Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun had admitted that he had somewhat underestimated the strength of this "Curator" Heideman before.

He had thought that if the Giant Hermit Society were to come to kill him, they would either send a group of people or a seventh-tier professional.

But now, looking at these dozens of terrifying wax figures with different forms, Su Lun realized that this woman alone was equivalent to dozens of sixth-tiers!

Moreover, given the current situation, not only did he find it troublesome, but even a seventh-tier who came here to the "House of Horrors" would probably end up lying down.

Su Lun was stared at by thirty-six wax figures; they looked at him as if seeing their future "companion."

This feeling of being stared at by the dead was very unpleasant.

The pressure was even greater than any battle he had faced before.

Su Lun always felt that the aura of death in this wax museum seemed to have an invisible pressure on him.

This was getting interesting.

To talk of other suppressions was plausible, but death laws, having a higher comprehension level than his own?

Clearly, the source of this law's pressure wasn't the Heideman in front of him.

But in this space… there was a high-level treasure!

...

While startled by the enemy's wax figure collection, Su Lun didn't stay idle; he drew out his black scythe and charged fiercely at that Heideman.

He planned to test the waters first.

As he charged, he also pulled out a space scroll with one hand.

After it burst open, not only gargoyles guarded him, but also dozens of combat mechas and puppets appeared.

Leading them was the [Major General-level Magic Blade X1 Type Mechanical Battle Armor] wielding a flame whip, followed by various [Colonel-level] and [Lieutenant Colonel-level] officer armors developed recently.

The number of these mechanical armors was already quite substantial, at least enough to form a small-scale legion battle formation.

The enemy's elemental puppets were indeed very tricky; they possessed the abilities of the corpses they used to be, so their combat power would definitely be exaggerated.

But fortunately, Mafa's mechanical armors were defensively oriented, which was just the right counter to various elemental spells.

If it really came to a head-on clash, Su Lun wasn't necessarily going to lose.

Seeing the mechanical puppet legion appear, that Heideman's expression slightly changed. This woman apparently hadn't expected Su Lun to have so many advanced armors at his disposal.

But she seemed to figure out a bit of the mechanics, murmuring lightly, "So it's mechanical armors controlled by the Corpse Control Technique…"

...

Su Lun charged fiercely.

The dozens of combat mechas formed a wedge formation resembling a pig's snout around him. This was the charge formation of the gold-armored knights he had stripped previously, and it worked very well with mechanical armors too.

Before the two sides made contact, the dozen mechanical armors simultaneously raised their mechanical arms equipped with various guns and cannons.

Upon triggering the device, the firearms collectively breathed out tongues of flame.

In an instant, a series of thunderous explosions echoed throughout the wax museum space, "boom boom boom," "crackle and pop," "tat-tat-tat" merging into a chorus.

If poor, opt for precision shooting; if rich, go for firepower coverage.

The tactics of mechanical armors were usually simple and brute: no matter what mysterious techniques you have, I will break through with a blanket of firepower.

Facing a formidable enemy, Su Lun wasn't stingy with ammunition.

Various alchemy bullets poured out, forming the first wave of a firepower net, covering the crowd of alchemy wax figures on the opposite side.

Heideman watched the fireworks-like burst of gunfire, a slight sneer flickering in her eyes.

In the realm of low-rank professionals, the advantage of mechanical battle armor was indeed significant.

But in the realm of high-rank professionals...it was much less impressive!

As the alchemy bullet charged straight ahead, that ancient ochre-colored corpse statue raised one hand and the phantom of "Mountain Servant - Will of Uraya" shielded the group of statues.

The alchemy bullet struck the phantom and it was as if it had hit a wall of extremely dense soil,

a series of sounds like rain hitting banana leaves rang out, and those bullets all "floated" in the air. But upon closer inspection, they were embedded in the earthen wall.

Su Lun's gaze slightly narrowed when he saw this.

Although it was his first time seeing this secret technique, he wasn't too surprised.

The "Four Servants' Secret Technique," known as the strongest elemental spell, when fully mastered, would condense into "Uria's Phantom." Moreover, it was used by a statue with the strongest defensive talent of [A-002-Earth Shaker] when it was alive. It was expected to have such might.

Su Lun tested its strength with a swing of his black scythe.

Not surprisingly, a normal attack that slashed a spatial rift only managed to create a small crack on the enormous Mountain Servant phantom, which was healed by the elements in a blink.

With such nearly Absolute Defense statues, sixth-rank professionals wouldn't even think about breaking through the defense.

If a seventh-rank came, it would still depend on their methods.

Su Lun felt that he probably didn't have many means to breach the defense, but he also didn't want to use the "Thirty-Six Barreled Storm Hammer" again.

Having used it once before had directly caused a financial loss of over a billion, a pain he had yet to recover from.

He definitely wouldn't make this losing deal unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, when he had used it on the Golden Heavy Armor Knights, he had at least harvested a lot of experience in return. But these statues, being necromantic in nature, even if he could destroy them, it likely wouldn't offset any financial loss.

Furthermore, Su Lun had never planned on engaging with these statues in an extended battle.

Seizing the moment of chaos during the mechanical army's charge, he repeated his old trick.

With a flash of light and shadow, Su Lun teleported into the midst of that group of statues, right behind Heidman.

Without any hesitation, his imposing black scythe slashed down.

He was eager to understand why, after being hammered for so long by the gargoyle, this "Curator" Heidman hadn't sustained any injuries.

Without understanding this, he knew he had no chance of victory!

...

This slashing attack was faster and more forceful than the previous probing attack, but it encountered more significant resistance.

The water elemental shield this time was even stronger than before, actually causing the sharp black scythe to stick in the glue-like water element. Even with the added force, it was very difficult to slash through.

The statue identified as [Terrifying Likeness - Golden River God] had elemental laws significantly higher than the previous [Ghost Bride].

Although Heidman hadn't had the time to turn around, the smirk lifting at the corner of his mouth seemed to say: Is that all?

Su Lun saw his black scythe obstructed, his expression turning stern.

Suddenly, with a magician-like flick of his other hand, a sinister red-glowing dagger appeared in his reverse grasp.

The Rodríguez family having this [Siegfried's Dragon Slayer Dagger] was still top secret; to date, very few living people knew of it.

Heidman obviously sensed the danger, but it was too late to dodge.

Su Lun slashed down, the Crimson Dagger slicing smoothly into the water elemental magic shield. Then, the blade easily cut through Heidman's protective armor, directly making a long, potentially fatal gash.

"It's broken!"

Su Lun was elated inside.

He completed this slash in a flash, but at the same time, his surroundings suddenly stiffened, as violent Wind Blades only then swept across.

Faced with the joint attack by the terrifying earthen and wind statues, he dared not be careless, but he also thought of forcibly slicing this woman in two with one breath.

Just then, a crow on his shoulder cawed softly, and Su Jun immediately became alert.

Is there danger?

Hydeman's waist had been sliced open by the Dragon Slayer Dagger, yet a mocking smile still played on her lips as if nothing had happened. Suddenly, a black long stick appeared in her hand, which she swung at someone behind her.

Su Lun, seeing the calmness in the woman's eyes, instantly realized, "Wrong! Is this woman deliberately waiting for me to ambush?"

He had already made two consecutive strikes. While Su Lun's body was still in the inertia of the slashing, the black stick cleaved down, striking the handle of the black scythe used for blocking.

This reaction perfectly blocked the enemy's attack,

but at that moment of contact, Su Lun's expression drastically changed.

A bizarre shock transmitted from the black scythe, bypassing physical defenses and making him feel as if his soul had been struck with a muffled bludgeon.

This mysterious force almost made his whole soul depart his body!

It was during this "stunned" moment that several terrifying wax figures had closed in on him.

Without even a fraction of a second to react, Su Lun's body was immediately cut into fragments.

With a "bang," a dazed and disassembled Rune Doll fell to the ground, its proxy puppet dying on the spot.

...

Tens of meters away, Su Lun reappeared after instantly teleporting.

His gaze fixed on Hydeman, who held the black stick yet remained unharmed, showing an unprecedented seriousness.

Hydeman, confident about her recent combination of moves, and seeing Su Lun hit by the black stick yet escaping, was also incredibly surprised, "Huh... your soul is that strong?"

Hearing this, Su Lun's left eye flashed, and he inwardly exclaimed, "There's something odd about this stick!"

That instant was indeed extremely perilous.

If it wasn't for his soul being far stronger than anyone else's, that stick could have caused him serious trouble!

Being "soul shocked" for even an instant would have been enough for most sixth-tier professionals to lose their lives.

Upon identification, that stick indeed had major issues.

[A mysterious umbrella handle]

Quality: Dark Gold

Description: Fancy tasting perpetual enslavement of your soul?

Curse properties: Holding this item significantly bolsters soul-related spells, enhances necromancy affinity; using the stick on a living target can shock their soul, causing targeted souls in a stunned state to depart from the body; with thirty-six sharp-as-needle umbrella spines, it can pierce souls and enslave spiritual bodies not stronger than its own; prolonged use or lack of mastery in specific Death Laws results in curse backlash, forever tortured by the whispers of vengeful spirits, mental distortion;

Detailed Explanation: This is a fragment of legendary cursed items, missing its umbrella surface, only the umbrella spines remain. Forged from the bones of a nightmare beast, it possesses strong soul-corroding properties; it represents nightmares, corruption, torment, pain...

.....

"Just as I thought!"

After the identification, Su Lun finally understood why the runes on the black stick looked somewhat familiar.

He hadn't expected that this stick in the woman's hand was actually the handle part of his own Rune Umbrella.

Moreover, looking at the properties identified, Su Lun also knew that Hydeman had controlled the thirty-six giant wax figures with this stick.

"The umbrella surface nurtures evil spirits, the umbrella spine controls souls, the umbrella handle can cast out souls... Tsk, this cursed item really is perfectly suited for necromancers!"

Su Lun remarked to himself.

Such a treasure!

But before he could ponder further, seeing Hydeman's wounds completely healed, he already had a suspicion: "The damage must have been transferred by a secret technique... but transferred to where?"

Seeing this, how could he not understand? The situation he was facing was nearly identical to what he had encountered back in the "1911 Hotel."

It wasn't that the opponent was invulnerable,

rather, she redirected the damage elsewhere.

Was the redirected vessel some of the thirty-six wax figures?

Su Lun had a limited understanding of this spell.

He estimated that it would take him a considerable amount of time to find a flaw.

But clearly, the enemy wasn't going to give him that opportunity to search at leisure.

This was a treasure, intellect, and strength, none weaker than his own enemy. Su Lun no longer underestimated her.

Heidman guessed his current predicament but couldn't help bickering at the end, "Lord 'Death,' if you have no other means, you might die here today. Being able to make my wax museum's top collection, a Seventh Order professional is nothing special, you should be proud of yourself."

"Is that so?"

Su Lun shook his head upon hearing this and didn't want to waste anymore time.

He clenched his hands into sorcerer's seals and instantly cast a spell.

Upon seeing this initiation, Heidman questioned, "Necromancy?"

Clearly, it was not.

After a black hole appeared in Su Lun's hand, a person wearing a Gold-Patterned Cloak materialized out of thin air.

Naturally, it was Mr. Hei.

Originally not wanting to bother others, but now at the enemy's home field, Su Lun indeed wasn't sure he could win.

It was safer to summon help.

Su Lun spread his hands and said, "Mr. Hei, the situation is just as I described to you earlier, plus what you see now. This woman's methods are quite sinister; I need your help."

"Hmm."

Mr. Hei listened and nodded, his gaze falling on the distant woman.

Just now in the little void realm, Su Lun had already exchanged a real-time battle report, and everything was pretty clear.

Heidman glanced at Mr. Hei, who had suddenly appeared, seemingly using some method to confirm that he was not a Seventh Order professional. There was no trace of apprehension on her face, and she even took the initiative to say, "Oh, another one here to die?"

In her view, within her own wax museum, one Sixth Order and ten Sixth Orders made no difference.

While speaking, she muttered the necrotic spell for controlling the wax figures, seemingly ready to attack.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Hei suddenly spoke up, unable to restrain his admiration, "Such exquisite wax figures, your Necromancy skills are truly not low. Oh...are you muttering a necrotic spell?"

His tone was relaxed, as if earnestly asking for advice.

Pausing a moment, he seemed to have realized something and then said with sudden clarity, "So it's the second solution of 'C-022-Speaker of the Dead' talent, which indeed matches your 'Grave Digger' profession well."

Su Lun's eyes lit up upon hearing Mr. Hei's words.

He knew that the real show had started.

Mr. Hei's 'Mind Reading Technique' talent was not strong in combat, but it was definitely an ability that could greatly annoy the enemy.

What's more interesting was that in some ways, all three of them could be called the invincibles of their respective fields at their level.

Now in this situation, it was time to see who was truly invincible below the seventh rank.

...

Heidman frowned upon hearing this, how did this man know her talent ability?

Although the 'Speaker of the Dead' talent was C-level, it was extremely rare.

Especially the second solution, not another person might be found in all of Ruying.

She had never revealed this talent in front of others before. How could this person reveal it in a single sentence?

Yet, what shocked her even more was what followed.

Mr. Hei carefully examined the thirty-six wax figures and then exclaimed, "'Damage Transference' and 'Quadruple Elements Necromancy,' these are high-level necromantic spells. If I'm not mistaken, you should possess a fragmented scroll of the 'Corpse Ghost Resurrection,' a necromantic secret technique from the Yaksas' dark civilization related to the undead faction? Tsk tsk, truly rare. Not to mention that learning this secret technique is exceedingly difficult, the whole of Ruying, those who have heard about this spellcasting style, probably can be counted on one hand..."

"..."

Listening to that, Heidman's eyes involuntarily twitched.

Indeed, what this fellow said was on point. This was a necromantic spell that outsiders should have never heard of.

But does that count of 'one hand' happen to include you, sir?

She was becoming curious about who this person was.

One who knew these secrets must certainly be well-learned.

But among the experts of Ruying she knew, there was no such person: "Who are you, sir?"

Mr. Hei did not respond to her directly and continued, "The spell you're using is powerful indeed, but its weaknesses are also quite apparent. A necromancer trying to use this kind of spell to transfer damage inevitably needs to sacrifice his own essence blood and soul elsewhere in exchange for the power of immortality. Let me guess, where would you place such a crucial altar?"

"You...!"

Hearing this, Heidman tried her best to suppress the shock in her heart, but she couldn't escape the observant gaze of those wise eyes.

Speaking of which, Mr. Hei kept questioning.

"In the mansion behind?"

"Oh, it's not there. Just another illusion you set up?"

"East, west, south, north, which direction?"

"East, huh?"

"Very far?"

"Not far!"

"..."

It sounded like a dialogue between two people, but in fact, the whole time it was Mr. Hei muttering to himself, asking and answering his own questions.

The questioner was him, and the respondent was also him!

Mr. Hei, speaking for the other party, had figured out all the questions the other wanted to ask.

In just a few questions, he already pinpointed critical information: near the east, there was an altar!

Su Lun watched this scene, marveling at how splendid it was.

The old man's mind reading technique was getting smoother and smoother.

Mr. Hei used his extensive knowledge to instantly reveal the foundation of the necromancer and also discern the flaw that Su Lun hadn't found before.

From afar, Heidman dared not delay any further.

Her intent had been to kill this outsider before flaunting her collection. But she hadn't anticipated that upon their first encounter, her deepest secrets were nearly revealed down to the color of her undergarments.

Was it "mind reading" then?

If she was interrogated any further, she feared that all her secrets would be laid bare!

Hmph!

What if he discovered it?

It's just a profession that boasts verbal prowess. Once killed, that's the end of it!

She waved the dark staff in her hand, and thirty-six wax figures attacked simultaneously.

...

Seeing his opponent frantically attempting to start a fight, Mr. Hei shook his head slightly, showing no signs of panic at all.

While forming sorcerer's seals, he calmly asked Su Lun, "Can you hold them back for a moment? I still need to verify some details before I can break the game."

Su Lun shrugged. "For a while, I should be fine. What about you?"

He had teleportation, black crows, and an army of puppets. Even if he couldn't overpower them, he wouldn't be killed any time soon.

Mr. Hei's tone showed no change as he calmly said, "Don't worry about me. While I may not be the best at outright battle, I know a few basic spells."

"..."

Listening to these familiar words, Su Lun rolled his eyes.

The old man was fine in everything else, but he was too modest, which made him seem pretentious.

Strangers who didn't know him might think he was truly weak, hence his modesty.

But Su Lun knew very well; this old man was incredibly strong!

"Alright then."

Su Lun was also somewhat curious. It had been a long time since he had seen Mr. Hei take action, and he wondered just how strong he had become now.

As they chatted, Mr. Hei's sorcerer's seals were already formed, and he softly chanted, "Mind Alchemy · Divine Illumination!"

In the dimly lit terrifying wax museum, an anomaly abruptly occurred.

Looking up again, the sky above Su Lun not only had a crucifix but also eerily gained several eyes.

Those emotionless gazes descended from the heavens.

All secrets were now nowhere to hide.

Looking again, Mr. Hei's demeanor suddenly changed, becoming like a detached sage overseeing everything.

Seeing this familiar spell, Su Lun was not at all worried about the old man anymore.

At the same time, he sensed something approaching from behind and teleported away from his original position.

Almost at the same moment, with a loud "boom," Su Lun watched his previous standing spot seem as if it were crushed by some invisible force, creating a massive crater.

Since Mr. Hei was confident, Su Lun didn't hold back and prepared for an all-out battle.

He pulled out several spatial scrolls and upon doing so, hundreds of puppets appeared in the space with a rustling sound.

Puppets against wax figures,

Terror against terror.

"Curator," these wax figures are indeed of high quality, then let me use number to contain them for a while.

If you want to kill puppets, you'll have to make a move, right?

Kill one hundred, and a thousand more will remain.

Now, with the Rune Puppet assembly line in the War Workshop, Su Lun's efficiency in producing low-level puppets had increased exponentially.

Losing some in battle did not distress him at all.

Leading with the mechanical army and followed by hundreds in the puppet battalion, a vast swath charged towards the wax figure corps.

While Su Lun controlled the battle, he glanced back at Mr. Hei.

And immediately was taken aback.

Because with that look, he coincidentally saw the old man, standing in place, catching a descending fire dragon with his bare hands!

...

The queen which had been transformed into a wax figure, "Dragon Maiden" Flora, had a fiery Emperor's phantom rise from her body, raising her hand to cast a top-tier, sixth-order fire spell.

The lethal heat, even from a great distance, felt overwhelmingly intense to Su Lun.

Yet, facing this fire dragon spell that could easily melt steel into molten iron, Mr. Hei appeared utterly composed.

He started by casually stomping his foot, and the ground beneath rippled like water, easily breaking free from the control of the earth element's force field.

Then his hands rapidly shifted through sorcerer's seals, and he conjured a dark, octagram alchemy array in his palms.

Su Lun watched as the fierce fire dragon approached, its ferociousness seeming to incinerate everything.

However, an unbelievable scene occurred.

Mr. Hei casually raised his hand to catch, and he actually captured the elemental fire dragon with his bare hands!

Catching a sixth-order arcane spell with bare hands?

Su Lun's eyelids twitched in shock.

He himself was protected by a "Rune Vajra," which should allow him to withstand the spell head-on.

But withstanding and catching were entirely different matters.

The skill and difficulty contained in this old man's move were immense!

Yet, it wasn't over!

Mr. Hei, having captured the fire dragon, only held it momentarily before he suddenly pushed it in another direction.

The fire dragon changed course and rushed toward the wax figure that had summoned the "Rain Samurai Teardemon Witch," who couldn't avoid it and was struck by her companion's magic.

When the water and fire elements collided, steam instantly filled the air, and the whole space became lively.

Sizzling sounds resonated next to his ears.

...

"Elemental theft and spell reversal? Damn, how deeply has the old man researched this spell?!"

From a distance, Su Lun realized the artistry in Mr. Hei's technique of using his enemy's force against them and was instantly amazed.

Both of these countermeasures required immense understanding.

Su Lun felt that if he were to attempt such a move now, at best, he could handle a fourth-order spell.

But Mr. Hei easily caught a sixth-order arcane spell?

That casual demeanor was not the self-modest speech of 'understanding some simple spells,' but a constant aura of effortless superiority: at this level, I am invincible, do as you please.

Moreover, the brilliance of this spell was that 99% of the elements were not even conjured by Mr. Hei himself, but were used against the attacker!

With the energy of a flick, he dealt tons of damage.

Seeing this, Su Lun understood where Mr. Hei's confidence came from.

This old man's understanding of elemental magic had reached an unbelievable level for an ordinary rank-six professional.

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I almost forgot!

This old man was the disciple of my own senior sister!

Upon this realization, Su Lun also came to an understanding.

Only someone like Mr. Jing, who had seen the pinnacle, could train a disciple with such an "overranking understanding" of alchemy.

Moreover, the spirits sealed in the wax figures were not highly intelligent; they only knew fighting and killing, which are less complex than human thoughts.

For Mr. Hei's "Mind Reading Technique," such simplistic intentions were effortlessly predictable.

If he could predict and catch spells, what danger was left?

Su Lun also felt that this drastic change of situation was somewhat abrupt.

What was supposed to be a "Terrifying Wax Museum" capable of killing a seventh-order professional, suddenly lost its lethal threat?

....

Witnessing this, the "Curator" Heidman, who was controlling the wax figures, looked utterly shocked.

Only she understood that in that brief encounter, the individual in the Gold-Patterned Cloak had not broken two, but four sixth-order spells!

His casual resolution of the crisis hinted at a terrifying level of rule understanding.

If it hadn't been for the absence of a domain, she would have thought him to be a seventh-order professional.

"Damn it, when did Lington have such a powerful individual?!"

In the midst of her shock, Heidman was also deeply puzzled.

Those eyes in the sky, making her feel very uneasy, as if all her secrets were being unveiled.

If things dragged on, it would inevitably lead to serious problems.

Heidman wanted to summon more wax figures to annihilate this cloak-wearing individual, but another guy didn't give her the chance.

This detestable person brought out hundreds of puppets again!

The puppet army she had previously scorned now brought her tremendous trouble.

Although her wax figure army was several levels stronger than the opposing puppet army, as the battle continued, she realized a problem.

After several mass charges, the wax figure army crushed the puppets with overwhelming force, leaving the ground littered with rune puppet limbs and parts.

But...

After being smashed by hundreds, he took out hundreds more!

After hundreds,

came hundreds more,

endlessly!

This guy was clearly determined to clash head-on using a battle of attrition!

When the first wax figure was smashed, Heidman felt the pain.

The four elements of wax were not afraid of mechanical armor, but most of her thirty-six treasures did not possess elemental abilities.

Once those broken pieces of wood were gone, they were gone,

but permanent damage to her treasures was a permanent loss!

These were all corpses of various powerful individuals, which she had hardly collected over many years.

To expend them on low-level puppets, infuriated Heidman greatly, yet she was helpless.</p