Mechanical Alchemist

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Ekaterina had now inherited the title of "Shadow Viscount" from her master, Master Pierre, and had become the king of the underworld gangs in Lingdun City.

During the early morning when she set out for her honeymoon trip, she had already instructed the Lingdun gangs to distribute the secret cure for the Red Death disease developed by the Lance family.

It was at the same time Su Lun and Ekaterina were parting in the southern suburbs, at the northern bank of the Lokwarren River, inside a luxurious manor in the wealthy district.

Dozens of distraught potion merchants and great nobles were gathered together.

These people were discussing how to deal with the collapsing potion market.

When they woke up today, they found that the world had changed.

Someone in Lingdun City was distributing the cure for the Red Death disease for free.

At first, it was taken as a joke.

After all, virus experts had already said that it was impossible for a new cure to be developed within the next few years.

Unexpectedly, upon investigation, it turned out to be true!

Someone had spread hundreds of thousands of potions through the black market channels, curing all those infected commoners.

This nearly scared the potion merchants who had massive stockpiles to death.

Because with this new effective cure, their stocks of Crimson Potion became worthless.

One after another, potion merchants and the great nobles behind them became busy.

From dawn till dusk, they used various policy tactics and public opinion smearing to obstruct and suppress this new effective cure everywhere.

But because the distribution of the loose goods was arranged by all the major gangs in Lingdun, who were exactly the lower-class people most affected by the Red Death disease, they were best at smuggling and criminal activities.

As a result, the interception was not very effective.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on? So many potions, who the hell released them!"

"The potions were spread out through black market channels. I asked the people at the police headquarters to investigate, but all the clues they found were fake, or led to dead ends. No one can confirm who is behind this..."

"Dammit, what does that guy want to do? Even if there is a cure, you should at least set a price, so everyone can make money. Giving it away for free to those poor devils, is this not forcing us to be stuck with all the Crimson Potion?"

"Dammit, if we really investigate this and find out who it is, we will definitely make him completely disappear from Lyndon!"

"..."

All day long, only bad news came.

These great old masters of the nobility were in a state of furious panic, fearing that they were about to suffer heavy losses.

No!

It's a complete loss!

Just yesterday, the Crimson Potion was sold for tens of thousands a bottle, but now it couldn't be sold for a single lyso.

How could you compete with someone giving it away for free?

The only chance they could think of to turn things around was to find the source and utterly annihilate it.

Then, they could proceed as originally planned, letting the Red Death disease spread further, causing broader infections throughout Lyndon, or even poison Mafa...

In that case, the potions in their hands would still yield tremendous profits.

But these people had been deliberating all day and still couldn't understand why the person spreading the cure behind the scenes would do such a self-detrimental thing?

By doing this, they had offended the entire upper-class society of Lyndon, but to what end?

No one could withstand the consequences of this action that broke the pot and left everyone unable to eat!

Even the royal family!

While everyone was discussing, suddenly the sound of gunfire outside the mansion grew louder and louder.

They had heard sporadic noises about fifteen minutes earlier, but now not only did it not stop, they finally realized something was wrong.

Marquis Edward, the master of the manor, asked, "What the hell is going on with that gunfire in the south of the city? Has it been figured out?"

Just as he finished speaking, suddenly a servant rushed in, his face full of panic, and reported, "It's not good, my lord! A major incident has happened!"

Everyone simultaneously turned to look at him.

The servant, out of breath, said, "There's an urgent message from the south city, countless mutated monsters have appeared in the city! And there have also been warnings from the police and intelligence agencies telling everyone to be careful. It seems... it seems... those monsters are related to our Crimson Potion!"

"What?!"

"Monsters? How could there be mutated monsters in Lingdun?"

"Yeah, hasn't the police department and military intelligence dealt with it?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces turned pale with shock.

They hadn't realized the severity of the situation and were talking all at once.

Suddenly, a mysterious summoning will descended.

Without realizing what was happening, a crisis suddenly befell them.

In the room, several of the dozens of people present had veins bulging on their faces, as if crimson worms were squirming under their skin, and they began to emit low, bestial growls.

"Baron Balen, your... your eyes, what's wrong with them? They look like they've got worms..."

"Viscount Haus, you look very pale, are you feeling unwell? Oh, God, don't scare me..."

"..."

These noble masters had not yet reacted to what was happening before their eyes.

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The mutated individuals suddenly pounced toward the crowd, biting and tearing at them.

Blood stained their dress fronts, creating a terrifying scene reminiscent of ferocious beasts lunging at their prey.

"Damn it! Guards! Guards!"

In an instant, the entire estate was thrown into chaos.

It wasn't just the noble lords; among the guards and servants, more and more began to mutate, and commotion arose everywhere.

These people had once drunk the "Crimson Potion."

Those who were bitten quickly became infected and swiftly mutated into monsters.

But after a brief moment of panic, the guards reacted quickly, shooting the mutated individuals dead.

Fresh blood soaked the luxurious carpet in the hall, and within the blood, tiny worms still teemed with life.

But before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, they watched as the monsters with shattered heads began to slowly merge, transforming into a multi-limbed mutated amalgamation.

Witnessing this eerie scene, terror-stricken, these people immediately thought of the "Queen Rodrica Cruise Ship Incident," where thousands had gone missing just over a month ago, as reported in the newspapers!

At the time, both the "Lyndon Daily News" and the "Queen's Metropolitan Daily" had covered the story—one claimed it was a dark cult's sacrifice, the other a storm accident.

Even the attitude of the Ruying royal family was baffling, with no investigation results released to date.

Seeing what was unfolding before them, everyone understood who had been lying!

Now reflecting on the "Crimson Potion," this group of greedy potion merchants realized that disaster was upon them.

Senator Lance's previous warnings had been right!

There was a serious problem with the potion!

Suddenly, gunfire erupted throughout Lingdun City.

These undead, mutating monsters that couldn't be killed spread infection at a terrifying rate.

...

Having experienced it firsthand, Su Lun was not too surprised by the sounds of gunfire coming from Lingdun City.

But as he saw the flashes of gunfire lighting up the city, his brow furrowed slightly.

Such parasites, spawned by foreign gods, were difficult for ordinary people to kill; either the bodies had to be thoroughly dealt with or the parasites killed with authority, otherwise, they would unify into even more horrifying multi-faced monsters, growing stronger like a snowball rolling downhill.

But given the population of thirty million in Lingdun, there were not many who possessed such authority, so it was foreseeable that a large number of people would become infected.

Moreover, considering the dense population of the southern city slums, should a zombie wave break out, countless people were bound to perish.

Normal people turning into zombies after being infected was a relatively minor issue, but if professionals got infected, their capacity to infect others was truly terrifying.

Su Lun was constantly receiving updates from the Jing organization's communicators and knew that the situation in Lingdun was indeed very bad.

The Rodriguez and Ernest families, aligned with the foreign gods, had long plotted in their role as Senior Councilors. Cult followers of the evil gods had already infiltrated all major key departments.

Police stations, city defenses, security teams, emergency management offices... nearly every official department capable of handling sudden incidents had completely collapsed.

Then there were fighting units like the military and military intelligence where intense gunfights had erupted.

This was just the beginning.

The foreign gods had not yet shown themselves, but there likely were further calamities to come.

Given the deep waters of tonight's events, Su Lun was in no hurry to join the battle in the city.

As he walked, an idea suddenly occurred to him, and he took out a three-pointed black-light crown.

This was the "Blasphemous Crown" obtained from killing William.

Having had no chance to examine it closely before, now was the perfect time to take a closer look.

In Su Lun's hand, the crown felt like iron yet not iron, as if holding a highly condensed mix of law principles; in an instant, his entire sensory perception became clearer.

"Eh..."

He uttered softly to himself.

Just holding the crown in his hand, it seemed as if the world before his eyes had changed.

Earth, wind, water, fire, light, darkness... the various elements of law became several times clearer to sense.

At the same time, however, holding the crown brought a feeling as if his vitality was being drained.

Su Lun muttered, "Such a powerful curse effect..."

Having an item like "Oz the Iceman's Shroud" on hand, he was all too familiar with this sensation.

Looking at the attribute panel, indeed, the data representing his life span was accelerating its depletion.

Calculated, it was somewhat better than the shroud; it felt like wearing it for a day consumed ten days' worth of life span.

But this was the basic consumption.

If he continued to actively infuse spiritual power, the perception of the laws would become even clearer, but his life would deplete even faster.

Su Lun surmised that William, the young master with his prematurely white hair, might have used up a lot of his life to speed up his understanding, advancing to the seventh tier.

Of course, besides the decrease in lifespan, the crown also had a distorting effect on spiritual power.

However, for Su Lun who was already mutated, such minor negative mental impacts were merely a drizzle.

With the item in hand, he considered it for a moment, touched it with a bit of fresh blood to successfully sanctify it, then placed it upon his head.

Then his entire head felt as though it was constantly immersed in ice water, and that sensation of "seeing through everything" instantly became much clearer.

It was as if he could perceive the natural laws of the universe at work.

What were once vague sensations now became crystal clear, as if he could grasp them at any moment.

Su Lun's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Such a powerful effect!"

With this thing, he had an inexplicable confidence that he could definitely advance to the seventh level in domain comprehension.

It all depended on how much lifespan he would have to consume in the end.

With a flick of his hand, he formed the sorcerer's seals and released a fifth-level Fire Python Technique.

He immediately noticed that the crown's ability to control the elements made the spell's power half a level higher than what he had previously mastered.

Additionally, he saw that the skill comprehension also had an unusual increase.

Although it was not easy to perceive the difference, the data panel showed detailed changes.

After releasing several skills, Su Lun confirmed that the enhancement was indeed due to the crown.

To put it in terms of data, previously casting a skill would earn a "+1" in proficiency; now it earns "+3" or "+4".

The comprehension benefit was several times greater.

Seeing this, Su Lun was greatly moved, "This blasphemous crown really is a divine aid for comprehending various principles and skills!"

However, wearing it for a year consumes ten years of lifespan as a base cost.

Many people get stuck at the threshold of the seventh level for a lifetime.

With this crown, it only increases the chances of domain comprehension, but it's not a certainty.

Su Lun could only pray that he would comprehend his domain sooner rather than later.

...

Su Lun was somewhat reluctant to part with it, and once he put on the crown, he had no intention of taking it off.

This clear-minded feeling made his brain feel extremely pleasant.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him; he also thought of the crown as a material for advancement, which seemed to also require a strong will.

He tried casually, and his domineering presence surged around his body.

In an instant, a soft "eh" escaped his lips.

He actually discovered that the sensation of lifespan decay had lessened, to probably less than half of what it had been before!

With this new discovery, Su Lun's eyes sparkled with excitement, thinking, "Could my domineering spirit actually suppress part of the crown's curse characteristics and reduce lifespan consumption?"

This was a significant positive development.

It meant that he could use less of his lifespan to comprehend domains.

But after thinking about it, he wasn't surprised anymore.

There were very few who could comprehend the "dominating spirit".

Usually, these were high-ranking individuals like the Grand General or emperors — those in commanding professions, who needed to possess a dominating aura. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

After all, Lei had once been of the royal family, and this crown was originally meant for the emperor and his heirs, so it all made sense.

....

With the crown on, it seemed like his thoughts had become clearer.

Su Lun had walked all the way from the southern suburbs and was now gradually seeing buildings.

At this moment, the battle inside Lingdun City was incredibly intense, with explosions reddening the night sky all over the city.

His night vision was excellent; he jumped onto the rooftop of a building and could see the entire Queen's District of the southern city beneath him.

In the sky, several military small flying ships were floating above the city, using loudspeakers to shout to the inhabitants.

"Everyone, please stay at home, and keep your doors shut!"

"The creatures reanimate after being killed, so avoid killing them if you can, and try to hide!"

"Do not gather in densely populated areas!"

"..."

The broadcast repeated these precautions in a loop.

Considering the catastrophe had struck less than half an hour ago, and they had already figured out the monster's traits and informed the whole city, it must be the Alliance formed by Senator Lance and Rafael.

Monsters in the streets posed no threat to the flying ships for now, but there were still rockets shooting from the streets, bringing down the ships, followed by fierce battles.

The combat involved not only humans and monsters but also humans and followers of the outer gods.

Looking up at the sky, the moonlight also exhibited a spooky blood-red color, casting a crimson hue over the fog that enveloped Lingdun City as if draping the entire city in a blood-red veil.

Su Lun assessed it and it showed as "moonlight with minor spiritual contamination".

The reddish hue of Lingdun's moon had been present since Red Death began spreading, but tonight's red was the most demonic, and he deduced it was the doing of that Evil God.

"Contaminated the moon?"

Su Lun murmured to himself, inexplicably thinking of a method used by someone he knew.

He inquired about Mr. Hei's situation; Dawn Organization members had all arrived, and they were trying their best to deal with the monsters.

Only those with high-level professions capable of using domineering spirit could deal fatal damage to those creatures.

Screams echoed from street to street as hordes of zombies roamed, and in the shadowy mists, large "Hundred Faces Creatures" and "Thousand Faces Creatures" could be seen.

Su Lun planned to meet up with Mr. Hei and the others.

The situation today couldn't be reversed by any individual heroism; only by uniting their strengths could they possibly resolve the issue.

Just as he was communicating, suddenly, a few hundred panicked civilians burst out of the foggy street corner not far away.

This was Pietmont Street in Queen's District, Newman Avenue, one of the oldest parts of the city, and also one of the most densely populated areas.

"Run for your lives! The monsters are catching up!"

The crowd ran out in a panic.

And behind them, a group of zombie-like creatures were relentlessly pursuing them.

Being in the suburbs, when they heard of a monster attack, a large number of residents ran frantically on the streets, looking to escape the city.

But people in the crowd kept mutating.

Although a few low-level professionals shot at the monsters in retaliation, not only were the monsters not killed, their numbers were increasing, and they were getting closer and closer.

The unknown fear of people mutating at any moment left everyone's eyes filled with terror and despair.

The crowd surged past, and seeing someone "foolishly" standing there, a kind-hearted uncle even anxiously pulled at him while urgently shouting, "Young man, snap out of it, run! If those monsters bite you, you'll turn into one of them!"

Su Lun didn't move, and the uncle didn't have time to say a second sentence and could only flee in anxiety and helplessness.

As the crowd fled past him, he still stood quietly.

Until a moment later, when a zombie bared its teeth and pounced, Su Lun's gaze suddenly turned stern, his body covered with an imposing aura, and he charged towards the swarm of monsters.

Although the events of the evening were beyond the control of any individual, he still intended to resolve the immediate problem.

Moreover, seeing those monsters, he was also planning to confirm an idea.

These were all first-order mutated creatures, which could be blown up with a single punch by a high-ranking professional.

Su Lun charged into the midst of the monsters like a god of death, his punches capable of killing several creatures at once.

The monsters, seeing "human bait," swarmed towards him.

Su Lun didn't need to chase them down; within a few short encounters, he had killed a swath of monsters, leaving behind mangled limbs and flesh.

Hundreds of zombies were dead and gone.

In the distance, the people who had fled breathlessly were stupefied.

Within the foggy streets, strange noises multiplied, indicating that even more monsters were emerging. These people dared not stay longer, and after repeatedly thanking Su Lun, they escaped towards the outskirts in a panic.

Su Lun looked at the few monsters that chased after the fleeing individuals and, with a flash of insight, swung his black scythe, cutting them into two pieces.

This simple physical attack couldn't completely kill those monsters, and without giving them another glance, he concentrated his magic and raised one hand forward: "Void Blood Devour!"

In an instant, a spatial vortex formed, and a tremendous void suction force absorbed all the crimson remains and fragments of the monsters in the vicinity.

Before long, their life essence was drained, and a pile of impure powder fell to the ground.

Just in the time it took to devour them, those three monsters cut by the black scythe had also merged and congealed into a six-armed, three-faced zombie that stood up.

Su Lun teleported and blasted it with a punch, devouring the limbs that contained the red parasites with his "Blood Devour" ability.

In an instant, his vitality was abundant, and his complexion became slightly rosy.

After carefully discerning the changes in the vitality and power data, he confirmed something to himself, "Indeed, these Evil God parasites really have a high level of life. The life essence of the multi-faced monster is greater than the combined life essence of several zombies!"

When he harvested the mutated monk Las Vegas, he had this suspicion.

It was now confirmed.

The merging with "Isaac's Giant Strength" still required a lot of power attributes to meet the threshold, and he had seen a significant boost after accidentally acquiring a few "Blood Refinement Crystal Cores."

Since then, he hadn't found any Crystal Cores, and the increase had slowed down.

Su Lun figured that absorbing them slowly, it might take at least a year and a half...

But now, he saw a new pathway, which was to absorb the parasites of the Outer Gods inside these mutated creatures.

Although the situation was unclear, it was certain that by absorbing more monsters, the Outer Gods would recover less power!

Moreover, Su Lun had just realized that during battle, the comprehension effect of the "Blasphemous Crown" was greatly multiplied.

Whether it was the understanding of elemental laws or the comprehension of domains, it was much higher than what meditation could achieve.

No matter which stage of professional development required contemplation and understanding, battle was the best shortcut.

1+1>2,

Battle + Crown = Multiple shortcuts!

Thinking of this, Su Lun immediately contacted Mr. Hei on the communicator and asked, "Mr. Hei, do you know where the highest concentration of monsters in the city is right now? I have an idea..."

It was a very risky plan, as once the Outer Gods noticed someone was undercutting their power, they would definitely take special care of them.

But at the same time, there was also an opportunity not to be missed.

Su Lun was no weakling; to kill him, it would take at least a level-seven professional.

And he was not without allies.

If the Outer God showed itself, or if the top masters of the Giant Hermetic Order came, naturally there would be top professionals like Master Pierre and Mr. Jing to engage them!

The situation was such that the longer it dragged on, the more people would be contaminated in Lingdun, and the stronger the Outer God would become.

An early decisive battle could be a good thing!

Opportunity and risk coexisted.

If Su Lun could plunder enough vitality from that Outer God in the fierce battles, not only could he weaken the enemy's strength, but he could also greatly shorten the time needed to merge with the Giant's prosthetic.

Even with the Crown's enhancement, he might be able to gain a "great opportunity" amidst such perilous combat!