Mechanical Alchemist

"Dong…"

Striking the bell, the sound waves rippled through the fog-enshrouded air like ripples in water.

After the heavy toll of the bell, Su Lun's ears suddenly caught another long, "Dong" "Dong" "Dong"—a series of bell tones, becoming clearer and clearer.

The overlay of two different bell sounds seemed as though they were gradually overlapping with another time and space.

Su Lun only felt a flicker before his eyes, and the scenery around him began to change rapidly.

He was already familiar with this situation and knew he had been drawn into the cursed space.

....

It was a cold night.

As soon as the scene changed before his eyes, Su Lun found himself at an "X-shaped" crossroads.

He quickly surveyed the surroundings.

To the left of the crossroads stood a towering Red Tower Bell Tower, a hundred meters tall, with lights still shining at the top of the tower;

The "dong dong" sound continued to echo in his ears.

Looking up, he saw the clock on the tower, its white face and black hands indicating exactly twelve o'clock.

These were the midnight bells.

A hundred meters to the right was a magnificent white monastery.

The streets at midnight were deserted and tranquil, with a thin mist shrouding the entire street.

The ground was covered in wet flagstones, not particularly spacious. The thin layer of snow bore clear, narrow lines—apparently the tracks of a carriage.

The street was flanked by vintage hexagonal gas lamps, and black iron fences enclosed roadside flower beds.

Ahead was a row of houses with red roofs, their frosted windows glowing dimly with the flickering of firelight. It was the light of burning wood in a fireplace, passing through glass windows, adding a touch of warmth to this cold winter night.

Snowing?

"Does it snow in Dawn City of a thousand years ago..."

Su Lun was looking at the intact buildings around him, the scenes of Dawn City from a thousand years past.

And at that moment, right on the street before him, there coincidentally passed a sleek black carriage with chestnut horses, their necks adorned with bells chiming "ding-a-ling," and hooves clattering on the cobblestones, "clippety-clop, clippety-clop..."

Through the carriage windows, one could see an elderly gentleman dressed in formal attire, sitting upright inside.

The carriage swept past the street, whipping up a flurry of snowflakes, and the cold wind poured into the collar of his coat.

It made one shiver involuntarily.

There were shadows of people, lights, and chimneys puffing white smoke.

It had an air of the real world.

That feeling was very peculiar.

It was as if he had stepped into history, with the scenes of history vividly unfolding before his eyes.

"Mr. Johnny? Where are we?"

At his side, a boy dressed in thin clothes tentatively called out, holding a basket of matches in his hand.

A match-selling boy?

Su Lun did not recognize Tommy but responded to his tone with a light comment, "The cursed space."

He looked at Tommy's attire and guessed something, then asked, "What do I look like right now?"

Tommy said, "A police uniform."

Su Lun, observing his own attire as a Scavenger, had a realization in his eyes.

His gaze then fell upon the newly added badge on his chest.

[Dawn City Police Badge]

Intimidation +3

Details: An alchemical accessory, a proof of identity for the Dawn City police; with it, you are a policeman with law enforcement rights. But be careful, as it will particularly attract the attention of murderers.

"I'm a policeman? A role-playing mode in the cursed space? This is getting interesting…"

Not bothered by the prompt that he might attract danger, Su Lun raised an eyebrow.

He then lowered his gaze to his hands.

In his hands, a leather-bound file bag had just appeared.

Opening it, he found a case record.

[Bell Tower Street Homicide Case Police Deposition File]

Case Number Code: MST-07 Serial Killing Case

Case Status: Unsolved

Chief of Police: Frower Scott

Witness/Assistant: Patrol Officer Johnny

Archival Record as follows: Early this morning, a male body was discovered in an alley at 44 Bell Tower Street, with the face and internal organs gnawed off; this is the seventh homicide incident in the district, the perpetrator's modus operandi is consistent with the previous six; someone witnessed a cloaked figure wandering near the Bell Tower crossroads at midnight; suspected aberration incident, please handle with caution and apply for support from the city guard's special organization if necessary...

"Is this a cursed space with a plot background, and am I supposed to find the murderer?"

Su Lun speed-read the file at a glance.

However, the content of this file could easily mislead people.

He had already seen through the All-knowing Eye that this cursed space was called "The Legend of the Bell Tower Monster," and he had guessed that the murderer was probably atop the red brick bell tower on his left.

Besides, the way to get out was not to catch the murderer.

It was to fulfill some sort of last wish.

Yet, the file pointed towards finding the crack the case's murderer...

But since the All-knowing Eye judged it to be a "D-level" difficulty space, Su Lun wasn't in the slightest bit anxious.

Moreover, he had his gun, storage ring, and the ghoul scythe.

There wasn't just one way to break the game.

But speaking of which, the scene was really quite realistic.

Looking around at the vivid ancient streets, he became even less interested in the murderer.

The bustling Dawn City from a thousand years ago, that was far more intriguing!

....

For Tommy's first foray into the cursed space, he seemed rather nervous beside, "Mr. Johnny... So where do we go now? Are we going to find the source of this cursed space?"

"Yeah. But there's no rush."

Su Lun nodded and then turned to look at two sneaky-looking fellows not far away, adding, "You wait here, I'm going to kill a couple of people."

Kill people?

Tommy was taken aback.

His tone was as calm as if he were saying, wait here while I go buy some oranges.

Before he had time to ask more, Su Lun had already walked over.

He took out his police badge and spoke to the two men wearing black trench coats, who were puffing on pipes, "Good evening, please present your identification."

The two men seemed a bit dazed, apparently still not adjusted to their new identities, "We are detectives, looking to investigate..."

But before they could finish, Su Lun asked, "Members of the Sabre Squad?"

"How did you..."

Before the man could finish speaking, Su Lun emotionlessly drew his gun and "Bang, bang," put a bullet hole in the center of each man's forehead.

As the bodies hit the ground, Su Lun harvested a wave of experience and desolately pulled off the storage rings from the corpses.

He muttered to himself, "There are ten in total, eight to go."

After killing the two, Su Lun glanced at Tommy, who was standing there stunned, and called out, "Let's go."

Tommy hurried over, asking, "Mr. Johnny, why... why did you kill them?"

He was smart and had guessed something, "Were those two from the Sabre Squad just now?"

Su Lun: "You recognized them?"

Tommy: "Yes."

Su Lun didn't elaborate, "You'll find out in a bit."

Tommy: "Oh... where are we going now?"

Su Lun: "Let's see what Dawn City looked like a thousand years ago."

Leave?

It would be a real waste to just leave when coming to such an interesting place.

Getting rid of the Sabre Squad's team was just a side quest.

Most importantly, he was already one hundred percent certain this associated space was related to the "Wailing Witch," so he still needed to find some key clues in the space to unravel the event's full picture.

....

Su Lun led Kai through the streets, not heading to the bell tower or the monastery first, but straight to a brightly lit red-roofed house at the crossroads.

Knock, knock, knock!

After knocking, Su Lun looked at the nameplate on the door and called out to the inside, "Sorry for the disturbance so late at night, Mr. Smith. I am Officer Johnny, and I have some questions for you."

He quickly adapted to the role he was playing.

A woman's voice responded from inside: "Oh, it's Officer Johnny. Please wait a moment."

There were rustling noises, like someone getting dressed.

After half a minute, the door opened, and a blonde lady wearing a Victorian-style pouf dress greeted him.

She looked at Su Lun as though she recognized him, "Officer Johnny, please come in and have a seat."

Without any hesitation, Su Lun stepped inside.

The interior was elegantly decorated, with crystal chandeliers and mahogany furniture; the table was set with delicate porcelain ware and silver dishes, a fire blazed in the fireplace, and on the wall hung a stag's head and a hunting rifle.

This was the home of a wealthy family.

As Su Lun entered, he swiftly surveyed the surroundings, "I apologize for disturbing your rest, Mrs. Smith."

The blonde woman grumbled under her breath, "Oh, to have to patrol the streets in such heavy snow, Officer Johnny, you really have it tough. Has there been another murder? My goodness, it's terrifying; there's bad news every day."

After a pause, she offered, "Coffee or tea?"

"Tea, thank you."

Su Lun responded casually and slipped into the role of the patrolman, asking, "Mrs. Smith, have you noticed anything unusual in the neighborhood lately?"

Mrs. Smith busied herself with the teapot on the fireplace, pouring a cup of tea for Su Lun, and said, "Last night, when the midnight chimes sounded, I thought I heard a very agonized scream coming from the direction of the bell tower..."

As he bent over, Su Lun caught a glimpse through the neckline of a broad expanse of snowy cleavage and the steel corset cinching her waist.

"Oh."

Instead of sitting on the sofa, Su Lun went to a decorative bookshelf on one side and took down a thick, gold-stamped volume.

He flipped through it; there were no words on the pages.

The other books were much the same, with only one titled "The Complete Guide to Basic Alchemy" containing some fragments of ancient Guneid script.

Seeing this, Su Lun was not particularly surprised and continued his questioning while looking through the books.

"Have you heard any news about Sir Isaac lately?"

"No, I haven't..."

"Is your family considering getting mechanical prosthetics?"

"..."

"Do you know where that tall black tower leads?"

"..."

"Have you studied alchemy?"

"Sorry, I'm not a magician; those are just decorative books bought by my husband, the city official. But he hasn't been home for three days..."

"Mr. Smith won't be coming home tonight?"

"Oh, Officer Johnny, you're too blunt. Perhaps you could be a bit more tactful..."

"..."

"Are there any alchemists nearby?"

"That old nun from the white convent across the street seems to be a very powerful magician..."

"Have you noticed anything unusual about that convent?"

"Aside from a few nuns and pigeons that coo all day, there's nothing unusual."

"Do any of those nuns stand out to you?"

"I only remember a girl called Alice; she's quite pretty. She often plays the harmonica alone in the attic of the convent. Oh, it's a song so sad it brings tears to your eyes..."

"..."

After a few more questions, Su Lun knew that he probably couldn't get any more information.

The answers were mechanical and formulaic.

This cursed space was a fragment of the memory of the "curse source," whereby the memories could recreate the streetscape but not a group of living, soulful humans.

These people were like NPCs in a game, capable of simple responses but lacking complex emotions.

Questions beyond their understanding or unrelated to the mission at hand were selectively "unheard."

(This is a low-level space; the higher the level of the cursed space, the closer it approaches the real world.)

....

Su Lun didn't linger in the house, but he said to Tommy, "Stay inside the house and no matter what, don't come out."

Tommy was somewhat puzzled, "Why?"

Su Lun explained, "The monster comes out at midnight to kill, but according to the case file, all seven victims died on the street, so inside should be relatively safer. Stay with Mrs. Smith here and remember never to go out."

Tommy said, "Oh. And what about you, Mr. Johnny?"

Su Lun replied, "I'm going to look for some other clues."

After a pause, he turned to the blonde lady, "Mrs. Smith, would you mind taking care of him for a while? I'll be back soon."

Mrs. Smith responded, "Of course, Officer Johnny."

Su Lun knew that this cursed space was a "D-class" for him, but for others, it was a highly lethal "A-class."

Wandering around with Tommy could be dangerous.

Su Lun had some guesses as well.

Since they each had their "roles" upon entering this cursed space,

it was possible that both of their "roles" were to die on the street.

Otherwise, the badge on their chest wouldn't have mentioned "particularly attracts the murderer," nor would it feel so "real."

The rules of a plot-driven cursed space were simple: everything was constructed from the murderer's memory.

Things do exist in reality, but they do not exceed the murderer's knowledge.

For instance, if the murderer had never read the books on those shelves, they would be blank.

Only the ones he had read contained text.

Only if the murderer had the notion of "a badge is an alchemical object" in his consciousness, then it would be identified as alchemy.

This was a space where, with careful sorting out, the plot was quite straightforward.

With a little investigation, all clues would point to two locations: Red Tower Bell Tower and the white monastery.

But the difficulty lay in the fact that this was the focus of the backstory but not the key to breaking the curse.

...

Su Lun stepped out of the room and once again trod upon the damp cobblestone streets.

Snowflakes were falling from the sky, resting on his shoulders and hat, occasionally forming a thin layer.

Su Lun patted the snowflakes off his shoulder, wandering along the street.

The cold wind made his thoughts exceptionally clear.

He then visited a few more places, gathering several ancient books with scattered information.

He asked a few questions, and the situation was much the same.

Whenever the nun named "Alice" was mentioned, these NPCs would talk a lot.

There was also an old lady in an attic window directly facing the bell tower, claiming she had once seen a strange person on the tower...

These were all key pieces of information.

The police officer who had investigated the case back then must have found these pieces of information as well.

The original process required "players" to gather this information, after which they would be directed to that red brick bell tower to seek out the monster.

But Su Lun was not in a hurry to go there.

Different choices led to different endings.

Just like playing those open-ended role-playing games, Su Lun could kill the monster inside the bell tower or fulfill its last wish without understanding the game's background and still complete the game.

But then the storyline would end.

He would lose the meaning of coming to this cursed space.

So Su Lun chose the second option.

He took to the streets, planning to visit the monastery to figure out how the Wailing Witch was formed.

Now that he was certain this place was not "the space of the Wailing Witch," the monastery shouldn't be too dangerous.

It was just a normal scene.

But there, an important backdrop to the storyline would be completed.

.....

As he walked, mulling over his thoughts, Su Lun unexpectedly discovered a few lost lambs.

Inside a tavern, he saw a group dressed as detectives debating something at a table.

Although their appearances had changed, Su Lun recognized their origins from their conversation.

"Damn it! What's the answer to that question? Soro said 'ugly,' Martin said 'not ugly,' both were killed, and Gek didn't answer but was killed too! I suspect that cloaked monster just wants to kill for fun..."

"Stop complaining and think of other ways. We're temporarily safe staying in this room, but are we going to be trapped in this cursed space forever and never leave? I just got some information from the bartender. There's a strange person near the bell tower..."

"..."

This group was also thinking of a way to solve the mystery. It sounded like the three individuals not present had already been killed by the "murderer."

Su Lun walked in, didn't say a word, drew his gun, and started shooting.

"Bang bang bang" gunfire resounded through the tavern.

Although the tavern was destroyed by an explosion in retaliation by the enemy, the five people, including the team leader "Bomb Maniac" Collins, were all killed.

Su Lun put away his blast-resistant puppet, as if he had just taken care of a trivial matter.

He walked out of the tavern and continued toward the monastery surrounded by white walls.

A monastery in a city of alchemists who didn't believe in deities?

That was what Su Lun was most curious about.

And what was the relationship between the nun named Alice and the monster on the bell tower?