Mechanical Alchemist

PS. Kavan is a bit rough, feel free to skip.

On board the Eternal Night, every member of the Dawn Brigade was intently monitoring their surroundings, ready for battle or to make a swift retreat at any moment.

Having just witnessed Saint Frank of the Heavenly God's domain disassemble everything with his "All-encompassing Decipherment" ability, everyone realized they were facing an "unbeatable enemy."

Old Sword God Bartolo and Queen Medusa, one with combat prowess almost at the peak of physical professions from the Alchemy plane, the other with a mythological curse lineage, were unable to harm that person with their attacks. The rest of the Dawn Brigade couldn't think of any other way to deal with the Saint Heir.

Meanwhile, Su Lun had recently taken a huge risk to stay behind alone and delay the enemy, leading everyone to think that this would likely only buy them some time.

Delay them until they might have a chance to reach Coco Xi Island, where the situation could be reversed.

If they couldn't, then they would need to think long-term.

...

However, it wasn't long after the warship set sail that Qiantiao suddenly sensed a distortion in space nearby.

Her gaze sharpened, and her hand, always resting on her sword hilt, tightened its grip further.

The only one who could precisely locate her was naturally Su Lun.

But at this time, it might not be just Su Lun arriving; the enemy could be following as well.

As Qiantiao's intense killing intent leaked out, nearly everyone on the deck looked toward the twisted space. As soon as they focused their eyes, they saw a man with his robes in tatters stepping out of the spatial rift.

"It's Mr. Su Lun!"

"Mr. Su Lun has returned!"

"..."

Seeing it was Su Lun, and apparently no enemy followed, everyone let out a huge sigh of relief.

But before the look of joy could surface on their faces, their gaze was drawn to Su Lun's empty right leg, and their expressions froze in unison.

At that moment, Su Lun's right leg had completely vanished below the knee, the wound on his knee was a blur of flesh and blood, with some lingering blue specks like flames dissolving the flesh.

Qiantiao quickly supported Su Lun and asked with concern, "How are your injuries?"

"Not too bad,"

Su Lun shook his head to signal it wasn't serious, then added a reminder, "Be careful, this light can disintegrate anything."

Qiantiao frowned as she carefully supported him, eyeing the odd disintegrative force on the wound and muttered, "How did you get injured like this?"

The two landed on the deck, and the Dawn Brigade's medical team approached.

The high-level combatants carefully scanned the surroundings and, finding no enemy pursuing them, gathered around as well.

Facing everyone's concerned looks, Su Lun responded as if it were all routine, "I just had a fight with that Heavenly God's Son. I may have gotten injured, but I've also dealt him a serious blow. It's not a bad trade."

His tone was so calm it was as if losing a leg involved no pain at all, rather indicating it was a great gain.

Upon hearing these words, everybody's expression was one of astonishment, seemingly hearing an unexpected response: not that he had fled after taking a beating, but... he had seriously injured the enemy?

In the next moment, even Old Sword God Bartolo cast him an incredulous look.

They had all witnessed firsthand how strong Saint Frank McAdam was. Against such an enemy, it would be quite an accomplishment just to escape alive with serious injuries, not to mention win.

Even Bartolo himself wasn't confident.

But now, Su Lun claimed to have caused the enemy serious harm?

Lolota's eyes instantly shimmered with excited stars as she asked eagerly, "Mr. Su Lun, you mean... you seriously injured that Heavenly God's Son?"

A faint smile appeared on Su Lun's face as he replied, "Yes. I scorched his soul with the Death God's Fire, and it'll be quite difficult for him to recover anytime soon."

He spoke lightly, but the peril of the previous battle was known only to him.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was a gamble with his life.

The last move that decided the battle—if he hadn't dodged that disintegrating light beam, more than just a leg would have been dissolved.

When everybody heard this, joy spread across their faces.

If Su Lun said he inflicted serious damage, then it was certain he had!

Yet they still found it hard to believe. A magical immunity of 100%, with all attacks dissolving upon him, and a Saint Heir of the divine race... such a flawless enemy was defeated?

An enemy one could defeat was no longer at all frightening. It was as if the oppressive, cloud-covered sky had been pierced by sunlight, clearing the gloom from everyone's hearts and sparking excitement, with all clamoring to know more.

"Ah... Mr. Su Lun, could you tell us exactly what happened?"

"Yes, that guy with three eyes can disassemble anything, how did you deal with him?"

"..."

Su Lun listened to everyone's discussion, smiled, and shook his head, as a few words couldn't clearly explain the battle they had just fought.

Besides, now was not the time to discuss it.

Qian Tiao looked at the crowd and said irritably, "Alright, alright! Haven't you seen that his leg is still broken?"

While a missing limb was a severe injury, it wasn't much of a concern within the Dawn Group nowadays. Whether it was Dr. Banks' limb regeneration technology, limb transplantation, or Mafa's mechanical prosthetics, all were quite advanced. As a magician specializing in Alchemy, getting a new arm or attaching a prosthetic leg was nothing unacceptable.

But as the big sister of the group, when Qian Tiao spoke, everyone quieted down without complaint: "Oh."

Su Lun also said with a smile, "Everyone should prepare as well. We may soon face a fierce battle."

The plan was initially just to see how things went and to help Queen Medusa within their capabilities.

They had thought to run if they couldn't win.

But now that they had heavily injured Saint Frank, they might have to face a tough fight.

An enemy that could be defeated certainly warranted a battle.

Moreover, since they almost killed the saint heir, those from the Heavenly God's plane would definitely regroup and attempt to annihilate them again.

Unless they planned to give up on targeting "Mimir's Well," there was no escaping it.

If they were to come again, it would probably be a fight to the death.

Once Su Lun mentioned this, the Dawn Group realized the gravity of the situation and immediately went to their respective positions to prepare for battle.

...

As the crowd dispersed, only the medical team and a few top fighters, including Qian Tiao, remained around Su Lun.

While treating his injuries, they discussed the upcoming battle plans.

At that moment, Su Lun received a mental message in his head, from Queen Medusa who was staying in the cabin.

Her tone was full of disbelief, "You actually inflicted heavy soul damage on that saint heir? How did you manage that?"

In her view, a human mage like Saint Frank was nearly unbeatable in this plane.

The reason she had signed a cooperation treaty with these humans wasn't that she had much faith in the strength of this human adventuring group.

It was simply because this human had once helped her successfully survive a tribulation.

Even then, she recognized him as a human with a legendary fate.

Originally, she just wanted to test whether the ancient prophecies of her Gorgon clan were true, that a hero with a legendary fate wouldn't die easily.

Queen Medusa didn't harbor much hope and considered it a trial.

She had noticed these humans were always ready to retreat.

This was part of the content of their equal treaty and there was nothing to complain about.

But unexpectedly, things turned out differently.

Upon encountering them, this human had actually defeated that mage?

It seemed like the tide had suddenly turned in their favor.

If these humans could indeed restrain that mage, she suddenly saw a glimmer of success.

...

The Dawn Group members knew about the peculiar secret technique "Death God's Fire," but she did not. Su Lun had no intention of revealing his trump cards everywhere; he simply replied, "I used a secret technique to heavily damage that saint heir's soul. But I wasn't able to kill him. And even so, that 'Immaculate Shield' can still be used by other believers, just with slightly less effect. The threat remains substantial."

After this response, there was a moment of silence from Medusa's side, as if she was pondering something.

After a while, she finally said, "Since you could heavily damage that saint heir, others who get their hands on it will also need to be wary of you."

"..."

Su Lun listened without responding.

Indeed, both his talent "Omnipotent Solution" and Artifact Projection required Divine Power to function.

If someone else used them, the threat would be considerably reduced.

However, as a result, Su Lun's secrets were also becoming scarcer.

This time, he had used "Philosopher's Stone" and "Death God's Fire," capitalizing on intelligence gaps to strike a heavy blow to Frank.

The next time we encounter them, the enemy will surely be on guard, and achieving a surprise effect won't be easy anymore.

At that time, Queen Medusa relayed a mental message, "This return to the ancestral land may be my only chance, and I won't hold back anymore... If possible, I hope you and your team can do everything in your power to help me complete the final inheritance. This process may take quite some time..."

Su Lun understood the meaning of these words.

Previously, the terms of the alliance were to assist each other within the limits of one's abilities, and if the enemy proved too strong, they would part ways.

But now, even though these words fell short of a life-and-death pact, the risks had clearly skyrocketed.

He was weighing the pros and cons when Queen Medusa spoke again, "Accordingly, if I can complete the inheritance this time, I will certainly do everything in my power to help you in the future."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun thought briefly before agreeing, "Good!"

His sight extended beyond the present to the future.

The planar war had just begun, and as the supreme masters from the Heavenly God's plane descended, the situation would only get tougher.

With just the current power of Dawn Brigade and the twin empires of Marfaruling, it was going to be very difficult...

As Mr. Jing had said, they needed allies to fight together, especially top-tier combatants.

If Queen Medusa could succeed in her inheritance this time, she might become a true "Demigod", and her combat power would certainly be astonishing.

In other parts of the Alchemy plane, even if there were other demigod-level intelligent beings, they might not entertain alliance requests from weaker parties, let alone choose to oppose the powerful higher planes, a choice fraught with immense risk.

This was a decision gambled on fate.

Su Lun decided to take on the risks of the present in order to reduce some of the pressure from the future all-out war.

Besides, if they did not help, the situation for Dawn Brigade would not improve. Facing those from the Heavenly God's plane alone, their chances of victory would be even smaller.

He briefed Queen Medusa on the situation, and she decisively agreed.

...

Su Lun shared the situation with Dawn Brigade's senior fighters, and everyone unanimously agreed with his decision.

In the current state of the Alchemy plane, no one could remain uninvolved; if they couldn't handle even these invading vanguards, the situation would worsen when faced with a full invasion.

The covenant was successfully signed.

The Evernight continued its rapid voyage across the sea.

Since they had taken a shortcut to avoid the Sea of Snakes ambush and Su Lun had seriously injured the pursuing Saint Frank, it seemed like the threat had disappeared.

However, Su Lun did not plan to sail slowly, as without the restraint of the "Mirror of Innocence", Queen Medusa had no rivals in this sea area.

Su Lun then led some of Dawn Brigade's senior fighters, along with Queen Medusa, and teleported directly to Cococolosi Island.

The Evernight, on the other hand, laid mines along the way and chose a different direction, heading towards another desolate island a few dozen nautical miles away from Cococolosi Island.

When the great battle unfolded, Cococolosi Island would inevitably become the central battlefield, which would certainly turn into a hellish scene.

If the entire Dawn Brigade were to stay there, they would instead be placing themselves in danger.

The Evernight's advantage lay in long-range artillery support, and splitting the battlefield was actually better.

This way, if the enemy focused on attacking Cococolosi Island, then Dawn Brigade could maximize their advantage in firepower support; if the enemy's main force attacked the Evernight, with the Old Sword God Bartolo and others on board, they would not be easily defeated in a short time, and it would also be easier to retreat.

Moreover, Su Lun could support them at any time.

With just a few ten-thousand-man battalions from the Heavenly God's plane in this sea area, and with Saint Frank severely injured, Su Lun did not believe the enemy's full-scale charge stood much chance.

As long as he could obtain the "Shield of Innocence", he would go where it led.

Not to say that victory was certain, but once Queen Medusa completed her inheritance, the overall situation would be settled.

Thus, Su Lun arrived at Cococolosi Island, the ancestral home of the Gorgon tribe, without much trouble.

"Cococolosi," when translated from the ancient language of Dragon Country, means: Island of Endless Poison Snakes.

It was a lush and vast island.

As soon as he teleported near the island, Su Lun sensed dense soul fluctuations within the primeval forest.

He was far from careless; although he was strong now, his odds against a high-ranking gorgon were even.

Both parties had the strength to annihilate each other instantaneously.

Su Lun raised his hand, summoning a spatial vortex in front of him.

The cloaked Queen Medusa and several senior Dawn Brigade fighters stepped out from the small void realm.

The Poison Snakes instantaneously sniffed out the presence of humans approaching, simultaneously rearing their necks as if dense clusters of duck necks sprouted throughout the jungle.

Looking closely, the underbrush, cracks in the rocks, treetops... everywhere were adorned with colorful Poison Snakes.

These Poison Snakes vary in size, some as thin as fingers, others a hundred meters in length.

Upon seeing the humans who had intruded into the forest, the Poison Snakes all split open their scarlet mouths, revealing their sharp Poison Fangs and surged forward en masse.

"Ssssss..." echoes resounded throughout the forest, sending chilling friction noises that made one's spine tingle.

Su Lun had long been aware of them and appeared unfazed as he watched.

The few companions beside him each showed slight unease, obviously discomforted by the intense phobia-inducing Snake Island.

However, before the Poison Snakes could unleash their ferocity, Queen Medusa suddenly lifted the cloak from her head.

In the blink of an eye, her head of snake hair was revealed, as she menacingly hissed silently towards the mass of snakes.

It was as if a queen was asserting her sovereignty to her subjects, exuding a domineering aura.

Su Lun and the others couldn't help but avert their eyes.

As soon as that head of snake hair appeared, the fierce demeanor of the myriad of Poison Snakes in the primal forest wilted away.

Just like the Sea of Snakes that had once driven back the "Eternal Night," the snakes seemed to be repelled by an invisible force, immediately clearing a path before everyone.

Upon seeing this, Queen Medusa narrowed her eyes and let out a cold sneer, "Hmph! Those treacherous sisters of mine, without outsiders to back them, don't even have the courage to stay on the island and meet me face to face..."

Hearing this, Su Lun's expression relaxed, finding it to be a good thing.

Just a moment ago, he too sensed several powerful souls flee at the moment Queen Medusa revealed her presence.

The island's high-ranking Gorgon sorceresses chose to flee, which meant fewer troubles for now at least.

The group did not linger in place, but followed Queen Medusa, rushing towards the center of the island.

While hurrying along, Su Lun also left Spatial Coordinates throughout the forest.

On the way, he discovered ancient architectural traces in various parts of the forest.

Those covered in green moss were not irregularities but rather the remains of intricately carved ancient buildings.

Su Lun and Mr. Hei exchanged looks; it was clear that the entire island was likely an ancient city ruin.

By its scale, it was even comparable to Atlantis, which they had previously encountered in the cursed space.

Moreover, it wasn't only the buildings; there were also stone sculptures of humans, magical beasts, and various other creatures—evidently the petrified remains of outsiders who had entered Kelosy Island over the years.

However, now was not the time for archeology or treasure hunting. The group continued without respite. Since there was no further hindrance, they quickly reached deeper into the island.

Upon arrival, Su Lun was immediately shocked.

He had never imagined that the ancestral land of the Gorgon race would be a magnificent palace!

Hundreds of meters high stone columns supported an ancient palace, where the ravages of time had collapsed much of its structure, with green moss creeping over it, and the reliefs that seemed to narrate mythological tales eroded...

But despite its antiquity, rather than a feeling of decay, it emitted an overwhelming sense of history.

This did not seem like the primitive dwellings of the Gorgon tribe but rather a grand palace left behind by a once-glorious human civilization, hidden away on this unassuming island.

Su Lun distinctly sensed that there were large spaces both inside and beneath the palace.

The palace itself clearly concealed countless secrets.

Before the palace was a pond of black water that could be identified as highly venomous, and the group stopped upon reaching it.

Queen Medusa said, "You are the first humans in countless years to witness the 'Temple of Gorgon.' However, you can't enter the temple, for it will bring you misfortune."

Su Lun nodded his head, showing his understanding.

The Gorgons are a lineage of demigods; it is normal for them to have their own secrets, and just because you are allies, doesn't mean you get to know everything.

Besides, the palace didn't seem like a good place; it was best avoided if possible.

Queen Medusa didn't explain further.

But, having signed the second alliance, her tone had become much friendlier, and she added another sentence, "After I go in, I'll leave the rest to you."

Su Lun nodded, "Alright."

....

Just as Su Lun and his party had reached Kelosy Island, the Dawn Brigade's outposts scattered across the sea also sent messages: "Mr. Su Lun, fleets of Mages from the Heavenly God's plane are heading your way!"