Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 567 - 566: The Phantom Black Sam Group

"Su Lun, are you okay?"

"Not too bad...cough cough..."

On deck, the members of the Dawn group looked at Su Lun, whose body was drenched in blood, with sincere concern on their faces.

Although Su Lun was smiling, his smile was accompanied by another mouthful of blood.

Everyone had never seen Su Lun so severely injured.

At the moment, Su Lun's right arm and half of his body were a blur of flesh and blood, as if pulverized by some tremendous force, making his bones and flesh nearly indistinguishable and creating a terrifying sight.

The medical team also gathered around immediately, bringing out various potions and healing devices, and the green light of emergency alchemy glowed right away.

Su Lun himself also felt it was a close call. After all, since he obtained the "Urobolos Space-Time Ring," no one had been able to inflict such severe injuries on him.

Moreover, his physical strength was top-notch even among the seventh rank, and it was not possible that mere abrasions from law domain fields of the ninth rank could injure him this badly.

Nonetheless, the mere leaking power domain field of that being sealed beneath the temple had shattered half of his body.

Luckily, he had managed to escape quickly, otherwise even an eighth-rank professional could have been reduced to dust on the spot.

"A Titan offspring... what a powerful force field."

Su Lun lamented in his heart, getting a sense of what battling against a transcendent being might be like.

It was the suffocating feeling of being crushed by just a finger.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

It was certain that the sealed monster was a Titan offspring, but it did not quite reach the divine level.

After all, this was a cursed space in the alchemy plane.

Su Lun was not too surprised about the Titan race being sealed inside the temple. Previous intelligence indicated that there had once been a great war between the Titan race and the dragon race in the waters of the Dragon Country, which had resulted in this cursed space.

It was just that the timeline seemed a bit confused, and he did not know whether the sealing happened before or after the war.

But it seemed not to matter.

With that space existing, there was absolutely no chance for any sneaky shortcuts.

While his thoughts were drifting for that brief moment, the Healing Alchemy Formation and the potent healing potions continued to mend Su Lun's body.

He even began to feel some slight sensation returning to his crushed right arm, and the flesh of the wound solidified and took shape, looking less horrifying.

However, high-level law forces still rampaged within the wound, permeating the flesh and bones like a toxin.

This was not a surgical level injury, nor was it one easily resolved by medical treatments.

If it weren't for Su Lun's fusion with the "X Potion" and the vampiric healing from the Blood Devour ability, even the strongest potion couldn't compensate for the catastrophic loss of life essence leaking out.

Under normal circumstances, Su Lun's injuries would have required him to stay immobile for at least ten days to half a month to fully recover on board.

However, it was at this moment that he suddenly thought of something and turned out a gemstone the size of an ostrich egg from his left hand.

...

Seeing that Su Lun was not in life-threatening danger, the furrowed brows of the Dawn members unknotted in unison, and the tense atmosphere on deck instantly eased.

But no one spoke, thinking to let Su Lun rest quietly in the healing environment, and even the sounds of breathing on deck were deliberately softened.

Yet suddenly, they saw Su Lun take out the gemstone.

In an instant, the dazzling and strange radiance of the gemstone captivated everyone's gaze on deck.

Realizing something, the expressions on everyone's faces became inexplicably elated.

Bartolo, Number Nineteen, Dora, and other high-ranking members of the Dawn group could barely contain their excitement, and even Old Sword God Bartolo and the eight-hundred-year-old "Blood Duke," Wazwas, could not hide their anticipation.

Mr. Hei and the others had already mentioned on their return that they had discovered the legendary alchemic artifact, the [Philosopher's Stone], in the ruins.

After all, it was a treasure from the legends that everyone had only read about in ancient texts and had never actually seen.

Now, looking at this red gemstone, it was as if the air itself had solidified.

Someone cautiously asked, "Mr. Su Lun, is this the [Philosopher's Stone]?"

Su Lun replied with a light laugh and a nod, "Yes."

At those words, the deck erupted into a collective sharp intake of breath.

And at that moment, the glow of alchemy shone from Su Lun's hand.

Taking out the Philosopher's Stone was not just to show it off; Su Lun also wanted to test the legendary alchemic artifact's miraculous uses.

He was concentrating on a seventh-tier self-healing formula, [Singing Hymn of Praise], capable of clearing foreign transcendent power erosion from the body.

As the green light from the Seven-Pointed Star Formation ignited around his body, suddenly, the light intensified dramatically, and the Holy Light that signified life recovery and purification swirled on Su Lun's surface.

However, to everyone's astonishment, the brightening light was so intense that it felt akin to staring directly at the sun!

Seeing this, the members of the Dawn were all taken aback.

"What... what spell is Mr. Su Lun using?"

"It looks like [Hymn of Praise]..."

"Impossible, I remember that a seventh-tier [Hymn of Praise] couldn't possibly have such a strong dispelling effect. Could this be an eighth-tier secret technique?"

"..."

Confronted with this anomaly, everyone started discussing animatedly.

Looking at the glowing alchemy formation, it certainly belonged to a seventh-order spell; but considering its effects, it surpassed anything that a seventh-order spell could achieve.

This made it quite mysterious.

Even Su Lun, the caster, was dazzled by the healing technique he had unleashed.

It was during the aggregation of the spell that he distinctly felt that one hundred percent energy conversion brought on by an equitable exchange.

This one hundred percent equitable exchange didn't simply lift Su Lun's capability from the original 60% to 100%.

It was an increase by several folds!

Ordinarily, he needed skill to minimize energy loss during the conversion process, but with the Sage's Stone, he only had to focus on gathering the energy.

The Sage's Stone would transform all gathered energy into the wood and light elemental energies needed for alchemy, with the entire process free of any obstruction or consumption, a perfect equivalence.

The smoothness of the process was almost unbelievable to Su Lun.

And coincidentally, he also possessed the "Isaac Alchemy Heart," which allowed him to gather far more energy in a short time than mages of the same tier.

That's why the present effect was blinding with Holy Light.

It was as if... the light from the spell which should have been as gentle as moonlight ended up as glaring as the sun.

Mr. Hei, who was standing by, saw this and, clearly knowing something, murmured in astonishment, "Legend says the Sage's Stone has the power of absolute equitable exchange and the ability to enhance alchemy… Indeed it does..."

Having seen this effect, the last trace of doubt in his heart finally dissolved.

It matched exactly what was recorded in the books!

...

With this enhanced "Singing Hymn of Praise" deployed, the invasive force within Su Lun's body was rapidly eradicated.

At this moment, he took out the dragon blood, which he had prepared earlier, and devoured it.

Under the empowerment of the Sage's Stone, the efficiency of "Blood Devour" also skyrocketed, and its absorption and self-healing effects were visibly formidable.

Seeing this scene, Qian Tiao couldn't resist asking curiously, "Su Lun, how do you feel?"

"Very strong..."

Su Lun responded, paused for a moment, and then corrected himself, "No! Extremely strong!"

Only after personally utilizing it could he distinctly feel how exaggerated the effects of the legendary alchemy artifact indeed were.

Just a moment ago, Su Lun had not only experienced the "absolute equitable exchange" of the Sage's Stone but also its "sublimation"!

It was transforming ordinary alchemy into the power of arcane-level spells.

And arcane-level spells themselves would become stronger, potentially exhibiting effects beyond their tier.

That's why Su Lun's seventh-order "Singing Hymn of Praise" felt like an eighth-order spell just now.

This effect could be exploited with any alchemy technique.

That is to say, this Sage's Stone would multiply Su Lun's combat power by many times!

And he was certain that he was only using the most basic functions of the Sage's Stone. In the future, as his understanding of alchemy improved, he would truly grasp the mysteries of this alchemic relic, such as how it achieved absolute equitable exchange.

Hearing Su Lun's evaluation, everyone from the Dawn Group felt an inexplicable anticipation.

However, the good times did not last long.

While Su Lun was still healing his injuries, suddenly, the lookout on the watchtower spotted something and bellowed, "A tsunami is coming! An enormous tsunami!"

Hearing this, everyone jumped onto the masts to observe the situation.

Even Su Lun, through the shared vision of Black Crows, saw the hundred-meter-high waves on the distant sea.

Looking at the direction from which the waves were coming, he immediately deduced that the source of the energy burst was the Atlantis Ruins from earlier.

But with the Emperor Eternal Night warship already a hundred nautical miles away, what kind of terrifying energy burst could propel the waves so far and with such height?

Su Lun looked on with a slight frown, aware that the source of the energy must be the freed Titan offspring.

In no time, the hundred-meter-high wave arrived, and the Emperor Eternal Night, riding atop the wave, began to pitch violently.

The water gushed onto the deck, and everyone was focused, watching their surroundings intently.

Su Lun was ready at all times—if the Titan offspring chased after them, he would immediately escape the cursed space with the Dawn Group.

After all, they had already reaped enough benefits from this trip.

They could always try again another time.

But to his surprise, after the first wave, there were continuous torrents.

Seeing the rampaging waves, Su Lun felt increasingly puzzled, "Could it be a fight has broken out?"

The continuous disturbance of such magnitude was anything but normal.

Moreover, as time went on, the waves grew even more chaotic, as if countless different shockwaves were being mixed together—a scenario only possible in a brawl among transcendent beings.

But the good news was, the freed Titan offspring did not chase after them.

So Su Lun was not in a hurry to leave the cursed space.

Instead, he was pondering, what kind of being could be battling the Titan?

As time passed, not only did the waves show no sign of subsiding, they became even more fierce.

The tumbling waves made even the colossal Emperor Eternal Night warship resemble a leaf boat, tossed around by the waves, seemingly on the verge of capsizing at any moment.

However, the violent waves seemed to awaken the entire cursed space, and all sorts of monsters emerged from the sea and sky...

Once again, an alarm sounded through the Dawn Group's communicator, "Monsters are attacking! The creatures in the sea have been disturbed."

At that, everyone became tense.

In the previous half month, they had encountered countless battles and witnessed the ferocity of these hellish creatures.

Watching the monsters approach, the Dawn Group prepared themselves for a fierce battle.

However, to everyone's surprise, the monsters weren't charging at them?

Most of the monsters completely ignored the presence of these living people, as if summoned by some mysterious force, swarming towards the direction of Atlantis in groups.

Only a few monsters that happened to be very close to the Dawn Group resulted in conflict.

But such conflicts didn't lead to any chain reaction, once killed that was the end of it.

This was completely different from the situation before when attacking one was like stirring up a hornet's nest.

Seeing this, most of the Dawn Group members were somewhat confused.

Only Su Lun saw something, and a gleam suddenly lit up in his eyes.

He had previously identified some information about this cursed space, and seeing the abnormal collective actions of the monsters before him, he immediately concluded, "It's the will of the cursed space that is influencing the behavior of the monsters!"

This is a cursed space, after all!

Everything within the space operates according to the primary will.

That will is calling all the nearby monsters to converge towards the center of the battlefield.

This space was left behind after a battle between the Titan Tribe and the Dragon Tribe, so clearly, the current situation might have triggered a battlefield scene from the past.

This also explains why there were so many bodies in that temple.

Perhaps, the City of Atlantis was an ancient battlefield... Even if not the main battlefield, it was certainly an important local battlefield.

Thinking of this, Su Lun's thoughts quickly became fluid.

If the monsters weren't troubling them, then wasn't the greatest danger of this cursed space gone?

Perhaps, there might be opportunities to be found?

....

Indeed, Su Lun's inference was correct!

The onslaught of monsters had no intention of troubling the Dawn Group, heading straight for the battlefield.

The noise and expanse of the battle near Atlantis grew larger and larger...

Eventually, to avoid conflict with the monsters as much as possible, they chose a deserted island and hid the Nevernight on a harbor behind the isle.

This hiding lasted for several days.

The battle near Atlantis showed no sign of stopping, and the monsters from all directions seemed to be increasing even more.

Su Lun and the others had no intention of getting involved in the central battlefield, where an overlord-class monster was fighting, and anyone who went there would perish.

Moreover, with the monster tide continuously gathering, and their inability to continue on their way, they decided to stay on this Nameless Deserted Island.

They hunted monsters that accidentally encountered them while making repairs.

In the afternoon, another battle ended, and the fishing squad pulled up a hundred-meter-long rotting two-headed shark from the sea.

The sailors began cheerfully disassembling the materials.

"Hahaha... we've hunted another eighth-tier hell shark, and we're going to dismantle a pile of high-grade materials. Captain Bess needs a 'Water Lung' implant for her advancement, and this monster is just perfect."

"Oh, I'm starting to like this place more and more. Yesterday, we even came across an ancient pirate ship, filled with treasure."

"Haha, yesterday Mr. Su Lun even let us try the Philosopher's Stone, my goodness, that really is"

"..."

Since all the monsters are now being summoned by the will of the cursed space, even battles do not cause too much disturbance.

This environment had become the best opportunity to hunt hellish creatures.

Here, unlike outside where seventh-tier monsters are local lords, high-tier monsters are everywhere.

Although the Dawn Group currently isn't short of money, these quality materials are indeed beneficial to have in abundance.

Moreover, despite the dangers within this cursed space, the laws are complete, making it an excellent cultivation environment!

With the combined alchemy resources of the Mafa and Ruying empires focused in this small void realm, team members lacked for nothing in terms of cultivation books, implants, or professional materials.

The overall combat strength of the team members visibly grew day by day.

On the deck, Su Lun was still wrapped in bandages.

After a few days of recovery, his injuries had finally completely healed.

At that moment, a Golden Angel descended from the sky onto the deck, and Su Lun, seeing this, smiled and said, "Is the spear to your liking?"

Number Nineteen replied with a smile, "It's fantastic! I was in need of a weapon just like this."

While speaking, she casually swung the diamond gold spear in her hand, drawing a crescent arc of light through the air, and added, "This spear comes with true divine damage, which is extremely effective against dark creatures and Spiritual Body monsters. I just tried it and it has suppressive damage even on eighth-tier monsters..."

Listnening, Su Lun smiled, "That's good."

The weapon in Number Nineteen's hand was naturally the [Archangel's Golden War Spear] found in the temple.

This spear was something that Su Lun himself couldn't use, but in the hands of Number Nineteen, its power was extraordinary, boosting her capabilities as a super mechanical warrior in the higher-ranking domains where her offensive methods were lacking.

No wonder she had been in such a good mood these past few days.

After a brief chat, Number Nineteen went back to dealing with the monster they had just hunted.

Su Lun watched her leave and glanced at Qiantiao, who was meditating cross-legged on the mast.

This gamble-happy lady had been sitting on the mast for several days and nights without moving.

Su Lun knew she was taming the number one amongst the Twelve Fine Swords, "Fotu".

Getting recognition from a spirited famed sword was a lengthy process.

Su Lun withdrew his gaze, looking over the busy deck. Everything seemed to be developing in a good direction.

Just as he was lost in thought, a cheerful call suddenly rang out beside his ear, "Mr. Su Lun! Mr. Su Lun!"

Turning his head, he saw Tanni, Lolo, and a few other fellows approaching.

Lolo ran over, without the slightest inhibition, shook his arm, and blinked, asking, "Mr. Su Lun, are your injuries healed?"

Seeing her expression, Su Lun knew exactly what the girl was looking forward to.

He chuckled and pulled out several puppets shrouded in black qi.

Lolo joyously took them, "Thank you, Mr. Su Lun!"

Tanni and Tatu also chimed in, "I want one too! I want one too!"

Like the big sister, Lolo distributed a doll to each, and they treasured them in their hands as prized possessions.

Su Lun warned, "These dolls have a very strong curse characteristic, you must be very careful with them. Don't feel like you have a way out just because you have these dolls. Sometimes, death can be more of a release than such a resurrection..."

Lolo laughed playfully, "Got it, Mr. Su Lun."

Tanni said sincerely, "Thank you for the gift, Mr. Su Lun!"

Tatu chuckled, "Haha... Thank you, Mr. Su Lun."

Dora said, "Thank you..."

The group took the gifts without any pretense, happily accepting them.

What Su Lun gave them were [Life-forfeit Dolls] that he had made himself.

These things had an effect similar to the [Thanatos's Life-forfeit Puppet] he had obtained before. They could steal the power of deities and transfer death onto the doll.

The price, however, wasn't small; the curse backlash one might endure could be more terrifying than death itself.

The Life-forfeit Doll had once saved Su Lun, and he thought to create a few for Lolo and the others for protection as well.

It just so happened that he had harvested the memory of the undead mage Yale Robbins, which completed the most crucial part he was missing in making the dolls, namely the theft of the deity's name, direction, and offering.

That's right!

The deity targeted by the deathly price of these dolls made by Su Lun was the same one worshipped by Robbins, and he found all the offerings among the spoils of war.

If Tanni and the others were to have an accident and use the Life-forfeit Dolls, it would be that deity bearing the price.

While there were some unpredictable risks involved, ultimately, it meant an extra life, and the hoped-for outcome was a positive one.

...

After giving a small gift, Tanni and the others clustered around him, chattering and asking after his well-being.

He could hardly help but laugh and cry at the same time.

Time seemed good, not at all like a journey that was supposed to be extremely dangerous.

However, the calm didn't last long.

Suddenly, the lookout atop the mast spotted something and shouted, "All hands, pay attention, unidentified ships spotted at seven o'clock!"

There was fog on the sea, and the visibility wasn't very far.

Su Lun looked in that direction, seeing shadows of several ships vaguely through the fog.

This was otherwise quite ordinary.

This cursed space had swallowed up too many pirates and adventurers before; they had encountered several of them previously.

But this time was different.

The number of ships emerging from the fog kept increasing, becoming gradually clearer.

To their astonishment, among these ghost ships was a gigantic vessel roughly the same displacement as their Eternal Night!

"Be careful, everyone, it looks like a ghost fleet, with numerous ships... However, they are not heading in our direction," they announced.

"Look over there! That appears to be a Ghost Emperor-class ship!"

"Huh, that black beard and skull flag... looks somewhat familiar. Check it out, could it be the legendary 'Black Sam Pirate Crew'?"

"My God, it really is! That Ghost Emperor-class battleship is the 'Santa Maria'!"

"..."

With those words, the Dawn Brigade immediately buzzed with excitement.

They could never have imagined they would encounter the Pirate King crew that met their end in these waters more than twenty years ago—the Black Sam Crew!