Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 364 - 363 I Alone Am The Legion

"That young man is actually nearby?"

On the deck, Captain Barrett frowned tightly upon hearing the communication link.

In his heart, he also silently thought it was somewhat fortuitous, just didn’t expect to encounter him at this time.

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From the communicator, came a voice in conversation.

"Captain Barrett, are you in the nearby waters?"

"Yes."

"It’s like this, didn’t we have a deal last time? The ’Hand of Silver’ you needed has been prepared, and I thought if it’s convenient, we could meet and you could try it."

"..."

On the battered deck of the warship, about a hundred members of the "Sacred Judgment Legion" all stared at the communicator, a special gleam emerging in their eyes.

This was the only time they had been contacted by an outsider in such a long time.

Barrett listened to the words coming from the communicator, yet his eyes showed contemplation.

If it weren’t for their current predicament, he really would want to meet.

The "New Dawn City" mentioned by the young man, he was also very interested in it.

These days drifting at sea, he truly had come to a realization. What royal knights, generational honors... they weren’t that important anymore. Once how much he hoped for military achievements to be ennobled, now it seemed, even somewhat laughable.

On the other hand, the "Freedom City" which aimed for human civilization’s advancement and for the study of alchemy, he had grown very interested. Though it was still just an "ideal state," if it really could be established, it seemed to be a good place to go.

Unfortunately, there was no chance now.

After not having spoken for a long time, Su Lun’s inquiry came from the other end of the communicator.

"What’s the matter, Captain Barrett, is there some inconvenience on your end?"

"..."

Hearing this, Barrett was just about to speak when his deputy suddenly interrupted, his face complex, saying, "Captain! We..."

He swallowed his words, but didn’t speak them.

Barrett turned his head to look at other members again, all of whom were also looking at him synchronously. Seemingly twinkling in their eyes were stars, the despair at its extreme, the last flicker of hope.

Barrett shook his head, knowing well what his brothers were thinking.

This was their only hope.

If they could get supplies, perhaps they could hold on a bit longer.

"Su Lun my friend, could you help deploy some supplies in the nearby waters?"

"Supplies? Have you run into trouble?"

"Yes."

"How much trouble?"

"Quite troublesome."

"Is it pirates, or people from Ruying?"

"Pirates."

"Which group? Is it Oleg’s people?"

"..."

From the other end of the communicator, came a series of inquiries.

The questions were very detailed, seemingly to confirm exactly who it was, before considering whether to provide supplies.

Barrett was just about to respond, when the deputy again interjected, "Captain! If we tell them our current real situation, they probably won’t dare to come. After all, in the North Sea, no one dares to offend Oleg’s fleet. Even if it’s just deploying supplies, being known could cause trouble, nobody dares..."

He knew that his own Captain Barrett was absolutely honest and would not lie, but right now if they did not get supplies, they simply could not hold on.

Moreover, now they had enemies all over the world, really having no allies, and nothing much

Barrett looked at everyone, lightly shook his head, clearly indicating that their situation was not worth dragging others into.

The soldiers looked at him and said no more.

Barrett picked up the communicator and truthfully said, "We’ve been pursued by Oleg’s ’Eighteenth Fleet’ and are in a very dangerous situation. Su Lun my friend, if it’s convenient, please deploy some potions and fresh water supplies in the sea. If it’s not convenient... then we’ll contact you later."

Upon hearing this, one could see the faces of all the soldiers of the "Sacred Judgment Legion" turn grim.

In their minds, since it was known it was the King of the North Sea’s forces chasing them, naturally nobody would dare to come.

This lone hope for supplies was also slipping through their fingers.

As expected, after Barrett said that, the other end of the communicator fell silent for a while.

It seemed they were frightened, with no response coming through.

...

Barrett sighed lightly, feeling nothing particular about it.

Seeking benefits and avoiding harm, it’s human nature.

Just as he was about to put down the communicator, suddenly, the other end spoke again, "Isn’t Oleg supposed to have only seventeen fleets? What’s this ’Eighteenth Fleet’ about? Could it be... you’ve encountered the ’Void Fleet’?"

Barrett was startled hearing this, as the other party didn’t mention anything about supplying, but instead inquired about these... irrelevant matters?

"You’ve heard of this fleet?"

"Yes. I’ve encountered a few before, and guessed a bit."

"Your information is surprisingly accurate."

"..."

Barrett’s expression turned slightly odd, why did it seem that the other’s tone, instead of being cautious of Oleg, contained a hint of anticipation?

Who exactly was this guy, knowing about the "Void Fleet"?

What did that expectant tone mean?

Could he have misheard?

Right at that moment, the communicator rang again, "That... what’s the highest rank on their side? How many ships, how many people in total?"

Barrett’s eye twitched sharply when he heard this.

He finally realized that he hadn’t misheard, but rather, the person across from him was truly expecting something, "What do you mean?"

Barrett responded, but a highly unlikely yet seemingly factual thought had already emerged in his mind: Could this guy be planning to target that Void fleet?

Could it be that "Dawn City" has become so powerful that it can ignore the North Sea fleet?

However, he had guessed correctly.

At this moment, the voice came through the communicator again, "What I mean is, if they aren’t above the seventh tier, I and my companions might be able to lend a small hand."

Hearing this, a dense anticipation shot through Barrett’s eyes, his voice trembling slightly with excitement, "You... which power do you belong to?"

He had met Su Lun before and knew the young man to be meticulous and steady. Since he had spoken, he must be quite confident!

The response came through, "Didn’t I tell you? New Dawn City. But we’ve just started organizing, calling it the ’Dawn Group.’"

Upon hearing this, not just Barrett, but all the soldiers aboard his ship showed expressions of shock.

Following the shock, they were overcome with the wild joy of having survived a close call.

After days of desperate escape, at last, they saw a glimmer of hope for survival!

...

On the other hand, aboard the Dawn.

Su Lun had gathered everyone on the deck.

The faces of the crew were filled with intense excitement and anticipation.

"Brothers, there’s work to do this time! There are three ships on their side, a total of twelve hundred people. One sixth-tier professional, seven fifth-tier. It’s time to see how many they can handle, and how many Barrett can hold off."

Su Lun explained the situation on the other side to everyone on the ship,

Although Barrett’s "Sacred Judgment Corps" had been pursued for several days, they had figured out the strength of their pursuers, especially the abilities and tactics of those high-tier professionals, almost clearly.

With this detailed information, Su Lun benefited tremendously.

Now that he knew the overall combat power of his adversaries, naturally... he could take them on.

The King of the North Sea and his men were already enemies, the crew was thrilled at the prospect of beating them.

After assigning tasks, everyone began to organize their equipment and ammunition.

Su Lun also released the mechanical octopuses into the sea.

In the last two days, using components from the spoils of war, he had made two more, now totaling fifty mechanical octopuses.

These mechanical monsters would destroy the enemy ships at the first opportunity.

Tanni was also very excited, perched atop the mast holding the "Demon Blade Zongzheng," accumulating Sword Qi.

For her, the most anticipated thing was clashing with a master.

Su Lun climbed up to the mast, landing beside Tanni, and spoke in detail, "Sister Tanni, be careful when the time comes. The deputy commander of the eighteenth fleet, ’Demon Hand’ Duo Luo Sai Er·Castillo, has fused with a high-tier dark gold Void-prosthesis, which can almost ignore elemental barriers and Protective True Qi of other professionals at the same tier, dealing actual damage to the body. He is a Fighter, but his weakness is that he can only fight in close combat. The troublesome part is his ability for Void Displacement..."

Even though he mentioned a sixth-tier, Tanni was not at all daunted. Her eyes brimmed with high fighting spirit, saying, "In that case, it indeed is a bit tricky. But my Sword Qi’s long-range attack capability is not weak; even if I may not beat him, at least I should be able to hold him off."

Su Lun nodded, "Yes, that would be best. Once I have destroyed their ships, I’ll come help you. I have a cursed item that can limit Spatial Displacement; we’ll give that guy a severe blow at the crucial moment! As long as we kill that sixth-tier, the other problems won’t be big. If they fall into the water, we’ll fight together."

Tanni’s face was full of eager fighting spirit, "Good!"

In the control room, Tanni was directing the sailors to maneuver the sails.

The sea breeze blew, the sails bulged, and the Dawn cut through the waves like an arrow released from its bow.

...

Meanwhile, on the "Sacred Judgment Corps" ship after the communication had been cut off.

Hearing that someone would come to support them, Barrett and his subordinates were also hopeful. They eagerly awaited on the deck, looking out over the endless sea.

The weather was very good today,

but they had not seen any ships for a long time.

After the excitement, they fell into contemplation.

"Captain, is that ’Su Lun’ reliable? Dare they really come?"

"Yeah, this North Sea, no one dares to offend the North Sea fleet... and even if willing, they might not have the strength."

"Yes. Those pirates are very strong and have mastered Void abilities; ordinary fleets simply can’t handle them. Unless a seventh-tier professional comes, we really can’t resolve our predicament."

"..."

The team members discussed amidst themselves,

most fearful that after having hope, they might not see hope realized.

What if the hope turned out to be in vain?

Barrett remained silent, he alone knew that the young man named "Su Lun" would never act recklessly.

Just as everyone was peering expectantly, suddenly, the lookout atop the mast shouted.

"They’re coming!"

"Captain, look quickly, there’s the shadow of a sail at the five o’clock direction!"

"Really? Where?"

"My god, they’ve really come!"

"..."

The crew members were immensely excited, each grabbing telescopes to look in that direction.

They indeed saw the sails, then a warship appeared.

It was a three-masted sailing ship.

Everyone’s eyes also showed wild joy. It seemed, they had indeed come!

But after waiting a moment more,

they could see clearly.

One ship?

"Only" one ship had come to support them?

"Only one ship?"

"This... Could there be a top-tier professional? It doesn’t look like it."

"..."

The people on the ship gazed at the lone warship appearing on the screen, full of confusion.

They said they were wary of offending Oleg, but he really came.

They claimed to be sincerely coming to the rescue, but there was only one ship?

The enemy had three top-tier sailing warships, and if a sea battle truly ensued, they had not the slightest advantage.

Even Captain Barrett furrowed his brow as he watched.

Large-scale naval battles often hinge on the number of ships and cannons; if they were to clash directly, they had already fallen into a severe disadvantage before the fight could even begin.

At that moment, someone exclaimed.

"Captain, there are two people coming over the sea!"

"That spider rig is quite peculiar, actually allowing for rapid movement across the sea."

"Anyone daring enough to come over must be a high-level fighter. Sensor officer, what’s the situation on your end?"

"Captain, it seems... their strongest is only level five, and the fluctuation from the other spider arm is only level four."

"..."

Hearing the report from the sensory professional, Captain Barrett and the crew were visibly astounded.

...

At the same time.

When Captain Barrett was able to spot Su Lun and his group, the scoundrels of the North Sea fleet noticed as well.

On the deck, the pirates looking at the three-masted sailboat showed no concern, just disdain and anger.

"Eh... Which group is this? Didn’t they see our North Sea Fleet flag?"

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"They aren’t flying a flag, probably frightened of us recognizing them. Looks like it’s support Barrett has found. Hmph, it doesn’t matter who it is, the person the North Sea Fleet wants to intercept, even the Ruying Emperor cannot save!"

"Blind fools, no need for pleasantries, if they dare come close, sink them directly."

"Yes, Captain!"

The group of pirates didn’t take the distant ship seriously at all.

Both in terms of cannons and ship strength, they were far behind!

...

Su Lun, moving swiftly across the sea with Qian Tiao, got close to the "Sacred Judgment Legion’s" ship and, seeing the battered warship, they also immediately understood the predicament of Captain Barrett and his men.

The deck was crowded with people, each casting suspicious glances at the two people over the sea.

From a distance, the battle-scarred Barrett called out, "Su Lun, my young friend, long time no see."

His voice boomed like a bell, echoing across the entire sea.

Regardless of the outcome, since he dared come in person, Barrett owed him this favor.

Listening to the greeting, Su Lun responded with a smile, "Long time no see, Captain Barrett!"

But he could also see through Barrett’s calm appearance to the fatigue he couldn’t completely hide.

As the two approached, they stepped lightly over the water and boarded the ship.

Su Lun climbed onto the deck, and Barrett approached to greet him.

Even in such a dire situation, the legion commander, whose face was as chiseled as if by axe and knife, wore a broad, open-hearted smile, saying, "Young friend Su Lun’s courage and wisdom impress me deeply! Your gesture is well noted by Barrett and all the soldiers of the ’Judgment Legion’!"

As he spoke, he immediately pulled out a storage ring, saying, "This is something from our last transaction. It would be even better, young friend Su Lun, if you brought some supplies."

"…"

Su Lun watched as Barrett handed the storage ring over directly, assuming it contained the "Living Silver" inside.

Barrett then pointed to the three pirate ships hanging not far away, saying, "The situation with these pirates I mentioned in the communicator previously is very tricky. They are targeting us specifically. We appreciate your gesture, Su Lun. Leave the supplies and then please make your departure quickly, to avoid any collateral damage."

Su Lun didn’t dawdle, accepting the storage ring handed over.

Barrett’s words were

this is his way of setting the threshold.

He probably thought that Su Lun came because he couldn’t let go of these divine materials.

By giving him the items first, he acknowledged the "favour" of taking such a risk boarding the ship.

If they didn’t have the power to assist, they could just as well leave then.

However, Su Lun showed no intention of leaving; instead, he said, "I have already prepared the ’Hand of Silver’ I promised you before. But it looks like it’s too late for transplantation now. Uh... what I mean is, Mr. Barrett, how much combat power do you have left?"

"Combat power?"

Barrett listened with an unchanged expression, but a hint of suspicion quickly flitted across his eyes. Why ask such a question at this crucial moment?

Nonetheless, he responded truthfully, "The loss of my arm has greatly affected my combat power; at most, I have only forty percent of my peak capabilities. However... if it comes to a desperate fight, I can still function like a common sixth-level professional."

Su Lun listened and nodded, "That’s good then."

Asking about combat power naturally meant that there was a fight coming. Barrett vaguely guessed something but could hardly believe it, asking, "What do you mean?"

"Hmm…"

Pausing for a moment, Su Lun said emotionlessly, "I plan to annihilate that group of pirates behind us."

His words were soft, but clear enough for everyone on the ship to hear.

Upon hearing this, it was like a thunderclap on a clear day, setting off a storm in the hearts of the "Sacred Legion."

Annihilate?

This choice of words...

Could I have heard it wrong?

This brought deep suspicion in everyone’s mind.

Captain Barrett glanced at the Dawn, being very cautious as he asked, "Did your Dawn team just bring top experts?"

Su Lun knew they had misunderstood and replied, "No, just us."

As he spoke, he introduced the person beside him, "This is the leader of our Dawn team, Ms. Ottilia Evelyn. My plan is for you and us to go first, hold off their high-end combat power. Then, we’ll annihilate them all."

Barrett gave a knight’s salute, "It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Ottilia."

It had been a long time since anyone had called her by her real name, and it felt awkward, but she also said, "Captain Barrett, it’s an honor to meet you as well."

Hearing that this "fifth order" swordsman was the leader, the nearby soldiers of the Sacred Judgment, though not showing any disrespect, couldn’t help but feel stunned internally.

Is this it?

If the leader is only fifth order, the team members must be even lower.

And they have only one ship.

With neither numerical nor ship advantage, how could they fight against those pirates?

Barrett looked at Su Lun, feeling as if he had misunderstood something, then asked again, "You mean, just ’us’ going to wipe out those pirates?"

"Yes."

Su Lun nodded his head, unsure how to explain further.

Both he and Ni Tanni’s combat power were not something ordinary people could understand, but no matter what, outsiders surely wouldn’t believe it.

Just as he was wondering how to start explaining, Ni Tanni suddenly rested her hand on the hilt of her sword.

In that instant, her aura burst forth. She hadn’t moved, yet it felt as if she had stepped out of hell itself, a vast Sword Intent sweeping across the entire deck.

With that display of authority, the tremendous force of her presence caused everyone to step back in unison, their faces changing color instantly. They were all struck dumb, unable to speak as they stared at Ni Tanni in shock.

Those who had awakened to Sword Intent were renowned experts wherever they went.

But a fifth order professional managing to awaken to Sword Intent? Unheard of!

The soldiers began to wonder, who exactly was this hitherto unknown swordsman? What divine power did she possess?

Barrett, whose perception was deepest, looked at Ni Tanni with sheer disbelief and admiration, "Your excellency has come from afar as a Sword Saint; I have been disrespectful!"

With that, he saluted again.

A salute of respect for a formidable fighter.

The sharp Sword Qi that had flashed momentarily, even he felt a strong, fatal threat.

Swordsmen were reputed as one of the professions with the strongest killing intent.

And among them, a Sword Saint was extremely rare.

This one... was very strong!

Ni Tanni just nodded.

On the side, Su Lun said, "So, my plan is, Captain Barrett, the three of us will go first to restrain them. Once I destroy their ship, we’ll go together. We need to resolve the battle as quickly as possible."

At that moment, Barrett finally believed that these two really came to rescue.

If there was a Sword Saint, indeed, they had the strength to fight.

However, were it to be a head-on clash, Barrett estimated, it might still end in a 20 to 80 situation?

Su Lun didn’t explain further, because just then, he noticed that the three ships behind had already turned their cannons, seemingly ready to fire.

He looked at Barrett and said, "That’s the plan. So, Mr. Barrett, are you willing to go first with us?"

Barrett hesitated only for a moment before saying boldly, "Alright!"

With that, his deputy and subordinates spoke up, "Captain!"

Just the three of them going, wasn’t it a suicide mission?

And sending the leader... this tactic, didn’t it seem like something an enemy spy would plan?

Barrett shook his head; he looked to Su Lun, his eyes full of resolve, "I trust in the strength of young Su Lun. Everyone, just follow his battle plan later and adapt to the situation!"

At this time, he had no other choice.

And indeed, his instincts also told him that the person before him was trustworthy.

Su Lun wasn’t surprised to hear this.

From the previous incident in the Cursed Valley, when Barrett had defied the empress’s orders to organize the intelligence people to break the seal, Su Lun knew this was a man he could work with.

Honest, brave, and trustworthy.

....

Su Lun didn’t say much more.

He, Ni Tanni, and Barrett jumped onto an assault boat.

Under the anxious gazes of the Sacred Judgment team on board, they headed straight towards the three approaching pirate ships.

The wind today was not small, causing the assault boat to bob and weave significantly on the sea.

Su Lun watched the pirate ships in the distance, silent.

Ni Tanni’s expression was also very calm.

Although Barrett appeared composed, the puzzlement in his heart grew stronger. Since boarding the ship, he had yet to understand where the confidence of these two people came from.

Finally, he couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, "Young friend Su Lun...that is, although I’m not questioning your tactics. But are we directly charging over just like this?"

Su Lun explained briefly, "Yes. I need to get close to those three ships to employ my tactics. At that point, we will be focused with fire, and my safety will depend on you two. But as long as we restrain Demon Hand, Duo Luo Sai Er·Castillo, the rest should be manageable."

Upon hearing this, Barrett’s eyelid twitched violently; so it wasn’t that he had misunderstood, the plan was indeed just this straightforward and brutal.

He pondered momentarily, then said, "So all we need to do is hold off that Duo Luo Sai Er? But they have over a thousand men. And those with Void capabilities are very troublesome. My men and your Dawn team clashing head-on with them... might lead to severe losses..."

Su Lun interrupted and corrected, "Not us, but you and Ni Tanni sister to hold him off. The rest... you can leave to me."

Dawn Team + Sacred Judgment Team = two teams?

No,

It’s three.

He, Su Lun, was an army by himself!