Mechanical Alchemist

Chapter 204: Why did you burn her to death?

"Teacher."

Su'en bowed respectfully to the great alchemist from a thousand years ago.

"Mm."

Sereya nodded with a gentle smile.

Looking at Su'en, her eyes filled with satisfaction, "Though time has slipped by, our meeting was destined. Regrettably, I don't have much time to teach you, so... as your teacher, let me give you a welcome gift."

Saying this, Sereya took out a glass bottle containing the [Fallen Angel's Heart], pinched a seal with one hand, and softly chanted, "Seal Release!"

The runes on the glass bottle lit up.

In that instant, Su'en felt that the ancient bottle didn't contain a beating heart, but rather a primordial beast.

The aura that leaked out was oppressive like a mountain.

Dominant, holy, chillingly evil, like a flood of dark spiritual power...

It made one feel an involuntary sense of worship, a profound humility.

It was the pressure of a lower being looking up at a higher life form.

That aura was like gazing at the stars, endlessly profound, yet unreachable.

"This is the breath of a god..."

Su'en was astounded, as if a storm surged in his heart.

Once, "god" was just a simple word in his understanding.

Indescribable, ineffable, but ultimately too insubstantial.

Nothing like this tangible sensation.

For the first time, Su'en felt the presence of a god.

Sereya's gaze was misty as she looked at the heart in the jar and said, "This is part of the law of a divine being. I'm not asking you to understand it, but to know how vast the world is. Only from a high vantage can one see further. A truly great alchemist needs extensive knowledge and a broader vision."

Su'en nodded earnestly, his eyes flashing with insight.

In that moment, he deeply understood the meaning of her words.

A frog in a well can never grasp the vastness of the world.

But now, he had glimpsed the vast world beyond the well's edge.

Continuing, Sereya said, "Isaac once said that we live in the worst of times, but also the best of times, because we stand on the shoulders of giants. Although today's alchemical civilization is not as glorious as it was during the Dawn Epoch, the knowledge has been passed down. The sages of history have left us too much precious knowledge, which is the real 'treasure.' But this precious knowledge is buried in the dust of history, waiting for us to unearth, innovate, and continue to explore..."

Her teaching method was straightforward and forceful, but the impact on Su'en's heart was unparalleled.

Yet his gaze was unwavering.

The more fascinating the world, the more he looked forward to it.

Su'en calmed the turmoil in his heart and bowed respectfully, "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher."

"You're doing well."

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Sereya looked at Su'en's performance under the divine pressure and nodded with satisfaction, "If there was time, I would have you build a solid foundation and gradually expose you to the truth of this world. The world as seen by an alchemist is far more fascinating than that of ordinary people..."

She changed the subject, "But clearly, there isn't. So, the gift for my disciple must naturally be the best."

Hearing this, Su'en's anticipation grew.

At that moment, Sereya took out the golden card from before and flicked it lightly with her hand.

The card shattered, and an ancient hexagonal copper lamp appeared before them.

Su'en recognized it immediatelyit was the [Volgan's Furnace Lamp]!

"With this alchemical item, things will be much easier..."

Sereya muttered to herself with a smile.

Then, she placed the glass bottle on the ground and rapidly formed an intricate set of sorcerer's seals with her hands.

Not just her hands, but the eight-armed spider lance behind her seemed to be manipulating some law. Centered around her, the air slowly gathered fire elemental motes like fireflies, more and more, until they formed a ring of firestorm...

Looking again, a fiery nine-pointed star alchemy array suddenly appeared on the floor of the room.

Su'en's eyes trembled as he observed the mysterious patterns of the array.

The grade of this technique was so high that he couldn't comprehend it at all.

With the final sorcerer's seal pinched, Sereya softly chanted, "Alchemy ArtFurnace World!"

As her words fell, the nine-pointed star array on the floor seemed to melt through the floor, and a wave of heat swept through the room.

Looking again, Su'en saw a world of magma and fire seas, as if through this small array mouth, connected to a furnace world.

The hexagonal copper lamp fell into it, the lid opened, releasing a trapped flame demon, and a surge of violent fire elemental power slapped upwards.

The terrifying elemental pressure, even through the array, made Su'en's scalp tingle, as if a mere touch would incinerate him.

However, before he could fully experience this sensation, the nine-pointed star suddenly disappeared.

The hexagonal copper lamp and the heart were locked in that furnace world.

***

After inserting the [Fallen Angel's Heart] and the copper lamp into the alchemy array, Sereya also breathed a sigh of relief.

Like a housewife who had just put a turkey in the oven, she suddenly found herself idle.

She looked at Su'en and asked, "By the way, did you bring your notes?"

Su'en knew what she was referring to and took out the [Isaac's Alchemy Manuscript III] from his space.

Sereya held the notes like a housewife with a recipe book, casually flipping through them, and muttered to herself, "Hmm... there's still a slight deviation. Isaac made the ultimate design manuscript even more perfect..."

As she spoke, she manipulated the spider lance to take out some materials from the cabinet, like adding seasoning to a pot, casually opened a crack in the ground, and threw the materials in.

Then she clapped her hands, looking like her work was done.

"Now it's perfect. Crafting the [Isaac's Alchemy Heart] will take some time; we'll have to wait..."

She looked at Su'en and suddenly thought of something else, "Do you want to know how this heart came to be?"

Su'en naturally guessed something, "Teacher, did you hunt a god from the abyss?"

Sereya was amiable, not too stern or serious as a teacher, and easy to communicate with.

"Not me. I'm not strong enough to battle a god. It was Isaac's doing."

She spoke casually, with a sense of drama.

A deity, defeated in a realm without gods?

But Su'en was also curious. Isaac was known as a "demi-god," presumably not of divine rank, yet he had actually killed a god.

How did he manage that?

Before he could wonder further, Sereya seemed to guess his confusion and simply said, "Moreover, although alchemists are physically weak, we have one advantage: we can use external objects and alchemy to exert power far beyond our physical rank. Plus, the [Master of Fate] is a very strong talent, and Isaac developed it to an impressive degree... His combat power is not inferior to ordinary deities."

Su'en knew he couldn't understand that level of power and asked about something he was more curious about, "Teacher, was that god killed? Then why is this heart still beating, is it some special ability of a divine rank?"

"No, It's not dead."

Sereya shook her head, "A divine rank being can't be killed as long as their divine fire isn't extinguished. Isaac originally wanted to kill It, but due to some special reasons... Of course, the most important is, he wanted to use this rare divine material for some experiments. Like this [Isaac's Alchemy Heart] ."

Su'en guessed something and directly said, "Teacher... you're giving this to me as a gift? But, this is Mr. Mirror's material. And..."

His face showed some difficulty.

After all, the heart was stolen from the lab by Number Nineteen, the hexagonal copper lamp was hard-earned by Mr. Mirror and his team, along with these other things...

Although Su'en coveted the divine rank material-crafted item, he also felt it was inappropriate.

"Mr. Mirror?"

Sereya heard the name and obviously guessed something, her face showing a tender smile, murmuring to herself, "She actually chose such a name for herself."

After a pause, she said with certainty, "No. If I give it to you, she won't mind."

"..."

Hearing this, Su'en immediately confirmed his previous guess.

Mr. Mirror was the "old monster" of Dawn City who had lived for over a thousand years.

And from Sereya's tone, it was clear they knew each other.

Since she was the teacher, Su'en didn't need to be so formal and directly asked, "Teacher, do you know Mr. Mirror?"

"Didn't she tell you?"

Sereya neither confirmed nor denied, her eyes revealing a light laugh as if thinking of something.

After pondering for a moment, she didn't intend to clarify for Su'en, only saying, "Alchemy is already quite dull, let's leave some small pleasures for life. When you see her, you'll probably be quite surprised."

"..."

Su'en shrugged.

He didn't inquire further.

As she said, the secret of Mr. Mirror's identity was a little pleasure in life.

Seeing the notes, he thought of something and said, "By the way, Teacher. Mr. Mirror mentioned that there's a big secret about alchemy hidden in the notes?"

Now that the manuscript's author's wife was here, instead of guessing wildly, it was better to ask directly.

"Yes."

Sereya nodded, revealing a piece of ancient history that was a secret to Su'en.

"Isaac studied the documents left from the Dawn Epoch and developed an 'epic' set of alchemical implants. He wanted alchemists to possess some divine rank abilities before reaching divine rank. Hence, he needed some divine materials."

She paused, then continued, "However, as far as I remember, he only finished the draft."

Su'en listened quietly, knowing there was more to come.

"Of course, the alchemy manuscript is just the content of the notes. Its secret goes beyond that. I heard Isaac once said he wanted to hide the secret he discovered in the notes."

Sereya's face showed a sly smile, continuing, "A secret we once discovered, pointing to the ultimate secret of alchemy. If you find all five notes, you can see the secret we left behind."

Like a treasure hunt game.

They hid the secret in the notes.

Waiting for someone to gather them and find that secret.

Su'en's interest was piqued, "The ultimate secret?"

Sereya said, "The reason why the Akavia civilization of the Dawn Epoch was so glorious is said to be because the five divine rank elders of the 'Rosicrucian Society,' the creators of the civilization and the five statues you saw in the basement of the Storm Manor, had seen the origin of the alchemical lineage left from the mythological erathe [Emerald Codex], and were inspired by it. Hence, they created such a powerful alchemical civilization."

Su'en heard a new term, "Emerald Codex?"

"Mm. In ancient texts, it's also called the Emerald Tablet, the Green Jade... It's said to be the origin of alchemy, an item that records the ultimate secret of alchemy."

Sereya nodded, but then her brows furrowed, questioning herself, "Strange, why can't I remember what that secret is exactly, I only remember it's related to the [Emerald Codex]..."

Like missing a piece from a memory puzzle, clearly lacking some related memories.

After a pause, she seemed to realize something, her expression showing understanding, "According to what you said, I'm just a remnant. So my memories must also be missing some parts. There are some things I can't explain to you completely..."

"Oh."

Su'en listened without much disturbance in his heart; the secrets of that level were still too early for him to touch.

What ultimate secret of alchemy, And the other four notes whose whereabouts were unknown, All seemed somewhat unrealistic to him.

Now he was still "in the mines."

Estimating that after reaching the fifth or sixth rank, when he would be considered a master on the surface... perhaps then he would be qualified to touch upon them.

***

While chatting, Su'en suddenly remembered the commission from before.

"By the way, Teacher. There's something I feel I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I met a ghostly little girl at Storm Manor who said her name was 'Pestoya.' "

Considering the previous circumstances, Su'en wasn't sure she was definitely this woman's daughter, so he chose his words very carefully.

Sereya's eyes immediately showed guilt and affection upon hearing this.

She asked eagerly, "You've seen her... Is she alright?"

"Mm. I've seen her twice."

Su'en nodded, "I don't know if her current state can be called good or bad. She has become a strange 'ghost'."

He paused, then added, "Pestoya asked me to ask you a question."

Before Su'en could speak, Sereya said, "Ask me why I burned her?"

Her expression was calm, but it seemed she remembered something, her eyes already brimming with tears.