun also nodded.

At this point, he asked through the communicator, "Sister Qiantiao, are you in position? We can make our move."

Upon these words, a response filled with a fighting spirit came through the communicator, "We'll be there soon!"

The communications device from the Mirror Organization, the "Goblin Communicator," is really handy: unlimited range communication unaffected by all sorts of strange magnetic fields.

Having given his instructions, Su Lun looked into the distance, muttering to himself, "I wonder if Tanni's 'Cursed Halo of the Unlucky One Betrothed to the Sea' will come in handy..."

...

Just after the communication was jammed, on the main ship "Princess," a royal guard clad in mechanized armor suddenly shot up from the deck.

The jet propulsion system gave the armor the ability to leap briefly into the air, spanning hundreds of meters; a few jets from the mechanical boiler on the back of the armor ensured a smooth landing on the deck of the nineteenth team.

This arrogant Mechanical Knight didn't even spare the people on the deck a second look, and announced in a deep voice, "Her Royal Highness Princess has ordered, please ask Colonel Banner to come to the main fleet, there are matters to discuss!"

"Butcher" Banner could only reply, "Yes!"

In the captain's quarters, Su Lun looked through the window at everything unfolding, then glanced toward the "Princess" at the rear and its several escort ships.

Those cannons were said to be behind the fleet in formation, but they were actually aimed at the nineteenth squad's vessels.

Within firing range, slipping away wouldn't be easy.

Moreover, the submarines lurking beneath the sea also made escape under normal circumstances impossible.

Banner had received the princess's orders and had no reason to refuse.

But he was dawdling, hesitating to disembark.

"Hurry up! Her Royal Highness Princess is waiting."

The Mechanical Knight beside him kept urging.

This fellow was here not just to relay a message but also to supervise.

A slight delay might be excused, but as time dragged on, the courier's face grew increasingly suspicious, and the atmosphere aboard the ship became somewhat eerie.

In the captain's quarters, Su Lun and Dr. Banks had remained silent, waiting for something.

It was then,

Suddenly,

A startling clap of thunder resounded in their ears!

"Crack~"

For an instant, everything was illuminated.

Looking again, lightning flickered miles away, and the sky seemed to have been stained with ink, rapidly coalescing into a massive storm cloud.

The area affected by the thundercloud kept expanding, with the situation escalating.

In a blink of an eye, the sky above the "Princess Fleet" had also turned ominously dark.

Outside, the wind howled and the waves grew larger, causing the ship itself to sway.

It seemed as if they were about to encounter a severe storm.

Su Lun, upon seeing this, was not alarmed but delighted, almost exclaiming, "It's here!"

...

Encountering a storm at sea couldn't be more normal.

But the storm at hand was anything but ordinary.

A seasoned sailor would use air pressure, temperature, and humidity to predict the direction and scope of a storm. But one wouldn't just appear out of nowhere, as was happening now.

Su Lun squinted into the storm and murmured, "Tanni's talent is quite special..."

Having temporarily resolved the issue of Tanni's mother's petrification, Su Lun had gained Tanni's absolute trust.

Tanni revealed a secret known only to himself that encountering a storm while at sea was highly likely but not guaranteed.

However, if he were injured, a storm would irrefutably, immediately ensue!

Upon learning of this ability, Su Lun immediately thought of a combat plan.

If they tried to escape into thin air, they wouldn't stand a chance of getting out of firing range.

Even if they jumped into the sea, the royal guards would certainly catch up...

So, they needed a pretext to leave the fleet.

And a storm, with its waves, offered the perfect cover!

...

Once the storm hit, the communications on the ship suddenly returned to normal.

Clearly, dealing with the storm took precedence over interrogations.

The Commander of the main ship issued orders: "All ships, be careful. There are unidentified vessels approaching in the storm! Prepare the cannons, ready to sink them!"

This plan was known to none but Su Lun and Dr. Banks.

The crew on deck, unaware of the circumstances, looked out into the distance, and indeed saw a pirate ship braving the wind and waves, shrouded by the storm.

No, not just one!

But a dense mass of them, at least dozens.

Upon closer inspection, the sails of the ships within the storm were ragged, and their hulls peppered with holes, looking utterly dilapidated. Under the flashes of lightning, these battered vessels were covered in a strange halo of light, like... Ghost Ships.

"Ghost Fleet!"

"My God... We've actually encountered the Ghost Fleet!"

"This is bad, the Ghost Fleet is heading for us, steer clear!"

"..."

The sight caused a change of color in everyone on deck.

Legends of "Ghost Ships" were rampant on these seas, and almost every version was an ill omen.

But what went unnoticed was the single eyeglass on Su Lun's left eye in the captain's quarters reflecting a gleam.

The cursed object "Robert's Single Eyeglass" could create realistic illusions, and naturally, these Ghost Ships were just that.

Su Lun figured that with such a favorable stormy setting, adding some Ghost Ships would be right on theme.

It would also disguise any noise made by the approach of the "Dawn Group."

...

The waves surging around the ship were getting larger, with several-meter-high breakers fiercely rocking the vessel.

Now faced with both a storm and the "Ghost Fleet," that communications officer naturally couldn't press Banner to disembark anymore.

In the face of nature's fury, human effort seemed so insignificant.

The ships could only drift and bob with the waves, how could they maintain the original formation?

The nineteenth squad's vessels also drifted away quietly in the tumult.

The Ghost Fleet was clearly charging toward the "Princess Fleet," but the Commander was decisive, barking an order through the communicator: "Fire!"

Boom!

Boom!

Boom...

The sound of a hundred cannons firing in unison came from the ships ahead, the sound of their gunfire even drowning out the thunder, deafening.

"Now's the time!"

It was then that Su Lun's pupils suddenly dilated, his hands grasped at the air and with a sharp tug, the numerous [War Fog Grenades] prepared on the ship instantly exploded.

Cannon reloading required time, but the War Fog took but an instant to envelop a large area.

"Damn it, what are you doing, planning a mutiny!"

From the deck came the exasperated and furious shout of the courier, but the voice suddenly cut off.

The very next second after Su Lun made his move, with the black sickle in hand, he swung down, and a rift in space fell, claiming a head.

Su Lun took action, and Banner on the deck decisively gave the command, "Yang Fan, take the helm and head south! Everyone, launch the war fog!"

Although the crew didn't understand what was happening, most of them were veterans of the "Steam faction" with absolute trust in Banner. Upon hearing the order, they began to busy themselves amidst the fog.

On the sea surface, more and more "Fog Bombs" were being launched, and the scope of the fog was increasing.

...

"Team nineteen, what's the situation on your side!"

"Stop right now, or we'll open fire!"

"..."

The exasperated voice of the Commander came from the communicator.

Banner didn't respond, knowing they must have guessed that they were trying to escape.

Moreover, this escape obviously had a trick to it. As long as the Mafa people weren't foolish, they would also immediately guess that they indeed held the "neural mechanical technology"!

Knowing that the technology was onboard, they naturally wouldn't bomb them indiscriminately.

If the technical personnel were blasted to death, this top-secret technology would truly be missed.

Soon, Su Lun heard the sound of a second round of cannon fire. The blasts sounded significant, but judging by the trajectory of the cannonballs, most were aimed too high and shot towards the distance.

This was merely a chaotic warning salvo.

Seeing this, Su Lun also breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that the other side hadn't guessed and would send a barrage of fire.

Since they dared not bombard them, they took no notice and continued at full speed.

The defensive and offensive capabilities of their mechanically-refitted battleship far surpassed the pirate ships of Team Nineteen by numerous times, but the only drawback was its speed. The storm and the waves disrupted the formation, which also increased the distance between the two sides.

The battle had begun, and both Su Lun and Dr. Banks had come up to the deck. They watched the raging sea intently, as if trying to capture something.

If the ship could not be caught up to, then submarines would surely be dispatched.

The storm had much less impact on submarines underwater.

Dr. Banks said solemnly, "Mechanical submarines should appear soon."

Everything was proceeding according to plan, but the most dangerous situation was approaching.

"Hmm."

Su Lun nodded, indifferent as he took out several scrolls and smashed them towards the water's surface. Clapping his hands together, the sorcerer's seals instantaneously congealed. Purple spatial runes appeared, and six glass jars materialized out of thin air.

With a "crack," the glass shattered, and several mechanical octopuses crashed into the water.

In the water, Su Lun's "Soul Tentacles" could only control within a limited range, so he had to wait quietly for the enemy to come.

...

The sea churned with the wind howling violently. Su Lun, holding a black umbrella and dressed in a raincoat, watched the sea surface with detachment in the pouring rain.

Dr. Banks stood by, fully on guard.

Although he disliked combat, that didn't mean he lacked fighting ability. A mysterious force kept the rain an inch away from his body, unable to touch him.

"They're here!"

Su Lun's eyes narrowed.

Because at that moment, dozens of human souls emerged from the seabed into his perception range.

It probably wasn't the "secret research base," but... they'd capture whatever it was first!

It wasn't long before structures resembling shark fins appeared on the surface, and the communicator relayed another warning: "Team nineteen, you are now ordered to stop immediately, or we will sink your ships at once!"

Hearing the warning, Su Lun and Dr. Banks didn't show the slightest intention of heeding it, continuing their frantic escape instead.

They were certain that the other party wouldn't open fire and sink them, so now it was about running as far away as possible.

The greater the distance they put between themselves and the "Princess," the smaller the danger would become.

As they had anticipated, despite repeated warnings, the submarine never launched a torpedo, only doggedly gave chase.

Su Lun wasn't sure if there was any high-tier combat power aboard the submarine chasing them, so he refrained from acting.

He wanted to wait until a thousand threads were close enough.

However, Su Lun had underestimated the technology of Mafa.

The guys didn't dare launch a torpedo to destroy them, but they did launch something even more exaggerated than a torpedo.

A "whoosh" sound echoed.

Something resembling a torpedo shot out of the water.

Su Lun saw the trajectory of the projectile.

But he thought it was just a warning shot.

Because the torpedo's trajectory wasn't aimed at their ship at all, it was off by tens of meters.

But in the very next moment, the torpedo left the water with a "boom," and suddenly exploded in mid-air.

There was a flash of light, no violent explosion, but a visible shockwave expanded rapidly from the center of the explosion like lightning.

The shockwave swept across the entire sea surface in an instant, and the ships of the 19th Fleet were also affected, shattering all the bulletproof glass into pieces.

Su Lun had anticipated the explosion and Rune Vajra had readied its defenses. But when the shockwave hit, what surprised him was that the shockwave seemed to have no effect on human bodies?

It was then that he realized this wasn't an ordinary gunpowder bomb, but a "Shockwave Bomb"!

"This projectile will directly destroy the ship..."

Su Lun's face showed a strange expression.

This was the first time he had learned of such a projectile in Mafa.

The ships of the 19th Fleet were just ordinary pirate ships, whether in terms of materials, enchantments, or coatings, they were all quite common. Hit by this "Shockwave Bomb," the hull swayed in the waves and "crack, crack" sounds of wood breaking could be heard everywhere about the ship.

"Boss, it's not looking good, the mast has broken!"

"Boss, water is leaking into the cabin too!"

"Oh, heavens, our ship is falling apart. Quick, launch the lifeboats!"

"..."

The ship descended into chaos.

Through the communicator, bad news came one after another.

Su Lun didn't need anyone to report; he could already feel the ship starting to capsize, soon to sink into the sea.

He wasn't panicky at all and leaped into the sea.

It was at this moment, he sensed that the submarine was very close to them!

Su Lun controlled his eight-armed spider lance, and six mechanical octopuses hidden in the sea were instantly activated.
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The tentacles of the octopuses contracted and extended in the water, allowing them to teleport tens of meters. In the blink of an eye, the six mechanical octopuses were close to the submarine, and with the suction cups on their tentacles, they clung tightly to the hull.

Then, the various tools on the tentacles began to cut into the hull...

...

The Mafa soldiers aboard the submarine had just been celebrating that a single shot had sunk the ship and were preparing to capture those floating in the sea when they suddenly sensed that something foreign had attached to the hull!

Just like the last time Su Lun encountered in the Rock Caiman Strait, the mechanical octopus was designed with specialized cutting tools, and the people on the submarine didn't dare to entangle in the water, rapidly surfacing instead.

As soon as the submarine's hull emerged from the water, more than ten soldiers in mechanical armor came out from the submarine's cabin, intending to deal with the mechanical octopus clinging to the ship.

But how could Su Lun let them have their way?

He controlled six mechanical octopuses and in the blink of an eye wrapped around six mechanical warriors.

Mechanical octopuses naturally restrained mechanical armor. Once adhered to by the tentacles, low-tier mechanical armor had almost no means to break free. In the end, they could only be slowly dismantled by the octopus and killed.

However, the opponents were well-trained professional soldiers.

The moment six octopuses clung to six mechas, the other soldiers who were not ensnared, carrying ship-cutter swords, hammers, saws... showed no hesitation out of concern for their equipment, fiercely slashing away.

They struck with such determination that even if it meant killing their comrades, they were intent on eliminating these mechanical octopuses.

"How decisive!"

Su Lun felt a sense of admiration in his heart.

He also guessed that these fellows might be aware of the "mechanical octopus" and had corresponding tactics to deal with it.

Otherwise, they would definitely not be so decisive.

But Su Lun only had six finished octopuses in hand, naturally, he would not just watch as his hard-made mechanical octopuses were killed.

And since he had chosen to take action, he also had his own set of tactics in place.

In his hand was another cursed artifact highly compatible with mechanical speech—the "Xiupunos' Night Scythe"!

The octopus had many tentacles, with its most important battle capability being "control." Some tentacles controlled the target while others were attached to the ship's hull, rendering the mechanical warriors practically immobilized.

And the Night Scythe's favorite targets were those that were stationary!

Hidden behind the wreck of a distant ship, Su Lun watched as the octopus seized control of the targets and decisively raised the dark scythe, "swish" "swish" "swish"... six slashes in a second.

Previously, when he controlled the living dead, the best one could barely make three to five slashes before collapsing.

But now that he had reached the understanding required to utilize the Death rule, such slash attacks were completely free of any curse backlash, ready at hand.

With six sharp slashes, six spatial rifts appeared not far away.

Even a fifth or sixth-tier professional would find it difficult to break through the "Lieutenant Colonel" and "Colonel" level mechanical armor, which were instantly severed at the neck.

Then four of them triggered their self-destruct mechanism and exploded into a burst of flames.

Su Lun felt a twinge of pain as he watched, thinking to himself, "It's a pity they blew up..."

Each piece of Mafa officer-level armor had a unique self-destruct device. It wasn't located in the same position; any external damage triggered an immediate self-destruction.

The two that didn't explode were probably because their triggers were not on the neck.

Su Lun watched his "spoils of war" get destroyed, and although pained, he was not idle.

Since he was controlling all the mechanical octopuses alone, there was no issue of coordination whatsoever.

After he killed the six Mafa soldiers, without any gap, the mechanical octopuses detached and swiftly reattached to another six.

Then it was the same tactic again: adhering, controlling, the Night Scythe slashing swiftly.

Using this method, Su Lun had killed all the mecha warriors, over ten of them, who had emerged from the hangar in an extremely short amount of time.

The rhythm of this battle was almost exactly as he had previously rehearsed.

But Su Lun was not the least bit complacent; he watched the mechanical submarine that was about to be cut open with a grave expression.

Because... he knew the most troublesome opponent was about to come out!

...

In the past few days, Su Lun had also gathered some intelligence: the highest commander aboard a Mafa Empire standard submarine typically held the rank of "Commodore."

That also meant the equipment was of a "Commodore-class" Mecha, roughly equivalent to the combat power of a fifth-tier professional.

And "Commodore-class" was a watershed for Mafa military Mecha.

Below this specification, the attacks were almost all "physical attacks," which Su Lun could easily deal with;

But the Mecha above it possessed some truly magical abilities. For example, "Brigadier-class" Mecha, even in top-tier professional combat, performed very strongly.

Given the special identity of the "Princess of Frost Moon," Su Lun dared not be certain about the military rank of the submarine captain in her protector team but guessed it was highly likely to be "high-spec."

As expected.

It was after Su Lun had killed more than ten men emerging from storage in two or three encounters that the people in the cabin also came to their senses and immediately more than ten Mecha warriors charged out.

This time, a formidable enemy came!

The leader, clad in fiery red mechanical armor, was instantly recognized by Su Lun for his rank, as well as the model marked on his armor — "Brigadier-class Demon Blade X1 Mecha!"

"So it's 'Brigadier-class' after all!"

Su Lun's gaze turned icy.

Meaning, this guy had at least the combat power of a regular sixth-tier professional!

The moment this guy appeared, he drew a mechanical sword from his hand, flowing with magma.

The name displayed by the identification was "Magical Energy Magma Python Knife"!

Before Su Lun could think further, he watched the man raise his hand and slash down with the knife.

A miraculous scene unfolded, the crimson sword didn't slash down but softened like a whip, lashing toward a mechanical octopus not far away!

"A whip?"

Su Lun watched, his face suddenly pale.

With a "whoosh" of air breaking, before he could have the mechanical octopus dodge, the crimson whip struck the octopus.

It was like metal meeting strong acid, Su Lun watched as the whip rapidly corroded the enchanted plating on the octopus's mechanical tentacles, then swiftly ate away at the runes.

After a brief struggle, Su Lun could no longer feel the nerve signals from that part of the octopus's limb.

This one strike had directly "crippled" a mechanical octopus.

"So powerful."

Su Lun watched, his eyelids twitching.

He only had six octopuses; how could they withstand such treatment?

At this encounter, he controlled the remaining five octopuses to jump into the water, not daring to linger for battle.

Almost at the same time, Su Lun watched as that "Brigadier" turned his gaze toward him.

Clearly, this guy had just seen Su Lun use his black scythe to kill his subordinates on the ship!

Su Lun felt a tingle on his scalp as he was stared at.

However... it wouldn't be easy for this guy to kill him.

Su Lun wanted to find a chance to avoid him first.

But just then, from the distant sea surface, a series of "pop", "pop", "pop" came as air burst.

Glancing sideways, a teleporting swordsman running wildly from the sea surface with wind and thunder approached.

Behind her, a raging sea of thunder surged, as the six-armed Rakshasa shadow's three thunder drums activated a sky full of thunder, extravagantly exaggerated to the extreme.

If not Lei, then who could it be?