Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 527 544 Medusa

The Naga race possesses certain ancient memories that are transmitted through their bloodline, much more complete than those of humans.

Through conversations with Elder Sera, Su Lun came to understand many pieces of intelligence.

The current Dragon Country is not the Ancient Dragon Country outlined on maps. It had evolved into its current state following a certain ancient war of the gods.

It is said that thousands of years ago, the Ancient Dragon Country was an immensely large continent that nearly sunk entirely into the ocean due to a war that even the gods fell in. After countless years, the present day archipelago dotted with islands slowly emerged.

Their current location is merely a remote area of the Dragon Country Waters.

Further west lies the remnants of the Ancient Dragon Country, and according to legend, it was a place where deities once battled. The further one went in that direction, the more powerful the creatures became.

Su Lun speculated that the "Divine Fall War" Elder Sera mentioned was likely the great war that led to the fragmentation of the Dawn Era plane.

After hearing those mythical stories, he also surmised that it might also be a sea area where gods were buried.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many terrifying creatures present.

...

The conversation atmosphere grew increasingly harmonious. With Tanni and his mother involved, these Naga saw Su Lun, the human, with no further guards up.

Upon hearing that Su Lun wished to find the location of Black Sam's sunken ship, Elder Sera subtly cautioned, "Mr. Sam and his companions were very strong and excellent adventurers, even capable of hunting dragons. Yet they never returned from that sea area... When Mr. Sam and his partners set out on their adventure, they likely encountered the 'Hell Volcano' eruption season. Our Naga race has a legend that a volcano in the ancient battlefield connects to the underworld plane. Once it erupts, the 'Undead Catastrophe' it unleashes will drag all living creatures into hell, and countless terrifying hellish beasts will swarm in. It's an indescribably horrific scene..."

She didn't wish to see Su Lun and his companions fall into a crisis but was unable to dissuade others from going, just like the Black Sam Pirate crew before them.

Adventuring seems to be an activity humans are passionate about, which is somewhat incomprehensible to the Naga.

Su Lun, listening intently, nodded earnestly, "Hmm, thank you for the warning, Elder."

He had no intention of acting rashly.

With all the intelligence he acquired, his reverence for this sea area deepened.

This sea did not only bury the team of the Pirate King; it also became the grave of countless mighty beings.

Their Dawn team had nothing special about them.

But this sea area was as dangerous for them as it was for those from the Celestial plane.

The treasure wasn't about to flee. They could search for it slowly, there was no rush.

Only by reversing the petrification curse inflicted on Tanni's mother and sealing the Rainbow Well could they fully restrict the root problem of transport from the Celestial plane.

Moreover, now that Su Lun heard about the existence of human kingdoms in the "Dragon Country Waters," he felt the situation suddenly opened up.

If humans could survive in this sea area, perhaps they knew some other useful information.

Elder Sera mentioned that the human kingdoms had secret remedies to resolve petrification, and he planned to search for them first.

Besides, hunting dragons was also something to consider.

...

However, at the time Su Lun met with the Naga.

On Rainbow Island.

The Mages from the Celestial plane were building a Mage Tower overnight. Their magic camp was becoming more and more fortified.

Outside the island, ever since the daytime bombardment, a steady flow of monsters had attacked.

But they were all slain under the mass assault of the tens of thousands-strong Mage group.

Although there were some losses, it wasn't too bad.

They were an elite Mage group from the Celestial plane with abundant combat experience. Even in this perilous sea area, they still possessed absolute strength.

However, survival was never the issue.

They were here, guided by divinity, to find the "Fountain of Mimir."

In a Mage Tower, a Mage clad in a black and white priestly robe chanted a deep and arcane magic spell.

In front of him lay an ancient parchment scroll.

Drawn on the scroll was a woman's head full of serpentine hair, terrifying and ferocious; next to the scroll lay a golden scepter with a snake's head, symbolizing sacred authority.

As the magic incantations were chanted, the nine-pointed star formation on the scroll gradually lit up. The serpent-headed golden scepter seemed to come alive, coiling its body and flicking its scarlet tongue.

It was like an illusion, yet also as if the scepter was indeed transformed from a Poison Snake.

If Su Lun were here, he would have recognized that this Mage was none other than Zura Augustus, the leader of the Celestial plane delegation and an eighth-order Holy Army Mage.

This aged Mage had divine power emanating from him, and after chanting the spell on the parchment scroll, he released the summoning incantation in a deep voice, "Descendant of Golgotha's blood, heed my call and come forth in accordance with the pact!"

In an instant, the Mage Tower acted like a signal amplifier, spreading that arcane incantation.

Several hours later, the edge of the sky had begun to brighten with the first light of dawn.

```

But the sea surface remained pitch black.

The mages had also noticed the agitated sea monsters near Rainbow Island had unknowingly quieted down. It was as if some great terror was slowly drawing near.

All around on the sea surface floated fragments of warships, and in the gloom, a shadow not overly tall traced an S-shaped path across the water and slid past.

It seemed the mages had anticipated something's arrival, leaving a passage open outside their camp.

The figure left the water, donned a black cloak, and walked straight towards the tallest Mage Tower.

The camp was full of magic tents, and patrolling mages had received orders; everyone disregarded the mysterious newcomer, avoiding their gaze.

She thus strode across the entire camp.

But some young mages couldn't resist their curiosity and sneaked a peek.

In that instant, an expression of awe appeared on the young mage's face.

But a bizarre scene ensued.

His pupils instantly lost their luster, turning dull and white, as if petrified into stone.

Then the petrification curse spread rapidly; within two breaths, his body, along with his robe and magic wand, turned completely to stone.

Unsteady, the stone sculpture clattered to the ground and shattered into a pile of rubble.

The other mages swallowed nervously at this eerie sight.

But no one dared say anything, let alone spy on the mysterious visitor.

The cloaked person made their way to the Mage Tower.

She lifted her cloak, revealing the arrogance characteristic of divine blood.

Reflected by the campfires, a shadow appeared on the Mage Tower.

It was the silhouette of a woman with a graceful figure.

But atop her head writhed a mass of hideous serpentine hair that made one's scalp tingle.

This was a high-ranking Gorgon!

She looked at the Mage Tower's door and said coldly, "Humans, state your purpose."

At that moment, Augustus came out holding the Golden Snake Scepter in his hand.

He kept his eyes firmly shut, with only an illusory vertical pupil appearing on his forehead, staring at the gorgon, "I wish to make a trade with the Gorgon tribe using the scepter. I give you the scepter, you guide us to 'Mimir's Spring'."

The Gorgon with serpentine hair eyed the golden scepter in his hand, seemingly in great desire, as her hair of snakes boiled in excitement, each opening its vicious, crimson mouth to reveal fierce poison fangs.

She responded, "That's Cyclops territory. For the sake of the scepter, I can guide you there. But don't expect our Gorgon tribe to fight for you."

Augustus spoke in an even tone, raising the scepter in his hand, decisively, "No, I need more help! If we can't make a deal, I will immediately destroy this 'Serpentine Staff of Medusa'!"

The Gorgon's voice suddenly became shrill, roaring, "Human, you are provoking me. You will plunge yourself and all here into hell!"

With that, her head of serpentine hair roared along, each snake coiling and struggling to strike but being pulled back in restraint. Were they not attached to her head, they would likely have already lunged to bite the enemy before them.

Facing such a terrifying scene, Augustus remained unperturbed and said, "I am guided by the great deities. You should know I fear not death!"

Deities?

The Gorgon with serpentine hair looked at the holy light emanating from him and the vertical pupil on his forehead, her complexion growing suddenly grim.

But after a moment of contemplation, she relented, "I will do my utmost to help you approach the island."

Augustus said coldly, "The contract is established!"

The Gorgon with serpentine hair fell silent, evidently consenting to the deal.

The air was filled with magical fluctuations, carrying an indescribable will.

Upon another glance, the new runes had already fully illuminated on the parchment scroll inside the Mage Tower.

The Gorgon with serpentine hair snorted, took the golden scepter, and turned to leave.

...

The following morning.

Su Lun returned to the Eternal Night.

The negotiations with the Naga race last night had been very pleasant.

Su Lun had obtained the various intelligence he desperately needed.

But now the Naga race no longer had many of their kind and could not lend support to the Dawn group in terms of strength.

Only the golden-haired girl named Tatu from last night had come back with them, acting as a "guide."

The Naga race had no custom of wearing clothes, but it was overall inappropriate to remain uncovered on a human ship, so Tatu had put on the clothes given to her by Su Lun.

```

When the group of three returned to the deck, the crew was just having breakfast.

Su Lun greeted everyone on deck and headed to the dining area.

Seeing Su Lun approach, the members of the Dawn Group greeted him one after another.

However, everyone's gaze was curiously fixed on the blonde girl accompanying Su Lun.

Everybody had heard about last night's events, and they were all very interested in the legendary "mermaid."

Qian Tiao even joked, "Yo, Su Lun, you're back? And you've brought a young girl with you?"

Su Lun introduced her, "This is Tatu, a Naga warrior. She will be our guide in the Dawn Group for the days to come."

Tatu, knowing she was being introduced, replied in slightly accented Rulian Common Tongue, "Hello everyone, my name is Tatu."

But feeling embarrassed under the gaze of thousands of eyes, she felt a bit awkward.

The Naga tribe possesses a very strong language learning ability. Last night, by listening to the conversation between Su Lun and the elder, Tatu had already learned a lot of Rulian Common Tongue. She was here as a guide because she also spoke the Dragon Country's human common language.

The group was warm and cheerful, showing kind smiles and voicing their welcomes.

Tatu, feeling pleasantly surprised, appeared slightly restrained.

Qian Tiao invited her warmly, "Tatu, come sit over here."

Hearing this, Tatu glanced at Su Lun beside her, a trace of trepidation in her eyes.

Su Lun knew right away she was intimidated by the murderous aura emanating from Qian Tiao and introduced her, "That's Sister Qian Tiao, our leader in the Dawn Group. You'll get to know her, she's very approachable."

Tatu's expression changed subtly upon hearing this, but she also knew that accepting an invitation was a sign of friendship in human etiquette.

Su Lun led Tatu to sit at the dining table.

This Naga girl was seeing such a lavish breakfast for the first time; the array of exquisite dishes dazzled her. In addition to seafood, there was fragrant roast bread, cheese, fine wine, and some fruits she had never seen before. Compared to their diet of only fish, this was truly bountiful.

Luo Luo Ta, having slept heavily last night and missed the scene of the Naga people being captured, now blinked and examined Tatu closely, exclaiming in awe, "Wow... Tatu, you're really beautiful."

Tatu somewhat understood and responded, "Thank you."

But she felt she was just average for a Naga, not particularly good-looking.

Luo Luo Ta was enthusiastic and filled Tatu's plate with various delicacies.

The Dawn Group was very warm and friendly towards the beautiful Naga girl. No one treated her as an outsider, and they quickly became familiar with one another.

Su Lun also rarely had breakfast with his companions.

He shared most of the intelligence gathered the previous night with everyone.

Qian Tiao, Number Nineteen, Barrett, Wazhwaz, Kite, Dora... several high-ranking members of the Dawn Group also spoke up to discuss things.

They also agreed with Su Lun's plan.

This sea area was too dangerous; it was best to check out the human kingdoms first.

...

After breakfast, Luo Luo Ta and Tanni took Tatu for a tour around the ship.

Meanwhile, Su Lun and the others continued to discuss the details of the "Dragon Hunting Plan."

"I've asked around, except for the shallow seabed nearby, the western and northern areas are deep-sea zones. There are many deep-sea giants there, and flying sub-dragons that attack any royal vessel... Yesterday's cannon fire has ignited this sea area, so for now, we can't set sail either..."

"To the north, there's a human city that's perfect for us to learn about the strength of that blue dragon."

"..."

The presence of marine creatures is proportional to the depth of the sea; the deeper the sea, the more formidable the sea monsters become.

The sea monsters in this area were more numerous, stronger, and more terrifying than those in the Eternal Night Sea they had encountered previously.

The Naga were well-acquainted with this sea area and confirmed that some deep-sea giants in the deep-sea zones were as powerful as dragons.

Yesterday, in order to destroy the enemy's ships, the Dawn Group had chosen to conduct a cannonade.

As a result, the commotion stirred some deep-sea creatures.

Sailing rashly, the Dawn Group risked total destruction.

But this was all part of the plan.

Su Lun wanted to use those sea monsters to cause trouble for people from the divine realm, maybe even trap those fellows on Rainbow Island.

The pirates had limited numbers of ships, and with the watchful monsters around, even the mages who managed to secure a foothold on Rainbow Island wouldn't dare to set sail recklessly.

However, relatively speaking, while the cannonade plan restricted the navigation of the divines, it wouldn't restrict the Dawn Group.

For an ordinary pirate group, indeed, moving forward would be incredibly difficult.

But Su Lun could directly stow Eternal Night into a small void realm and teleport away from this region before releasing it.

Everyone also felt that Su Lun's plan had no issues whatsoever.

However, while they were discussing,

Su Lun seemed to have discovered something, suddenly letting out a soft exclamation, "Eh...?"

Qian Tiao asked, "What's wrong?"

Su Lun furrowed his brows, puzzled, "My warning system shows that those guys from the godly plane seem to have set sail."

Upon hearing this, Barrett by the side muttered in confusion, "How could that be?"

Knowing there was a lethal danger, yet they dared to set sail?

This was completely different from the scenario they had discussed before.

Su Lun immediately teleported over to confirm the situation.

Indeed, those mages had already boarded the ship and were preparing to voyage far.

Upon returning, Su Lun relayed the situation and thought for a moment before saying, "It looks like the people from the godly plane are not completely ignorant about these waters, and they even possess some means that we are unaware of."

This was an unusual situation, if the other party wasn't courting death, they likely had confidence in their actions.

Huazi Huasi also agreed, "Since the people from the godly plane knew about 'Mimir's Spring' in these waters, it makes sense that they have some other methods."

However, this unexpected maneuver by the enemy had put Dawn Group in a difficult position.

Dora analyzed, "The Thousand Mage Formation may be strong, but it's not enough to roam freely in these waters. If those guys dared to sail, they must be somewhat confident. I think maybe they have a way to avoid or reduce sea monster attacks..."

Number Nineteen also said, "Yesterday's artillery assault has put them on guard. Perhaps... they sailed out just to lure us into a trap. I think we must be cautious."

"Hmm."

With these words, everyone else found the argument sound and fell into deep thought.

Chasing after them was definitely not a good choice.

Su Lun's ability to preserve his own life was strong, but he was not so arrogant as to knowingly pursue into a set trap.

After some thought, Su Lun's expression suddenly relaxed, and he said, "Let's stick with the original plan, no need to bother with them."

Hearing this, everyone looked over.

Su Lun explained, "Maybe it's not a trap, but those guys must have received instructions from the divine ranks of the godly plane to find 'Mimir's Spring' as soon as possible. In the eyes of the gods, the lives of such inferior creatures like humans are not so important. After all, there is a continuous supply..."

After a pause, he continued, "Moreover, those guys currently only have enough intact ships for one Thousand Mage Formation to set sail. Even if everything goes smoothly from here to that horseshoe island, it would take at least half a month. Besides, it's extremely dangerous there, and the Thousand Mage Formation may not even make it alive. There's no need for us to follow them."

Dora, as the technical support of Dawn Group, immediately thought of something and said, "Su Lun, are you thinking of giving them a few 'elemental marker shells'?"

Su Lun smiled meaningfully and said, "Yes!"

Due to Dora's involvement, Dawn Group now had some black technology from the Mafa laboratories, such as the radiating elemental marker bombs.

Paired with some special instruments, they could monitor enemy ship targets from an extreme distance, leaving a trace all along the way. This was neither magic nor alchemy and could almost deceive any known counter-surveillance method.

They didn't need to follow the enemy to know their whereabouts.

If the enemy group was annihilated, they would also know the location of the sunken ships.

If the enemy really managed to approach the area, Su Lun could still teleport there.

It wouldn't be a blind map, jumping into some dangerous place with a teleport.

Everyone found this plan feasible when they heard it.

Before long, a barrage of shells was once again fired towards Rainbow Island.

The artillery was strong, but it no longer injured those ships that were tightly protected by the mages.

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But what those people didn't know was that some special elements mixed into the shells had already marked the ships.

This black technology, unknown even to the military of Luying, was certainly unknown to the pirates and the people from the godly plane.

...

Following the original plan, Su Lun stowed Eternal Night into the small void realm.

Then, choosing the safe route pointed out by Tatu, he teleported hundreds of nautical miles, arriving at the southernmost city of the human kingdoms—Atalan City.

Legend had it that there were once nine great human kingdoms in Dragon Country, but over the years, only three remained: Pania, Akatiser, and Silver Dragon Kingdom.

Atalan City was also the southernmost city of the Silver Dragon Kingdom, a small city of just over a hundred thousand people.

But in the words of the Naga race, this human city was the hunting ground of that lightning blue dragon.

Su Lun and the others planned to visit here first to assess the strength of that blue dragon.