Mechanical Alchemist

Katya is a very common name. In the northern part of the Luying Empire, many young girls are nicknamed this.

Su Lun didn't sense any malice from her and patiently began to negotiate.

However, the girl did not seem to be lacking money; instead, she was more interested in the two rings.

"I can pay you more ransom to redeem these two rings..."

"Sorry, Mr. Nicholas, it's not about the money. I am an 'Astrologer,' though still an apprentice. I need to study a lot of tedious knowledge, and these rings can give me a lot of help. Losing them would be very troubling for me. You know, I got these items from the black market... so, I'm not sure who their owner is. Sorry, I don't mean to question you. It's just that...if it's just like this, it would be very difficult for me."

"Can I exchange them for something else? I have some manuscripts by 'Master Arnold' about astrology that you might have heard of..."

"The Record of Star Signs? I have a printed set at home too, sorry..."

"..."

Su Lun himself thought that the girl's reasons were logical.

The goblin communicator wasn't a problem, it had a blood pact, and as long as Su Lun was alive, it was useless to others.

But the other ring, "Sereia's Blessing," was very useful to Alchemists, especially those who needed to do a lot of reading and studying—it was somewhat of a 'Divine Artifact'.

Although it was their first meeting, through brief interactions, Su Lun could tell that the freckled girl was well-educated. She seemed to be very polite and obviously well brought up.

Moreover, as an "Astrologer," she truly had a massive demand for knowledge, and her unwillingness to part with the rings was understandable.

Moreover, bartering wasn't feasible; her family seemed quite affluent, and it sounded like she had collected quite a few valuable items.

Perhaps she was a high-ranking noble on a discreet visit?

Yet, her politeness and willingness to patiently haggle with an unknown commoner struck Su Lun as unusual.

Apart from those sealed items he couldn't bring out, he felt like he didn't have anything interesting to offer her.

This was quite problematic.

However, Su Lun was patient and willing to talk slowly, though his inner negative emotions were not absent.

....

Just as they were talking, suddenly, Su Lun heard a whisper by his ear!

A flash of red light swept through his eyes, and an uncontrollable irritability surged from the bottom of his heart.

It was as if a demon was urging by his ear: Kill her! Kill her and you can take your things back!

Su Lun realized something and abruptly closed his eyes, trying to forcefully suppress that dam-bursting desire with his willpower.

The moment he closed his eyes, he seemed to see a towering sea of blood in front of him, ready to devour his entire inner world.

Onlookers saw him still sitting there, but under that clown mask, his face was filled with ferocity.

He would not become a slave to his emotions.

He pulled out a tranquilizer and injected himself with it.

Everyone actually harbors some demonic thoughts deep inside, those nearly primal instincts: murder, possession, mating, greed, jealousy... They are suppressed by reason, which is human nature.

Su Lun's spiritual power was now distorted, making those primal desires exceptionally powerful, overpowering his reasoning.

After the potion was administered, he finally felt a trace of clarity. Forcibly suppressing those negative emotions was like locking a wild beast in an iron cage, using all his strength; his body slightly trembled.

With a "crack," he forcefully broke off a corner of the wooden chair.

Barely containing his murderous intent, Su Lun gritted out a word from his throat, "Leave!"

This was a roar refusing to let desires control his body.

.....

The scene, strange like a drug addict experiencing a bout of addiction, visibly made the girl named Katya tremble.

She looked at Su Lun, and sensing something, she didn't flee but asked with slight concern, "Mr. Nicholas, you... don't look very well?"

Hearing the sound from outside, Su Lun managed to suppress his restlessness and came back to his senses that they were still negotiating.

As if he had been through a fierce battle, his back was unaware soaked with cold sweat.

He had guessed that this might be an aftershock from using "Death's Phantom" to kill the 'poison frog' Boon earlier.

Su Lun took a deep breath, finally snapping out of it, and said apologetically, "Sorry, I scared you."

After a pause, he continued, "As you can see, there is indeed a slight problem with my body, which is why I must retrieve my two rings."

Upon hearing this, hesitation flickered across Katya's face, "Oh..."

Thinking it over, she took out a small silver sphere and placed it on the table, saying, "I know some Healing Techniques. I can see, sir, that you seem to have some minor spiritual issues. This 'Starry Charm' I've made can soothe and calm the mind. You might keep it close, perhaps it will offer some negligible aid."

Her words were spoken modestly, filled with goodwill.

Su Lun glanced at it, identifying its properties.

[Starry Charm]

Details: Made from cold star meteoric iron, a charm that can calm one's demeanor; although the rune engraving technique is somewhat crude, it's undeniable that this is a very rare material that can carry spiritual power.

Looking at the charm, his expression grew complicated in an instant.

The runes were crude, clearly the work of an apprentice.

However, the material was truly rare.

Meteoric metals like these are extremely scarce resources, typically used in forging high-tier weapons and specific alchemical products, and the price has always been exorbitantly high.

A large piece of this 'cold star meteoric iron' that could carry spiritual power was tough to price.

This item, if it met someone in need, could be extremely valuable!

Like for Su Lun himself.

With a slight modification of the runes, its effect in suppressing spiritual distortion wouldn't be inferior to the clown mask on his face.

He looked at the charm and then at the freckled girl in front of him, not hiding his thoughts, and directly asked, "Miss Katya, this charm would indeed be very useful to me. May I ask, what price must I pay to purchase it?"

Just having this item on the table helped soothe his restless emotions.

Kept close, in case of emergencies, it might even have a 'life-saving' miraculous effect.

"If you need it, then it's yours," she said.

Katya shook her head, sporting an innocent and exuberant smile, almost as if proud, "Our teacher taught us that stars are gifts from nature to mankind, and even we astrologers are just temporary guardians. It will find those who need it."

"For me?"

Upon hearing this, Su Lun felt he shouldn't take the charm.

Unexpectedly, he hadn't redeemed his belongings, yet she was offering something else?

Could this mean an exchange?

If it were someone else, Su Lun might suspect ulterior motives.

But this girl, whose eyes seemed to hold brilliant stars, stirred no malice in him.

"Yes."

Katya, as if without any guard, revealed to a stranger, "This time I came to the Far North Ice Field for training, in fact, to search for meteorites here. In the vast expanse of snow, they are easier to spot."

"..."

Her attitude made Su Lun at a loss for words.

The goblin communicator must be retrieved, and the 'Seraya's Blessing,' if it wasn't a gift from his teacher, he might have considered exchanging it for the charm at this moment.

Su Lun also made his stance clear, "No, in an alchemist's eyes, all things have their equivalent value. I'm sorry, Miss Katya, we are strangers, please name your price. Otherwise, I cannot accept your gift."

"Really, it's not necessary... look, I have many," she said nonchalantly.

Saying so, she took out a box like a naïve landowner's daughter.

Opening it revealed at least a dozen large and small meteorites of various colors: blue, purple, fluorescent, pitch-black...

This box of stones, if taken to an auction house, could be worth more than a box of top-grade gemstones!

Su Lun looked on, his eyes devoid of much fluctuation.

But he could also see that this girl truly wasn't lacking in money.

Seeing that he seemed unmoved, Katya thought for a moment and then said, "Well... if you really want to pay, then give me a gold coin."

She then took out two more rings.

Although the freckled girl seemed somewhat reluctant, she generously said, "Sir, you need these two rings more, so they should return to their rightful owner."

"..."

Su Lun hadn't expected to get the items so easily.

He felt that talking about money now was meaningless. After thinking about it, he took out a Gold Coin, placed it on the table, and said earnestly, "I owe you a favor, Miss Katyusha."

The items were valuable, and his favor was not insignificant.

Upon hearing this, Katyusha readily agreed, "Okay!"

She picked up the Gold Coin, a naive and radiant smile on her face.

....

Su Lun left the coffee shop.

Meeting this girl named Katyusha and retrieving his items, he felt very at ease.

However, he felt more puzzled.

In this world, no one is kind to you without a reason.

Especially strangers.

Either Katyusha truly was like a sheltered flower from a noble family, well-bred and innocently naive;

or...

It was a display of very sophisticated social skills.

Su Lun, proficient in many peculiar and bizarre kinds of knowledge, leaned more towards the latter.

The biggest reason was her soul's fire, flickering and unstable that he sensed.

But no matter his suspicions, the fact was, Su Lun got his hands on the items, and even gained a charm.

This favor was definitely worth it.

He also suspected that the other party might have ill intentions.

But however he thought about it, he felt this was improbable.

The rings falling into the black market was accidental, and Katyusha buying them seemed coincidental.

Besides, Su Lun felt, he wasn't currently worth someone's scheming.

If it were an enemy… it could only be Duke Raphael or someone from the Lei family.

But it did not seem like an enemy's doing.

Otherwise, they would not have sat down to negotiate politely and even given gifts.

He also guessed that the other party might have noticed he had some special abilities, or perhaps the mystical "Astrology," or maybe her constantly mentioned "teacher"…

Astrologers have abilities similar to prophecy, to seek benefits and avoid harm; perhaps she wanted to form a good karma?

....

Su Lun did not dwell on it. He owned the All-Seeing Eye, so he was not afraid of tampering with anything.

Having acquired the communicator, he walked the streets and immediately called Mr. Jing, "Senior Sister, I have a question to consult you about."

Soon, the communicator responded, "Are you asking about a distortion in spiritual power?"

"Yes."

Mr. Jing had guessed everything, and Su Lun was not surprised.

The fact that he had [Thanatos's Death Doll] was known only to this senior sister of his.

Moreover, with the communicator, she could sense the location and life or death of all members of the Jing organization.

This saved him much trouble in explaining.

After hesitating for a moment, the communicator responded again, "'Death Dolls,' I have seen them used twice before, but ultimately, the outcomes were not good. Distortion in spiritual power is irreversible, difficult to resolve..."

One advantage of having someone behind you is that they know everything you ask.

This thing appeared in the Dawn Relic, so it must have been used by someone before.

It's troublesome, but not unsolvable.

Su Lun listened patiently.

Mr. Jing continued, "If you want to solve it, first, you can come to me for suppression, but that's just a temporary solution, and the problem will grow bigger eventually; second, find a higher-level secret technique of spiritual power; third, find some special soul-cursing items to forcibly suppress it, but those are rare and hard to come by, I will notify other members of the Jing organization to keep an eye out for you; there are also some special ones, like the 'Spring of Youth' that can cure all diseases... You can look at your own situation and consider which option to choose."

"The Spring of Youth?"

"On a dangerous island in the Western Sea. My father once went there. A thousand years have passed, and I'm not sure if it still exists. Moreover, I'm not confident about going there, so I wouldn't recommend you go now..."

"..."

Sure enough, coming from a demigod family has its perks.

What she hasn't seen, her dad has.

What her dad hasn't seen, he's heard of.

Upon hearing the first option, Su Lun heaved a sigh of relief, at least having a "backup" plan.

But the subsequent ones were not very feasible.

What he was learning now was the Starry Sky Visualization Technique, which was already one of the top spiritual power techniques in the world. Anything higher would be Divine Arts, which was unrealistic.

Those special cursed objects were definitely hard to find.

While Su Lun was still considering which plan was more reliable, suddenly, Mr. Jing asked again, "Oh...right. Are you currently in the North? There's another way. The great Druids of the Dalu tribe are skilled in healing, and they might have a way to resolve mental aberrations. However, there might not be any great Druids left now. You can ask them and also pass a message from me."

Su Lun asked, "What does great Druid mean?"

Mr. Jing replied, "Druids of the seventh order or higher."

"..."

Su Lun felt that there probably weren't any.

If the Dalu tribe had a seventh-order powerhouse, they would not be in their current situation, with their whole tribe being captured by Slave Hunters day in and day out.

....

He roughly understood the methods now, and considering his senior sister had already told him this, there was no need to ask others.

Suddenly, Su Lun recalled the whisper he heard during the negotiation that had almost shattered his spirit, and asked, "Oh, right! Senior Sister, I have another doubt I'd like to ask you about..."

He explained his situation in a few words.

Clearly, Mr. Jing seemed surprised, "Your Reaper talent has awakened a second time?"

"Yes."

"That's quite impressive. After all, a second awakening of an S-rank talent is very difficult..."

Mr. Jing complimented him, then returned to his usual tone and explained, "That whispering is different from using a 'substitute doll.' It's the law of death communicating with the cosmos, listening to the whispers of the deceased. It's quite normal, and even to some extent a good thing. But before solving your problem of spiritual aberration, it's best to use that ability sparingly."

"Oh."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun finally relaxed.

Just as he thought there was nothing more to say and was about to end the communication, a calm reminder came from the other end, "Be careful. Contact me if you need anything."

Su Lun responded with a smile, "Yes."

His senior sister might sound cold, but she actually cared about him a lot.

.....

After ending the communication, Su Lun had a good sense of his current situation.

Having obtained the "Star Protector Amulet," he estimated that as long as he didn't recklessly use the ability of the Reaper's phantom, it should last him a few months.

Thinking about it, he planned to go ask the Dalu tribe first.

It was quite convenient since many members of the Dalu tribe could be found in the Slave Market.

If there really was a great Druid or some solutions left behind, it would be even better to completely resolve his mental aberration issue.