Chapter 1 Super Mechanical Alchemist

Suren didn't yet know that a storm was brewing outside the auction house, nor what the "Super Mechanical Warrior" blueprint meant to the two great empires.

But he could guess that with so many big shots drawn here, this auction would be anything but simple.

The auction continued.

Everything up for auction was sure to be of the highest quality.

The items from Old Lingdun were all ancient relics, many of them unique and not found elsewhere.

Because many wealthy foreigners had come to the auction, the prices were driven up very high.

The arms dealers on the second floor, who had no shortage of money, were generous in their bids, often raising the price several times, making it impossible for the individual customers on the first floor to compete.

Most of the good treasures ended up in their hands.

…

Suren wasn't very interested in the colonial equipment materials; he wanted to wait for the slave auction in the middle.

He also prayed in his heart that nothing would go wrong.

But unexpectedly, before the slave auction even started, an arcane secret technique that greatly interested him appeared in the first half.

At this moment, a girl brought out a tray.

The auctioneer on the stage pointed to the blue scroll on the tray and introduced it: "The item being auctioned next is of great importance... I believe everyone has heard of the arcane secret techniques of the four divine servants of earth, wind, water, and fire... That's right! This scroll is the complete secret technique of [Wu Shi] of Fire, one of them! The starting price is one million gold crowns..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the bidders in the audience immediately began to whisper to each other.

Clearly, this secret technique was indeed the kind everyone knew about.

"The four divine servants' arcane secrets, rumored to be the ultimate fire control secret technique. Even the Imperial Capital Auction House doesn't necessarily have secret techniques of this grade for auction. This is rare."

"Isn't this the royal family's exclusive inheritance secret technique? I didn't expect this secret technique to be in the auction house... I'm really a little curious who the consignor of this batch of goods is. They have this kind of secret technique but don't hide it, and actually put it up for sale?"

"This batch of things is of great origin. Could it be that some great thief stole the royal treasure house? Hiss... this secret technique can be sold, but if people other than the royal family learn it, aren't they afraid of committing a crime?"

"I think it's more likely to be pirates. Only those unscrupulous robbers would dare to do this..."

"..."

Listening to these whispers around him, Suren's face also showed a slightly strange expression.

He knew that the [Wu Shi] secret technique was very powerful, but he hadn't felt it was particularly special before.

In Old Lingdun, there were many such ancient secret techniques, and almost every expert would have one or two trump cards.

Now, hearing what these people were saying, he realized that this kind of secret technique seemed to be very rare in the surface world.

Suren also had the thought of buying it.

Although he knew a part of the [Wu Shi] secret technique, it was, after all, a fragment stripped from a corpse.

People in Old Lingdun couldn't break through to the third rank, so no matter how powerful they were, they could only practice a portion of it.

It was roughly like a secret manual with ten levels, but they could only practice three of them.

And what Suren stripped was only a part of those three levels.

Now that the complete secret technique scroll had appeared, he naturally didn't want to let it go.

However... the price of the cultivation method was also ridiculously expensive.

The starting price was one million gold crowns?

But unexpectedly, for the rich, it wasn't just not high, it was low!

As soon as the starting price was announced, the wealthy customers on the second floor instantly raised the price to two million gold crowns.

…

Watching the price soar, Suren's eyelids twitched.

Sure enough, prices were regional.

The prices in Old Lingdun were very different from those in the outside world.

He thought he was quite rich. If he sold what he could sell, he'd probably have eight or ten billion Riso (not including secret techniques and books)...

Now, buying a secret technique would cost several hundred million?

The pace of the auction was very fast. At this time, the auctioneer was saying: "Good! The distinguished guest in Box No. 3 has bid two million three hundred thousand gold crowns. Is there anyone who can offer a higher price?"

Suren watched as no one raised the price, and he raised his paddle once, increasing the price to two million four hundred thousand.

He could always earn more money later, but if he missed this time, he didn't know where he could get a complete secret technique.

As for the "royal family's exclusive secret technique"...

This was originally an ancient secret technique obtained from archaeology. Just adding "royal inheritance" didn't mean others weren't allowed to practice it, right?

Suren didn't think so much because he already knew it.

This arcane secret technique was very special. From beginning to end, it was the arms dealers on the second floor who were raising the price.

This time, someone on the first floor made a bid, and an atmosphere of conspiracy shrouded the entire venue, and the entire auction house fell silent.

Very strangely, no one raised the price again, and Suren successfully bid for this scroll of secret technique.

At the same time, in Box No. 3, the middle-aged man in a suit smoking a cigar sneered.

He was naturally unhappy that someone had snatched his auction item.

It wasn't about the money; he just wanted to recover the secret technique that had been lost. It was fine if a few members of the royal family on the second floor were competing, but he didn't expect someone with no sense to make a bid?

The middle-aged man flicked his finger and flicked the cigar against the wall, causing sparks to fly. "Heh, not just anyone can learn the royal secret technique."

As soon as he said this, a burly bodyguard next to him immediately said, "Councilor, should I go take a look?"

The middle-aged man's anger flashed and disappeared, and he immediately realized something. His eyes turned, and he murmured, "Knowing it's the royal family's secret technique, and also knowing that I'm bidding, but still daring to spend so much money to buy it, this purpose is probably not simple... This time, we came for the blueprint. Could it be a trap set by a competitor?"

He thought for a moment before saying, "Well... find some local gangster to go and investigate the situation first, and don't involve us."

The bodyguard: "Yes, Councilor."

The middle-aged man was named Klay Fursher, the big boss of the "Cobra War Machine Company," one of the three major arms dealers in the Imperial Capital, and a member of parliament.

The centuries-long war with Mafa had brought huge profits to this group of arms dealers, and their intricate network of relationships had made them an indispensable part of the Lu Empire. They were truly powerful figures who could shake Old Lingdun with a stomp of their feet.

The super mechanical warrior technology in the hands of Grand Duke Raphael had actually been coveted by other lords and even the Bonaparte royal family for a long time. However, the lords had their own rights, and the grand duke was already a top noble, so no one dared to pay attention to this technology.

Now that there was this "unexpected" opportunity, they naturally wanted to take it down.

…

Suren went to the transaction room and exchanged some items before exchanging for the complete [Wu Shi] secret technique scroll.

The auction items weren't getting more and more expensive; there were ups and downs. The [Wu Shi] scroll was one of the most valuable items in the first half.

When Suren returned, he arrived just in time for the slave auction in the middle.

A batch of demihumans was sent to the auction stage, with two or thirty specimens in a large iron cage.

Their hands and feet were all in chains, and they also wore explosive collars around their necks.

The male demihumans were as strong as tigers and leopards, and the female ones had graceful figures and beautiful faces.

The low-quality, old, weak, and disabled ones had already been killed during the looting.

This was the normal merchandise of the auction.

As soon as this batch of slaves came out, the wealthy merchants in the audience who had been waiting to buy slaves also became noisy.

"Yo... full of wildness, much more interesting than those domesticated demihumans."

"Hehe, the quality is very high. If this batch of goods is all of the quality of these rabbit-race demihumans, they will definitely be a hit if they are well-trained and placed in a brothel, earning at least ten times the profit..."

"..."

Under the pointing fingers of the humans in the audience, the demihumans beat on the iron cages, making beast-like roars of unyielding.

Suren's eyes also fell on those demihumans, wanting to see which one Mr. Jing said might have a very special identity.

But they looked a bit face-blind, and those of the same race all seemed similar.

As soon as the starting price was announced, the price quickly began to rise.

The price of demihuman slaves was higher than that of humans. Usually, as long as the quality wasn't too bad, the wholesale unit price at the auction house was about 300,000 to 500,000 Riso/piece. That is to say, it would be reasonable for this batch of two hundred to sell for no more than one hundred million in total.

After all, demihumans still needed to be tamed, and the wilder they were, the harder they were to tame.

In the end, no one knew how many of the two hundred would survive.

Suren also raised his paddle twice, and the price quickly rose to more than eighty million.

Later, there were fewer people bidding.

But he didn't expect that Box No. 3 on the second floor would once again offer a price: "One hundred million!"

That guy directly pushed the price to a high level that normal merchants wouldn't dare to be interested in.

Suren watched and calmly raised his paddle again, "One hundred and ten million!"

If they were ordinary slaves, he really wouldn't be interested.

But he had promised to help Mr. Jing and save this batch of demihumans.

No matter how high the price, he had to buy them.

It would be even more troublesome if they were bought by someone else.

"One hundred and fifty million!"

"Two hundred million!"

"Two hundred and fifty million!"

Box No. 3 also raised the price many times, and Suren followed up each time.

Suren knew that the other party was probably testing his attitude and identity by bidding for the [Wu Shi] earlier.

But after all, they were just a batch of slaves, and no matter how high, they couldn't go much higher.

Suren later raised the price very high each time, giving the impression that he was deliberately inflating the price.

He knew very well that his assets were not enough in the eyes of such a big arms dealer.

The other party didn't care about this little money, but they definitely didn't want to be "suckers."

But Suren was determined to buy the batch of slaves. Only with a legitimate ownership certificate could he send those demihumans out to sea.

But in the eyes of others, this behavior was just him arguing with the person in Box No. 3.

The others were watching the show.

The bidding in Box No. 3 became more and more cautious.

They probably suspected that Suren was a shill specially hired by those pirates, so Box No. 3 became quiet.

In the end, he bought the batch of slaves for twice the market price.

…

Suren paid the money and left the auction house, without waiting for the last batch of auction items.

Although he guessed that the finale would be the [Super Mechanical Warrior Blueprint] and was very interested in getting a copy to study, looking at the situation, it was not something his financial resources could interfere with.

Moreover, the increasingly heavy atmosphere at the auction house also gave Suren a guess: The neuro-mechanical technology secretly researched by Grand Duke Raphael was probably top-notch even in the surface world.

Otherwise, it would definitely not have attracted so many big arms dealers and the ambassador of the Mafa Empire, a holy land of machinery, to bid.

He vaguely felt that no matter who got the blueprint, things would not be so simple.

Not long after, at Pier No. 7 in Cantarander Port.

This was an ordinary cargo port. Suren had previously bought a sea ship and stored enough fresh water and food.

Before long, the staff of the auction house drove a steam trailer and delivered several large iron cages covered with canvas to the pier.

The movers unloaded the cages and pulled open the canvas. The cages contained the two hundred demihumans he had bid for.

Suddenly seeing the light, those untamed demihumans revealed fierce gazes, glaring fiercely at the humans in front of them.

The killing intent and hatred were almost palpable.

If not for the chains and iron cages, these demihumans would probably tear the humans in front of them to pieces.

The staff member pointed to the number on the cage and said, "Sir, these are the goods you bid for."

Seeing that Suren was alone, he kindly reminded him, "Sir, would you like me to arrange for them to be moved onto the ship for you?"

Suren shook his head, "No need. Just give me the keys."

"Ah? Oh..."

The staff member was stunned for a moment, but didn't ask any more questions and handed over a string of keys.

These were the keys to unlock the slaves' chains and the explosive collars around their necks.

After the staff member walked away, Suren looked at the demihumans in the cages and asked, "Does anyone speak the common tongue?"

The demihumans completely ignored him.

"..."

Suren sighed helplessly and muttered in his heart: Mr. Jing clearly said that the druids in the Darr tribe should speak the common tongue.

He hoped he hadn't bought the wrong people.

Suren changed his approach and said something strange in a different language: "&a

Frank was slightly surprised, but a hint of contempt flashed in his eyes.

Someone from the streets, which meant he wasn't a nobleman.

His tone was no longer polite: "You have offended someone you shouldn't have. Someone is looking for trouble with you. Hand over your assets quickly, or else..."

As soon as Suren heard this, his thoughts became active.

He had only just arrived in this city, and he didn't have any old enemies.

He had thought that he was being pursued for the assassination of Viscount Primo, but it didn't seem to be the case.

Then was it the person in Box No. 3 at the auction house?

Suren thought of this, but he was still a little puzzled. Why would an arms dealer from the Imperial Capital with such a big reputation send a few gangsters?

Something didn't seem right.

But thinking that he wouldn't get any results by asking, Suren walked towards the man in front of him.

"Poison Fang" Frank watched Suren walk over and immediately became alert, shouting sharply: "Hey! Stop right there!"

Suren ignored his words and didn't care about the guns pointed at him, continuing to move forward.

Several Sea Serpent Gang members were pushed back by this momentum. They had originally come to probe, but they didn't expect the other party to not say anything and act like he was about to attack?

However, they were, after all, gangsters who were used to being overbearing. Who would dare to attack them in this territory?

Anyway, they had planned to capture him and question him, so this was exactly what they wanted!

Frank spun a beautiful knife flower with the green poison-coated dagger in his hand, but just as he flipped it up to attack, he saw a crystal-clear thread light up on the necks of the three lackeys beside him.

Frank didn't have time to warn his underlings and instinctively leaned back, dodging the fatal thread.

But the three people next to him didn't react at all, and jets of blood shot out of their necks as their heads fell to the ground.

Frank thought "not good" and knew that he had encountered a top expert.

Almost at the same time, there was a "bang" sound, and the sniper in the distance fired!

Frank thought it was a good opportunity. Even if this shot didn't kill the target, it would at least create an opportunity for him to attack.

As long as his poisonous dagger broke the skin, it wouldn't matter how strong he was!

However, what he didn't expect was that before the gunshot, this man very quickly tilted his head, and then he heard the sound of the bullet hitting the floor!

He had actually dodged the sniper rifle bullet so easily?

This shocked Frank beyond measure. At least none of the third-rank professionals he knew could do this!

And what was even more shocking was that Suren raised his hand and pulled out the pistol from his waist, firing two shots "bang, bang," returning one shot and firing the other at the lookout lackey.

In an instant, he heard a faint sound of being hit from the distant tower!

Blind shooting with a pistol?

Advanced firearms!

And... what kind of marksmanship was this!

Frank was horrified and instantly wanted to retreat.

He dodged the silk thread, but his feet weren't slow. He jumped, wanting to jump into the sea.

But Suren was faster!

With a "bang" sound, Suren burst forward more than ten meters in an instant, kicking the figure in the air with a side kick.

Frank's fighting skills weren't bad, and Suren would have had to spend some effort to take him down in close combat.

But he didn't want to waste any more time on the pier. As soon as the five puppets were pulled out, six against one, they turned the guy into a bloody sieve in the blink of an eye.

…

Suren killed the Sea Serpent Gang members in two encounters, not giving them a chance to send a signal at all.

Looking at the bodies on the ground, he curled his lips and muttered with a look of disgust: "Flashy... still spinning the knife flower while fighting?"

These superfluous actions could still be used to show off against opponents of the same level, but when encountering someone as ruthless as Suren, they were purely actions that would lead to death.

With this level of skill, as a gangster, the Sea Serpent Gang was too amateur compared to the Crimson Cross he had been in before.

Suren harvested the souls of several corpses, but didn't get any useful information. He guessed that the person who sent them was probably just testing him.

However, he wasn't too worried.

After all, he planned to leave by boat early tomorrow morning.

If he cleaned up the scene well, no one would be watching him.

"Calculating the time, the auction house should be over by now..."

Thinking of this, Suren vaguely felt that something was about to happen.

Suddenly!

A violent battle erupted on Oak Street in the distance!

Suren suddenly looked over, looking at the fire in the distance, and guessing from the sound of the steam boiler exploding: "Did those mechanical warriors start fighting with someone?"