Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 375 - 374 [B-060-Exquisite Heart]

Kama never disclosed the secret legacy of their Boyle family to outsiders because, firstly, she had not encountered a senior Puppet Master whom she believed capable of solving the problem, and secondly, she feared that revealing it might attract covetousness and malicious intent.

After all, their lineage had been living quite comfortably until five years ago.

The family once held a minor hereditary baronetcy, owned a large sugar cane plantation, and enjoyed wealth and stability.

But everything changed after a pirate attack.

Her parents were killed by the pirates, and the manor’s wealth was plundered completely.

Now drifting overseas, with no fixed abode.

And Kama’s "sixth sense" told her that this pirate attack was a long-planned conspiracy.

...

Kama picked up the inconspicuous half-finished puppet from the corner.

An unfinished puppet is just an uncarved piece of wood, and that is exactly why it went unnoticed.

If it weren’t for Su Lun’s ability of Soul Perception, he certainly would have overlooked such a special one among all the half-finished pieces in the room.

Just then, a very polite greeting echoed in his mind, "Hello Mr. Su Lun, my name is ’Abel Boyle’. Sorry to meet you in this manner."

Having previously sensed the soul fluctuations within the puppet, Su Lun was not too surprised and responded courteously, "Hello."

Kama, standing by, sighed slightly and introduced, "This is my brother. He’s trapped in this ’Mechanism Core’."

As she spoke, she touched a hidden mechanism, opening the chest panel of the puppet.

It was then that Su Lun saw a very intricately made mechanism core inside.

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It was the size of a fist but was extremely well-crafted, resembling an opened complex mechanical watch filled with closely packed tiny gears, springs, coils, and various brass metal parts. The visible components alone exceeded a hundred varieties. It was not just technically complex but also featured top-quality runes and enchantments, selecting only the finest materials, and even using clearly necromantic magic runes and some peculiar materials.

Its precision far surpassed any puppet or mechanical product Su Lun had ever seen.

However, the core’s energy crystal at the very heart was dull and seemed to have exhausted all its energy.

"Dragon Crystal?"

Su Lun, feeling a twitch in the corner of his eye, saw the core’s energy source was actually a green dragon’s dragon crystal of the eighth order.

Dragons, creatures only existing in legends.

Yet, as soon as he invoked the All-Seeing Eye, the description of this object appeared.

[Boyle Mechanism Puppet Core (Damaged)]

Description: This is an ancient core from a thousand years ago, with its energy completely depleted; personally crafted by Robert Boyle, an alchemical product representing the crystallization of wisdom and peak craftsmanship of that Puppet Grandmaster, and also conceals the complete legacy of the Mechanism Puppeteer lineage. The item has a bloodline restriction, only a professional from the Boyle family lineage awakened with the talent "B-060-Exquisite Heart" can successfully merge with it; damaged, repairing this item will allow its use and decrypting of encrypted content;

As Su Lun looked at the appraised information, his expression became quite peculiar.

Although he was a descendant of the Puppeteer lineage, he hardly understood most of the core’s functions.

But it was undeniable that this object was indeed an invaluable treasure.

Even though it was already damaged.

Su Lun just stood there, stroking his chin and gazing intently for a long while, his eyes revealing deep thought.

Thinking it over, he still decided to first clarify the reason and asked, "Karma, how did your brother get inside?"

Upon hearing this, Karma’s expression became slightly complicated as she said, "This all starts with our family being attacked by pirates..."

...

"Our Boyle family had a plantation in the southern region of Emperor Luying... On that day, five years ago, my father went out to sea to trade for brown sugar. Coincidentally that evening, a group of pirates attacked the plantation, they burned, killed, and looted... The guards fought desperately, but ultimately they were no match for the pirates. My mother had us hide in the family treasury of the plantation, where there was a secret passage. Then, Abel and I hid inside... We entered the treasury, and Abel seemed to sense something calling to him. Next, we found a damaged puppet in the treasury. After that, he was sucked into it."

"I took the puppet through the secret passage, but unfortunately, it seemed that the passage had already been discovered, and the pirates had used explosives to collapse the tunnel. I passed out."

"When I woke up, my grandfather’s named disciple, who is now the captain of the Seventh Squadron of the Northern Seas Fleet’s ’Thousand Mechanism Puppet Hand,’ Vasili Tyermidó, found me wounded. He told me that everyone at the plantation had been killed by the pirates, including my mother and my father who was at sea. He fought desperately and managed to survive. Now only a few of us are left..."

"I fell into despair, but it was as if uncontrollably, some thoughts crossed my mind. I felt something was wrong; the timing of the pirates’ attack was too perfect, and it seemed as though they knew the defensive force of the plantation inside out, as if there was an insider. I subtly realized something was wrong with Vasili’s words... Later, I realized it was the awakening of my ’Sixth Sense’ ability."

"I concealed my brother’s situation. Probably because they thought I was young and believed their words, I have been safe up until now."

"..."

Su Lun listened to Karma recount her experience.

It was only then that he understood, so that was it.

No wonder he had always felt that Karma’s manner of speaking didn’t seem like that of a commoner; indeed, she was a young lady from a small noble family.

Su Lun keenly picked up on some details in her narrative and, after pondering for a moment, asked, "So, you suspect that the pirate attack was actually a conspiracy by Vasili?"

"Yes!"

Karma nodded and said, "Vasili Tyermidó was actually the son of our family’s serf, and later my grandfather, recognizing his talent and diligence, took him as a named disciple. But my grandfather once evaluated him and said Vasili was very talented but a dangerous money wolf. Thus, during the transmission of Puppetry Technique, he held back... After our family was annihilated by the pirates, the treasures in our family’s treasury were completely looted, but I found that Vasili’s Puppetry Technique had advanced significantly, he had succeeded in progressing to the fifth level and had even become the captain of a Northern Seas Fleet squadron..."

Pausing, she continued, "As for why they left me alive, probably because a lot of our Boyle family’s heritage artifacts related to mechanical puppetry are triggered by bloodline. Some secrets are only known to the direct descendants. I am the only survivor of the family, they must have thought it useful to keep me."

"..."

Su Lun listened without making any statement.

’Sixth Sense’ was an ability that indeed could chase benefits and avoid harm, sensing things that ordinary people couldn’t.

And analyzing this matter from any angle, that "Vasili" indeed had a major suspicion.

However,

he didn’t delve into someone else’s family affairs.

Karma was actually quite intelligent.

From the moment she stepped through the door, when she unhesitatingly produced that ’Life-Substitute Puppet,’ Su Lun knew she had already anticipated the current situation.

However, for a girl with such experiences, having such intricate thoughts was normal.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have survived until now.

Right now, Su Lun was more curious about her brother trapped within the heart of the puppet.

He asked, "Abel, is your awakened talent ’Exquisite Heart’?"

As soon as he said this, not only Abel but also Karma was full of doubt and exclaimed in surprise, "What?"

Su Lun realized they didn’t know and directly said, "This ’Puppetry Heart’ was left by Mr. Robert, an ancestor of the Boyle family. Only those of your family lineage and those who have awakened the ’Exquisite Heart’ can be recognized and successfully integrated."

Taking a breath, he continued, "So...in a sense, Abel being sucked in is not a bad thing, but because he met the criteria, he gained the qualifications for the inheritance. It’s just that because the core is damaged, he is trapped inside."

Hearing this explanation, Karma’s eyes were filled with disbelief, and she asked eagerly, "Are you saying... my brother has awakened the ’Exquisite Heart’ talent?"

Su Lun nodded, "Yes."

This was a talent that highly matched the profession of a Puppeteer, similar to the ability of ’multitasking’. Enjoy new tales from novelbuddy

At these words, Karma couldn’t hide the joy in her heart and covered her mouth, exclaiming softly, "Oh, my god! No wonder grandfather once said that Abel’s talent is astonishing, and he might become the most outstanding Puppeteer in our Boyle family in recent centuries. So he has awakened the same talent as the ancestor..."

Abel inside the puppet also excitedly said, "No wonder I felt like my brain was getting more and more useful, so this was the reason."

However, Su Lun was not too optimistic and said, "But the problem now is, the puppet core is damaged. If it’s not fixed, you might not be able to come out."

Upon hearing this, Karma’s watery eyes looked over and asked, "Sir, can you... fix it?"

"I don’t know."

Su Lun was not sure and directly said, "This ’Mechanism Heart’ is very complex, it will take me a lot of time to analyze it. It might not necessarily be fixable. Of course, if you have any ’Mechanism Puppeteer’ scriptures, perhaps the process could be quicker."

He spoke modestly, but his current knowledge reserve and mastery in puppetry were feared by few.

The structure of this ’Boyle Mechanism Puppet Core’ was very complex;if he said it couldn’t be done, other puppet masters likely couldn’t either.

Karma, the girl with the heavy name, also realized this.

Now encountering this great-great-great uncle was also her only hope.

She promptly said, "I have some scriptures in my possession!"

As soon as she spoke, anxiety appeared on her face, "But... not many. And they are all basic texts. Over this past millennium, our family has faced several disasters and wars, moved several times, and lost much of the inheritance. Moreover, most of the scriptures were looted by pirates during those attacks."

"..."

Su Lun listened and frowned slightly.

Not surprised, but somewhat troubled.

The design of the puppet core involved advanced techniques, and without Robert’s unique scriptures, it would be difficult to understand.

However, at the mention of "pirate looting," an idea immediately flashed through Su Lun’s mind.

He suddenly thought of Vasili Tyermidó, whom Karma had mentioned as the ’Master of A Thousand Puppet Hands’.

If that guy really was the mastermind behind the pirate attack, then the scriptures looted from the Boyle family were likely in his hands.

If those could be retrieved, it seemed like the problem might be solved.

Additionally, if he could also extract the knowledge Vasili possessed...

As this thought passed through his mind, Su Lun automatically filled in a series of subsequent events.

He fell into deep thought.

...

Karma, seeing his serious expression, felt disheartened, thinking the issue was troubling for Su Lun.

This was the only hope, and she couldn’t give up.

But now the problem was, as Su Lun had said, he was about to leave soon.

Karma, looking uneasy, asked, "Then... Sir, could you possibly not leave yet?"

As she spoke, she immediately realized this request might be impolite and quickly added, "Oh, no, what I mean is... may I follow you? I can be your maid, your servant... I can do many things and won’t trouble you."

Intuition told her that this ancestor was a trustworthy person.

If missed, there would no longer be such an opportunity.

Only by staying close to him could this great uncle possibly find enough time to resolve the issue of her brother Abel being trapped.

Su Lun shook his head, indicating her misunderstanding, and said, "You are the descendants of the Puppeteer lineage, and it is my duty to look after you and your brother. However, as you have seen, I am currently facing not a few troubles. By following me, you could be in danger at any moment... "

But before he could finish, a glimmer of hope appeared in Karma’s eyes, and she immediately expressed, "I won’t be a burden! Even if we really face danger, I am already prepared to confront death!"

"..."

Su Lun was not surprised.

If it were him, faced with such a life-changing opportunity, he definitely would not back down either.

Seeing her insistence, he no longer elaborated and said, "Let’s talk after dawn. If circumstances allow, you can follow me."

Hearing this, a look of joy covered Karma’s face, and she nodded, "Yes!"

...

Initially, Su Lun had planned to find an opportunity to slip away, but now with a task at hand, he stayed in Karma’s room.

The ’Puppetry Heart’ was placed on the workbench, and wearing magnifying glasses, he meticulously dissected this intricately refined alchemical object layer by layer.

With the Golden Spear unfolded, as he observed, he used paper to draw everything he saw on a blueprint. Not just to help, but analyzing such a level of alchemical puppet object also greatly benefitted his own skills.

Fortunately, Abel, who was trapped inside, had already deciphered quite a bit; the previous blueprints were his own work.

This boy was indeed a natural at Puppetry Technique.

The two collaborated, and the research progressed swiftly.

Karma observed the Golden Spear, not recognizing the special alchemical equipment unique to the Puppeteer lineage.

She just stood quietly by the side, occasionally bringing a cup of tea, barely opening her mouth.

When Su Lun was immersed in concentration, he rarely paid attention to the people around him, and did not notice that Karma had been standing beside him all night.

Unaware, the light outside the window gradually brightened.

The dawn tinted the sky a dusky blue, morning had arrived.

The city was noisy and rowdy all night, and the fighting only gradually subsided until the latter half of the night.

Su Lun, listening to the sounds of battle, seemed to realize that several groups of unidentified people had successfully broken out of the city, and the fighting was exceptionally fierce.

No matter which faction those who broke out of the city belonged to, the current situation had diverted the attention of the Temple of Aghaparnon.

Having had no one come looking for him all night meant that his current situation was still relatively safe.

But if he had a chance, Su Lun would still choose to leave the city as soon as possible, to avoid any future problems.

....

On the workbench, dozens of drawings had been sketched out, filled with dense alchemical symbols and precise data that could make one’s scalp tingle.

But this was still far from enough.

This "Heart of the Mechanism Puppet" might not look big, but the technology unraveled from it was very difficult. Perhaps a rune or structure analysis on a small component might require several drawings to depict it.

Even if it was drawn out, understanding the principle and its role in the whole still had a long way to go.

It was too complex a configuration.

This was Su Lun’s greatest realization after a night of research.

It had been a long time since he had experienced such headache-inducing alchemic design, but it also ignited his desire for knowledge even more.

Unraveling unknown knowledge could bring a strong sense of pleasure.

It felt like a long time had passed, yet it seemed like just a moment.

Sunlight streamed in from the outside, brightening everything before his eyes.

Su Lun’s expression jolted, and he then took a long breath out, "huh..."

Only when the string of focus in his mind loosened did he notice the faint scent of bread wafting in the air of the room.

Turning his head, he saw a table full of a sumptuous breakfast already laid out in the small cabin.

Upon seeing Su Lun look over, Kama hurriedly said respectfully, "Sir, you can have breakfast if you’re hungry."

Su Lun shook his head with a smile, "There’s no need for such a lavish meal."

Kama seemed very restrained, responding, "I didn’t know what you liked, so I prepared a bit of everything."

"That’s thoughtful of you."

Su Lun smiled slightly and said no more.

Feeling hungry, he sat down unceremoniously at the table.

Although there was a great difference in their generations, their actual ages were not that different.

Perhaps because last night’s explanation of their generations wasn’t clear, Kama always acted as if looking at a thousand-year-old creature, hardly daring to make eye contact.

Su Lun, seeing Kama standing by, called out, "Come sit and eat with me."

Hearing the "command," Kama sat down like a puppet.

Su Lun thought the taste was good, the bread had a rich milky fragrance, a very thoughtful breakfast.

This girl with the braided hair really showed a lot of humility, almost putting herself in the position of a maid.

Golden morning light poured in from the outside, shining through the white patterned curtains like strands of golden silk.

The dining table was quiet, so quiet one could even hear the sound of bread crumbs falling.

Su Lun chewed on the bread, yet all he thought about was that "Heart of the Mechanism Puppet."

He was somewhat mesmerized for a moment.

But as he ate, he suddenly glanced at the girl across the table.

Thinking of something, he pondered for a moment and then suddenly said, "Kama, if you are willing, I would like to take you and your brother as disciples."

As descendants of his own master’s lineage, they naturally could not remain maids; Su Lun didn’t have such idiosyncrasies either.

Having exchanged some information last night, they had also come to understand each other to a certain extent.

With the Puppeteer lineage’s talent dwindling, both siblings had good character and a foundation, so keeping them by his side as disciples was quite a good idea.

"Ah...?"

Though Kama had been uneasily eating, upon hearing this, she visibly paused for a moment.

Then, lifting her head sharply towards Su Lun and processing for a couple of seconds as if she had just understood something, a great joy appeared in her eyes.

She put down her fork and knife, promptly knelt on one knee, performing a solemn master-disciple salute, and said, "Master!"

Excitement also came from Abel working at the workbench, "Master!"

Su Lun smiled and motioned for her to rise, then said, "Since you are willing to be my disciples, you are now part of the ’Dawn Group.’ It’s not easy to explain some situations right now, but I’ll explain more to you once we are at sea."

"Yes, Master!"

Kama bit her lip, her eyes shimmering with tears of joy.

Now that she was recognized as a disciple, the huge stone in her heart had finally been lifted.

They had been lonely siblings for so long, and at last, they had someone to rely on.

...

After breakfast, Su Lun continued to busy himself at the workbench.

Kama also worked by his side, carving her own puppet.

Although she was merely a second-tier practitioner, her attainment in Puppetry Technique at her age was already quite commendable.

Su Lun occasionally offered some guidance.

The relationship between master and disciple gradually warmed up.

...

As day broke, Su Lun patiently continued his research at the workbench, not in a hurry to figure out a way out of the city.

Because someone was more anxious than he was.

As the day grew lighter, the noise outside grew louder.

"What right do you have to keep us from leaving? You have no authority to blockade the docks!"

"Yes, we are merchants of the Emperor Luying Empire, not your Roman slaves or criminals. Your laws do not apply to us! Let us out now!"

"Damn it, you lost your things, why lock us all up in the city? I think you Romans just want to blockade us and then go hunt for the treasure yourselves!"

"Hmph! It must be those despicable guys wanting to monopolize the treasure!"

"..."

Outside the window, the crowd was frantic.

Things were looking bleak, and it seemed another major turmoil was on the horizon.

The Romans might unconditionally observe a curfew and a city lockdown, but now there were a large number of outsiders in the city-state of Morlos.

They didn’t care about some "thieves"; what mattered more to them were their own interests and the treasure.

The cargo of treasures brought back by the Flying Fish Group last night had electrified everyone’s nerves.

Many adventurers had planned to set off early in the morning after resupplying but were now trapped in the city, which naturally wouldn’t keep them quiet.

Su Lun, the "chief criminal" in this matter, was safe and sound here, so naturally, the priests from the Temple of Aghaparnon had not found the person they were looking for.

He had assumed the search in the city would continue for a while.

However, unexpectedly, by midday, the massive city lockdown had been completely lifted.

The army had withdrawn to the barracks, and there were no more blockades on the streets.

The priests from the temple brought the High Priest’s order that everyone could freely leave the port.

Suddenly, a large number of sea vessels at the docks hoisted their sails and set off to search for treasure at Devil’s Island.

Even the Northern Sea Fleet sent a few squadrons, which also seemed to have joined the treasure-seeking groups.

Su Lun found it strange. Could it really be that external pressure was too great, and the "puppet master" at the temple had given up on pursuing the "Golden Spear"?

...

Before long, the room was tidied up.

Kama had cleaned out all the items in the room and asked, "Master, everything is ready. Shall we leave now?"

"Wait a bit longer."

Su Lun stood by the window, sharing the vision of the bird of death.

The city had returned to its usual noise and bustle, with lots of adventurers heading to the docks, ships leaving port...

He had been worried it was a ruse and hadn’t been the first to leave the city, but now everything seemed completely normal.

But Su Lun always felt something was odd, yet he couldn’t pinpoint what that strange feeling was.

Lacking sufficient information, he didn’t know what had happened.

Thinking it over, he took out a scroll and softly said, "Unseal!"

This was a method of exchanging information he had obtained when he encountered one of the top ten Bounty Hunters, "God’s Painter" Van Gogh, who had a very reliable source of information.

After unsealing it, a line of text suddenly appeared on the scroll: "A complex natural cave has been discovered beneath the city. The members of ’Sacred Judgment’ have safely escaped. The cargo of Princess Frost Moon has been confirmed to leave today, Dock No.3, ’Old Baldy’. The princess’ fleet also seems to be preparing to sail, most likely within the next few days."

There really was news!

Su Lun looked at the line of text, his eyes thoughtful.

Currently, many ships were departing the port, which indeed presented the best chance to blend in and leave.

He guessed the treasure would attract the attention of various forces, allowing Frost Moon Princess’s group to disperse inconspicuously.

Either follow the cargo or the person.

One of the two.

"Should we intercept that cargo?"

Su Lun was weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

A moment later, he decided to intercept the treasure.

He already had enough information about the Void Relics. Even if he didn’t keep an eye on Princess Frost Moon and her entourage now, he could find another opportunity to follow them later.

But a legendary treasure like the "Chronos’s Void God Hand," if missed now, might not present such a good opportunity again.

Thinking this, Su Lun sent a message to Chentao.

He also confirmed that the submarine previously marked by Banks had quietly moved.

Indeed, Princess Stika also planned to take advantage of the chaos to leave.

...

Meanwhile, inside the Temple of Aghaparnon.

Having lost his most precious "Golden Spear," the handsome blond youth, Onis Popov, had been gloomy since last night.

By his side, the High Priest, shrouded in a veil, was still divining something.

"The cause and effect have been completely erased; I cannot trace even a slight hint. That person must have used some special treasure..."

"Mother, I don’t care who that guy is, but how did he make my divine spear disappear?"

"It must be a very sophisticated sealing ability. But that is also what puzzles me. Even if it is a ninth tier Sealing Skill, I used divine power to probe, why can’t I sense any connection with the divine spear at all..."

"Damn it! So I definitely can’t get my divine spear back?"

"Hmm. Once the sacrifice begins, it’s impossible for anyone to come back alive from Devil’s Island. If that person is ’the prophesied one,’ he will definitely go there."

"..."