Mechanical Alchemist

Ten days later.

On the boundless sea, a giant ship with black sails was sailing.

In the captain's cabin, Su Lun was meditating when suddenly a flash of golden light from outside the window dazzled him into opening his eyes.

Looking at the brilliant sunlight outside the window, he felt compelled to walk over and looked through the glass to see a sea of dazzling golden waves.

"So we've already reached the Golden Sea..."

Seeing the enchanting golden ocean outside the window, Su Lun mentally calculated the journey and guessed their current position in the Dawn Group.

This area was marked as the "Golden Sea" on the map of Dragon Country Waters. Because the sea contained a type of golden seaweed, the sunlight reflecting off the water made it gleam like a sea of liquid gold.

This was a spectacular sight not seen elsewhere.

The golden light filled the cabin, making every piece of furniture look as if it had been coated in a layer of gold paint.

Just then, a lazy voice rang out in the room, "Eh, where have we arrived now?"

"The Golden Sea."

Su Lun replied, and then added, "In about two or three more days, we will reach the Old Dragon Kingdom Ruins, which is a truly dangerous sea area."

In the past days, he and Mr. Hei in the little void realm had thoroughly studied all the documents and records they had robbed from the Silver Dragon Royalty, and almost confirmed many details about dangerous sea areas according to what Bartolo had said. Along the way, they had frequently encountered danger.

Indeed, they were about to reach the "Old Dragon Kingdom Ruins."

After hunting the desk Silver Dragon, Su Lun and his team did not continue to track the magical flying castle.

Because there wasn't much significance in following it.

Having wiped out three ten-thousand-member groups before, they reckoned the next encounter would be prepared and risky.

Without the external force of a Silver Dragon, the current Dawn Group didn't possess the strength to face tens of thousands in a magic battalion.

Following them further wouldn't have been advantageous.

Thus, changing the course and avoiding them was the best choice.

Moreover, those beings from the Angel realms came to the Dragon Country Waters to search for the "Mimir's Spring."

Su Lun knew where the spring was located. With the map of Dragon Country, Bartolo as a guide who had visited the ruins, and Tanni along with his mother Frida, two members with absolute navigational help, the chances of finding the spring were very high.

If they could successfully intercept it, it would not only foil the plans of those from the Angel realm but be even more effective than wiping them out.

So these days, the Dawn had been sailing along the route once taken by the Black Sam pirate crew, traveling all the way here.

Upon hearing this, Tanni showed no change in expression.

She lazily stretched herself, her chest unrestrained also shivered, and she invited Su Lun, "Shall we go up on deck for some fresh air?"

Su Lun, slightly surprised, a glint of anticipation flashed in his eyes, asked, "Sister Tanni, have you broken through?"

Since their last hunt for the Silver Dragon, Tanni had been in seclusion.

For someone as restless as her to stay indoors, it was unexpected for her to want to go out today.

It must have been a breakthrough.

Listening, her eyebrows slightly raised. She knew he was asking about her Sword Saint realm, but that description wasn't quite right. She found it too troublesome to explain and simply responded, "Not yet. Just a bit of insight."

"Oh."

Su Lun shrugged, figuring it wasn't easy to make a breakthrough after all.

Thinking he hadn't been on deck for several days either, he said, "Let's go, take a look."

Tanni also stood up, took off her swordsman's robe, walked to the mirror, and started wrapping her chest with bandages, her mouth pursed as if she felt it was troublesome to bind her chest whenever going out.

She wrapped the bandages while glancing in the mirror at Su Lun, who showed keen interest but didn't mind his gaze, and asked, "By the way, has Dr. Banks succeeded in developing the 'Thunder Dragon Bloodline Potion'?"

"Not yet."

Su Lun shook his head and added, "But it should be soon. The lab said they are already performing sample experiments."

He knew Tanni asked about the genetic potion because she naturally wanted to integrate it into her armor.

The seventh-rank lightning blue dragon they hunted before in the Dawn Group had already been made into an armor called "Isaac's Dragon-patterned Golden Body - Thunder Dragon."

However, because the main material is pure-blood blue dragon, the produced implant ranks very high. Even though Qiantiao inherently possesses a substantial affinity for lightning, there's still a high possibility of mutation during fusion.

Under normal circumstances, she might only have a chance of successful integration when she reaches the eighth order.

Fortunately, within the Dawn Group, there is a top-tier biological magician today in the plane of alchemy, providing a shortcut for this fusion.

Just waiting for the genetic potion to be successfully developed, she could, just like her fifth order integration with "Void Hand," upgrade this legendary implant.

This method of high-grade implanting would give an alchemist incomparable advantages in combat power compared to their peers.

Upon hearing this, Qiantiao's reflection in the mirror looked slightly regretful as she grumbled, "Oh, that's a pity. I was thinking about integrating a seventh order implant to see what an eighth order Dominator's Bodyguard is really like. After the battle with that silver dragon last time, I vaguely touched upon some deep insights into Dominator's Bodyguard. These past few days, I've had some ideas during meditation, but I'm not sure if they're correct, as my body's strength isn't sufficient to support my thoughts..."

"..."

Su Lun couldn't help but twitch the corner of her eye.

She had already grasped the insights of the eighth order Dominator's Bodyguard?

Just like when she previously thought that understanding realms had no threshold, these words always gave off an invisible air of show-off.

However, Su Lun was also filled with pride and anticipation.

Qiantiao's strength wasn't solely based on her talent; it was also the result of her relentless effort step by step.

But Qiantiao herself seemed to have no strong feelings about her own exaggerated progress, her expression still calm. She had already wrapped her chest bandage and hung her sword at her waist.

The two of them then walked out.

...

At this moment, the deck of the Eternal Night was bustling.

"Wow... I've got three more golden shells! Haha, I'm the group's 'Number One Lucky Star'!"

"You're not really, Miss Number Nineteen is our ship's 'First Lucky Angel'!"

"Oh, of course, how could I compare myself with Captain Number Nineteen."

"..."

This Golden Sea not only has golden seaweed but many shellfish that feed on the seaweed, giving them beautifully golden shells.

Though not high in gold content, those golden shells and conches are natural works of art. If really brought back to Luying Mafa for auction, they might fetch a price not any cheaper than real gold.

The crew was also enthusiastically salvaging in the sea, which counted as a little fun during the voyage.

Su Lun and Qiantiao had just come out when they heard First Navigator Tanni's voice through the ship's loudspeaker, "Everyone be careful, we've just passed Giant Elephant Island, and the territory of the Titan Sea Monsters is ahead, there could be many large deep-sea monsters..."

Everyone turned their heads to see Tanni in the helm.

However, his warning did not make the atmosphere aboard heavy, instead, the crew members laughed and teased him.

"Hahaha, are we going to improve the meal tonight? Captain Tanni, it's up to you to spot those sea monsters. Leave the rest to us 'Whaling Team'!"

"Oh, our 'Artillery Team' just got new equipment online, we need a big monster to test the firepower. If any monster that doesn't see the light attacks the ship, let us take care of it..."

"We can't let you Artillery guys take action! Last time, the prey shot by the cannon tasted like gunpowder, such a waste..."

"Don't just think about eating, guys. Our colleagues in the lab said they need samples, better to catch a few alive!"

"..."

Everyone chatted and laughed, the ship filled with cheerful voices.

The battles over the years had strengthened the cohesion of the Dawn Group, and the members coordinated more and more tacitly. For them, who had already hunted two pure-blood giant dragons, it seemed nothing was too difficult anymore.

So much so that even facing powerful sea monsters, they only thought about the addition of rare ingredients to their dinner, not the risks.

Everyone had an inexplicable confidence that, facing difficulties, they as the Dawn Group united, would definitely overcome them.

....

The fresh sea breeze was refreshing on their faces.

Su Lun and Qiantiao reached the deck, just in time to hear their companions discussing what to hunt for dinner.

At that moment, Lolo Tata, practicing slicing the wind on the mast, sharply noticed the two emerging, and her expression instantly brightened; she leaped down to the deck.

She seemed to want to startle Su Lun and Qiantiao, but both were unexpressive.

Lolo Tata's momentarily boring expression due to not scaring anyone suddenly turned expectant again, her pure eyes flitting with mischief as she indirectly probed, "Teacher, you've been secluded for so long, everyone says you're about to break through from Sword Saint to Sword God..."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun irritably knocked her forehead with the scabbard, "It's too early! You, girl, don't understand your own Sword Intent and just blindly cause a ruckus every day..."

"Ouch, teacher, why are you hitting my head again?"

Lolota touched her forehead, pouting and complaining in a mournful tone, "Mr. Hei said that being hit on the head all the time can make a person stupid."

As she spoke, she cast a furtive glance at Su Lun beside her and revealed a mischievously sneaky smile.

Su Lun couldn't help but smirk.

At that moment in their conversation, as they walked onto the deck, the crew members greeted them enthusiastically, "Mr. Su Lun, Sister Qian Tiao!"

The crowd gathered around, chattering away, and of course, the most frequent question was whether Qian Tiao had ascended to become a Sword Saint.

Qian Tiao explained somewhat helplessly; the realm above Saint Realm was difficult to describe, and the so-called Sword Saint realm was too vague. She indeed touched a little threshold of the slashing rules, but that slight understanding couldn't be articulated in words.

And coincidentally, probably because the noise was too loud, it disturbed the sea monster underwater.

Just then, with a splashing sound, a tentacle suddenly emerged from the distant sea surface.

Someone excitedly shouted, "Wow, just talking about a sea demon, and a sea demon shows up!"

The crew, who initially thought it was a giant eel and were already deciding whether to grill or slice it for sushi, took another look.

But upon closer inspection, countless tentacles emerged from the sea.

It turned out not to be an eel but an ugly, tumorous tentacle monster. It had the characteristic multi-jawed mouths of hellish creatures and massive compound eyes that gave anyone the chills.

In comparison to its bloated tumorous body, the tentacles were very slender, like red threads.

No matter how you looked at it, this was not a normal creature but a mutated irregular monster.

Su Lun frowned as he identified it as a "Mutated Hell Titan Ghost Snake (Sixth Order Silver)."

The crew members, who had earlier been keen on hunting sea creatures for food, now looked quite uneasy.

"Ah... this sea demon is really ugly. Can we even eat this thing?"

"Is there some kind of mutation source nearby? Otherwise, why would there be mutated creatures? It looks like a legendary creature from hell..."

"Yes. If such a huge monster is mutated, the source of the pollution must be complex. We need to be careful."

"...."

Many of the people in the Dawn Group were from Old Lington, and they were all too familiar with mutations.

Seeing the grotesquely shaped monster in front of them, they immediately thought of the source of the mutation.

Su Lun frowned too, his mind also leaping to this concern.

It did not surprise him that there were mutated hell creatures in the sea.

Bartolomeo had mentioned that deep within the Old Dragon Kingdom Ruins, there were numerous hell creatures and mutated beings.

However, that creature should be hundreds of miles to the far west, so why had it appeared near the Golden Sea?

Before he could think further, the tentacle monster moved its tentacles as if they were seaweed, clearly looking to trouble the Dawn Group.

Due to its Titan lineage, the creature was huge with many tentacles underwater.

The sea surface churned with waves, clearly from the moving tentacles.

The Dawn Group, previously eager to hunt sea monsters for their flesh, looked disgusted and no one was keen on diving into the sea anymore. However, the Artilleryman had prepared, ready to fire at the ugly creature.

But just then, Qian Tiao blurted out, "So ugly!"

The moment her words fell, a domineering Sword Qi surged skyward on the deck.

Hearing the sharp clank of a sword being drawn, it seemed as if a flash of cold light had dashed past before their eyes.

But on closer inspection, all that could be seen was her slowing motion of sheathing the sword.

At that moment, a wave of air only then belatedly swept across, rustling the robes of everyone on deck.

Su Lun, with his keen sight, caught her action and muttered to himself, "As expected, she has grown stronger again."

Looking again, it was like a sliver of space had been torn apart by the rushing Sword Qi across the deck, heading straight for the monster.

If one looked from the side, they would see that it was a crescent Sword Qi. The Sword Qi grew larger and larger after leaving the blade, eventually stretching dozens of meters long.

A few hundred meters away, the sea monster that hadn't yet started its rampage bore a line of blood across one of its compound eyes. Then, with a "swoosh," blood splattered everywhere as half of its head slid off, revealing a clean, smooth cut.

One strike, and it burst open in scarlet!

Seeing this, everyone on deck was stunned for a moment before bursting into intense cheers.

"Wow, Sister Qiantiao is so amazing!"

"That sword was too terrifying—she killed such a powerful creature without even charging up!"

"My goodness, Sister Qiantiao—Is this the realm beyond that of a Sword Saint?"

"..."

Everyone discussed excitedly.

Even Su Lun thought it was very impressive.

A casual strike, and a sixth-tier silver-level monster was slain. It really was astonishing.

At least the previous Qiantiao would never have managed it so effortlessly.

Moreover, Su Lun noticed something else: that strike of Sword Qi wasn't merely a physical slash. It seemed to be some higher form of destruction.

Otherwise, the energy fluctuations he observed wouldn't have been enough to cut such a colossal creature in two.

After not drawing her sword for so many days, Qiantiao, with her temperament, must have felt very pent up. She had casually swung her sword just now. But looking at the result, she slightly furrowed her brows, seemingly not quite satisfied—as if something was lacking.

....

The monster was slain before it could even begin its attack, leaving the crew of the Dawn Circle with no spectacle to enjoy.

Some of them took small boats out to the sea to fish up some pieces of the corpse.

It wasn't edible, but they could disassemble it for cursed materials and keep some samples for the biological lab.

Su Lun and Qiantiao stood at the ship's railing, watching everyone busy themselves. At that moment, they heard soft footsteps.

Su Lun turned around, smiled, and called out, "Senior Bartolo, you've arrived."

Bartolo smiled and nodded, then turned to look at Qiantiao, whom he hadn't seen in ten days, and once again expressed his admiration, "That strike just now was truly impressive. Using intent to break through the laws suits your Sword Dao very well."

Qiantiao listened with a face full of respect, "Thank you also for your guidance before, senior."

Towards this senior who had directed her Sword Dao multiple times, she honestly expressed her doubts and asked for advice, "Senior, when I made that cut, it felt as if something was resisting me, preventing me from cutting downward. Otherwise, the power of that strike should have been even greater."

Bartolo responded with a complex smile, "That was the backlash of the laws of nature. Once your power reaches a certain limit, you'll find that the laws start to repel you because you are gradually beginning to comprehend 'their' essence. Normally, someone of your rank wouldn't understand or come into contact with this, so your confusion is understandable. Once you advance to the eighth rank, you will understand."

Qiantiao didn't know if she fully understood, her face thoughtful.

Su Lun certainly didn't understand.

But he did understand that Qiantiao's strike held a power that exceeded the limit of her current rank.

However, after the two discussed Sword Dao, Su Lun pointed at a distant piece of the distorted monster's corpse and asked, "Senior, I remember you saying hellspawn creatures were supposed to be further west. Is it normal for them to appear here?"

The Dragon Country Waters were a highly dangerous area, and Su Lun didn't dare to be careless.

It was better to understand any abnormalities.

"That's what I found strange too,"

Bartolo responded with a puzzled expression, pondering for a moment before replying, "More than twenty years ago when we first came here, we had to travel a few hundred nautical miles further west before encountering hellspawn aberrations. Plus, that boundary is very clear because hellspawn aberrations only live where the hellish aura is thick, increasingly so the higher their rank. That boundary forms a large circle, which doesn't even reach as far as this part of the Golden Sea."

Su Lun immediately understood, and asked in return, "So you mean the hellish aura has spread over here?"

Bartolo nodded, "That's the only possibility. Probably there was another eruption at the Hell Volcano deep within the ruins, causing the hellish aura to spread and the monsters' territory to expand outward."

Pondering for a moment, his gaze grew solemn as he added, "Which means...we're actually entering the most dangerous area starting now."

"Yes."

Su Lun listened, his eyes also becoming a bit more serious.

Though they were following the route used by Black Sam's team nearly thirty years ago, many maritime environments had changed since then, such as this aberration appearing in the periphery.

Which meant that even if they went the same way in, they would encounter many unpredictable dangers.

From now on, the real test had begun.