Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 421 - 420: Listening to Someone Brag About Their Own Story

That day.

It was the third day Su Lun and his apprentices had been on board the "Rodrica Queen" cruise.

Two days prior, Su Lun had noticed there was something off about the professor leading the group of students from the royal academy and wanted to learn more.

However, that person had not left their room in the last few days, giving no opportunity for contact.

Their investigation over these days had also failed to uncover what exactly those outer god cultists were up to.

There happened to be a charity auction that evening, which nearly everyone from the upper decks would attend. Su Lun also wanted to try his luck to see if that professor would be there as well.

He was also curious to take a look at the "Hanged Man" card.

In the evening, inside room A2077.

"Abel, do I... do I look good in this? Isn’t it too much?"

"My sister, that’s the fifth time you’ve asked. I’ve already said you look great. If you don’t believe me, ask our teacher, he will surely say the same."

"Teacher, is it okay for me to wear this? Isn’t it... a bit too extravagant?"

"It looks quite nice. People from Emperor Luying’s domain all dress like this, it’s not strange at all."

"Oh."

Standing before the dressing mirror, Kama was trying on a courtly-style gown, looking conflicted.

It was a rather sexy off-the-shoulder bustier black dress. Her figure wasn’t too voluptuous, which made her look somewhat delicate in it. But her bearing was not bad; it was just that, having mixed in pirate circles for years, she felt a bit awkward wearing formal attire she had not donned in a long time.

Su Lun had not forgotten Phantom Thief Kit’s reminder—that if you go to a charity gala in ordinary clothes, you would certainly become the center of attention as a "country bumpkin." Discover stories with novelbuddy

It was much more convenient for him and Abel, the two men; they simply bought two sets of exquisitely made tailcoats on the ship.

The threshold for high society was quite high; the cost for the three sets of clothing came to nearly 300,000 risos. That was a sum a commoner might save in half a lifetime.

Assured by Su Lun that she looked good, Kama finally stopped fretting over her clothes.

She put on some light makeup, and she looked the part. Previously, in the Sea Ruins, she had amassed not a few pieces of jewelry. Choosing a few that suited her age to wear, they added just the right touch of nobility.

"It’s about time, we should head over early to take a look."

"Hmm."

The siblings followed Su Lun out the door.

...

Su Lun was dressed in a black and white tailcoat, with the slightly timid Kama clutching his arm on the left and the bored-looking Abel on the right.

Since they were attending a banquet, Abel couldn’t be holding a book and biting it, so he was toying with a mechanical cube in his hand continuously instead.

This wasn’t purely for fun. Like how Su Lun used to use Gold Coins to practice finger dexterity, this mechanical cube was specifically designed to improve finger agility and multitasking control skills. It was an excellent vocational tool for Puppet Masters and a small antique passed down from the Boyle line of automaton Puppeteers.

"Click" "click," with a smooth rhythm, he was solving the complex cube into various patterns, then restoring it. This difficulty was already very high. The cube’s mechanisms had an extreme randomness, requiring both thinking and fingers to be very agile.

Previously, some fine needles would pop out and prick the hand, but now Abel could play with it very adeptly.

Su Lun was truly gratified to witness his disciple’s growth day by day.

The trio arrived at the auction dinner hall, showed their boarding passes, and were admitted smoothly.

The venue was ablaze with lights and bustling with people; by the time they arrived, many guests had already gathered, and Kama no longer felt anything improper about her dress.

The attendees, both men and women, were all dressed in extravagant attire.

Lindon, deserving of its reputation as the capital of fashion, boasted extravagant and bold styles of gowns that were a delight to the eye. Particularly the ladies and missus from the imperial city, their dresses competed in sexiness, almost as if they intended to showcase their exquisite figures with the least amount of fabric.

The auction had not started yet, and the guests were free to enjoy some self-service drinks and desserts.

Su Lun and his apprentices didn’t have any acquaintances there, so they took their time wandering around the venue.

This place was previously an exhibition hall for antiques collected by a mysterious collector, with various antiques displayed throughout the venue under spotlights, creating a sense of historical ambiance.

Su Lun led Kama and her brother through the exhibits, occasionally explaining the origins of those antiques.

Even without the All-knowing Eye, his knowledge of antiques was not something an ordinary expert could match; he could almost always recount a bit of history about any antique he saw.

"Teacher, why does that display case have sealing runes on it?"

"That crystal skull is an ancient relic from before the Dawn Era, likely an item used in sacrifices, and it still retains some transcendental energy. Without the seal, the escaping energy could have unpredictable effects on the surroundings."

"Oh... Then, teacher, that painting looks so peculiar, I always feel like there’s a monster inside it."

"That’s a cursed item. Just don’t touch it and you’ll be fine. Looking at it, this collector seems to enjoy collecting dark style items. But I must say, they’re truly a connoisseur and have good taste."

"..."

Su Lun had already browsed the exhibition hall before, but now there were some premium items that hadn’t been displayed previously.

You can tell a person by their collection, and he was curious about the identity of this collector.

As Su Lun wandered with his apprentices, he didn’t forget to scan the venue.

He hadn’t seen the Senior Councilor of the "Giant Hermit Order" he was looking for, but he did see that Phantom Thief Kit.

Kit, as always, was the epitome of charm, holding a glass of champagne and having a grand time among various society ladies.

Kit saw Su Lun as well, but displayed no intention of coming over to greet him.

Su Lun was wondering how that guy managed to chat so brazenly with the lady without getting caught when a covert message came through the communicator: "Su Lun, I’ve been marked by the Luying military intelligence. It seems they have clues pointing to me as ’Phantom Thief Kit’."

Su Lun, somewhat surprised, asked, "Military intelligence? How did they find out?"

Kit was still chatting and laughing in the distance, but his response came through the communicator: "Someone tampered with my luggage. I suspect they left a special elemental marker on my clothes. However, they probably haven’t realized that I’ve noticed it. I’m pretending to be oblivious. They likely plan to wait for tonight’s auction where they expect me to make my move and then arrest me. So, I need you to help me with something..."

"Oh. So, you still plan to make a move?"

"Yes. I must act to separate my various identities from ’Phantom Thief Kit’."

"..."

Su Lun thought about his plan and found no issues with it.

The ones who always walk by the river have more than a few tricks up their sleeves.

The two quickly exchanged a few words and settled on a plan.

So far, Su Lun had found no sign of what the "Giant Hermit Society" really intended to do.

But the calmer it was, the more his intuition told him things would get worse.

Before long, a group of young men and women entered the banquet hall in groups of two or three, around twenty or thirty in total.

Although they were not in uniform, Su Lun still recognized them as the students from the Luying Royal Academy.

These scions were dressed in dazzling attire, the men looking dashing and the girls not shy to wear plunging necklines and open-back princess dresses. Although their faces looked young, their figures were already graceful.

Abel, seeing the flamboyant female students, muttered softly, "Sister, see, I told you, your dress is fine. It’s much more conservative than theirs."

Kama blinked, her eyes sparkling, "Ah... it seems so."

If it hadn’t been for the incident back then, she would now be a student at the Luying Royal Academy too.

Su Lun smiled slightly.

He glanced around but still did not see the professor leading the group, so he did not look further and continued to examine the exhibits in the hall.

Not sure if it was an illusion, Su Lun always felt as if there was a subtle gaze on him. It wasn’t like being targeted, just a kind of curious scrutiny.

He thought it was probably because he looked quite presentable in formal wear.

At least a few groups of ladies had already cast furtive glances his way.

...

The group of Royal Academy students also began to stroll around the exhibition hall, and a few students came near Su Lun.

One slightly chubby young man, with a glossy black crow perched on his shoulder, was boasting, "Let me tell you, it’s trendy to keep crows in the capital now! The price of crows in the bird market has skyrocketed more than tenfold. Especially magical beast crows with special abilities, each one can sell for a fortune. This ’Startling Crow’ of mine can release sound wave attacks, which is quite rare among first-order magical beasts..."

Su Lun listened to the plump student exalt the subject so greatly that he, too, felt a touch of doubt.

Crows generally symbolize misfortune, and people seldom keep them as pets, especially among the nobility.

Who would have thought that in Lundun, a city known for setting trends, keeping crows would become popular?

But it was only then that he learned that this craze for keeping crows had started because of himself?

As he said this, another student chimed in, "Wow... Alex, I also want to get a magical crow beast, that would be so cool! The ’Death God Puppeteer’s’ double-headed crow was incredibly tough, resisting the artillery barrage of Mafa’s mechanical legion. The newspapers from the past half-month have almost all been about that great battle in Romanguo. Oh my gosh, if I hadn’t chosen a fire magician for my second-tier advancement, I would have chosen to be a puppeteer."

At this, everyone began talking all at once.

"I’ve heard that the ’Death God’ has now become everyone’s idol at the academy. The puppetry major, which was once unpopular, is now overcrowded with students."

"Indeed, the instructors have said that the ’Death God Puppeteer’ is truly exceptional. Most puppet masters have weak physical bodies, but that person is ridiculously strong. With outstanding close combat skills, one might not even question if they are a close-range professional. It’s a wonder where such a freak popped up from. I’ve never heard of them in the capital before..."

"Haven’t you heard? It’s a mysterious organization called ’Dawn’. They say it’s a neutral alchemy organization, probably similar to the ’Alchemy Guild’."

"I also want to become a puppet master now. In that battle in Romanguo, the ’Death God Puppeteer’ was incredibly powerful. He fought against two hundred thousand, all by himself, killing fifty to sixty thousand pirates! The teachers said that among the fifth-tier professions, no other professional could have done..."

"Isn’t that so? That day, meteors fell on Morlos, marking the beginning of the great battle... In the end, pirate corpses filled the central arena."

"..."

At their age, the seedlings of heroism were sprouting; they all wanted to be the dragon-slaying youth.

Who wouldn’t dream of being the hero who could bathe in the blood of pirates at their stronghold?

Su Lun’s expression grew odd as he listened.

After all this time, these people were actually boasting about him?

And the more he heard, the more exaggerated the tales became, to the point where they almost claimed he could stand toe-to-toe with an eighth-tier Oleg in a direct fight.

Abel and the Kama siblings were beaming with pride, for these people were talking about their teacher!

Although they had not experienced the battle themselves and had been at sea without seeing any newspapers in these past days, they were unaware of just how intense that battle had been.

Now, hearing these students from the royal academy boast, their eyes glimmered with profound shock.

Seeing the fervent gaze of Abel and the Kama siblings, Su Lun could not help but laugh and cry at the same time, offering an explanation, "It’s not that exaggerated."

....

Boasting is something that becomes more mysterious the more people talk about it.

The chubby student bragged, "Hahaha, I told you so. What’s the use of advancing so quickly? Now, our puppetry lineage has finally risen!"

Someone immediately called him out, "Alex, stop boasting. You’re just lazy and can’t make the second-tier advancement, yet you call yourself a puppet master... Aren’t you part of the fighter series?"

The chubby student retorted, "So what if I’m now switching to puppet mastery? Haven’t you heard that the ’Death God Puppeteer’ could take on a sixth-tier with his martial skills? He advanced that way, so why can’t I?"

Someone laughed and said, "Right now everyone is trying to find out that person’s advancement path, but no one knows. How can you be so sure that they advanced as a Fighter? The teachers analyzed that for someone to have such terrifying strength at the fifth order, they must’ve had very high-end materials for their advancement at the lower orders, maybe even incorporating more than one ’Forbiddden Item’ level material. It might be a descendant of some ancient family that has continued for a thousand years. Alex Roberts struggled to integrate silver materials, and he still wants to be a Puppet Master?"

The plump student’s face was smacked with reality, and he said haughtily, "Hmph, you just don’t understand! Let me tell you, a good Puppet Master needs good puppets. That ’Death God’ managed to kill seventy to eighty thousand Pirates on his own, and what’s most important are his special puppets. My father just sent me a message, saying he’s spent a fortune to acquire a fifth order puppet for me. With that, I’ll have the strength of a fifth order directly! Regardless, Puppeteers are the strongest profession anyway! Anyone who wants to argue, name another profession that can single-handedly kill a hundred thousand Pirates at the fifth order!"

Everyone: "..."

It must be admitted that if one does not have enough talent or diligence, it is indeed possible to enhance combat power through external means.

Puppeteers are one of those extraordinary professions that blatantly leverage external means to increase their power.

As long as you have several puppets that surpass your own level, you can indeed trounce your peers.

However, this is only true at the lower orders.

Or in the kind of "stop at the slightest touch" sparring matches found in noble academies.

In a life and death battle, no matter how powerful the puppet is, if the control ability doesn’t keep up, or the capacity to save oneself is insufficient, it’s possible to be killed in the blink of an eye by the enemy.

Abel, who was ordinarily taught by Su Lun, scoffed at this idea and muttered softly, "A Puppet Master doesn’t just rely on puppets. This guy has got it all backwards. Without control, a single flintlock could take him down."

Mafa listened to these increasingly unreliable discussions, covered her mouth with a light chuckle, and whispered, "Teacher, that ’Death God’ is really amazing~"

Su Lun shook his head with a smile, without much to say.

But perhaps because Abel had spoken too loudly, the plump student named Alex overheard and looked over unpleasantly, "Hey, what did you just say?"

Abel simply ignored him, giving a glance and then continued to examine the antiques in front of him.

Speaking any further seemed like a waste of time.

It wasn’t an intentional snub; Su Lun knew very well that his disciple was exceptionally antisocial, showing indifference to almost everyone except for his teacher and the Kama siblings.

The noble students, likely spoiled by their own arrogance, especially when they saw someone not of noble birth daring to offend them, had no intention of pacifying the situation, and sneered, "Where did this country bumpkin come from? Are you trying to say Puppet Masters aren’t impressive?"

Even their formal attire, buttons and all, bore noble crests.

They could tell at a glance that Su Lun and the others were not nobles, and thus felt no need for restraint.

Abel finally couldn’t hold back and said, "It’s not that Puppet Masters aren’t impressive. What you just said is incorrect. Puppets are merely a tool for Puppeteers, like a swordsman’s blade or a Fighter’s knuckle-dusters... You’ve got it reversed."

Su Lun didn’t intend to interject, and was curious to see how his two disciples would handle the situation.

Abel had high talent for the profession, but he lacked social graces.

Su Lun had been bringing them along precisely to have them gain more experience.

Moreover, at that moment, he finally spotted the professor leading the group into the venue.

....

The plump student saw Abel’s expressionless face, and felt instantly humiliated by a young kid, shouting angrily, "I am an official student of the Royal Academy of the Luying Empire, do you understand Puppetry Technique better than me?"

When it came to seeing the world, people from the Luying capital had the confidence to say such things.

Lindenton boasts being the holy land of alchemy, and the Royal Academy has the reputation of being "the first Alchemy Academy."

There’s a saying on the market, not all capable professionals from the Luying Empire are students of the Royal Academy, but the most capable ones definitely come from there!

But... there’s a rotten apple in every barrel.

After glancing at Su Lun, as if he had been given permission to speak, Abel continued, "Not understanding is just that, not understanding. Admit it and study hard. My teacher says, Puppetry Technique is profound and vast; only through enough humility can one go far."

Su Lun felt weird hearing this because those were indeed the words he had taught Abel.

The plump student was taught a lesson, and after coming to his senses, he shouted furiously, "You country bumpkin, you’ve managed to anger me! I challenge you to a duel!"

Abel, hearing this, seemed to seriously consider the suggestion. But then he remembered something and said matter-of-factly, "You can’t even beat my sister. I don’t want you to hurt yourself."

"..."

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

Su Lun finally couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Abel’s remarks were quite choking.

Su Lun even understood that he had indeed considered how to fight.

But it turns out the other guy was just spouting nonsense.

Hearing this, the plump student’s face turned beet red with rage and humiliation, but he was unable to retort.

No matter how much he was ridiculed afterward, Abel ignored him completely, slipping away to the side, preoccupied with looking at the antiques.

...

The farce quickly came to an end.

The plump student, who wanted to flaunt his sense of superiority, left the scene disheartened.

They were unaware that a young trainee was paying attention to the entire scene.

Su Lun had also been observing the young man, after all, he seemed to have the highest status among this group of students. Moreover, there were two souls in the person, according to his perception.

"A hidden guard?"

Su Lun had a guess.

The assassin lurking in the shadows was very skilled indeed... to have such a high-level guard, the person’s identity was definitely not simple.

Watching the young trainee walk over, Su Lun quietly stepped back a bit.

The young man approached Kama and politely greeted, "Hello, beautiful miss, my name is Alex. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Kama, seeing the well-mannered blond youth before her, also returned the greeting out of politeness, "Hello."

The youth named Alex magically produced a tarot card and smiled, "The tarot tells me that you are a very special person."

Kama frowned slightly, unaffected by this stranger’s advances. She wasn’t like other girls, who might swoon; she simply asked calmly, "Hello, may I help you with something?"

Although the blond guy with a ducal crest on his dress shirt button was not bad and lacked the arrogance of those nobles, he paled in comparison to the teacher.

Alex seemed to doubt his own charm for the first time, forcing a smile.

But he wasn’t the least bit annoyed and continued to speak politely, "Hello, if possible, I’d like to buy the Rubik’s Cube in your brother’s hand, if you have any extra. I am a collector and also a tarot magician; this Rubik’s Cube is the best finger exercise tool I have ever seen..."

He had seen very clearly that the boy playing with the Rubik’s Cube listened to her, which meant they were most likely siblings.

Kama shook her head, "Sorry, this is a family heirloom; it’s not for sale."

"Oh, that’s a pity."

Alex did not insist; he thought for a moment and then handed out a business card, "If you ever come to Lyndon, and if you need a guide, I would be a good choice. I also hope to have that honor."

Behaving impeccably, Kama took the business card out of courtesy, "Alright. If needed."

Alex flashed a friendly smile, didn’t linger, and walked away.

That was a true scion of a noble family, devoid of the ostentatious and arrogant behavior of the nouveau riche fatty earlier.

Su Lun silently paid attention to the whole interaction and caught a few key words, tarot magician?

Did they come for that "Hanged Man" card?

Suddenly, he thought of something and contacted Mr. Hei in Lyndon; he asked about this "Alex’s" background, and it seemed like everything became clear.

....

After the young man left, Su Lun went over as well.

He had seen enough antiques, and his students, Abbot and Kama, obediently followed their teacher.

Su Lun asked with a smile, "What do you think about that young man just now?"

Kama, hooking her arm through Su Lun’s, showed a lack of interest with a playful tone, "Not particularly interested. After all... he is far from being as good as the teacher."

Su Lun shook his head with a smile.

Abbot on the side keenly knew what Su Lun was asking, "Teacher, do you suspect that those Outer God followers came for that man just now?"

Su Lun looked sharply, "Oh? How did you figure that out?"

Abbot replied, "The noble crest on his button is of a hereditary Duke, of which there are few in the entirety of Luying. Chances are his family holds a significant seat in the council. And since he is into tarot, he certainly wouldn’t miss out on those ’Twenty-two Secret Vault Tarot Cards.’ If I were the one setting the trap, wanting to get to him, this would be the best bait. Those cultists are on board with unclear motives, but so far, the most likely scenario is that they are targeting him."

At this point, he tilted his head thoughtfully and continued, "If I’m not wrong... it must be some political conflict. As for whether those people intend to kidnap or kill, that’s hard to say..."

Listening to this, Su Lun showed an extremely pleased expression and praised, "Abbot, your thinking is very clear."

Hearing the praise, Abbot beamed with happiness, "Thank you for the compliment, teacher."

At that moment, Kama stuck out her tongue as well.

She had just realized that her teacher had been inquiring about this matter, not about any gossip.

Su Lun had always brought the two along with him, so they knew everything about the "Giant Hermit Society."

But to be able to link the entire case through these few fragments of clues, Abbot’s keen observation and logical thinking skills were indeed extraordinary.

Moreover, most likely, the truth was as he had guessed.

Su Lun had also thought of this, which is why he had asked Mr. Hei.

Upon inquiring, he immediately conjectured the whole story behind the incident.

The "Alex" in question was a scion of a ducal family, and there was no second such family in Luying; once asked, it became clear.

It was none other than the young master of the Duke of Misty Mountain Roberts family, Alex Roberts.

This was no ordinary noble family, but one with significant real power in Luying, just like the ancient and powerful Lans family of Yekaterina, holding one of the five seats of the "Senior Councilors" in the council.

And more importantly!

The Roberts family was the biggest opposition to the "Divine Rights Freedom Proposal" suggested by the Bonaparte royal family!

Now there was a motive too.

With so many followers of the Giant Hermit Society on board, including the leading professor, and now this scion of an opposition councilor’s family, who could say it was a coincidence?