Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun walked out of the Scavengers' Guild hall and paced through the campsite.

Checking the time, it was only in the afternoon. It was too early for rest.

He figured he should learn more about the ruins, so he decided to sit in the tavern for a while.

The tavern had always been the most important "information exchange center" next to the Scavengers' Guild.

The key point was, Su Lun believed that Scavengers who could afford to drink at ten times the price in Old Lington must have come back alive from the ruins, and they would have a lot of valuable firsthand information.

After looking around, Su Lun picked the largest and most crowded tavern, aptly named "Black Baron".

This was a chain brand, famous both inside and outside Old Lington City, backed by the "Clark Family", one of the five wealthy consortiums that built the campsite, and also a patron of the steam party.

Even though it was still daytime, the tavern was packed with various drunken patrons.

They were Scavengers who had come out of the ruins, earned their money, and came here to spend it.

Su Lun found himself a spot in a corner that was unobtrusive.

In Old Lington, a bottle would cost 40, here it was 400 Lysol a bottle, sold by the dozen.

He also called a courtesan with a fairly attractive appearance, just to accompany him for drinks, with a starting tip of 3000.

Don't underestimate these women, they were the ones who mastered the most information in the tavern. They might not go scavenging, but by spending all day in the tavern and accompanying many different clients, they knew many unexpected pieces of information.

...

So, Su Lun was drinking his liquor, sip by sip, eavesdropping on the chats and banter of the patrons.

"Did you hear? The 'Phoenix Scavengers Group' that went out a few days ago came back last night with a super huge haul. I heard the executives of those big business associations who heard the news rushed over and nearly broke down their leader's door..."

"How could I not hear about it? They say the Phoenix Group got incredibly lucky, stumbled into a central district by mistake, not only avoided being wiped out but also stumbled upon a 'Sealed Artifact level' cursed object... The money the members split up is enough to live happily for the rest of their lives."

"Why doesn't our group ever get that lucky..."

"Captain Bass, you can stop dreaming about it. There are many high-risk cursed spaces in the central district, not to mention those endlessly spawning aberrant creatures. Right now, nobody knows the situation there, and even top professionals can't guarantee they'll make it back alive..."

"Indeed, I heard the 'Iron Crocodile Group' mistakenly ventured into an 'S-Class' cursed space yesterday and suffered heavy losses..."

"Two 'T-Class' cursed spaces have also appeared in the west city. The five major families arranged for a slave group to scout them, and they were completely wiped out... But the potential rewards are astonishing, so probably at some point, high-rank professionals will be arranged to explore..."

"..."

Su Lun sat there, drinking and playing the role of a quiet listener.

The scavenging at the Dawn City Ruins was almost always these two extremes.

You either make a fortune overnight, or suffer complete annihilation.

If you could open up a new area and come out alive, the profit was almost never disappointing.

Su Lun also heard many useful pieces of information from these patrons.

Which area had higher danger levels, more "T-Class" and "S-Class" cursed spaces...

Where there were top-level aberrant creatures...

Which were the "nightmare zones" that Scavenger groups entered but never returned from....

Listening to those scattered messages, Su Lun pieced together fragments of the map in his mind, forming a rough impression of the entire periphery of Dawn Relic.

....

After sitting in the tavern for several hours and hearing enough gossip, Su Lun was ready to find a place to rest and gear up for a good night's sleep to maintain his energy for scavenging tomorrow. Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to the staircase leading to the second floor.

The second floor of the tavern was a VIP area, not just anyone with money could go up there; it was specially reserved for the nobility of the inner city.

The iron staircase "clanked" with noise as a few people descended.

The noisy tavern became silent in an instant, and the sound of footsteps on the staircase was distinct.

Slim, white legs stepped down in a pair of slender high heels followed by a white satin split dress that ran up to her thigh, offering a complete view of her legs from this angle beneath the stairs. A few steps more and her fiery red curly hair and her graceful figure came fully into view.

Then, her enchantingly stunning face entered into sight.

The moment the woman clad in a white fox fur dress stepped down, the entire raucous tavern seemed to hit the pause button, silencing abruptly.

A group of rough men holding glasses froze, their gazes intense.

Her skin was so brilliantly pale it seemed to glow, almost as if she bore her own beauty filter of light. In her presence, everything around dulled in comparison. Particularly, that slight arch in her half-smiling lips enlivened the alluring charm between her brows.

```

Despite being a gang lady, her every move revealed the graceful and luxurious demeanor of a high society lady.

This woman's charisma was dazzling but not vulgar.

"She's here too..."

Su Lun looked at the woman, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He naturally recognized this figure whose fame in the outer city's underworld was widespread, the woman of Steam Party's chairman "Butcher" Banner, the legendary—Sabina.

The woman who had left a deep impression on him from the very first day of his journey.

"Tsk tsk... seeing with one's own eyes, those peaches are indeed quite sizable."

Su Lun glanced and muttered to himself.

Her chest was a prominent and proud expanse, an overwhelming presence to the eyes.

He was also curious about how this woman was viewed by the others in the tavern, so he loosened some of his normal emotions and then saw the words "mild enchantment" appear on his attribute panel.

It wasn't really a negative status.

It was purely "lust at first sight".

This was a captivating beauty who could stoke desire with just a glance.

"High charisma attribute, huh... Is it a natural seductive talent, or some other ability?"

Once his emotions were reined in, the trace of infatuation in Su Lun's eyes instantly dissipated.

In that instant, the woman scanned the tavern with her gaze.

With that casual glimpse, everyone in the tavern could be heard swallowing.

After capturing that fleeting look, Su Lun felt a minor fluctuation in his spiritual power on his panel and reassessed the woman, pondering, "It seems this woman isn't just a legend known for climbing the ranks through her beauty alone..."

Descending the stairs, the woman was accompanied by a young man who appeared somewhat excited.

Su Lun recognized him at a glance.

It was none other than the young master of the Oliver family he had encountered in the market previously, Danze Oliver.

"Young Master Danze, let's stop the drinking for today. I'm looking forward to your good news."

"No problem!"

"..."

It seemed they had just discussed something upstairs, as they spoke quietly and left the tavern.

Once those few were out of earshot, the stunned big shots on the first floor seemed to come back to life.

The noise and bustle of the tavern resumed.

"Damn, if I could sleep with a woman like that, I'd be willing to give up ten years of my life..."

"Shh—keep it down. Dare to covet 'Butcher' Banner's woman and you're asking for death? Though damn, I feel the same way, hahaha..."

"..."

Hearing these whispers, Su Lun chuckled softly.

He didn't stay long and left the tavern.

....

Early the next morning, the encampment's entrance was already crowded with over a thousand fully-equipped Scavengers.

Judging by the banners, there were over a hundred different Scavenger groups, large and small.

The agreed meeting time was seven o'clock, and Su Lun arrived ten minutes early.

When he got there, he saw that the "Drunken Scavenger Group" had also assembled.

The team composition was complete, a standard small team lineup: heavy mechanical warriors, medics, gunmen, magicians, and blasters...

As the team leader, Captain Benson was urging members to do a final check on their equipment.

Seeing Su Lun approaching, he greeted him warmly, "Brother Johnny!"

Su Lun nodded in response.

Noticing Tommy had also shown up in full gear, he was slightly surprised and asked, "Captain Benson, why are you taking Tommy to the ruins?"

Benson's eyes twinkled with affection, yet there was helplessness in his voice, "Yeah, the kid was adamant about coming."

```

Tommy also patted the firearm on his waist and said discontentedly, "Dad, I'm not a child anymore!"

Benson shrugged noncommittally and turned to smile at Su Lun, "When I was about his age, I was already Scavenging. Since he chose this path, he will have to grow up eventually..."

Hearing this, Su Lun had nothing more to say.

Scavengers have their own destiny.

At seven o'clock sharp, the team departed.

This time, the Oliver family's Scavenging group organized more than ten small teams to act together, a grand total of over a hundred people.

The team was led by a second-tier professional, "Blade Group's" leader, Blum.

With the Oliver family being a great financial clan, they had the most accurate relic information and maps in their hands. The route for this expedition had also been planned in advance.

To avoid the dangers of crossing the city, the team would circle around the city perimeter before entering from a ruin near the Eastern city wall and heading straight for exploring the "Red Brick Tower district."

Su Lun was aware that Young Master Danze Oliver was urgently searching for a hair strand, which matched his own goal, so that was less worrying for him.

....

The outermost area of Dawn City Ruins had almost been cleaned up; there were hardly any dangers along the way.

The Scavengers had a smooth journey, with the atmosphere relaxed enough for occasional chats and jokes.

The undead controlled by Su Lun followed behind the "Drunkard's Group," looking somewhat solitary just like during the transport missions.

Tommy kept sticking by his side, pestering him for tips on firearms and mechanical expertise.

With over a hundred people chatting and joking, some fresh gossip was bound to come up.

While chatting with Tommy, Su Lun also pricked up his ears to listen to the gossip among the other Scavengers.

Unexpectedly, he started to hear rumors about himself.

"Speaking of which, have you heard about the recent emergence of a tough figure in Old Lington City, a new S-rank fugitive who has climbed to the top ten on the bounty list..."

"Oh, there's a new face in the top ten on the bounty list? What's the background?"

"It's said it's a very skilled firearms expert from the Cross Society named 'Su Lun.' Allegedly, he killed three second-tier professionals from the Inner City and became famous in one battle."

"That's an exaggeration... Even a master of firearms couldn't easily kill three second-tier professionals, let alone an expert?"

"The battle on Green Street was fierce, a lot of people have heard about it. Plus, I heard through the grapevine from my cousin that 'Su Lun' used to be a bodyguard driver who defected from a wealthy family in the Inner City. He got involved with the beautiful mistress of a noble lord and was hunted down for it..."

"..."

Listening to the stories circulating among those people, Su Lun had wanted to gather some useful intelligence.

But the stories became increasingly far-fetched.

Familiar recipe, familiar plot? Wasn't it identical to the stories about the Red Demon back then?

In the end, the topics of these rough men shifted from the new addition to the bounty list to which nightclub girl was juicier...

Tommy, on the other hand, listened with great interest. Stories like this were his favorite at his age.

After those people finished discussing "S-rank Su Lun," he suddenly thought of something, turned to Su Lun curiously and asked, "Mr. Johnny, who is more formidable between you and that S-rank fellow?"

Su Lun smiled, "Me? Not even close..."

Tommy said seriously, "But... I feel like you're pretty formidable. You should at least be much better than my old man."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun asked curiously, "Is it that 'feeling' ability of yours again?"

"Yeah."

Tommy thought for a moment, then pointed to the people in front and said, "Right now, I feel like there's a light around each person. The firelight on Dad is like a candle, others are like matches, and Mr. Johnny, you're like a... big fireball."

Light?

Was he seeing the soul, spiritual power, or perhaps dark spiritual power?

Su Lun thought Tommy might have awakened a very powerful innate talent.

After some thought, he said, "Tommy, you must never tell anyone about this ability of yours. Otherwise, it could bring big trouble for you and your dad."

Being smart, Tommy naturally understood what Su Lun meant and patted his chest, "I know! I only told you because it's Mr. Johnny. Because... I feel that you're a good person, better than anyone else."

Listening, Su Lun smiled again.

....

The Scavenging team traveled around the city outskirts for half a day, repelled several small-scale mutant attacks, and finally arrived at the designated entry point.

Dawn City had no walls, any road would lead you into the city center.

All over the city were ruins and remnants of a great battle that had taken place.

Upon entering this wasteland of buildings, the leading Scavenger captain, Blum, shouted, "Everyone pay attention, we are now entering a dangerous area, check your equipment, and be on guard for monsters from above, below, any place!"

The group responded in unison, "Yes!"

The Scavengers who had ventured into Dawn City's streets and alleys had engaged in a drawn-out war with the mutated creatures for several months, not only failing to decrease the number of monsters in the city but actually seeing their ranks swell.

No one knew where these creatures came from; they just couldn't be exterminated no matter how many were killed.

Moreover, after entering the city, fog gradually pervaded the air, greatly limiting visibility. The fog also moved with the wind, and when it became dense, visibility could drop to less than ten meters.

The atmosphere amongst the Scavengers suddenly tensed up.

As they ventured deeper, they encountered several mutated humans gnawing on some corpses...

The Scavengers blasted away the monsters, once their fellows, with a few shots.

.....

Then, not long after entering the fog, the expected large-scale attack arrived.

The scent of living beings acted like a lighthouse in the black of night, drawing all nearby monsters toward it.

As they walked, Su Lun's ears twitched slightly, and his hands silently rested on the flintlock pistols at his waist.

A second later, someone finally sounded the alarm, shouting, "Careful, there are monsters in the sky!"

Before the words had even finished, the shrill screeches of creatures started coming from the enshrouding fog, the sounds emanating from all directions, numerous beyond belief.

In the next instant, everyone looked up to see a swarm of giant bats with wings spanning two to three meters emerge from the fog!

Their leathery wings flapped, creating a howling wind.

Pop, pop, pop, pop...

Gunshots erupted as the people fired their flintlocks into the fog-filled sky, shooting wildly.

But there were too many monsters, and dark shapes kept pouring out from the fog without end.

The situation suddenly became dire.

Captain Benson and his Scavenger group were mostly experienced veterans who promptly formed a defensive formation upon encountering danger.

Since Tommy was in the team, they closed ranks around him as the core, and Su Lun also benefited. He didn't have many chances to act, occasionally firing off shots to take down a threatening bat, then joining the fray with random shots...

Fortunately, they were well-prepared, and with sufficient firepower, the Scavenger group soon repelled those strange bats.

Even so, there were casualties amongst the Scavengers.

"Damn it, we're down two men, snatched away by those bats!"

"Our group lost one too..."

"Everyone be careful, the bats' blood contains corrosive toxins..."

"..."

They had just entered the ruins when the team suffered losses, casting a solemn atmosphere over the group.

However, the Drunkards' group unexpectedly remained intact, almost without loss.

In the chaos earlier, nobody had noticed Su Lun's exceptional marksmanship, but Tommy by his side had caught onto something and asked softly, "Mr. Johnny, those bats have such small eyes and fly so erratically; how did you hit them just now?"

"Just lucky, I guess. You could do it too with more practice..."

Su Lun replied nonchalantly with a smile, not expecting the kid to be so observant.

...

"Move out, keep moving forward!"

The Scavengers, having suffered little loss, cleared the battlefield and continued onward.

When passing a pile of carcasses, Su Lun glanced at the bat corpses on the ground, his gaze betraying deep thought.

[Abyssal Bloodthirsty Giant Bat]

Details: Prefers darkness, bloodthirsty; a mutated creature that has lived in an environment rich with dark Spiritual Power for a long time, it possesses fighting power that surpasses the limits of its species.

Looking at the information identified about the creature, Su Lun thought of the mutated monsters in the sewers of Old Lington for some reason.