Banks was the purest kind of "Alchemist."

He didn't like being a pirate, nor was he interested in wealth or political power. He only liked studying alchemy and biology, exploring the mysteries of life, and benefiting the entire human civilization.

Otherwise, with the technology he possessed, he would surely be a distinguished guest, enjoying endless riches and glory, whether in the two great empires or under any great nobleman.

Previously, Banks had expressed interest in "New Dawn City," but later, when Suren went to Mountain Hermit with the fleet, the matter was put on hold.

Now, he formally expressed his desire to join.

In other words, Dr. Banks was now "one of us."

Suren also thought it was a great thing, finally adding bricks and tiles to his senior sister's "New Dawn City," which was still a pie in the sky.

...

Refining potions took a long time, and Suren hadn't been out. So he simply opened a room next to room 206 of the "Shark Inn" and set up his own mechanical workshop.

Taking advantage of the time spent refining the potion, Suren, with the help of Dr. Banks, successfully analyzed the structure diagram of the mechanical octopus.

The mechanical octopus contained a high level of technology. "Neural technology" and "mechanical technology" were already cutting-edge technologies, and Grand Duke Raphael had also used disguises and misleading tactics to protect the technology.

Cracking it was definitely a top-level challenge.

If it were anyone else, even the best mechanic in the Mafa Empire, it would probably take years to analyze and crack it, even with a finished product.

But Suren and Dr. Banks happened to specialize in this field, and they smoothly analyzed the complete design drawings.

The advantage of having a finished product sample was that Suren didn't have to spend time and energy trying to test various data.

For example, material composition, mechanical structure, stability, energy, optimal state...

Everything was designed and tested for practical use.

Without the various experimental stages, mass production could be carried out directly according to the drawings.

However, Suren didn't have as many resources as Grand Duke Raphael, nor did he have large forging equipment and workshops.

He could only produce it in a "small workshop."

But he also had his own advantages. For example, the hand-drawn runes and plating were much more advanced than those obviously produced on assembly lines.

Moreover, because it was produced in small batches, Suren could also choose some rarer and more special materials to add some other practical functions to the mechanical octopus.

The performance of the finished mechanical octopus manufactured in this way could be greatly improved.

Suren's small goal was to get thirty to fifty of them first.

Only as a cluster did they have combat effectiveness.

...

Two days later, Suren walked out of the temporary laboratory in the hotel.

Dr. Banks had refined a batch of "aberration inhibitors" for his physical condition. These potions could at least ensure that he would not be distorted into a monster by demonic energy within the next year.

Suren also breathed a sigh of relief.

A year was enough time for him to do too many things.

He made a long shopping list for himself.

First of all, he needed to go to the seafood market to buy some live octopuses suitable for mechanical modification.

Then go to the black market to buy materials.

And by the way, find out some news.

...

Suren went to the alchemy black market at the bottom of the city, as he knew the way. It had also changed a lot since he had been there before.

In addition to the familiar pirate pawnshops, there were also some formal shops that looked "well-funded."

Judging from the names, they seemed to be large commercial firms from the Mafa Empire.

Suren went in and wandered around. The materials in these large shops were of good quality and low price, and the variety was complete. The key was that even if you weren't a local, you didn't have to worry about being ripped off.

Since the great politician Zolas d'Andres came, Pirate City had obviously moved towards regularization.

Moreover, there were several "armory shops" opened by these Mafa merchants, selling military products from Mafa!

Guns, mechanical arms, mechanical skeletons, assault boats, torpedoes, rocket launchers...

This was military-grade equipment that was decades more advanced than the average equipment level of the pirates before.

It was even comparable to the equipment of the Luying military.

Most importantly, the price was unbelievably cheap, truly a "factory direct price"!

When Suren saw this, he immediately realized the sinister intentions of the Mafa Empire.

Luying's rear was about to be in chaos.

In the past, in the North Sea, the Luying Navy could chase pirates everywhere. Pirates had almost no ability to confront them head-on. The equipment gap was too large, which was the most important reason.

Now that Mafa provided these North Sea pirates with a large amount of high-quality and cheap equipment, the combat effectiveness of the pirates would skyrocket. The radius of plunder would be greatly widened, and the number of plunder targets would also increase. They could even capture cities and territories, directly occupying some noble territories...

This would definitely give the Luying official navy a headache and even put them in an embarrassing situation of fighting on two fronts.

Moreover,

Even more incredible was...

Suren actually saw various job postings for military factories in the black market!

Although Pirate City was backward, it had multiplied for hundreds of years and had a large population. In addition to young and strong people who could go to sea as pirates, there were also a large number of old, weak, women, and children and ordinary people.

In the past, the people on the pirate ships completely relied on the heavens for food. They ate as much as they robbed. But now, they had directly entered an industrial society, completely utilizing the weak population that was once a "burden," bringing a sustainable development ecology to these people in the North Sea.

The significance of this move was extraordinary, and the impact was definitely far-reaching!

The "North Sea Kingdom" was not short of minerals, and its resources were extremely abundant. It was only because of its remote location and the control and restrictions of the Luying Empire that it was so poor and backward.

But now, this reform completely revitalized the entire North Sea.

With Mafa's technical and economic support, it was foreseeable that the economic strength and population of the entire North Sea would definitely usher in explosive growth in the next few years.

The "North Sea Kingdom" became stronger, and the Mafa Empire was too far away from the North Sea to have any negative impact. It could even continue to enjoy the dividends brought by the war.

But for Luying, this was definitely a hidden danger.

If it really developed in the future, the "North Sea Kingdom" might even form a three-legged situation with Luying and Mafa.

"That Zolas d'Andres is truly a talented statesman..."

Suren looked at the changes in the black market and could see it. He was filled with emotion.

Robbing and developing industry at the same time, wasn't this the same development path that the British Empire was taking?

It would be strange if this North Sea Kingdom didn't develop.

...

The advantage of the black market was that the goods were of good quality and low price. With the entry of Mafa's large commercial firms, the prices were much cheaper.

Suren wandered all the way through the black market and bought a lot of the alchemical materials he needed.

He also inquired about news about "Void materials," but no one knew the source. Oleg did a good job of keeping it secret in this regard.

However, some low-level Void materials appeared on the market.

Suren wasn't interested.

After wandering around, he took the cable car to the "Rainbow Conch Market" next to the city.

That was a flea market with many small vendors, where you could often find good things.

As soon as Suren got off the cable car, he heard lively shouts.

It was several times more lively than the last time he came, and the market was crowded with people.

"Whale oil, good whale oil, only five thousand leagues per barrel, come and buy..."

"Sunken ship treasures just salvaged from the sea, porcelain and cultural relics from the Atria Empire..."

"Hey, brother! Newly robbed young female slaves, twenty thousand each, want two..."

"Unopened cargo hold mystery boxes, interested bosses come and talk."

"..."

Suren wandered through the various stalls.

Not only were there more people in the market, but the things sold were also more diverse. The advanced technology brought by Mafa, and the pirates' ability to hunt for treasure and plunder had also greatly improved. There were also many good things.

The Eye of Omniscience was also watching all the way, and there were indeed many ancient things that were worth some money, but they were not very useful.

After looking all the way, Suren bought a few small things, but he didn't encounter anything that he was really interested in. Nor did he pick up a few research instruments from Old London like last time.

He wandered around and was about to leave, but he didn't expect to suddenly hear a not-too-loud shout from a corner: "The best nautical charts, cheap price..."

Suren didn't care at first. Those selling things in this market all bragged about their things being the "best."

Besides, the stall owner looked sneaky, like a "scalper" selling fake tickets.

But just a casual glance made Suren let out a light "huh" in his heart.

He was surprised to find that the parchment maps on the stall were drawn with unexpected exquisiteness.

The handwriting, scale, and ocean current markings were all very clear.

The quality was indeed the best hand-drawn version of the nautical chart he had ever seen!

"Could it be stolen?"

Suren guessed in his heart.

This kind of "craft" level nautical chart was expensive, even more rare than printed versions. It was usually a collectible in the hands of some great nobles.

Appearing in Pirate City, it could only be robbed.

And the stall owner, who was covering his face with a tattered cloak, looked young, like a professional thief that could be seen everywhere in Pirate City.

It was not strange that he occasionally came to pawn stolen goods.

"How are these nautical charts sold?"

Suren stopped and asked.

When the Dawn Fleet returned from Mountain Hermit, they took a detour. Because they were not familiar with that sea area, they encountered storms and reef areas and almost suffered a big loss.

If there was a more accurate nautical chart, it would bring more security to navigation.

Hearing that a customer was interested in the nautical charts, the stall owner looked expectant and quickly introduced them: "Which sea area do you want? The sea area near Hastrin is one thousand, the Southwest Devil Sea is three thousand five, the turbulent wind zone of the Berman Islands in the north is six thousand leagues, and there are also charts going to Luying... If you need some particularly detailed custom nautical charts, it may take some time, and the price will also vary depending on the level of detail. Oh, sir, although you may think the price may be slightly higher, I can guarantee that this is the best nautical chart on the market, and it will provide the most accurate navigation guarantee for your voyage!"

He was also hiding his face when he spoke, as if he was afraid of people seeing his appearance.

"So complete?"

Suren thought there were only a few charts. Only then did he realize that the stall owner had dozens of parchment rolls in the canvas bag he was carrying.

Opening a roll at random, they were all very high-quality hand-drawn nautical charts.

Looking at the handwriting, it could be seen that they were all from the same draftsman.

Moreover, what surprised Suren even more was that, judging from the stall owner's tone, it seemed that nautical charts could also be customized?

Was it not stolen?

"Calculate how much it costs in total, I want all of these."

Suren looked at a few carefully and immediately made a decision.

He himself had harvested a lot of nautical chart memories, so he could easily identify that these were indeed the most sophisticated nautical charts on the market, impeccable from both the drawing and professional perspective.

Nautical charts were an essential strategic material for a pirate group, and even a "family heirloom" for navigators. If used well, they could even affect the safety of the crew.

This would be of great use to their Dawn Fleet.

The more the better.

"You want them all?"

Hearing this, the stall owner looked a little surprised, but he quickly calculated it and said, "There are twenty-seven nautical charts here, the original price is one hundred and fifty-eight thousand three hundred leagues, you can just give me one hundred and fifty thousand."

His calculation ability is very good...

Suren glanced at him and sighed in his heart.

In the pirate world, where many people don't even know addition and subtraction, quoting a price in one go was already a remarkable ability.

Moreover, the price was indeed not expensive, at least relative to this quality, it was indeed very cheap.

He paid the money very readily and casually asked, "If possible, can I know the draftsman of these nautical charts? My ship needs such an excellent navigator."

It was originally a tentative question, but hearing this, the stall owner immediately became very cautious, like a snake whose tail had been stepped on. "Sorry, I picked up the nautical charts."

As he said that, he seemed to want to leave the market immediately.

Suren looked at his actions, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he was not surprised.

In the Luying Empire, apart from the royal cartographers, any private drawing of nautical charts was a serious crime, especially this kind of detailed nautical chart.

Even in Pirate City, Oleg probably didn't want to see the Luying military get their hands on precise nautical charts of the Hastrin area.

Private selling of precision nautical charts was a very dangerous act.

But Suren was even more certain that the person who drew the charts had a direct relationship with the stall owner in front of him. He didn't force it, and instead asked, "Oh, that's a pity. But if I want more nautical charts like this, how can I contact you?"

Hearing this, the stall owner stopped, obviously conflicted.

He wanted to make money, but he was afraid of exposing his identity.

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Um... post a reward at the guild, and I'll contact you if I see it."

"Oh, okay."

Suren watched his figure disappear into the crowd and didn't chase after him.

It seemed that this stall owner should be very short of money, otherwise he wouldn't risk selling nautical charts.

Moreover, in Suren's opinion, he probably wasn't the draftsman.

After all, a master-level cartographer was likely to be an excellent navigator.

If he was an excellent navigator, he would definitely not be short of money in Pirate City.

He would be a scarce talent that all major fleets would compete to recruit.

Suren felt that perhaps, as the stall owner said, the things were "picked up," or "copied"... the source was from some famous navigator.

Since he had a way to contact him, Suren planned to find a chance to contact him later.