Mechanical Alchemist

Everyone on the street watched, dumbfounded.

No one expected a noble Earl to kneel before a woman unknown to them in broad daylight, nor could they understand why he would do such a thing.

In the Empire of Luying, it wasn't just nobility that reigned supreme, but also the inheritors from well-founded, prestigious families, and these were men.

Aside from Her Majesty the Empress, there had been no mention of a female noble with a status higher than that of an Earl.

Count Osaca of "Mistmoon" beside him thought his old friend had been bewitched and quickly asked, "Antonio... are you alright?"

Antonio glanced back at him and shook his head.

Seeing his old friend's resolute gaze, which did not seem to be under any sort of Illusion Technique, Osaca had no idea what else to say.

The situation had become very strange; his own son was still suspended in mid-air, his severed fingers dripping blood. The people of his territory were watching as if it were a spectacle. He hadn't grasped the significance of "Ancestor" that Antonio had mentioned and thought Mr. Jing might also be a high-ranking noble, secretly cursing that damned son of his for getting into big trouble.

But after all, being a respected Earl himself, Osaca swallowed his pride and said, "If your excellency is also a noble, then whatever misunderstanding there is, we can go to the nobility's court of arbitration..."

When nobles of the Empire of Luying committed crimes, they weren't tried under the common judicial system; they had a special court of their own.

It was rare for the great nobles to come to blows; most disputes were settled through mediation.

It was either through a duel or by staging a full-scale battle...

Not by kidnapping someone's offspring like this.

But before he could finish speaking, Mr. Jing had not opened his mouth, yet Antonio interjected with an indisputable tone, sentencing the fat man to death, "Primo offended the Ancestor, a crime unforgivable!"

Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Antonio took action himself.

He suddenly raised his hand, and with a grasp, it was as though he tore the air itself, revealing five blade-like scratches beneath his fingers.

The next second, the wails of the fat pig in the air came to an abrupt halt.

A huge head tumbled to the ground with a thud.

Osaca's face went rigid as he watched his son killed right before his eyes, "You..."

He wanted to erupt in anger, but his rational mind told him that something complex was at play, given his old friend's "inconceivable" actions. Although he felt humiliated, he realized it was not the time to lash out.

Mr. Jing couldn't care less about the corpse and asked simply, "What do you think of him?"

Naturally, the question was about Earl Osaca.

Knowing his old friend's character well, Antonio answered truthfully, "His crime does not warrant death."

"Hmm. Then let it be."

Hearing this, Mr. Jing proceeded to leave without another word.

This was just an ordinary noble, not one who had committed heinous acts.

At the heart of it all, the fundamentally corrupt system was to blame.

Su Lun also found the turn of events quite dramatic; he had thought there'd be a battle. But since the fat pig was killed by Mr. Jing's kin, who was also an Earl and moreover a friend of Osaca's,

It seemed a fight was no longer an option.

Watching Mr. Jing prepare to leave, Su Lun followed suit and headed towards the edge of the surrounding crowd.

However, suddenly, Mr. Jing seemed to sense something, his expression sharpened as he uttered sharply, "Someone is tampering with fate!"

....

Half a minute ago.

In a small building in the distance, the purple-haired woman watching the excitement looked at everything before her with relish.

Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she muttered, "Could it be the high-ranking vampire those North Sea pirates are looking for? No, no, this one's strength is definitely beyond the sixth rank..."

As she watched the otherwise calm situation unfold in the distance, she said to herself, "Just resolving it like this seems rather boring. Should I test the waters a bit more?"

The purple-haired woman's eyes flickered, and she immediately made a decision.
Explore more at empire

With that, she took out a black notebook and a steel pen, and began scribbling down a passage of text: "Count Osaca was a mix of shame and indignation, watching his own son die before his eyes, listening to the whispers of his constituents; he felt an immense humiliation. He decided to uphold the family's honor, and gave the order: 'Take them all!'"

After the purple-haired woman had written down this plotline, several lines of text slowly emerged on the page: "Conformity with reality 81%, story established!"

She peered at those words, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a sardonic smile, "Ah, that's when a storyline becomes truly thrilling..."

If Su Lun had been here, he would have recognized that this notebook was an "enchanted object."

[Cursed Script]

Quality: Legendary

Description: If the characters in the script have no soul, it must be a terrible script;

Cursed Properties: One can write a scenario that fits the current situation to change the course of the story; the more logical the story, the more likely it is to affect reality; those who do not master the relevant laws need to offer varying amounts of soul energy when using this notebook to alter the destinies of others—the more complex the fate and causality involved, the greater the price that must be paid;

Detailed Explanation: In the Dawn Era, a Great Alchemist of the Screenwriter Profession series created this cursed object. He believed that the screenwriter is the creator of a story world, and as long as the logic in the book world is tight and the laws are complete, it can evolve into a real world; it can also serve as advancement material for those in soul-related professions.

....

Watching the people about to leave, Count Osaca, for some reason, felt a sudden surge of fury in his heart.

He, a distinguished earl, had just witnessed someone kill his son before his very eyes, and he was supposed to watch them walk away?

This Gadronte Harbor was the Akeman family's territory!

He was the lord who owned everything!

Listening to the whispers of the constituents, he felt immense humiliation, growing angrier with each passing moment. Without thinking, he blurted out, "Take them all!"

At this command, the knights circling the streets surged forward.

"Blood Count" Antonio, upon hearing this, couldn't believe his old friend would make such an irrational move, and bellowed, "Damn it! Osaca, do you realize what you are doing!"

But his words were useless; the knights only obeyed the command of their lord and were already charging forward on their mighty lions.

Su Lun also inwardly cursed, recalling Mr. Jing's previous words: Was someone manipulating fate?

Before he could even react, he was suddenly pushed by Mr. Jing beside him. He stumbled forward, and for a moment, the shimmer of a mirror flashed before him.

Not yet understanding what had happened, he steadied himself only to suddenly see the scenery around him change, finding himself in a room with a view of the sea and a breeze blowing through.

Through the window, he had a clear view of Gadronte Harbor.

This was a mansion in a wealthy district at the top of the hill.

Teleported a kilometer out of thin air?

Su Lun felt he understood something and turned back to look.

Right behind him, there was indeed a large dressing mirror.

Today, the sunshine was just right, with a blue sky dotted with white clouds.

The light and shadow in the mirror were clearly depicting the grand battle happening a thousand meters away on the mountainside.

"Such a magical ability..."

Su Lun couldn't help but marvel inwardly; it appeared that Mr. Jing had pushed him out from within the mirror's surface.

Could reflection be used for arbitrary teleportation?

He figured he had roughly understood the principle behind this technique.

It was very similar to his own Spatial Displacement, but it was clear that the laws applied were different. One involved passing through a spatial hole, while the other utilized the reflection of "light elements."

A vampire using light-based laws?

It seemed a bit strange.

....

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

"..."

The commotion from the battle on the mountainside was immense.

Regiments charged, high-level spells collided, buildings were destroyed in swathes, and residents fled in panic.

In Gadronte Harbor, the army continued to gather and assemble toward the city, with patrol ships even returning to port, putting the whole city into a war state.

The Ackerman family had operated in this coastal city for a hundred years and had a solid foundation. There was no shortage of well-equipped knight regiments, various cursed objects, and some special individuals with unique talents...

Like within the Old Lingdun Inner City, the wealthy always liked to cultivate professionals with rare talents.

With a large population, there was always a chance to find individuals with special abilities.

From a great distance, Su Lun could see several B-grade and C-grade talented individuals emerging amidst the commotion.

Typically, those who could advance to fourth-rank officers possessed considerable strength.

Using gaming terminology, they were at least "silver-level" or "gold-level" BOSSes.

It wasn't just the knight regiments and navy that were mobilizing; the city's mercenaries and bounty hunters were also gathering in a mighty throng towards the mountainside...

In this situation, if an ordinary seventh-rank professional arrived, they would likely be killed in an encirclement.

However, Su Lun wasn't worried about Mr. Jing's safety.

Having spent these days in constant company, he had noticed his seniors' strength becoming more profound and unfathomable.

After coming to the surface, this vampire, rather than becoming weakened by the sunlight, seemed to be rapidly recovering from her injuries due to the abundance of certain elements, and her realm became increasingly ethereal.

Currently surrounded and attacked by a crowd, she hadn't fallen behind at all. In fact, once she unleashed her elemental domain, she even suppressed the group.

Besides, there was also an equally powerful earl-blooded vampire and his guards.

However, since Mr. Jing had noticed the intrusion of a "third party" stirring up trouble, he naturally wouldn't continue the fierce battle and become a pawn in someone else's scheme.

The fight ended hastily with Mr. Jing and her blood progeny retreating.

....

Su Lun watched the entire battle from a mansion on the mountaintop, and seeing Mr. Jing withdraw with composure, he also heaved a sigh of relief.

Not long after, he received a message from his senior sister. Having found the blood progeny, she was leaving Gadronte early to handle some matters. Then she entrusted Su Lun to go to the slave auction and buy the batch of "Dalu tribesmen" for her.

Purchasing slaves was a minor issue, just a matter of spending some money, and not a real problem.

The real problem was that Su Lun found himself alone.

Although this was part of the plan, even if he didn't leave today, he was bound to separate once Mr. Hei and the others arrived tomorrow.

Su Lun teleported out of the mansion, feeling that something was off along the way.

A moment later, he figured it out.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to part with his beautiful senior sister.

Rather, without a powerful protector, he immediately felt a sense of crisis.

It was like stepping out of a warm house into the cold wind that chills one to the bone, causing a shiver to run down one's spine.

Without thinking, he had to be on guard against potential enemies lurking around.

"No wonder Mr. Jing advised me not to follow them..."

Su Lun shook his head and muttered to himself.

Flowers from the greenhouse can't withstand the ravages of a storm.

The sudden sense of desolation also made him realize that, without being aware of it, he had grown accustomed to having someone powerful looking out for him.

In his subconscious, there was the belief that no matter what happened, the big boss had his back. He could no longer feel the sense of urgency he once did when he was mingling with gangs on the edge of life and death in the Old Spiriton Outer City, and he had become much lazier...

Just like when he killed someone in the street earlier, the confidence didn't come from his own strength, but from Mr. Jing.

He didn't have that full sense of accomplishment he used to have after a thoughtful and tough fight.

Because... he lacked the sense of crisis.

Now alone, that feeling of treading on thin ice crept back into his heart.

"So that's what it is..."

In a state of relaxation and tension, Su Lun finally understood what he needed and a slight smile formed on his lips.

He suddenly felt enlightened, walking on the streets, spreading his arms, giving a shake of his feet. He performed a quick change, and his suit transformed into a set of adventurer's leather armor.

After causing such a disturbance in the city, his face was probably not suitable for use anymore.

With Mr. Jing around, he could be reckless without any issues.

Now, on his own, he needed to be cautious when necessary.

Su Lun had no celebrity image to uphold. With a flicker of light on his fingertips, he touched his head, and his lush hair immediately receded, transforming into a bald pate without eyebrows. He then skillfully applied makeup to his face, creating a familiar punk smoky eye look.

A handsome young master from a wealthy family instantly turned into a punk adventurer.

Su Lun looked at Baldy in the mirror and pursed his lips.

Well... Although he didn't really care about looks, he still felt it was a bit ugly.

He thought that once he advanced to the third rank, he would never go bald again.