Mechanical Alchemist

"The forest on the island is littered with weapons and armor; those were left by human adventurers who landed on the island over countless years. Those things are of no use to our Gorl workers, so if you need them, take them..."

"Moreover, nearby there are also many ancient shipwrecks in the Sea of Stars. Numerous ships have sunk there from ancient times to the present. To my knowledge, there was a fleet from a kingdom called 'Beta' that also sank there. I've never been interested in looking, so I can't guarantee there is anything specific..."

"Another thing is the seabed to the northwest of the island, where there are a few ancient human relics. Since you are interested in the ancient architecture on the island, perhaps there is something you need in the sea..."}

"There is a gold mine on Skull Island, which once was the largest gold mine of the Ancient Dragon Country, but it was abandoned after an attack by cave beasts. There are some high-tier magical beasts on the island, but I think it shouldn't be a problem for you..."

"..."

Queen Medusa had no interest in equipment or treasures; materials and equipment were also of no use to her. So, even the presence of gold mines and sunken treasures nearby held no attraction for her.

However, Su Lun's eyes were filled with anticipation upon hearing Queen Medusa's words.

For humans, these were all treasures!

This sea area was extremely dangerous, seldom traversed by humans. Those who could reach it undoubtedly possessed remarkable strength. Thus, the equipment they brought was also naturally top-notch.

Especially Skull Island, which was the territory of the serpent-haired gorgons. Whether adventurers or bounty hunters completing missions, without being of the seventh or eighth order, it was impossible to land on the island. Perhaps not even one person could successfully land on the island in a century. Yet over countless years, the number of "stone sculptures" on the island had certainly accumulated a lot.

Hearing about treasures from sunken ships was even more exciting.

Queen Medusa mentioned "Beta Kingdom," which Su Lun had also read about in the annals of the Silver Dragon Country— it was once the strongest and wealthiest kingdom among the nine great kingdoms of the Dragon Country.

Due to a failed royal power struggle, the last king of the kingdom, Gelses XIX, took the national treasury and treasures to sea, ultimately disappearing.

Who would have thought it had sunk nearby?

As for the gold mines and ancient relics... their value was immeasurable.

Queen Medusa's gift was not a light one.

...

Queen Medusa was indifferent to these extraneous matters, and Su Lun was not shy.

The Dawn Group was currently undergoing rapid development, precisely when there was a huge deficit in funds and equipment.

Like the in-production "Sky Mechanical War Fortress," Dr. Banks's research funds, Su Lun's puppet army, or the investment in the war workshop... each was a money-consuming pit.

This was just the solution for an urgent need.

Su Lun carefully memorized the locations of the treasures, and after listening, he also said, "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty."

Queen Medusa seemed to not care at all about giving away these treasures, her expression usual as she then said, "As for Giant Island, I can help you negotiate with the Cyclops there, which should allow you to land smoothly. But whether you can obtain the spring water, that's up to you."

Su Lun quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you very much."

Having previously witnessed the scene where Saint Frank was instantly killed, he knew all too well that it was impossible to forcibly enter Giant Island.

Now, Queen Medusa's words directly addressed his greatest concern.

Whether or not he could obtain the "Mimir's Spring," at least the risk was minimized.

Queen Medusa said no more, then added, "If you have no further business, I need to go attend to my kin now..."

As she was about to leave, Su Lun suddenly thought of something and asked, "That... if you don't mind, may I research the altar?"

As he spoke, he gestured toward the black-water pool.

Queen Medusa listened and looked over, "Suit yourself. As long as you don't go inside the temple, you can look anywhere else on the island."

Su Lun nodded.

After speaking, Queen Medusa slithered into a devastated forest.

There, a group of Gorgon maidens was creeping about, seeking forgiveness.

...

With the crisis now averted, Su Lun lost all sense of urgency.

He observed the sky calmly, still unsure whether the Dragon Clan would not dare to come again.

Not wanting to take any risks, Su Lun decided not to release the Eternal Night for the time being.

However, he looked again at the deserted "pool," where the murals and ancient texts were obscure and difficult to understand, and he frowned, realizing he could only ask for help.

He pinched the sorcerer's seals, and a black hole emerged in his hand. A figure stepped out — it was Mr. Hei, with empty sleeves on both arms.

Su Lun greeted, "Mr. Hei, are you all right now?"

Mr. Hei looked slightly pale and shook his head, "Nothing serious."

He had desperately held off Commander Augustus, giving Su Lun enough time. However, he had lost both arms in the process.

Yet, this kind of injury wasn't too big of a problem for the current medical technology of the Dawn Group. Dr. Banks' biological laboratory had already mastered various limb reattachment technologies, and he would likely recover completely in a few months.

Su Lun himself was also using a mechanical prosthetic leg at the moment.

Mr. Hei, seemingly indifferent to his own injuries, had already turned his attention to the pool, more interested in archaeology, "Did that person agree to let us research?"

As soon as he came out, he sensed the presence of a powerful being on the island, one that instinctively made people feel fearful.

It must be the successfully inherited Queen Medusa.

"Yes. As long as we don't enter the temple, everything else is allowed. Also, Her Majesty the Queen has given us quite a lot of generous gifts..."

Su Lun smiled and briefly recounted what Queen Medusa had said.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Hei obviously understood the value of those treasures, and a flush of excitement tinted his pale face, "Hehe, our ally is indeed generous."

In saying this, he gave Su Lun a meaningful look.

Su Lun knew well that the old gentleman was teasing him, and he just laughed without responding.

The two of them were already walking into the now-empty black-water pool.

In the previous battle, the poisonous water had been washed clean by shockwaves, revealing an architecture like an amphitheater with a funnel-shaped depression.

But it hadn't been long before miasma had gathered again in the pit, forming a dense black fog.

This level of poison posed no major problem for the two level-seven individuals like Su Lun.

The two walked along, and Mr. Hei couldn't help but express his amazement as he observed, "These are buildings from several ages ago, yet they still possess such a capacity for energy convergence, the goblin engineering truly is remarkable."

"Indeed."

Having already observed before, Su Lun had a general understanding of the situation within the pit.

The entire bottom of the pit was stacked with stone, upon which various ancient characters and symbols were engraved. However, they were extremely intricate, resembling some sort of systematic cipher.

Cryptology was a basic skill for alchemists, but Su Lun had never seen such an arrangement before.

Mr. Hei lay studying the stone wall for a while, his brows growing tighter and tighter.

Both remained silent, each observing the patterns of those symbols.

Su Lun's All-knowing Eye did manage to identify some information, indicating it was "a special arrangement of a puzzle lock mechanism".

The special symbols and ancient texts seemed to form a complex combination lock, arranged as intricately as the stars in the sky.

Since the knowledge he had harvested provided no comparative cases, he could discern very little from it.

At that moment, Mr. Hei suddenly spoke, sighing deeply, "In these patterns, I see 'Penrose's Puzzle Solution', 'Bodenstan's Stellar Encryption Method', 'Hilbert's High-Dimensional Logic'... almost all shadows of modern cryptography. From this, it seems truly possible that the origins of ancient alchemy could stem from a mythological goblin civilization."

Su Lun asked, "Did you discern this arrangement's pattern?"

"I did discern some tricks. But the combinations on this stone wall are too complex. I reckon, if we don't find the correct method, there might be at least a billion combinations to try..."

Mr. Hei shook his head.

Though his tone carried some helplessness, his eyes were still filled with admiration for the ancient civilization's brilliance. He paused and then added, "Normally, it is utterly impossible for a human brain to compute such a complicated combination key. Even the most advanced differential engine would likely need hundreds to thousands of years to solve it."

"Hmm."

At this, Su Lun nodded slightly, agreeing with the statement.

He had conjectured the same result.

The complexity of this stone wall far surpassed any encryption method he had seen before.

However, the higher the level of encryption... the greater the secret that lay buried below!

Then, Su Lun recalled Mr. Hei's recent words, suddenly realizing something, his expression brightened, "Are you saying... Miss Dora?!"

Ordinary human intellect wouldn't suffice, but within their Dawn Group, they had a special entity.

"Yes."

Mr. Hei nodded, continuing, "These symbol arrangements are the oldest goblin engineering ciphers I have ever seen. And Miss Dora is not only proficient in engineering, but her 'Isaac Blasphemer' augmentation provides computing power far beyond ordinary humans. If anyone is most suited to decode these secrets, it's her."

Listening, Su Lun nodded repeatedly.

And the Dawn Group didn't just have Dora; they had the finest instruments of Mafa.

It might not be impossible after all.

With a gesture of his sorcerer's seals, both Dora and the advisors appeared in the pit from the minor void realm.

They were the Dawn Group's best cryptologists. Hearing Su Lun mention decryption, several immediately signed up earnestly.

However, as soon as they came out and saw the various symbols on the walls, their faces quickly turned sour.

"Ah... this is too complex. I think I can handle decoding this line of symbols, but it's the same for all these walls..."

"The difficulty lies in these symbols being a whole. That means, they likely can't be decoded separately."

"Oh, so even Mr. Su Lun and Mr. Hei were stumped? Hahaha, now I suddenly don't feel so foolish standing before these symbols, as if I understand nothing..."

"..."

As Dora faced the wall filled with various symbols, she, being a top mechanical engineer, quickly discerned their logic, yet also frowned, "It's very complex..."

Listening, Su Lun asked, "Dora, what do you think your chances are?"

After a pause, Dora replied uncertainly, "It depends on luck."

As she spoke, she made a gesture with her sorcerer's seals, "Augmentation—Decipher!"

Upon looking again, her eyes were already numb, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, cold as a biological computer.

Hearing this, Su Lun spread his hands and smiled, "Let's all give it a try."

Whether or not they could open it, let alone if the deciphering would yield anything, it was still better to try first.

With that, everyone got busy.

...

In the following days, with no dragon attacks, the Dawn Group set up camp on Cocolosi Island.

This island, always forbidden to humans and home to the Gorgon Medusa, saw active human presence for the first time in countless years after the deities' treasure hunt plans were thoroughly thwarted.

The 'Well of Mimir' was not going anywhere on Giant Island; without enemies, they could calmly consider the matter of landing on the island.

Su Lun, Mr. Hei, Dora, and other advisors spent their days in the pit, studying and deciphering the ancient goblin encryption.

Meanwhile, other members of the Dawn Group embarked on an enthusiastic treasure hunt.

The Dawn Group formed several treasure hunting teams: some scoured Cocolosi Island, some visited the site of an old battlefield at Hell Volcano, some salvaged shipwrecks, while others explored underwater ruins and mined for gold...

Even the clusters of magic towers in Moon Valley were being collected by Su Lun's crew.

Every day, innumerable treasures were unearthed by the shipload.

And during this treasure hunting process, the Dawn Group encountered almost no mishaps, all thanks to Queen Medusa.

The news of her return seemed to have spread quickly throughout a vast expanse of the surrounding seas near Cocolosi; nearly all creatures were aware that this member of the Gorgon family had acquired an inviolable higher-order power.

Once an area had a dominant supreme being, it was unlikely to allow other entities of the same tier within a certain range.

Even if there were, they tended to show some courtesy to each other, like the dragons.

This meant that no high-ranking sea monsters dared approach Cocolosi Island, and the Dawn Group's treasure hunt was exceptionally smooth.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, it was the seventh day after the battle had ended.

That day, at noon, the weather was calm and sunny.

A spatial fluctuation emerged in front of the Golgoth Temple, and Su Lun stepped out from a spatial rift.

He had just returned from Gorilla Island.

In an abandoned gold mine there, they had discovered an ancient metallurgy factory. After dealing with the cave beasts in the mine, the treasure-hunting members of the Dawn Group found a large amount of smelted gold blocks and high-purity ore, which was enough to fill several ships of the Eternal Night category and was not easy to transport, so Su Lun had to go there to collect them into his minor void realm.

There were also underwater ruins and shipwreck salvaging; these past few days had been very fruitful, and Su Lun had almost spent every day on the move as a transporter.

Busy and immersed in the joy of his hauls.

When he arrived at the temple, the scene was still bustling with activity.

Mr. Hei and Miss Dora, the cryptologist, were still busily decrypting the encrypted symbols in the pit.

Dozens of precision instruments were clattering, and the cryptologists were also frowning as they calculated various combinations.

The deeper they delved into their research over these days, the more certain they became that the encryption held a huge secret.

Mr. Hei even asserted that it might be a secret involving deities, hence the complex sealing.

So they had been calculating day and night.

But the process of breaking the seal was so complex that even with Dora, the humanoid computer, and Maffa's top-notch equipment, the results Su Lun asked for were still only "up to luck."

As science could not fully solve the problem, the Dawn Group resorted to metaphysics.

Mr. Hei knew from Su Lun that Number Nineteen had a hidden talent for "luck," and he had brought her here too.

When Su Lun arrived, he listened to Dora and Number Nineteen casually chatting.

"Number Nineteen sister, why don't you try this string of decoding arrangements?"

"Ah... Dora, do you still want me to try? I feel like I'm not really useful..."

"Oh, Mr. Su Lun said you are very useful~"

"..."

In the center of the pit, a holographic 3D trapezoidal blue light model, just like the miniature projection of the entire pit, was being projected from the void. Intricate symbols and ancient characters were also on it.

This was Maffa's puzzle-solving black technology, a mana crystal powered restriction simulator, used to efficiently decrypt certain one-shot trial restriction mechanisms.

Number Nineteen seemed to be playing a crossword decryption game, trying various combinations over and over again.

Seeing Su Lun's return, everyone looked up to greet him.

Su Lun nodded and walked in, joining the decryption work as usual.

However, it just so happened that not long after he had returned,

Number Nineteen fiddled with a new combination on the simulator, and without any warning, the blue light model suddenly started to rotate.

This scene made everyone in the pit, including Su Lun, turn their heads to look over.

Unlike the previous garbled data, after this arrangement test, the simulator's text and symbols actually connected together, forming a nine-pointed star formation.

Everyone froze for a moment, still not quite processing what had occurred.

After all, they had repeated this mechanical action countless times over the past few days, failing just as many times.

This was the first time they had gotten a different result.

But in the next moment, someone exclaimed, "Did it work?!"

With that said, Su Lun also turned his gaze toward Mr. Hei and Dora.

The surprise in Mr. Hei's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by joy.

Next to him, Dora's eyes trembled rapidly, as if she was quickly calculating something. After a few breaths, her face broke into a broad smile, "It's decrypted!"

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered.

After many sleepless days, there had finally been a breakthrough, and everyone's face was filled with intense joy.

Even Su Lun was slightly surprised and unexpected.

This type of billion-calculated trial combination, they had roughly estimated before that it would theoretically take months to decode.

Now, it had been cracked in just seven days, which was indeed very impressive.

After Dora's multiple confirmations, it was determined that this was indeed the correct method to break the seal.

A few people discussed and decided to activate this seal, which even the Golgoth clan was not clear about.

...

Before long, Su Lun had cleared the area.

In front of the temple, only he and Queen Medusa stood in the pit.

Su Lun asked, "Shall I go and try to decrypt it?"

"Mm."

Queen Medusa nodded. Even she was curious about what secrets lay beneath the temple.

If the Dawn Group were to decrypt it themselves, Su Lun would be extremely cautious, just like that temple seal in the City of Atlantis; the slightest carelessness could have disastrous consequences.

But now, with Queen Medusa here, stating that there was not much of a problem, then there was not much of a problem!

Su Lun walked down directly.

Following the previously decoded arrangement, he reapplied the mana paint to the symbols on the rock wall using a rune pen in order.

When the last symbol was painted, the text on the wall suddenly lit up.

Just like the previous simulation, these texts came to life, forming an intricate nine-pointed star formation in the air.

Su Lun had not dared to stay at the bottom of the pit and teleported to appear beside Queen Medusa, witnessing the miraculous scene before him.

As the nine-pointed star formation grew brighter, it seemed to open a gateway to another world.

Looking at the intelligence he had identified, Su Lun was shocked, "The legendary 'Time-Space Vault'?!"

The forbidden secret hidden here was actually the legendary Time-Space Portal that did not fluctuate with the passage of time.

He distinctly sensed that a sizable space had appeared behind this portal.

Until now, no danger had appeared, and Su Lun also knew that he had to open this portal to glimpse the secrets behind it.

Moreover, according to the legends, this Time-Space Vault was used to store some very important items, rather than sealing any monsters.

This reassured him quite a bit.

Mr. Crow on his shoulder was still very quiet as Su Lun carefully opened the portal.

As expected, no danger appeared.

Before him was a sealed room.

The room was surrounded by exquisitely detailed stone carvings, which looked... somewhat like some kind of manufacturing blueprint?

Because Su Lun saw various dense data, component specifications, structural breakdown diagrams... something that often appeared in some goblin civilization blueprints.

Su Lun did not examine them closely because a box in the center of the room immediately caught his attention.

[A specially sealed casket]

Detailed explanation: requires nine of Medusa's Serpentine Staffs to unlock the casket.

Seeing this item, not only Su Lun, but even Queen Medusa beside him showed a very surprised expression.

Because both of them saw that the box had nine serpentine slots, resembling keyholes.

From the corner of his eye, Su Lun glanced at his companion, Queen Medusa now had six golden strands of hair on her head.

And three more... Su Lun himself had found one previously in the residence of the Town Lord of Atalan, and had obtained two more by killing an eighth-tier serpent-haired monster.

Meaning, nine Serpentine Staffs were just coincidentally complete!

Clearly, the contents of this box were also related to the ancestors of the Görriks clan.

Although Su Lun was curious about what exactly was inside the box, he was not in a hurry to open it.

He felt that the frescoes in the room would give him some clues.

Thus, Su Lun's gaze carefully swept over the murals depicting these blueprints.

He was indeed right—the designs on the mural were a type of Demonic Energy Cannon known as [Twilight of the Gods]!

Su Lun found it unbelievable and was astonished, "Could this cannon really kill gods?"

Because the deeper his understanding of this world, the more he felt his own insignificance.

After entering the realm of high-ranking professions, the means of attack were no longer merely about the level of energy.

Like what is described in a novel, no matter how the world might shatter from the explosion, to beings of higher dimensions, it's just a few lines of text.

That is about the Power of Laws, not just energy anymore.

Su Lun was gradually understanding this world, and he faintly felt that gods should be beings possessing that kind of high-dimensional power.

So... although the cannon on the wall was sophisticated, appearing to withstand a massive capacity of energy,

how could it possibly kill gods?

Su Lun faintly felt that the key to everything might just be in the box.

Because the blueprint on the wall lacked one thing—that was the "ammunition"!

...

After mostly understanding the content on the frescoes, Su Lun also basically confirmed the room's purpose.

This was a room built by the ancient goblin clan to safeguard this [Twilight of the Gods Blueprint].

It was most likely safe.

And with Queen Medusa here, even if the box truly sealed a super-class monster, the risk was not great.

Su Lun thought about it and took out the three golden strands of hair he had in his hand.

Queen Medusa did not speak while six strands of serpentine hair fell from her head.

Only those who qualified to gather nine [Medusa's Serpentine Staffs] had the right to open this box.

The contents inside, without a doubt, had to be extremely high-ranking.

Su Lun used a thread to gently bring the nine strands of hair closer to the box.

When they were about a meter apart, the strands of hair were drawn by some mysterious force and embedded into the box.

With several crisp metallic clicks, that gold-like box suddenly opened.

There was no danger.

Inside was a gemstone as black as ink.

So black that it seemed to suck in one's gaze.

[Twilight of the Gods]

Detailed explanation: Also called 'Zosimus Dark Matter,' named after its discoverer, a Divine Artifact material; once, the mythic goblin clan discovered this miraculous ore in the endless void of the dark world, which contained untold power able to counter the gods' Power of Faith; through research, the goblins found it had a special effect of countering the Power of Faith, which made this stone a taboo among gods;

...

The more Su Lun read, the clearer everything became, and he was immensely shaken, "Ancient god-slaying weapon, those mythic goblins really did discover some extraordinary things."

No wonder it had been sealed here for countless years unseen by the daylight, because this thing simply must not be exposed!

If any gods from other worlds were to discover its existence, they would undoubtedly face destruction.