Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 522 521 Deep Sea Monster
Although there was intelligence that the Pirate Kings of both the Western Sea and the South Sea had set out for the Far Western Seas over half a month ago,
Su Lun was not too surprised by this news.
The "Cyclops Hanged Man" card had changed hands among many collectors, and the hidden intelligence within it may well have been deciphered by someone.
And since pirates make their living by the sea, they naturally have some wild sea charts that are even more extensive than those of the Royal Cartographic Society of Rueland. They are particularly fond of collecting treasure maps, and by piecing together all sorts of ancient treasure maps, it's not impossible for them to roughly figure out the area of Dragon Country.
Then there are divinations, prophecies, and the like...
If the deities from the Divine Plane really were determined to find the "Mimir's Spring" in the shattered Alchemy Plane, there are plenty of methods at their disposal.
But Su Lun and his group were not in a hurry to pursue.
In the hands of the Dawn Group, there was a "Black Sam's World Sea Map," and they were well aware that the route to their destination was no simple matter.
Moreover, with the Eternal Night's ultimate sailing speed being several times faster than an average sailboat, they could easily catch up, even if they set off late.
Having someone else clear the mines on that perilous route beforehand couldn't be better.
More importantly, there was a spy from the Dawn Group within the South Sea Fleet.
...
One day, as Su Lun was meditating in his cabin, the communicator suddenly rang out.
"Oh, Su Lun, you must be careful when you approach the Nightmare Sea Area. Not only are there chaotic storms there all year round, but the sea also hides super terrifying deep-sea monsters. My goodness, no one expected there to be so many; they were densely packed, the whole area was full of them... The South Sea Fleet suffered heavy casualties, with over seventy percent of their warships lost. If it weren't for a stroke of luck and the intervention of that eighth-tier Sacred Army, I'm afraid I would have been buried in sharks' bellies along with my ship last night..."
"Sacred Army? Are you sure that's what they're called?"
"Yeah, that's what the deputy fleet commander said. I didn't even know we had such a person in the fleet until we met that eighth-tier 'Overlord-class' Dragon Shark that was as big as a mountain. That guy took action and with one Thunderstrike Technique, boiled the sea water and wiped out the sea monster. The fleet probably couldn't have made it through this sea area without him."
"Senior Kidd, you be careful too. Those mages of the Sacred Army are very powerful and usually have some special abilities. Make sure you're not discovered."
"Oh, of course. My disguise isn't so easy to blow, but if you guys are going to follow, remember to be careful. I have already left markings along the way."
"Alright, you be careful too."
...
That's right, the spy from the Dawn Group was Kidd.
The entities from the Divine Plane, who knew that both the Cyclops Hanged Man Tarot card and the Mirrored Library were related to him, had been searching for him.
Now the black market was flooded with Bounty Orders for that guy, and Su Lun had originally told him to come and hide out with the group, but he just couldn't sit still.
The top members of the Thieves Guild are no longer just ordinary thieves but a group rich with adventurous and chivalrous spirits.
Now with the plane's invasion underway, they are actively moving around, collecting information on the invaders.
Ever since Kidd completed the "Ultimate Challenge" by stealing from the Rueland Royal Library's collection at Lington, his notoriety had skyrocketed.
With bounty hunters after him everywhere, he did the opposite and infiltrated the South Sea Fleet that had been conscripted by the Celestial Race.
Then he set sail with them.
It was just the right time to plant a spy for Dawn.
After ending the communication, Su Lun frowned and fell into deep thought.
The dangerousness of the route was expected.
What he hadn't anticipated was that among those treasure-seekers of the Western Sea, there would be an eighth-tier warrior from the Sacred Army—something not even found in the magic towers with portal to other planes.
"Now it seems that the deities of the Divine Plane are even more committed to the search for 'Mimir's Spring' than they are to the plane invasion..." Su Lun mused.
Although both Morlock Poppen, the "King of the Western Sea," and William Kidd, the "King of the South Sea," were eighth-tier professionals, and their fleets had many sixth-tier and seventh-tier experts,
The pirate groups that were once insurmountable, now posed little threat to Dawn.
As for numbers, they were even less significant to Su Lun.
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He was more concerned about the mages from the Divine Plane hidden within the fleet.
...
The combined pirate fleets of the Western and Southern Seas had set out more than half a month before the Dawn Group,
But Su Lun and his group possessed precise navigational maps and took many shortcuts. The former "Pirate King," Black Sam, had charted some unknown routes, which also allowed them to avoid unnecessary dangers.
The Eternal Night chased after them relentlessly, and the distance had shortened considerably.
By the time Kidd sent his communication, the Eternal Night was only three to five days' journey from the pirate fleets.
Two more days passed, and Su Lun suddenly opened his eyes from meditation.
Sounds of thunderclaps and intense waves reached his ears, faint and distant.
He stood up and left the cabin.
When he arrived on deck, people like Tanni, Barrett, and "Blood Duke" Wazworth, the group's seventh-tier forces, were already there.
Over the communicator, Tanni was commanding loudly, "Everyone, be careful. We're about to enter the 'Eternal Night Black Sea'! Sail Controllers, to your positions!"
In the distance lay a dark thundercloud.
This was the dangerous area marked on Black Sam's World Sea Map—the Eternal Night Black Sea.
Because this sea area is beset by dense thunderstorms all year round, sunlight is rarely seen, even during the day, giving the impression of an eternal night.
But this was the necessary route to the Dragon Country.
It was the exceedingly perilous sea area previously mentioned by Kidd that had led to the loss of sixty to seventy percent of the pirate fleets' warships.
Since they were sailing by following the markings left by Kidd, the sea surface was littered with broken planks and oak barrels, the remnants of pirate ships smashed just a few days ago. Occasionally, bloated and nibbled corpses could be seen floating in the water.
""
Looking at the fragments and corpses on the sea's surface, the expressions of everyone were very solemn.
Any path previously traveled is always a bit better.
The Dawn Group also chose to take the same sea route.
At least in terms of the ocean's food chain, there are only so many apex monsters in an area. The overlord-level Dragon Shark that nearly wiped out the South Sea Fleet had been killed, and by passing through this route, it was highly unlikely they would encounter another eighth-tier overlord-level deep-sea monster.
It wasn't long before the light around them started to dim rapidly.
The ship had sailed into that endless expanse of thunderclouds.
Lightning flickered in the sky, and large drops of rain pattered on the ship's hull like bullets, crackling noisily.
The waves surged violently, giving everyone on board a roller coaster ride, experiencing that extreme sensory stimulation of weightlessness.
Even though the "Eternal Night Emperor" had a ship's body of over three hundred meters, the largest sail warship of the time, on those giant waves, it was like a leaf on the water's surface, which could be overturned at any moment.
Everything in this dangerous sea area seemed so huge.
The storm clouds were very low and enormous, the waves were gigantic, and the monsters in the sea were especially huge!
The Eternal Night ship, with its lights ablaze, was like the only star lit up in the pitch-black ocean.
The human scent aboard the ship also attracted sea beasts from hundreds of miles around.
After sailing about a dozen nautical miles, Tanni, in the control room, spotted something and suddenly said, "Everyone, be cautious. The fish in the water told me that many big fellows are swimming toward us!"
Hearing this, the faces of Su Lun and his companions on the deck simultaneously showed uplifting fighting spirits.
They were mentally prepared and undaunted by the prospect of a tough battle.
...
The Pirate crews from the Western and Southern Seas suffered heavy losses in this sea area, nearly facing annihilation.
But that didn't mean the Dawn Group couldn't make it through.
With Tanni's ability to control waves and hear the voices of sea animals, as their Navigator, the ocean threats would be diminished by more than half.
As for combat, there were others.
Su Lun stood with a raven on his shoulder and a black scythe gleaming in his hand. He had already sensed those in the sea that were drawn by the scent and murmured, "There's a good number of them."
By his side, Qian had her hand on her waist, looking at the distant lightning, her eyes flashing coldly, "Tsk, tsk... we're going to improve our rations for the next few days."
Barrett was also stroking his silver arm, smiling indifferently, "Yeah. Other sea areas don't have such a dense population of deep-sea monsters."
"Blood Duke" Wozworth had already transformed into his demonic form, wings emerging on his back. The laughter of this old vampire was always bone-chilling, "Hee, hee, the blood of high-tier sea monsters is very nourishing. The more that come, the better—the old bones might even have a chance to advance to the eighth tier..."
For this long voyage, almost all the experts of the Dawn Group had come.
Upon discovering the sea monster attack, these high-end warriors had already released their imposing aura.
Despite the violent tossing of the ship, they stood firm on the deck as if their legs were welded to it, unmoving.
And what was even more eerie was that the raindrops, when hitting down, were kept away by an invisible barrier about a yard from their bodies.
The other members of the Dawn Group on the deck, witnessing this scene, felt a mysterious shock in their hearts and sudden courage.
They all clamored, ready for battle.
In the control room, Dora also had everything in sight.
After days of association, she had discovered that the Dawn Group was a team with an incredibly strong unity.
This was simply not something any ordinary Pirate crew could compare to.
Therefore, even though they were sailing into such an extremely dangerous sea area, she harbored an inexplicable confidence in her heart, as if all challenges would be effortlessly overcome.
On ordinary days, the Dawn Group also had the routine of hunting sea beasts for food, so they were not panicked in the slightest at the attack of the sea monsters.
Harpoons, steel rope nets, winch hooks... everything was ready.
The ship had recently been fitted with many steam-powered mechanical devices, so hunting large sea beasts was not a big cause for concern.
It didn't take long for the first wave of monsters to attack.
It was a group of sea crabs.
The lookout suddenly shouted, "Everyone, be careful, monsters are boarding the ship!"
Click, clack, click, clack...
It was a dense clicking sound, completely different from the raindrops.
Outside the hull, from the sea, a swarm of crabs started climbing up.
Each crab was several meters in size, one pincer alone larger than a human.
The Dawn Group's members instantly opted to attack upon discovery. At the ship's gunwale, they raised their guns and fired.
After testing their hardness, they found alchemy bullets could kill them, and the atmosphere lightened up.
"Oh, such big crabs! I've never eaten crabs this big in my entire life..."
"Hahaha... if these crabs were sold in the seafood market, one would sell for tens of thousands probably."
"Let those big crabs come up, otherwise if they fall into the sea, we'll lose the money for the bullets."
"..."
Even without Su Lun and the others getting involved, the members of the Dawn Group had no problem dealing with the situation.
Since the establishment of the planar gateway, advancement had become even easier. The Dawn Group wasn't short on resources or various cultivation manuals. As long as one was willing to put in the effort and had a bit of talent in Alchemy, they could advance to the fourth tier.
A group of people hoisted the crabs onto the deck and began to butcher them.
The crab bodies were directly slid into the storage room. After processing, they would become food for everyone in the future.
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High-ranking professionals have a very high daily consumption of food, and this type of high-quality protein is also a superb ingredient for strengthening the body.
Having killed a number of small fries, it wasn't long before someone bellowed, "Captain, a big one has appeared in the sea!"
Everyone suddenly felt the ship leaning heavily to one side, clearly indicating that a large creature had climbed aboard.
Before long, a hundred-meter-long giant blue crab brandished its massive claws and haughtily climbed onto the deck.
It was fortunate that the Eternal Night was large and sturdy enough, for if it had been an ordinary pirate ship, this crab would probably have been able to snap the hull into pieces with just a few squeezes of its claws.
Upon a glance, Su Lun identified some information about the creature and uttered a light exclamation, "Titan bloodline?"
[Titan Ironclad Crab King (Gold)]
Detailed Explanation: A fifth-tier Gold deep-sea behemoth with a trace of the Titan bloodline, granting it super-strong iron armor and strength.
A fifth-tier sea monster is not too great a threat.
By comparison, Su Lun was more curious as to why such a creature existed.
Before they arrived, they already knew that this area was teeming with giant sea monsters.
But why were the sea monsters in this area much larger than those around the Lu Ying seas?
Even Dr. Banks was intrigued enough to leave his lab from the small void world to come and collect samples for research, having heard about the dense population of super-sized creatures in these seas.
The All-knowing Eye allowed Su Lun to directly identify the bloodline origin, and he casually introduced a few details.
"The mythical Titans?"
Dr. Banks, who stood beside him, fell into deep thought for a moment and speculated, "An individual case is not enough to determine the cause of the ecosystem in this area. However, the 'Titan bloodline' does contain dominant genes that cause creatures to grow to a gigantic size. If other sea monsters in this area also have this bloodline, it's almost certain that descendants of high-purity blood Titans from an ancient epoch proliferated here, or perhaps fallen deities polluted the sea... I need to collect some samples; maybe I can extract the gene chain of the Titan bloodline to make a Bloodline Potion."
"Mm-hm," Su Lun responded thoughtfully.
Either way, it was certain that this sea area held some ancient secrets.
The Crab King had climbed onto the deck and was quite arrogant.
Even alchemy bullets hitting its blue armor only sparked and ricocheted off.
Moreover, its defenses and strength were not the only impressive features; it also spat out a form of acid bubbles that could corrode ordinary swords into rusted iron. The air was filled with a stinging acidic scent similar to ammonia.
Its massive size and mythological bloodline provided additional combat power, and this blue crab far surpassed the battle strength of a common sixth-tier Gold magical beast.
Lolo and a few members of the Dawn Group took on the blue crab. Their combat strength was decent, as Sword Qi managed to hack several cracks into the hard shell of the blue crab, but it was not lethal in a short time.
The giant crab's pair of large claws was still wreaking havoc on the ship.
To the side, Qian Tiao eyed the situation, flicked her thumb, and unsheathed her sword from her waist, saying, "We need to kill it. Otherwise, this big guy will damage the ship."
For dealing with heavily armored monsters, there was no one more suitable than her, a Sword Saint.
No sooner had her words fallen than a slash of Thunderous Sword Qi had already been unleashed.
Looking again, Qian Tiao had already returned the sword to its sheath.
Moments later, the blue crab was suddenly bisected, with blue blood spilling everywhere, most certainly dead beyond doubt.
The Sword Qi was controlled with extreme precision, killing only the blue crab without marking the deck.
At this sword move, everyone watched in astonishment and simultaneously uttered light exclamations.
Ever since Qian Tiao advanced to the seventh tier, aside from Mr. Jing, they had not seen her in action.
Su Lun's scalp tingled as he watched, and he exclaimed, "Impressive, Sister Qian Tiao."
Even 'Duke Blood', an old vampire like Huaz Was who had lived for several hundred years, was deeply moved.
Barrett made no secret of his admiration, "Captain Qian Tiao's Sword Qi is truly sharp. With that strike, I doubt anyone in the seventh tier could withstand it."
Far away, Lolo's eyes sparkled with stars, "Wow... Teacher is amazing!"
Qian Tiao shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, as if she had just casually executed that slash.
After that first strike, the momentum accumulating inside her seemed to grow stronger and stronger.
...
After Qian Tiao killed the Gold-tier blue crab king with one strike, the other lesser crabs scattered in a panic and disappeared into the sea without a trace.
The deck was left with the bodies of hundreds of crabs, which everyone eagerly collected.
The heavy rain quickly washed the deck, and the blood and fragments of flesh were washed clean.
Everyone relaxed for a while, but then they were on their guard again.
Because that was just the appetizer.
They had just entered the periphery of the "Eternal Night Black Sea," where the sea beasts were not too aggressive. The deeper they went, the bigger the monsters became, and the higher their tier.
And they had to navigate in this black sea for at least two days and two nights.
After the great blue crab, it wasn't long before they encountered another wave of large deep-sea behemoths every dozen or so nautical miles.
The members of the Dawn Group fought continuously along the way, and the battle hardly ever stopped.
Gradually, the frequency of encountering giant sea monsters increased, their sizes grew larger, and they became more and more difficult to handle.
After sailing for a day, they reached the central region of the black sea, where there were clusters of gigantic sea creatures. Even shrimp-sized fish had the combat power of first or second-tier professionals.
Silver, Gold, Lord-tier...
The sea here seemed bottomless, swarming with sea monsters.
Sometimes, they even encountered creatures that were kilometers long.
It was only because of Tanni, the Navigator, that they were able to avoid the trouble of being completely wiped out.
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He could sense those entities that made the waters "especially dangerous" from a great distance and navigate the sailboat to avoid them.
The Titan Lantern Fish, the Dragon Scale Ice Crocodile, the Flame Lance Shrimp, the Titan Triple-Headed Corrosive Black Eel, the Lightning Dragon Tail Ray...
Su Lun also discovered a pattern; any of the large creatures were likely to have either "Titan lineage" or "Dragon lineage."
Dr. Banks had collected a considerable number of biological samples.
Dragons are lustful by nature, fond of mating with various creatures. So, the presence of sea monsters with dragon blood over numerous years was within the realm of reason.
However, they were curious where the Titan lineage came from.
It seemed to be the reason why the creatures within these waters generally grew to immense sizes.
...
On the second day of entering the Black Sea, the members of the Dawn Group were already exhausted from the slaughter.
Even though this route was previously taken by the fleets of the Western and Southern Seas, their journey was anything but easy.
The high-ranking combatants took turns resting and fighting off the deep-sea giants, barely managing to keep themselves safe.
It was also fortunate that the Dawn Group had the best sailboat, the best navigator, an abundance of high warriors... and Su Lun, who was like a perpetual motion machine with the combat power of an entire legion, as well as the invincible Machine No. 19.
Given the Dawn Group's strong formation, it was not surprising that the two great pirate fleets had previously lost over 70% of their members.
Yet, with the risks came numerous gains.
The flesh of various huge deep-sea giants was stored, not just as food, but as extraordinary materials with exceptional properties.
These dragon descendants and titan descendants had incredibly vigorous life forces, far stronger than those of ordinary high-level magical beasts.
This was a rare nourishment, and Su Lun continued to use Blood Devour to consume these creatures, significantly boosting his physical strength and muscle mass once again.
This was the largest improvement he had experienced since the last disaster in Lindon.
And the "Blood Duke" Vazvas, along with his group of Vampires and their offspring, consumed their fill with satisfaction. The unique physiology of the Vampires enabled them to absorb elements from the blood of other creatures to strengthen themselves, and many showed signs of breakthroughs.
Occasionally, the stomachs of the sea monsters would contain various treasures, and even inside one giant fish that was a kilometer long, an ancient shipwreck was discovered...
In the end, the gains were directly proportional to the risks.
They had reaped enormous rewards for not perishing in the Black Sea.
....
Finally, on the morning of the third day, Su Lun and his companions saw sunlight beyond the clouds.
They had finally emerged from the Eternal Night Black Sea.
"Wow~ We've finally made it out!"
"We can finally rest a bit. Oh, the smell of sea monster blood on me is almost cured into my skin."
"Hahahaha..."
When sunlight once again fell upon the sailboat, the deck erupted with brilliant laughter.
The edge of the World Sea Map drawn by the Pirate King Black Sam also ended here.
After two days and nights of grueling battle, most of the crew were wearily leaning against various parts of the deck.
Exhausted as they were, their eyes still sparkled with excitement.
They had completed an adventure that most navigators could not achieve in a lifetime and entered a new body of waters—Dragon Country.
This was also the reason why Su Lun had not chosen to teleport directly here previously.
Adventure, gains, and the discovery of new sea routes were the most important aspects of sailing.
The crew members also needed such battles to blend together and to temper themselves through adversity...
Today the weather was clear, the sea calm, and visibility was high.
At the horizon, lush islands finally came into view.
Su Lun teleported into the sky, surveying all nearby islands from above.
After identifying the landmarks, he immediately confirmed that this was the edge marked by the Dragon Country Waters Map!
"It's really here!"
Su Lun rejoiced in his heart.
He landed on the deck and pointed out the location on the map to Tanni.
As a professional navigator, this was also Tanni's homeland.
This area was filled with enormous dragons, cyclops, and beings like Golems... making it a dangerously perilous region where even the Pirate King Black Sam had perished.
Su Lun did not dare to take any chances.
Rashly venturing deeper was not a wise option.
If possible, he wanted to find some clues first.
For instance, seeking out Tanni's people, the Naga tribe, might yield some helpful information.
Nevertheless, the pirate fleets from the Western and Southern Seas had arrived at Dragon Country Waters two to three days earlier.
Kidd was also keeping a close eye on the Dawn Group's movements.
Just as they had emerged not long ago, a new communication came in: "Oh, Su Lun, did you make it out safely? I've got a new situation here... I'm currently stationed on an island with the Southern Sea fleet. We've discovered an ancient ruin, and it seems someone has found a colorful, variegated well. There are five mages from the group who are holed up in the cabin, doing who knows what, like they're casting spells..."
Upon hearing this, Su Lun instantly recognized the setup and quickly responded, "Get out of there! Those guys are preparing to sacrifice you!"
On the other end of the communicator, Kidd let out a shriek: "What? Shit!"
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