Chapter 12 Victory Day

Several days later, today is the 865th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Luying Academy, as well as the victory day commemorating an ancient war. The academy has prepared a grand celebration, inviting many spiritual elites to participate. In the evening, Su Huan changed into formal attire and waited on the street for Bi to pick him up and go to the Royal Academy. He wasn't interested in any celebratory gala, but rather, Kit planned to steal the Mechanical Alchemist's manuscript from the Royal Library today. Su had to be there in person to meet him and handle any special situations that might arise, just in case.

At 6:10 PM, precisely on time, a white Gothic-style steam car with silver ram horn decorations appeared from around the corner and stopped by the curb. A female driver in a white suit got out, opened the door respectfully, and Su sat inside. As soon as the door closed, a hot, delicate body leaned over, and a soft, numb voice said, "Master, it's been so many days. Have you missed your dearest maid?"

Su smiled, his hand naturally resting on her soft waist. Bi was wearing a sexy black low-cut dress today, elegant yet with a strong mature woman vibe. Upon closer inspection, her expression had a different kind of glow than before. Su asked, "The armor integration went smoothly?"

Having not seen each other for so many days, naturally she had advanced to the fourth rank. Hearing this, Bi's face revealed a charm that she never showed in front of outsiders. "With the catalyst, the advancement and integration went very smoothly. I'm even more powerful now!" As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around Su's neck with a sultry look in her eyes, then lifted her skirt, exposing her slender, beautiful legs to the air. Even though the car was very spacious, she remained close to Su.

Su raised his eyebrows, "Even more powerful?"

Bi smiled, her eyebrows curving. "Yes, Master, would you like to..."

Su didn't mind the demonic temptation in her bones, the ultimate in making people addicted. His hands weren't idle as he asked, "Any special intelligence these days?"

Bi responded enthusiastically, saying, "After Regard became the sixth councilor, he's been particularly active lately. The biggest thing is the amendment to the Imperial Military Equipment Act. He's using overwhelming technological power to change the Luying military's arms supply list, and has now become Luying's number one arms dealer. Because of this, some old arms families are very resentful and have secretly tried to obstruct him. However... after three congressmen were assassinated recently, open opposition has disappeared."

Su chuckled softly, "So, the Luying royal family allows such methods?"

Bi said, "That's the strange thing. The royal family hasn't intervened at all. Moreover, Regard has the secret support of several other councilors, so he has a lot of confidence. Preliminary intelligence indicates it's the Lance family and the Robber family."

Su wasn't too surprised to hear this. Duke Regard had been developing for decades, holding a huge super-mechanical warrior legion and super battleships. With money, technology, and connections, his military industry far surpassed any old arms group in Luying. He truly had the strength to challenge the empire's old noble families.

But... the Lance family?

For some reason, Su suddenly thought of Yekaterina Lance. The Lance family had been operating in northern Luying for so many years and was very strong. Just looking at their layout in the four countries of North Continent, one could tell that their ambitions were huge, and they certainly wouldn't simply be building bridges for others. Also, the time Su was killed before, William was on Regard's super battleship. That is to say, the Regard family and the Lance family had secretly allied a long time ago. Now, the Lance family was going to marry into the Regard family. This relationship became delicate. Su also guessed that his "Clark" identity would be used as a stepping stone by Yekaterina, but this marriage was an exchange of benefits in the first place, so there was nothing to say. He then asked, "What about other intelligence? What's the situation with the Red Death disease?"

Bi said, "The situation is very bad. The Red Death disease has suddenly broken out on a large scale. Several large factories south of the Kava River have reported cases. However, the authorities have been slow to respond and seem to be deliberately suppressing the news. There are no accurate reports in the newspapers, but according to data obtained through various channels, the number of infected people is probably quite large."

Su listened, his pupils shrinking slightly.

Bi continued, "On the other hand, the 'Buckett Biological Pharmaceutical Company' has passed the health review for its Red Potion and is producing it on a large scale. Except for the Lance family and the Regard family, which are still firmly resisting, the other councilors have compromised. According to the information I received, the pharmaceutical company's executives used shares to buy off and divide the people in the other families."

Hearing this, Su felt that the matter was so serious that there was nothing he could do. After all, if the quality of the potion couldn't be detected, there was no reasonable reason to stop production. Now, using benefits to divide the internal forces, four of the six councilors agreed, making it impossible to ban the Red Potion from a policy level.

Bi said, "Moreover, because of the dispersed equity, the potion's interest group has expanded a lot. This has directly led to a very ambiguous attitude towards the Red Death disease among those people in the upper echelons of the congress, and some even want to allow the disease to spread. I also obtained a top-secret record of their high-level meeting, which said that because there is no specific medicine on the market, those potion merchants are not in a hurry to release the Red Potion. Instead, they are uniting to hoard it, preparing to release the potion and monopolize it for huge profits when the number of infections expands further."

Hearing this, Su's expression suddenly became solemn. Those nobles may not all be followers of that Outer God, but simply because of greed, they were thinking of allowing the Red Death disease to spread and then make a profit from it. Although the Red Death disease has a high mortality rate, the process is very long, possibly tormenting patients for several months before they die in pain. If it's not controlled, a few months will be enough for this disease to infect almost all the spiritually sensitive, even threatening the entire Luying Empire. The remnants of the cruise ship incident were still vivid in his mind, and Su could hardly imagine how terrifying that evil god would be at that time.

But knowing that this was a conspiracy of an Outer God and still being unable to stop it made him feel how weak individual power really was. The noble system of Luying had really decayed to the bone. The lives of ordinary people at the bottom were probably no different from slaves and livestock in the eyes of those great nobles, and no one would care about their life or death. This also provided convenience for that Outer God's conspiracy.

Su couldn't think of a better solution, so he turned and asked, "What about tonight's matter?"

Bi was obviously prepared, saying, "I just got the list of participants before I came. The Royal Academy has invited some alumni, many big shots from the spiritual upper class. Your fiancée, Miss Yekaterina, will be attending, and William, the young master of the Regard family, will also be there."

Su listened, revealing an interested expression. The steam car drove into the Royal Academy gate, where Jike had been waiting for a long time. After making the bomb, he had spent the past few days in the academy's library, copying various alchemical texts. Explosives were only a very small branch of pharmacy, so small that among the tens of thousands of students in the academy, no more than a handful would study "ballistics." However, the small number also had its advantages. No one paid attention to the subject, materials were cheap, and knowledge was also very inexpensive. Knowledge texts like advanced alchemy recipes, ancient scrolls, and rare books would require a large number of credits to exchange for in other majors, but those about explosives could be placed in the library and freely flipped through. This also made it convenient for Jike to copy them down, regardless of whether he understood them or not.

As soon as he got out of the car, Jike, who was waiting by the door, respectfully bowed to Su, his expression full of reverence. "Teacher!" He also saw Bi getting out of the car and similarly bowed, "Madam."

Although she wasn't "Teacher's wife," how could he not know that this beautiful madam's relationship with his teacher was extraordinary?

Bi smiled slightly and praised, "Our little Jike is dressed very smartly today."

Jike was slightly embarrassed, "Thank you for your praise." He was wearing a punk-style suit today. The material wasn't high-grade, and the style wasn't particularly special. His handsomeness didn't come from the clothes, but from the confidence in his eyes that was completely different from before. And this confidence came from the Su in front of him.

These past few days, Jike had also specifically looked at a newspaper from a month ago, and only then did he realize how terrifying his teacher's combat power was!

The battle of Morse City, fighting against 200,000 pirates alone and killing tens of thousands, shocked the world. This was a headline on all versions of the spiritual newspapers, and even related reports lasted for half a month. However, the reports in the newspapers were only a part of it!

Jike had been staying in the Small Void Realm to make explosives these past few days. He had personally witnessed Su's war workshop, which had already reached a certain scale, and only then did he know that his teacher was not only strong but also had extremely deep resources. Mass production of mechanical armor that only the Falu Empire could manufacture, as well as those mechanical octopuses and rune puppets, was mesmerizing. None of this could be done by anyone in the Luying Empire, not even the royal family. As a disciple, Jike finally knew how powerful his teacher was!

No wonder Madame Dracula said that as his teacher's disciple, his status would definitely not be worse than any noble. This was the source of Jike's confidence: I have a powerful teacher!

Su looked at his disciple and probably guessed what the gleam in his eyes meant. He smiled slightly, "How do you feel about the new mechanical prosthetic?"

Jike didn't need a combat prosthetic, so he didn't need a pure silver hand like a Barrett. On the contrary, a complex mechanical arm could better meet his daily research needs. Therefore, after Su used materials to repair the defects in his fingers, he used his own exquisite mechanical knowledge to design an externally attached mechanical arm. Usually folded on the arm, it was a thin layer of iron skin, but when unfolded, it was a multifunctional mechanical arm that could meet the needs of some dangerous experiments. This way, even if an accident happened again, it could greatly avoid injury to the body.

Speaking of the mechanical arm, Jike raised his left hand. The hand that had been blown off was now fully restored. Because it had bionic skin, it looked no different from a normal hand. He said excitedly, "Teacher, I feel great, it's exactly like my own hand! And the externally attached mechanical arm is also very practical. I've never seen such an exquisite mechanical arm in the entire Spirit Realm!"

Su saw that he wanted to demonstrate the mechanical arm on the spot, so he smiled and stopped him. After all, a functional, exclusive mechanical arm needed to be continuously improved after trial use to become more and more perfect. He also said, "It's good that you're used to it. If there are any other functional requirements, you can tell me and I'll have the mechanics in the workshop modify it for you."

Jike nodded. Suddenly thinking of something, his expression was strange. After spending a few days in his teacher's war workshop, Jike saw the world's most advanced mechanical technology and the high-level mechanical engineers of the Falu Empire. This also made him deeply aware of the huge gap between Luying and Falu in technology!

It was like a country bumpkin entering the city, feeling that everything was greatly different. It also made him know that his future path was still very long. At this time, Jike said very seriously, "Teacher, I've thought carefully about the proposal you mentioned before. I've decided to go to Falu to study."

Su listened, not surprised at all, "Oh?"

Jike also said, "The Royal Academy is indeed a holy place for traditional alchemy, but research in mechanical engineering and ballistics is too backward. Only by going to the Falu Empire can I learn the knowledge I want and delve deeper into this field."

Su had long known that he would make this choice. A genius in ballistics was indeed wasted in Luying. It felt like a caged bird. The ceiling was too low, and he couldn't fly high after all. Although Jike looked good now, shining like a star, it was all his talent, a flash of inspiration and small inventions that weren't enough to support him in becoming a great ballistics expert. Only after truly understanding more did Su know how important a systematic body of knowledge was. It would allow one to avoid too many detours and go further. And only in the Falu Empire was there a complete and mature system of ballistics experts.

Su said, "If you've thought it through, then so be it. The road ahead is long, and since you've chosen it, you must walk it yourself, no matter how difficult it is."

Jike said with utmost seriousness, "Yes! Teacher, I've thought it through!"

Hearing this, Su didn't say much. "Then good. Handle the matters at the academy these next few days. I'll arrange the matters for your studies later."

Jike nodded. At this time, Bi, who was on the side, cleverly saw the faint reluctance that was quietly suppressed under the determined light in Jike's eyes when he spoke. She smiled and asked, "Little Jike, have you asked your classmate Bea out for dinner lately?"

Hearing this, Jike's eyes suddenly became evasive, and the confidence from just now disappeared in a flash. He stammered, "Ah... no... no." If there was anything he couldn't let go of at the Royal Academy, it was his only friend, Bea.

How could Bi not understand? She smiled and said, "True love won't fade because of distance or time; on the contrary, it will become more and more fragrant. As long as the girl agrees, I'll personally send a letter of introduction to her family."

Jike no longer had any relatives. As the disciple of her master, she was also considered an elder, so naturally she had to care a little.

Bi's words were too direct, and Jike was at a loss for a moment, flusteredly saying, "Ah, Madam, Bea and I aren't what you think." He wanted to say that he and Bea were friends, but the other party didn't necessarily have other ideas. Where could Bi hide the thoughts of the girl she saw in the small auditorium that day? She didn't have those youthful affectations and said bluntly, "Be brave. That little girl actually likes you quite a bit too. Invite her to dance at the ball later."

Bi had originally planned to invite that little girl to her house for dinner as an elder, but she had been busy advancing to the fourth rank lately, so she hadn't been able to find the time. Today was a good opportunity, so she helped to facilitate this matter. Otherwise, if she really had to wait for Jike to open his mouth, she was afraid he would miss the opportunity.

Hearing this, Jike was still a little hesitant because he had really lived too modestly in the academy for more than a year. So modest that other than that little bit of achievement in his studies, he felt that everything else was a regret. But thinking that he might be going to the Falu Empire to study later, if he didn't speak up, this farewell might be for a lifetime. Only then did Jike muster his courage and respond, "Okay."