Mechanical Alchemist

The communicator signal had not been sent out long before Yuta responded.

That Miss Druid was indeed here.

Before long, Su Lun found Yuta in the underground palace.

After asking, Su Lun realized his worries were unnecessary.

Compared to his own near-death experiences, Yuta's experience seemed almost like a cheat code.

As soon as she entered, she immediately felt the guidance and protection of the Dalu ancestors' spirits, and then she smoothly entered deep into the cursed space.

Even more miraculously, as she walked, she casually picked up a "Holy Artifact."

Then, without encountering any danger, she just waited until Su Lun contacted her.

....

"So, you just casually picked up the Dalu Tribe's Holy Artifact, 'Dagda's Magic Cauldron', outside?"

Su Lun looked at the golden object hovering next to Yuta, his expression somewhat incredulous.

This cursed space was indeed full of treasures.

But every artifact he obtained had involved great risk to his life.

And Yuta had just casually "picked up" such treasure?

The cauldron, resembling both an incense burner and a vessel, contained a brilliantly colorful liquid: red, yellow, blue, green... all sorts of elements mixed together, looking like a stewed rainbow, extremely beautiful.

'Dagda's Magic Cauldron'

Description: One of the four sacred artifacts of the Dalu Tribe, a divine weapon gifted by the god of nature; enhances the user's affinity for natural elements, magic recovery, and spell penetration gains a huge boost; the holder gains powerful elemental spell comprehension and is protected by a natural barrier; it is a vessel to communicate with the gods, devout believers can sense their presence; only those with natural divine power can wield it;

The attributes identified were impressive, allowing manipulation of almost all elements, truly a 'Divine Artifact' for elemental mages.

However, similarly, only the natural divine power of the Dalu could wield it, enviable to others.

What surprised Su Lun even more was that due to the magic pot at her side, the aura of this Miss Druid felt very special to him, ethereal and elusive.

"Hmm."

Yuta nodded timidly.

She looked like a little girl scared of getting scolded for a wrongdoing, and she glanced stealthily at Su Lun, cautiously said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Su Lun, I shouldn't have kept it from you. But this is our closest approach to our ancestors yet, I... I couldn't give up."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun shook his head with a smile.

The 'Four Sacred Artifacts' indeed held extraordinary significance for the Dalu Tribe, concerning their heritage and survival of the tribe.

The ancestors of the Dalu Tribe had been searching for the artifacts for centuries, a desperation that could make them forsake their lives.

Su Lun naturally understood Yuta's decision.

Besides, his survival owed much to Yuta's fortune.

Although no communication through space had occurred in this timeline, had Yuta not entered, the previous "Time Warp Domain" might have been a dead end.

"Next time, you can just tell me straight," he said.

Su Lun knew why Yuta had kept it from him and didn't say much, gently stroking her cheek.

After a pause, he asked again, "So, where are you planning to go now?"

Seeing that Su Lun didn't blame her for the trouble, Yuta blinked and seemed very happy.

She smiled, showing her little fangs, and replied, "I plan to see what those humans are up to. Our ancestor's heroic spirit left instructions that we must not let them break the seals here."

Hearing this, Su Lun also nodded, "Hmm."

He was naturally interested in seeing for himself too.

Though previously he had been frantically chased by the sixth-order 'Ferocious Beast' Barrett, he was now incredibly familiar with the underground palace, confident that even if pursued again, he could escape using the terrain.

Besides, with that Holy Artifact in Yuta's hands, her combat power was not simple.

....

Su Lun switched to a different route, quietly approaching the Hall of Valor.

From a distance, he released a black crow and carefully flew over.

In his view, the Hall of Valor was littered with toxic beast carcasses, and the perilous incense burner had disappeared.

It seemed that the previous tactic of diverting disaster had caused some trouble for the Sacred Legion, but not much.

The legion had dwindled to about a hundred people left.

Su Lun and Yuta didn't go out and hid deep in the corridor instead.

The breaking of the curse space was nearing its end, and it was no longer something they could stop.

What they had to do was wait for an opportunity.

"There shouldn't be an arm in that coffin. Those guys will probably get quite a shock when they see it..."

The reflection in Su Lun's left eye showed the scene the black crow had seen; he watched as those people used the decoder to unlock the rune iron chains binding the coffin and were carefully opening it.

He had once been up close to that black coffin and knew what state it should have originally been in. The absence of oozing necromantic aura had already confirmed that the arm was definitely not inside.

So, the cause of the past indeed led to the present effect.

Theoretically, it is possible for two identical items to appear in the same curse space.

But the condition is that there is enough energy.

However, when something like the "Hundred-Armed Giant King's arm" that supported the curse space as the "source of the curse" was taken away, it would no longer be possible to have enough curse source to form a second one.

As expected.

The 'click' 'click' of metallic friction echoed through the Hall of Valor, and a man in a trench coat cautiously approached.

Then, from the gap, they saw the empty inside of the coffin.

Immediately afterward, an incredible shout came from the corridor, "How can it be empty?! The seal hasn't been broken; how can the contents be gone?"

However, before those people could think more, the surrounding scenery began to collapse.

Those people had disrupted the seal, breaking the stability that maintained the entire curse space, and naturally, the space started to fall apart.

...

Su Lun watched as the environment around him transformed; they were also in an underground labyrinth.

But clearly, the roots around were more lush.
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Previously, the scene in the curse space was probably from a timeline five hundred years ago; now, this place was the real world. The air was moist and humid, the corridor was filled with broken collapses, and thick moss covered the stone slabs.

The gray elm trees that had grown for five hundred years compressed and deformed this relic, wrapping it more tightly.

However, having escaped that perilous cursed space was also a good thing.

Su Lun's gaze swept around, reassessing the place where they were now.

The change in environment meant that the escape route planned earlier was different now.

But just then, Yuta's expression turned very strange, as if... she had been greatly shocked, looking somewhat out of her body.

Su Lun thought she had encountered some problem and asked, "What's wrong with you, Yuta?"

Hearing the query, Yuta seemed to snap back from her trance.

"Mr. Su Lun! I...I..."

In an instant, her face showed uncontrollable ecstasy, and she excitedly said, "I...I think I can sense the call of the great nature god!"

It had been five hundred years since the Dalu tribe had broken the inheritance after that battle, and they had not felt the call of a deity since then.

Now, she had felt it!

"You felt the call of the spirit of nature?"

Su Lun thought of the previously identified information and was not too surprised.

He saw Yuta's eyes suddenly glimmer with tears and genuinely felt happy for her.

At least, her risking her life to come here had finally paid off.

However, being happy was one thing; Su Lun's gaze involuntarily shifted towards the magic cauldron floating beside her.

He felt that Yuta's aura was becoming more and more ethereal, like being on the fourth, fifth, or even sixth level, and kept rising higher...

"It's really exaggerated..."

Su Lun smiled, squinting his eyes, and muttered to himself.

This is one difference between an alchemist and a follower of the gods.

The strength of an alchemist comes entirely from oneself, alchemical implants and cultivation, which can only be difficultly improved step by step;

The main source of a follower's strength, however, comes from the deities.

The magic spells of the followers are more like prayers, hoping for a response from the deities, just like the Dalu tribe's spells that all go "Great God of Nature above, please grant me the power of the XX element...".

Without the response of the divine, the power of the spell would be very minor.

But once responded to, or blessed by a deity, the power was hard to predict.

....

Yuta sensed the call of the nature god and knelt on the ground with devout faith, muttering arcane incantations in the Dalu language.

A miraculous scene then unfolded before their eyes.

From those twisted roots, small green dots, like fireflies, suddenly emerged, floating around Yuta before merging into her body.

Gradually, her body emitted a soft glow, and a surge of magic power spilled out.

The magic power gradually responded to the Holy Artifact "Dagda's Magic Cauldron" near her. The cauldron radiated a prismatic sheen, as splendid colored ribbons of light flourished around it, lighting up the entire corridor.

Su Lun had not expected such a grand disturbance and hastily shielded the surrounding energy fluctuations.

Yuta was enveloped in a green orb of light, her aura growing stronger. Her clothes dissolved into specks that vanished into the air, and her skin subtly shifted from a wheatish to a translucent amber hue, purified of all impurities. The force of nature seemed to cleanse her marrow and purify her veins.

Watching the power that obviously did not belong to Yuta, Su Lun grew more curious and guessed something, "Is this the way of the Dalu tribe's heritage? Divinely bestowed power, truly a miraculous method."

The phenomenon lasted for about a quarter of an hour, after which the glow around Yuta slowly began to fade. Her skin tone also gradually reverted to normal.

But the green light did not completely disappear, instead remaining on her skin, leaving behind arcane red totems. They appeared on her forehead, cheeks, chest, back, abdomen... all over her body.

Being close to her, Su Lun did not need to avoid any intimacy.

He curiously looked at the red totems on Yuta's bare body.

He had a "Sun Eclipse" totem himself, but compared to these red totems, the difference was stark.

"This is a very high-level totem... Seventh tier? Eighth tier? Ninth tier?"

Su Lun pondered for a moment.

Though the totem mysticism of the Dalu tribe and the runes of alchemy were different systems, some aspects were common.

He could naturally see that Yuta's totem wielded a kind of authority originating from the very principles of laws.

At that moment, Yuta suddenly opened her eyes, an authority similar to that of a wolf king reigning supreme radiated from her.

This aura was so intense that Su Lun furrowed his brows.

But an instant later, Yuta controlled the leaking aura, returning to her gentle demeanor.

Looking at Su Lun excitedly, her voice trembled, "Mr. Su Lun, I... I felt the presence of the great nature god!"

"Hmm."

Having witnessed the entire process, Su Lun naturally guessed that the power likely originated from a deity.

He smiled and nodded, sharing Yuta's happiness.

"Our Dalu tribe now has hope!"

Unable to contain her joy, Yuta spread her arms and leaped over.

Su Lun wrapped his arms around her warm and soft body, giving her a warm hug.

Yuta buried her head in Su Lun's shoulder, crying with happiness, repeatedly muttering, "The gods have not abandoned our Dalu tribe, we... our Dalu tribe is saved!"

The centuries-old despair of the entire tribe was finally fully released at this moment.

The darkest times had passed, and dawn's first light appeared.

Su Lun gently stroked her smooth back, softly saying, "Yes, things will get better."

Sensing the call of the nature god was a great boon for Yuta.

However, now was clearly not the time for that discussion.

Just as Yuta was still immersed in her joy and excitement, suddenly, a fierce argument erupted from deep within the corridor.

Having been monitoring the group through a raven, Su Lun knew exactly what had happened.

It seemed that there was some conflict within Rue's group.

....

In the real world, the Giant's Hall of Valor was buried deep within the roots, and the ground where the coffins had been placed, previously marked by a nine-pointed star, had become a seemingly bottomless pit.

Even through the raven's vision, the sight of that black hole gave Su Lun a chilling sensation.

It was as if the hole connected to the underworld itself, carrying with it evil, destruction, and unspeakable horrors.

At that moment, two groups of people were confronting each other beside the pit.

On one side were three men in trench coats, and on the other was the less than one hundred-strong Sacred Judgment Legion.

Barrett, the legion commander Su Lun had met earlier, seemed to have changed his mind about continuing to decipher the seal.

"General Barrett, do you understand what you are doing? You are defying a military order!"

"No, I am not trying to prevent the seal from being unlocked. But after all, the northern ice field is too far from the Imperial Capital, and there may be some discrepancies in the transmission of intelligence. What I mean is, Her Majesty might not be aware of the situation of this relic... I think the most prudent method is to first preserve this relic, and after I personally report back to the Imperial Capital, we can excavate the relic later."

"Hmph! Are you questioning our military intelligence!"

"No... no no. Yegel, we are old friends, you know I did not mean to question your military intelligence. But I think the situation may involve some factors we currently cannot control, so it is appropriate to be cautious."

"You...!"

"..."

Su Lun watched as the argument between the two parties became increasingly intense and sighed in relief, "It seems that my previous words were not entirely in vain; Barrett still has some conscience. Otherwise, if these guys really forced the seal open, I would be powerless against them..."

However, things were clearly not so simple.

The few men from the military intelligence in trench coats were not so easy to appease.

The leader named Yegel suddenly took out a Golden Lion Token: "Barrett, this is the Empress's hand-order, seeing the order is as if seeing Her Majesty herself."

As expected, once the golden order was shown, the soldiers of the Sacred Judgment Legion looked at each other. Even Barrett solemnly crossed his chest. The soldiers behind him knelt in unison, performed a knightly gesture towards the token, and shouted in unison: "Glory is my command!"

Yegel sneered and, holding the golden token, shouted coldly, "Sacred Judgment Legion, heed the order! Per Her Majesty's secret order, continue deciphering the seal!"

Hearing this, Barrett still maintained his kneeling posture from saluting and did not rise immediately.

He stared deeply at the ground, pondering something.

The legion commander did not move, and neither did the soldiers behind him.

"You... you guys..."

Seeing that the group remained unmoved, Yegel's face turned dark in an instant, and he shouted angrily, "You defy the Empress's secret order—are you trying to rebel!"

Listening to the jarring word "rebel," the faces of the Sacred Judgment Legion soldiers turned ugly.

As knights who had been loyal to the royal family for generations, this was the greatest insult to them.

After hesitating for a moment, Barrett finally spoke, his voice extremely low, "My Sacred Legion has always been the most loyal guard to Her Majesty!"

Hearing this, Yegel's expression slightly relaxed.

But at that moment, as if Barrett had made a decision, he then said with conviction, "However... I still insist on my opinion; this relic absolutely cannot be unsealed now! As the commander of the Judgment Legion, I have the right to make the most reasonable decision based on the situation on the battlefield, and this is also the right granted to battlefield commanders by Her Majesty and the Congress! I also believe my judgment is in the best interest of the Empire!"

Upon these words, the soldiers behind him immediately echoed their commander, shouting, "Glory is my command!"

Hearing this, Yegel's face became very unsightly, and his speech became less polite, "Barrett, do you know what you are saying? Defying the Empress's secret order, you and your subordinates will be sent to a military tribunal, and the punishment could be death! Moreover, you would also destroy the centuries of honor of your Judgment Legion, and even implicate your families and friends in the Imperial Capital!"

This threat was fully laden with implications.

Betraying a royal command was not a simple matter of death for a knight.

Ultimately, it would lead to total disgrace and extermination of their families.

Yet even so, Barrett's gaze was firm and his tone unyielding: "I am well aware of what I am doing."

....

In the eyes of others, Barrett was seen merely as a crude man who only knew how to fight.

A professional ascending to the sixth tier—how could he be unaware of some secrets?

Having fought battles, sailed, and explored all year round, unearthing relics and encountering various indigenous intelligent races, the legends he had heard, and the secrets he knew were not few.

His experiences far exceeded those of the nobles in the Imperial Capital who had never left their doors.

Previously, in the cursed space, Bazil may have been just suspicious.

Now, seeing the piece of high-order chaos law leaking out of the black hole, he felt an inexplicable heart palpitation; how could he not guess that this situation totally matched the words of that crow-beaked masked man?

He knew, even if it was not some "God Burial Ground," this relic had significant issues!

He even suspected that something was wrong with the high ranks of the military intelligence.

Even that... something was wrong within the royal family!

Before sorting it out, this relic must not be opened!

.....

Seeing Barrett's attitude, a fierce light suddenly flashed in Yegel's eyes. Holding the golden token, he declared, "By Her Majesty's secret order, I now announce that Bazil is defying military orders, and his position as commander of the Sacred Judgment Legion is revoked!"