Mechanical Alchemist

Seeing the item the Yellow Weasel took out, Su Lun indeed couldn't take his eyes off it at once.

He had seen the record of this "Void Travelling Whale" in ancient texts and documents.

It was a mythical void creature, occasionally mentioned in ancient mythological stories.

In the mysterious books of alchemy, it was written that it was born directly from the primordial creation era, possessing the ability to form universes. It roamed the endless void, lived a long life, devoured the energy of the void, and had a world of its own inside its belly, capable of nurturing all things.

Another description was that it was the so-called "miniature cosmos."

The records stated that not even gods could kill it.

To find its corpse, one would have to wait until that universe naturally collapsed, which could take billions of years.

This "Endless Stomach of the Void Travelling Whale" could certainly not be seen by anyone other than those of great fortune.

Seeing this, Su Lun became even more certain of an idea.

That was that the treasures of such caliber appearing in this cursed space could not possibly be found by some minor demon from Mountain Hermit.

It's likely a collection of the great adventurer Fujiwara Hayato, who dares to travel to the Netherworld with just a boat ticket!

....

Upon seeing this stomach, Su Lun immediately decided it would become his fourth-tier planting gear!

Who could refuse the possibility of owning a plane?

It just so happened that he had just entered the realm of Space Law, fulfilling the extremely low fusion requirements of this planting gear.

But despite the low fusion requirements, the actual conditions for use were quite demanding.

For nearly anyone, even if successful fusion was achieved, it would likely be a mere useless trinket.

It's like having enriched uranium in hand, but where does an ordinary person have the capability to turn the material into an atomic bomb?

"Casting slow," "immense consumption," "extremely high Law requirements"...

The identified words were very striking.

They all cautioned the owner not to "aim too high."

This was an item that was a dead weight in the early stages, with high potential and powerful in the later stages... but very slow to advance!

After all, to grow into a true plane, creatures like the "Void Travelling Whale" also spent billions of years. The mere hundred years of a normal human lifespan was not even enough for such a creature's single breath.

But Su Lun didn't really need a plane (though it would be better if he had one). An independent, huge, and with a complete set of laws, expandable empty space was already enough for him.

What he valued more was the ability of the "Void Whale Swallow!"

Su Lun was not the kind to want to use something just because it was good, regardless of whether it suited him or not.

This was a well-thought-out rational idea he had after careful consideration.

If his "Reaper" talent wasn't suitable, then probably no one else was suitable for this planting gear!

After the fusion of the planting gear, one would gain the ability of the "Void Whale Swallow," which required a strong understanding of laws to use proficiently.

Need an understanding of the laws?

It just so happened that he knew that King Oleg of the North Sea had discovered a vast amount of spatial materials at a certain place. With the "Death Reaper" in action, it was like a scythe coming across a ripe wheat field, could there be a fear of running out of "food"?

Upon reaching the fifth tier, why not acquire some advanced materials to enhance the comprehension of Space Law even further?

As for the drawback of high consumption...

That's even less of a problem!

The fifth-tier "Isaac's Alchemy Core" was still waiting for him to fuse it!

After advancing to a higher tier, Su Lun clearly understood how farsighted Sir Isaac was. The late-stage need for "mana" for a Magician indeed kept increasing.

This alchemical heart was nearly a Divine Artifact must-have.

Having a good heritage from a mentorship indeed means avoiding countless detours!

....

Seeing Su Lun's interest in the item, the Yellow Weasel also visibly sighed with relief, "My lord, now that I have paid the ransom, can you return my Demon Core to me?"

"Ah... this..."

Su Lun really wanted to keep it, but he truly had no excuse.

This guy had stolen twice and attempted once, and had already paid the "ransom."

By the rules, it indeed had to be released.

Why don't you steal one more thing?

The Yellow Weasel, as if understanding his thoughts, spewed out in desperation a strange tone, "Oh, sir, rest assured, we will definitely not meet again. If there's ever a place where you are, I'll be sure to avoid it far and wide!"

Huh...

This damned translational tone is a bit weird, doesn't feel like a local spirit from Mountain Hermit?

Suddenly, a bold idea flashed through Su Lun's mind.

This spirit, the Hyakuzo Master, could it be Fujiwara Hayato's "little follower" from back then?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was true.

Such a spirit with a talent for identifying and seeking treasures staying by one's side, isn't that a must-have for a great adventurer???

As Su Lun thought about it, if he also had such a follower, with its skills, wouldn't he have no worries about treasures?

In an instant, Su Lun felt that he had discovered a blind spot and he couldn't help but laugh unkindly as he probed, "Mr. Hyakuzo Master, would you be willing..."

But before he could finish,

The Yellow Weasel was shaking its head like a rattle-drum, directly interrupting, "Unwilling!"

Su Lun asked again, "Do you have any relatives, sisters, siblings, anything like that?"

Most of the spirits in Mountain Hermit were conglomerates of belief and weren't born live or from eggs, so naturally, they wouldn't have any relatives.

The Yellow Weasel decisively responded, "None!"

It knew very well what Su Lun was thinking and was very determined, "I absolutely won't serve humans again..."

After saying this, it seemed to suddenly realize its word choice was wrong and confusedly muttered to itself, "Huh, why did I say 'again'?"

"..."

When Su Lun heard this, he knew he had no chance of keeping the Yellow Weasel.

What a pity.

But from this guy's expression, he also keenly caught something.

Out of caution and habit, Su Lun quickly took out his notebook and recorded a sentence, "Does this space have some special laws that limit the logical thinking abilities of the beings within it regarding specific issues..."

He had once found some "memorandums" in his notebook that he had forgotten about. In that cursed space in Silent Forest, something had happened that he had forgotten.

Intuition always made Su Lun feel there was something wrong with the closed loop of Netherworld, but he didn't know what it was.

Such a clumsy method could avoid the possibility of subjective consciousness being deceived.

...

Despite Su Lun's various temptations, the Yellow Weasel wouldn't take the bait.

Eventually, he wasn't prepared to break the agreement and returned the Demon Core to the creature.

Although it happened for a reason, he still picked up two treasures for nothing. From this perspective, the Hyakuzo Master really was "auspicious."

Su Lun didn't forget the most important thing. While the spirit was still there, he asked, "Excuse me, do you know how to leave Netherworld?"

The Yellow Weasel, after a thorough beating, originally had some complaints.

But seeing that these humans actually released it, its face clearly relaxed quite a bit, and it casually replied, "For that, you'll need to ask King Izanami. No living person has come to Netherworld, naturally, none could leave. If there is a way, only that great person would know..."

After saying this and without waiting for Su Lun to speak again, the spirit transformed into a wisp of yellow smoke and vanished on the spot.

Their ears still carried its distant murmur, thick with a manly emphasis, "Oh, damn, what an unlucky day..."

....

After the spirit left, Su Lun and his two companions were left standing there.

Sendo had her sword back and was in high spirits.

She was currently playing with the Bodhi Seed she had acquired, her face full of vitality. Since they weren't strangers, she also shared her novel experience, "It's really a treasure indeed. Holding it, I feel completely clear-headed. It feels like I can control 'Sojo's' demonic energy without fear of backlash. Being able to swing my sword with full force, my combat power has at least increased by thirty percent..."

"Thirty percent? That's quite impressive..."

Listening to this, Su Lun's thoughts returned from the departed spirit.

Akutagawa Ryuichi had mentioned before, the higher one's Buddha-nature, the greater a hell-sojourning swordsman's mastery would be. Sendo's feeling made sense, after all, she was holding a Demon Blade that had yet to truly show its strength.

Su Lun also shared his assessment, "This Bodhi Seed is a Buddhist treasure, it can prevent one from falling into demonic hindrances and is greatly beneficial for swordsmen who cultivate the hell-sojourning path. Wearing it can even offer the chance of sudden enlightenment."

Upon hearing this, Sendo lit up, "Hahaha..."

```

It was like winning money in gambling, which gave her an immense sense of satisfaction.

This gamble had paid off big time!

Laughing heartily, she took another look at the thing in Su Lun's hand that resembled a black hole, and asked, "Su Lun, what is this? It looks like spatial storage equipment?"

Su Lun said, "Not only that. This is the 'Void Whale's Stomach Pouch,' and it's also a part of breeding equipment."

"Void Whale?"

Clearly, neither Qian Tiao nor the Princess had heard of such a mythical creature.

Su Lun didn't elaborate.

The function of this "Endless Stomach Pouch of the Void Whale" was too special. It would take too long to explain, so he simply said, "There's been a slight change in the original plan. I intend to go back to the Senso-ji Temple and fuse with this breeding equipment immediately. This process might take two or three days..."

Originally, the plan was to ambush and kill the monsters, and now, of course, it had to be put on hold.

Qian Tiao immediately caught the hint and continued, "Right. We'll split up for the next few days. I'll take the Princess out for a stroll."

The tacit understanding between the two was such that there was no need for further explanation. Su Lun didn't beat around the bush and said, "Good! Be careful. If anything happens, communicate with the communicator."

"Hmm."

Qian Tiao nodded.

With her current strength, self-preservation outside of the city was almost no issue, and now with an unexpected advancement, she was even more formidable.

Although the Princess couldn't engage in regular fights, she was a shrine maiden who was well-versed in the arts of gods and ghosts, and knew the characteristics of ghostly creatures like the back of her hand.

As long as they were cautious and kept to themselves, there shouldn't be any significant problems with the two of them partnering up.

....

Su Lun left directly.

He left all the light gemstones with the Princess.

Qian Tiao looked at the misty shadows at the foot of the distant mountains, where it seemed new ghost creatures were coming their way. She hooked the Princess's shoulder familiarly and called out, "Princess, let's get going."

The Princess had been silent all along. She was well aware that she was currently a "burden" and said with a face full of remorse, "I'm sorry, Sister Qian Tiao, for causing you and Mr. Su Lun trouble."

Qian Tiao didn't care about these things. She rolled her eyes and said, "I'm not going to be as polite with you as that kid Su Lun."

She thought responses were all affectation and made her point with her actions instead.

She threw an arm around the Princess's slender waist like a hooligan and then leapt into the air, moving swiftly.

"Ah..."

The Princess, whose waist was embraced, gave a soft cry like a startled fawn.

However, she had to avoid using spiritual energy as much as possible now, so she could only let Qian Tiao carry her half-hugged, half-held.

The two wandered through the mountains and fields, stopping here and there. Eventually, they found a cave in a desolate wilderness where no ghostly creatures were active and decided to spend the night there. It was very far from Ghost Town, so they hoped for a few hours of peace.

They lit a fire, ate some instant food, and Qian Tiao set up a camping tent.

Aside from herself, a set of clothes, and some magical implements on her person, the Princess had brought nothing else, and she had to leave all arrangements to others.

Both of them crawled into the tent and lay down on the same mat.

Having stayed together in the bathing chambers of Tea Crying Mountain for quite some time, the Princess didn't feel there was anything unusual.

Although the campaign tent was not spacious, it was quite comfortable.

This, too, seemed to be something that Mr. Su Lun had left behind.

The Princess's thoughts flew in turmoil as she lay on her side on the soft air mattress, unable to sleep.

Too much had happened today, making her flurry of images arise in her mind as soon as she lay down: the black sun, the sacrifice, the great god Tsukuyomi, the Netherworld, meeting old friends...

It all felt like a dream, and up till now, she still found it somewhat unreal.

But as she drifted off to sleep, she suddenly felt a warmth against her back.

"Is Sister Qian Tiao kicking off the blankets again..."

The Princess murmured to herself, used to it by now.

Qian Tiao's bold sleeping habits always involved draping her limbs over the Princess when they slept together.

But just as this thought had emerged, suddenly, a hand covered her chest and even gave a slight squeeze.

As if testing the feel?

```

This was clearly a conscious action.

The Princess knew that Qian Tiao hadn't fallen asleep, full of curiosity, she squeaked out, "Sister Qian Tiao?"

Qian Tiao asked by her side, "Do you feel anything?"

The Princess was caught off guard, "Ah... what kind of feeling?"

An awkward silence descended upon the tent for a moment before Qian Tiao's faint response came, "Oh, nothing."

"..."

The Princess felt a sea of question marks over her head.

At that moment, she felt Qian Tiao's arm retracting, but it didn't stop there. Clearly, she could feel that Qian Tiao seemed to be testing herself again?

What was this operation?

If they weren't both females, the Princess might have thought she was being molested.

But a moment later, as if she had guessed something, under the dim light, her pretty face with bright eyes cleverly shifted, and then she pursed her lips in a smile.

Sure enough, she heard Qian Tiao's voice murmur like a fine thread, "I don't feel much... but, your touch, Princess, seems even better."

In her heart, she thought that her own were too big, soft and fluffy.

Those like the Princess's were just the right size, firm and tenderly soft.

Um... they seem quite nice.

As she spoke, Qian Tiao's wandering hands seemed to want to relive the sensation, reaching out again. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire

After trying, she didn't forget to mutter, "Just as I thought."

A good touch?

Listening to such straightforward words, the Princess felt a sudden surge of shyness.

Yet she didn't know how to assess this hooligan behavior.

Although she didn't mind, as both were women and she didn't see anything particularly objectionable, she still thought it was a very strange move.

She could only speak hesitantly, "Sister Qian Tiao, you..."

Qian Tiao: "Ah... I'm asleep."

The touch was good, but she seemed to really find it uninteresting.

At least people can't just hold onto it all night long, can they?

The only difference might be that the other guy usually touches from underneath the clothes directly?

"..."

The Princess couldn't help but laugh and cry, guessing exactly what had happened.

She knew that the relationship between Qian Tiao and Su Lun was no ordinary one, not lovers but closer than friends. Their interactions were so open that it had even influenced her subtly, and she hadn't found anything strange about it.

But now, did something seem different?

Out of curiosity, the Princess asked, "Sister Qian Tiao, have you and Mr. Su Lun defined your relationship?"

Qian Tiao didn't understand and asked casually, "What relationship?"

After a pause, as if she finally got it, she straightforwardly said, "How could that be possible!"

As she spoke, the Princess suddenly felt herself being hugged tightly, a breathless intimacy.

Qian Tiao, with her bold personality, didn't find these questions embarrassing at all.

Being touched meant being touched; there was nothing to deny.

She said, "I actually think, Miss Princess, that you and he would be quite suitable. What a pity, that little guy Su Lun went to integrate into the armor. Otherwise, if he tried, he would surely not be able to let go."

Oh...

These wild words threw the Princess into complete disarray.

Try?

This... how could you just try that, Sister Qian Tiao!

A multitude of embarrassingly bashful thoughts erupted in the Princess's mind, and she even became somewhat incoherent, "I... I... how could I possibly... Sister Qian Tiao, you've asked a really strange question!"

Qian Tiao laughed heartily.