Mechanical Alchemist

Southern district, Kaketro Port.

Old John dragged his tired body out of the warehouse on the dock.

He looked at the pool of crimson blood on his chest with great annoyance and cursed himself, "Damn it, why did you have to fall!"

He used to be able to carry two bags quite easily, but just then, he'd fallen over while moving just one.

And then he spat out this mouthful of blood, which was unfortunately seen by the foreman.

Despite his vigorous explanations, Old John had lost his job at the docks, which he viewed as essential as his life.

He pinched the pocket of his trousers, containing a wad of old bills of various denominations.

Eight hundred seventy-six liras, his wages for the past half-month.

He had just started working, and without any job, he didn't know where to go.

If he went home now, his family would surely worry even more.

They all relied on his job to fill their bellies. What to do if he actually lost it?

Old John sat on the curb in complete despair, smoking one cigarette after another, as if he'd aged a decade in an instant.

He was fifty-three years old. A few years ago, he had finally managed to save enough money to marry a widow who was a seamstress and had two teenage kids who were growing rapidly.

Though life was tough, there was somewhat of an outlook for the future.

Thinking about the kids growing up a bit more, relying on his decades of connections at the docks, he hoped to get them jobs there for stable employment.

But now, all hope was gone.

"Damn this accursed illness..."

Old John sighed deeply.

His eyes void of life, he watched the dock where he had toiled his whole life, continuously smoking one cigarette after another.

Just then, the North side of the city erupted with the booming sounds of celebratory gunfire.

Old John's pupils regained a bit of focus.

His coworkers had mentioned that today was some prince and princess's wedding day.

Ah, it was just like the bedtime stories his mother used to tell when he was a child.

Old John watched the fireworks blossom in the sky, and memories of his mother, who had died many years ago, flooded his mind.

How desperately hopeless.

At this moment, there was no light left in his eyes.

Who could save this doomed world...

But in a haze, it seemed as though he witnessed the descent of a deity.

...

A golden carriage traveled all the way from Frederick Palace to the outskirts of Lengtiao District, arriving at the Zosimos Alchemy Cathedral.

This was a Baroque-style classical building, a solemn sanctuary for Alchemy.

As the two stepped out of the carriage, fireworks erupted in unison; this was the venue for the ceremony, and friends and relatives had already been waiting here.

Su Lun felt somewhat uncomfortable, looking at the thousands of people on the lawn all staring back.

Yekaterina, however, wore a smile on her face, beaming with naive joy as she walked arm-in-arm with Su Lun.

At that moment, the outside of the Alchemy Cathedral was engulfed in a sea of flowers, vibrant festive blossoms competing in splendor.

As the two of them walked across the lawn, it was as if the lawn was enchanted—more flowers bloomed under the sunshine with each step they took, blossoming at their feet.

In their view, alongside those richly symbolic and festive flowers, were numerous little daisies.

These should have been wildflowers on hillside slopes, but here they were all over the lawn.

They blossomed radiantly, reaching towards the sun.

It was the addition of these wild daisies that instantly enriched the colors in view, vibrant and colorful.

A breeze blew, and a delicate scent of flowers wafted into their nostrils.

It was truly like something out of poetry and fairy tales.

Su Lun's eyes brightened, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "It's beautifully arranged."

Hearing this, Yekaterina by his side revealed a brilliant smile, resembling a gentle partner, and whispered intimately, "That's because I designed it myself."

Her smile curved at the corners of her eyes as she added, "A wedding happens only once in a lifetime; of course, I hoped it would be the most beautiful memory of my life."

Listening, Su Lun smiled slightly.

In front of others, she truly seemed like a carefree princess.

He also adjusted his suit and walked over with his head held high.

...

Sometime later, inside Zosimus Alchemy Cathedral.

"Groom, do you take..."

"I do."

"Bride, do you take..."

"I do."

"You may now kiss your bride."

"..."

The ceremony was very simple.

Probably because the nobles of Luying generally lacked the concept of loyalty, the wedding vows were brief, with just a few questions asked.

Under the symbol of "Ouroboros and Scales" of the Magician, Fick and Yekaterina represented their families in completing the wedding ceremony.

After the bouquet was thrown, Anna caught it.

With the ceremony completed, the banquet followed.

Once the bride and groom had finished their parts, they seemed to have nothing much to do.

A lavish wedding feast, the real highlight was actually the discussion of various collaborations by the elders of the families.

After all, in almost everyone's view, it was just a marriage between the second son of the Regaldi family and the fourth daughter of the Lance family, both without rights of inheritance, not warranting particular attention.

With the ceremony finished, Su Lun felt like he had completed half his task and breathed a sigh of relief.

As the elders of both families left, Su Lun and Yekaterina started to greet their own friends and take photos together. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

"Fick" was just a minor prince from the Regaldi lineage, with no awakened talents and hadn't even attended school in Lyndon. Su Lun hardly knew anyone and had no friends to greet.

In contrast, Yekaterina had far too many friends.

Classmates from the royal academy, friends from noble circles, people clinging to relationships...

Most of all, various suitors.

When Su Lun had kissed the bride during the ceremony, he felt at least dozens of jealous glares stabbing him repeatedly like spears.

If looks could kill, he would have been riddled with holes by now.

Watching the handsome noble youths, one by one dispirited, Su Lun found it quite amusing.

The "beauty queen of the royal academy" was getting married, and the groom was me?

Probably because they had reacquainted themselves at the estate and become more familiar, taking advantage of a gap between photo sessions, Su Lun joked, "Miss Yekaterina, you really have a lot of admirers. If I hadn't shown up today, you would probably receive dueling invitations daily."

Yekaterina laughed heartily, "Yes."

She embraced Su Lun intimately, and with a playful and teasing tone, she counterasked, "Mr. Su Lun, would you duel for me?"

In front of others, her face showed not a trace of somberness.

Su Lun raised his eyebrows and decisively said, "No."

Yekaterina wasn't upset by his response, feigning disappointment, "Oh, that's a heart-breaking answer."

A glint of contemplation passed through her twinkling eyes as she asked, "What if it were Katyusha?"

Su Lun shrugged, "Katyusha wouldn't have so many suitors seeking duels."

The subject suddenly became interesting.

Yekaterina blinked and said, "Ah... are you saying Katyusha isn't pretty enough?"

Su Lun corrected, "On the contrary."

Listening, Yekaterina seemed to think of something and smiled without speaking.

The pleasant conversation did not last long when Su Lun saw an elderly man in a tailcoat coming over, "Young Master Fick, the master and mistress have asked this old servant to fetch you."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun realized that he could indeed not avoid it.

Others did not know that he was "Death" but the Regaldi family did. Although he didn't know what those fellows wanted from him, it was likely something related to their interests.

Su Lun had no interest in discussing anything with a bunch of conspirators, who knows what trouble they could stir up, out of sight, out of mind.

However... to desecrate the crown?

Could he not see if the legendary effects were true?

In a flash, many things crossed his mind.

Yekaterina, noticing the change in Su Lun's expression, said lightly, "I'll go with you."

Marriage alliances were agreements between two people; she also had a duty to do something.

...

The banquet hall was scattered with nobles in fancy dresses, mingling with each other.

The marriage between the two families was actually a revelry of beneficiaries.

Su Lun and Yekaterina walked over, and even without getting too close, he could hear various topics of conversation.

The most talked-about subjects were today's wedding and the "Crimson Potion."

"Baron Porter, what's got you so happy?"

"Haha, just now, I exchanged shares of the White Cloud Mines with Count Gante for a point's share of the 'Crimson Potion'! Oh, this is definitely the wisest decision of my life!"

"Ah, the White Cloud Mines of the Porter family have been producing top-quality iron ore for hundreds of years, haven't they? You were willing to trade for just a bit of potion share?"

"What you don't know is that buying potion shares is now a surefire profit! In a few days, the 'Crimson Potion' will be massively released into the market, and I'll immediately make a fortune! I inquired from the Imperial Capital Science Academy. Virus experts unanimously acknowledge that at least for the next few years, or even decades, no other cure will be developed for the Scarlet Death. This means, the 'Crimson Potion' will generate profits for many years, creating wealth worth at least a trillion..."

"My God! I've also heard about Scarlet Death. Apparently a million commoners in the southern city are infected. Oh, but Lington has over twenty-eight million commoners! And the entire empire counts several billions, oh my God, I can't even imagine how much money that potion is going to make..."

"Damn, I'm starting to like the 'Scarlet Death'; it should have been more severe. It would be best if all those commoners got infected..."

"Too bad, now only the Bacchus Pharmaceutical Company can produce the 'Crimson Potion.' And as far as I know, Senator Lance and Rafael have a very tight grip on the stock, and there seems to be no intention to sell any time soon. Anyone who asks gets none. Guess they'll wait for the market price to double and then they'll sell..."

"These senior councilors are not playing fair. Earlier, they widely publicized that there were problems with this potion in the newspapers, urging people not to touch it, and we responded actively. Now the Rodriguez family has lost most of their controlling stake in Bacchus, and Senator Lance has instead become the major shareholder..."

"..."

Su Lun felt both saddened and amused listening to them.

A bunch of greedy folks were still thinking of profit, yet oblivious to the disaster looming over them.

Glancing again at Yekaterina beside him, she also showed a wry smile.

Being criticized as "unfair," they had to bear this stigma and could not explain themselves.

Previously, to prevent the "Crimson Potion" from being massively released into the market, the Lance family indeed made many efforts, from launching fake potions to disrupt the market to media attacks.

However, it didn't take long to discover that they simply couldn't stop it, and instead, due to huge interests, they attracted more speculators to disperse the potion even more through various channels.

Later on, the Lance family took to the field themselves, in alliance with several other senior councilors, to monopolize most of the potion shares, deliberately driving up the price very high, making it unaffordable for the sick commoners and causing those who had the potion to continue to wait and watch.

That significantly dropped the number of potions flowing into the market.

However, the situation was halted.

This method, to those unaware of the details, seemed very "scheming."

It was like a foul competition tactic—spreading bad news to discredit the competition then entering the game to buy low.

And the problem lies in the fact that, to date, nobody has detected any issues with the "Crimson Potion."

This is the essence of this capital frenzy.

Yekaterina originally believed in this intelligence because of her trust in Su Lun and her judgment of the situation.

Others, however, didn't know as much.

Even the unsavory affairs between the "Colossus Hermitage" and the Bonaparte royal family were just an unspoken political game amongst the top nobility.

After walking a few steps and hearing many people discussing the potion, Yekaterina also said, "The price of the potion has already gotten very high. In a few days, a group of merchants who have stockpiled the potion will join hands to sell it off."

"Oh."

Su Lun listened with a slight frown, apart from raising prices, it seemed he couldn't think of a better solution either.

With the empress remaining silent, no one in the vast Empire of Luying could stop the spread of the potions.

...

Su Lun and Yekaterina walked along, arriving in a small hall.

There was already a group of people sitting there when they arrived.

The seating arrangement made it easy to discern their status: at the center sat a middle-aged man with an imposing expression. His characteristic goatee instantly identified him as "Regar XI" Kelson Regaldi.

The charming lady in a red dress by his side was Lady Portia.

Several white-bearded old men who also seemed to be family elders of the Regaldi clan were present.

Sabina had collected information on nearly all these people, and Su Lun recognized each of them from their photos.

However, he wasn't particularly interested in greeting these people. Instead, his gaze drifted to a corner, where William, burning with jealousy, sat.

This man hadn't even attended the ceremony, probably unable to bear seeing the girl he loved marrying someone else.

Su Lun wasn't interested in these matters; his focus was on the dark, luminous crown on William's head.

It was a tricorn-shaped black luminous crown, its material not any kind of metal, but rather a dark glow emitting a strong mysterious aura.

[Blasphemous Crown]

Description: Mere mortals want to dominate everything? This is blasphemy against the gods.

Cursed properties: Wearing the crown grants a passive 'Dominance Aura' that increases likability within its range, causing speech to intimidate, persuade, and incite targets with a strong psychological suggestion; once worn, grants 'Control' enhancing alchemical potency, actively releasing techniques surpassing current understanding of the laws; and 'Insight', a passive ability that increases affinity with all categories of laws, making it easier to comprehend laws and realms, revealing secrets behind the world's facade; cognition is burdensome, wisdom can be damaging, using the crown to enhance cognition not meant for you diminishes lifespan and causes mental distortions.

Detailed explanation: A magic crown formed from multiple laws, symbolizing supreme royal power; Regaldi the First found this unfinished crown in an ancient dwarven relic and forged it into a sacred heirloom of his family's lineage; donning it, you become the king, a ruler who dominates all. It can be used as material for professional advancement, requiring understanding of the 'Tyrant Aura' or 'Dominance Aura,' with an S-rated understanding of the Earth Wind Water Fire elements, and A+ comprehension of over sixteen laws; after integration, enhances domain, understanding of [Kingship] and [Dominance] abilities;

Su Lun glanced at it and immediately averted his gaze.

Having known some information before, seeing this dark luminous crown wasn't much of a surprise.

He muttered to himself, "It really does have the effect of enhancing the understanding of realms... This fallen royal family of Regaldi really does have some good stuff."

The results identified were quite similar to what Yekaterina had described.

A crown, the intimidation aura and such, were all expected.

Previously, at the palace, Empress Charlotte's crown had similar effects.

The most important thing was the legendary effect that assisted in realm comprehension—it was real!

Although he couldn't tell how strong the effect was, items that consume lifespan typically had significant effects.

And there was more to it.

For example, the crown could be used as material for advancement.

"Tsk tsk... These merging conditions are really stringent."

Su Lun looked at them; the mandatory conditions of two kinds of sovereignties directly blocked out most people.

Plus, the evaluations for comprehending sixteen different laws at A+ or higher, made it almost impossible for anyone to meet the requirements.

Even top professionals usually specialized in their own fields, rarely greedy for comprehensive mastery.

Su Lun considered himself, coming up significantly short. Even though he had consistently harvested fragments of elemental understanding, his ratings for water and fire just reached S, and for earth and air, only A+; he also couldn't muster sixteen A+ understandings of the elements.

To truly claim it, he would need a long time to assimilate.

Huh...

Why am I already considering the problem of taking it?

This crown is still being worn by the first heir to the throne.

Oh, I've just realized, haven't seen him for a few days and this William has grown stronger again?

Su Lun sensed something, guessing that the man had probably turned his sorrow into strength, even if it shortened his lifespan, striving to advance to the seventh tier.

Then... his killing intent was undiminished.

Some thoughts occurred to Su Lun.