Mechanical Alchemist

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The vendors at this stall were two Scavengers wearing red fox emblems on their clothes.

Su Lun recognized the emblem, it was the insignia of the "Fire Fox Group," a large Scavenger group from Old Lington.

Displayed on their stall were various parchment scrolls and ancient books.

Some were well-preserved, appearing to have come out of cursed spaces.

Others were tattered and incomplete, likely unearthed relics.

It was as if he had found an ancient library.

As Su Lun paused to look, one of the men picked up a scroll and called out to him, "Hey, brother, interested in buying some Alchemy scrolls? This is the 'Five Thunder Roar' scroll, which records a rare Lei-based Alchemy technique. It once fetched a high price of 300,000 at the Old Lington auction, but here, you can take it for just 240,000.

We're from the 'Fire Fox Scavenger Group;' our reputation is absolutely solid. If you don't trust us, you can go through the merchant association's authentication channel..."

Although most of the scrolls had the names of Spells labeled, and even though he wasn't allowed to open them, Su Lun used his All-knowing Eye to assess them and confirmed that these items were indeed valuable.

However, Spell scrolls weren't what he was looking for.

He looked around and asked, "Do you have any ancient books on spiritual knowledge, or any Puppet Master related texts?"

"Those two types of books are quite niche..."

To his surprise, his casual inquiry seemed to have jogged the man's memory, "Wait... there might be something."

He rummaged through his storage ring and took out a thick tome, saying, "Does this look right to you?"

Su Lun glanced at it. The cover, written in ancient Gnide language, read "Introduction to the Spirit" by Joseph Dietrich.

He asked, "May I flip through a few pages?"

"Of course."

The man didn't mind and handed over the book, adding, "This seems to be an advanced tier of knowledge, so it wasn't displayed."

Advanced knowledge was useless to the ordinary people of Old Lington City, and no one would buy it if displayed.

Most likely, only the wealthy in the inner city would buy them as antique decorations.

After reading a few pages, Su Lun found it was an introduction to theories of spiritual power, but not a cultivation Secret Technique.

However, he decided to buy it to see if he could find any useful knowledge and asked, "How much for this book?"

The man answered truthfully, "This is something our group just brought out of the ruins last night. If no one buys it, we plan to deal it to a large business in the inner city. They send someone to make purchases every afternoon, and it could sell for about seventy to eighty thousand each. You can have it for the same price."

Alchemy knowledge was expensive, even first-tier knowledge was worth more than the price quoted.

But "advanced knowledge" was worthless if unusable, hence the lower price.

"Hmm. I'll take it."

Feeling the price was fair, Su Lun nodded, "Anything else?"

The man took out a few more books and said, "I don't have anything related to Puppetry Technique. But I do have a fragment of a secret-level Alchemy technique and some other advanced knowledge, if you're interested I can show you those too..."

Su Lun looked through them and bought a few books.

But he didn't buy any Spell Scrolls; they were expensive and required a lot of effort to learn, plus they weren't a good fit for his profession.

....

He had already found some useful items at the first stall, and Su Lun felt the marketplace might yield more good finds.

He continued walking forward, stopping to take a look at any stall that caught his interest.

Most of the stalls featured various Alchemy and advanced profession materials...

Large Scavenger group stalls even had piles like mountains, indicating the countless creatures they must have slain.

However, as Su Lun was already an advanced professional, he had no need for first-tier materials.

After several rounds and filtering out most of the stalls,

as he browsed, he actually spotted second-tier profession materials and blueprint designs on some of the larger stalls.

But they were primarily for mainstream melee fighters, assassins, and Mages, extremely expensive and not suitable.

Su Lun hoped to find second-tier profession materials related to "Spatial Ability," but he knew those kinds of things would never appear on a stall.

Even if there were any, they would be immediately snapped up by opportunistic merchants roaming the streets at steep prices.

After walking through most of the street, Su Lun then stumbled upon an unexpected treasure!

At a rather inconspicuous stall, he saw the owner had boxed up some silver threads, with a total of more than twenty strands.

Upon close inspection, they turned out to be the "Cursed Hair of the Wailing Witch" that he had always wanted to find!

It was an anticipated yet surprising delight.

He had guessed since the hair originated from a relic, it was likely that others might find some too, but he never expected to encounter it himself.

Quickly, Su Lun approached and asked, "Brother, how much are you selling these threads for?"

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The stall owner, noticing a customer approaching, enthusiastically began, "Oh, sir, you really have a good eye. This thread is quite magical; it's very tough, and after infusing it with dark Spiritual Power, it turns transparent and can even become elemental..."

Although the thread was magical, there might not be many professions that could use it, so it wasn't easy to sell.

This pitch also drew the attention of some passersby in the vicinity, who seemed quite interested in the thread that could become elemental.

Su Lun was well aware of the thread's properties and didn't want to attract too much attention. Before the stall owner could finish, he said, "Name a price, and if it's right, I'll take it."

The stall owner's eyes flickered with shrewdness as he casually quoted, "Eleven thousand per strand. As you know, I went through a lot of trouble to get these..."

Clearly, he was bluffing to probe.

"If I'm not mistaken, you must have picked up this thread from a corpse, right?"

By saying this, Su Lun naturally wanted the other party to realize he knew what he was talking about.

This kind of material was considered "new," and almost no one in Old Lington had seen it before.

For someone who needed it, eleven thousand per strand could actually be considered cheap.

But for those who had no use for it, even giving it away for free was useless.

After all, Puppet Masters were a rare profession with very few in demand.

Although he felt the hair was worth the price, he didn't want to be taken for a fool.

Su Lun didn't beat around the bush and straightforwardly offered, "One price for all, I'll take the lot for one hundred thousand lyso."

The man thought for a moment, seemingly realizing that his customer was not someone easily fooled, and promptly accepted, "Deal!"

Su Lun paid the money and placed the hair into his storage ring, feeling inexplicably relieved.

At that moment, the stall owner began pitching the other items on his stand, "Look, I also have some other materials..."

"Do you have any more of this thread?"

"No, that was all of it."

"..."

Su Lun glanced over them, his mind not really on the materials, but instead, he directly asked, "I want to know the origin of this thread. If you have that information, I'm willing to pay a fair price."

Out in the wild, hunting for relics, everything has a price.

Including information.

Upon hearing this, the stall owner showed no surprise; information about the origin of materials was one of the "goods" he provided at his stall.

He immediately quoted, "Thirty thousand. I guarantee I'll give you the precise location where I found this thread."

"Ten thousand!"

Su Lun was more direct.

He took out a thick stack of green banknotes and said, "If the details aren't sufficient, I'll refuse to pay."

"Deal!"

The stall owner immediately took out pen and paper and drew a rough map, "It's on the outskirts of the eastern part of the ruins, a monastery about three hundred meters northeast of the Red Brick Tower..."

Su Lun listened and got a general impression of the location in his mind.

He needed the "Wailing Witch's Cursed Threads"—the more, the better.

This would lead to a qualitative leap in his puppet manipulation.

If possible, he even wanted to find the monster that produced this material.

Now that he had the deadly scythe at hand, he was considering challenging even high-level aberrant creatures.

...

This was supposed to be a normal transaction.

But unexpectedly, while the vendor was still giving Su Lun the location, several people suddenly approached.

"I hear you're selling a special kind of thread at your stall?"

The moment he spoke, his tone conveyed an arrogance that suggested he was someone of high status.

Su Lun didn't need to look to know that such a person must come from inside the city.

Out of the corner of his eye, he stole a brief glance.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man in a suit with a goatee that curled upwards.

Su Lun's attention was instantly drawn to the man's hands, holding a cane, fingers long, with prominent veins on the back of the hands—typically meaning dexterous fingers, like those of pianists or typists, the kind of professionals who would have such characteristics.

If he was a person with supernatural profession... or perhaps a Puppet Master!

Because Su Lun's own hands looked just like that.

When the vendor heard the inquiry and took note of the newcomer's attire, his attitude suddenly became very polite, "Distinguished sir, what is it that you require?"

The middle-aged man with a goatee spoke again of his purpose, "I've heard that you're selling a special kind of silk thread, and I'm interested in buying it."

"This..."

Upon hearing this, the stall owner glanced at Su Lun, revealing a troubled expression.

Having guessed the man's intent, Su Lun had no desire to complicate matters further. He handed the money to the stall owner and said indifferently, "Here's the money. Just give me the note."

"Oh..."

The stall owner seemed at a loss.

The middle-aged man obviously read something from the stall owner's face and asked, "Are you saying that the silk thread has been sold?"

With resolve, the stall owner answered, "Yes. It was just sold to this gentleman."

The man with the goatee looked at Su Lun's adventurer garb and then chose not to gaze at him directly again.

It seemed that he thought even speaking to a commoner would diminish his own status.

At this moment, the young man who looked like an apprentice with him, seeing the chance and noting the expression, called out to Su Lun who was about to turn and leave, "Sir, please wait a moment."

Hearing the polite tone of the young man, Su Lun stopped briefly, "Hmm?"

The young man said, "The silk thread you've just purchased is very important to us; would you be willing to part with it?"

"Sorry, I have no intention of selling the material."

Su Lun refused flatly.

Before speaking, he had already guessed the other's intent.

But, he was certainly not going to sell that strand of hair.

Because it wasn't just any material, it also concerned whether he could properly control that "Abomination Corpse"!

Several months ago in the black market, he had obtained three strands of the "Wailing Witch's Cursed Hair", but due to the insufficient quantity, it wasn't enough to control a puppet, so they were just collecting dust.

Now with these additional twenty strands, it was completely sufficient for him to control a puppet within a small range.

When he entered the city previously, he felt that the Abomination Corpse was too conspicuous. If he controlled it with steel wires, it would be easily noticed.

With these hairs, the problem was perfectly solved.

He didn't even need to hide the existence of the Abomination like he used to. With a cloak to cover the corpse and dark spiritual power infused into the hairs during control, this elemental special silk thread would completely vanish without trace.

He could carry it with him at all times, without any control traces, and it would not arouse suspicion.

Therefore, he was absolutely not going to give up this material he'd acquired.

...

Upon hearing Su Lun's refusal, the young man's expression suddenly turned unsightly.

His status and position had never been treated with such disregard.

This made him feel ignored and humiliated by an outsider from the city.

A gloom flashed in the young man's eyes, he swallowed his anger, and still spoke calmly, "I am Danze Oliver. This is my master, Mr. Lloyd Rodney, the 'Puppet Master.' That silk thread material is only useful to puppet masters. If sir would reconsider, we would be willing to offer you an additional reward..."

The Oliver family,

An elite, first-rate financial powerhouse of the inner city.

They were almost equivalent in strength to a few of the Reiss family's branches that made up the city's division of power.

They were also one of the "Five Great Financial Powers" that built the camp.

Revealing his identity, naturally, was meant to make one retreat in the face of difficulty.

And now the identity revealed by the young man was someone Su Lun had some recollection of.

One of the rare puppetry professional instructors in Old Lington, an established second-tier profession, the well-known 'Trickster' Lloyd Rodney.

But, so what if he's from the inner city?

Others may have to consider showing respect, but...

What does that have to do with him, a wanted criminal?

Su Lun had responded because the other had shown enough courtesy initially.

But now, he clearly saw the arrogance in these people; it was an obvious attempt to intimidate with power.

"Sorry, I really have no intention of selling the material."

Without further ado, he turned and strode away promptly.

....

Seeing Su Lun leave without any sign of giving face, the young man named Danze's face turned red with anger in an instant.

But everyone had left, not giving him a chance to start a conflict.

Danze could only turn his head and glare at the stall owner, angrily saying, "How much did he pay?"

The stall owner was being stared at and swallowed nervously, "Ten... one hundred thousand."

Danze angrily said, "I'll give you one million, sell the silk thread to me!"

"This..."

The stall owner's face showed distress, instantly feeling he had sold it for too little.

Although he knew the market rule that a deal was final once made, he still wanted the money, so he hurriedly turned his head to call out to Su Lun, who had already left, shouting loudly, "Sir, could you possibly..."

Su Lun didn't turn around, coldly saying, "I can't!"

"You..."

The stall owner was in the wrong, so he didn't have much to say.

Seeing Su Lun's attitude, the young man named Danze was even more infuriated, cursing loudly, "Damn it!"

But the man with the goatee just shook his head, calling out to the young man, "Since the material is sold, let's leave. The silk thread was a perfect material for puppetry, and if there had been enough, I would have considered using it as the main material for crafting the 'Thousand Threads' Armor. Too bad..."

Danze felt even worse when he heard this.

After a pause, the man with the goatee looked at the stall owner again, "By the way, where did you get that silk thread material? We'll also buy a copy of the information."

The group retraced their steps back.

As they walked, the rising anger in the young man's heart didn't subside, but grew even stronger.

He spoke to the middle-aged man beside him, "Teacher, I think that fellow just now probably didn't recognize the 'Wailing Witch's Cursed Hair'. After all, that thing isn't much use to the average professional. Maybe I was too rash and revealed its origin. When he heard I was from the Oliver family, he deliberately tried to jack up the price."

After a pause, he felt he'd grasped something and suddenly realized, "I'll go find him right now, I'm sure I can buy it if I offer a higher price. That silk thread, even if it cost a million, would be worth it!"

"No, he should be very clear about the effect of that hair."

The man with the goatee shook his head.

Su Lun had not given his disciple face, nor had he given face to him, his teacher.

A cold light flashed in his eyes, "Since you've mentioned your family name, and yet he's not afraid to offend people nor willing to give up the material, he must be a Puppet Master. Heh... there are only so many Puppet Masters in Old Lington. I really want to see where he gets the confidence!"

After a moment, the middle-aged man's eyes shifted, contemplating, "However, I do think that he might be a wanted criminal..."

Otherwise, where would such a fool come from, daring not to give the Oliver family face, not to give me, Lloyd Rodney, face!

"Eh...!"

Upon hearing this, a light of understanding flashed in the young man's eyes, catching on immediately.

He gave a signal with his eyes to the bodyguard behind him.

The bodyguard got the message and quietly slipped away from the group.

....

Walking on the street, Su Lun suddenly sensed something and frowned slightly, murmuring to himself, "I'm being followed, huh?"

He possessed the ability to sense malice; any malevolent gaze that fell upon him could be immediately detected.

Clearly, it was the people from that Oliver family from before.

Harboring bad intentions, huh?

Heh heh...

A hint of coldness appeared at the corner of Su Lun's mouth.

But with many people around and too many eyes, it was not the right place to act.

Su Lun thought for a moment. Not wanting to cause a scene by killing someone there, he turned into a densely built corner.

The follower was likely a professional bodyguard, not quite skilled at tracking. Since Su Lun was aware in advance, it was all too easy to lose the target.

Before long, Su Lun had changed into a new set of clothes and a mask and once again brazenly walked onto the street.

At this time, there was no mechanical dog or goods beside him, but a burly man in a cloak.

While such a tall stature was conspicuous, one would occasionally see a few such exaggeratively built close-combat professionals and heavily armed mechanical soldiers on the streets.

Hiding the witch's hair, he controlled the silk thread to entirely disappear into the air.

With breathing and a heartbeat, the loathsome living corpse's abnormality went undetected by others.

Leading the living corpse, Su Lun headed in the direction of the "Scavenger Guild."

If there was any place where one could learn about the whereabouts of "spiritual power secret techniques" and advanced spatial ability materials, it surely had to be the Scavenger Guild.

There, one could find the most comprehensive information about relics, as well as teams of Scavengers who held such intelligence.