Interlude chapter, feel free to skip if you dislike it.

When Su’en returned to the camp, the news of Miss Theresa’s team being attacked had already spread.

Although no one knew what had happened, the guard presence at the city gate had clearly increased. One could even see second-tier professionals guarding the gate in person, scrutinizing those entering the city for any suspicious individuals.

However, this had no effect on Su’en.

Due to the influx of inner city people to the Wild Hunt campsite recently, the entry fee had skyrocketed, and the inns had been fully booked for a long time. Ordinary hunters couldn’t afford to stay in the city, so many set up tents near the camp walls.

This was convenient for Su’en.

He simply found a spot near the wall, out of sight, and teleported into the city.

The patrols inside the city were also exceptionally strict.

He returned to the Rose Inn, and not long after settling in, there was a knock on the door for a routine inspection.

Thanks to his nearly perfect forged identity, he easily slipped through the scrutiny.

Su’en didn’t wander around and instead stayed in the inn to meditate and assimilate the fifth-tier knowledge he had stripped away today.

…

After harvesting the memories, Su’en learned that the people of the surface world did not absorb dark spirit force to advance, but normal spirit force instead.

He also learned that there were many factions of ancient alchemists. The mainstream ones were called “Light Alchemists,” but there were also different systems like “Dark Alchemists,” “Necromancers,” “Shadow Alchemists,” “Toxic Alchemists,” and so on.

Aside from Light Alchemists, the others were niche factions.

This underground city belonged to the “Dark Alchemists” lineage.

In the following days, Su’en was almost completely immersed in digesting knowledge and sensing the transcendent laws that were beyond his current tier.

It was a delightful and magical experience, as if he was gaining a vast amount of knowledge every second.

Su’en devoured the knowledge like a whale, eating his fill in one go.

After digestion, he finally understood what those so-called “Transcendent tier barriers” were.

Indeed, the view from above was truly different.

The peaks that once seemed insurmountable were just slightly shorter hills that could be taken in at a glance.

…

On this day.

Su’en was in his room at the inn.

Threads suspended books all around the room, while his eight-armed spider spear, along with his hands, rapidly flipped through these airborne tomes.

These were the textbooks from the Black Tower Academy that Mr. Black had given him.

Although he had read them countless times, there were still many parts he couldn’t understand.

Now, Su’en read ten lines at a glance, quickly flipping through the books to find those previously marked, difficult-to-understand sections.

Especially those parts that required his own previous alchemy knowledge and understanding, which now seemed almost instantly comprehensible.

After a while,

Having scanned through the books and removed nearly nine out of ten tags, Su’en let out a long breath, “Phew… I used to think the knowledge of the Black Tower Academy was astonishing. But the high-tier professionals of the outside world, they truly broaden one’s horizons…”

Even in the surface world, fifth-tier professionals were considered experts.

That “Grot Lester” as the captain of Duke Raphael’s guard, was also a graduate of the “Luyin Empire War Academy.”

His knowledge was incredibly vast.

Closing the books, Su’en’s face was radiant, and he murmured to himself, “I’ve almost thoroughly mastered the first and second-tier alchemy knowledge. Now I just need a bit more proficiency, and I can directly start on third-tier runes and enchantments. My rune puppets can be enhanced again…”

He now deeply appreciated the saying, “Knowledge is truly an invaluable treasure.”

And he also profoundly realized why the [Death Harvester] talent was rated as an S-tier talent for its defiance of the heavens.

Before, harvesting peers of the same tier didn’t seem like much. But now, after leaping three major tiers and harvesting, he had gained a massive boost.

The significance of acquiring knowledge was absolutely incomparable to obtaining a few sealed items!

After the third tier, every advancement on the Transcendent path had a threshold; it wasn’t just about reaching the dark spirit force standard or finding materials to advance. One also needed to comprehend the corresponding laws, which was the greatest shackle that killed countless alchemists.

…

After digesting the knowledge in his mind, Su’en suddenly thought of something and began to form a sorcerer’s seal with his hands.

The seven-pointed star seal slowly lit up, but Su’en seemed to sense something, furrowing his brow. The sorcerer’s seal changed again, losing one point and becoming a six-pointed star.

The spell successfully condensed, and upon closer inspection, his skin suddenly turned as if cast from pure gold, visibly exuding an indestructible metallic texture.

This was naturally the execution of the Flesh Alchemy spell—[Vajra].

The original [Vajra] was a fifth-tier spell, so complex that perhaps a fourth-tier might barely be able to use it, while third-tier and second-tier professionals couldn’t understand it at all.

Yet, Su’en could fully comprehend it.

But this differed slightly from the dazzling golden sheen of the fifth-tier professional’s spell; Su’en’s golden sheen also carried a faint trace of black.

The spell driven by dark spirit force had slight differences.

However, the complete spell consumed a tremendous amount of energy, and Su’en, whether in terms of body or dark spirit force, couldn’t sustain it.

Because he thoroughly understood the spell, he also casually downgraded it.

The essence of the spell was to condense gold elements into layers of highly refined substances on the body’s surface, like overlapping gold leaf.

With fewer layers, the defensive power would decrease, but after all, Su’en didn’t need a defense that could withstand fifth-tier attacks.

Downgrading was sufficient.

Su’en felt his body.

He took out a dagger and poked at it, clearly feeling the sensation of scraping metal, as the sharp dagger couldn’t leave a single scratch on his skin.

Without much thought, he drew his firearm and shot at his palm.

“Bang!”

The gunshot echoed in the room.

With a soundproof barrier, there was no fear of disturbing the neighbors.

Su’en looked at the deformed bullet in his hand, his gaze indifferent.

Then, he switched to an alchemy bullet.

Another shot.

This time, the alchemy bullet made a slight dent on the skin, but it quickly recovered.

After firing two shots to test, Su’en had already roughly gauged the spell’s defense, pondering, “Both physical and magical defenses are high, it should at least withstand attacks from third-tier professionals for a short time. But the consumption is also great. Moreover, the muscles have solidified, which obviously affects agility…”

That fifth-tier “Grot Lester” was so formidable not only because of the spell but also because of his profession and alchemical implants.

For Su’en, a puppeteer, to achieve this level with Flesh Alchemy was already satisfying.

At least it gave him the ability to protect himself in front of third-tier professionals.

And from this stripping, Su’en also acquired another complete skill [Extreme Air Step].

A skillful movement technique that required high strength, agility, and finesse.

This was highly compatible with him.

It was an advanced version of Kay’s ghostly movement technique.

To put it simply, it was like “stepping on air.”

Su’en had tried it a few days ago when he returned, and he could briefly leap into the air, which felt very good.

Within a short distance, it was several times faster than the displacement of the eight-armed spider spear.

Agility and finesse were just passive attributes. Before, his own body’s attributes were very high, almost meeting the minimum requirements for this skill.

But he couldn’t use it.

Because the “muscle overload micro-control technique” was the key.

It required countless repetitions to grasp that subtle control.

It’s like learning to ride a bicycle; it seems like having legs is enough, but finding that balance point is necessary to master the skill.

One stripping allowed Su’en to easily master this advanced movement technique that countless melee professionals couldn’t grasp even after ten years of hard practice.

One defense, one escape, his life-saving methods greatly increased.

…

As evening approached, Su’en was in his room tinkering with his new puppet, when suddenly, a commotion came from outside the window.

“Quick, go look, Princess Theresa’s team has arrived outside the camp!”

“Wow! I heard that even the big shots in the inner city rarely get to see the little princess, and I didn’t expect her to come hunting. This is a rare opportunity, let’s go take a look…”

“Sheesh, what a grand entourage. The guards from the duke’s house seem so strong…”

“…”

Whether it was because the large troop was slow or because they had encountered an ambush and slowed down, the young lady from the duke’s house arrived at the camp a few days late.

Su’en listened to the noise outside, leaned against the window, and looked in the direction of the sound.

He had chosen this room precisely because it had a wide view, allowing him to see the camp gate and main street from inside the room.

Su’en looked over.

The young duchess’s entourage was large, with roughly hundreds of people.

They surrounded a carriage-like special steam mechanical locomotive.

In the team, some carried flags embroidered with the harp and lion pattern representing the Raphael noble family. The guards in uniform dark cyan uniforms, wearing cross helmets and wielding swords in heavy armor, were at the front, and there were dozens of maids and servants, as well as butlers, tutors, cooks…

“So many strong people…”

Su’en squinted and observed.

This standard configuration for high nobility travel made it easy for him to distinguish the main from the secondary.

Apart from the young lady Theresa’s personal maid, the closer to the locomotive, the stronger they were.

Because of some stripped fragment memories, Su’en felt some faces were familiar, yet he couldn’t recognize them.

A fifth-tier guard captain had died, and there were clearly other fifth-tiers in the team. That white-faced man in military uniform, who kept his hat brim low, was obviously one of them.

And around him, those dozen or so robed sorcerers constantly surrounded by thick elemental fluctuations, which others might not understand, but Su’en knew that this was the characteristic defensive measure of fourth-tier sorcerers, the “Elemental Barrier.”

Clearly, this was just the visible guard force; who knows what else was hidden.

This team was incredibly strong.

…

The Dawn Camp was originally a war town that existed for hunting, and it didn’t have very spacious streets.

The team drove in from the city gate and then stopped in front of the narrow streets.

The knights knelt on one knee, and the maids opened the locomotive door. An old nanny extended her hand to lead out a veiled young girl. She wore a wide-brimmed hat with a pink bow, a floral skirt, and simple leather boots. She wasn’t dressed extravagantly, but as soon as she appeared, a noble aura hit everyone, as if a splash of color had appeared in a black and white scene, attracting everyone’s attention.

Su’en glanced over, retracted his gaze, and decided not to look.

It was troublesome to pay too much attention to the young ladies of ducal houses.

Just then, there was a knock on his door.

Opening it, to his surprise, it was Qiantiao, whom he hadn’t seen for days.

Su’en greeted her, “Sister Qiantiao.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Qiantiao responded weakly, looking as if she had gambled for days and nights, entered the room, and complained, “Ah, finally back…”

With that, she went straight into the bathroom, stripped off her dirty clothes, and threw them out, “Please hang these up for me.”

“…”

Su’en watched her bare back, his eyebrows raised helplessly. This gambling-addicted lady was becoming less and less reserved. She used to cover up a bit, but now she didn’t even bother with a chest guard.

The sound of water trickled in the bathroom,

Su’en was focused on making his puppet in the room.

Before long, Qiantiao came out of the shower.

She was drying her hair with a towel and said, “Are you free tonight?”

Su’en continued to tinker with his puppet, “Nothing much.”

Qiantiao asked, “Then change into some clothes and accompany me to a party?”

“A party?”

Su’en looked up at her, sensing something different in her tone.

Qiantiao replied, “Yes. That young lady from the duke’s house has arrived, and naturally, the major families of the inner city want to hold a welcome party. Also, there will be a lottery for hunting assignments at the party, and Rena is not in a good situation… Well, and also, you disguise yourself with a new identity, and help me fend off some trouble at the time…”

“…”

With that explanation, Su’en finally understood.

Although Qiantiao was an executive of the Cross Society, she was also the second young lady of the inner city’s Evelyn family. Few people in the outer city knew of her identity, but the major families of the inner layer were well aware.The gambling-addicted young woman also found those high-society social gatherings tiresome, yet she couldn’t neglect her family’s expectations.

She could ignore other parties, but the one welcoming the duke’s daughter was an exception; every notable family and person had to attend. No one dared to disregard the duke’s authority.

Listening to her, Su’en realized he was expected to be her… escort?

He didn’t mind doing her this small favor, but it was the first time he’d heard her speak of her family matters, and he was somewhat curious.

As they talked, he watched in astonishment as the gambling-addicted young woman pulled a set of cyan-black court gowns from her storage ring.

“Eh…”

Su’en’s eyes widened in surprise.

In his memory, aside from kimonos and battle armor, he had never seen her wear any other style of clothing.

Oh, there were pajamas, and the times she wore nothing at all.

But…

A high-society lady’s elegant dress???

She noticed his peculiar gaze and said irritably, “Hey… Su’en, what’s with that look? You think I want to wear this?”

At a high-society party, walking in wearing a flamboyant kimono heavy with societal connotations would probably attract more attention than Princess Theresa herself.

Su’en smiled, “Ah… I think it looks quite nice.”

She ignored him, dried her hair, and began to dress in front of the mirror, complaining as she put on the skirt, “Such a hassle to wear…”

Su’en refrained from staring at her as she changed.

But after a short wait, hearing no more movement, he glanced over and his eyes lit up.

Indeed, the gambling-addicted young woman with her hair elegantly up and dressed in a courtly gown looked surprisingly good!