Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun had no intention of playing the good Samaritan, nor did he expect anyone's gratitude.

He left the bakery, but to his surprise, just a few steps away, the young girl pretending to be a boy ran out after him, clutching a loaf of bread.

"Sir, please wait..."

Su Lun heard someone calling him from behind and stopped.

Perhaps because people involved with the underworld all have an imposing presence, the girl took a half step back instinctively when she saw Su Lun turn around with an expressionless face.

She said, "Sir, thank you for your generosity. I... we really do need this food."

"Hmm."

Su Lun glanced at her, nodded slightly, and thus acknowledged her verbal thanks.

He could naturally tell that this thin girl with a pale complexion needed food—no, to be precise, everyone in the slums needed food.

Su Lun was originally not planning to stay long, but at that moment, the girl spoke up again, her words jumbled from panic, "Sir... it's not that we meant to follow you, it's just that we saw you renting a house earlier..."

Su Lun frowned upon hearing this.

The girl seemed startled by his reaction and hurriedly explained, "You've been tricked by that Ge Langtai! He definitely didn't tell you that someone died in that building, it's a haunted house that nobody will rent. Two months ago, a blind person went in and never came out, and earlier this year there were also..."

As she spoke, she ran off like a frightened rabbit, not waiting for Su Lun to ask any further questions.

So, she came out to tell me this piece of news?

A loaf of bread in exchange for a piece of information.

Su Lun showed a contemplative expression.

As for someone having died in the house, he wasn't too surprised; if it were an ordinary person, it would make sense that something unfortunate would happen in such a highly distorted environment.

Otherwise, the rent wouldn't be so low.

But from what the girl implied, more than one person had died in that building?

It seemed that the landlord was an unscrupulous merchant after all.

The landlord indeed hid part of the truth, but for Su Lun, if it were only due to an abundance of dark spiritual power, it wouldn't be too troublesome.

But what if the dead weren't ordinary people, but professionals?

After finding a property that was so difficult to come by, Su Lun wasn't about to give it up just because it had a death history.

He also felt that, before moving in next time, he should probably use the All-knowing Eye to thoroughly inspect the house for any peculiarities.

....

The transaction was set for twelve o'clock noon.

Su Lun went to the hotel and changed into a trench coat set suitable for the black market.

The designated meeting place was an old warehouse on Ginkgo Street, an area he had casually scouted out before. It was sparsely populated, indeed a fitting location for shady deals.

The mysterious stall owner also seemed to be very cautious, choosing a location with a complex array of buildings, enabling a quick escape in case of emergency.

At eleven fifty-five, Su Lun arrived on time outside the warehouse.

Being a member of a crime syndicate, he didn't feel pressure coming to these remote places. On the contrary, he was surprised to see a few youths disguised as gangsters.

These guys were wearing old trench coats that clearly didn't fit, black hats, and had their hands placed near their chests, as though ready to draw guns. They almost had "we are gangsters" written on their foreheads.

It seemed they aimed to overbearingly impress Su Lun, a bona fide gangster member.

"My trading partner turns out to be a bunch of kids?"

Su Lun's sharp gaze easily counted six people inside the dilapidated factory.

Besides the stall owner still clad in a black cloak, there were five others who seemed to be muscle men for the scene. Their clothes looked stolen, obviously a size too big.

But their cold expressions, the silent aura they exuded, and the motions of reaching for a weapon, nearly mirrored a gangster deal from a TV drama.

Of course, if not for the trembling legs that betrayed their nervousness, Su Lun would have found these people quite convincing.

However, he felt that their gun-drawing gesture was probably just for show; it was unlikely they could actually draw a firearm from beneath the trench coat.

In Old Lington, firearms were common, but for people from the slums, carrying such a heavy thing was less useful than trading it for a loaf of bread.

Naturally, even if they did have guns, in front of a firearms expert, they posed no threat whatsoever.

And upon closer observation, Su Lun was astonished to find that the world was indeed small.

Looking carefully, two of those in trench coats were the same thieves from the bakery that morning. Although their faces were well concealed by their collars, their dirty shoes gave them away.

"..."

Su Lun suddenly felt the air of mystery around the transaction dissipate.

If he hadn't known that the vendor indeed had top-tier potions, he would have been convinced it was all a prank.

....

Su Lun visibly noticed the others relaxing when they saw he had come alone.

The hooded figure spoke in a grave voice, "Did you bring the money?"

Su Lun, having guessed the other party's identity, tried to remain serious but found it hard to do so.

The real eyes, even behind a mask, were clear to him; it was indeed the "half-mutated human" from the black market.

"I brought it."

Without seeing the goods, Su Lun still took out the money bag containing two hundred thousand in cash and handed it over.

He was certain the other party wouldn't play tricks, and of course, he was also confident that if there was an attempt to double-cross him, he could retrieve his money by shooting everyone in the head.

The hooded figure accepted the money bag, showing delight on his face.

He inquired, "Which potion do you need?"

"I am interested in all of your potions. You've seen my sincerity, and I believe we can have a long-term cooperation. I have secure channels to sell the merchandise..."

Su Lun got straight to the point, as he wasn't just after a few potions, but an opportunity for a profitable, long-term partnership.

But unexpectedly, before he could finish, the cloaked person interrupted him, sounding very resolute, "No, if it weren't for a certain issue, I wouldn't be selling my potions. Our transaction is limited to this one time only."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun's brows slightly furrowed.

A one-time transaction?

His thoughts raced in an instant.

Now he was even more certain that these potions were from the hands of the cloaked figure. It meant that the person had at least the level of "advanced pharmacist." And such technical talents, even in the inner city, belonged to the elite class that was never short of money.

Not wanting to rely on potions to compete for business, perhaps an even more important reason was the fear of attracting unwanted attention by selling potions?

Truly a wanted criminal?

While it was normal for felons to be wanted, it was intriguing if a pharmacist was on the list.

What was the crime?

Illegally manufacturing controlled potions causing a medical incident, or something else?

Su Lun roughly guessed that the other party might have some shady background, just like himself.

He didn't say much else.

After all, recognizing that two of the kids were street urchins from this block, he wasn't in a hurry.

There would be plenty of opportunities for slow and steady contact in the future.

Su Lun said, "Okay! Then I need an equivalent amount of potions..."

Suddenly, he remembered his plan to venture into the city sewers three days later and added, "I plan to hunt mutant beasts in the city sewers. Do you have any good potion combinations to recommend?"

It was better to ask a pharmacist directly for potions than to prepare them haphazardly himself.

"The sewers?"

However, upon hearing this, the tone of the cloaked figure became grave, and he casually mentioned, "The mutated beasts in the sewers have undergone uncontrollable and ferocious mutations due to environmental influences. The city sewers have become extremely dangerous now. I advise you not to go there. If you really must...

you should be part of a team with at least second-order professionals to ensure basic safety."

"Eh..."

Su Lun had expected the other party to introduce some potions, but he didn't expect to hear such advice.

He keenly picked up on many key words.

The matter of the beasts mutating in the sewers had not spread among the general populace. Even the higher-ups of the Cross Society only knew that there were more new beasts in the sewers, completely unaware of the reasons for this abnormal situation.

Did this guy actually know about the mutations of the beasts in the sewers, and that the cause was due to environmental factors?

"Of course, this is only speculation."

Clearly, the cloaked figure realized he might have spoken out of turn the moment he finished his sentence, and his tone became slightly flustered.

He quickly added, "If you really decide to go, I suggest you bring at least mid-level 'antidote potions.' I have two types of advanced potions here, targeting neurotoxins and septic toxins. The sewers are full of various poisons, and these two potions are enough to cope with the majority of poisoning. Of course, there are also essential healing potions, paralysis removal potions...

adrenaline and blood-heat potions are indispensable for fighting... If sir, you have extra budget, I suggest you buy some [Mutant Monster Repellent]. This powder is very expensive, costing 100,000 lisos, but it might save your life when you encounter danger..."

"Oh?"

Listening to a string of professional terms, Su Lun once again confirmed that this guy was very skilled in potions.

And, it seemed like he knew a lot about the underground beasts.

However, Su Lun also sensed that this guy had good intentions.

If it were a shrewd professional merchant hearing that you're going scavenging, they would certainly recommend their own potions; yet, he first warned of the dangers of the sewers.

Su Lun directly asked, "How much for all these potions you've mentioned?"

The cloaked figure pondered for a moment before answering, "These potions would be quite expensive on the market, but I'll charge you only 250,000 lisos. However, you must promise me one condition, ensuring that you will not disclose our transaction to a third party."

Su Lun was not surprised by this request and agreed right away, "Okay!"

You see, the common potions used by Scavengers were already 300 to 500 lisos apiece. This batch of potions amounted to over 200,000, which was an extravagant sum unthinkable for ordinary people.

But when it came to saving his own life, Su Lun never hesitated to spend the money.

If he remembered correctly, the potion names the cloaked figure mentioned were all genuinely high-grade goods. Just a few that he had heard the names of were worth more than 300,000 in total, not to mention some special potions he had never heard of.

250,000 was definitely a steal.

As he spoke, Su Lun took out the 50,000 in cash without hesitation.

Though the mission seemed not too dangerous, he also felt it was better to be safe than sorry.

After receiving the money, the cloaked figure continued, "I only carry a part of the potions with me. If you trust me, I will send someone to deliver the rest to 'Three Musketeers Tavern' later. If you don't trust me..."

Before he finished speaking, Su Lun interjected, "No problem, I trust you."

After a pause, he continued, "If I need more potions later on, how can I contact you?"

The cloaked figure was about to say there would be no more deals in the future. But looking at the customer who had given him ample trust, it was hard to say no.

After a moment's hesitation, he finally said, "You can leave a note in the mailbox outside Belman Bakery at No. 14 Ginkgo Street. After I get the message, I will contact you using the old method. But you must understand, I have few potions on hand, I can't supply them on a large scale..."

Without any hesitation, Su Lun agreed, "That's fine!"

The cloaked figure was probably running a simple little potion workshop, and Su Lun didn't expect to obtain a large quantity of potions. But as long as this connection wasn't severed, he would consider other options in the future.

....

The transaction went smoothly, and Su Lun left the abandoned warehouse.

The half-grown kids who had received the money carefully navigated through the building ruins, twisting and turning before entering a rundown dwelling underground.

In the dim room, they lit candles and counted a bulging bag full of cash, all very excited.

"Ah, we can finally save Mama Susan!"

"Yeah, with this money, Big Brother Danny can buy those expensive materials to concoct the mutation suppression potion..."

"..."

....

By the afternoon, Su Lun received the potions at the tavern.

And two days later, the trial team from the "Black Tower Alchemy Academy" in the inner city finally arrived.

A day earlier than planned.