Mechanical Alchemist

"The King of the North Sea," Oleg, was indeed the strongest pirate in the North Sea, and his fleet possessed the power to crush nearly any force in the North Sea.

But he didn't actually have dominion over all the forces in the North Sea, especially the four countries of the northern continent.

To pirates, power was far less important than wealth, and previously, everyone had lived in peace. After all, pirates also need fertile ground for survival; even the strongest tree can't destroy the very earth that nourishes it. Many of the pirates recruited by the North Sea Fleet were citizens of the four countries.

But now that Oleg had suddenly become a "king," the situation had begun to change.

Upon seeing the act of "taxation," Su Lun guessed that Oleg probably wanted to start proclaiming sovereignty and taste what it's like to be a true lord.

Compared to any land under Ruying's rule, the four countries of the northern continent were a byword for barren poverty. The revenue from collecting taxes there would be less substantial than plundering merchant ships.

So this tax collection was not actually aimed at looting wealth.

The Ninth Fleet, where Su Lun was, brought not only artillery but also a large amount of wealth.

No matter how much tax was collected, they would offer even more gifts in return.

This was roughly equivalent to the tributes that sovereign states give to their vassals, like a king's grace to the lords of the lands.

This was Oleg testing the waters.

If the taxation went smoothly, they would collect a bit of money and give back some gifts; if not, they would intimidate with force.

Once the four countries paid taxes, they would be acknowledging their vassal status, making Oleg the true Sea King of the North Sea.

This relationship would then continue to grow stronger, and in a few more years, Oleg would be able to fully control this maritime territory.

However, this process wouldn't be easy.

The four countries of the northern continent had a large number of remnants of the gods, with their own divine beliefs. Like Mountain Hermit, their sovereign authority was considered divinely ordained, lasting for countless years. To suddenly accept an outsider as their lord would not be so readily accepted.

Having learned much about the local customs and culture of the four countries lately, Su Lun knew that this tax collection journey might not go smoothly.

So he had always been vigilant.

....

The journey from Pirate City to Mountain Hermit would take several days, and the sea area was dotted with numerous islands, known on Ruying's sea charts as the Talin Archipelago.

Sailing was monotonous; as long as they did not encounter inclement weather, all the pirates had to do was play cards, fish, and tell tall tales.

Using the excuse that he had spent all his money in Golden City, Su Lun had been daydreaming in his cabin these past days, not mingling with the pirates in the gun deck.

In reality, he was digesting the knowledge from the "Mechanic Nerve Diagrams."

Even without looking at the diagrams, whenever Su Lun closed his eyes, his mind was flooded with the various schematics he had memorized. He would first deduce all the possibilities in his mind and then record them in his notebook. Occasionally, when no one was around, he would take out the half-finished silver arm to test some new ideas, and his days were quite leisurely.

Since he was always prepared for trouble, Su Lun also kept the All-knowing Eye crow, used for Soul Perception, close at hand.

It was not unusual for pirate ships to have small animals like monkeys, parrots, or hamsters. Apart from alleviating the loneliness of the voyage, these animals served as an early warning system. Often, their senses could be keener than humans', like with impending bad weather or certain dangerous sea monsters.

That day,

On the fifth day of sailing,

Just as Su Lun was "sleeping" in his usual manner in the cabin, the black crow beside him suddenly let out a cry.

"Caw~"

Su Lun's ears twitched slightly, and he abruptly opened his eyes.

He gently stroked the black crow and fed it two drops of liquefied spirit of the dead, but his gaze was fixed through the artillery port, out toward the open sea.

Now that he was familiar with the black crow, Su Lun could also sense some of its thoughts more accurately.

This cry warned of danger nearby, but nothing too fatal.

"Is there something appearing at sea?"

Thinking of this, Su Lun got up and walked out of the gun deck.

At the doorway, Sharp and a few artillerymen were playing cards. They greeted him cheerfully upon seeing Su Lun rarely coming out of the cabin, "Yo... Johnny, brother, you're finally awake today?"

Su Lun shrugged his shoulders, pretending to be groggy as he rubbed his eyes, "Yeah, I'm going up to the deck for some fresh air."

He didn't linger and went up to the deck.

At that moment, he could hear a faint dispute coming from above.

"Captain Hans, this sea area is the outlet of the Fei River; there are monsters here. Relieving oneself in the sea is not permissible; it might bring great trouble. We must quickly offer a ritual sacrifice of livestock..."

"Hey, I say Yongshu, it's just taking a dump into the sea, what's the big deal? Monsters? Haha, just some strange sea creatures, don't get so worked up. I've been at sea for so many years, I've even seen deep-sea behemoths, am I to fear a few little monsters?"

"..."

The skinny man dressed in hemp was the guide for this voyage, named Song Yong Jiushu, a national from Mountain Hermit.

At this moment, he was anxiously trying to persuade a man in a captain's uniform with a big beard.

The big-bearded man was naturally Su Lun's current squadron leader, "Tea Beard" Hanz.

This guy had previously received an advanced potion from Oleg to enhance his equipment and successfully advanced to the fifth rank. These days, he was showing off his newly acquired Spatial Displacement ability all over the ship.

Su Lun had detected spatial fluctuations more than once.

In layman's terms, this guy's power had surged, and he was literally "floating" with arrogance.

Yongshu continued to persuade, but Hanz was visibly impatient, "Alright, alright, cut the crap! If there really are monsters, it'll be a good opportunity to catch one and have a look, I've never eaten monster meat before."

To ordinary fishermen who had never seen the world, some huge fish weighing hundreds of pounds were already considered incredible monsters. But for high-rank professionals, they were usually just fodder that could be killed with one punch. Now that Hanz was a fifth-rank professional, indeed most sea monsters couldn't really trouble him, so his words weren't entirely bragging.

But Su Lun, who was at a distance, frowned slightly.

The fact that the Black Crow issued a warning meant there really was something going on nearby.

Su Lun had seen descriptions of "monsters" in various exotic tales from reclusive kingdoms but had never actually encountered one.

He was also somewhat curious to see what a monster really looked like.

....

The fleet was about a few nautical miles away from the shore, and looking forth, one could already see the vague outlines of mountains in the distance.

The sun had just set, and a faint mist had begun to drift over the sea's surface.

Yongshu was still at the bow, praying something fearfully.

It was at that moment that a red light, like a lantern's glow, suddenly appeared atop the sea.

The lookout atop the mast spotted the anomaly and bellowed, "Captain, ten o'clock direction, there seems to be a fire on the sea!"

Su Lun had expected trouble and hadn't gone below deck. He naturally also saw that flickering flame, and his gaze narrowed slightly.

The All-knowing Eye allowed him to clearly see the flame. It was strange; there was nothing around, yet the flame floated on the sea's surface... If it was ghost fire, the color was the normal orange-red.

....

Most pirates had not taken the earlier dispute seriously—after all, tales of monsters from reclusive countries had been around for a long time, and not many had actually seen one. They were mostly exaggerated hearsay.

Now that a strange fire had suddenly appeared on the sea, everyone on deck was curiously watching the flames in the distance.

Yongshu recognized something and pointed fearfully at the sea, saying, "That... that is the 'Unknowing Fire'!"

Su Lun wasn't surprised by the term. It matched the name he had assessed.

He had read about "Unknowing Fire" in the records, one of the many spirits in the legends of the reclusive kingdoms. It was usually interpreted as a nameless wrathful fire sent down by deities upon offending mortals.

In just that moment, the number of floating flames on the sea started increasing.

Looking intently, one seemed to see the phantasm of some burning louchuan, with the flames growing more intense by the moment, quickly turning into a sea of fire.

The vanguard fleet consisted of four squadrons, four ships. Hearing the commotion, the pirates ran up on deck to see what the legendary "monster" actually looked like.

Seeing that it seemed rather serious, "Tea Beard" Hanz didn't take it lightly and sent some men on a charge boat to check out the situation.

Shortly after, a message came through the communicator: "Captain, those flames are just mirages, not real."

Hearing this, everyone on deck let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Ha ha..."

Hanz also scoffed, "It's just a sea mirage, what monster! The fleet continues as normal!"

Since they had to enter through the river mouth and there was no alternative route, the fleet continued on its way.

The crew didn't make much of it and chuckled while watching the sea of fire in front of them, pointing and commenting.

....

In the crowd, Su Lun leaned against the railing holding a black umbrella bound with a cloth strip and muttered softly like a fine thread, "It really is a Spiritual Body. Legend has it that 'Unknowing Fire' scorches impurities; I wonder how it will burn..."

In his perception, some special Spiritual Bodies had appeared within this sea of fire.

This confirmed Su Lun's previous conjecture that monsters had intelligence and were certainly spiritual beings.

However, these Spiritual Bodies were strange, completely different from the feel of human souls. Cold, uncanny, with a sense of elusiveness, like the will of the divine beings Su Lun had encountered twice before.

This was also good news.

At least, many of the spirits recorded in the "Fairy Tales" he had read were described as having "supernatural powers." Now that he was certain they could be detected by Soul Perception, the danger level would be greatly reduced if they were truly encountered.

The fleet continued onward, then entered the mirage-like sea of fire.

It was as if they had entered into a realm of light and shadow, with no danger occurring.

The flames burned fiercely around them but emitted not a trace of heat; reaching out to touch them was to pass right through.

Everyone collectively let their guard down, thinking this was truly a "mirage."

Only Song Yong Jiushu remained prostrated at the bow of the ship, shivering and praying incessantly.

He seemed as if he had been driven mad with fear, muttering nonstop, "The immortals say that when you truly encounter a monster, you must have a heart of reverence. Pray sincerely, and the monster will forgive you..."

That fearful demeanor was very much like that of a bumpkin who had never seen the world.

Hearing this, the pirates all mocked him.

"It's just a mirage, and here I really thought it was some sort of monster. It seems not all the legends from Mountain Hermit Country are true..."

"Just country folk who haven't seen the world, that's all. Not like us, who have seen everything sailing the seas all year round."

"Tsk, that guy's already scared witless."

"..."
Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

Su Lun listened to the words around him but said nothing.

His eyes narrowed slightly, reflecting the sea of flames in the glimmering light.

The spiritual pressure grew stronger and stronger, and he knew that something big was about to happen.

Sure enough, as all four ships entered the sea of fire and the people were still laughing at the guide's ignorance...

Suddenly!

An agonized scream tore abruptly through the air.

"Ah...!"

Everyone turned their heads to see a man standing on the deck with a vacant gaze.

Startled, someone scolded, "Duden, what the hell are you screaming for?"

But as soon as he spoke, he saw Duden's face twist into an expression of unspeakable horror, his hands clutching his throat in unbearable agony, yet unable to speak.

Witnessing this sinister scene, everyone realized something was terribly wrong.

Tea Beard Hans strode over, frowning angrily and shouting, "Hey, what the hell is wrong with you, lad?"

He was about to pat Duden on the shoulder, but in that instant, Duden's skin visibly charred and blackened before his eyes. The next moment, like a candle, he was engulfed in flames. A thick scent of burning flesh immediately filled the air.

In just a few seconds, everyone watched a living person burn to a pile of charcoal ash before their eyes.

For a time, the deck fell silent, you could hear a pin drop.

And this seemed to be just the beginning.

Meanwhile, on the other three ships, the same burning events unfolded, with screams echoing one after another.

"Ah..."

"Ah..."

"Ah..."

"..."

An unseen enemy only stoked the fear in people's hearts even more.

Nearly a thousand pirates on four ships had no understanding of what was happening. They could only watch helplessly as people around them burst into flames and burned to a crisp.

One after another...

There wasn't even time to use any dispersal or healing techniques before life after life was taken away by the "Unseen Fire."

Fear swiftly spread, and the vast deck filled with wails. In no time, the panicked screams of frightened pirates were echoing continuously, plunging the entire fleet into chaos.

Even Tea Beard Hans, with his level-five strength, surrounded by many level-three and level-four professionals, was completely at a loss.

On the chaotic deck, some were putting out fire, some were drawing water, some were shooting guns, and others were frantically donning armor...

In the darkness, a pair of calm eyes watched all this indifferently.

Su Lun had already roughly figured out the nature of this "Unseen Fire."

Monsters and other creatures were no different; they too had to follow the "law of conservation of energy."

Through the eyes of an alchemist, every event could be explained as a phenomenon of energy fluctuations. Even if one hadn't seen a type of creature before, like the "Spontaneous Combustion" at hand, it was merely a different method and manifestation of energy release.

With this understanding as a foundation, many mysterious imaginings could be seen for what they truly were.

Su Lun had carefully read many introductions about monsters prior to his arrival. Watching this scene of human combustion, he also analyzed the cause: "Is it a method similar to a parasitic fire seed? It seems to utilize people's fear to spread, causing the body's own energy to become chaotic and fuel the flames, burning up in a short time. But how did this fire turn from a 'mirage' into a solid entity?"

Fear accelerated the chaos of the body's energy, and a single spark was enough to set it ablaze.

During that moment, dozens had already burned to death on the four ships.

Yet Su Lun was not the slightest bit panicked.

Because he knew clearly that the monster could not harm him.

Under normal circumstances, the weaker one's strength, the greater their fear of the unknown, and the more they were affected.

If you observed closely, you would notice that it was the first-order pirates who had self-combusted, specifically those with very weak soul flames.

Energy fluctuations of such a degree were far from enough to burn Su Lun to death.

There is a universal method for dealing with ghosts, malevolent spirits, and similar beings: control your fear, and their influence will be minimized.

This method is not difficult if said, but it is also not easy to execute.

Ordinary people struggle to control their emotions, especially in the face of fear that spreads among groups.

But for Su Lun, it was a routine operation.

At this moment, his heart was without any ripples.

....

This was the first time Su Lun had seen the "Will-o'-the-wisp" and had a taste of the monsters of the Mountain Hermit Kingdom.

After a good while, "Tea Beard" Hanz finally reacted and shouted, "Don't panic, everyone! This monster is similar to the ghostly kind, as long as we control our fear, they cannot do anything to us!"

As a seasoned pirate, he naturally had some inkling about the nature of this fire.

However, just as he spoke, more bad news struck.

Those in the hold conveyed a message through the communicator, "Captain, it's bad news, something is drilling holes in our ship!"

As soon as these words fell, the ship suddenly shook violently and even showed signs of capsizing. Looking towards the sea, one could see a rapidly flickering dark shadow.

The atmosphere of fear, which had slightly eased, became tense once again.

On deck, frantic footsteps were heard everywhere.

"Captain, I saw it! It's a sea monster that looks like a water monkey. It's very strong, and it's trying to sink our ship!"

"What on earth is that?!"

"Lord Hanz, that's another monster, it's... it's a 'Kappa'!"

"Damn it, Stoya, take the water ghost squad down to check! Musketeers, artillerymen, fire into the water!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"..."

All four ships were in chaos.

Su Lun was an artilleryman, and whether it was diving into the water or using Yang Fan, it was not his turn.

He, along with other artillerymen, donned the personal cannons issued earlier and fired at the rapidly moving shadows beneath the sea.

"Kappas" are physically substantial monsters and are easier to deal with as firearms can cause significant harm.

However, these monsters were very fast in the water, their sharp claws could pierce armor, easily drilling through the wooden hulls of the ships. Even with the pirates' quick response, two of the four ships were quickly holed, and the other two were damaged to varying degrees, slowly taking on water and sinking.

Luckily, they were not far from shore, so the pirates who fell into the water could still swim to the shore.

Su Lun also ended up in the water, mingling unnoticed among the heads bobbing densely in the cold sea. He quietly followed the crowd and swam ashore.

....

At the dock's edge, before the four pirate squadrons could dock, two to three hundred had already died.

The atmosphere was very heavy.

Thankfully, with the military communicators provided by Mafa, the leaders of the several squads reported the situation to the captain of the ninth fleet, "Gluttonous Grand General" Peion, but the response was to keep moving forward!

After people died, most of them realized that the vanguard mission this time was not so easy.

Having received the order, they could only continue to move forward as planned.

Now without ships, they could not take the water route and had to proceed on foot.

The howling wind was frigid, and the temperature at night was extremely low, making it unrealistic to set up camp on the spot.

Fortunately, the guide Song Yong Jiushu knew the way around here; he was aware of a village not far from their location.

The pirates followed the guide and entered the mountains.

Su Lun moved with the group, watching the greenish mountains, with a deep look in his eyes.