Chapter 1 The Rescue

Suren returned to the deck of the Eternal Night Emperor, where the Dawnbreaker members excitedly gathered around him.

The rescue operation in Moros City required a commando team to minimize the risks, so the Dawnbreaker members who weren't participating felt very disappointed.

However, they had observed some of the fighting in the city through high-powered telescopes.

In particular, the absurdly exaggerated movements of the White Day Meteor had piqued everyone's curiosity.

Suren released the participating members from the Small Void Realm.

Seeing that the participants were more or less injured, but everyone had returned, including Mr. Kay, it was clear this was a resounding rescue victory.

The Dawnbreaker members' worries vanished, and their faces beamed with excitement.

"Mr. Kay has been rescued too! Wow, the rescue plan was a success!"

"Teacher, Teacher, tell us what happened! I saw a meteor fall just now... It was too exaggerated, can someone actually summon a meteor?"

"Haha, it must have been Mr. Suren who summoned it, because he always brings miracles!"

"..."

Tani, Lolota, and a few other youngsters chirped, asking all sorts of questions.

"Blood Duke" Moore Wordsworth and the other old vampires were too high in seniority, and they naturally had no interest in boasting about their combat experiences to the younger generation.

Barrett was also calm and taciturn. As the combat commander, the youngsters were somewhat afraid of him. Moreover, in the previous battle, he had been the vanguard tank, drawing aggro and taking the brunt of the enemy's attacks, resulting in significant injuries. He had just returned, and the Dawnbreaker's doctors were already treating his wounds.

Lolota and the others could only surround Chihiro, who was the easiest to talk to, expressing concern and curiosity: "Teacher, are you alright? Did you encounter any powerful enemies in the battle just now?"

Chihiro was naturally fine, and her injuries weren't serious. She tapped her disciple's head, seeing through their thoughts, "You guys want to ask about the meteor, right?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Suren meaningfully and said, "The meteor is naturally related to your Mr. Suren. He was a one-man army in the battle just now. If there were newspapers, you would know how impressive he was tomorrow."

At these words, the other involved parties also looked over, their gazes slightly complicated.

Suren was the lowest-ranked among those who participated in the rescue mission. But everyone had to admit that his performance was indeed the most eye-catching.

No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he turned the tide.

Hearing Chihiro's words, Barrett, who was shirtless and being bandaged, smiled and said with emotion, "Haha... Suren must have inflicted tens of thousands of casualties on the enemy, right? Tsk tsk, even if I exhausted myself, I definitely wouldn't be able to do that. That puppet legion, its combat power is really too exaggerated."

"Indeed."

"Blood Duke" Wordsworth also rarely spoke, and a deep sense of recognition appeared in his turbid eyes that had experienced the vicissitudes of time.

He interjected, "Suren's combat power is indeed extraordinary. Hundreds of years ago, puppet grandmasters of this caliber were also very rare. Without the puppet legion, this battle would definitely not have been so smooth."

Tens of thousands of casualties?!

Heavens.

What an exaggerated number!

Their Dawnbreaker only had one or two thousand people right now.

In other words, Suren alone had wiped out dozens of pirate squadrons?

Hearing the words of the group's leaders, an unparalleled radiant excitement immediately appeared on the faces of the youngsters.

"Mr. Suren, did you summon the meteor?"

"You wiped out tens of thousands of enemies? Heavens, Teacher, you're too amazing!"

"..."

Suren couldn't help but laugh as he listened to Lolota and the others' clamoring questions.

Although he didn't summon the meteor, it was directly related to him.

But it was hard to explain the reason.

He couldn't exactly say that he had relied on a sugar mommy, and that the noble lady had gifted him a big introductory gift, could he?

As for the details of the battle, he really didn't know where to start.

Fortunately, not long after, a mirror-like refracted light appeared on the distant sea surface, revealing a familiar figure.

The figure flashed and leapt forward several times, appearing on the deck.

Suren took a look. Wasn't it Ms. Mirror?

Having just fought a major battle, the aura around her was slightly disordered, but she didn't appear to have any injuries.

The crowd cheered, "The leader is back!"

Ms. Mirror nodded with a smile.

......

Kay was a veteran member of the Dawnbreaker, and the rescue plan had been a perfect success. Naturally, a grand banquet was needed to celebrate the great victory.

As night fell, stars dotted the night sky.

In the Eternal Night's huge dining hall, crystal lamps shone brightly, and all sorts of lavish food were laid out on dozens of tables. The deep-sea behemoths hunted during the day had been turned into various delicacies by the chefs, and there were also mountains of fruit and hundreds of barrels of fine wine.

Everyone was feasting and drinking amid laughter and cheers, the atmosphere extremely harmonious.

Listening to Suren and the others talk about the bloodbath in the central arena, listening to Ms. Mirror and the "King of the North Sea" Oleg's great battle that destroyed half the city...

The crowd grew more and more excited.

A large group would always be refined in various battles, and their cohesion would also become stronger.

Ms. Mirror sat in the main seat, with Suren beside her, and Pandora next to him.

This "ally" who rarely showed up in the group on weekdays was also a major contributor to the rescue this time. Under Suren's warm invitation, she had agreed to attend the banquet. But she hadn't said much.

Next to Ms. Mirror was "Blood Duke" Wordsworth. This old vampire was a living history, and he explained the development of Luying over the past few hundred years to Suren and the others. From Bona III all the way to Bona IX a few years ago. He knew very well some secrets and royal scandals that others didn't know.

The crowd listened, sometimes laughing heartily, sometimes looking radiant.

Luying's emperors had changed many times, but Wordsworth was still that Wordsworth.

Suren once again admired the heaven-defying nature of this bloodline; their lifespans were truly long.

However, the Blood Clan's cultivation was indeed much slower than humans. It took them hundreds of years to advance to the seventh rank. And to live so long, they not only required a very high bloodline, but also had strict requirements for various hibernation conditions.

It was a matter of give and take.

Many things were discussed during the banquet, and the Dawnbreaker members felt that their knowledge had greatly increased.

In terms of erudition, there were really few in the Dawnbreaker who knew more than this old vampire.

Then there was dancing, drinking contests, and all sorts of wild boasts.

As they chatted, Suren thought of some of the problems he faced in advancing to the sixth rank.

Suddenly, he asked the old vampire, "Mr. Wordsworth, may I ask you a question?"

The old vampire duke smiled kindly and said, "Suren, you don't need to be so polite with me. Just say whatever you want."

Suren smiled as well.

Because of Ms. Mirror's relationship, this old vampire who had lived for eight hundred years was a generation younger than him.

But he couldn't possibly take advantage of his seniority. He had enough respect in his heart for this powerful senior and elder, and asked politely, "Well... I plan to increase my physical strength when I advance to the sixth rank. So I'm looking for a professional material that can amplify the physical body. The material should be of as high quality as possible. Ideally, it should have a special effect, one that has a stronger lasting amplification effect on the physical body. Do you have any suggestions?"

Suren roughly described his needs.

Since he had comprehended the Overlord Aura, he had crossed the threshold into the sixth rank and could consider preparing for advancement.

However, the higher the rank of the professional materials on the market, the rarer and more difficult they were to find.

It was good to prepare early.

Moreover, the known high-ranking materials were almost all in the hands of one type of person.

That was the nobles.

If one were to ask where the most extraordinary items were, it would undoubtedly be the collections of the great nobles of Luying.

In the aristocratic centralization system, more than 90% of society's wealth was in the upper class. The same was true for extraordinary items. In particular, high-ranking extraordinary items, 99% of them were in the hands of the top nobles. Those guys had collected countless good things over the centuries, and even if they couldn't use them themselves, they would store them in their unknown private vaults.

Suren had asked Ms. Mirror before, but she had hibernated for a thousand years and didn't know much about the current situation.

It was best to have Wordsworth, a living history, by his side.

"If you're talking about advancement materials, you've come to the right person. I do know quite a few..."

Hearing this, the old vampire smiled slightly.

He pondered for a moment before saying, "We do have quite a few cursed materials for enhancing the physical body in our own castle's treasury. The best quality material that a sixth-rank professional can fuse with is the Gold-grade 'Hannibal's Cannibalistic Knife and Fork'. But I think that kind of material would be too inferior for you. You need something better."

After seeing Suren's exaggerated combat power in the arena that day, he knew that ordinary professional materials couldn't possibly satisfy a good foundation of this level.

Suren didn't speak, an expression of listening intently on his face.

Thinking of this, Wordsworth turned his thoughts to the sealed objects that ordinary people couldn't fuse with.

His eyes turned, and he said directly, "I do have a few sealed objects in mind that might be suitable for you. The Luying Royal Treasury has a 'Tyrant's Codex' that has been passed down for generations. I saw it at least three hundred years ago. It's both offensive and defensive, suitable for professional fighters related to martial arts; the Wilson family has a 'Terrifying Angel Wax Figure', which provides super high defense and flesh augmentation after fusion, and is also quite suitable for dark spiritual power attributes; and then there's a 'Fallen Evil Corpse' in the Military Intelligence Department, hidden very secretly, and only those with high authority are qualified to access it... These are all sealed object-level materials that can enhance a professional's physical body. But because it's difficult for anyone to fuse with them, they should still be there."

Suren's eyes lit up as he listened, knowing he had asked the right person.

These sealed object-level treasures involved many secrets that others might not know.

But this old vampire listed them as if they were family heirlooms.

Wordsworth listed seven or eight types in one breath, all of which seemed to have a certain degree of compatibility.

Suren thought for a moment, and based on his current abilities and future professional plans, he added another condition: "Mr. Wordsworth, which of these cursed objects has the greatest potential? The effect of the weakness doesn't matter, the best is to continuously amplify the physical strength in the later stage."

Having experienced so many fierce battles, Suren also increasingly understood that for a puppet master, physical strength was crucial.

No matter how high a puppet master's combat power ceiling was, their floor was definitely their physical strength.

Once a person died, even the most powerful puppet legion was useless.

Moreover, his teacher Sereia had clearly said that to reach the peak of a professional, one would inevitably have to improve the physical body.

The choice of professional materials not only depended on the abilities gained at the time of fusion, but also on future potential.

It was like his "Void Whale's Void Stomach Pouch". This implant was only at the B-grade level among fourth-rank materials, but its potential was SSS-grade.

As long as it could advance, it would become stronger and stronger.

After Suren plundered a wave in the Void Secret Realm before, his spatial abilities had skyrocketed.

Not only had the space in the Small Void Realm expanded several times over, but the various spatial abilities attached to this implant had also increased significantly, and this increase had no visible upper limit in the future.

If there was a choice, one would naturally choose the best from what was suitable!

Ms. Mirror, who was next to him, smiled slightly as she listened, seemingly agreeing that his choice was correct.

"Greatest potential?"

Wordsworth frowned and thought for a moment, when suddenly his expression lit up, "Now that you mention it, I remember a very special cursed object."

Suren became interested: "What is it?"

Wordsworth continued, "About two hundred years ago, an adventure team excavated a cursed object called 'Lilia's Vampire Ring' from an ancient ruin in the South Sea. Because that treasure was very compatible with our Blood Clan's abilities, I even sent people to inquire about its whereabouts back then. Unfortunately, it fell into the hands of the Rodriguez family. I sent people to clash with them a few times, but didn't gain any advantage, so I gave up in the end."

After a pause, he continued, "Intelligence says that item can devour the essence and blood of living beings to amplify the physical body, providing a permanent and continuous amplification for professionals. Even for ordinary people, it can be used to prolong life."

Suren became interested after hearing this property introduction, but also asked, "Rodriguez family?"

Wordsworth nodded: "Yes. Kaka Rodriguez, the strongest of the five great councilors of the Luying Parliament today, is the current head of this family. That ring must be in the hands of a Rodriguez. After all, no one among those great nobles doesn't want to live a few more years, they would never sell it."

"Oh..."

Suren showed a thoughtful expression after hearing this.

The five great councilors of the Luying Parliament were representatives of the top noble groups with the most power in Luying. Yekaterina's Lance family occupied one of the seats.

These great noble families that had been passed down for hundreds of years had deeply rooted and complicated influences, and their foundations were profound and their strength unimaginable!

Don't look at how high-profile Oleg was, claiming to have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and roaming the North Sea. But he was just fighting as a pirate, using guerrilla tactics. If he were to clash head-on with these top nobles, even ten Kings of the North Sea would have to kneel.

Very tricky...

Suren frowned slightly after hearing the whereabouts of that "Lilia's Vampire Ring."

However, he also had a good attitude.

Luying's capital was the city of alchemy, and almost all of the top treasures were gathered in that city. There were many materials to choose from for advancement.

Now that he had a rough goal, he had to see the items to determine if they were suitable.

He happened to have an engagement with Yekaterina three months later, so he could take a trip to the Luying capital and make a decision then.

......

The banquet continued in a harmonious atmosphere until midnight and still didn't end.

Ms. Mirror liked peace and quiet. After eating a little, she left early.

Although Ms. Mirror wasn't arrogant, she was a top expert after all. Her departure inexplicably relaxed the atmosphere of the banquet. Her blood descendants didn't have to be so restrained, and the rough men on the ship could eat and drink even more without regard for their image.

Suren usually stayed in the laboratory, and originally planned to take advantage of the present to get to know everyone better.

But not long after Ms. Mirror left her seat, Pandora, who had been silent beside him, spoke, "If it's convenient, I have something to say to you."

Suren glanced at her and guessed what it was from her serious tone, nodding, "Sure, shall we take a walk on the deck?"

Pandora nodded: "Yeah."

Suren said something to Chihiro and the others, and then left the banquet with Pandora, heading to the deck.

The moonlight was beautiful tonight, spilling onto the black-sailed Eternal Night's hull, creating a hazy and beautiful feeling.

Suren walked along, lightly stroking the ship's rail, looking at the moon's reflection on the sea.

Neither of them spoke as they walked.

Finally, when they reached the stern of the ship, Pandora said calmly, "I'm leaving."

Suren's expression changed slightly when he heard this, but he wasn't too surprised in his heart.

She had done everything that was written in the contract. She was here to tell her ally.

Although Pandora wasn't a member of the Dawnbreaker, she had indeed helped Suren too much during this time.

Whether it was capturing the submarine before or the rescue in the arena, this former enemy had already done her best.

Suren looked at her and said, "You're leaving? Actually, I think everyone in the Dawnbreaker likes you quite a bit. And there are many cabins on the ship, everyone would be very happy to have you on board. I also think we'll have more opportunities to cooperate in the future."

He naturally didn't want to miss out on such a powerful ally.

Moreover, if an ally wanted to leave, not trying to persuade them to stay would seem too heartless.

Pandora listened without any change in expression, but didn't deny this statement.

After a moment of silence, she simply said, "The faith on Roman's side has collapsed, but the faith system is still there. This is the best opportunity to seize faith. For me, that's a very important opportunity."

She didn't need to explain so much originally, but Pandora still said it.

"Oh?"

Suren's mood inexplicably improved after hearing this. He finally understood why she had to leave before even finishing her meal. There was a reason.

He could understand in an instant.

Although it was a transaction, they had fought side by side, so there was still a little bit of friendship.

Of course, that friendship was likely because of his teacher, Sereia.

But saying this also made it possible to continue this awkward conversation.

Suren knew that Pandora would definitely leave, and didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, he said, "Ms. Pandora, thank you for what happened before. You helped me and the Dawnbreaker a lot."

Pandora said faintly: "You're welcome. It was just an exchange of cooperative conditions."

Suren didn't correct this statement, and said again: "Where do you plan to go after you settle the Roman affairs? You've also seen that everyone in the Dawnbreaker is very friendly. This is a group without many restrictions. What I mean is, if you're willing, you can come aboard and adventure with us."

Pandora didn't reject or agree to this obvious recruitment proposal.

After thinking for a moment, she said: "I may return to Yamagumo Country at that time. The Shinto system is very special in its cultivation and requires more stable sources of faith."

"..."

Suren frowned, this was indeed a problem.

The Dawnbreaker was full of alchemists, and everyone had the same path to improve.

Only this one was a "God."

Suren couldn't think of a better way to persuade her to stay, and the two suddenly fell silent.

On the deck, the night breeze was gentle and slightly cool.

Pandora didn't seem to have any intention of staying. She spoke again: "Is there anything else you need me to do? If not, I plan to leave now."

Suren felt a little regretful listening to this.

The world was vast, and this parting would last at least a long time, or perhaps they would never meet again.

Just as he was thinking about saying some farewell words, a thought suddenly popped into his head.

Speaking of which, there was indeed something he needed Pandora's help with!

However...it was a bit difficult to say.

But he felt that if he didn't say it, he would completely lose the opportunity.

Suren was caught in a contradictory and awkward state for the first time.

Pandora keenly captured the change in Suren's expression and asked directly: "If you have something to say, just say it directly."

Suren looked at her. Her calm expression suggested that she wouldn't refuse...would she?

He estimated that the worst result would be a dark look.

After thinking about it, he decided to speak.

"Well...Ms. Pandora, I have a presumptuous request. I don't know if you can say..."

Pandora looked at him curiously, as if she also felt that it was strange for Suren, who was always very decisive, to have such a strange expression, and asked, "What is it?"

Suren hardened his heart and said: "I want to study the Alchemy Body."

"???"

Pandora's expression didn't change as she listened, but an imperceptible hint of a different color flashed in her eyes.

.......

Suren watched Pandora not speak and remain expressionless, and was prepared to be rejected.

Although they were allies, such a request was a bit too much no matter how one looked at it.

However, Suren dared to swear that he was absolutely opening his mouth to ask this question with a alchemist's scientific, rigorous, and sacred attitude at this moment.

Moreover, Suren had indeed carefully considered before uttering this "unreasonable request."

Since Pandora absorbed the power of faith of that Sea King Drake in the sea ruins last time, she had become less and less like a human, and more like an unattainable god. She was Tsukuyomi of Yamagumo Country, and the power of faith was still continuously gathering on her body, and it would become stronger and stronger in the future.

Likewise, it would become more and more difficult to communicate.

Suren had also carefully observed these days, and this kind of artificial human body did have a fatal temptation for a puppet master.

She represented the ultimate skills of a puppet master and the peak understanding of alchemy.

It was no exaggeration to say that she was a treasure trove of alchemical knowledge.

Taking advantage of the fact that she could still communicate now and that their relationship was still considered friendly, perhaps it could be done.

Otherwise, not to mention whether they could meet again in the future, even if they could, the possibility of her agreeing would become lower and lower if he opened his mouth again.

Suren would definitely regret it if he missed the opportunity to study the only artificial human in the world.

The atmosphere suddenly became very awkward once the words were spoken.

There was only the sound of wind and waves on the deck, and no one spoke for a long time.

Suren was already prepared for the other party to give him a dark look.

But he didn't expect that after pondering for a moment, Pandora asked, "Where do you want to study?"