Mechanical Alchemist

Gik had calmed down considerably.

Although he had only seen him once before, Su Lun had a favorable impression of this enthusiastic, polite, and intelligent young boy.

But now, Gik stood motionless like a puppet.

He silently followed behind Su Lun, leaning on a cane.

Having walked a few steps and left the central square, Gik couldn't help but speak up, "Are you Mr. Nicholas?"

His voice trembled from the cold.

Su Lun responded indifferently, "Hmm."

"It really is you..."

Gik felt a surge of emotions upon hearing this.

In Blizzard City, he had no relatives or friends; now, with his own father dead, the members of the chamber of commerce had turned into that wicked woman's subordinates, and no one would come to rescue him.

He never imagined that the gentleman who had once saved him at sea would come to his rescue.

Yet, thinking further, Gik worriedly said, "Mr. Nicholas, thank you for rescuing me. But... you shouldn't have come forward to save me. If I am alive, that couple will surely send someone to kill me. You will be implicated too."

"Hehe... it doesn't matter."

Su Lun smiled casually.

He naturally sensed the two sneaky fellows following behind him.

Their tracking skills were amateurish, far worse than those from last night, and they looked more like ruffians from Blizzard City.

Hearing this, Gik's worried expression deepened.

Although he knew Mr. Nicholas was a powerful Rune Master,

but... Captain Raman was a formidable third-tier professional!

Su Lun did not explain further, and casually asked, "What exactly happened, how did you end up like this?"

Upon hearing this, Gik, overwhelmed with sorrow and anger, said, "That couple plotted against my father at sea. An old servant fought desperately to shield me from disaster, and I managed to escape by jumping into the sea, thanks to the inflatable life raft you gave me... Later, I came to Blizzard City, wanting to expose that couple's malicious nature, but that woman was already on guard. The moment I showed up, I was almost caught... Luckily, I had made a bomb, lost a leg, and thus escaped with my life..."

The situation was about what Su Lun had guessed.

That Captain Raman and Gik's stepmother Marian had been in cahoots for a long time. They were originally a pair of swindlers, masquerading and seducing wealthy individuals before engineering accidents to seize their fortunes.

Originally, Benson had not intended to take his son Gik on a long voyage, but Marian had persuaded him with pillow talk and brought him along.

Only if the heir was also taken out of the equation would she, as the widow, possibly inherit the Benson family's fortune.

But now, there had been a slight mishap, and Gik hadn't died. Discover exclusive tales on empire

That meant, without killing him, that couple wouldn't be able to get their hands on Benson's fortune.

Captain Raman was just an ordinary third-tier professional to Su Lun, who did not regard him highly. Instead, he was more interested in Gik's affairs and asked, "That bomb you used in the inn before, did you make it yourself?"

Gik nodded slightly, "Hmm."

Recalling the bomb that was much more powerful than conventional explosives, Su Lun asked, "The special nitro compound used in the bomb, did you blend that yourself too?"

Although Gik didn't know why Su Lun was asking these questions, he nodded again and added, "Hmm. I found a fragment of an ancient goblin explosives formula in the academy library. After many experiments, I managed to create it."

Su Lun found it interesting, as this fellow seemed to have a real talent for tinkering with explosives, "Weren't you interested in becoming a designer? Why do you like playing with explosives?"

"I..."

Hearing this, Gik fell silent.

Seemingly reminded of something, his eyes filled with sadness. He sighed, then said, "No, that was actually my father's wish. He wanted me to become an architect in the future. You know, even in the imperial society, being a designer is a very respectable profession. My father didn't want me tinkering with those dangerous explosives, I..."

As he spoke, tears filled Gik's eyes.

His most respected father was no longer alive.

Heartbroken, his face contorted with conflict and ferocity, "But actually, my true dream is to become an 'ammunition expert.' My dream is to create the world's most powerful bomb. I love the moment when gunpowder bursts into flame, I..."

As he spoke, his expression darkened, and his voice suddenly weakened, "If I could have created a more powerful bomb, my father wouldn't have died..."

Su Lun listened expressionlessly.

Hatred often becomes the greatest motivation for progression, and what Gik was enduring now might be a good thing for his future.

As he said this, Gik looked again at Su Lun and asked, "Mr. Nicholas, do you know... did that wicked woman get blown up?"

"She didn't. She just lost a leg."

Su Lun shook his head, sensing something else, and added, "Otherwise, they wouldn't have hired people to keep an eye on you."

Hearing this, a look of shock flashed across Gik's face, "Then you..."

At that moment, Su Lun was already leading him into an alley between houses with red brick walls.

Gik instinctively looked back just in time to see the two amateur trackers who had clumsily followed them. But before he could say anything, he saw the two men who had just entered the alley suddenly stop.

Without warning, "clang," heads fell to the ground.

"This..."

Gik didn't know how Su Lun had managed it, but the scene left him stunned.

He had never thought murder could be so casually executed, and as he watched the human fountains in front of him, he was dumbfounded, "Did you... do this?"

Su Lun smiled and said nothing more.

He walked over, skillfully cleaned up the body, and calmly called out, "Let's go."

Indeed, Blizzard City did not permit fighting, but that was only if the safety guards caught you.

If you could silently kill someone and dispose of the body properly, no murder case would be established.

Jick watched the figure who had killed and left composedly, feeling a storm of emotions inside.

How could Mr. Nicholas be so powerful?!

....

Su Lun found a nearby inn and settled Jick down.

His injuries were not a big problem; after using potions for frostbite, he would recover in a few days.

Jick, wrapped like a mummy, was full of gratitude. "Thank you for saving me, Mr. Nicholas."

Su Lun took off the rubber gloves he used for surgery and said indifferently, "No need to thank me. You and your father once saved my life."

He looked at Jick, who, though not seriously injured, had lost a leg, which was a considerable problem.

Thinking of helping completely, Su Lun then took out a steam mechanical leg and added, "If you don't mind, I plan to install a prosthetic leg for you."

This was one of the spoils of war previously captured in Old Lington. Although it wasn't neuro-mechanics technology, it fully met the needs for daily life and simple combat.

Jick stared at the mechanical leg, his eyes at once widening.

He was no ordinary civilian; the preparatory academy had special courses on steam mechanics. Seeing the finely made mechanical leg, his eyes widened in shock: there was even a miniature steam boiler? This must be military-grade!

He wanted it, but then he remembered something and stammered, "This... I... but Mr. Nicholas, I don't have the money to buy such a high-end mechanical leg."

Su Lun shook his head, "No money. It's a gift."

With that, he began to dismantle the installation tools for the mechanical leg.

Su Lun's vast knowledge of mechanics allowed him to effortlessly dismantle the finished mechanical leg. He even pulled out some parts and impulsively modified it a bit to better fit shorter wearers.

Soon, the mechanical leg was installed.

Jick immediately got down and walked around; it was fine for running and jumping. Aside from a slight mechanical noise, it was hardly different from a real leg.

Seeing that he could walk normally again brought a smile to his face for the first time in many days.

Su Lun felt he had done everything necessary and debts of gratitude were repaid, so he didn't plan to stay longer. He advised, "Live well from now on. Revenge can be taken slowly; don't think about dying together with those people. It's not worth it."

As Su Lun walked away, Jick had many words of gratitude in his heart but couldn't utter a single word, "Wait, Mr. Nicholas!"

Su Lun turned to look at him.

"Please... please..."

Jick stammered from nervousness.

After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly bowed deeply and finally gathered the courage to say, "Please take me as your disciple!"

It was not lost on him that this Mr. Nicholas was not only an excellent Rune Master but also proficient in medicine and possessed highly advanced mechanical skills.

Mysterious and powerful.

There could be no better candidate for a teacher than such a learned scholar!

The crucial thing was, the composed demeanor during the killing had been deeply etched in Jick's mind.

At that moment, he finally clearly knew what kind of person he wanted to become in the future.

"..."

When Su Lun heard this, many thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

He thought of his own teacher, Sereya, and the scene when he first met Mr. Hei.

Jick had good talent and a good temperament. After surviving this great ordeal, he also had vast potential for growth.

It was just missing a bit of opportunity.

He was somewhat inclined to teach him, but found it a bit troublesome.

His eyes showed little surprise as he spoke faintly, "My background is a bit special. If you become my disciple, you might get involved in troubles multifold greater than now. And even if I take you as a disciple, I won't have much time to teach you. Have you thought it through?"

"I have thought it through!"

Jick said resolutely, "My father is dead, and I don't have any relatives left. Please take me as your disciple!"

Saying so, he knelt on one knee and extended his hands forward, offering the discipleship gesture that meant: Teacher, please impart knowledge to me.

Seeing him perform this profound salute, Su Lun pondered for a moment. "Very well! From today on, you are my disciple."

Upon hearing this, Jick was overjoyed and respectfully called out, "Teacher!"

This being Su Lun's first time taking a disciple, he was slightly perplexed, not knowing what to do. He asked, "What do you want to learn?"

Jick was also slightly surprised; wasn't it the teacher's prerogative to decide what to teach based on their strengths?

He politely responded, "Whatever teacher teaches, the disciple will learn."

Su Lun frowned slightly and said, "My studies are quite varied; alchemy, runes, medicine, mechanics, various magical arts, mysticism, pharmacology... I know a bit of all. An Alchemist definitely needs to be learned. But a person's energy is limited, and the path ahead, you must choose for yourself."

Su Lun knew his own path was not suitable for others; others didn't have the "Death Reaper" talent.

Nor was everyone a learned Mr. Hei.

"This..."

Upon hearing this, Nick immediately felt something was strange.

How could someone possibly know everything?

If it were not for knowing that Su Lun had demonstrated extensive knowledge in mechanics and runes, he would certainly have thought this was an unreliable teacher.

Thinking it over, he said, "Teacher, I want to learn about runes and mechanical explosions!"

"Hmm."

Su Lun nodded as well, feeling that the path he chose was quite good, as the future potential of mechanical firearms was boundless.

Explosives were actually just an offshoot within the branch of alchemical potions.

In ancient times, some alchemists had discovered that mixing certain materials in specific ratios could cause explosions, which gradually evolved into a specialized field of study.

"Since I've taken you as an apprentice, let me give you a little welcome gift."

With that, Su Lun took out about a dozen thick tomes from his storage space, which piled up nearly half as tall as a man, and added, "These are the tomes on first-level runes and introductory mechanical knowledge; you might start by looking at these. The magical content in these tomes might be different from what you have previously learned, but they lead to the same goal. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions."

At this point, as though he remembered something, he took out some mechanical blueprints he had studied before, "There are also these introductory blueprints, if you're interested, you can look at these too..."

Nick was now a graduate of the preparatory academy, holding the level of a "mechanical apprentice." These tomes were enough to engage him for a long time.

Teaching was the job of college professors, which was very cumbersome.

Su Lun did not plan to teach Nick hands-on, nor did he have the time.

Thus, he planned to "free-range."

....

Nick watched as Su Lun pulled out one tome after another, his astonishment growing deeper.

To know, alchemical knowledge tomes in the Luying Empire were exclusive to the nobility.

Besides some channels through various preparatory academies to obtain some introductory knowledge, further advanced knowledge could only be obtained at the royal academy or by serving a noble. It was also prohibited on the market.

He initially thought that Su Lun would take out some textbooks containing only vague theoretical knowledge; little did he know, he would be stunned.

Items like alchemical formulas and mechanical blueprints, which were protected by patents outside, would absolutely not be circulated.

Yet here they were in front of him, tossed out by his own teacher like scrap paper.

Just these blueprints and formulas alone were immeasurably valuable!

Indeed, most of what Su Lun took out were "textbooks," but the textbooks from Old Lington were different from those outside.

Since it all stayed inside the private mining area, knowledge wouldn't leak out. Duke Raphael, aiming to make Old Lington his secret research base, included much "advanced" content without "barriers" in many textbooks; there were also knowledge systems autonomously researched by miners after uncovering ancient relics. This was why the technology level of the dungeons was much higher than that of the entire Luying Empire.

However, all of this was unknown to Nick.

He was becoming more and more amazed, wondering, just who was his teacher?

A private teacher from a small southern town?

No!

Definitely not!

Nick had experienced major life setbacks these days, and he felt that probably nothing could shock him anymore.

But looking at the "little welcome gift" in front of him, he vaguely felt that his teacher's background might be a bit extraordinary...

And what's more terrifying, whatever he asked, the teacher could answer immediately!

"Teacher, did the bomb I made earlier fail to kill that man because the dosage was too small?"

"It's not an issue of the dosage, but you misjudged the crisis response capability of a third-tier professional. However, a larger dosage would indeed have increased the chances of success."

"But that was already the limit I tested. Any more dosage, and it would become highly unstable and explode uncontrollably."

"You can address this issue by starting with runes. On page 119 of 'Introduction to Mechanics,' there's a section recorded on 'The Relationship between Runes and Directed Blast Stability'..."

"Teacher, are you a [Scholar], or perhaps a [Generalist]?"

"No, I am a [Puppeteer]."

"What kind of professional is that?"

"I'll tell you about it another time..."

"..."

....

After Su Lun gave those "welcome gifts," Nick immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge.

This fellow indeed had a learning talent; he found the dry professional knowledge fascinating.

As a teacher, Su Lun stayed at the inn until noon, clearing up many of Nick's doubts.

It wasn't that he was very idle, but because at this time, the pub areas in the city would start to open.

He needed to go to a special pub to inquire about some information.

The entertainment industry in Blizzard City was very developed, with most of the crowd being adventurers and merchants, all willing to spend money. As it was also the origin of slaves, the pleasure districts were famously notorious.

In the eastern part of the city, there was a lively entertainment district, with an unremarkable pub on the street called "Sailor's Tavern."

The pub was filled with many patrons dressed as sailors, but in reality, they were all pirates!

"This is the 'secret meeting place' where pirates of all sizes from the North Sea meet in Blizzard City."

Su Lun was here to find out when the next batch of Dalu slaves would be transported. This was the most appropriate place for that.

Since it was noon, the tavern seemed to have few people when Su Lun arrived.

As soon as he entered, he headed straight for the storeroom at the back of the tavern.

Two burly men wearing leather jackets, their chests heavily exposed, guarded the place. Their gaze was sharp, easily distinguishing between pirates who habitually roamed the seas and landlubbers.

Su Lun didn't give them time to become suspicious, tossing them a tip of two silver coins and moved on as if it wasn't his first time there, quite familiar with the place.

After passing through a passage leading underground, it was a whole different world.

Su Lun ended up in a spacious underground tavern.

The red and green lights flickered, and the air was filled with the enchanting scent of hallucinogens.

In a pirate tavern, good liquor was never lacking. Behind the bar, the liquor cabinet was filled with all sorts of beverages. Judging by the labels on the bottles, some were even rare supplies designated for high nobility and even the royal family—booty pillaged by the pirates.

The confined basement might feel unsafe to some, but Su Lun sensed several secret passages leading in all directions within the underground tavern.

Under the floorboards of the storeroom, behind the bare oil paintings on the walls, and behind the barrels at the bar, there were hollow spaces...

This somewhat reassured Su Lun.

Although there weren't many people in the pirate tavern yet, there were a few souls with strong fires. One fourth-tier, several third-tiers, likely security...

The lighting was very dim, the few occupied tables were in their own separate booths, discussing matters with soundproof barriers, making it impossible to eavesdrop on what they were discussing.

Su Lun took a seat and ordered some expensive drinks as a sort of "entrance fee."

Before long, a skinny man with a red cock's comb and a face full of tattoos appeared.

"Hey, brother, where have you sailed from?"

He began with pirate slang common among them, and Su Lun responded fluently.

The Cock's Comb didn't notice anything unusual and then got to the point.

"Brother, are you here to dig up information or to move goods?"

"I want detailed information on the recent slave shipments by 'Sun Commerce': merchandise information, timing, escort strength, what ships..."

"Oh, the Sun Commerce is not easy to mess with."

"Add thirty percent to the commission."

"Done! It's a pleasure doing business, 100,000 lixos, pay half up front."

"Mmh."

"This information is a bit tricky to come by... but within today, I'll definitely get back to you!"

"..."

Gathering such information in a pirate tavern came the fastest and with no trouble.

After Cock's Comb left, Su Lun patiently stayed in the tavern waiting for the news.

Noticing him alone, the tavern's working hostesses also approached, each very attractive and scantily clad.

The rough pirates definitely didn't come here just to drink in silence. Su Lun didn't act out of the ordinary; he casually picked two blondes to chat with while drinking.

"Anything interesting been happening at sea recently?"

"Tulip Commerce's meat tickets got assassinated, causing a huge uproar among the middlemen..."

"Heard that the Red Shark Pirate Group got annihilated, seems they ticked off a Great Bounty Hunter..."

"The Great Bounty Hunter 'Strongman' August recently came North..."

"Heard there's some big movement happening at 'King of the North Sea', gathering a lot of people..."

"..."

As Su Lun waited for the information, he wasn't hurried, confident in the brokers who said they could provide the news today through their channels.

The women were also good at keeping the atmosphere warm, and time flew by quickly.

Gradually, the tavern became buzzier.

Pirates weren't the only ones; there were giants, trolls...

From Su Lun's perception, stronger soul presences became increasingly abundant.

A casual sweep revealed bounty-bearing pirates.

"Iron Cross Pirate Group's" leader Brando Martic, with a bounty of 63 million lixos; "Strange Snake Pirate Group's" first mate Janick Bisley, with a bounty of 33 million lixos; a bounty of 55 million on...

Many of these prominent pirates entered the tavern without covering their faces, as if being recognized was a matter of pride, with high bounties a bragging right.

They were practically walking bounties.

Su Lun took an interested ear to the pirates bragging about their exploits, gradually gaining insight into the affairs within the pirate circles.

As the drinking went on, suddenly, Su Lun raised his eyebrows and looked towards the staircase.

Although the guy with the small mustache was well-disguised, Su Lun recognized her soul fire. Wasn't that the girl named Katjusha?

What was she doing in a pirate tavern?