Mechanical Alchemist

After returning from the black market, life resumed its normal course.

With money in hand, Su Lun could now tinker with some equipment he needed.

Around Green Street, there were several inconspicuous mechanic shops, which were the favorite haunts for members of the Cross Society to modify their motorcycles.

The owner of the "Big Beard Mechanic Mod Shop" was named Lait.

He was a skilled craftsman and also a "Mid-Level Mechanic" certified by the Mechanics Guild, specializing in modifying steam motorcycles and firearms, and had a bit of fame in the mechanic modding circles.

With two hours to go before work, Su Lun arrived at the mechanic shop, looking at the greasy Big Beard and greeted with a smile, "Hey, Laisen, have the things I ordered arrived?"

"Brother Su Lun, the materials you asked for were quite demanding,"

Big Beard Lait grumbled as he saw it was Su Lun.

He put down the steam Harley shock absorber he was fiddling with, wiped his hands with a black rag, and suddenly raised his brow, adding, "But this is nothing difficult for me, Lait."

As he said this, he took out a coil of wire from the house and introduced it with a boastful tone, "This is the 'Hairei VII Type Alloy Wire' produced by Gerson's armaments, and I can vouch that it is the finest and most ductile alloy wire available in the outer city. It's top-tier material leaked from the inner city's military channels. It's just too expensive, three hundred lisos for a foot.

I've got you three hundred feet of it, all right here."

The owners of the mechanic shops all had their own fixed supply channels, and as long as you were willing to pay, those material merchants would always be able to find satisfactory materials.

Even if they were banned or regulated items from the inner city.

"Wow, I'm very satisfied with this material!"

Su Lun looked at the coil of alloy wire, slightly thicker than a strand of hair, and showed a benevolent smile.

As Lait had said, this was indeed the best material that could be found on the market that met his requirements.

To get anything better would mean resorting to some cursed materials.

However, not all wires could be used to control puppets, and Su Lun felt this wire would suffice for now, saying, "Thank you so much. Here's a hundred thousand lisos. My luck at the gaming stalls has been good recently, won quite a bit."

Everyone knew Su Lun was a gambler, spending every night at the coliseum betting until dawn.

The story of him winning over two million in one night with Qiantiao had spread throughout all the places on Green Street and had become a topic of conversation during leisure time.

Su Lun also found this to be fitting; sudden wealth from gambling made sense and could explain the source of his funds.

Without sparing any expense, he pulled out a stack of banknotes, took the coil, and then said, "Lait, I also need to use your workspace."

Lait shrugged his shoulders, seemingly familiar with such a request, and said, "Go ahead and use it. If you need any help, just ask."

....

Su Lun had been here many times and walked into the workshop of the shop as if it was second nature.

There were two operating rooms in the shop, one of which was dedicated to steam motorcycle modifications. It was filled with various parts dismantled from different sources, and the air was always thick with the smell of rust.

The other room was for firearm modification, with walls resembling an armory, covered with guns of all shapes and styles.

Flamethrowers, handguns, submachine guns, sniper rifles...

With the presence of alchemy in this world, there were many directions to magically modify materials, resulting in a bizarre array of firearms. There were magicked machine guns with exaggerated ammo capacities, steam-powered supercharged airguns, enchanted handguns with extremely large calibers, and Gunpowder Warhammers that could also be used as melee weapons...

Even though the shop didn't carry any "famous guns," the modified firearms produced here provided enough firepower support for the Cross Society's members.

Su Lun entered, took out some tools in a familiar manner, and began tinkering with the roll of "Hairei VII Type Alloy Wire" he had just received.

In the past few days, he had spent some time designing a pair of half-mechanical leather gloves, resembling "sleeve arrows," for more flexible use of the puppet-controlling wires.

After the last battle at the apartment building, he had killed many from the Steam Party and stripped a lot of mechanical tech fragments, which advanced his mechanical knowledge to "Advanced Mechanics: An Introduction."

Designing such simple mechanical equipment came easily to him.

Su Lun took out the nearly completed leather gloves and then put on spectacles.

Although the mechanical gloves looked simple, they were equipped with densely packed brass gears and springs inside, similar to the inside of a watch, to meet his needs.

The core components of the mechanical gloves were the "H-33 Spring Fitting Device" and the "B15 Mainspring Power Modulation System," valuable items dismantled from military mechanical arms found on the black market. They allowed the wire to be launched as precisely as a projectile launcher.

This kind of high-precision mechanical part was beyond the capabilities of the small workshops in the outer city. Su Lun's current mechanical knowledge only allowed him to use such components effectively, not to create or invent them.

Before long, Su Lun had adjusted the glove's components and then wound all of that roll of wire into the metal containment chamber on his forearm.

He flexed his fingers, and the half-mechanical gloves did not affect his ability to shoot.

After trying the firing mechanism, the alloy wire shot out smoothly from the launching port on the back of his hand, and his fingers could deftly control the wire. The wire was suitable for aiding in teleportation and also for controlling puppets.

When he pulled down the cuffs, they perfectly concealed the mechanical devices and were not too conspicuous.

Su Lun was quite satisfied with his own handiwork, figuring that after a few more minor adjustments, it could be used in actual combat.

....

Before long, Su Lun left Big Beard's mechanic modification shop and then made a trip to the "Triple Muskets Tavern".

The tavern wasn't open for business yet, and the bartender was listlessly wiping glasses at the bar.

Su Lun walked over and asked, "Hey, buddy, any 'pigeon' messages today?"

He had been bracing himself for another "no", but, to his surprise, the bartender glanced at his notepad and gave a different response, "Yes."

"Eh?"

Su Lun smiled as he walked over and received a note assembled from newspaper clippings.

It had been three days since the meeting in the black market, and he had finally received a message from that mysterious vendor.

The note read: "On the 12th at five in the afternoon, stuff ten thousand Lire into a cowhide bag, then place it under the mailbox in front of Berman's Bakery on Ginkgo Street, No. 14. I apologize, sir, but I need to see your sincerity in purchasing the potion, so a prepayment is required. If you fail to see this message in time, I will wait until the 13th.

However, if you don't pay the deposit as agreed, I will refuse this transaction."

"Heh, quite cautious."

Su Lun looked at the note in his hand, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

The language in the letter was as politely phrased as he had expected; the vendor had good upbringing and was not old, as he had surmised.

If it were him, he likely wouldn't trust someone he met casually in the black market either, so the suggestion to pay a "deposit" made sense.

Of course, the most important thing was that Su Lun had money now, and fronting a deposit was not out of the question.

He was also convinced that the money wouldn't go to waste.

Intuition told him that the mysterious vendor would bring him even more surprises.

Looking at the time, he had twenty minutes until five o'clock, enough for him to make the trip to Ginkgo Street, five blocks away.

Su Lun gave the bartender two hundred Lire as a tip for passing on the message.

Then, he casually took a cowhide bag, stuffed a stack of bills into it, folded it neatly, placed it in his coat's inner chest pocket, and walked out of the tavern.

....

Green Street was the territory of the Cross Society, and Su Lun was already quite familiar with it.

With a casual wave of his hand, he borrowed a steam motorcycle from the curb.

Two minutes later, he arrived at an alley near Ginkgo Street.

He parked the bike, pulled his hat brim down to cover his face.

Su Lun checked the time; there were three minutes left until five o'clock.

Timing his steps, he emerged from the alley, blending into the crowd as he made his way onto Ginkgo Street.

No. 14 was the Berman Bakery, and there was a green mailbox at the entrance.

When Su Lun arrived, it was exactly five o'clock.

He didn't look around; he simply slid the money-filled greaseproof paper bag into the mailbox's wall-facing gap.

Then he walked forward without looking back, as this method of exchange was common in the ganglands.

Of course, Su Lun was also curious about who would collect the money.

Considering the area belonged to the Cross Society, it might be someone he knew.

As he passed the corner and had walked far enough, a glance with his peripheral vision caught a young boy nimbly retrieving the paper bag from behind the mailbox and swiftly disappearing into the crowd.

The handoff technique was practiced, almost like a professional pickpocket.

"Eh, he looks like one of the kids from the tenement buildings..."

Su Lun glimpsed the boy, but didn't think much of it.

He circled back to find his motorcycle in the alley and then returned to Green Street.

Having paid the deposit, all that was left was to wait for the next message.

This time, the mysterious person would likely come with the potion for the trade.