Mechanical Alchemist

Chapter 137: Lloyd the Magician

The vendors at this stall were two hunters with red fox emblems on their clothes.

Su'en recognized this emblem. It was the emblem of the "Fire Fox Squad," a large hunting squad in Old Lingdun.

They had various sheepskin scrolls and ancient books on their stall.

Some were well-preserved and looked like they came from the cursed space.

Some were tattered and incomplete, probably ancient relics.

It looked like they had found an ancient library.

As Su'en stopped to look, one of them picked up a scroll and greeted him, "Hey, brother, want to buy an alchemy scroll? This scroll records the rare thunder alchemy spell, 'Five Thunder Strikes,' which was once sold for 300,000 at the Old Lingdun Auction. I'm selling it for only 240,000 here. We are the 'Fire Fox Hunting Squad,' and our reputation is absolutely reliable. If you don't trust us, you can go to the Chamber of Commerce for appraisal..."

Most of the scrolls were labeled with spell names. Although they couldn't be opened, Su'en used his All-Knowing Eye to identify them and confirmed that these things were indeed good stuff.

However, the spell scrolls were not what he wanted.

He looked around and asked, "Do you have any ancient books that record knowledge related to the mind or puppeteers?"

"These two types of books are quite niche..."

Without thinking, the person seemed to have thought of something, "Wait... it seems like we do."

He searched in his storage ring and took out a thick book, saying, "Is this it?"

Su'en looked at it and saw that the cover of the book was written in ancient Nid language, "Introduction to the Mind" by Joseph Disher.

He asked, "Can I flip through a few pages?"

"Of course."

The person didn't mind and handed him the book, saying, "This thing seems to be super-tier knowledge, so we didn't put it out."

Super-tier knowledge was useless to ordinary people in Old Lingdun City, and no one would buy it even if it was displayed.

Only the wealthy in the inner city would buy some as antique decorations.

Su'en looked through a few pages. It introduced some theories about mental power, but it wasn't a cultivation secret technique.

But he was still planning to buy it and take a look. Perhaps he could find some useful knowledge. He asked, "How much is this?"

The person truthfully said, "We just brought this out from the ruins last night. If no one buys it, we plan to sell it to the major commercial firm in the inner city. They send people to purchase once every afternoon, and it can probably be sold for 70,000 to 80,000. Just give me the same price."

Alchemy knowledge was expensive, even first-tier knowledge would definitely cost more than this.

But if it wasn't super-tier knowledge, it would be worthless.

"Alright, I'll buy it."

The price was fair, and Su'en nodded, "Anything else?"

The person took out a few more books and said, "I don't have any books related to puppetry, but I have a fragment of an arcane-level alchemy technique and some super-tier knowledge. If you're interested, you can take a look..."

Su'en looked at them and bought a few more books.

But he didn't buy any spell scrolls. Those things were expensive, and it would require a lot of effort to study them, which didn't match his profession.

.......

The first stall yielded some useful things, and Su'en felt that he might find some good things in this market.

He continued walking forward, stopping at the stalls that interested him.

The stalls mostly had alchemy materials and materials for job advancements...

On the stalls of those large hunting squads, there were even piles of them, and it was unknown how many monsters they had killed.

However, Su'en had already advanced to a professional and had no need for first-tier materials.

But after a few rounds, he filtered out most of the shops.

Moreover, he even saw second-tier job advancement materials and blueprint designs at some large stalls.

But most of them were materials for mainstream melee, assassin, and mage professions, and they were expensive and not suitable.

Su'en wanted to find second-tier job advancement materials related to "space abilities," but he didn't want to use them. Such things would never appear on stalls.

Even if they did, they would immediately be bought at a high price by opportunistic merchants wandering the streets.

Su'en strolled through half of the street and unexpectedly found a pleasant surprise!

At an inconspicuous stall, he saw that the stall owner had packed up some silver threads in a box, and there were more than twenty of them.

Upon identification, they turned out to be the "Cursed Hair of the Mourning Witch" that he had been looking for!

It was a surprise that was both expected and unexpected.

He had speculated before that since the hair came from ruins, others might have encountered some as well, but he didn't expect to actually come across it.

Su'en quickly walked over and asked, "Brother, how much are you selling these threads for?"

The stall owner looked at the customer and enthusiastically introduced, "Oh, sir, you have a good eye. These threads are amazing. They are very tough, and after injecting dark spirit power, they become transparent and can be elementalized..."

Although these threads were amazing, they were not in high demand by many professions, so they were not easy to sell.

This statement attracted some passersby who seemed interested in these threads that could be elementalized.

Su'en was well aware of the characteristics of these hairs and didn't want to attract too much attention. Before the stall owner finished introducing them, he said, "Give me a price, and if it's suitable, I'll buy them."

The stall owner's eyes flickered with shrewdness as he casually shouted, "11,000 per thread. You know, it took a lot of effort to get these..."

It was clear that he was testing the waters.

"If I'm not mistaken, you probably picked up these threads from a certain corpse, right?"

Su'en said this to make the other person realize that he knew what he was talking about.

This kind of material belonged to the "new materials," and almost no one in Old Lingdun had seen it before.

For those who needed it, 11,000 per thread was actually quite cheap.

But for those who didn't need it, it was useless even if it was given for free.

After all, puppeteers were a rare profession, and there were very few people who needed it.

Although he thought the hair was worth the price, Su'en didn't want to be taken advantage of.

Su'en didn't waste any words and straightforwardly said, "I'll buy all of them for a fixed price of 100,000."

The person thought for a moment and seemed to think that this customer wasn't easy to fool, so he decisively agreed, "Deal!"

Su'en paid the money, put the hair into his storage ring, and inexplicably felt relieved.And at this moment, the stall owner introduced some other things on his stall again, "Look, I also have some materials here..."

"Do you still have this silk thread?"

"No, this is all I have."

"..."

Su'en glanced at it, not interested in the materials, but asked directly, "I want to know the information about the origin of this silk thread. If you know, I am willing to pay a suitable price."

In the wilderness, everything has a price.

Including information.

The stall owner, upon hearing this, was not surprised. Information about the source of materials was also one of the "goods" he sold at his stall.

He quoted directly, "30,000. I guarantee to give you the specific location where this silk thread was found."

"10,000!"

Su'en was more direct.

He took out a thick stack of green banknotes and said, "If it's not detailed enough, I will refuse to pay."

"Deal!"

The stall owner immediately took out a pen and paper and drew a sketch, "On the outskirts of the ruins, there is a monastery three hundred meters northeast of the red brick tower..."

Listening to this, Su'en had a rough impression of the address in his mind.

He needed these "Cursed Hair of the Weeping Witch," the more the better.

This would give his puppet control a qualitative leap.

If possible, he even wanted to find the monster that produced this material.

Now that he had the Black Scythe, he had the idea of trying even high-level aberrant monsters.

...

This was originally a normal transaction.

But unexpectedly, when the merchant was still telling Su'en the address, several people suddenly approached.

"I heard that you have another special silk thread for sale?"

With this opening, the arrogant tone of the person revealed their superior status.

Su'en didn't need to look to know that this person was probably from the inner city.

With a glance, he slightly turned his head.

The person who came was a middle-aged man with a mustache.

Su'en's gaze was instantly attracted to the man's hands holding a cane. His fingers were slender, and the meridians on the back of his hand were clear. This usually meant that the ten fingers were dexterous, like a pianist or a typist.

If he was a Transcendent professional... or a Puppet Master!

Because Su'en's own hands were like this.

When the merchant heard someone asking, and after looking at the person's attire, his tone suddenly became polite, "Respected sir, what do you need?"

The middle-aged man with a mustache stated his purpose again, "I heard that you are selling a special silk thread, and I am interested in buying it."

"Well..."

Hearing this, the stall owner glanced at Su'en and showed a hint of difficulty.

Su'en guessed the guy's intention and didn't plan to make it complicated. He handed the money to the stall owner and said indifferently, "This is the money, give me the receipt."

"Oh..."

The stall owner was a bit at a loss.

The middle-aged man apparently also saw something from the stall owner's expression and asked, "Are you saying that the silk thread has been sold?"

The stall owner answered with a forced smile, "Yes. I just sold it to this gentleman."

The mustached man glanced at Su'en's adventurer attire and didn't bother to look again.

It seemed that he felt that his identity would be demeaned by talking to a commoner.

At this moment, the young man who looked like an apprentice beside him noticed the situation and stopped Su'en who was about to leave, "Sir, please wait."

Su'en paused for a moment when he heard the polite tone, "Hmm?"

The young man said, "The silk thread you just bought is very important to us. Can you please give it up?"

"Sorry, I have no intention of selling the materials."

Su'en decisively refused.

Before he even spoke, he had guessed the other party's intention.

However, he would definitely not sell this hair.

Because it was not just a few materials, it was also related to whether he could control the "Hateful Undead" normally!

A few months ago, he obtained three strands of "Cursed Hair of the Weeping Witch" in the black market, but because the quantity was too small, it was not enough to control the puppet. They had been left unused.

Now, with these more than ten strands, it was enough for him to control a puppet within a small range.

When he entered the city before, he felt that the Hateful Undead was too eye-catching, and if he used steel wire to control it, it would be easily noticed.

Now with these hair, it perfectly solved this problem.

He didn't even need to hide the existence of the Hateful Undead like before. He could cover the undead with a cloak, and when controlling it, he could infuse the hair with dark spiritual power. This special silk thread that could be elementalized would completely disappear without a trace.

He could carry it with him at any time, without any traces of control, and no one would suspect him.

Therefore, he would never give up this material that he had obtained.

...

Upon hearing Su'en's refusal, the young man's face suddenly became less pleasant.

He had never received such treatment before, considering his identity and status.

He felt that he had been ignored and humiliated by a commoner from the outer city.

A shadow flashed through the young man's eyes, but he endured it and calmly said, "I am Danze Oliver. This is my teacher, 'Puppet Master' Lloyd Rodney. The silk thread material is only useful for Puppet Masters. If you can give it up, we will pay you extra..."

The Oliver family,

A first-class financial consortium in the inner city.

Their strength was similar to several branches of the Reyes family, which accounted for one-seventh of the power.

They were also one of the "Five Major Financial Consortia" that built camps.

By bringing up their identity, they naturally wanted to make people retreat.

And Su'en had some impression of the identity mentioned by the young man.

Lloyd Rodney, the famous "Magician" and a veteran second-tier professional, was one of the few Puppet Master instructors in the entire Old Lingdun.

But what about people from the inner city?

Others might still have to consider it, but...

What did it have to do with him, a wanted criminal?

The reason why Su'en responded was because the other party had been polite enough before.

But now, he could see the arrogance of these guys, clearly trying to overpower him.

"Sorry, I really have no intention of selling the materials."

He didn't say anything more and turned around and left directly.

...Watching Su'en show no respect, the young man named Danze's face turned red in an instant.

But the man had already left, not giving him a chance to retaliate.

Danze could only turn his head and glare at the stall owner, angrily asking, "How much did he pay?"

The stall owner swallowed nervously under his gaze, "One... one hundred thousand."

Danze angrily said, "We'll give you a million, sell the silk thread to me!"

"This..."

The stall owner looked distressed, instantly feeling like he had sold at a loss.

Although he knew the rules of the market, he also wanted to take the money. He quickly turned his head to call out to Su'en, who had already left, loudly saying, "Sir, could you..."

Su'en didn't look back, coldly saying, "No!"

"You..."

The stall owner was in the wrong, so he couldn't say anything.

Seeing Su'en's attitude, the young man named Danze was even more furious, cursing, "Damn guy!"

But the man with the goatee shook his head, calling out to the young man, "Since the material has been sold, let's go. The silk thread was perfect puppet material. If there was enough, it could even be considered as the main material for refining the 'Thousand Silk' implant. What a pity..."

Listening to this, Danze felt even worse.

After a pause, the goatee man looked at the stall owner again, "By the way, where did you get the silk thread material? We'll also buy the information."

The group retraced their steps.

As they walked, the young man's anger didn't subside, but instead surged.

He said to the middle-aged man beside him, "Teacher, I think that guy just now might not recognize the 'Cursed Hair of the Weeping Witch'. After all, it's not very useful for ordinary professionals. I was probably too reckless, revealing its origin. He heard that I'm from the Oliver family and deliberately wanted to raise the price."

After a pause, he felt like he had grasped something and suddenly realized, "I'll go find him now. I can definitely buy it if I raise the price. That silk thread, even if it costs a million, it's worth it!"

"No, he should be very clear about the effect of that hair."

The goatee man shook his head.

Su'en didn't give his disciple face, nor did he give him, the teacher, face.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, "Since you've revealed your family, he's not afraid of offending people and refuses to give up the material. He must be a puppet master. Hehe... There are only a few inheritances of puppet masters in Old Lingdun. I'd like to see where he gets his confidence from!"

After a pause, the middle-aged man's eyes shifted, pondering, "However, I think he might be a wanted criminal..."

Otherwise, such a disrespectful guy wouldn't dare to disrespect the Oliver family, nor would he dare to disrespect him, Lloyd Rodney!

"Yes, I also think you're right, teacher!"

Hearing this, the young man's eyes lit up, immediately understanding.

He gave a look to his bodyguard behind him.

The bodyguard immediately understood and quietly left the group.

......

Su'en was walking on the street when he suddenly sensed something. His brows furrowed and he muttered to himself, "I'm being followed..."

He had the ability to sense malice. Any malicious gaze would be immediately detected.

Obviously, it was the people from the Oliver family just now.

Did they have bad intentions?

Hehe...

A cold smile appeared at the corner of Su'en's mouth.

But the camp was crowded and not suitable for action.

Su'en thought for a moment. He didn't want to cause a scene here, so he turned into a secluded corner.

The person following him was probably a professional bodyguard, not very good at tailing.

Since Su'en had detected him in advance, and the camp buildings were complex and chaotic, it was easy to lose the target.

Before long, Su'en changed his clothes and mask, and once again walked boldly onto the street.

At this time, he was no longer accompanied by a mechanical dog and goods, but by a burly man in a cloak.

Although this kind of large physique was eye-catching, such exaggerated close-combat professionals and heavy mechanical warriors could occasionally be seen on the street.

Having changed the witch's hair, the control thread completely disappeared in the air.

With breathing and heartbeat, others couldn't detect the abnormality of the hateful living corpse.

In this way, Su'en led the living corpse towards the direction of the "Hunter's Guild".

If there was a place where he could find out about "Psychic Secret Techniques" and advanced spatial ability materials, it must be the Hunter's Guild.

There, they had the most complete information about the ruins, as well as the hunter teams that had mastered the information.