Mechanical Alchemist

The Prince and Princess's wedding had buzzed North City for an entire day.

When night fell, by the banks of the Lokwarren River.

"Boom," "Boom," "Boom,"...

The vibrant fireworks on the north bank exploded in the night sky, blooming into colorful flowers made of fire.

The common folks from the south city crowded by the riverbank to watch the fireworks, while adults told the naive children romantic fairy tales about the Prince and Princess...

Near the Linden Iron Bridge, the area was illuminated brightly; the lavish nightclubs frequented by nobles were crowded to the brim.

The theme in the bars tonight was all about that wedding banquet.

Besides patrons toasting to the Prince and Princess's wedding, there were even more heartbroken young noblemen drowning their sorrows in alcohol.

The fourth princess of the Lanse family, Yekaterina, got married, shattering the dreams of the young nobility of Lindentown.

The girl they had cherished for years in their dreams had married someone else; that night, no one knew how many young and handsome men leaped from the Lintondale Bridge.

At ten o'clock at night, the fireworks show was in full swing.

"Monica Club" was one of the top nightclubs in Lindentown.

At this time, a middle-aged man with a big beard, draped in a black and white long robe, approached the entrance.

His attire was distinctly out of place compared to everyone else in the pub, and he looked more like a cleric from an outer god sect than anything else.

The man glanced at the sign and walked in.

Upon seeing such a strange person enter the club, the burly security at the door immediately went over to him, about to ask something.

Big Beard seemed to have no intention of beating around the bush, as a mischievous smile curled at the corner of his mouth, and he murmured under his breath, "Blindness."

It was as if the word carried some sort of magic power, and the security guard suddenly seemed to selectively ignore him, brushing past Big Beard.

Big Beard made his way into the club, and not far in, he was met head-on by a scantily-clad, beautiful woman. Judging by the luxurious jewelry she wore, she was clearly a noblewoman.

Big Beard extended his hand without reservation, deftly reaching into the lady's dress, a lecherous green light flickered in his eyes, and he muttered, "Pleasure."

The woman was groped by the salty pig's hand, which was quite a hooligan move, but not only did she not get angry, her face turned flushed with a pleased and blurred look of delight in her eyes.

Big Beard pinched a couple of times, looked up with a raised eyebrow and a smile, and satisfiedly mumbled to himself, "Quite the good stuff. Anyway, I have business to attend to."

With that, he withdrew his hand and walked straight into the dim and noisy dance hall.

If someone could see Big Beard, they most certainly would recognize him as the "Undead Demon Monk" Las Vegas, one of the "Top Ten Legendary Bounty Hunters," a formidable but infamously bad character.

He was a voodoo magician and a lecherous monk who excelled at using dark arts to seduce noblewomen.

His reputation among the Lindentown nobles was notoriously bad. However, because the noblewomen who had been intimate with him were like bewitched, utterly infatuated with him, even though he had been caught several times, the charges never stuck.

It was even rumored that this guy had some subtle connections with the Bonaparte royal family, which is why he has been above the law to this day.

"I'm really envious of that Fick, right now he's probably spending a wonderful and romantic wedding night with Princess Yekaterina..."

"She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I will never fall in love with another person in my life."

"Alas, when I heard the news that the Lanse family was going to join hands with Legadia, I thought the groom was our senior William, but it turned out to be a good-for-nothing second son from Legadia."

"Tsk tsk, poor Senior William. I heard that back at the academy, he openly expressed his admiration for Miss Yekaterina more than once..."

```

"..."

As I walked along, I could overhear people discussing today's grand wedding.

Rasputin's face broke into a smile, full of interest at the thought of something.

He scanned the club's hall and, spotting a man drowning his sorrows in the corner, walked over with a smile.

At that moment, William reeked of alcohol, still gulping down his drink. His bloodshot eyes, filled with nothing but twisted hatred, fixated on the newcomer.

Sitting down in front of him, Rasputin chuckled, "Master William, I received the message you left at the Bounty Hunters' Guild. You said you have a commission?"

William responded coldly, "I want you to help me kill two people."

The two of them exchanged several sentences in whispers, indiscernible to others.

Rasputin showed no surprise at the mention of those he was to kill but was markedly intrigued, "Tsk, tsk, Fick is actually 'Death'? Oh, that's not going to be easy to kill. Even Aimo failed to finish him last time, and it seems there's an expert by his side... And the other one, are you really willing to kill her?"

As they conversed, a new round of cheers erupted from outside followed by the start of another round of fireworks.

The bursting fireworks, like hammers against the chest, constantly reminded everyone that the beautiful princess and prince were enjoying their delightful wedding night.

William nearly spat through his teeth, "If I can't have it, then I'll destroy it."

Listening, Rasputin's face took on an eager, lascivious grin, "Tsk, tsk... I can get involved, but you know, the price I ask for is quite special. As for that young lady, I'll take very good care of her."

William appeared to guess what he meant and glared at Big Beard but restrained himself and said nothing, only responding, "Suit yourself! I have no interest in your methods!"

After a pause, he added, "You can rest easy. I'll make sure there are no other top experts around when I notify you to take action. And I will personally take care of Fick myself; you just help me with the other nuisances!"

Rasputin smiled wickedly, "Good. Then there's no problem."

...

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"..."

The sound of fireworks erupted outside the windows of the Rose Manor.

The corner next to the bathroom had a large floor-to-ceiling window, and pulling back the curtains offered a clear view of the colorful lights blooming in the night sky.

The light in the massage room was dim, flickering bright and dark with the illuminating colors from outside.

Reclined on the massage bed, Su Lun relaxed as a maid gently massaged his head and shoulders. From this angle, he had an astonishing view of a pair swaying before his eyes. Another maid was diligently pressing his limbs, loosening the muscle patterns.

The maids were all naked, their silhouettes hazy in the shifting lights, offering pleasing glimpses of springtime scenes with every glance.

The focused massage offered immense relaxation; the technique was exquisite, meticulous, and sincere.

Su Lun had a favorable impression of Yekaterina's maids; they served him as diligently as if he were their true master.

Meanwhile, Yekaterina lay with her eyes closed as well. The skin care routine for a noble miss was rather elaborate, with two maids applying richly scented floral oils to her.

The two conversed while enjoying the massage.

Since they were surrounded by the most trusted individuals, Yekaterina didn't shy away from speaking in front of the maids, "If William wants to kill you, he won't be able to use the family's experts, the clan elders of Rega wouldn't allow it to disrupt this alliance. Therefore, he is most likely to hire professionals through the bounty system. In Lintondale, those capable of killing you are at least of the seventh order. Now, those with such strength and willing to take on such thorny jobs are few. Of course, it doesn't rule out some outsiders... But in Lintondale, as long as they don't show their faces, the military intelligence will be aware of them, tracking their movements..."

```

Su Lun listened and had some thoughts in his mind.

He also thought it was a good opportunity to completely resolve this trouble.

However, what he did not expect was right after Yekaterina finished her analysis, the maid guarding the door outside walked straight in.

She reported directly, "Miss, the intelligence department just sent a message. Ten minutes ago, William the heir had a meeting with a mysterious person at the 'Monica Club'. The intelligence agents detected high-level secret technique fluctuations, and after being appraised by professional appraisers, it has been confirmed to be the 'Undead Demon Monk' Rasputin."

Yekaterina listened without the slightest surprise and responded, "Hmm, I see."

Hearing this report, Su Lun glanced sideways at the bed next to him, silently praising the extent of Yekaterina's control over the situation, which had indeed reached a terrifying level.

Among the suspects she had listed just now, she mentioned that the possibility of it being this Legendary Hunter, the 'Undead Demon Monk', was very high. Unexpectedly, William the heir really sought out this guy.

Su Lun's mind also flashed through that guy's abilities, which were indeed quite troublesome.

But being predicted in advance made the threat much lesser.

Compared to this piece of information, Su Lun was more curious about the source of Yekaterina's intelligence.

They just met ten minutes ago, and you already know about it?

Top professionals, when they don't want to be known by passers-by, have too many methods at their disposal, and yet the intelligence department was able to deduce this?

Since they were at ease with each other, Su Lun asked directly, "Do you now control the intelligence department?"

Yekaterina did not hide anything, and said bluntly, "Yes. You know, the teacher is at the end of his life. After he took me as a disciple, he handed everything over to me. Not just the intelligence department, but also the Full Moon Ball, Red Oak Gang, a portion of the Royal Guards, and many more..."

"Oh."

Su Lun pondered upon hearing this.

Master Pierre controlled almost all the shadowy hands in the royal house, the organizations and powers he held were frighteningly vast.

It could be said that whoever received this support would gain control over the majority of the imperial capital's situation.

However, Yekaterina really trusted him so much to share such secrets?

Although Su Lun knew she was Pierre's disciple and could guess some of it, hearing it said aloud felt different.

It was that feeling of "being trusted."

Su Lun wasn't clear if this was truly not treating him as an outsider, or a very clever emotional tactic of someone superior, yet it was impossible to feel any disgust at all.

He looked over, trying to spot some "flaws" on Yekaterina's face.

But unexpectedly, instead of noticing any flaws, he got an unobstructed view of her stunning figure.

Even lying back, the graceful curves were very enticing; though not overly spectacular, the form was flawlessly beautiful.

Moreover, this glance met Yekaterina's gaze exactly. A confident smile rose on her exquisite face.

Her eyes seemed to say, go ahead and look; I'm not stopping you.

Forget it, better not to look.

Su Lun restrained his gaze, in chess he was inferior; her realm was clearly much higher.

But when he averted his eyes, his gaze again happened to fall upon the maid Martina before him. Her figure was slightly plump, but without an ounce of excess fat, pressing down at the moment, Su Lun's gaze traveled down from her chest, to her abdomen, then to her pubic bone... every detail was revealed without any cover.

These maids who grew up in the Duke's household also acquired a touch of their mistress's noble air. Their appearance and charm were not lacking. Called maids, they bore none of the worldly air of those in the servant markets outside; even bare, they did not give off a vulgar, sensual vibe but instead exuded a sense of elegant, voluptuous purity.

The first time they served the master, these bare-bodied maids blushed deeply, their sight offering an allure of its own.

In the massage room adjacent to the bathhouse, a thick air of amorous intrigue lingered.

Though Su Lun believed his self-control to be quite good, he could not deny the natural, reflexive reactions of his body, akin to a patellar reflex.

The mistress did not mind at all, and the maids served him with earnest dedication.

Martina and Jessica, the two young maids, would occasionally touch hesitantly before continuing the massage with the secret techniques passed down from the court.

Having been raised alongside Yekaterina, they were not so reserved. Once they grew accustomed to him, they found that their master, Su Lun, was easy to get along with. Even if they were not the two maids assigned to serve Su Lun, they too would sometimes boldly steal a curious glance and then giggle behind pursed lips.

Su Lun noticed those sneaky glances but did not mind them.

When he thought about it from another angle, it seemed quite normal.

Isn't this just par for the course in high society? Ladies from top noble families like the Lance lineage were accustomed to such life from their childhood.

It was only his lack of experience that made things seem strange.

Yekaterina displayed complete ease, so there was no reason for Su Lun to be hesitant—he openly enjoyed the excellent service of the maids.

Thinking he should bring up some serious matter, Su Lun then asked, "By the way, Miss Yekaterina, have you realized your own domain?"

Upon hearing this, Yekaterina, who lay beside him, responded, "Yes, but it's not quite perfected. I don't know what it's lacking, which is why I haven't advanced to the seventh order."

She understood why Su Lun was asking this; it was the greatest hurdle at the seventh order.

The experience of others could be greatly beneficial to her own understanding.

As she continued, she added, "Do you want to see my domain?"

Su Lun, surprised, responded, "Is that possible?"

A domain is the outward manifestation of an alchemist's understanding of their own laws, something deeply personal. Even in battle, it is only the aggressive aspect that is shown.

Showcasing an incomplete domain is especially risky as it may reveal a practitioner's weaknesses in comprehending the laws, constituting a "fatal flaw."

If a practitioner were to unfold their domain for someone else to see, they would essentially be entrusting their vulnerabilities, no longer considering them an outsider.

"Of course," Yekaterina said with an indifferent smile. "However, it might cause a bit of a commotion, so they'll need to leave."

As she spoke, she gestured with a wave of her hand, and the four maids who were massaging him immediately understood and exited with respect, "Miss, we will leave you now."

Su Lun was still astonished that Yekaterina truly did not regard him as an outsider; now, as he watched people exiting, he was a bit taken aback—were they going to showcase it now?

Moreover, with the maids gone, the atmosphere of ambiguous opulence seemed to vanish all at once.

Yet, Yekaterina seemed to catch that fleeting change in the atmosphere, a subtle smile appearing in her eyes as she said, "Good to hear you think they're fine; I was worried you might not be accustomed. Let them continue to serve you later. If you like, they can always do so from now on. After all, they are your people now."

"Heh..."

Su Lun just smiled noncommittally.

Although he didn't think that was what he meant, there was no point in denying it.

Yekaterina spoke softly again, "Your abilities are quite unique, and they might just help me see what's wrong with my domain."

Listening, Su Lun nodded, "Hmm."

Interacting with someone with high emotional intelligence is always a pleasure; even though Su Lun was the one seeking advice, Ye's tone made it sound as if she were asking him for guidance.

Yekaterina stood up, her hands moving through the sorcerer's seals with rapid precision, and with a light voice she intoned, "Domain: Open!"

As her sorcerer's seals consolidated, her aura surged higher and higher, and her presence became more and more ethereal.

It felt as if one were looking at the starry sky on a summer night, gazing into its depths without seeing an end.

This was the first time Su Lun had seen her cast a spell with such seriousness, his eyes narrowed sharply, thinking to himself, She's really strong!

This terrifying pressure, he had never encountered it from any other sixth-order professional.

Once Yekaterina completed her spell, a blue octagram alchemical formation shone beneath her feet, and a majestic energy began to flow forth.

Su Lun thought it was almost over, but then he saw Ye's sorcerer's seals shift again, and her aura rose even higher, truly lifting her off the ground.

At this moment, the light from the octagram alchemical formation grew deeper and more intense, gradually turning into the dark, azure color of the starry sky. Moreover, an anomaly appeared on Yekaterina herself; her body gradually became transparent and shone with a blue light, her veins glowing red, yellow, and green, each pulsing brightly like stars, twinkling...

In the blink of an eye, her entire form took on the colorful hues of a nebula. She appeared both human and divine, as if she had walked right out of antiquity, bringing with her a profound sense of mystery.

"Could it be... What kind of domain is she condensing?"

The more Su Lun watched, the more astonished he became, at a loss for how to describe his feelings.

He hadn't been unfamiliar with domains, having encountered three of the top ten legendaries, and even witnessed Mr. Jing's endlessly profound "Domain: Mirror of All Aspects."

But looking at what was before him, all he could say was "incredible"!

Just then, Yekaterina completed her last sorcerer's seal and exclaimed, "Domain - Starry Sky Sanctuary!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the entire room experienced a sudden burst of extraordinary phenomena.

An amazing scene unfolded!

Su Lun watched as everything in the room suddenly became translucent, slowly losing its contours, and blending with the blue.

He felt a lightness in his body.

When he looked again, he found himself soaring in the endless expanse of space.

Before him was a sea of dazzling stars.

...

Su Lun floated in midair, stunned by this incredible experience, "Is this your domain?"

Yekaterina nodded, "Yes."

As she spoke, she floated over, took Su Lun's hand, and led him through her domain.

The two drifted aimlessly through the void, past galaxies, nebulas, and an array of colors...

Looking at the scenery which was a spitting image of the starry sky, Su Lun was overwhelmed with awe.

He knew Ye was an astrologer, but he hadn't expected that she would have comprehended the starry sky into her own domain!

Like a deity of creation, she had fashioned a domain so vast it boggled the mind.

Yekaterina, holding Su Lun's hand, went on to say, "It's because I am an astrologer. Since I was young, I've always loved looking at the stars. Gazing at the starry sky, my mind would be filled with all sorts of strange thoughts and visions. My teacher said it was my state of mind that led me to grasp this boundless domain. But the larger a domain, the more flaws it has. To perfect it is extremely difficult. Even the help that the elders of my family can offer is limited on this path. Thus, I have always been troubled, hesitant about whether to abandon the idea of an 'Infinite Starry Realm' for a finite, closed-loop domain to advance to the seventh order."

Then, with earnest expression, she added, "Mr. Su Lun, aside from my teacher, you are the first person to see my complete domain. Can you help me see if there's something wrong with it?"

Su Lun couldn't help but laugh and cry listening to this, considering realms, Ye was actually half a major rank higher than him.

He felt that he certainly didn't have the ability to give any guidance.

However, while roaming through the cosmos for a moment, Su Lun seemed to have felt a kind of "resonance."

It was as if he could understand this cosmic world.

But that feeling wasn't strong enough, and he couldn't grasp it.

For a time, the two of them said nothing, floating in the vast expanse of the starry sky.

The beauty of the stars was beyond words.

They were colorful and varied in form, extremely beautiful.

As Su Lun roamed among them, he felt a surge of boldness in his heart.

He glanced at Yekaterina holding his hand, and at that moment, she too seemed as beautiful as the stars.

Su Lun suddenly asked curiously, "What lies at the edge of the starry sky?"

Yekaterina said, "What I imagine should be 'nothingness,' 'the primal,' 'everything.' It only truly exists when you see it. But in fact, it's empty, and my understanding and perception of the world are still far from enough. That's for me to fill in. But the starry sky is endless, and it is not something that humankind can fill completely. That's also my biggest trouble."

These terms are all in Alchemy tomes, but they belong to extremely high-end domains.

Su Lun listened, not fully comprehending but impressed nonetheless.

But he also knew that this was a fatal flaw.

Others' domains are like spheres, though limited in scope, they are perfect closed loops within that circular logic.

But her "Starry Sky Domain," vast as it is, is full of flaws everywhere.

Yekaterina laughed as she shared her insights.

"Actually, the starry sky is very beautiful. It's just that humans can observe very few visual colors, and what they see is only a very limited part."

"And did you know? The light we see from stars might have been emitted billions of years ago. By the time we see it, perhaps the star has already been destroyed. The essence of Astrology is actually seeing the past, present, and future of the world from those stars' light ..."

"Mr. Su Lun, do you find it fascinating too? I knew you would understand me."

"..."

Domains are everyone's own comprehension of the laws; Yekaterina's "Starry Sky Sanctuary" is so exaggerated that it's hard to understand, and Su Lun couldn't offer any useful suggestions.

But it seemed like she never really expected it to be solved, she just wanted to share some of her thoughts with someone.

It also gave Su Lun a glimpse into the process of a professional condensing their domain.

In a sudden moment, Su Lun felt as if he vaguely saw his old friend Katya again.

The two drifted in the stars for a while, as if on a magical journey.

....

At this moment, Yekaterina suddenly thought of something and a light smile appeared on her face: "Let's go, I'll show you something interesting."

While Su Lun was still pondering, he suddenly felt his body leave the previous weightless state, dropping sharply as his whole body fell rapidly.

The surroundings changed in an instant, and looking up, he saw a clear blue sky above.

The two plummeted as if they were skydiving, in the throes of freefall.

The speed increased, and the roar of the wind howled past their ears.

It was impossible for them to crash to their death, but Su Lun was very curious. This didn't seem to be her domain anymore, yet, it somehow did?

He asked, "Where are we heading?"

Yekaterina flashed a radiant smile, "To my poetry."

Su Lun looked bewildered: "???"

While questioning that phrase in his heart, what surprised him even more was the brilliant smile on her face.

Throughout the day, Su Lun had seen Yekaterina's face wearing an elegant smile that never lacked etiquette.

But only at this moment did he feel that Yekaterina was truly smiling from the bottom of her heart.

Upon hearing her words, Su Lun looked down and realized that the ground below was a forest as green as jade.

With a bit of discernment, he recognized the familiar scenery, and his heart leaped: "The Dalu tribe's Emerald Holy Land?"

It was in the instant of recognition that their descent became incredibly fast.

Suddenly, Yekaterina let out a soft shout, "Wind!"

A cool breeze came rushing forth, enveloping them as they landed on the canopy of the tallest tree.

It was the identical treehouse from their memories.

As Su Lun took in his surroundings, a flood of memories overwhelmed him.

He had spent many wonderful days in the Dalu tribe's Emerald Holy Land.

With that thought, it felt like ages since he had last seen Yuta. Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire

However, as he looked closely around him, the veins in the leaves were clear and distinct. Was this really just a domain?

Why did it feel so eerily familiar?

Am I now in a poem?

Yekaterina, too, reverted from her starry state back to her normal form; clothes magically materialized on both of them.

Su Lun glanced at the leather outfit he found himself wearing. If he remembered correctly, that was the adventurer's attire he used to wear?

And Yekaterina, wasn't she dressed in Katusha's princess gown?

In an instant, the setting triggered a surge of emotion, and Su Lun felt as if fragments of lost memories flashed before him, but he couldn't grasp hold of them.

Yekaterina looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eye and asked, "Did you just remember something?"

"Ah, we drank here."

Su Lun replied.

That time, he had truly been smashed. He remembered drinking in this treehouse with three people and then practicing with Yuta after waking up.

All the rest was a blank.

"You don't seem to have remembered anything."

Yekaterina raised an eyebrow and smiled as if she had guessed as much. She didn't mind and instead asked, "Would you join me for a drink?"

Su Lun nodded, "Sure."

Yekaterina chuckled upon hearing this, pulled out a bottle, and then poured two large bowls of fragrant sake.

Su Lun recognized it immediately: this was the same "Kuwaishir's Poet's Honey Mead" that had once left him inebriated.

After pouring the drinks, Yekaterina clinked glasses with him and took a big gulp, "I've been drunk twice. Once in Blizzard City's Pirate Tavern, once in the Emerald Holy Land."

Su Lun, upon hearing this, felt like he had been present both times?

Watching Yekaterina finish her glass, he drained his as well.

This was the finest of wines, whose consumption gave one a feeling of floating through the inspiration of poetry.

The two continued drinking glass after glass, becoming a bit tipsy.

The secret brew made them increasingly light-headed the more they drank.

Su Lun knew that girl from before, whose tolerance was poor—after a few drinks, she'd get dizzy and start screaming.

The Yekaterina before him seemed to have a similar low tolerance level; after a few glasses, her pretty face was covered in a blush.

At this moment, she suddenly uttered an incredibly bold question, "Tonight is our wedding night. Do you want to exercise your rights as a husband?"

"No."

Su Lun shook his head, rejecting the intimate suggestion, "I am me. Feike is Feike."

Upon hearing his answer, Yekaterina didn't say much. She seemed to have had no expectations, nor was she disappointed, and simply said, "Oh."

Perhaps because of the buzz from the liquor and the familiarity between the two, they felt no need to hide their thoughts.

Just as Yekaterina had calmly asked that loaded question earlier, Su Lun jokingly said, "Miss Yekaterina, aren't you eying my body?"

There had been a subtle suggestive undertone since their return to the apartment that evening.

Shared baths, maids, massages, nudity...

Upon reflection, it couldn't be attributed to anything else.

It was probably all because of the marriage alliance itself.

Yet unexpectedly, Yekaterina seemed to have foreseen his response and shook her head.

With a sly smile, she candidly said, "It's not that. My earlier proposal was just so that you wouldn't feel so cheated when you hear certain news later on."

"???"

Su Lun was extremely surprised.

It wasn't that?

The answer struck his soul like a hammer, as if some fragmented memories suddenly flooded his mind.

But before he could think further, suddenly the alcohol hit him hard, and everything began spinning.

Su Lun felt as if he had plunged into a nest of clouds, too comfortable to wish for awakening.