Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 569 - 568
Su Lun revealed his tracks and immediately pulled several living zombies out of the void realm, leaving them in place.
With a flash of spatial ripples, he appeared in another room on the lower deck.
Then he dropped another living zombie.
After teleporting several times like this, the enormous Saint Maria now had the "presence" of living beings everywhere, thoroughly stirring the undead on the ship. The previously silent cabins suddenly filled with various rustling sounds of monsters on the move.
Having had experience with using living zombies to lure enemies before, Su Lun, to ensure that the zombies lasted a bit longer, had specially dressed them in heavy armor.
This kind of heavy armor focused on defense without considering mobility, essentially turning them into thick iron boxes.
The cost of making them was not too high, but once put on a living zombie, even a Level 7 creature would risk breaking its teeth trying to bite through.
Just two or three breaths after Su Lun dropped the zombies, he immediately heard the grating sound of metal being chewed.
With these zombies drawing the attention of the monsters, he would be safer.
It was at this moment, when Su Lun sensed the powerful soul fluctuation near the treasure room moving away, that he immediately cast the teleportation magic, accurately appearing at the location of the treasure room on the third deck.
The hull of the Sea Emperor-class warship was sturdy to begin with, and this was also the core cabin of the Saint Maria, so the damage wasn't severe.
The good news was that the treasure room was still there.
The bad news was, when Su Lun arrived, he saw a room scattered with gold and silver items everywhere.
His brows immediately furrowed, "This... how do I search?"
According to what Old Sword God Bartolo had said, the Black Sam group also possessed a very small piece of space fragment. They used it to make the group's treasure room.
However, now the space fragment was shattered into pieces.
Gold and silver treasures were scattered all over the floor, with the thickest pile measuring a full meter or two.
It wasn't just gold and silver treasures, there were also many rare and unique curiosities.
The Black Sam group had robbed the rich to aid the poor in the past, raiding many great nobles, as well as looting many Duke and Marquis treasure vaults. The variety of high-grade cursed items, weapons, and materials here was no less than the wealth of a small kingdom.
A glance over the room yielded no sight of the [Chalice of Phar].
Perhaps it was buried in the gold coin piles, or maybe still inside the space fragment.
But not finding it immediately was a big problem!
...
Normally, dealing with these space fragments wouldn't be too troublesome for Su Lun; he could just absorb them into the void realm.
But this process would take quite a bit of time.
And the undead wouldn't give him that opportunity.
Just as he teleported to the entrance of the treasure room, a crow cawed sharply, and suddenly a swishing sound rang by his ear.
Su Lun didn't hesitate for a second and changed his position to dodge where he originally stood.
A "whoosh" sound was heard as a streak of cold light pierced through his protective aura and brushed past him.
Even though Su Lun had dodged it, the cold glint still made him feel like he was scorched by fire, with a sudden warmth on his skin.
Turning his head, he saw his right arm's sleeve was cut, revealing the shimmer of the golden Rune Golden Body beneath. Even at several meters away, the cold light had grazed him, letting him imagine how terrifying a direct hit would be?
Su Lun's pupils quickly locked onto the cold light flying back, only then seeing that it was a scalpel. A trace of gravity surfaced at the corner of his eye, "Turns out to be her, trouble indeed."
Without even needing to look a hundred meters away to know which undead it was, seeing this [Ice Blade] scalpel, he knew it was Black Sam group's first mate, the "Bloody Witch Doctor" Elsa Lee.
This pirate, who back then was only second to the Pirate King Sam Bellamy in bounty from the Bounty Hunters Guild, had an enormous bounty of 9 billion and 880 million Risos.
He was considered one of the top among the eighth order professionals at the time, and now, having become an undead, he definitely possessed the combat power of the ninth order.
And these former members of Black Sam's crew had the innate skill of guarding their ship, and they would not allow outsiders to take their treasures away so easily.
At present, Su Lun lacked the strength to confront a ninth-order head-on.
"Death God's Fire" could indeed severely damage a soul, but he estimated that he would not even have the chance to touch the opponent.
"Bloody Witch Doctor" Elsa Lee was, after all, an assassin-lineage combat doctor with frighteningly high agility attributes.
In this cramped space, Su Lun had no confidence he could avoid or hit her.
"Whoosh~"
The sound of the wind breaking resounded once more.
It was when the scalpel pulled a turn and came at him a second time that Su Lun left behind a gemstone engraved with spatial coordinates in the treasury.
Then the next second, he did not hesitate to choose teleportation to escape.
Upon another look, he had already appeared on a small ghost pirate ship not far away.
...
Hearing the noises die down, Su Lun too knew that the few undead he had left behind had been completely dealt with.
He pondered in his heart, "I need to find a way to lure that 'Undead Elsa' to another place..."
He had now confirmed the status of the treasury and it would take him at least a few minutes to absorb the piece of spatial shard.
But this simply wasn't realistic.
There were at least two ninth-order undead on the ship, and a bunch of seventh and eighth orders.
This was not a situation where one could face the enemy head-on.
The scenario just now was such that he managed to escape because he had arrived.
If it had been any eighth or even ninth order, the chances of survival would be slim.
"If the Santa Maria doesn't go to the battlefield, then there might be time to think of a method. Unfortunately, they won't go against the summoning of the spatial will..."
Su Lun racked his brains, coming up with various plans.
But they all faced one problem: not enough time!
The speed of this ghost fleet was fast, and it was estimated that in a few hours, they might reach the edge of the Atlantis battlefield. The longer the delay, the greater the risk of their actions.
By then, if they were drawn into the battlefield, not to mention Su Lun, even the ghost Black Sam crew was highly likely to be completely annihilated.
But if the ship didn't go to the battlefield, there was still room for pondering.
However... how to make the ship not go?
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through Su Lun's mind: "What if I sink the ship?"
Although these ghost ships were clearly pulled by some mysterious power, allowing them to still sail at high speeds on the sea surface despite being battered and tattered.
But surely, if the ship was broken into pieces, it wouldn't still be able to sail, right?
Once this thought emerged, Su Lun immediately felt that it was very feasible and it seemed to be the only choice!
Besides, he had previously placed a spatial coordinate stone within the fragment of the treasury's plane, so even if the ship sank, he could still salvage it.
With this in mind, Su Lun wasted no time in informing the mechanics inside the small Void Realm to prepare precision explosive devices for detonation.
The Sea Emperor-class warship was originally very sturdy, like the Eternal Night, which could withstand bombardment from most cannons. However, the damaged structure of the Saint Maria had already ruined those runic coatings and the likes, making the damage that explosives could inflict quite significant.
Thinking this, Su Lun quickly identified several locations to install the explosives in his mind.
He aimed to blast the ship without scattering the treasure room into the sky, yet still manage to destroy the vessel.
As for the "Undead Sam Bellamy," such an existence would not be killed by the explosion.
...
The convenience of the war workshop immediately became evident, and it wasn't long before the mechanic teams had prepared the necessary explosives to breach the ship.
After receiving them, Su Lun teleported back onto the Saint Maria.
This time, he didn't bother with those pesky undead from the eighth and ninth tier but headed straight to the rooms he had already selected previously.
Although his teleportation still drew some monsters, Su Lun had no intention of fighting. If he could kill them, he would; if not, he would simply drop the bomb and move away.
The moment he reappeared on the small ghost ship, a thunderous "boom" tore through the dim sea, and flames from the explosion shot into the sky.
The scorching light illuminated the entire ghost fleet, and as the Saint Maria was annihilated, monsters were startled and flew about in disarray.
Even the super-tier entities on those Sea God-class warships exuded terrifying auras that rippled across the sea surface.
Frightened, Su Lun quickly sank into the sea with the shockwave, wrapped in the shroud that enveloped him, slowly descending into the depths.
However, despite the danger, his heart was filled with joy.
Because the plan had gone smoothly.
The mysterious force that enabled the ghost ship to sail, but after being blown into countless pieces, the Saint Maria ultimately sank into the sea.
Su Lun clearly felt his spatial coordinates sinking into the sea, not continuing along with the ghost fleet—that was good news.
According to his plan, the ghost fleet would certainly not stop because of the explosion. All he needed to do was wait a little longer before salvaging the items.
However, before he could rejoice for long, suddenly a deadly warning was issued through his mental bond with the death bird.
"Not good!"
Su Lun's heart lurched with alarm.
Though the shroud perfectly masked his presence, on a physical level he was still there. Any undead capable of sensing anomalies in the sea water could immediately locate him precisely.
Sir Raven's warning left no room for luck; avoiding the directions of those super-tier presences, Su Lun didn't hesitate to teleport immediately.
However, almost at the same time, he felt the surrounding seawater suddenly solidify.
If it hadn't been for the Urobolos Space-Time Ring forcibly breaking through the confinement, that moment could have been perilous.
"Ninth-Tier Undead!"
Feeling that fierce tier pressure, Su Lun knew that whoever had acted was definitely not an eighth-tier.
Moreover, the ability to immobilize and compress water elements reminded him ominously of a certain individual.
"Talent holder of S-025-Destroyer, Sam Bellamy!"
Su Lun inwardly cursed at the realization.
But it made sense upon reflection.
After all, blowing up his warship was bound to provoke the captain, who would come after him even if only instinct remained.
Reality didn't give him any chance to think further; right after one teleportation, that sense of confinement attacked again.
Su Lun teleported once again.
In the shared vision of Black Crow, he saw a humanoid dragon flapping its wings, flying toward him at lightning speed.
That's right!
It was a humanoid dragon.
The name displayed in the identification was "Captain Sam, the Wight."
It wore a pirate captain's uniform from Lington style, with a two-horned hat bearing the symbol of a skull. Although still human in form, its body was covered with dragon scales, and it had a pair of dragon wings on its back.
Sam Bellamy had also merged with the "Excalibur Golden Body" in the past, and after his death, his body mutated, and the curse power of this parasitic gear manifested outwardly.
Seeing this, Su Lun sensed trouble.
Because the other's flying speed was just too fast!
So fast that Su Lun's instant spatial movement was only slightly faster than it.
It was almost as though he had just stepped out from a spatial fissure and was already being caught up with, the feeling of oppression from death hanging over him like a shadow.
Su Lun knew he couldn't delay and, while trying to escape, his hands rapidly formed sorcerer's seals, ready to perform an ultra long-distance teleportation to flee.
However, although Sam Bellamy was dead, the combat instincts of a top professional remained intact.
Suddenly, it reached out toward the sea and scooped up water, which was pulled into its hands like a dragon drinking, forming two streams.
And in the blink of an eye, the tens of hundreds of tons of seawater in its hands shrank increasingly smaller, eventually condensing into a metal-like little ball.
Seeing this, where had Su Lun not recognized what Old Sword God Bartolo had warned him to be wary of?
This move was Sam Bellamy's signature alchemy— "Mystery - Iron Rain"!
The second level of "S-025-Destroyer" bestowed it with the ability to bring ruin to everything; alchemy created miracles, and high-level laws allowed super-material compression to result in qualitative changes, turning seawater into metal!
The power contained within was simply unimaginable.
This S-tier talent-boosted mystery spell even exceeded the might of other spells of the same rank by an entire class!
Back when it was on the eighth tier, a sweep of Iron Rain could devastate the naval fleets on a large scale, making a Grand General of the Empire's Navy avoid it at all costs.
Now that it was at the ninth tier, one could only imagine how terrifying it would be.
At this sight, Su Lun felt the hairs on his back stand on end, a feeling of being locked in by death he hadn't experienced in a long time.
"Swoosh!"
"Swoosh!"
"Swoosh!"
"..."
A series of whooshing sounds rang out as Sam Bellamy's iron balls suddenly scattered, turning into a rain of iron that was faster than bullets and spread in a 360-degree pattern without any blind spots.
Su Lun cursed the shamelessness of the spell internally. No matter where he teleported to, as long as it was within the range, he would be hit for sure!
Fortunately, Su Lun had been decisive enough, and his ultra long-distance displacement was also successfully condensed in his hands.
The spatial fluctuations nearly appeared at the same time as the Iron Rain, as the iron bullets pierced through the two-dimensionalized Black Crow, with a few "thud-thud" sounds of silk tearing and muffled noises.
...
Tens of miles out at sea.
The members of the Dawn group saw the spatial fluctuations appearing on the deck and immediately guessed Su Lun had returned.
However, just like the last time he emerged from the Atlantis Ruins, Su Lun slammed down sideways with a "thud."
The crowd blinked in astonishment, then closed in around him in unison.
"Mr. Su Lun, are you injured?"
"My god, a doctor! We need a doctor quickly!"
"..."
As everyone saw the bloodied Su Lun returning, they were curious but also relieved to see that his injuries were not severe and began to ask questions.
"Mr. Su Lun, what happened? What sort of monster could harm you?"
"Could it be another super-order monster?"
"..."
Even the elite fighters of Dawn group No. 1000 and No. 19 were very curious.
Seeing his disheveled appearance, it wasn't hard to deduce that he must have been on the run from something.
But considering Su Lun's current ability to protect himself, if not for a super-order beast, what else could have pursued him to such an extent?
"Huff..."
Hearing everyone's worried chatter, Su Lun slowly exhaled a deep breath.
Once back on the Evernight, the feeling of a death crisis creeping up his spine like a Poison Snake finally disappeared.
Looking at his wound, a round iron ball was embedded in his right upper arm bone, the ball's super-high temperature still fiercely burning his bone; the nerves were so numb with pain that it was unbearable.
Fortunately, it wasn't serious.
Su Lun's heart still palpitated when he recalled the "Iron Rain" that had filled the sky.
It had actually penetrated the Bi-Directional Cloak.
Uncle Raven's level was still too low... what a pity that he had fed it so many spectral treasures every day.
Old Sword God Bartolo, who was nearby, obviously noticed something and exclaimed with astonishment, "This... did you encounter Captain Sam?"
"Yes."
Su Lun's expression was a mixture of emotions as he added, "He has now become a spectre and entered a higher order, his strength is very formidable."
He briefly explained to everyone what had happened earlier.
But even these few simple sentences made everyone shudder in unison.
Although they knew that Su Lun was facing great risks on this trip, they hadn't expected him to encounter such a terrifying opponent.
Su Lun looked at everyone's serious faces and broke the slightly gloomy atmosphere with a smile, "The good news is that the treasure vault has now sunk into the sea. If we wait a little longer, it should be possible to salvage it."
Everyone looked at him; none spoke, their eyes filled with complexity.
Although Su Lun spoke calmly, they all knew that he was indeed risking his life.
Thinking it over, Su Lun added, "The bad news is, I blew up the Santa Maria, so they might wander around nearby for a while."
After all, Tanni's father and Old Sword God Bartolo's old companions—even if turned into spectres, it still felt uncomfortable to clash with them.
Yet Bartolo didn't seem to mind at all. Looking at Su Lun, he said, "Next time, I'll accompany you. I probably understand that 'Iron Rain' Mystery better than anyone."
After pausing, his turbid eyes briefly showed a sigh before he continued, "It's also a good opportunity for me to see my old friends."
Su Lun, without any pretense, nodded, "Yes. Thank you in advance, senior."
Having just experienced the strength of the ghostly Black Sam's group, only Bartolo was capable of defending himself against such formidable tactics within the entire Dawn group.
...
The Santa Maria's treasure vault spatial coordinates hadn't moved, so Su Lun wasn't in any hurry to set out.
It wasn't until the next day that Su Lun finally took the external aid, Bartolo, with him and teleported towards the coordinates of the shipwreck.
This time he didn't dare get close, stopping from a great distance away instead.
The waves were still high on the ocean surface, and the great battle at Atlantis continued.
Su Lun did not know what had become of the ghost fleet that set out the day before, but seeing fragments of shattered planks all over the sea, it wasn't hard to guess that the battle had been extremely brutal.
Bartolo, who was by his side, gazed at the various pieces of debris on the ocean's surface, seemingly trying to recognize which ones were from the Santa Maria. But after looking for a while, he could only let out a long sigh, "Let's go. We'll take a closer look."
Su Lun nodded, holding a black umbrella and extending his perception to its fullest.
Both of them cautiously approached the direction of the sunken ship, step by step upon the waves.
As they moved, Bartolo warned, "Be careful, Su Lun. The Captain's perception on the sea is extremely strong. The moment we get within a certain range, the wind and the ocean serve as his senses."
Su Lun's expression became slightly odd as he listened.
The more he understood, the more he marvelled at the strength of the legendary Pirate King Sam Bellamy; his prowess was truly formidable.
Good at fighting, fast at fleeing, and with powerful perception.
Such an opponent truly left no room for exploitation.
Then, before they had gone very far, as Bartolo had predicted, Su Lun's Soul Perception suddenly detected a rapidly moving soul fluctuation.
"Here they come!"
Bartolo bellowed, and the Famed Sword at his waist clanged as it was drawn from its scabbard, while he charged forward upon the waves.
Su Lun took a deep breath as he watched.
The dread of death was just as terrifying as the day before and had Bartolo not faced it, he certainly would have turned and fled.
He dared not be negligent, broadcasting his perception with all his might, paying close attention to his surroundings.
In the blink of an eye, Bartolo had already collided with the spectral Sam.
Snowflakes were dancing in the sky, and the sharp blade of [Kamikaze Frost Flower Whisper] sparked as it struck Sam's dragon scales.
While fighting, Bartolo called out softly, "Captain Sam, it's me! Saito!"
He seemed to be trying to awaken the old Captain, hoping for a response.
Su Lun could see that Old Sword God Bartolo was there to meet his old friends and to say goodbye.
The last farewell was over twenty years ago; that was the last time they had seen each other alive.
This would be the final goodbye.
Not to mention he was already at the end of his life and likely wouldn't live long enough to enter again next time.
Further, with the Santa Maria gone, the once formidable "Black Sam Pirates" had ultimately left nothing behind…
This departure was a farewell forever.
Unwittingly, during the swings of his sword, Bartolo's tears flowed freely.
The commotion of the battle was immense, and various bizarre shadows appeared amid the mist.
Although the visibility was poor, Su Lun could still recognize through the soul vibrations that these were the undead members of Black Sam's group.
The good news was that since the big BOSS had acted, the other undead did not choose to intervene.
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They silently watched.
It's uncertain whether they recognized this comrade with whom they once shared life and death.
...
Bartolo was clearly at a disadvantage, as he was repelled and coughed up blood several times.
But because he knew Sam well enough, he didn't show any signs of defeat for the time being.
He also showed no intention of retreating.
It seemed that he wanted to bid his final farewell to his former comrades in this way.
Su Lun was filled with sentiment watching this.
But only at this point did he truly realize how strong the undead Sam had become.
Now, he had finally reached a realm where he could understand some elements of the ninth tier.
As he watched the human and undead trembling, Su Lun suddenly thought of something. He raised his hand, and Tanni and his mother Frida appeared beside him.
There was no better opportunity than now for their family to meet.
No sooner had Tanni and his mother emerged than their gaze fixed on the figure in the distance engaged in battle.
Frida's expression first paused, her crystalline eyes laced with ripples.
She then gave a forlorn smile.
In the end, she was seeing him for the last time.
She pointed towards the distance and said softly, "Tanni, that is your father."
Tanni looked on, his eyes involuntarily brimming with tears. He wanted to wave his hand and call out "father" for the first time, but he couldn't seem to do it.
He had imagined countless scenarios of meeting his father, but never did he expect their first family reunion to be like this.
Su Lun sighed softly to himself.
He too watched attentively, ready to whisk them away at any sign of trouble.
At that moment, Frida suddenly looked at Su Lun and asked, "Captain Su Lun, may I greet him?"
In his heart, Su Lun felt this act was not without risk, but after a moment's thought, he nodded, "You may, but be careful."
Frida nodded in appreciation, "Mmm, thank you."
With a gentle smile, she took out a Naga tribe seven-colored conch, "When they left Rainbow Island for their adventure, I bid them farewell with this tune. Today, I shall play it for him one last time..."
Saying this, she placed it to her lips and gently exhaled, and a melodious tune wafted from the conch, light and soothing.
Woo...woo...woo-woo...
The waves of the sea and the sea breeze in the air seemed calmed, softening as the beautiful melody played, causing ripples on the water's surface.
By her side, Tanni was already in tears, clenching his teeth like a true man, enduring without crying out.
All the years of suppressed grievances seemed insignificant at this moment.
The first meeting was also the last.
The sound of the rolling waves seemed like the entire ocean was sobbing along.
Su Lun detected the deep love and sorrow within the melody.
The end was a farewell after all.
He exhaled deeply, with a vague sense of realization.
Is this the end of life?
How sorrowful it is.
...
The conch music drifted further and further away, but to Su Lun's surprise, instead of attracting nearby undead to attack,
the previously oppressive atmosphere had even started to dissipate.
Most apparent was with undead Sam, who was battling Bartolo.
It seemed to have heard the familiar tune, remembered something, and suddenly stopped fighting.
It stood still on the sea surface, quietly listening.
Indeed, undead no longer have their own consciousness, but they still retain some of the instincts from when they were alive.
Especially those memories they can't forget, those loved ones they held dear.
Bartolo, too, was moved to tears by the tune.
Looking at the undead Sam before him and those enshrouded in the mist around him, he muttered, "Captain, mates, can you hear it? This is the tune miss Fridel played to send us off... Listen... how beautiful it is..."
"Can you hear it, mates..."
He kept murmuring to himself.
More than twenty years ago, just like this, Fridel played this farewell tune.
Su Lun watched, and he too inwardly sighed deeply.
But the next moment, something miraculous happened!
Suddenly, ghost Sam and those undead crewmembers shrouded in the misty haze all looked over.
It was peaceful.
They raised their hands, waving towards Fridel.
It was as if they were reenacting the farewell scene from over twenty years ago.
Then, as if beckoned by some mysterious force, they turned and left.
One by one, their figures gradually vanished into the mist,
never to be seen again.
The once legendary era of Black Sam's Pirate Crew had finally come to an end at this moment.
...
It was a final goodbye after all.
When Su Lun looked again, Fridel was already in tears.