Mechanical Alchemist

```

After cleaning up the bodies, Su Lun took out a test tube filled with green potion and dropped a few drops onto each pool of fresh blood.

This was the potion commonly used by the Old Lington gang to destroy bodies and erase traces—[Blood-Dissolving Bacteria].

As soon as the potion landed, the bright red blood was quickly devoured by the bacteria, the liquid changing from red to fluorescent green before evaporating in the blink of an eye.

The last traces of the bodies were also erased.

Although there were still some bloodstains splattered on the walls, it was not a big issue.

Even if someone noticed, they would not go to great lengths over the "disappearance" of a few gang members.

Having killed several people, neither Su Lun nor Mr. Jing showed any sign of disturbance. They strolled leisurely in the alley, then switched to another passage and re-emerged onto the main street.

Being half-related to the Isaac family, Su Lun had nothing to hide and directly asked, "Senior sister, is the pattern on this totem the crest of the Isaac family?"

"Yes."

Mr. Jing nodded, explaining, "This was a totem co-designed by my father and Great Druid Nuada the Saint during his travels in the northern lands, when he formed an alliance with the 'Dalu Divine Race.' It represents the friendship and equality between the human race and the Dalu race."

Su Lun voiced his confusion, "The Dalu Divine Race?"

"That's what those 'sub-humans' in the slave markets are called."

Mr. Jing provided a brief explanation, then continued, "But in fact, they are not a variant of humans—they are a very ancient mythical race. They were a race favored by the ancient gods."

Hearing this, Su Lun immediately thought of the slaves with beast-like features.

They look ninety percent human, with just some added beast-like features, such as ears, tails...

He remembered seeing a group of female 'rabbit-type sub-humans' with rabbit ears and fluffy short tails in a slave cage, as well as 'deer-type sub-humans' with small horns on their heads...

This resembled the forms taken by human awakeners with animalistic talents after transformation.

In the memories Su Lun had peeled away, the impression humans had of "sub-humans" was that they were the interbred products of humans and beasts, inferior humans with permanent animalistic talents.

He had thought the same.

But it turned out not to be the case; instead, they were a mythical race with a history as long as humanity's.

Mr. Jing seemed to recall something, and with a rather emotional tone, said, "This totem is a witness to the friendship between my father and the Dalu race back then. Who would have thought that a thousand years have passed, the Atlia Empire has fallen, and yet their people have still upheld the 'covenant' of those days..."

She paused and then let out a long, emotive sigh, "Ah..."

Su Lun had never heard such complex emotions from Mr. Jing before.

He was not a party to the events of a thousand years ago, so he did not feel it as deeply.

But the thought of the equal allies of a thousand years ago now reduced to slaves of humankind...

....

The covenant had been signed by Sir Isaac, and Mr. Jing was naturally one of the "parties involved" in that thousand-year-old covenant. Since the allies were still honoring their part of the agreement, she also had an obligation to protect its terms.

And only someone of very high status within the "Dalu race" could wear that totem amulet.

The two walked along the street and casually inquired at a shop, learning that the slave trader Roskin was not only well-known in Gadronte Harbor but also one of the largest slave traders in the Emperor Luying Empire.

Such a "wealthy tycoon" was naturally not someone they could just meet at will.

But fortunately, they found out the whereabouts of the batch of slaves; they might be auctioned off as goods at the auction that evening.

If possible, Mr. Jing was considering buying those slaves.

Since there was still time, the two continued strolling around the city.
Read exclusive chapters at empire

Su Lun was interested in steam-powered airships, and Mr. Jing clearly wanted to take a look as well.

```

Just a short walk away, they saw the airship platform they had glimpsed outside the city.

It was a cliffside terrace holding two airships.

From a distance, Su Lun studied the general structure of the airships and found that the technological complexity was not high.

An oval-shaped enchanted balloon was attached above, with a glass viewing box linked below, and it also came equipped with a rather simple steam power system.

The practicality of this type of transportation wasn't significant; due to high air resistance, the speed wasn't fast.

The smaller ones could be utilized as reconnaissance flyers, whereas the large ones moved leisurely like ships, yet lacked the cargo capacity of cruise ships, making them seem superfluous.

However, since the fuel was cheap, they were used as a mode of transportation in some inland hill areas.

In this city, the airship wasn't a means of conveyance but a high-end dining restaurant with a view.

Checking the time, Su Lun suggested, "Senior sister, shall we go have a meal first?"

Mr. Jing replied with a slight smile, "Good."

....

As Su Lun and his companion approached, a waiter dressed in a white shirt and tie greeted them.

The airship restaurant's prices were indeed steep. Su Lun glanced at the menu and his eyebrows slightly rose.

"Deep Sea White Sturgeon Caviar £300/gram"

"Vaafei Duchy's Foie Gras £700/gram and up"

"Popodo Estate Gold Rum £188,888/bottle"

The good meat was sold by the gram, and a meal could cost tens of thousands.

But fortunately, having money in one's pocket, there wasn't a problem.

Since arriving in this world, Su Lun hadn't yet had a real feast and was curious to try the taste of high-end food from this world.

Back in Old Lington, food resources were very limited.

Most of the time during his wilderness hunts, he was eating dry rations. Even in the city, he had only had a few decent meals.

The social structure of Old Lington was deformed.

Duke Raphael, the "mine owner," didn't expect the city of exiles to flourish, but rather all resources were diverted to serve his mining operations and mechanical technology research.

As a result, heavy industry was developed, but light industries like food processing were severely behind, and even daily necessities like drinking water and food were hard to come by.

Especially in the outer city, most of the meat available had slight mutations.

Before it was served, you never knew if the meat came from a pig with five legs or one with seven...

But as long as it was protein, for most people, having something to eat was good enough.

The larger airship next door had been rented out by a prominent noble, and the two were led by the waiter to the smaller airship.

Upon entering, there were already several groups of guests.

By their attire, it was clear they were people from high society.

As the airship ascended, they dined, chatted, and overlooked the entire city.

Although the price was somewhat expensive, the taste was indeed good.

On Benson's ship, Su Lun had been eating shipboard food. Seafood was plentiful, but fresh fruits and vegetables were missing.

The airship was stocked with a variety of fruits, those basking in ample sunlight, so much tastier than the glow fruits from the underground city, sweet and juicy with every bite. The taste buds too reveled in the pleasure brought by the delectable cuisine...

...

Soon after Su Lun and his companions took off in their flying vessel, another one also took flight.

A soundproof barrier had been installed on the flying vessel.

A young woman wearing a fashionable princess dress was dining alone.

She was the fourth daughter of the Lance family, Yekaterina Lants, with beautiful purple hair, the most distinguishing feature of the Lants.

Gadronte Harbor belonged to Earl Wuyue, but the entire six northern provinces were the territory of Duke Lance, a family as ancient and powerful as the Luying Empire.

Yekaterina cut a small lamb chop on her plate with her knife and fork, put a piece in her mouth, and chewed slowly.

Behind her, an elderly butler and a person cloaked in a cape stood quietly.

No one spoke.

The vast flying vessel was filled only with the soft sound of chewing.

After eating for a while, the woman was satisfied.

Only then did she lay down her knife and fork, wiped her greasy lips, and asked, "Karlo, how are things with the non-humans?"

"To report to Her Royal Highness Princess, everything is proceeding according to your plan."

The cloaked person replied respectfully and added, "I have been active near the 'Silent Deep Woods' as a bounty hunter for the past two years and have gained some trust from the non-humans at the periphery of the forest. Following your plan, I arranged for pirates to raid a non-human village and captured a significant druid. This time, as long as we sell them and then find a suitable opportunity to rescue them, I should be able to win the trust of the non-human management easily, which will make things much more convenient…"

Hearing this, the purple-haired woman nodded calmly and said, "Mhm. Well done. The empire is currently locked in a major war with Luying and has loosened the restrictions on lords raising troops. I need a powerful army. Gathering those intelligent species of the northern ice fields will certainly be a great asset to me."

Upon hearing this, the person in the cape said, "I dare not take credit, it is all due to your wisdom, Princess."

The purple-haired woman smiled faintly and didn't say much more, but then asked, "Have you found out why Bluul Turner, the legion commander of the 'Imperial Hammer Legion' from Mafa Empire, came to Gadronte Harbor?"

"The official news claims it's to celebrate the Duke's birthday, but intel suggests he has other important objectives," the person in the cape replied.

He paused, then continued, "I've heard that at tonight's black market auction, very top-tier mechanical blueprints will be sold, attracting numerous large arms dealers. I suspect that those from Mafa are after the blueprints..."

At this, the purple-haired woman's brow furrowed slightly, knowing that mechanical blueprints of interest to the Mafa Empire would definitely be no simple thing.

After pondering for a moment, she asked, "The black market, could it be something spread by pirates? What kind of mechanical blueprints are they?"

"The message was specifically directed at several large arms dealers; I don't have exact details. However..."

The cloaked person paused and then said, "I've heard some rumors from the bounty hunter circles that these blueprints originate from Oleg 'King of the North Sea,' and it's possible they are the secret 'Super Mechanical Warriors' blueprints developed by Duke Raphael."

Surprised by this information, the purple-haired woman chuckled softly and said, "That nouveau riche Raphael leaked the blueprints? And they ended up with pirates?"

"It's merely speculation."

The person in the cape replied and added, "There's also word that Oleg's fourth fleet recently made a fortune, plundering plenty of wealth and women, and have been reveling in 'Pirate City.' However, when I investigated, no large territory has been attacked by pirates recently. Thus, I speculate it's very likely that the secret 'mine' of Duke Raphael has been discovered..."

Considering this, the purple-haired woman accepted the idea and inquired, "Any other news?"

"There's also a bit of talk in the pirate circles that Oleg is offering bounties in search of certain individuals... It seems a few gang leaders have died," the cloaked one reported.

"..."

After listening to the maritime intelligence, the purple-haired woman swirled her red wine glass, as if pondering something.

Then she took a light sip and turned to ask, "What about the situation with the Lei family?"

Upon hearing this, the butler who had been quietly waiting finally spoke, "There are some conflicts between the main and branch families of the Lei family, but with Her Majesty the Empress's support, they should be resolved soon."

"And the marriage alliance?" the purple-haired woman probed.

"When we communicated before, it seemed those from the Lei branch family had no intention of allying with us through marriage, preferring Duke Raphael. But after the main family regained power, they also showed willingness to form an alliance with us. However, the first heir might not be suitable..." the butler explained.

Laughing at the response, the purple-haired woman said, "Heh, those fools still think they're the Mafa royal family from a hundred years ago, waiting for a marriage alliance with the Luying royal family, do they? Fine, anyone but the primary heir will do, the more useless the better."

Butler: "It is..."

....

Su Lun and Mr. Jing were dining on the airship, occasionally making idle chatter.

He also noticed another airship had taken off, hovering a few hundred meters away.

The full panoramic glass on the airship offered a great view.

The sky was dotted with scattered clouds, and the two airships were staggered in flight, not much to be seen.

But in the instant the clouds cleared, Su Lun saw clearly that there seemed to be only a woman with purple hair dining on the other airship.

"Regad? Or maybe, Najad... is a... waste(r)?"

Su Lun was proficient in lip-reading, and even though it was just a moment when the clouds dispersed, he felt that he had read a word that triggered a reflex in his nerves.

But then the clouds closed in again, obscuring the view, and he could no longer see what the woman was saying.

The information gleaned from lip-reading was disjointed, lacking more context to help conjecture the meaning of the words, resulting in only a few fragmented words.

"Nobility, purple hair..."

Su Lun pondered for a moment in his head because he knew so little about the outside world, he also didn't know who the woman was.

But he recorded this piece of information in his mind.

....

The civilian airship was somewhat disappointing.

After dining together, the two got off the airship and continued to wander around the city.

Su Lun needed to find materials for his job advancement, and Mr. Jing also needed to find some high-level materials to heal his injuries.

They planned to visit the material market for a look.

Gadronte also had a specialized alchemy material market, located halfway up the mountain.

The two took the cable car to the alchemy market.

The shops here were all very clean, with uniform white-painted walls and blue roofs, reminiscent of a kingdom from a fairy-tale world.

There weren't many ordinary residents on this street; the vast majority were professionals and businessmen.

The people's attire was also varied and strange; some were dressed in suits like Su Lun, others in Magician's robes, still others in leather and firearm-adorned adventurer's outfits, equipped with steam machinery...

As it was a port city, there were cheaper goods available than inland, attracting a large number of customers.

Moreover, the alchemy materials here were much more comprehensive compared to Old Lington!

Hundreds of shops offered an eye-dazzling variety of goods, probably exceeding one hundred million types. From first, second, to third-tier low-level materials, up to fifth and sixth-tier high-level materials, everything could be bought for a price.

The two browsed one shop after another,

Mr. Jing found some small gains.

Su Lun did quite well too.

Although he didn't find the third-tier main material he was looking for, he did find some complementary materials and plenty of essentials for making high-level puppets, things he had only seen in books and which Old Lington simply didn't have.

With these materials, Su Lun could also try many new things, such as runes and enchantments above the third tier.

Unexpectedly,

While browsing, they actually encountered Captain Peng Si, who wanted to kidnap Mr. Jing!