Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 542 - 541: Scouring the Treasury

The battle over the skies of the capital Aike Lunsa had become incredibly fierce.

The silver dragon, bound by the Magical Rope "Grapnir the Entangler," was unable to break free. But being a pure-blooded giant dragon of the eighth order, it knew it could not escape its fate today, and fought with such ferocity that it was terrifying to behold.

Even those from the divine plane didn’t dare to be careless, hiding behind defensive barriers, casting ninth-order magic and forbidden spells of all kinds. The two sides engaged in a bombardment against the city’s nine magic towers.

Dragon Breath versus army magic, the raging energy exploded over the city like a boiling pot.

The violent shockwaves flattened buildings throughout the city in swaths, while rubble and avalanches from Mount Loki behind the city poured down like torrents, causing people to run about in panic, everywhere a scene of disaster.

When Su Lun teleported back into the city, he avoided the main battlefield and headed straight for the post station near the palace.

He hadn’t forgotten that he was ambushed here earlier, and that there was still the body of a young silver dragon.

When he arrived, the body was still unattended in the pit, so Su Lun casually picked it up and threw it into the biological research institute of his little void realm. As Dr. Banks would say, the genetic research of pure-blooded giant dragons is extremely valuable.

The post station had a clear view of the palace.

At this moment, the avalanche had covered a large part of the palace courtyard, and the fighting inside was also intense.

The guards loyal to the royal family were locked in fierce combat with the private soldiers of the nobles who had already sworn allegiance to the divine plane.

Su Lun had no interest in meddling in their fight, and directly teleported in the direction he planned.

The memories of the white-robed Mage Garcia Haydon, who had been stripped away earlier, happened to be clear about the location of the palace’s treasure vault.

After teleporting, Su Lun appeared in front of a wall with a magic gate.

Though the Silver Dragon Kingdom had only existed for a mere thousand years, the dragon-taming civilization of the Dragon Country Waters had been ongoing for tens of thousands of years. Of the nine great kingdoms, only three remained, holding the vast majority of treasures from this sea area.

Su Lun was also very curious about what was inside the treasury.

He pinched a sorcerer’s seal, and a spatial crack appeared before his eyes.

He bypassed the intricate prohibitions directly and entered the midst of the treasure vault.

Upon a glimpse, the thousands of square meters of the treasury were dazzling with gold and silver.

"Indeed, nobles everywhere are quite wealthy..."

Su Lun muttered to himself.

Despite the commoners’ lives in the Dragon Country still being stuck in a primitive state of agriculture, with very basic food, clothing, housing, and transportation, the Gracie royal family was exceedingly wealthy.

At the moment, various treasures were piled up like mountains in the treasury.

However, Su Lun was not interested in the ordinary gold and silver objects; he was more concerned about those things that looked particularly special.

After all, the Gracie royal family was a lineage of Dragon Knights. Upon entering, he saw a row of Dragon Knight heavy armors, maintained to a shine, along with dragon lances, two-handed greatswords, shields... and so on, a total of twenty to thirty sets of fine armor and weapon suites identified as "silver quality" or higher.

Knight heavy armor, even in Luying, was a top-tier luxury.

A good set of armor could elevate the combat power of a knight by several levels.

Moreover, since these armors were Dragon Knight armor, the enchantments and runes, specifically designed against draconic might and Dragon Breath, were even more precious.

It was when Su Lun saw this batch of armor that his gaze was immediately drawn to one particularly tall set of armor, identified as the "Gracie’s Dragon Rider Heavy Armor (Legendary)".

"The armor worn by Gracie the First?"

Looking at this legendary-quality armor, Su Lun was pleasantly surprised.

He hadn’t expected to find such a legendary treasure.

This was a full set of heavy armor, which looked to have very thick plating, with a noble pattern of thorny roses emblazoned on the chest—now the royal emblem of the Gracie family. Despite the passage of countless years, it still radiated a fierce aura.

This heavy armor had accompanied its owner through battles, soaked with dragon blood, the blood of powerful enemies, and the souls of innumerable unjustly slain. Even as an empty suit of armor, it evoked an impressive image of a majestic Dragon Knight wearing it, exuding a chilly and oppressive aura. Within the T-shaped slit of the helmet, there seemed to be a pair of ghostly eyes staring at the unfamiliar intruder who had breached the treasury.

"Eh... it has already developed sentience?"

Su Lun clearly felt the slight soul fluctuation within the armor and was surprised.

Just as the famed sword "Onimaru Kunitsuna" had spirit, so did this armor.

Su Lun had heard of such things but was seeing it for the first time, and he exclaimed with delight, "What a fine piece!"

He reached out to try, and though he managed to pick up the small round shield next to the armor, his right arm’s muscles bulged and twisted, making it very difficult for him.

It was as if it wasn’t designed for humans at all but for beings with the divine power of giants.

And this was just a shield.

One could imagine how terrifyingly heavy the complete suit of armor would be if worn.

Considering King Gracie the First of the Ancient Dragon Country had tamed a level eight silver dragon, he must have possessed level nine strength himself. Armor that could be worn by a level nine professional would surely have astonishing defensive capabilities.

While Su Lun now had the strength to wear it, it would be impractical for battle.

No wonder it was left in storage gathering dust; this Dragon Knight armor was not only frighteningly heavy but also selective of its wearer.

A general strength-based professional without level eight capabilities would almost certainly be unable to wear and fight in it.

Su Lun felt an artificial heaviness and knew the armor’s spirit was rejecting him, a Puppet Master.

However, this did not dampen the joy of his find.

The Dawn Brigade had now come to the Dragon Country for adventure, and they would inevitably have to fight against dragons and sub-dragons. This batch of armor was perfect for filling the gaps in the members’ high-end equipment needs.

Moreover, Barrett and his "Sacred Judgment Legion" brought along professionals of the strength class, especially suited for this heavy armor.

If the full armor wasn’t suitable, parts of it could be used; if level seven was insufficient, one could wait for level eight—the right time would always come...

Su Lun was pleased as he stored the armor away.

His gaze then moved elsewhere. The royal treasure was abundant.

Ordinary gold and silver treasures were piled in brass-studded chests on the floor, dozens of them varying in size. Along the wall stood rows of cabinets containing treasures of precious value.

Among them, Su Lun found some ancient documents and relics from the Ancient Dragon Country that he wanted.

There were also various ancient relics, weapons, magic gemstones, and the like...

But there was no time to look closely, so he quickly gathered them all.

To his surprise and delight, he found a box of Dragon Crystals in a sealed case.

The accumulated quantity over a millennium in the Silver Dragon Country was considerable. Naturally, those collected by the royalty were all level six or above Dragon Crystals. Although mostly from sub-dragons, these few hundred crystals were enough to create a large number of high-level puppet cores.

Just then, the noise of battle outside grew louder.

The violent shaking made the royal treasury feel as if an earthquake had occurred.

"Someone is trying to break the treasury door?"

Su Lun sensed the commotion and immediately guessed it must be the nobles’ private soldiers breaking through the palace. Otherwise, the royal family wouldn’t have triggered those traps to get into the treasury.

By now, most of the treasures in the treasury had been moved. Su Lun ignored the scattered gold coins on the floor that were not easy to pick up, and with another teleport, his figure had already left the treasury.

With a cunning thought, he imagined the surprise on the faces of the rebels when they broke in only to find an empty treasury.

...

The scenery changed around him, and Su Lun was back near the postal station.

Looking again, the rebels had already breached deep into the palace, and the battle was still fiercely severe.

Glancing upward, Su Lun saw the silver dragon still full of life, its battle against the magic battalion appearing to be nowhere near conclusion.

At that moment, Su Lun thought of something and teleported to the royal prison.

Now that most of the capital, Eklundsa, was reduced to ruins, this specially reinforced prison had suffered little damage.

Su Lun had come here with the intention of rescaring Bennett.

After all, the captain of the Miracle Legion had been captured and had not forgotten to send a message through his sister, making it a matter of both sentiment and principle to attempt a rescue.

At this time, the prison was also in turmoil.

With the battle raging so violently outside, the prisoners naturally sought opportunities to escape. Having killed the guards, they were fleeing in disarray.

The royal prison had a total of seven floors, five of them underground.

Su Lun knew Bennett was on the bottom floor with the most serious offenders and immediately teleported down.

The surroundings became dim, and the air was filled with the dampness and stench of dead rats.

The fifth level underground was a water prison, and it had the most rigorously enforced restrictions. Even if the levels above were in disarray, this place remained sealed.

As soon as Su Lun arrived, he saw Barrett and his few hundred subordinates of the Miracle Army in the sewage, looking disheveled and dirty.

Those people also saw him.

Barrett rubbed his eyes, as if both expecting and surprised, and exclaimed, "Mr. Su Lun!"

If he could see people, then it meant the message he sent for his sister had successfully gotten out.

But immediately afterward, he quickly asked, "What exactly happened outside?"

Su Lun casually swung his black scythe and unlocked the prison cell, succinctly explaining, "Garcia colluded with mages from the divine realm and rebelled, having become a devout follower of foreign gods. They planned and killed Princess Becky and the young dragon, and now they are besieging the protector god dragon..."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Barrett and the members of the Miracle Army showed a drastic change in expression.

They had not known the reason for their capture until now; upon hearing it, they instantly understood.

So the royal uncle Garcia was a devotee of the foreign gods!

One by one, they were filled with righteous indignation, ready to rush out and fight.

Su Lun let everyone out and added a reminder, "The palace has already been breached by the rebels. Outside, the magic army and the silver dragon are still in a fierce battle, and this dungeon is actually the safest place..."

In a battle of that scale, even seventh-order fighters would be cannon fodder.

Barrett clearly understood his meaning and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Su Lun. But as royal knights, it is our duty, and we must go out."

Hearing this, Su Lun nodded and said nothing further.

In any situation, loyalty is a rare quality.

He had not rushed to rescue them because he didn’t want them to get involved.

Now that he had rescued them, there was nothing more to say.

...

Watching the members of the Miracle Army rush out of the prison, Su Lun’s mind began to work again.

Now that the royal treasury had been emptied, he had left only some loose change for those devotees of the divine realm.

It was a small inconvenience for those fellows.

But, not significant.

Looking at the current situation, if there are no surprises, the death of the silver dragon seems to be a matter of time.

Then the entire Silver Dragon Country... no, even Pania and Acatistes, the two kings, would become divine nations under the divine realm, posing endless dangers.

Su Lun didn’t want to witness that scene.

He thought the best outcome would be for the silver dragon and those people from the divine realm to suffer mutual losses.

Thinking so, he teleported and summoned an "Earth Elemental Wax Figure."

Since the prison level was reinforced with elements, he teleported to a crack in the underground.

Then, using the wax figure to elementalize the mud and rocks, he moved through the earth.

Unable to confront the magic army head-on, Su Lun thought of using explosives.

After experiencing the terror of explosives with the city wall destruction, the enemy would surely be cautious.

With no chance above ground, Su Lun considered whether he could bury the explosives deeper underground, using a larger quantity to damage any one of the nine magic towers.

Just like that, he followed the wax figure deeper down.

He planned to go deep enough to avoid the mages’ sensory range, then circle back up.

Su Lun was incredibly cautious.

He descended several kilometers before slowly moving upward.

The Mechanics in the miniature void had already taken samples of the soil and rock layers, calculating the precise depth data and quantity of explosives needed for the blast...

According to his plan, installing explosives around seven hundred meters underground could also precisely demolish a magic tower.

Su Lun was thus led upwards by the elemental wax figures.

The dark underground with only the fluctuation of earth elements and without any light source gave a slight feeling of claustrophobia.

Everything seemed to have no issues.

Su Lun’s perception was also fully extended outward and he didn’t notice any signs of being discovered.

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But suddenly, an accident occurred.

The crow on his shoulder suddenly "cawed" loudly, warning of an impending lethal threat.

"Discovered!"

Su Lun’s expression changed dramatically, the sense of crisis came so swiftly, it made his hair stand on end.

Without any hesitation, he pinched his sorcerer’s seals and teleported to the surface.

It was just an instant when Su Lun sensed the elemental wax figure that he couldn’t recall in time had lost connection.

Appearing on the surface, he knew well that he had just skirted the edge of death.

That very instant, he had wanted to bring the wax figure with him but he clearly sensed that the spirits in the statues left behind had been "frozen."

Such a situation, Su Lun had only seen once before, which was petrification.

The petrified persons did not die immediately, their souls would be sealed within the stone statues.

That was the case with Tanni’s mother.

Clearly, a high-level gorgon had just made her move.

"Do those guys from the divine realm actually have a gorgon helping them?!"

Su Lun was also somewhat incredulous.

But after a careful thought, only a gorgon could achieve such a feat.

Gorgons are truly of demigod lineage, and one of their sources of Divine Blood is the "God of Earth"!

Their affinity and understanding for the earth element are extraordinary, and petrification curse is one of their methods.

Just now underground, that was their home field.

Although gorgons are seen as demonic creatures in human eyes, they, like dragons, are genuine demigod creatures. How could they possibly ally with humans?

Su Lun had no time to think further, for he had already closed his eyes.

Through the shared vision with the crow, the ground in the distance suddenly bulged, and then gradually took the form of a human.

The gorgon was pursuing!

A murderous intent prickled his back like needles, and the tingling sensation made Su Lun think that the gorgon was even stronger than the seventh-rank gorgon that Bartholomew had slain before!

Without any further hesitation, he teleported again.

Upon looking again, he had already appeared in the forest outside the city, dozens of kilometers away.

However, at this moment, the crow on his shoulder, having looked one extra time at the gorgon, started to visibly petrify from its eyes. In the blink of an eye, its glossy black feathers had turned to the gray of limestone.

It was just in the blink of an eye that the plump bird had completely turned into a stone bird.

No longer stable, it fell from Su Lun’s shoulder.

With a "clatter," it shattered into stones.

The black mist on the ground dispersed and then gathered again, and a completely intact crow came back to life.

Having narrowly avoided the gaze of death twice, Su Lun looked at the distant city with a furrowed brow, "This is going to be troublesome now..."

With a petrifying gorgon as a guard, finding any opportunity to cause damage seemed impossible now.