Mechanical Alchemist

"Toad" Boen led a few subordinates to the dock and looked at the all-too-familiar "Blood Shark," his expression extremely grim.

The news that not a single person on board was left alive had already spread throughout most of Blizzard City, and as the captain, Boen was naturally furious.

But instinct told him there was something odd about the situation. He restrained himself from boarding the ship to investigate personally and sent a subordinate instead, blending into the crowd that had gathered to watch what was happening and to enter the cabin for inspection. He and a few subordinates mixed in an inconspicuous corner and started talking.

"Could it be that we encountered bounty hunters?"

"That doesn't make sense, bounty hunters are only interested in pirates with bounties, I've never heard of anyone committing such acts of silencing. Could it be one of our enemies?"

"Captain Boone, could it be a ghost incident?"

"..."

As Boen listened to his subordinates' speculation, his face was stern.

Soon, the pirate who had gone aboard to check the situation came down quietly, his face very grim, and he reported softly to Boen, "Captain, the hold is full of severed limbs, all the brothers are dead..."

Upon hearing this, Boen immediately seized upon the useful information in the report, "You mean... the bodies are concentrated in the hold?"

The man nodded, "Yes."

Boen's eyes flickered with thought, and he immediately asked, "Is the person in Cell Number 2 of the hold still there?"

The man recalled carefully and suddenly remembered, responding, "It seems... I didn't see them."

Since they were locked with magic-restraining chains, if dead, the body should have been there.

But clearly, he didn't remember seeing it, and the magic-restraining chains were broken, yet no body was seen.

Hearing this, the people beside him also guessed what their own captain was suspecting.

Someone asked, "Captain, you don't suspect that guy did it? But, isn't he just a second-tier professional?"

"We can't be careless."

Boen shook his head without elaborating further and asked again, "Are there any other clues? Can the traces of the battle tell us who might be responsible?"

Some great bounty hunters all have their own distinctive abilities that are highly recognizable.

The man replied, "The battle traces at the bottom of the ship are very fierce, looking very chaotic. Mostly traces of cuts from swords."

Boen felt somewhat relieved hearing this. "If it was a melee, then the person who acted was probably not a fifth-tier professional..."

This would rule out a lot of troublesome big shots.

He thought for a moment and then analyzed, "Previously, the two rings we took from that guy were appraised in the black market as high-grade alchemical items. That guy's background might not be simple. Seeing this situation now, I guess... probably an accomplice used some method to locate his position and went to rescue him."

Hearing this, a sidekick also regretfully said, "Damn it, had we known, we should have just killed the guy and thrown him into the sea!"

At this point, Boen no longer dwelled on what couldn't be changed.

He pondered for a moment, a hint of ruthlessness appearing on his face as he said, "Now that the ship has come here, that person must also be in Blizzard City. Maybe he's hiding in some corner watching us right now."

Upon hearing this, the sidekick looked a bit uneasy, "Captain, what shall we do?"

Boen snorted coldly, "Don't worry, no one dares to start a fight in the city. Besides, if he's only a fourth-tier, it's still uncertain who would kill whom."

Since he wasn't a fifth-tier, he also felt somewhat confident.

After a pause, Boen's face showed a trace of ferocity, and he added, "We can't just wait around either. Inform the 'smuggling gang' guys to find this person first and see who he is. Humph! Even if a 'legendary bounty hunter' comes here, he must lie low. Whoever killed our Red Shark crew, I won't let them off!"

Sidekick: "Yes, Captain."

...

"Quite vigilant, huh."

Su Lun watched from a distance as Boen and his men didn't board the ship, but instead hid in the crowd, and he guessed that the other party might have already sensed his covert surveillance.

It was better to act sooner rather than later, Su Lun didn't plan to give them a chance to get reinforcements. But he also needed to wait for a moment when there were fewer people.

Su Lun watched as the group didn't linger at the docks and headed toward the town, so he followed them.

There were a total of five people, and besides Boen being a fourth-tier, the others were third-tier professionals.

Su Lun had taken the opportunity at the dock to test their abilities and was now certain that the newly awakened "Soul Perception" could distinguish the tier of professionals based on the strength of their souls.

With the exception of a few specialists like those with spiritual power, the majority of people had stronger soul fires corresponding to stronger abilities.

Moreover, another advantage was that this method of sensing souls wasn't noticeable like using one's eyes.

As he followed them, he went undetected.

The port was bustling, and Su Lun didn't find the right opportunity to strike.

Of course, he knew that it was forbidden to fight in the town.

The lord of Blizzard City, "Big Bear" Alonso, was very strong. It was said that he had the backing of a truly big shot, which afforded him significant influence, respected by both lawful and criminal elements alike.

Fighting was prohibited in the town, and even the most audacious pirates wouldn't dare to start a fight.

If caught, one would be stripped of their clothes, bound to a stake, and left to endure the cutting blizzards for several days.

Such a "wind punishment" was famous, and if not deadly, it made one infamous.

Being a city of adventurers, the buildings in the town weren't tall.

Red domes were covered with thick layers of snow, nearly every cottage's chimney spouting smoke.

The blizzard was fierce, howling, with the cold snow biting into the skin painfully like knife cuts.

Boen and his subordinates, being pirates, had a strong sense of counter-surveillance. They had not taken the main street after entering the town but had suddenly veered into a small alley.

Thus, if someone were following them, they could easily spot it.

Unluckily for them, this was exactly what Su Lun had intended.

He sensed the location of their soul fires, smirked coldly, and followed them into the alley.

....

He had not gone far into the alley when Su Lun immediately sensed several hostile gazes fixing on him.

Boen and his pirates emerged from around the corner, brandishing their weapons.

One of them called out, "Hey! What wind blew you here, and what flag are you flying?"

This was pirate lingo, asking about his origins and which pirate group he belonged to.

Su Lun didn't pay any mind to these guys, his face hidden under a clown mask, still sporting a brilliant smile.

He directly took out a chessboard.

As the pirates were still unresponsive, a beam of light from the chessboard had already hit "Toxic Frog" Boen.

Then, under the dumbstruck expressions of his subordinates, both men disappeared.

....

Boen had not expected that the man following them would act without exchanging any words.

He was even more surprised to find himself pulled into a separate space.

Looking at the black and white tiled floor beneath his feet, he guessed it was a very rare spatial artifact, and not of low grade.

Upon entering, Su Lun quickly made a few magician seals and behind him appeared the octopus-like spears, his body emanating a cold blue flame. Above him, a huge cross appeared in the sky with threads hanging down.

Facing a fourth-tier professional, he dared not take things lightly and pulled out two more sealing scrolls, calling out softly, "Release!"

Upon a second glance, numerous puppets and a mechanical suit of armor had already appeared before him.

As a high-rank professional, Boen's reaction wasn't slow.

The instant the beam hit him, his face transformed into a bump-covered, green-skinned frog visage, his thigh muscles swelling so much they tore through his trousers, visibly harnessing a surge of explosive power. His limbs morphed into webbed shapes as he sprawled on the ground, ready for a powerful attack.

This was a Talent for Beast Transformation Series [D-055-Frog], not a very strong talent.

But fortunately, it was highly functional, especially in the sea.

"Puppet Master?"

Upon seeing Su Lun take action, Boone guessed his profession.

The cross-shaped formation in the sky, although never seen before, took at least a Mystique-level secret technique given its complex pattern.

Moreover, upon seeing the cold flames and the mechanical armor, he immediately wondered, "Mechanical combat armor from the Mafa Empire, the royal family of Luying's secret technique 'Wu Shi'... Who is this guy exactly!"

Without a doubt, with so many treasures and secret techniques, his background had to be incredibly significant!

Feeling cautious, he asked, "Are you from the royal family of Luying?"

Su Lun didn't respond to him but asked coldly, "Where is my ring?"

Boone's eyes shifted, a sly look passing through. He didn't play dumb, saying, "If you came for those two rings, we could have a good talk..."

Both were speaking, yet neither stopped moving their hands.

Su Lun's hands were still forming the sorcerer's seals.

Boone, in the form of the green toad, also gathered a thick water elemental magic shield around himself.

Just as he was speaking,

Suddenly!

A crimson "whip" shot out of the toad's mouth, moving so fast that it was nearly impossible for the eye to catch.

Boone chose to launch a surprise attack!

He had already seen that although the man with the clown mask had many treasures, his own strength wasn't strong. The lack of an "Elemental Barrier" meant he definitely wasn't fourth order!

He was a pirate, daring to kill no matter what the identity.

Asking was just a way to lower the guard.

He had used this tactic before to kill those naïve nobles who relied too much on their abundant treasures and advanced cultivation techniques.

Hehe, mere lambs!

...

Su Lun, seeing the other suddenly make a move, showed not the slightest surprise but a hint of a cold smile appeared in his eyes.

Negotiation?

No.

He also wanted to kill this man.

The moment Su Lun saw this pirate leader, even under the restraint of the clown mask, an innate desire to kill stirred within him.

This man, deserved to die!

In that instant of lightning-fast decision, the crimson tongue, carrying a corrosive stench, moved as fast as a bullet, piercing through the puppet and striking Su Lun heavily.

With a "snap", a sound as if a whip hit wood erupted.

Su Lun was instantly shredded into pieces, and wood splinters exploded everywhere.

This wasn't his real body; it was evidently a trick of puppetry!

Upon seeing this, Boone's eyes narrowed, "A substitute? Tsk tsk, some tricks indeed, no wonder he dared to make a move..."

He couldn't believe that his once infallible tongue attack had been dodged.

But, this wasn't the end!

It was the moment when the electro-darts shot back, Su Lun's legs suddenly ballooned, and with a thrust of his feet against the ground, a visible air wave exploded right beneath him.

With a loud "pop," the explosive force propelled Captain Boon's body forward like a cannonball right in front of Su Lun.

However, at this collision, Su Lun's body dispersed once again.

This time it was just an illusion.

Captain Boon was shocked again, "Huh?"

...

The teleportation speed of [Frog]'s natural ability was indeed not to be underestimated, but it also had a very obvious shortcoming, just like mechanical puppets, it was only capable of straight-line charges. The teleportation had no ability to change direction or move backward!

This type of linear collision trajectory and the indications of force applied were very obvious, although fleeting, but Su Lun's All-knowing Eye captured it all clearly.

[Flash] The distance of the Flash technique was short, but it was more than adequate for avoiding such attacks.

Boon charged head-first and hit the edge of the chessboard space, blocked by an invisible barrier.

Meanwhile, Su Lun had successfully condensed his technique.

He stretched out his hands into the void, pulled hard, and whispered in his heart, "Silk Control Secret Art: Flower Waterfall!"

He predicted the landing spot of Boon's charge, just as the toad's legs were trying to kick off the wall for another charge, the invisible threads around him suddenly condensed into substance, densely woven into a net that securely trapped him within the cascade of silk.

However, before Su Lun could follow up with other attacking techniques, a wave of yellow-green acidic fluid instantly corroded the net of threads.

The toad broke free from the net and charged out again.

In his rapid movement, the ugly face full of bumps even flaunted a thickly mocking expression, as if to say: You think you can trap me with this?

Every technique has an interval between uses, he did not believe that the kind of spatial technique that allowed for instant displacement could be used without limit.

His frog leap propulsion had absolutely no interval!

....

With the enemy breaking free, Su Lun did not seem surprised at all.

He raised his eyebrows and merely murmured, "The strength of the threads is too weak, controlling a high-level professional like that is still too forced. It seems I need to refine some special rule-based threads in the future..."

He stood there, this time without any movement, just coldly watching the toad man charging towards him.

Just when he was about to be smashed to pieces, Captain Boon, as if he had seen something horrifying, suddenly changed his expression.

He suddenly turned over, stepping on the air with his flippers, performing a move that resembled "Stepping on Air" to forcibly turn around in mid-air.

But even so, due to his high speed, one of his feet still touched the pale blue threads in front of Su Lun.

Smoothly, a toe was immediately severed by the thread.

With the gust of wind hitting his face, Su Lun lifted his eyelid slightly and murmured, "He dodged it, after all..."

The threads, imbued with the element of wind for slicing, could not be hidden, just like a pre-set trap, the enemy would not just walk into it.

He could only wait for that moment when Boon's vision was blocked to set it up.

By taking advantage of the toad's exaggerated charging speed, he hoped to create some trouble for the guy.

Yes, just to create some trouble.

If a few threads alone could kill a fourth-order, then this enemy would not be worth 72 million bounty.

....

The green toad halted abruptly in midair, reversing and stepping on the air, it seemed to escape the risk of being split by the threads.

Just as he thought of slipping away to create some distance, would Su Lun give him that chance?

Since he had calculated that he would charge over, and the threads didn't kill him, naturally, there was a backup plan!

Just as the toad was flipping its leg, with the sound of a "hiss," the steam boiler's buildup noise thunderously erupted.

Boone naturally knew that was the sound of the mechanical battle suit!

However, having just barely dodged the silk thread, he was already pushed to his limits and unable to leverage himself in the air; even though he heard which direction the mechanical noise was coming from, he had no way to avoid it.

"Whoosh!"

The battle suit's Ship-Cutter cleaved into Boone's body.

The trembling blade, originally capable of easily penetrating nearly anything hard, actually cut into a layer of water-elemental shield, and the trembling force was mostly dissipated by the gentle water.

That slash struck the toad's waist, gouging a horrifying gash three fingers deep.

Just as he was about to be bisected, Boone twisted his body and incredibly dodged it.

Not finishing him with one strike, this guy hit the ground and without any hesitation explosively backpedaled a great distance.

Even more incredibly, the wound on Boone's waist visibly healed, and even the previously severed toes, like a gecko's regrown tail, had regrown.

Su Lun watched this impressive self-healing ability with interest, lifting an eyelid, and thought to himself, "Fourth-tier silver-grown 'Salamander Regeneration Muscle'. To be a Pirate Captain, he indeed has some tricks."

The difference in the combat power of fourth-tier professionals was apparent—if one were to use the terminology from his past life's video games, this Captain Boone was at least a "fourth-tier silver BOSS".

....

Having brushed past Death, though his wounds were unharmed, a look of terror appeared on Boone's face.

He looked at the enigmatic clown before him, a fear rising from within.

Not to mention facing a third-tier opponent— even facing fourth-tier or even fifth-tier enemies—he had never felt such palpitations.

It was a feeling as if Death itself had set its sights on him, and there was no escape!

The cross in the sky was the Mystique-level Puppetry Technique, Spatial Technique, "Mystique: Wu Shi", and the wind element condensed on the silk threads as well...

Which of these wasn't a high-end secret technique that would take a professional years or even decades to master?

And yet, here they were, all observed in a single person?

If these had been seen on a seventh or eighth-tier power, that would be one thing, but they were seen on someone of a lower realm than himself!

Moreover, the wind element on the silk threads could easily slice open his own water element barrier, which also meant that the opponent's understanding of the laws surpassed his own?

Damn it!

Boone cursed inwardly.

And that wasn't all!

The endless barrage of various secret techniques was one thing, after all, he was still only a third-tier professional with limited offensive means. What was more terrifying was the ability to calculate every move!

Touching his now-healed wound on his waist, Boone's gaze was filled with coldness.

In the few exchanges earlier, he had thought he had the upper hand with his superior rank and was assured of victory, yet he had nearly lost his life.

It was as if every step had been calculated by someone, even the landing spots had been predicted.

Only now did he realize that he had been calculated since before they first entered the alley.

While they had sought to use the alley to find their stalker, this guy also harbored intentions of finding a secluded spot to kill.

....

"Just now realizing, huh..."

A strange red gleam flashed across Su Lun's eyes, fully aware of what was shocking this guy in front of him.

Upon advancing to the third tier, he had unlocked many new abilities.

His current multitasking ability enabled him to derive the most optimum combat choices amidst the rapidly changing battles.

A normal person playing chess plans one move at a time;

Seeing three moves ahead was already a sign of a master;

yet now, with his multi-tasking abilities, Su Lun could foresee various permutations many steps further ahead.

It could be said that he was able to utilize his available tactics 100%.

In the midst of combat, he also blocked out his other emotional fluctuations, making it almost impossible for any errors or misjudgments to arise due to emotions.

In a battle of life and death, facing an enemy who never makes a mistake, how desperate is that?

A single mistake could lead to death, while his opponent would never err.

Unless one had overwhelming power that rendered all planning irrelevant, if they failed to kill and the fight dragged on, the one who made mistakes would surely lose.

But as it turned out, Boen Fritz simply did not have the power to instantly kill Su Lun.

What truly drove Boen to despair came later.

Since Su Lun had chosen to make a move, he had calculated everything... There was absolutely no chance for his opponent to survive!

....

Boen squinted at the blue silk thread in front of Su Lun, beginning to retreat.

This very thread countered most of his close-range tactics.

Not to mention, there was also an unbreakable mechanical armor standing by his side.

Most terrifying of all was that he never felt any panic from the mysterious clown from start to finish. This calm control was truly the biggest threat, making him feel a fatal danger.

Boen asked in a deep voice, "Sir, if I retrieve your belongings for you, can we just let this go?"

Hearing this, Su Lun seemed to hear something funny and burst out in a snickering laugh.

After a pause, he replied in a strange tone, "What do you think?"

Hearing that, Boen's face hardened, adopting a do-or-die expression as he shouted angrily, "You really think this enclosed space is only advantageous for a Puppet Master like you? Ha ha, it suits me just fine!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Su Lun smiled disdainfully, "Then let's try it out..."

He knew all the tricks of this guy, but his opponent knew nothing about him.

It seemed like a negotiation, but it was actually just stalling for time.

He hadn't missed the bulging movement in the other guy's throat.

No sooner had his words fallen when that toad suddenly squatted on all fours, opening its mouth to spew out a yellow-green stench.

"Acidic Secret Art: Toxic Dragon!"

Like a burst water pipe, the pressurized acid shot out, condensing into a toxic acid dragon in the air, rushing towards Su Lun.

If close combat was not advantageous, then it was time to use ranged attacks.

This restricted space was equally the main field for those who specialized in poison!

This guy, known as 'Poison Frog,' possessed a hidden ace of "Acidic Corrosion," capable of corroding everything.

The first requirement for a professional to fuse alchemical enhancements was never about the quality of enhancements, but about compatibility.

His personal enhancement was the acidic stomach sac of an ancient toad he had encountered at sea, which he acquired after killing it.

The stomach sac could produce and store a large amount of highly toxic and corrosive acid. Once released in large amounts, even fifth-tier professionals had to retreat.

....

Yet, as this trump card was played, Boen was shocked to find that the clown with the mask across from him simply did not dodge or evade, but magically, the mask on his face changed to a beaked mask.

And next to him, a blue-skinned creature holding a large black scythe suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Gazing at the scythe, Boen faintly felt a palpitation, instantly sensing something was wrong, yet he could not pinpoint where this sense of impending death was coming from.

Could this guy have been just waiting for me to make a move?

But where did he get the confidence not to dodge?

With too many doubts in his mind unresolved,

the next moment,

he saw the most shocking scene of his life,

and it was also the last.

As the Acidic Secret Art: Toxic Dragon surged forth, Boen watched the man he thought was a low-ranking professional suddenly conjure an elemental barrier around himself.

And more shockingly, what came next!

It wasn't any elemental barrier he had seen before; a veil-like aura flared up like flames, rapidly gaining intensity. Then, on the man's body, a spine-chilling... specter of Death itself condensed!

Seeing this specter of Death was like witnessing an indescribable horror. Boen felt as if he had been hit by a club, his expression becoming dazed in an instant.

In that moment, before the shock could register on his face, he felt a chill on his neck.

As consciousness slipped away, Boen realized how foolish his previous thoughts had been.

He had earlier been relieved to have narrowly escaped death?

Heh...

It turned out Death had been in front of him all along.

With a clank, the head fell to the ground.

The 72 million Rilso bounty on "Toad" Boen Fritz was claimed as he died on the spot.

....

Acid rained down loudly as Su Lun was drenched like in a downpour.

However, the sulfuric acid-like greenish-yellow acid that fell was completely shielded by the specter of Death.

Su Lun was safe and sound.

Trying to kill a high-ranking professional with fast reactions using a black scythe isn't easy.

But Su Lun just happened to know, Boen's acid spitting move had significant recoil.

Meaning, for at least a moment during the spellcasting, he would be immobile.

Besides, although "Death's Gaze" couldn't kill this higher-ranked professional, it was highly likely to stun him momentarily.

Having anticipated these two points, the strike with the black scythe naturally fell into place.

Back in Old Lington, everyone knew Su Lun wielded Xiupunos's Night Scythe, and everyone guarded against it.

But in the surface world, hardly anyone knew.

Equipment of the "Banned Item" class was something few lower dwellers had ever truly seen.

Boen being caught by it was truly not unjust.

As for the "Specter of Death."

Su Lun had also figured out that one of its abilities was actually the "Elemental Barrier" that fourth-grade professionals must learn to harness.

However, other professionals realized it through various elements, but Su Lun realized his through "Death."

If there were to compare, other elements would be colors like red (fire), blue (water), yellow (earth), green (wind), purple (lightning)...

Then "Death" would be the black that fuses everything together.

The Elemental Barrier acts like a magic shield, reducing and negating damage, significantly enhancing a professional's survival ability.

To break through, one needs a high degree of concentration or element-based counteraction.

For example, at the same rank, water counters fire.

As one of the supreme laws, the "Law of Death" is almost not countered by any other laws.

The deeper Su Lun's understanding of various elemental laws, the stronger the Specter of Death became, and its elemental countering traits became more prominent.

He had divested understanding of fourth and fifth tier gold and wind elemental laws, added with the layer suppression of laws. Naturally, this acidic attack without subsequent kinetic energy caused limited damage.

Su Lun also began to familiarize himself with the new abilities he mastered after advancing.

Without much thought, he walked over and came into contact with the soul on the corpse.

'The soul contains a segment of Boen Fritz's daily information from today, completeness 98%.'

'The soul contains a segment about the understanding of water elemental law, completeness 91%'

'The soul contains a segment about acid skill information, completeness 90%'

'The soul contains a segment of information: '...''

Su Lun directly divested the understanding of the water elemental law: 'You have comprehended a fairly complete 'fourth-tier water law''

After digesting that understanding, he clearly felt not only had he grasped Boen's comprehension of the fourth-tier water element law, his Specter of Death had also become more refined.

After divesting this information, the soul had not yet dispersed.

Su Lun then found information related to himself.

Soul-searching, far more direct than questioning.

Neither the "Blessing of Seria" nor the goblin communicator were of any use against pirates; he discovered Boen had sold the items to the black market.

Watching the soul disperse.

Su Lun indeed felt the turmoil within him stabilize a lot.

Heads could still fetch 72 million in bounty, so Su Lun collected it.

As for other spoils of war, Su Lun hadn't even had the chance to take a closer look.

Once the chessboard space collapsed, Su Lun reappeared in a snowy alley.

....

The battle hadn't lasted long, and as Su Lun emerged, he saw the few thugs who had been following Boen still searching the alley for something.

After all, their "Red Shark Pirates" were a somewhat notorious pirate group.

As pirates, they couldn't just report to the authorities immediately after losing their captain.

Seeing Su Lun appear abruptly, the pirates were taken aback.

Engaging in action in the city could get one arrested, and Su Lun wasn't sure it wouldn't cause other disturbances.

He produced the chessboard again, and a beam of light appeared, then he and a pirate disappeared.

It was quick, the next time he emerged.

But by that time, there were no more figures in the alley.

Although those pirates didn't know what method Su Lun used, with a flash of light, one person was gone. This eerie method also scared them off.

"Heh heh..."

Su Lun roughly sensed a familiar soul fire nearby but didn't pursue it. He walked on the main street, intending to redeem his belongings at the black market first.

But unexpectedly, as he walked, he spotted a shady-looking small figure.

Although his face was covered, Su Lun still recognized him from some details as Benson, the fur merchant's kid who had once given him and Mr. Jing a ride at sea, apparently named Gik?

What's a rich young master doing here, limping?