Mechanical Alchemist

After Su Lun left, Magitan in the VIP room felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Slumped on the sofa and gasping for breath, he only then realized that cold sweat had drenched his back.

Several bodyguards and two stewards, long-time partners in his business, had never seen their boss like this, and they had no idea what had just happened. Even the steward who had found something odd about the goods only thought there was something strange in them.

Now, with the outsider gone, they immediately began asking questions.

"Eh... Boss, you don't look so good. Is there a problem with this batch of goods?"

"You didn't even haggle? That kid seemed evasive, the goods must be from a shady source. If we pressed him, maybe we could've made a few more percentage points in profit..."

"..."

Hearing his old pals' inquiries, Magitan's expression was extremely complex.

Only he knew just how dangerous the transaction had been.

Thank goodness the other party hadn't come with the intention of ripping him off, otherwise, had it actually been that SS-ranked fugitive he suspected, they wouldn't have made it out alive today.

After pondering for a long while, he finally sighed and said, "It's not just a problem, the person who was dealing with us is..."

However, he stopped mid-sentence.

A quick look in his eyes, and an intuition told Magitan that this matter absolutely could not be spread around.

Perplexed, a steward asked, "Boss, do you know that guy?"

Magitan contemplated for a moment, then shook his head, "Forget it, you don't need to worry about this."

Seeing the boss say that, the group nodded and began to inventory the goods.

With the crisis over, Magitan felt his mind becoming clearer.

He thought back to the earlier conversation, mulling over it in his head, "The desire to purchase Puppetry profession guides, that probably is him indeed. But then, that Young Master Danze of the Oliver family is offering a reward..."

Fugitives also have supply and fencing needs, and the black market is their best channel.

This is also the main reason black market bosses make huge profits: they often can buy stolen goods at low prices and sell them high.

Usually, the right merchants wouldn't do something as short-sighted as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs by betraying a fugitive.

But this also depends on the situation.

If the reward offered is too good to pass up, Magitan wouldn't mind selling the information.

Now the bounty for "SS-ranked fugitive Su Lun" had skyrocketed, and the personal reward added by the Oliver family's Young Master Danze was even higher than the profit from this batch of goods...

Thinking this, Magitan was immediately tempted and said to his crew, "Don't fence this batch of goods just yet, wait until I get back!"

Thinking it over, he took a few storage rings as "evidence" from the box and immediately left the room.

....

Su Lun left the tavern and like magic, quickly undid his disguise, appearing confidently on the streets once more.

Watching "Iron Cripple" Magitan leave in a hurry, Su Lun didn't need to guess where the man was headed.

Su Lun didn't bother with that guy, the bait had already been cast, and the objective had been achieved.

Even if the other party suspected it was a trap, they had to bite.

Just a few days to wait, and the Mystic Art: Puppet Theater manuscript would probably be in the bag.

Thinking this, this time, he didn't just want the profession manuscript; he wanted to play a big game!

After all...

On the wanted poster, he, Su Lun, is still ranked as a tier-one professional.

But in reality, he was no longer the same small-time fugitive who could be panicked into flight by a few second-tier professionals.

This time, he was likely to reel in a few big fish.

...

On the street,

Su Lun, clad in an expensive and elegant white suit, held a cane and wore a hat, bearing the semblance of a wealthy young merchant out for a stroll and some shopping.

He had come to increasingly appreciate the benefits of having Sabina, his personal servant.

With intelligence under his control, he nearly had a complete grasp of everything in the camp, and he carried out any task with newfound confidence.

This afforded him many conveniences.

Su Lun left the Black Baron Tavern and made his way to the Scavenger Guild, where he scanned the newly posted missions and intelligence on the light screens.

He didn't find what he was looking for,

so he headed to the market.

By now, the Scavenger market within the Dawn Camp had expanded several-fold from its original size, with the number of stalls increasing more than tenfold.

However, due to the camp's limited area, the market was still planned along a single street.

But this did not stymie the Scavengers.

They added steel outer braces to the small buildings on both sides of the street and constructed a variety of uneven steel-partitioned layers. Connecting these with iron staircases, they instantly turned the market from a flat plane into a multi-level district, multiplying its area several times over.

Su Lun leisurely browsed through the market to see if he could find any overlooked treasures or items that he needed.

After all, numerous ancient artifacts had been unearthed from the relics, and there was an abundant first-hand supply of valuable items.

Since Su Lun had already advanced to the second tier, he had no need for materials related to his profession.

Materials of the third tier would not likely be found on roadside stalls.

Therefore, he could bypass the majority of stalls, making his stroll through rather quick.

Su Lun often stopped at stalls that sold old books and scrolls to browse them.

The chances of finding something valuable were greater at the bookstalls compared to the material stalls.

Most alchemy books contained encoded content and were written in ancient runes, which required significant effort to translate.

Typical Scavenger groups lacked the ability to translate, thus making it easier for "good items" to slip through.

Reading posed no obstacle for Su Lun; a quick glance was enough to gauge the content.

Even if there was encrypted information, he could approximate its origins with an assessment.

The more complex the encryption, the more likely the content of the book was of importance.

As such, the less comprehensible an item was to others, the better it was for Su Lun.

But even in the ancient times when alchemy thrived, books recording alchemical knowledge were rare. The Scavengers' stalls mostly held trivial literature and biographies.

Looking more closely, he sometimes managed to uncover valuable finds.

Just then, Su Lun found a volume entitled "Detailed Explanation of Second Tier Runes" at a roadside stall.

He happened to need to catch up on his knowledge of runes and, without hesitation, spent tens of thousands to purchase it.

As for those indecipherable spell scrolls, rare as they were, he did not bother with them.

He already possessed a few space magic scrolls given by Mr. Hei, estimating that learning them would consume a year and a half's time, so greed for more was pointless.

Walking along, he visited a few hundred stalls.

He scavenged several ancient books and picked out some cheap materials suitable for crafting puppets, reaping a substantial haul.

However, as he wandered, Su Lun's gaze was suddenly drawn to a stall surrounded by a crowd.

The stall displayed many cursed materials and some items that looked like the products of lethal alchemy, both materials and gear as if taken from the dead.

The stall owner, a man dressed as an assassin with a cool demeanor, concealed his eyes with a hood but not the indifference at the corner of his mouth or his decaying skin.

When asked for a price, he would state it in a voice as raspy as sandpaper grating on stone.

If someone tried to haggle, he would pay them no more heed.

Su Lun was initially uninterested in the materials on display, but something about that face seemed vaguely familiar, so he approached.

Upon closer inspection, his pupils contracted slightly, "Kai?"

.... Stay tuned to empire

There were many items on the stall, catering to various professions, and the prices were fair. Consequently, there were quite a few buyers.

Yet, some were intrigued by the eccentric stall owner, whispering to each other in hushed tones.

"Which group's stall is this, with quite a few good items? It's just that this stall owner seems to have a bad temper. Isn't he worried about not being able to sell his goods..."

"Hehe, this stall owner isn't from a Scavenger group, but a lone wolf."

"A lone wolf? How is that possible? With so many materials, you're not telling me he obtained them all on his own, are you?"

"If you knew who he was, you probably wouldn't think it's impossible."

"This guy has a big background?"

"Haven't you noticed the mechanical arm on his stall looks very familiar? Hehe, Cyclops Max's mechanical spray gun, what do you think..."

"Is he the 'Hyena' who slaughtered over forty members of the 'Steel Cannon Scavenger Group' by himself three days ago?"

...

Su Lun listened to these people whispering on the side, his face also showing a trace of surprise.

Kai was the first friend he made in this world who suited his tastes.

They also had several experiences of shared adversity and could be considered comrades in life and death.

Unfortunately...

Something went wrong during that escort mission.

If he wasn't wrong, Kai's current identity should be that of a member of an inner city organization.

Otherwise, he wouldn't still be alive.

But why was he here?

Kai twirled a coin between his fingers, flipping it up with his thumb, producing a pleasant metallic "clink" as it landed back in his hand, repeating the action.

Su Lun watched this little movement, seemingly a practice for finger dexterity, his gaze sharpening slightly.

He had taught this to Kai.

It was a secret signal among the people of Green Street: if there was danger and it was inconvenient to speak out, make this gesture to remind one's teammates.

Seeing this action, the term 'Green Street' flashed through Su Lun's mind, both familiar and strange.

The term wasn't that old, but it seemed to belong to a distant past.

Green Street had been destroyed in a gang war, and the Cross Society's squad had long since ceased to exist. Even the former members had changed several times over except for him and Kai.

Eventually, it was just the two of them left.

This secret signal was now known only to them.

...

"I remember 'Cyclops' Max was a second-tier professional, right?"

"Yes, that's why the news caused quite a stir! During the Scavenger operation three days ago, this guy here made quite a haul, apparently even found a valuable ancient relic. When a captain of the 'Steel Cannon Scavenger Group' saw him alone, he thought of taking advantage of him. But the guy didn't waste words, just killed the captain with a single blow. Then 'Cyclops' Max, thinking there's strength in numbers, sought to take revenge. But this guy here, he wasn't fazed, didn't care that Max was a second-tier professional, just took on the whole group by himself. In the end, somehow, the 'Steel Cannon Group' turned tail, wanting to retreat..."

"That's outrageous... A lone man made a mid-sized Scavenger group, led by a second-tier professional, turn coward and flee?"

"You think that's the end? What came next was even crazier!"

"Huh?"

"The Steel Cannon Group chickened out, but that guy wasn't willing to let it go just like that. He pursued them across the ruins with a 'do or die' attitude, even though he was injured. It's said he ambushed them amidst the fog in the ruins and even managed to kill Max. In the end, the 'Steel Cannon Group' completely fell apart, leaving only a few shrimps alive to escape the ruins..."

"Damn, he's really a monster."

"I've also heard of him. This guy has a notorious reputation for being brutal in killing both monsters and humans, merciless even to himself, cold-blooded as a monster. It feels like he treats every fight as if it were his last, desperate against his enemies. But because of this fearlessness, he always comes out with incredibly rich spoils. Those who know him now say he's like a 'Hyena'; whoever provokes him, no matter if you're a tiger or a lion, he'll fight you to the death. Now, few dare to provoke him..."

"..."

Su Lun's eyebrows twisted slightly as he listened to the deeds of others.

He wasn't sure what had happened to Kai, but the cold-blooded assassin in front of him was completely different from the cheerful gang leader he used to know.

Su Lun glanced around, didn't approach to greet him, and turned to leave.

...

At least it was good news that an old friend wasn't dead.

That evening, Su Lun spent a long time in Sabina's room, where he learned some news from her.

Kai was part of the inner city organization of the Umbrella group, not a subordinate of Sabina's, so there wasn't much intelligence on him.

But Kai's appearance here had a direct connection to Su Lun.

In the pursuit of an "SS-rank fugitive," the Umbrella organization would mobilize all resources, monitoring the target's every social connection. His sudden appearance at dawn had only one purpose, to lure Su Lun into the trap.

After all, among the social connections Su Lun could trace back, Kai was the most significant acquaintance.

In the following days, Su Lun didn't rush to get in touch with the black market trader.

After all, he had to give his enemies some preparation time to catch a bigger fish.

His daily routine became very regular.

He'd go to the Scavenger Guild early in the morning, then take a turn around the market, hunting for goods.

At noon, he would stay in the hotel and practice the Space Arcana and Puppetry Technique.

Occasionally, in the evenings, he'd spend a few hours with Sabina to listen to the latest developments from the Oliver family.

....

On this day, at ten o'clock in the evening, the noisy and bustling Black Baron Tavern.

"Iron Cripple" Magitan was negotiating a deal in the tavern.

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned to see a man with his face covered by a large overcoat.

Su Lun spoke directly, "Magitan boss, do you have any news about the goods I asked for?"

Upon hearing this, Magitan immediately realized who the visitor was.

A hint of nervousness flashed in his eyes, but his face remained calm, "Yes. I've found a channel to get a puppeteer's tome, even Master Lloyd's unique Mystic Art: Puppet Theater. But it's not cheap. To get it, it will cost at least this much... and you'll need to wait another two days."

Su Lun looked at the five fingers Magitan held up, not caring about the price at all.

He also wasn't at all surprised that the man said he needed time.

After all... an ambush also needed time.

He directly handed over a bag of large denomination cash, agreeing without hesitation, "Fine, this is the deposit. Four days from now, at two in the afternoon, let's make the trade at the 'White Broken Wall' on the southern outskirts of the ruins."

"That..."

Magitan's gaze fell on the money bag on the table, just about to say something, when he looked up to find that Su Lun had already disappeared into the crowded tavern.

At that moment, several sneaky characters lurking in the tavern started to gather around.

After searching around, they couldn't find any trace of Su Lun.

"He's really vigilant..."

"It's only natural for an SS-rank fugitive to be this alert."

"Did you confirm the transaction location?"

"Yeah."

"Let's set it up then, we can't let that guy get away this time."