Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 588 - 587: Glimpsing the Face of Truth through the Eyes

Su Lun listened as he was declared the winner of the bravery challenge, his expression showing little change.

He had encountered the Cyclops's methods before, so when he heard that the challenge involved them, he knew victory was in his grasp.

After all, be it dragons or giants, there were hardly any opponents on his level anymore.

He withdrew the myriad stone gargoyles, and the giant Boda also walked out of that mire-like gravitational field.

Strong individuals are always respected, and after the victory, numerous Cyclopses also cast respectful glances at Su Lun.

Gagaer said to Su Lun, "Your strength has been recognized by our Cyclops clan, you may proceed to the village now. The Clan Leader will test you with the second challenge of 'Wisdom'. If you pass both the bravery and wisdom tests, you will earn the qualification to utilize the 'Spring of Mimir'."

As he spoke, a smile appeared on his face, dominated by that single eye, "As far as I know, you are the second human in ten thousand years to pass the bravery challenge."

Su Lun, hearing this, also responded with a polite gesture, "Thank you, Mr. Gagaer."

At the same time, he curiously asked, "May I inquire if anyone has completed the challenge before?"

Gagaer did not mind elaborating further, "A thousand years ago, a powerful alchemist came to the island. He completed the bravery challenge."

"An alchemist from a thousand years ago?"

Su Lun thought of something when he heard this timeline.

That era indeed had a very famous Big Shot.

He counter-asked, "Was it a... Fate Controller?"

Gagaer's sole large eye showed a hint of surprise, "Yes. It seems you have heard of that powerful individual. Oh~ of course, such a strong alchemist must also be a top-tier among your humans."

Su Lun, hearing this, knew exactly who he was referring to.

He just didn't expect that a thousand years ago the Alchemical Demigod Sir Isaac had also personally visited Giant Island.

He curiously asked, "Did that gentleman complete all the challenges?"

Gagaer: "Yes. He completed all the challenges and eventually went to the 'Spring of Mimir', gaining the ability about 'the future'."

"I see..."

Su Lun's expression became slightly enlightened.

But he was also somewhat puzzled.

He knew that Sir Isaac was a gifted individual with the designation S-003-Fate Controller, who inherently had the power of foresight.

But gaining 'the future' from the Spring, what was that about?

Su Lun wanted to inquire further to perhaps increase his certainty, so he tentatively asked, "Mr. Giant, isn't the 'Spring of Mimir' the Spring of Wisdom? Why does it grant the ability of 'the future'?"

"No, not exactly."

Gagaer shook his head, indicating that this was not entirely accurate.

After a pause, he explained, "The springwater contains all the 'Wisdom' of the world, which may not be the same as what people generally understand as wisdom. It does not directly grant you wisdom you lack, but enlightens what you already possess. Only if you understand something can you gain from the spring. Our giant clan has a proverb that goes: The size of your container decides how much water you can take."

"This..."

Su Lun listened as if he understood, initially wanting to probe further.

However, the elderly Cyclops seemed to see through his intentions, and smiling, he said, "I don't know much more either. You should hurry to the village. I have high hopes for you; perhaps you can pass the second test and see the secrets of the springwater yourself."

Since it was phrased like this, Su Lun felt it wasn't appropriate to ask more and replied, "Thank you for your teachings."

...

Su Lun didn't hurry directly to the giant village; instead, he turned back to rejoin his companions from the Dawn group.

Seeing Mr. Hei with a thoughtful expression, he asked, "Mr. Hei, what do you think?"

Mr. Hei's expression was as calm as ever, and he delivered his famous line, "Before the outcome is determined, each side probably has a fifty percent chance of winning."

Hearing this, Su Lun knew he didn't need to worry anymore.

Mr. Hei's insights were unmatched by anyone; if he confidently said fifty-fifty, it was certainly well-grounded.

Even if it meant not being able to take on a seventh-tier Cyclops like Boda from before, facing an ordinary giant of the same tier probably wouldn't be a problem.

Su Lun added no further reminders, "Alright. Then I'll head over first."

Mr. Hei gave a slight smile.

Everyone else also spoke up, "Mr. Su Lun, please be cautious."

The first trial had posed a risk to life; nobody could say for certain what the second trial would entail.

Su Lun nodded his head.

...

Su Lun walked unhurriedly into the giant village on the island, and soon, the sound of battle erupted again by the seashore.

Mr. Hei faced a seventh-tier Cyclops, and their battle was fiercely intense.

Su Lun caught a few glimpses from the corner of his eye, then no longer paid it much attention.

Mr. Hei, although he did not have an overwhelming puppet army or a killer move like Death God's Fire that could quickly resolve the battle, was as steady as ever.

The battle style of the giant tribe was the epitome of "overwhelming power," while he was the epitome of "using skill to overcome strength."

It was hard to say who would win or lose.

The advantage of Mr. Hei's style was that he could always wear down his opponents with the least energy consumption and the most accurate judgment.

This approach usually meant he could face much stronger opponents without being defeated.

But the disadvantage was that he had no room for error.

Any slight mistake would immediately determine the winner.

Meanwhile, the Cyclops had boundless stamina, far surpassing that of humans.

But Mr. Hei would not make a mistake, so a battle like this, from the start, was destined not to have a winner for a short time.

Su Lun walked toward the village, and on his way, the adult giants who were carrying stone slabs all stared at him with their eyes that occupied half their heads, seemingly curious about how this frail human had defeated the strongest of their young generation.

At the village entrance, Su Lun crossed the hundred-meter-high, damaged wall and asked the group of giants watching the battle, "Hello, Mr. Giant. Mr. Gargar directed me here. May I know where I can find the noble Clan Leader?"

The giants seemed pretty communicative; one of them pointed to the largest stone house in the village and said, "Over there."

"Thank you."

Su Lun nodded his head as a sign of acknowledgement and walked straight towards the house.

This castle-sized house was not closed, but he still stopped at the doorway and called out, "Clan Leader, I am Su Lun, here to undertake the second trial for the Spring of Wisdom."

A voice filled with age responded from inside the house, "Come in."

Su Lun complied and walked in, only then noticing an elderly giant with white hair, approximately thirty meters tall.

However, he did not appear robust like the other giants but frail like a reed, dressed in a brown hide outfit with a dragon tooth necklace around his neck.

Despite his frail appearance, his giant eye exuded an air of wisdom.

This was Morey, the Cyclops Clan Leader.

As Su Lun entered, his gaze swept through the entire house, which resembled a wizard's abode, adorned with various herbs and numerous pots and jars, all magnified a hundredfold.

To Su Lun's surprise, he saw Clan Leader Morey flipping through a book made of... stone?

This changed his impression of the Cyclops tribe; such a primitive civilization seemed to have a tradition of written scripts?

Due to the angle of his gaze, he couldn't make out what it was.

At that moment, Clan Leader Morey lowered his head and indicated a spot across from him, saying, "Welcome, young human. If you don't mind, come up to the table."

Without hesitation, Su Lun leapt up onto the massive stone table.

On the table was an oil lamp as tall as him, with the light from the burning oil slightly dim but carrying a faint, soothing fragrance.

From this angle, right across from the old giant, Su Lun also saw the stone book.

Calling it a book was a stretch; more accurately, it was a series of stone slabs engraved with strange characters.

Su Lun tried to decipher the text, but although it seemed visible, he couldn't memorize the content.

In that moment of confusion, he knew there was something unusual about these texts.

He quickly used the All-knowing Eye to examine it.

[Runi Rune Stone Slab]

Detailed Explanation: This is a special script containing the cosmic laws, inscribed by the ancient giant god tribe, recording high-level Earth Laws. You could consider it a replica of the original runes, harboring the secrets of the Earth Laws themselves.

"A replica of the original runes?"

Su Lun's heart trembled slightly.

No wonder they looked familiar.

He once obtained an [Imitated Original Rune] in the Giant Ruins of Cursed Valley, which was a material for his own fourth-stage advancement. That advancement had gradually unveiled the secrets of cosmic runes and had a crucial impact on his career path.

And here he was, seeing something similar again?

This was just one stone slab; the entire house was filled with hundreds and thousands of slabs, densely packed like a bookshelf.

Were all these imitated original runes?

Precious treasures indeed...

For someone who could understand them, all these stone slabs in the house were treasures!

No wonder the Cyclops had such a deep understanding of the Earth and Power Laws—it wasn't just their inherent talents from their bloodline inheritance but also these treasures.

The old giant sharply caught the fleeting change in Su Lun's expression and smiled, "Young friend, your understanding of runes is quite impressive. Most people only see some basic symbols when they look at runes."

Su Lun politely demurred, "You flatter me, senior."

The old giant didn't say much more, simply asking, "Are you ready to take on the 'Wisdom' challenge?"

Su Lun nodded, "Of course."

The giant paused, then added another reminder, "Then let me remind you once more, if you fail the challenge, you will lose all the wisdom you possess. Do you still dare to accept the challenge?"

Upon hearing this, Su Lun hesitated for a moment.

There was a cost to the challenge, he was not surprised.

It was like the previous battles, where insufficient strength could cost one their life.

But what did losing wisdom entail?

He asked cautiously, "Senior, may I first ask what the content of the trial is?"

The giant said, "The test of wisdom is merely a few questions."

The simpler it was, the more Su Lun felt there was a significant issue. He asked again, "Excuse me... what do you mean by 'losing wisdom' that you just mentioned?"

The giant answered patiently, "You will lose your understanding of this world. It will have no effect on your life, but you might have to start over in understanding this world, like... a newborn baby."

"..."

Su Lun furrowed his brows upon hearing this.

He had come all this way with difficulty and felt that he had just begun to unveil the veil of this mystic world, fully aware of the arduous process of gaining this understanding.

"Losing wisdom" seemed to mean starting all professional skills from scratch?

The stakes were not smaller than death itself.

To wager so much for the "Spring of Wisdom", an external object, was it worth it?

Having nothing once, he would not hesitate to risk his life.

But now, it seemed, having gained much, he hesitated.

A thought flashed through his mind.

Su Lun fell into deep thought.

A moment later, he nodded calmly, "Yes. I am prepared."

He knew that the challenge had begun the moment the questions were asked.

It tested not only wisdom but also courage.

Having known nothing once, he would have never risked his life for an external object.

But now... as a top alchemist of the realm, the chance to glimpse the truth was something he could not surrender, no matter what.

Moreover, when unable to decide, Su Lun would choose to trust his instincts.

Upon hearing this, the giant showed a kindly smile, "You answered more decisively than I expected."

Staking his fate on the challenge, Su Lun's expression was solemn, "Please enlighten me, senior."

The giant did not waste words; at this moment, he turned his body backward, his long, pole-like arm reaching out behind him to the bookshelf, flipping out a parchment bag and a stone tablet book.

He brought out the strap, placed it on the stand, then reached in and pulled out a dark fruit, asking, "The first question tests your erudition; do you know what this is?"

Su Lun looked at the item, maintaining his expression, but inside, he found it peculiar: wasn't this a giveaway question?

The identification displayed it was "a rotten Aphrodite's golden apple."

To the average person, this might only be something heard in fragments from books, and even if they saw the actual object, they might not recognize it.

But Su Lun had the All-knowing Eye, which made this no challenge at all.

The giant, hearing the correct answer, smiled and then procured a colorful stone.

Su Lun answered again, "This is a 'solar meteorite.'"

If it were merely identifying objects, he felt this test was being handed to him on a silver platter, given his talents.

However, after asking twice, the giant seemed to have realized something as well, laughing, "There were a few more questions. But since you have the 'Eye of Truth,' there's no need to continue asking."

"..."

Su Lun did not deny this.

He suspected that his "S-018 All-knowing Eye" was directly related to the mythological "Spring of Wisdom," and it was not surprising that the giant could see this.

The giant did not seem to think this broke the rules and still looked kindly as he flipped through the stone book, then said, "Now comes the true test of wisdom."

Su Lun looked on attentively.

The giant started, "It has three forms, gentle as caressing the skin, soft as embracing the sky, hard enough to split rocks. Please, what is it?"

As there was no time limit for answering, Su Lun took a good while to think, wracking his brain with all the knowledge he had. Then he cautiously answered, "Water."

He felt there was nothing wrong with his answer.

The giant did not clarify right or wrong and continued, "What can devour stones, level mountains, corrode metal, push apart clouds, and make the young grow old?"

After thinking it over, Su Lun answered again, "Time."

Thus, the two of them alternated between question and answer, continuing for several questions until the giant finally stopped and fell silent.

After no one spoke, Su Lun felt somewhat uneasy.

Had he answered the question correctly, or not?

Reflecting on his own answer, he felt that if not correct, it was at least not wrong.

Thinking it over, Su Lun decided to ask, "Senior, did I answer the question correctly just then?"

Unexpectedly, the old giant shook his head and said, "I do not know, because I am not an all-knowing deity, nor can I provide a precise answer. Your answer needs to be recognized by this 'Book of Trials.'

Su Lun listened, slightly surprised. Was there really no answer?

Seeing his puzzled expression, the old giant added, "The questions just now tested your understanding of the world, and were not meant to have a singular answer. If you look carefully, you will find there are definitely more than one thing in the world that fits the answer to the riddle. In fact, there are many... many..."

"..."

Su Lun felt puzzled; if there were no precise answers, how could one pass?

He vaguely felt that there was another layer of meaning to this test.

However, the next question proved difficult for him.

At this moment, the old giant spoke again, "This is the last question."

With that, he pointed to the oil lamp in front of him and asked, "What do you see?"

"..."

With furrowed brows, Su Lun saw "an ordinary whale oil lamp."

No matter how he looked at it, it was still an oil lamp.

Recalling what the old giant had said earlier, he immediately realized that this was not a question of perception, but one of philosophy.

He had already been given hints.

No, to be precise... those previous questions had subtly suggested directions for the answers.

The answer was not fixed; it depended on your understanding of the world.

What you see, what you understand, that is your answer.

No matter what the truth of the world is, the world in your eyes is what you believe to be real.

This was an open-ended question with no precise or singular answer!

The room was dim and unlit; only that one oil lamp illuminated the corner, helping him to see the items bathed in its light.

His eyes caught sight of stone scriptures, a table, people, shadows, wisps of blue smoke...

Seeing this, Su Lun fell into prolonged contemplation.

The old giant did not interrupt; he casually flipped through a stone book, seemingly in no rush to get an answer.

Su Lun understood the critical importance of the last question.

So, he too furrowed his brows in deep thought, numerous potential answers came to mind, but something seemed off about all of them.

This cautious approach, however, made his thoughts increasingly chaotic.

"No... the answer must be in what I've seen..."

Su Lun stripped away all emotion, his expression becoming cold and numb, as if the world he saw through his eyes also turned cold.

Seeing him like this, the old giant glanced sideways as if he had thought of something.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Su Lun.

Beyond the light, there is more darkness, and everything hidden in that darkness!

Because it hasn't been seen doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

It's just that one's own cognition hadn't perceived the presence of that darkness.

Finally, after a quarter of an hour of thinking, Su Lun spoke, "The truth lies behind the appearances."

The old giant looked over.

Su Lun continued, "We are originally living in darkness. In our quest for the truth, to see the world clearly, we lit candles, chasing after the light. But the more we fixate on light, the more we only see brightness, forgetting that we are still in darkness. As a result, we lose ourselves in the light…"

As he spoke, the old giant's expression gradually broke into a smile.

And miraculously, as if Su Lun's answer had been acknowledged by some mysterious cosmic force, the stone scripture suddenly burst into brilliant light.

Seeing this, the old giant smiled and said, "If you had not realized this point, even if the 'truth' were in front of you, you would not be able to see it."

After a pause, he solemnly added, "Congratulations, you have earned the qualification to glimpse the truth."

Listening to this, Su Lun was still emerging from his state of utmost calm contemplation, his expression neither happy nor sad.

But it seemed as though a thought in his heart had suddenly become clear.

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This "Test of Wisdom" was a test, but also a guide.

A guide to help one glimpse the true nature of reality!