Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun stepped out of "Akun's Soup House" well into the late night.

At the curb, he met a bright and fresh-looking Kai.

This guy had disappeared since he entered, probably sneaking off to another bathhouse to enjoy the pleasures of a soak. As he watched Su Lun come out, he started his motorcycle and asked with a smile, "Brother, how was it? The soup house here is pretty good, right?"

Looking at his suggestive winking and grimacing, Su Lun guessed this guy wasn't really curious about any prestigious services he enjoyed but rather wanted to ask about any awkward situations he encountered.

After all, the last time he visited, he had been teased by that bunch of capable old hands till he almost couldn't show his face, those old ladies had a vicious glint in their eyes and venomous words... it had left him with psychological scars to this day.

Guessing what Kai was thinking, Su Lun simply smiled and didn't elaborate much: "Not bad."

While talking, a charming image briefly flashed through his mind.

Well...that gambling-addicted lady did have a nice figure.

Though it was common for Su Lun and the well-acquainted gang members to banter and have no restraints, besides being a bit too fond of gambling, that boss really didn't seem to lead a chaotic personal life.

Su Lun felt that she seemed to have no interest in men at all.

"Oh~"

Kai, thinking Su Lun didn't want to share his embarrassing stories, showed an "I understand" smile.

The two rode back to Green Street.

....

The return wasn't too late; Su Lun made it back in time for the last professional gladiator fight of the night, casually collecting some Soul Shards.

The night wasn't wasted after all.

Then he made a stop at the "Three Musketeers Tavern" and, as expected, got a message from the potion vendor.

"Tomorrow at noon, the warehouse in the backstreet of Ginkgo Street."

The note left the address and time for the meeting. Su Lun looked at it and thought to himself, "Only paid the deposit in the afternoon and he's seeking a meeting by tomorrow morning, he must really be in urgent need of money."

Seeing that it was Ginkgo Street again, Su Lun guessed that the mysterious vendor must be active around there. After all, these secret deals aren't usually conducted in unfamiliar territories. Previously, he chose Ginkgo Street for the deposit, now he was choosing it for the meeting once again, thinking that the other party must be quite familiar with the environment there.

Su Lun didn't think much about it since it was all the Cross Society's territory; many underground forces had some connections or others. That mysterious vendor might even have ties with the Cross Society.

Leaving the tavern, it was already early morning. Su Lun went to a hotel to meditate and rest, rejuvenating himself.

But before noon, there was news from the real estate agent that an appropriate property had been located.

Big enough, cheap enough, quiet enough...

Thinking it wouldn't affect the noon transaction, Su Lun decided not to rest anymore and took the time to visit the agency.

He had had enough of the poor living conditions in cheap hotels.

He wanted to find a suitable dwelling, ideally spacious, with a shooting range that would allow him to practice gun training, Alchemy, and create Puppets.

...

Su Lun hadn't expected that the place the real estate agent arranged to meet would also be on Ginkgo Street.

The district, dense with entertainment venues, is usually not too remote. Ginkgo Street, not far from Green Street, belonged to the "middle-class area" of the outer city.

This area had relatively comprehensive social resources, and many outer city residents with stable jobs lived in this neighborhood.

"A banker from the inner city once intended to choose this as a bank site, planning to build a vault underground... but then because the digging was too deep, probably reaching the earth energies, dense dark Spiritual Power gushed out. Ordinary people couldn't live there anymore and the bank plan was shelved, hence this property has been vacant..."

"I heard you're an advancing professional and looking for a place with rich dark Spiritual energy. I think there is no better property than this one. The underground vault is spacious enough and has excellent sound insulation; you can even use it as a shooting range. Even if you practice gun training in the middle of the night, probably no one would complain about you disturbing the peace..."

"Moreover, you can rent this two-story house with a basement for just two thousand Lysos. I dare say there's no cheaper deal in Old Lington City."

"..."

The landlord, named Ge Langtai, was a shrewd-looking middle-aged man with a big belly.

He followed Su Lun all the way, introducing the house at 88 Ginkgo Street.

It was a drab little western-style house hidden away in a slightly secluded backstreet corner, nothing remarkable. The house had simple furniture and basic renovation was more or less complete, and with gas and water pipelines all set for immediate move-in...

Su Lun hadn't expected this house-hunting visit to hold such a surprise, as previous attempts had all fallen through due to various unsuitable conditions.

But this property, in every respect, matched his expectations perfectly.

Unobtrusive, sufficiently quiet...especially that solid and spacious basement, which he found most satisfying.

The building itself was a structure from ancient times, robust enough, and the thick concrete walls of the basement could contain the sounds of gunfire from escaping.

Here, Su Lun could already imagine having his own workshop in the future, making rune dolls, modifying machines, and using it as a shooting range...

Moreover, the reason this house was so cheap was because of the dense "Spiritual Power of Darkness" seeping up from below.

For ordinary people, this was enough to cause mutations, a deadly "radiation."

The Dark Spiritual Power inside Old Lington City was much weaker than outside the city, making the breathing practices of practitioners progress significantly slower, roughly only one-tenth to one-fifth as effective as outside the city.

But it was not absolute, there were also some local "high mutation areas" in the city where the Dark Spiritual Power was much denser.

For example, this small building.

However, general practitioners also disliked such places because, in high mutation environments, humans might unwittingly undergo mutations. Environmental factors were one of the hardest mutation factors to control—the denser and more violent the Spiritual Power of Darkness, the harder it was to manage.

But Su Lun had no such concerns; he possessed the All-knowing Eye, which allowed him to clearly see the changes in his data values so that he could leave promptly if he noticed the signs of a mutation.

Moreover, he needed such highly concentrated Dark Spiritual Power.

Having recently become a first-level Puppeteer, with the potential for further promotion unlocked, his body needed to absorb more Dark Spiritual Power to lay the foundation for advancing to a second-level practitioner in the future.

Although most members of the Cross Society had never imagined advancing to a second level in their lifetimes, Su Lun, the transmigrator, was not just content with experiencing the bottom layer of the scenery.

Therefore, this small building was very suitable.

Signing the contract and paying the rent cost him several thousand Lysos.

Su Lun received the keys to the house.

The landlord, Ge Langtai, seemed quite happy that he had finally rented out this problematic property.

....

Su Lun was always efficient in handling matters; it took him less than an hour from viewing the house to signing the contract.

Landlord Ge Langtai said he would arrange for someone to clean in the next two days and agreed to hand over the house three days later.

Su Lun had no objections, which was perfect as he needed the next two days to prepare for the inner city trials group.

Exiting the small building, it was not yet nine o'clock, and the morning on Ginkgo Street was already teeming with people.

Su Lun planned to find something for breakfast, so he remembered Ginkgo Street no. 14, the Bellman Bakery where he had previously placed a deposit.

Since many middle-class residents lived on this street, the bakery offered various types of bread besides the hard black bread that could be used as a baseball bat.

Su Lun casually picked a few items, stuffed them into a wax paper bag, and prepared to pay.

At that moment, two boys wearing flat caps and dungarees followed him quietly, seemingly making some slight moves.

Actually, Su Lun had noticed them even before he entered the store and knew these kids were common thieves from the outer city.

But they were not after Su Lun's wallet; instead, they were eying the bread on the counter.

While Su Lun was selecting and paying, the two boys had already quietly swiped two pieces of black bread, very adeptly.

Su Lun pretended not to see, but the bakery owner seemed already very familiar with these offenders' methods.

As soon as the two boys entered, the clerk's eyes became very alert. Just as they got their loot and had no chance to escape, the goatee-bearded baker stormed out with a rolling pin, grabbed one by the shirt.

During the scuffle, a foot-long loaf of bread fell to the ground.

"Hey, damn rascals, you're back again!"

The baker shouted angrily, grabbing the thief and holding him up in the air.

The flat cap fell off, revealing a dirty little face, pretty and clean-cut; it turned out to be a "tomboy" with short hair.

Su Lun originally did not intend to interfere, as such occurrences were all too common in the outer city.

Most children from the slums survived by begging and stealing, enduring beatings and hunger as part of their upbringing, and whether they could survive in this cruel world depended on their own fate.

The thief, having been hit with the rolling pin, teared up from pain but did not cry out loud.

Su Lun felt as if he were seeing a stray kitten on the street and thought for a moment, then pointed to the black bread that had fallen to the ground, "How much for those breads?"

The goatee-bearded baker guessed Su Lun's intentions and advised, "Oh, esteemed customer, these thieves aren't worth your sympathy... You needn't spend on them."

Pausing, as if he was about to give the thief a severe beating, he harshly said, "If we don't teach these lads a harsh lesson, they will come back tomorrow!"

Su Lun didn't bother to argue, handing over a banknote, "Here is fifty Lysos, that should be enough to buy the bread."

With an expressionless face, he paid the money and then turned to leave the bakery.