Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 410 - 409: Astrological Alchemy - Red Emperor

Ten days later at noon, the white whale merchant ship could see the colossal city by the coast from afar.

Su Lun once again arrived at Moros City-State.

But the journey had not gone smoothly.

There used to be several mature sea routes from the south to the north going to Roman City, and while they were not always calm, they at least guaranteed that merchant ships wouldn’t encounter storms for eight or nine months of the year.

However, this time, Su Lun and his crew encountered very dangerous, severe weather several times, with terrifying tornadoes and waves. If not for Tanni’s excellent sailing skills, ordinary ships might have already sunk to the bottom of the sea.

After the merchant ship entered the port, Su Lun noticed that the once bustling and noisy port of Moros City-State was particularly deserted. Eight or nine out of ten berths were empty. Only a few merchant ships were still unloading or loading goods.

The dockworkers and slaves were mostly idle.

They gathered in groups of three to five, playing cards and chatting lazily, devoid of any vitality.

"Hey, life’s tough these days. The amount of goods unloaded in a day is less than one tenth of what it used to be. Now, the price of food has skyrocketed tenfold; we can hardly afford to eat."

"No grain merchants are coming, no wonder the prices have skyrocketed!"

Stay tuned for updates on novelbuddy

"Who dares to come, anyway? Earlier this month, eight ships came from Hastelin and all were sunk in the storm. Mid-month, grain merchants saw the soaring prices and sent over a dozen ships carrying grain—only three made it to port. The damn weather is getting worse, who would dare to come?"

"It’s not just the weather, I heard it’s because the Sea God wants to punish Roman. You guys heard about the ’Devil’s Island’ incident, right?"

"Shh... be careful what you say."

"..."

Su Lun and Mr. Jing disembarked from the ship.

Even without eavesdropping, one could hear the dockworkers mostly complaining about the declining business of hauling.

To keep themselves inconspicuous, the White Whale Trading Company brought a ship full of grain. As soon as it docked, the nimble workers crowded around the ship, eager to get the work of unloading.

Unloading was handled by the company’s manager; there was no need for Su Lun and his crew to worry about it.

They walked past the dock and saw the "Princess Stika" and several escort ships also moored in the harbor.

The two men then walked along the pathway toward the city gate.

The identity of grain merchants was very useful. The Roman guards at the city gate did not dare to cause any trouble, and the two entered very smoothly.

The city was still the same, but it was much less lively with people.

Su Lun had been here before, at that time, the city was bustling with a large number of foreign merchants, adventurers, and pirates.

Now, all the shops were deserted, and the streets were cold and empty with a few pedestrians who seemed to be locals.

The two walked on until they reached near the central square and stopped.

Mr. Jing squinted as he contemplated the statue of the War God Tir in the square, wondering, "Strange, why is the power of faith so sparse here?"

Su Lun listened and looked around.

He couldn’t sense any power of faith, but given his senior sister’s words, there must definitely be a problem.

After a long while, Mr. Jing’s frowned brow did not relax, still puzzled, "The Temple of Aghaparnon has existed for thousands of years, not to be underestimated. Be prepared, I’m going to have a look around the city first."

"Sure."

Su Lun nodded, not saying much more.

The two then parted ways.

Mr. Jing had received intelligence that the High Priest of the Temple of Aghaparnon had prophesied some scenes using mysterious means, and it was very likely that he knew the Dawn Group would come to the city-state of Moros.

No one stopped them, thinking it was something that was bound to happen, and there was no point in trying to stop it.

The experts of the North Sea Fleet were probably already in the city by now, just waiting for them to appear.

However, Mr. Jing was not in the prophecy.

Before the great battle, they wanted to go into the city first to check out the situation.

...

After the two parted ways, Su Lun wandered the city alone.

He walked around the central square and couldn’t help but recall the time he had encountered "God’s Painter," Vincent F. Van Gogh, right here. That guy had also provided him with very important information.

Thinking about it now, it was probably Kasusha’s doing.

The North Sea Fleet’s marriage alliance with the Empire of Mafa was absolutely something the Lance family, who wanted to control the North Sea, did not want to see.

So, the assassination of Princess Stika made sense.

For some reason, Su Lun suddenly thought of the time he had been beaten up by Duke Lance, and his cheek seemed to still faintly hurt.

"A grand duke, indeed... he didn’t go easy on me at all..."

Speechless, Su Lun shook his head and kept walking.

Since he had been aimlessly wandering around the city, he found himself in Walrus Street in the eastern part of the city without realizing it.

This was the city’s pub district.

Drunkards wouldn’t give up drinking due to economic depression, and the place was even more lively than before.

With no outsiders, sailors who normally made their living on ships were now out of work, spending their entire days in the pubs drowning their sorrows.

It was the liveliest place in the city, and Su Lun decided to wander in.

He found a seat by the window and ordered a bottle of rum.

It was still broad daylight, yet the pub was filled with sailors who were completely drunk.

The noise of shouting and cursing was endless.

Though there were many people, most of them were poor sailors, and the actual spending from outsiders was gone.

"Hey, Ovar, you bastard, settle the tab for the drinks you owed yesterday first."

"Boss, we’ve been friends for a long time, how about putting it on my tab for now? I haven’t joined any adventuring party to go out to sea these days, I’ll settle everything once I find employment,"

"Heh, with the situation as it is now, still expecting someone to employ you to go out to sea? Last time, ’Devil’s Island’ had hundreds of thousands of adventurers go, and I heard only a few thousand came back alive. Tsk, tsk, who the hell dares come to Roman anymore! If it weren’t for all my life’s savings invested in this pub here in the city, I’d have left long ago."

"Yeah, now it’s rumored that the treasure was a conspiracy intentionally set by the temple to attract adventurers to use it for the ’Sea Sacrifice’. Whether it’s true or not, with hundreds of thousands gone, who else would dare come here, who would dare venture out to sea?"

"It’s all bullshit! You think the storms at sea are fake, that tens of thousands of deaths are fake? If it wasn’t for those shady deeds done by those priests, would it end up like this?"

"Shush... don’t talk nonsense."

"What’s there to fear in saying it! Everyone knows it’s the punishment of the Sea God. F**k, the group of priests in the temple act so pure like fairies, but they are all hypocrites."

"Stop talking, offending the temple priests is a serious crime..."

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.

"Offending? Hahaha... the news has spread, who in the city doesn’t know? ’The Harp of the Muse Goddess’ is right here in the city. If it’s fake, why doesn’t a priest just come and play it to see? Those hypocrites from the temple dare to show their faces? If we really ran out of food, do they know how many people in Roman would starve? My cursing is the least of it!"

"..."

Alcohol emboldens; these rough old men, drunk, got more and more vigorous with their cursing as their necks reddened.

Su Lun, sitting there and listening for a while, also gradually became interested.

He was a firsthand witness to the "Devil’s Island incident" and naturally knew that what these sailors were saying was true.

But what puzzled Su Lun was, the news shouldn’t have spread this fast.

If he were a ruler in Roman City, such negative public opinion would absolutely be suppressed at all costs.

Moreover, the temple, after all, had been the faith of the Roman people for thousands of years, its authority couldn’t possibly crumble just because of some "rumors."

Those people casually throwing in the word "scandal," what was that about?

Although Su Lun knew about the scandals of the Temple of Aghaparnon.

High Priestess Helvi was Oleg’s love interest and had an illegitimate son, Onis Popov, the Fleet Captain of the Third Fleet. That guy wasn’t a simple figure either; he had entangled himself with all the priestesses in the temple.

But such scandals shouldn’t be known by the common people!

"Is someone deliberately spreading this news?"

Su Lun immediately guessed something.

The "Harp of the Muse Goddess" he had heard about before was also one of the sacred relics lost in Roman legends.

It was said only the most pure-hearted maidens could pluck its strings to produce the most wondrous music in the world.

This used to be a treasure the temple’s priestesses played during significant holidays to gather the power of faith.

And coincidentally, this harp that had been lost for centuries, appeared at this critical moment?

Now the priestesses of the Temple of Aghaparnon were no longer virgins and naturally could not pluck the strings.

If it were something else, the Romans might have long destroyed it, but just because the "Harp of the Muse Goddess" was itself a sacred relic of faith, no one dared to touch it.

So, was this the reason for Mr. Jing’s previous suspicions about the collapse of faith in the city?

Wasn’t this divine assistance?

Su Lun thought this was good news.

For the followers of the gods, the power of faith was the most important source of strength in battle.

Once the temple lost its credibility, Roman warriors might not necessarily obey their commands anymore.

Just like at the moment.

In the tavern, besides the sailors, there were quite a few locals from Roman City and even some soldiers in standard armor.

But listening to those sailors curse and rant about the temple, all these warriors just drank sullenly, none of them uttering a word.

But knowing they had done disgraceful deeds, no matter how brave the warriors, they lacked confidence in their hearts.

The Romans’ god of war, "Tyr," symbolized integrity and justice.

They could face death fearlessly, but they despised base and filthy tactics.

Moreover, Romans would confront problems head-on, unlike the temple’s current approach of avoidance.

This indeed made everyone full of doubt.

...

"Who is spreading this news?"

Su Lun felt increasingly curious in his heart.

The Northern Fleet would definitely suspect that the rumors were spread by "Dawn Group," their greatest enemy.

But Su Lun knew it wasn’t their doing!

"To do such a thing, naturally someone who wants to weaken the strength of the Northern Fleet and destroy the Temple of Aghaparnon’s foundation of faith. Likely candidates include the Ruling Royal Family of Luying and a few major nobilities up north..."

Su Lun thought it over, then suddenly realized something and mused, "Could it be the Lance family behind Katyusha?"

He had encountered "Duke Bartolo Lance," back on the northern seas; a grand duke certainly doesn’t have the leisure to specifically come to beat him up for no serious reason. There must be other schemes.

As Su Lun pondered this, he swallowed another gulp of liquor and didn’t think any more of it.

In any case, this was good news for their Dawn Group, no matter how one looked at it.

He took out his communicator and contacted Mr. Jing, relaying the intelligence he had gathered.

And news came from Mr. Jing’s side too; initially, they had hoped to negotiate with the merchants to see if a release could be negotiated. Now, it had been decided that it was not possible, and they must be ready to fight at any moment.

Also, she had discovered many strong individuals in the city.

But, everything was still more or less according to the original plan.

...

After hanging up the communicator, Su Lun’s glass of zarum wine also reached the bottom.

He did not plan to stay much longer in the tavern and got up, ready to leave.

But just then, a cloaked figure with a covered face walked into the tavern from the outside, glanced around the tavern, and then walked straight over to Su Lun’s table.

"Sir, may I have a drink with you?"

The voice was very soft and pleasant to hear.

Even without seeing the face, one could guess it must be a girl of no less favorable appearance.

But Su Lun’s expression turned very surprised.

He had recognized this familiar soul the moment the person entered, and asked, "Katyusha?"

The cloaked figure lifted the rim of the cloak but did not reveal it, only showing a brilliant smile. "Mr. Su Lun, long time no see."

The tone remained intimate, gleaming like the spring sunlight.

Su Lun saw the face of a young girl and frowned.

It was not the Katyusha he remembered.

There were no freckles on her face, nor was it tied in flaxen-colored braids, but rather very beautiful purple hair.

This was a stunningly beautiful noble lady who could be described as breathtakingly radiant.

The purple-haired girl smiled gently, sitting on the high stool across from Su Lun; her every gesture filled with the elegance and cultivation of a high-ranking noble’s daughter. She then covered her face again with the cloak and said, "Sorry, it’s inconvenient for me to reveal my face here."

Su Lun felt very unfamiliar.

After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Should I call you ’Katyusha,’ or ’Miss Yekaterina’? "

"Either is fine."

The purple-haired girl cocked her head, her large watery eyes flickering with mischievous light.

She picked up on the emotion in Su Lun’s tone and responded, "I’ve never lied to you. ’Katyusha’ is my nickname, only my closest family calls me that."

"Oh."

Su Lun felt inexplicably disheartened.

The green, naive girl had suddenly turned into the noble young lady standing elegantly before him.

Indeed, she looked better.

But she was not the friend he knew.

The Kasucha he knew was a girl innocent and pure like a blank sheet, yet poetic in spirit.

Although the person before him was well disguised, she still wasn’t the same.

Moreover, meeting here, an aura of schemes and plots overwhelmed him.

Su Lun faintly guessed something.

The purple-haired girl, seeing Su Lun like this, gradually retracted her naive smile, the gloss in her eyes incredibly deep.

She reined her disguise in and mockingly smiled, without losing decorum, "I wanted to meet you as someone familiar. But it looks like I have been too clever by half."

With these words,

the two fell into silence.

Su Lun knew that meeting here was now only about power and interests.

He sighed slightly within his heart and directly asked, "Miss Ekaterina, what do you need me for?"

Ekaterina was straightforward, "I want to make a deal with you."

Su Lun was not surprised in the least, "Concerning the Northern Fleet?"

Seeing her, he knew that everything about the situation in the North Sea bore her mark.

The slave hunting project in Silent Forest, the reform movement of Mountain Hermit, the assassination in Pirate City, and now the fermenting public opinion in Roman City...

She was a politician whose skill and cunning were extraordinary.

Ekaterina shook her head, responding, "That was one of the purposes initially. But not anymore."

Su Lun raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

This response truly exceeded his expectations. If it wasn’t for the upcoming great battle, what was it for then?

Ekaterina spoke unhurriedly, "The Northern Fleet and the Princess of Mafa have set an ambush here waiting for you, everyone thinks your ’Dawn Group’ will surely be annihilated..."

She paused here, lifted her wine glass, and gestured.

Su Lun, out of politeness, clinked his glass against hers and took a large gulp of wine.

Ekaterina also took a sip, elegantly, tasting sparingly.

No longer the naive girl who would drink herself to oblivion.

She continued, "I originally wanted to warn you that Oleg himself has come. But since you are here, my warning is redundant. It seems that the mysterious leader of your Dawn must have come too."

Su Lun glanced at her, "How do you know that?"

The brilliance in Ekaterina’s starry, bright eyes flashed as if nothing could be concealed from her, "Not by divination. Even the High Priest of the Temple of Aghaparnon doesn’t have the capability to predict such an existence. I just know that Mr. Su Lun, you wouldn’t be so reckless. Knowing there is an ambush in Moros City-State, yet still coming, must mean you are confident. I suppose the mysterious leader of your Dawn must have come too."

"..."

Su Lun did not respond.

After a moment of contemplation, he asked again, "So... what is the content of the deal?"

Hearing the inquiry, Ekaterina did not hurry to answer.

Her delicate fingers circled the rim of her glass, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke, "I need to form a matrimonial alliance with the Regadi family."

Her voice was very low, yet Su Lun’s brow instantly furrowed upon hearing it.

He immediately understood what it implied.

Political marriage...

Su Lun almost forgot he also had an identity as "Fike Regadi."

...

Su Lun was not Fike, and he had no interest in any matrimonial alliance.

Hearing this, he expressionlessly chugged his wine in one gulp.

Now thinking about it, many things became clear.

The initial assassination attempt by William Regadi was also due to this matrimonial link.

Although he didn’t know why she didn’t choose the clearly better William, instead choosing "Fike."

But it didn’t matter anymore.

Su Lun had always been haunted by his past death.

But knowing the truth now seemed unimportant again.

Why was he feeling so irritable inside?

Was it because the encounter in Blizzard City turned a potential drinking buddy into just another piece in a game of power?

Ekaterina continued to speak, "This marriage will not impact you greatly, it only requires the identity of ’Fike Regadi.’ Mr. Su Lun, you are still Su Lun. All you need to do is appear in Lyndon three months from now and receive the blessings of Her Majesty the Empress together with me. Only then will all the nobility of Rueing recognize this marriage. Before and after this event, we can remain uninvolved with each other."

Political marriage was purely about the swapping of interests.

Her words had no trace of personal emotion.

The largest nobility from the north and the ambitiously rising Regadi family from the south, a union strong enough to make the Rueing royal house wary.

The political landscape of Rueing was probably about to change.

Ekaterina added, "As a condition, I will help you with this battle. I’ll also provide more resources and conveniences for you afterward. Covering cooperation, protection, development... everything for your Dawn Group."

Su Lun quietly listened, having nothing to say.

This "Miss Ekaterina" was extremely sharp; she had considered everything before she even spoke.

This marriage, for Su Lun, also held great benefits.

An "identity" that was otherwise of no use to him, in exchange for endless benefits.

But for some reason, Su Lun couldn’t muster any interest.

He felt very irritable, didn’t respond to Ekaterina’s terms, and drained the wine in his glass.

For a long while, neither spoke.

The atmosphere gradually became alienated.-------------

The purple-haired girl sitting in front of him remained calm, composed, rational, and steady.

However, she seemed to have noticed something, a barely perceptible emotion flickered through her eyes.

At that moment, she finally took out a box that she carried with her.

Su Lun had seen this meteorite casket before—he vividly remembered it had once held many beautiful and precious little meteorites.

Now opened,

it still held a Gold Coin with engravings.

Yekaterina took out the coin and placed it on the table, saying solemnly, "Mr. Su Lun, you once gave me this Gold Coin. Can I use it now?"

Su Lun recognized the coin at a glance.

"I owe you a favor," he had said when he first gave the coin to Katya.

Seeing it now, a sneer suddenly squeezed onto Su Lun’s expressionless face.

At that moment, a certain thought seemed to have broken in his heart.

There was nothing to hesitate about anymore. He grabbed the coin from the table and said, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, "Fine! I will appear in Lyndon three months from now."

Saying this, he got up and walked away.

He flicked his fingers, not taking the coin with him, leaving it once again on the table.

But this time, this coin, meant as a token, was merely for buying drinks.

Throughout, Yekaterina had displayed the composure and wisdom that were expected.

But in that instant, a different light shot through her eyes.

Watching him turn around in that moment, she suddenly spoke, uttering a very poetic phrase, "Our meeting must be due to destiny, not any other factor."

Su Lun chuckled lightly.

He didn’t turn back.

Nothing mattered anymore.

He walked out of the tavern, his retreating figure somehow made one feel inexplicably somber.

From the moment he turned,

he knew he had lost a good friend.

The storage ring, and that friend’s left behind letter.

"Sorry for my abrupt departure. Because, this is the best ending I could think of for our story,"

"Mr. Su Lun, remember, we once watched the stars together. I’ve hidden my face among the stars, so if… if you ever think of me, look up at the night sky. The stars will bring you my blessings."

"If I were to continue writing, Katya would become a carefree grand bard in the story. But our story ends here. We probably won’t meet again, take care. —Katya"

"..."

It turned out she had already said goodbye.

Su Lun only realized it afterwards.

...

Su Lun left.

Yekaterina looked down at the coin on the table, her cloak completely covering her exquisite face.

No one saw her nose wrinkle slightly, her eyes beginning to swirl with tears.

The first stirrings of affection in a young girl’s life might not be very fond, nor necessarily sweet. But that pure awakening of the heart was also the passionate emotion she would never forget in her life. It was her only act of uninhibited bravery, her sincere commitment. Like a radiant wildflower in poetry, it blooms on its own, not quite delicate, but when you look back at the field of flowers, its color is still bright.

Su Lun was not only a line of romantic poetry in Katya’s life but also many unique and beautiful scenes.

Biting that one time,

she would probably remember it for many years.

Her thoughts were swirling.

As the tears in her eyes finally cleared,

at that moment,

she finally settled into the Saint Realm.

As Yekaterina watched the figure moving farther away from her heart, she murmured to herself, "You were the only man Katya ever had feelings for. Since that’s the case, let’s write a poem as a farewell."

She looked out the window and gazed up at the sky to the southeast, a cold smile curving on her lips.

She dipped her quill in wine and wrote a line of poetry on the table:

The azure sky twinkles with the light of dewdrops,

The golden clouds,

are torn apart,

Listen,

the wind is roaring;

Look,

the stars are shining in the flames;

Today, my dream has awakened, it departs from me;

Like a day-light shooting star, a moment of light, bursting into dazzling beauty~

While the ink was still wet, Yekaterina’s eyes were already filled with an unforgiving sharpness.

She uttered softly: "Astrological Alchemy - Red Emperor!"

...

Outside the city, someone suddenly shouted.

"Trouble! Look at the sky, everyone!"

"A daylight shooting star, oh heavens, is it a divine punishment..."

"The meteor seems to be heading towards the temple!"

"..."

A commotion started in the city-state of Moros, everyone squeezed into the streets, looking at the sky, utterly astounded.

Meanwhile, in an unknown ancient street in the west city, Mr. Jing strolled leisurely on the cobblestone path. Sensing something, he also smiled softly to himself as he watched the sudden anomaly in the sky: "Su Lun really does have a very impressive friend."