Mechanical Alchemist

The Dalu tribe's current situation is very bleak.

The great war in the Cursed Valley centuries ago resulted in the death of all the great druids, and the tribe lost the ability to communicate with the gods. Without the protection of the gods and the continuation of their lineage, they have not produced any high-end combat power since.

What's worse is that humans have reneged on their former pacts, and greedy slave traders have begun to delve into the Silent Forest to capture slaves, which has caused the population of the Dalu tribe to plummet, pushing them to the brink of extinction.

Now in the Emerald Holy Land, there are only two fifth-tier individuals; in terms of high-end combat power, they can't even compete with some of the larger slave-trading groups. They simply have no right to face them in battle.

Therefore, even if a tribe in the forest is in danger, the elders in the Emerald Holy Land dare not go to their rescue.

They might save them once, but not the next time.

If these elders were to die in battle as well, the Dalu tribe would have completely lost all hope.

Thus, for the continuation of their tribe, they have no choice but to hide and take shelter in various places within the Silent Forest.

This is why, when the news of the "Grey Wolf Tribe" being attacked came, the Deer Tribe Chief did not spread the word throughout the Holy Land.

They had heard too much of such terrible news over the years.

The young apprentice druids still have passion in their hearts, but they are the future hope of the Dalu tribe.

The elders wouldn't let them take risks either.

But still, the news spread.

There were a few apprentice druids in the Holy Land who were from the Grey Wolf Tribe, and they certainly wouldn't just watch idly as their tribe was destroyed and their people taken away to be sold as slaves. Arcu's good friend Umon was one of them. A few hot-blooded youngsters got together and quietly slipped out of the Holy Land, planning a rescue mission.

They would save as many as they could.

Druids, being stronger in combat than the average tribesperson, were the only ones with a chance to save some of their people.

...

In the forest, Su Lun rode on Yuta, who had transformed into a white wolf, quickly moving through the woods.

He had originally planned to head north to take a look, and now this detour was on his way.

From his previous communication with the Deer Tribe Chief, he had obtained a lot of detailed intelligence and roughly assessed the rank of the "Heart-stealer." It shouldn't be too outrageously high. He estimated that it was likely a third-tier, or perhaps a fourth-tier "Lord." It was still within an operable range.

Yuta had originally planned to secretly take him there. But when the Deer Tribe Chief and the others became clear about Su Lun's reasons for going and guessed his strength, they expressed understanding and support. They even planned to send a strong team to accompany him.

But Su Lun refused.

His situation was very special.

He was a Puppeteer, and a team of people made no difference compared to him alone.

If they encountered an enemy that was too strong, having more people was useless.

If they encountered an enemy they could beat, those few extras weren't necessary.

Having Yuta, who was familiar with the forest, as his companion was enough.

Together, even if they encountered a fifth-tier enemy, they would be able to protect themselves in the forest.

"The Grey Wolf Tribe is by Lake Rudasil, and a day's journey further north is the Cursed Valley. The elders in the tribe say that the last time they encountered the 'Heart-stealer' was near a 'Skull Grotto' not far from the valley, and the beast was hiding in the cave there."

"Hmm. We'll head to the Grey Wolf Tribe first, those boys like Arcu should have gone there."

"..."

Yuta wasn't angry at his younger brother for sneaking out of the holy land; he was just a bit worried.

Being hot-blooded isn't necessarily a bad thing for Dalu Tribe warriors.

....

On the other hand, along the shore of Lake Rudasil in the northern part of Silent Forest, a deadly competition was underway.

A group of soldiers dressed in silver armor from the empire had breached the Grey Wolf Tribe yesterday. The tribespeople were fitted with slave collars and escorted further north.

There were also some young knights searching through the jungle for the "fish that slipped through the net," who had scattered.

"These natives turn into animals when they run, slipping and sliding through the forest, making them hard to catch..."

"Hahaha... Yuke, my spear throwing skills were top marks during the academy's graduation assessment, a spear for each; how's that?"

"Bore, I've killed eight natives, and you have only five, what's there to show off? I'm going to turn their shinbones into specimens and keep them in my family's treasure room as my merits!"

"Hey, hey, can you all stop showing off? The trial mission given by the instructor requires at least five native heads each, and I have only killed one."

"..."

This is an elite reserve squad of the Sacred Judgment Knight Legion from the Imperial Royal Academy of Emperor Luying.

The knights were young, fresh graduates from the Imperial Royal Academy who had joined the army as reserve officers.

Hunting non-humans was their bloody trial before officially entering the battlefield.

At the same time, in the tribe's encampment strewn with corpses, there were several wooden cages crammed with Dalu Tribespeople.

These were the slaves who hadn't been transported away in time, also serving as bait.

A few middle-aged men in exquisite armor stood guard nearby, listening intermittently to the sounds of combat from the jungle, chatting now and then.

"These youngsters are pretty lucky to have non-humans to hunt. Back in our days when we graduated, we were sent straight to the battlefield without such opportunities to wet our beaks."

"Indeed. But then again, these natives are really foolish. Leaving a few slaves here as bait, and they just don't run; they keep coming to die."

"Instructor Sandru, those non-humans that escaped earlier seemed quite strong, probably Druids. According to the intelligence extracted from previous soul-searching, there's a place in this forest called 'Emerald Holy Land,' the sacred land of Dalu Tribe. It is said there are two Tier 5 beings. If those youngsters chase too far, won't they run into trouble?"

"Casualties are always part of a trial. Relax, with Rokshi watching over them from the shadows, nothing major can go wrong. Although I'm not too fond of that guy, he's known as 'Gravedigger,' and his abilities are quite formidable. Even if there really are Tier 5 professionals among these non-humans, he wouldn't necessarily be at a disadvantage..."

"Hehe, that's true."

"..."

After listening for a while, the men stopped paying attention to the fighting noises from the forest.

As they continued chatting, they moved on to the topic of the legion's mission this time.

"We initially came to capture some Icefield Giants, to acquire some [Giant's Muscles] for warrior enhancement, but we never expected to discover such an ancient ruin. Judging by the relics unearthed so far, the labyrinth might even predate the Dawn Era. This secret excavation is likely to yield significant findings."

"Yeah. From the look of it, there might be potent mysteries and [Cursed Objects]; maybe, if we're lucky, we might even find some mythological treasure."

"Those slave traders are really something, setting a date for delivery and then falling short on the numbers. Now we have to do it ourselves. The forest is so vast; this is hard labor..."

"I heard that a few days ago, the 'Sunshine Slave Hunting Group' encountered a lone adventurer in the forest and lost quite a few men..."

"Distortions of the truth, surely. Do you believe a Tier 3 adventurer, all by himself, could slaughter a slave hunting group with four Tier 4 professionals and seven to eight hundred elite members? While the fighting strength of the slave hunters isn't impressive, even you or I would struggle to pull that off. To kill seven or eight hundred people, the blade would be blunted, and all on his own? Hehe..."

"..."

As the men chatted away obliviously, they were unaware that Arcu and his companions were already lying in ambush for the group of knights undergoing their trial in the forest.

....

Su Lun and Yuta quickly made their way to Lake Rudasil.

The tribe's settlement of the Grey Wolf clan was just beside the lake, where the woods were not too dense and the view was quite open.

From atop a distant large tree, two figures were observing several people chatting in the village through a monocular telescope.

They didn't rashly approach but watched carefully.

After a long while, Su Lun put down the telescope, narrowed his eyes slightly, and muttered, "They're strong... So these are the elite royal troops of Luying?"

Even though they were too far to sense the fires of their souls, Su Lun could tell from their armor that those people in the village were the elite of the elite!

From the military insignia on their armor, the middle-aged man leading them seemed to be of the rank of colonel.

In Luying's military hierarchy, such a high-ranking position was usually held by professionals of the fourth tier and above.

"So that's the legendary Golden Gryphon Armor, troublesome indeed."

Su Lun's pupils contracted slightly as he pondered something.

With his current level of understanding, he could naturally tell the quality of the armor from the runes and enchantment traces on it.

The armors on those people varied, but they were at least of the "gold" or "dark gold" level for military officers.

The Imperial Royal Knight Legion of the Luying Empire has been able to sustain such a war of attrition against the mechanical army of Mafa for so many years, thanks to their alchemy, mechanical augmentation, and most importantly, their "Imperial Secretly-Forged" runic alchemy armors.

These were top-tier armors with defense strong enough to go head-to-head with mechanical battle armors.

It wasn't just about the indestructibility of the outer armor; the linings were able to absorb and dissolve the force of impacts, and some ingenious design at the joints ensured that knights' movements were not hindered at all, making them much more flexible than mechanical battle armors.

The armor also had high demands on the wearer.

To achieve ultimate defensive capabilities, such an armor would weigh at least half a ton and could go up to several.

To fight for extended periods on the battlefield, knights needed considerable strength.

"They've come to hunt the wild giants, huh. It looks like the Luying Empire must have found a shortcut that leads directly to the northern tundra..."

A myriad of thoughts flashed through Su Lun's mind in an instant.

The enemy was the royal elite, which was bad news.

But the good news was that he hadn't seen anyone who seemed like a fifth-tier presence thus far.

Yuta, using a telescope for the first time, adapted after some familiarization.

She keenly caught the tracks of flocks of birds occasionally startled into flight above the forest and analyzed, "There's fighting to the northeast in the forest, heading toward the 'Wildwind Path.' It could be Arcu and the others..."

As she spoke, she put down the telescope, looked at Su Lun, and asked, "Mr. Su Lun, are there formidable enemies among them?"

Su Lun stated bluntly, "This group of enemies is much stronger than the slavers. Although I haven't seen any fifth-tiers for now, we definitely can't confront them head-on. We have a chance only if we spread out."

Although he had killed several fourth-tiers, they were either pirates or slaver gangs.

What he was facing now was the genuine royal elite legion of Luying. Whether in terms of cultivation techniques, equipment, talent, or augmentation... they were one in ten thousand.

There was no room for carelessness.

Su Lun was fairly confident about taking down one.

But if several people from the village joined together against him, he didn't stand a chance.

Especially that colonel, aside from the Reaper, Su Lun didn't feel he had any way to take him down right now.

Yuta, hearing this, nodded seriously, "Mhm."

If he felt they were a challenge, the enemies must be extremely strong.

Su Lun had pieced together some information from reading lips and knew that those Luying knights were on an officer's trial.

The few officers in the village seemed to have noticed someone spying from afar.

But they didn't pursue, clearly not taking it seriously.

This was something that could be exploited.

Su Lun thought it over and said, "Let's go over there and take a look."

...

Meanwhile, several kilometers northeast of Lake Rudasil in the dense forest, a fierce battle was taking place.

The seven or eight young Druids of Arcu were not foolish; knowing the strength of the enemy, they had no plans to force a confrontation.

When they arrived, they found that most of the tribespeople of the Grey Wolf clan had already been transported away, leaving behind some who were injured and inconvenient to transport.

They naturally knew it was a trap, but they planned to rescue them first.

The youngsters discussed it and decided to lure the enemy.

Using the jungle environment, they aimed to kill the detestable humans and rescue their people.

However, the actual battle did not go as they expected.

They had heard from their people about the strength of the "slaver squads," but this time they indeed encountered the royal elite legion of Luying!

The decoy worked; they successfully lured the enemies out.

But... the battle was extremely brutal.

Even with traps set in case of danger that caught the enemy off guard and severely injured one.

That was all.

They soon realized that the other side had an absolute advantage in equipment.

It was equipment even more terrifying and powerful than that of the slaver squads!

Even the attacks of the Druids in their beast-transformed state caused only limited damage to the enemy's armor.

Claws could easily tear through leather armor, even ordinary mechanical gear, but on that runic armor, they left at most some slight scratches, doing no real harm to the enemy itself.

Even with spells, the lower tiers were just as useless against enemies clad in full-body armor.

And it was clear that the enemy had anticipated an ambush and did not panic when attacked; instead, they began to retaliate and encircle them.

Large-caliber sniper rifles, bombs, alchemy crossbows, cursed items... a constant stream of tactics emerged.

Whether at range or in close combat, Arcu's novice Druids had no advantage whatsoever.

Unable to rescue the captives, they were now the ones being hunted.

They could only rely on the forest for cover as they fought and retreated.

Soon, three of the eight who had snuck out from the Holy Land were dead in the chase, and the situation for the rest wasn't good; they were injured to varying degrees.

"Umon, stop being stubborn, let's get out of here!"

"It's my fault that everyone's in this mess. Arcu, you guys go ahead, I'll hold them off!"

"Damn it, if we go, we go together!"

"..."

These hot-blooded Dalu tribe youths would never abandon a comrade. They had come with the determination to face death.

They fought fiercely to the end.

....

When Su Lun and Yuta arrived, guided by the sounds of battle, they saw several people being chased in a sorry state.

However, fortunately, there were still a few alive – a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.

Suddenly blocked by a huge white wolf, the group was collectively startled.

Arcu recognized it immediately as his sister.

"Sister!?"

Guilty flashed across his face as he realized she had discovered his sneaking out.

But now was clearly not the time for that.

He shouted, "Sister, get out of here, the enemies are really tough!"

Yuta glanced at the young men, not moving, and coldly rebuked, "You go first. We'll deal with you when you get back!"

Arcu, thinking his sister didn't know how formidable the enemy was, anxiously said, "Sister, their armor is very strong, you can't fight them head-on."

Yuta didn't have a chance to reply. Her gaze hardened and she disappeared into a white blur.

In the blink of an eye, with a "thud," she had sent a heavy-armored knight flying with a palm strike, breaking a large tree.

But the knight had armor to protect him and seemed unaffected; he immediately stood back up.

With a "whoosh," a javelin was thrown their way. Yuta sensed it and narrowly avoided it.

At that moment, seven or eight more people caught up, all fully-armored knights.

"Sister!"

Arcu certainly hadn't gone first; he resolutely stood by Yuta's side, ready to protect her.

His refusal to leave meant that the other apprentice Druids didn't leave either, all ready to stay and fight to the death if necessary.

....

Meanwhile, high in the treetops, Su Lun cloaked in his mantle and suppressing his presence, closely observed the area.

[Sacred Judgment Legion's Standard Javelin]

Quality: Silver

Description: Standard javelin of the Luying Royal Legion, made of tungsten steel alloy, with wind attribute piercing and acceleration effects;

Looking at the javelin, Su Lun muttered to himself, "They really are rich... the cost of that javelin must be worth two to three hundred thousand apiece."

He then observed the equipment worn by those knights.

Elite is indeed elite; the knights' armor, sabers, and firearms were all top-grade military gear that couldn't be bought on the open market.

The value of their full set of equipment was staggering; it wouldn't be an overstatement to say they were carrying half a city's worth on their backs.

Within his mind, Su Lun roughly estimated that just the value of the equipment on this small squad of ten exceeded the worth of the few hundred slavers he had taken down before.

Moreover, all of it was military gear that couldn't be acquired on the market.

However, these knights weren't the ones Su Lun needed to be wary of.

The soul fires of the trainee officers below were all within his sensing range, none of them particularly strong, ranging from second to third tier.

Without a fourth tier amongst them, even with their superior equipment, it would not be difficult for Su Lun to kill them if he wanted to.

But he knew there was a high-ranking professional secretly protecting the group.

Without pinpointing that individual's location, he refrained from taking action rashly.

...

On the ground, Yuta and her companions had already engaged in fierce battle with the enemy group.

With her in the fight, the combatants were momentarily in a standoff.

The heavy-armored knights had a weakness too; the combat greatly drained their stamina.

Although the attacks from Yuta's side did limited damage to the armor, they required much less stamina and were more agile, making it difficult for the armors to win quickly.

Seeing Yuta was not in immediate danger, Su Lun was not in a hurry to intervene.

He watched the trainee officers and their displayed tactics, his thoughts racing, "[B-036-Earth Dragon], [Talent C-071-Ape], [C-004-Divine Power]... This Judgment Legion really is like the legends say, mostly recruiting talented fighters with strength-based abilities, and their augmentations are all focused on enhancing strength..."

Su Lun was pensive.

The Luying military had several mature professional advancement systems. Soldiers advanced in this way would be incredibly strong in group combat.

However, as he watched, his expression suddenly changed.

"Have I been discovered?"

Su Lun's brows immediately furrowed.

He had been planning to observe from the shadows but hadn't expected to be detected by the enemy first.

It was just a moment before, that he clearly felt a soul fluctuation sweep over him like a radar wave.

This fluctuation would go unnoticed by normal people, but his spiritual power was so sensitive now that he immediately identified it as some kind of spiritual power sensing technique.

Su Lun was somewhat puzzled. He was wearing a mirror organization's cloak which usually rendered him undetectable by ordinary means.

This meant that the person lurking somewhere possessed a curse object with a sensing ability?

Since the enemy had already discovered him, remaining hidden was pointless. He immediately changed tactics.

Without any hesitation, Su Lun spread out a sealed scroll, formed sorcerer's seals with his hands, and chanted "Seal·Release!" Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

The next instant, a massive Mecha appeared out of nowhere.

The Mecha plummeted down rapidly, and Su Lun leaped down with it.

While he was still in descent, he swiftly assembled the Mecha onto his body using maneuvering threads. Before anyone on the ground could react, the Mecha's steam boiler charged and expelled a burst of steam with a "hiss," propelling his form rapidly downward as he slashed with his blade.

Because it was a surprise attack, those underground didn't have time to dodge when they noticed.

Su Lun's Ship-Cutter struck the knight who attempted to block with his sword.

This was the "main tank" of that team.

With a "clang," the ear-piercing clank resounded through the woods.

It was only a momentary standoff before the vibration of the Ship-Cutter broke the long sword in two, and then heavily cut into the opponent's armor.

Blood splattered everywhere as the knight, overwhelmed by the tremendous force, sunk one leg deep into the soil.

The fact that the cut didn't bisect him showed how astonishing the armor's defense was.

But Su Lun didn't give him a chance.

The initial slash had opened a breach and compromised the integrity of the armor, significantly reducing its defensive capability.

He lifted his arm and came down with a diagonal slash, following the gap and cleaving the knight in two from the chest, blood spraying wildly, and the sight turning crimson.

....

Su Lun killed someone in an instant.

This sudden change shocked everyone underground for a moment.

The few members of the knight order, upon seeing their comrade slain, were horrified and confused.

They instantly recognized that this was a battle Mecha from Mafa!

What the hell!

How could someone from Mafa appear in the Silent Forest?

Even Yuta, watching him slay a knight in armor she herself couldn't kill, had a slight surprise in her eyes.

As for Arcu and the others, their shock was beyond measure.

Such sturdy armor, split with a single slash?

But in that moment, they guessed the identity of the person.

Only humans would use such mechanical devices.

And the humans they knew were only two, one was Katyusha, and the other was Mr. Su Lun!

The one who would come to rescue them alongside his sister was fairly obvious.

Su Lun shouted, "You go first!"

His Mecha armor held back those on the opposite side, and both sides disengaged and stood off at a distance.

Upon hearing this, Yuta nodded her head.

Knowing Su Lun's capabilities, she understood that staying would only be a burden, so she commanded Arcu and the others with a sharp cry, "Go!"

.....

Now the situation was reversed, with Su Lun's side having the overwhelming equipment advantage.

The armor of the Imperial Royal officers of Luying might be incredibly defensive, but the properties of the armor worn by these reserve officers fell far short of the [Ship-Cutter IX-Type Mecha Armor] Su Lun wore!

Without any accidents, these people stood no chance of killing Su Lun.

Instead, they'd likely be killed cleanly by him.

Therefore, the one hiding in the shadows would definitely not just watch this happen.

Moreover, now that a battle Mecha from Mafa had appeared, the matter had become more complicated.

They couldn't help but suspect that the forces of the Mafa Empire had infiltrated the Northern Ice Fields, and might have even formed some alliance with the demi-human tribes.

Therefore, this Mecha warrior and those Druids could not be allowed to escape!

....

Su Lun was forcing that person to come out!

Everyone was shocked for a moment.

But Su Lun didn't stop. Now that he had made his move, he wouldn't give the enemy a chance to react.

In that brief moment, steam power built up beneath his feet and he rocketed forward, his mechanized body lurching as he swung his second slash!

Just as another was about to be cut down by the blade, a ghostly figure appeared before Su Lun. Holding a black long staff-like weapon, he steadfastly blocked the Ship-Cutter.

Su Lun, seeing his attack blocked, was not at all surprised, "So you've come."

However, upon seeing the person clearly, he did feel a hint of surprise.

To be exact, it was not because of the fourth-tier professional, but because of the weapon in his hand.

It was an ink-black umbrella!

Just now, for a moment, golden runes lit up on the umbrella's surface, and astonishingly, they absorbed the blow from the Ship-Cutter. Briefly, one could even hear the sound of ghastly wails and howls.

A flicker passed through Su Lun's left eye as he appraised it.

[Rune-Engraved Human Skin Umbrella]

Quality: Dark Gold

Description: Messengers of the underworld also need an umbrella to shield them from the sun;

Cursed Feature: An umbrella made of human skin holding resentful spirits, a prison for souls; it can increase the bearer's spiritual perception and enhance Necromancy Spell Penetration; consumes a large amount of Spiritual Power to actively deploy the umbrella, creating a 'Nightfall Domain' that deprives everyone within its range of their five senses; releases resentful spirits to inflict continuous psychic damage on the target; those who have not attained a certain level of mastery over the laws of Death will suffer from the curse's backlash, permanent sensory distortion, with a moderate probability of hearing whispers from unknown beings of the underworld;

Explanation: This is a damaged forbidden artifact, missing its ribs; it only has the canopy left. The collection of souls can strengthen this cursed object's characteristics, currently hosting 85546 malevolent spirits;

Once Su Lun understood the details of the umbrella, the realization dawned on him.

Of course it could block the Ship-Cutter; it was a damaged forbidden artifact.

Seeing the whispers and feeling a sense of deja vu,

"Not being affected by the curse with the mastery of laws of Death? I wonder if my second-level Reaper meets the usage requirements..."

As Su Lun pondered, the cursed object seemed quite suitable for him.

He also understood why he had been detected.

It was truly because of this umbrella.

At the same time, he was also amazed by the depth of resources the Luying royal family had.

Not to mention those costly standard issue gears, just any fourth-tier that showed up had in their possession a damaged forbidden artifact.