Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 390 - 389: New Comrade, Sea Emperor Class Battleship

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The Crystal Palace was full of treasures, too many to salvage in a short time, and the members of the Dawn Group were somewhat weary after a series of tough battles, so they pitched tents by the lake to rest and recuperate.

There was no distinction between day and night in the Sea Ruins, and the glow from the alchemy lamps illuminated the tents scattered throughout the jungle, everyone bustling about busily.

With Kama, the attentive little apprentice, taking care of setting up the tents, Su Lun found it rather comforting.

The injury he sustained was "water poisoning" strengthened by Divine Power, indeed tricky, but, fortunately, with Dr. Banks’s help, he was recovering not too slowly.

By the time the treasures of the Crystal Palace had been completely salvaged, two days had passed.

It was then that the members of the Dawn Group broke camp and set out.

...

Through the dense jungle of Devil’s Island, the thousand-person troop stretched out very long.

Since the Sea King had been killed, those undead creatures in the Sea Ruins lost their leader and couldn’t gather in large numbers.

This posed not too great a threat to the Dawn Group.

Higher-order creatures usually have not insignificant intelligence, sensing that Dawn Group was not to be trifled with, few sought to cause trouble. However, occasionally, passing by swamps or riversides, they would disturb one or two hibernating high-level undead creatures, which were quite troublesome. But with the focused fire of the Dawn Group’s members, they could be handled without much risk, and the group proceeded with utmost caution.

Devil’s Island was vast, and it took the large force a full day to reach the sea.

This excursion yielded a huge amount of treasures, exciting everyone.

In the middle of the troop, Su Lun walked shoulder to shoulder with a thousand others, surrounded by Kama and a few other youths from the group.

Tanni, the kid, had been excited since last night because he had acquired a great treasure.

At this moment, he was showing off the new spell he had successfully mastered. He conjured a large water ball with his trident and excitedly boasted, "Lolota, Kama, look quick, I can now conjure the second-order mystic spell ’Water Elemental Imprisonment’!"

This spell was exceedingly complex, and even many of the established second-order professionals in the group found it difficult to grasp. It was truly astonishing.

Kama listened and just smiled without saying a word.

Lolota gave him a white glance and said in an ethereal voice, "It’s only because Mr. Su Lun gave you that treasure. Otherwise, you’d be a long way from conjuring this spell."

Tanni didn’t mind acknowledging this fact and showed off the trident in his hand, his pride nearly sending his behind skyward, and said, "Exactly! Mr. Su Lun’s ’Aegir’s Trident of the Sea God’ is a sealed artifact level treasure!"

While saying this, he also didn’t forget to shout a thank you to Su Lun, "Thanks, Mr. Su Lun."

Su Lun, hearing this, just smiled and nodded.

’Aegir’s Trident of the Sea God,’ a seal-level artifact capable of controlling waves and considered a treasure of the water series, was of no use to anyone in the group. Su Lun had given it to Tanni to practice controlling water elements and, at the same time, to see if he could awaken his innate ability to control the wind and waves.

Other members of the Dawn Group overheard and also revealed friendly smiles.

Giving away a sealed artifact so readily was unheard of in any other team, even the wealthy Ruying royal family. Although the Dawn Group had only been established for a short while, the atmosphere grew increasingly harmonious with each passing day.

Hearing Tanni boast like this, Lolota flicked her ponytail and harrumphed.

Due to her relationship with Qian Tiao, she was already very familiar with Su Lun and could be considered half a disciple of his.

Like her teacher, the lass had developed a rather carefree attitude. She immediately ran up to Su Lun’s side with a tone of grievance, "Mr. Su Lun, you’re playing favorites..."

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Su Lun couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the situation, where the insinuation was clear, and he could only respond, "Haha...next time if I get one, I will make sure to get a famous sword for Lolota too."

On hearing this, Lolota immediately perked up, "Wow~"

But before she could even get excited, she was hit on the head with the sheath of a sword.

She turned her face to Qiantiao next to Su Lun, looking aggrieved, and said with a pained expression, "Teacher, why did you hit me again~"

Qiantiao replied irritably, "All day long, not practicing swordsmanship seriously, just thinking about external objects. When your Sword Dao reaches a certain level, naturally you will encounter good swords. Otherwise, even if I gave you ’Zongzheng’, one of the ’Twelve Fine Craftsmen’s Famous Swords’, you wouldn’t be able to wield it."

"Oh."

Lolota, being chastised, lost her spirit and pouted, "I understand, Teacher."

At these words, the others laughed even more brilliantly.

...

Meanwhile, at the end of the group.

Barrett and the leader of the "Black Panther Corps," ’Red Nose’ Myles, were casually chatting.

Old friends meeting, they were full of nostalgia.

The major incident with the Judgement Corps caused an uproar throughout Ruying, and with an imperial command from the Empress herself, no one thought Barrett would survive.

It was as if they had already said their final farewells.

Moreover, if it hadn’t been for encountering the Dawn Corps this time, it’s likely that the Black Panther Corps would have faced total annihilation in this "Sea Ruin".

This meeting was not easy to come by.

The two friends, not having seen each other for a long time, still had endless topics to talk about since they met yesterday.

They also took everything in front of them into their view, watching and sharing a laugh.

Looking at the harmonious atmosphere of the Dawn Corps, Myles sighed with a mix of envy and emotion, "Your Dawn Corps really is a very special team. That young man is indeed extraordinary. However, I’m also curious why you, Barrett, with a temper that dares to throw your hat at an imperial marshal, would serve as a squad leader. If you had been willing to pick a side back then, you wouldn’t need to be leading troops in battles all the time. By now, you’d probably have been a ’Major General’ and wouldn’t have come across such an incident..."

This old friend was also puzzled, as aside from the Mafa Empire, it was hard to imagine any other force that could willingly enlist a general like Barrett.

"The Judgement Corps has become a thing of the past..."

Barrett shook his head with a bitter expression, as those old stories were no longer important.

Honor, military rank, social status—all had dissipated like smoke.

Having gone through this ordeal, he had come to understand far too many things.

His gaze fixed on the path ahead, he spoke with profound meaning, "Su Lun is a very courageous and insightful young man. The Dawn Corps is also quite exceptional, everyone is outstanding. In the future, they will certainly shine brightly."

Myles, listening, did not ask further but recalled the scene of yesterday’s battle in his mind, "I, too, am looking forward to it."

Talents in the Ruying Imperial Capital were numerous as carp crossing the river, but he had never seen such an extraordinary young man.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the combat ability of one individual; the entire Dawn Corps seemed to exude a vibrant and flourishing vigor.

With these thoughts, he let out another long sigh, "A decaying empire is like the setting sun, truly making it hard for one to see a sliver of hope. Now that you’ve told me, I only just found out how dire the situation in Luying has become. If not for the many things that still concern me, I would really wish to join you in welcoming the light of dawn..."

Barrett’s expression was also very complex, as he shook his head with a light chuckle.

At that moment, Myles seemed to think of something, sighed softly, and then said, "Ah. I wasn’t much help this time either. After hearing about the troubles with your Judgement Group, I ran a lot of connections in Lindon. Your old teachers and classmates from the War Academy also tried all kinds of methods, but to no avail. The Empress herself issued the orders, and no one dared to defy them."

Barrett shook his head, having grown indifferent to many things, "My old friend, you’ve already helped me a great deal."

Myles kept sighing, saying, "If you have a chance to return to Lindon, please visit your old teacher, General Rostov. He tried to vouch for your Judgement Group, to save your families, but was suppressed by opportunistic politicians in the Congress, and also suffered a lot of repercussions, relegated to staying at home."

Speaking of this, his tone suddenly became indignant, "Even such a loyal old general received such unfair treatment; the empire will sooner or later be gnawed to the core by those damned arms dealers and filthy maggots!"

Listening, Barrett’s expression darkened, "Mm."

...

The "Devil’s Island Treasure" attracted over one hundred thousand treasure hunters, and these past two days have seen a continuous stream of unsuspecting adventurers entering the Sea Ruins.

The sounds of battle were heard everywhere on Devil’s Island, and through the mist, one could occasionally see the flash of cannon fire on the distant islands.

The Dawn Group had personally tested it; the Sea Ruins were filled with countless undead monsters, but not all adventure groups possessed the strength of the Dawn Group.

The adventurers lured here by the treasure, were destined to suffer heavy casualties and death.

Su Lun and the others now planned to leave the Sea Ruins, but they had left some carved markings with inscriptions along the way on Devil’s Island. These inscriptions explained the truth about the treasure and also how to leave the Sea Ruins, it was their way of giving any surviving fortunate souls a chance at life.

Now, to leave, they needed a battleship.

Previously, two of the Dawn Group’s three warships had been destroyed. Upon reaching the shore, they found that the last one left was also badly damaged by monsters.

Clearly, that dilapidated ship was incapable of carrying them all away.

But now, they had a better option at their disposal.

Su Lun had also been keeping an eye on that imperial-class warship, the "Eternal Night Emperor".

During the initial cannon battle, Dr. Banks had left a mark on that black-sailed warship.

Now, Su Lun and the others made their way there and successfully found the legendary battleship quietly anchored in a cove.

Next to it were over a dozen ancient, tattered ghost ships.

Without the Sea King, the wars

hip was like a throne with no king, evidently proud yet somewhat desolate.

But this was good news for the Dawn Group.

The fewer ships there were meant the fewer endless undead monsters there would be.

Su Lun and the Dawn Group crew observed from the clifftop for a long time. The harbingers of death flew in cycles, while the Perception-based professionals exhausted all their methods, ensuring there weren’t too many high-tier undead monsters.

Only then did they decide to mount a full assault!

Soon, the battle commenced.

"Team One, intercept at the bay. Team Two, clear the other ghost ships. Team Three, come with me and clear out the monsters in the ’Eternal Night’s’ hold!"

"Everyone check your ammunition and prepare for battle!"

"..."

Under Barrett’s command, the members of the Dawn Group charged into the bay.

Perhaps because those undead monsters had dispersed to chase various adventure groups, there weren’t many monsters here—about ten to twenty thousand.

It was a bit troublesome, but not too much to handle.

With Su Lun’s dozens of mechanical octopuses appearing, the rickety ghost ships were utterly destroyed.

As the Dawn Group assembled and pushed forward in a military formation, Su Lun harvested "gray mist" all the way, preventing the monsters from reviving. Their momentum was unstoppable, like a sharp dagger plunging deeply into the monster horde.

The battle was orderly and proceeded without any unexpected incidents.

After Barrett and Qian Tiao took down a few high-ranking undead monsters, the battle completely entered its final stage.

The people of the Dawn Group successfully boarded the "Eternal Night Dawn."

....

What is the experience of boarding a "Sea King class" warship?

The ship, over three hundred meters in length, really resembled an aircraft carrier!

The expansive upper deck was so spacious that one could even drive quad bikes on it.

A cursory inspection revealed that the masts were permanently solidified with seventh-tier rune variants, the [Moises Sturdy Runes], designed specifically for the materials, truly bringing integration to the extreme. Additionally, the runes on the masts were not isolated but connected with the entire warship. This allowed its defense to be integrated; an attack on a mast meant the whole ship would absorb part of the energy impact.

The wood of the ship was [Gold Oak cursed by Demon Gods], a mythic material hard to come by.

Even the ropes onboard, determined to be woven from the whiskers of the magical creatures [Mountain Fish Cats], were so durable that they hadn’t decayed for hundreds of years. But the arm-thick ropes coiled on the deck were perhaps a few thousand meters long, the amount of whiskers used almost unimaginable.

And most astonishing was that the ship’s keel was not wooden but the actual skeleton of an ancient [Blue Dragon]!

Even the sails were not made from woven materials but from the skin of [Deep Sea Lantern Fish], possessing extreme toughness, pressure resistance, and corrosion resistance...

After boarding the ship, Su Lun, worried about hidden dangers, carefully inspected it from end to end.

It was this careful examination that left him increasingly astounded.

Every detail of the ship was used to perfection.

Though large, the ship was like an intricately carved piece of art, with details that showcased the wisdom of the legendary shipbuilding Grandmaster Moises.

This was a masterpiece of the highest artistry in sail warship building.

This was a ship that, even with blueprints, could not be replicated.

...

Scattered sounds of combat emerged from the cabins, where the members of the Dawn Group were clearing out the monsters lurking in the shadows.

This enormous warship had six decks, dividing into countless cabins with a structure as complex as tunnels.

Ammunition hold, cannon hold, storage room, watertight compartments, kitchen, ship’s energy hold...

An extra-large dining hall?

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Oh, that’s something unimaginable on any other sail battleship. I heard that only those super-large Qi warships of the Mafa Empire are luxuriously equipped like this.

Previously on Su Lun’s three "second-tier battleships," the crew had to fend for themselves during meals, finding a spot on the deck or squatting in some corner to eat.

"Hahaha...this time our Dawn Group has a fine ship indeed!"

"Oh, the number of barracks, enough for each of us to have one to ourselves! The sound insulation of the cabins is so good that I no longer have to listen to Sandru snoring loudly after a night."

"Haha, yes. This ship was probably built to accommodate 5000-10000 people. Even if we had several times more people, it could fit them all. My God, the legendary ’Sea King-class’ battleship, it’s really too extravagant!"

"..."

The crew was also excited.

A ship is akin to their second home, and having such a good ship improved everyone’s living environment dramatically.

Following the group members, Su Lun continued to clean downwards, determined to clean the "Eternal Night Emperor" spotless.

Because there were still many special chambers concealed by spells that limited perception.

As they cleaned, they encountered several centuries-old evil spirits formed from the resentment trapped on the ship. These things had to be cleared out, or they would surely create some "supernatural incidents" for the people aboard at night.

With Su Lun’s black umbrella out, he directly harvested them as fertilizer for the umbrella.

As they installed magic lamps along the way, these dark chambers that had been neglected for centuries were lit up for the first time.

Before long, they arrived at the cannon chamber, where the undead creatures had already been wiped out.

The crew was busy unloading spoils from the bodies and throwing the skeletal frames into the sea.

Owing to his ability to sense the layout of space, by the time Su Lun got here, he already had a clear understanding of the ship’s structural diagram in his mind.

The three-layer cannon chamber was interconnected, designed ingeniously.

It was amazing that, after so many years in the sea ruins, the powder in the ammunition sealed chamber was still very well-preserved!

This one chamber housed nearly sixty cast iron cannons, each weighing several tons, some even tens of tons.

Because those spirits had fired them two days ago, the chamber was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder.

Barrett knocked on the thick barrel with his hand, producing a series of dull thuds and muttered, "Yo, these hulks haven’t rusted at all, the foundry work is really good."

Barrett also looked at these ancient cannons and remarked with some emotion, "This M1817 cannon was the most advanced cannon there was two hundred years ago. There are still a few samples in the Ruying War Academy museum. These have the mark of the Luying military shipyard. In those days, except for the royal navy, it was impossible to get them through any other channel. I wonder how these pirates managed to get their hands on them..."

Thinking it was probably the doing of some greedy arms dealers, after all, the scenario of arms dealers dominating the council had persisted for centuries.

Barrett just shook his head.

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Pausing for a moment, he added, "These cannons were made big and long to achieve range, taking up a lot of space. Back then in naval battles, having several hundred cannons was invincible. But now, even a random cannon bought on the market can match the power of these cannons. They are smaller and more convenient."

Listening, Su Lun also smiled, thinking of many possibilities for retrofitting and said, "Yes. With the current number of two hundred cannons on one side, we could crush any sail battleship in a cannon battle. If we switched to modern cannons, we could have several times the number, given the same weight. Hmm... We could also add some shipborne rapid-fire cannons, anti-ship missile launchers. We could even add steam mechanical boilers to provide some extra power when necessary."

The exaggerated displacement of the "Eternal Night Emperor" could support much heavier equipment.

With the technology that had come about in the past two hundred years, Su Lun, being a mechanic himself, thought of countless possibilities for retrofitting.

But the problem was, where were they going to find so many advanced cannons and retrofit equipment?

The best shipborne cannons were with the Luying military.

One or two might be found on the black market, but to equip them in bulk...

They’d have to plunder the North Sea Fleet, these pirates!

Oh no!

There was also Duke Raphael!

Su Lun had once witnessed Duke Raphael’s colossal steel battleship, and the Duke had secretly developed many fine things under his command.

As the topic reached this point, Su Lun and the adjacent Barrett exchanged glances, and in each other’s eyes, they saw the significant smiles emerge.

They were pirates now.

Building your own takes too long, when robbery is quicker.

....

Before long, Su Lun and the others continued their cleanup all the way on

this "Eternal Night Emperor," which was the pirate ship of the Pirate Emperor Francis Drake back in the day, and they also found some valuable antiques on board.

But after all, the Dawn Group had just come out of the Crystal Palace, and everyone had been numbed by treasure and such. After a quick inventory, there was nothing particularly exciting.

"Everyone, clean up the cabins. From now on, this will be our Dawn Group’s battleship!"

"Okay! Brothers, let’s get moving..."

"..."

Apart from the structure of the ship itself, almost all of the accompanying items had decayed.

This would be the new home for the Dawn Group, and the crew got started on the cleaning enthusiastically.

All ship functions were intact, and the shipwrights and mechanics began their patching and maintenance to ready the ship for long voyages.

After cleaning up the creatures, Su Lun and the others were about to head up.

But just then, a voice echoed from the hold. It was Tanni’s voice, "Mr. Su Lun, could you come to the cockpit? There’s been a slight... issue."

Su Lun looked up to see that the voice was coming through the intricate brass tubes in the walls.

Two hundred years ago, there were no mechanical communicators, but such a large ship still needed prompt communication. So the captain’s chamber and cockpit were connected to all the important cabins by "communication tubes."

Shouting into these tubes could send the voice to specific places.

Tanni had probably figured out how these antiques worked. Having communicators was useless, and he was testing them out for fun.

...

Su Lun made his way up and soon arrived at the spacious cockpit.

As the chief navigator of the Dawn Group, Tanni naturally made this place his domain, staying here upon boarding the ship.

But now, looking at his worried and frowning expression, it seemed like he had encountered some trouble.

As soon as Su Lun entered, he asked, "What’s wrong?"

Tanni pointed to the ancient steering wheel marked with the sign of the years and said somewhat speechlessly, "Although I feel I shouldn’t say this, it seems like it’s ’haunted’... Just now, I clearly didn’t touch it, but the wheel moved on its own. I checked, and there’s nothing wrong with the structure, just that the gears and bearings need oiling."

Haunted?

Su Lun raised his eyebrows and retorted, "The steering wheel moved by itself?"

Lorota, standing beside him, also expressed her confusion, "Yes. Mr. Su Lun, I saw it too."

Kama added, "Teacher, I saw it too. But I didn’t detect any trace of a ghost."

Tanni shrugged his shoulders to show he wasn’t making things up and then twisted his head to describe the odd feeling in his heart, "Moreover, I feel... like this ship is different from others. It seems like it doesn’t quite enjoy being controlled by someone."

For materialist alchemists, supernatural incidents were almost always regarded as special phenomena caused by the overflow of abnormal energies.

But hearing the three of them say this, Su Lun began to take the matter seriously.

Using the All-knowing Eye to evaluate the situation revealed nothing special; the cockpit was full of antiques, a few alchemical devices, but nothing out of the ordinary.

About to discover something, Su Lun took out his black umbrella and held it in his hand, his senses immediately becoming much sharper.

Suddenly, he detected faint soul waves and immediately realized what was going on with the ghostly phenomenon, murmuring to himself, "A ship’s spirit?"

Listening to this, Tanni, who was clearly familiar with the term, exclaimed with shock, "The legendary ’ship’s spirit’?"

"Hmm."

Su Lun nodded his head.

It was said that some seafaring ships that drifted at sea for a long time would gradually develop their own spirit due to certain special circumstances.

Many of the legends about "cursed ships" and "ghost ships" were in fact about sea vessels that harbored malevolent ship spirits which would harm those who came aboard.

But there were also benign ones, where the ship spirits could automatically repair the ship, navigate, avoid danger, find the wind, and guide the correct course...

In Su Lun’s understanding, it was like a form of intelligent driving.

It could provide significant help to the adventure group in seafaring battles.

He had been reminded when he first identified the "Eternal Night Emperor" that ’it had already nurtured a powerful ship’s spirit,’ but after sweeping through the ship, he hadn’t found it anywhere.

So it was here.

Thinking this, Su Lun walked over and placed his hand on the steering wheel handle.

Indeed, at that moment, he felt a faint spiritual body fluctuation.

Different from the soul fire of humans or other creatures, that fluctuation was very faint.

But it was special.

Like a young child whose intelligence is just awakening.

The "ship’s spirit," probably encountering humans for the first time, was frightened by Su Lun’s perception, causing the steering wheel to turn nervously.

Watching this eerie scene, Kama and the others covered their mouths in shock, "That’s it, it’s happening again!"

But Su Lun just smiled.

He touched the steering wheel and reached out with his soul, introducing himself, "My name is Su Lun, and we are the ’Dawn Group.’ We will surely become the greatest adventure group on these vast seas!"

Pausing, he then asked very earnestly, "Would you like to be our partner?"

Hearing Su Lun say this, Kama and the others looked at him with strange glances: Was he conversing with the ship?

As soon as these words came out, a dead silence fell over the cabin.

It seemed there was no response.

Su Lun pondered for a moment, then something occurred to him, and a domineering aura burst from his eyes, while a menacing Grim Reaper phantom rose behind him. He exuded an oppressive aura, as if the Grim Reaper had descended, instantly sweeping across the entire cockpit.

This tyrannical air made Kama and the others in the cabin turn pale.

Meanwhile, the "ship’s spirit" felt it too.

Treasures have spirits, and only the strong are worthy of such top-tier warships!

The newly awakened intelligence of the "ship’s spirit" also perceived Su Lun’s intent and responded with a thought.

Though it couldn’t converse like humans, the idea was clear: "I’m willing..."

Seeing this, the corners of Su Lun’s mouth lifted in a smile, "From now on, you are our partner!"

With that, the whole ship seemed to rejoice, the steering wheel turning cheerfully, and the entire vessel began to shake slightly.

Like a dancing and exuberant child.

Tanni and the others beheld this divine scene, expressions of surprise and excitement spreading across their faces, as if a joyful atmosphere had infected them.

Meanwhile, on deck, the crew of the Dawn Group, still clueless, wondered what had gone wrong.

Through the brass communication pipe in the cockpit, Su Lun called out loudly, "Welcome our new Dawn Group member, the ’Eternal Night Emperor’!"

At this declaration, some immediately understood what had just happened.

"The ship’s spirit! That was the ship’s spirit controlling the ship!"

"My God, our battleship has a ship’s spirit!"

"Hahaha, welcome to the Dawn Group..."

"..."

In an instant, the cabin erupted with enthusiastic cheers and roars.