Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 418 - 417

Just when the members of the Dawn Group were holding a grand banquet aboard the Eternal Night Emperor to celebrate the success of the rescue plan, intelligence about the battle in the city-states of Moros had spread to the world like it had grown wings.

Those professional intelligence merchants always had various ways to deliver the news in the shortest amount of time. Before dawn had even broken, the major newspaper groups in Old Lington had already started overtime work to rush out a special issue about the explosive news.

In the early morning, while the massive city was still asleep, early-rising newspaper boys were riding their bicycles through streets and alleys, stuffing this special issue into thousands of households’ mailboxes.

Royalty, parliament members, Alchemy Guilds, Wild Hunt Guilds, Professional Leagues, Mercenary Guilds... members of all the major forces had gotten hold of that newspaper special issue, knowing about that distant battle thousands of miles away.

A new organization called "Dawn" had launched a surprise attack on the main base of the North Sea Fleet, causing tens of thousands of pirate casualties and then fully retreated unscathed.

The process of the battle was simply mind-boggling.

But it was indeed a fact.

Meteor falling, destroyed the Temple of Aghaparnon.

Then, an earth-shattering battle followed closely.

All sorts of bizarre events happened frequently.

Even though the names of the Dawn Group members, like Su Lun, were not known to outsiders, their nicknames had been spread first.

One who boldly and directly fought against the seasoned eighth-tier "King of the North Sea," Oleg, and even overwhelmingly prevailed, was "Mr. Jing."

Another, "Silver-Armed Beast," once the commander of the royal knight corps "Sacred Judgment Legion" Barrett, a new seventh-tier, with unmatched combat power through his Phantasmal Armor Layering technique.

A suspected triple-talent female Sword Saint, "Rakshasa Sword Saint," whose sword slashes through the Mafa Royal Mechanical Corps as easily as cutting vegetables, a single sword strike splitting sixteen armors.

And then there was a "Death God Puppeteer."

This person occupied a significant portion of the newspaper, even overshadowing the two eighth-tier main characters of the battle. The war reporters used a documentary style to depict that horrifyingly bloody battle in the central arena of the Moros city-states.

The headline read: 1V200,000!

One person controlling an advancing puppet army, like a flesh-grinding mill, slaughtered tens of thousands of pirates.

There was even a blurry black-and-white photo taken from a distance.

In the arena, the sky was dotted with a gigantic cross, and that cloaked figure was pulling countless threads, like directing a terrifying puppet show. In the photo, piles of bones stacked up like mountains, limbs and arms flying chaotically. Even through the newspaper, one could vividly feel the despair akin to walking into a slaughterhouse.

Puppet Masters were a very niche existence among professionals, not particularly outstanding in the realm of top-tier professionals.

For the first time in a century, people realized that Puppet Masters could actually possess such an outrageous combat effectiveness. Was the offensive capability of one individual really equivalent to several armies?

To ordinary people, pirates were synonymous with evil robbers, and the news of someone slaughtering massively in a pirate stronghold was incredibly uplifting.

Even Emperor Luying was deeply excited yet incredulous when he saw the contents of the newspaper.

To fight against two hundred thousand?

Although he knew the headline was surely exaggerated, wasn’t this every Puppet Master’s dream?

A puppet army passing through, slaughtering all four directions, making even ghosts and gods move aside in fear!

At this moment, the front page of the newspaper was the highlight moment for the profession of Puppet Masters!

It was foreseeable that after the news fermented, in many years to come, the Puppet Master profession would welcome a new spring.

As soon as the newspaper was published, a hush of Puppeteer trend quietly rose among the apprentices at various academies and in alchemical workshops.

In the newspaper, Su Lun had achieved what most seventh-tier professionals could not achieve, but in reality, it wasn’t that he had the combat power of a top-tier professional.

It was just that those information traders overlooked the fact that Su Lun was able to freely control the Puppet Theater and kill enemies because Barrett and others restrained the top-tier professionals of the North Sea Fleet, resulting in such astonishing battle results.

Because it was difficult to determine life and death among top-tier professionals at the moment, a prolonged battle didn’t result in casualties among the pirates with bounties over a billion. The spectacle was there, but it lacked the "newsworthiness" that attracts attention.

The newspaper skimmed over it as well.

Only against a dark background, can stars truly dazzle.

For this reason, the "star" Su Lun, making tens of thousands of pirates casualties, became even more sensational.

Pirates below the sixth-tier were slaughtered, their blood flowing like rivers, and more than ten most-wanted criminals with bounties over a billion died at his hands.

He single-handedly cleared a significant portion of the Bounty Hunters Guild’s list all at once.

This battle introduced "Dawn" as a formidable force into people’s view.

The well-informed major powers also got detailed news immediately.

When they saw several old bloodlines from Synodia Province who hadn’t appeared in centuries participating in the battle, and knew Mr. Jing was a high-tier bloodline, everyone roughly guessed that this mysteriously emerged eighth-tier powerhouse was likely a Great Shot from a millennium ago.

Being able to face the North Sea Fleet head-on, this was certainly a new force not to be underestimated. Moreover, now it seemed that this "Dawn Organization" was an enemy of both the Mafa Empire and Luying Empire royal families, as well as the North Sea Fleet and Duke Rafael. For other powers, whether it was alignment, incorporation, or covert cooperation, this was the best entity to work with.

And seizing the moment they had just appeared was the best opportunity.

Once the news broke out, the sharp-minded top bosses also started thinking.

The information traders in the black market also got busy, searching everywhere for clues to confirm what "Dawn" really was and how they could establish contact.

While the news was still fermenting on the newspaper, Mr. Hei in a library in Lingdun City, had already gotten today’s newspaper.

Although he already knew about that rescue mission, having read every word in the newspaper carefully, the old man’s face broke out in a gratified smile, "Reading the report really gets one’s blood boiling..."

Thinking, he wrote something on a parchment.

Not long after, rumors started circulating in the black market, roughly saying: "Dawn is a free and neutral organization, existing to research and promote the expansion of Alchemy civilization."

...

Pandora did leave, utterly unaffected by the water.

But in the laboratory of the Eternal Night, Su Lun looked at his still restless body reaction and couldn’t help but smile bitterly, "Her Bewitching Technique is really powerful."

When Pandora left, she had played a trick on him, likely as a quirky revenge for the time she was considered an enemy by Su Lun and was stripped and hung roughly for several days.

Although the Bewitching Technique did no harm to Su Lun’s body, the "aftereffects" seemed quite significant.

He had just tried meditating a moment ago but still couldn’t calm the restlessness in his body.

This was the first time Su Lun had experienced his bodily desires not being controlled by his reason, his mouth dry and his tongue parched, a thin layer of sweat lightly coating his body.

Thinking about it, it also wasn’t all bad.

At least this time, the one who used this trick was an acquaintance, not an enemy.

With the experience under his belt, he’d be better prepared next time.

After all, all spells have a time limit, and Su Lun figured that the aftereffects would subside soon, so he didn’t think much of it and began to organize the instruments and data notes in the laboratory.

While tidying up, he found a sexy pair of panties in the corner.

It then dawned on Su Lun that Pandora had likely left wearing only her skirt?

Yes!

She was indeed commando underneath.

Seeing the panties, an image of a body as sculpted as a jade lion instinctively surfaced in Su Lun’s mind, thoroughly convinced.

After all, he had worn that skirt himself.

But the moment this thought flickered through his mind, like the strong aftereffects of alcohol, the delicate touch brought a very real sense of pleasure lingering in his body, with his lower abdomen heating up instantly.

"Hmm..."

It was then that Su Lun noticed the abnormality.

He let out a long breath of turbid air, his gaze turning quite odd as he thought to himself, "Just a slight thought can arouse desire; is this Bewitching Technique some divine secret technique?"

He looked down at his own body and shook his head with a wry smile.

This technique was unlike any Bewitching Technique he knew of; there was something beyond his comprehension.

Glancing at the thin lace, Su Lun simply dismissed the thought.

He didn’t pay much attention to his body’s reaction, thinking perhaps... it would dissipate after a while?

Then he resumed organizing the laboratory.

Until... two hours later.

...

After cleaning up the lab, the data recorded in those notebooks were complex and profound, and the samples analyzed in the instruments would also take a lot of time to study. There was no rush to digest them just yet.

Having finished organizing, he looked at his body again and furrowed his brow slightly.

Only then did he realize, Pandora’s prank was no simple matter.

Despite focusing his mind on work, his body showed no signs of calming down.

Soul and body, each going their own way.

His mind pondered on science, but his body was being brutally honest.

Always wearing out like this wasn’t helping, Su Lun glanced at the wall clock; it was almost eight o’clock, so he thought about heading back to the captain’s quarters for a cold shower.

On the ship, he rarely used his Soul Perception ability, considering the privacy of his companions.

Upon reaching the captain’s quarters, he knocked on the door, but unsurprisingly, no one responded inside.

Having advanced to Sword Saint, Sen ends up diligently practicing swordsmanship on the deck early each morning around six, come rain or shine.

Mr. Jing didn’t seem to be either.

So Su Lun just opened the door and went inside.

Entering the room, he took off his clothes and headed directly for the rudimentary shower behind a curtain, showering in cold water for a while.

The water gushing down refreshed him considerably.

But looking again at his restless body, Su Lun finally felt somewhat defeated and muttered, "This is really bizarre."

He knew cold water was useless, but continuing to shower was somewhat comforting.

Probably because he had showered for too long, at that moment, the door "cracked" open from outside.

Sen, done with her sword practice, sauntered in.

Seeing the clothes hanging on the coat rack and the sound of running water in the bathroom, she knew Su Lun had arrived.

She glanced at a bare-butted Su Lun behind the shower curtain and teasingly remarked, "Yo... coming back to shower this early, does this mean last night with Miss Pandora was pleasant?"

Accustomed to this kind of exchange, Su Lun didn’t argue and casually responded, "Yeah."

"Tsk tsk... you really do have good luck with women,"

Sen’s tone brimming with jest, she was used to it too and said, "Hurry up, I need to shower."

With that, sounds of undressing filled the room.

This was a normal scene between the two, Sen never avoided Su Lun and casually stripped off her training clothes, then untied her chest wrap, and took off her shorts, bare as born.

While undressing, she didn’t hear the water off and urged, "Hey hey hey, are you done yet? I need to shower."

Impatiently, she added, "Forget it, you’re taking too long. Help me put some hot water in the tub, I want to soak."

Her tone suggested she was planning to join him in the shower.

"..."

Su Lun stayed silent.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to step out now, but, his body seemed really reluctant to obey that kind of command.

Especially with the sound of undressing, the aftereffects of the Bewitching Technique reflexively flared up again.

Ultimately caring for his dignity, Su Lun still faced the wall in contemplation.

Sen walked over, naked, and having realized the tap was running cold water, questioned curiously, "It’s not even hot today, why are you showering in cold water?"

As she spoke, she stood beside Su Lun and twisted the hot water knob to adjust the temperature, intending to rinse off.

Feeling that Su Lun was acting strange today, a glance from the corner of her eye revealed the abnormality.

However, with her personality, seeing that ferocious state didn’t shock her; instead, she laughed and teased, "Yo, does this mean you didn’t have a pleasant time with that Miss Pandora?"

"..."

Su Lun rolled his eyes, ignoring her teasing remark.

Qian was even more excited, glancing from the corner of her eye, she couldn’t help but tease, "Hahaha, you look like this? Isn’t that ugly?"

Her words weren’t awkward in the slightest.

The two had always been open and honest with each other, and they had shared a bed countless times, although Qian really had no interest in matters between men and women.

Since their experience in the Mountain Hermit, Su Lun’s salacious hands had become more frequent, but Qian always found it boring, and occasionally she would smack his hand away if he tried to sneak a touch.

This way of getting along made both of them somewhat uncomfortable.

Su Lun wasn’t the kind to be ruled by carnal desires, too much clinginess simply wasn’t suitable.

Over these days, they had gradually returned to their past state where they were utterly unconstrained with each other.

Qian felt this type of relationship was the most comfortable.

So now she wouldn’t avoid Su Lun anymore, whether changing clothes or bathing, she’d think, "If you want to look, then look."

Sometimes when sleeping in the same bed, she would lay spread-eagle, placing her limbs over him.

Even if Su Lun occasionally couldn’t keep his hands to himself at night, as long as he didn’t go too far, Qian would turn a blind eye.

...

Normally, Su Lun was perfectly rational.

But now, some of his bodily functions were beyond his control.

Qian stood naked next to him, squeezing past Su Lun to get under the shower head. Their skin touched, and Su Lun acutely felt the soft sensation from her arm, making his brows jump as if he were struggling to restrain himself.

The warm water showered down on Qian’s body, opening all her pores pleasantly, eliciting a joyful murmur from her.

At that moment, as if sensing something, she turned her head to look at the slightly perturbed Su Lun, then let her gaze drift downward. She blinked, as if guessing something, and uncertainly said, "Are you under a Bewitching Technique?"

Su Lun shrugged his shoulders, not seeing any reason to deny it, and said with some reluctance, "Yeah."

Upon hearing this, a gleam of schadenfreude flashed in Qian’s eyes, "Was that Miss Pandora’s spell? Hey, what did you do to her?"

Just when she thought to tease him further, upon noticing Su Lun staring at her, she quickly switched to a more somber glance, almost as if warning him like guarding against a thief, "Hey, hey, hey, let me tell you, don’t you think about it. I can’t help you."

Su Lun rolled his eyes, said irritably, "I wasn’t planning anything. I just wanted a cold shower, you came over on your own."

Qian’s figure was also very seductive, especially standing bare next to him, any normal person would have thoughts.

Beauty lies not just in appearance or figure, but in a certain charm. In Su Lun’s eyes, Qian had a unique allure that was second to none. However, he did not want their relationship to become weird. Rationality refused any overstep.

The two had a deep understanding of each other, and Qian instantly understood the contradiction in Su Lun’s expression.

Her tone shifted from teasing to a touch of concern, asking, "Didn’t you try using a potion?"

"It’s not a negative toxin, what potion should I use? Besides, the technique is very tricky, I can’t use any potions before figuring out its mechanism; it might suppress normal bodily functions later on."

Su Lun had thought about it, but such a strong Bewitching Technique might require a massive amount of suppressants to control his body’s reactions.

And this was exactly the kind of treatment that was taboo in medical practices. Resolving symptoms with medication without understanding the underlying cause could bury the problem even deeper.

Besides, it was just a prank from Pandora without malice.

Su Lun felt it wasn’t yet time to suppress it with medication.

Using medication recklessly could affect bodily functions which was unnecessary.

Qian tilted her head, pondering, "Then what do we do? Pandora has already left, the Princess is still in Mountain Hermit, your demon maid isn’t here, and there’s no one on the ship who can help you..."

After a pause, her expression turned serious, as if she had an idea, "Philo could possibly ask around for you. But I guess you wouldn’t dare."

"..."

Su Lun was speechless.

This gambling-addicted lady really knew no restraint, even daring to catch Mr. Jing’s attention.

As Qian glanced at Su Lun’s fierce expression, she suggested, "Why don’t you try traditional skills?"

Even now, she didn’t deliberately cover her body, whether it was her impressively high chest or her toned, beautiful legs.

Not caring was one thing.

Looking at her expression now, it seemed she was hinting: if you want to look, just look, help yourself.

"..."

Su Lun felt that this gambling-addicted lady’s suggestion was getting more outrageous.

If it were so simple to solve, he wouldn’t still be troubled now.

Qian’s suggestion not only didn’t solve the problem but also caused Su Lun’s gaze unconsciously to wander over her body. The influence of the Bewitching Technique was growing stronger.

Qian also felt uncomfortable being stared at, she pouted, "Forget it, you figure it out yourself."

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With a bored expression, she couldn’t think of any other solutions, "I’m going to take a bath."

The hot water was ready, and she climbed into the bathtub to soak.

...

In the simple bathroom, the two remained silent for a long time.

Su Lun thought about leaving after washing, but his body wouldn’t let him leave.

Hearing no movement behind him for a long time, Qian looked back at a very strained Su Lun and said, "Why don’t you join me? Perhaps relaxing might help?"

As Su Lun listened, his mind was still pondering the problem, but his feet stepped into the bathtub.

The splashing water overflowed from the large bathtub, spilling onto the floor.

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His body soaked in the water, the buoyancy eased much of his strain.

He sat next to Qian, propping a towel behind his neck, and reclined against the edge of the bathtub.

They also occasionally soaked together like this, and although it was intimate, it never felt particularly special.

The steam boiler kept heating water, and gently flowing water sounds were "hurrying" by his ear.

No one disturbed them, the atmosphere was serene and peaceful, seemingly no different from any normal day.

Su Lun closed his eyes to rest, trying to focus his mind on the experiment.

Although there was a faint slippery touch beside him, he had no intention of taking advantage of it.

Hadn’t they already understood each other’s tacit agreement?

From the corner of her eye, she occasionally glanced at Su Lun’s expression and then at the shadows in the water.

Finally, after about ten minutes of soaking, she tentatively said in an uncertain tone, "Should I... try to help you?"

Su Lun, still resting with his eyes closed, didn’t think it was a good suggestion.

But whatever he thought of saying felt strangely awkward.

So he stayed silent.

She pursed her lips, looked at him, and then tentatively reached out her hand.

Her movements were exceedingly clumsy.

Su Lun found her gesture quite unexpected but also heartwarming.

This gambling-addicted lady was still quite nice to him.

At least for her personality, the gesture was quite a big effort.

She continued to try.

But her technique was indeed a bit off, making it comically awkward.

Finally, Su Lun couldn’t help but say, "Hey, hey, hey… Sister Qiantiao, that’s not how you hold a sword hilt. That’s not right."

Qiantiao looked utterly confused and said, "Ah, then how should it be? I thought it was the same, the feel is also similar."

She felt it was too troublesome and muttered resignedly, "Forget it, I’ll not help you. You figure it out yourself."

"…"

Su Lun felt that the phrase "figure it out yourself" had a mysterious power to it, almost like a sort of permission.

He placed his hand on Qiantiao’s shoulder, just like they normally did.

But with a firm grip, he leaned even closer.

The touch of their large patches of skin was soft and the posture slightly suggestive.

Both were keenly aware of each other’s heartbeat.

Qiantiao also realized something was off and slightly pouted, but after thinking about it, she let it be.

It was probably because of her tacit approval that Su Lun became more audacious.

His hands, unapologetically, wandered down, gently kneading.

Qiantiao lay there, resting with her eyes closed.

She neither minded nor reciprocated.

Because she really found such suggestive activities utterly unamusing.

But because it was Su Lun, she didn’t hit him.

Sometimes she herself would lend a hand, closing her eyes, helping out a little.

Su Lun, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed himself.

His hands, without any hesitation, roamed everywhere, becoming more reckless.

Qiantiao slapped once, then again, and one more time...

It did add a little fun to their soaking time.

Occasionally, she would think back, wondering when Su Lun had started to be so impudent with her?

Was it back in Old Lington, at the Dawn City Ruins campsite inn?

Back then, that guy was still very earnest...

Later, as they got to know each other better and became inseparable, it turned out this way.

Oh well.

She didn’t really mind.

Let it be for now.

The steam rose in the air, the temperature comfortably warm.

The atmosphere in the bath became increasingly delicate.

It was probably like getting used to something; even if it wasn’t interesting, she no longer felt resistant to it.

Su Lun took advantage of everything.

The atmosphere was harmonious and joyous.

Suddenly, Qiantiao exclaimed softly, clenching her hand, "Oh... why is it changing..."

She didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary.

But somehow, it also felt unusual.

In the end, no anger whatsoever was unleashed.

"You... Su Lun, you dreadful guy..."

"Making a mess everywhere!"

After a while, the two calmed down.

Su Lun felt refreshed and clear-headed.

Qiantiao complained softly, "Now I have to wash again, which is such a hassle!"

PS. Tomorrow starts a new volume, ’The Mist of Lingdun’, which I feel should be very interesting.