Mechanical Alchemist Chapter 99: Second-level career planning

Su Lun currently has only three options for becoming a second-level professional: the inner city, the gang, and the black market.

 Ignore the inner city for now, then there will only be black markets and gangs.

 The professional advancement in the outer city is completely wild. Whatever conditions are met, the advancement is done. There is no system at all.

 Many times, even if the profession and talent do not match, you have no choice at all and your potential is wasted.

 If Su Lun wants to be promoted using the resources within the Cross Society, he must first become a captain and gain contributions and resources step by step.

 But...

 Even for the captains of the Cross, the options for advancement are limited. Back and forth are the twenty or thirty advancement paths available to cadres, and most of them are common ordinary professions.

 Puppet master?

 The entire Cross Society has never heard of such a sideline professional, so naturally there is no possibility of such a person.

 In fact, the "Alchemy Guild" alone has recorded more than 8,000 first-level career options, and there are thousands of second-level career paths...

 There are also those rare professions handed down from ancient times, which are even more dazzling.

 Su Lun does not want to waste his talents and potential in vain.

 So, in fact, the only thing before him was to try his luck on the black market.

 Instead of groping around on your own, it is better to ask someone who has experience and connections.

As the former vice-president of the Black Tower Alchemy Academy, Mr. Amy Rich is obviously a perfect fit.

  .....

 Su Lun arrived at the black market and went straight to "Rosen's Alchemy Shop".

 He left a message to his boss, saying that he wanted to see the gentleman.

 Then I walked around various shops in the black market as usual, trying to see if there were any suitable cursed materials and mechanical accessories for me.

 Passing by the bulletin board, the original owner's reward notice had been pressed in the corner.

 The kind of mission that no one has found clues for a long time will gradually be forgotten.

 This is also the situation Su Lun wants to see.

 As for the few people at the top, except for a new "S-class" bounty prisoner, the others are all old acquaintances.

 The one at the top of the list is still the mysterious woman.

 Now the amount of her reward has soared to the sky-high price of three million liso for providing information.

Su Lun felt that even with such a high bounty, no clues were found. The woman either went to the outer city, or she changed her appearance and hid like him.

Su Lun didn’t look much further and went to the “Whitebeard Mechanical Materials Shop” on the bottom floor of the black market.

The owner of this shop has a very good source of goods. The two physical training equipment he bought before came from this shop. This time I didn't expect any luck, but I actually found a "Cheetah IX Micro Six-Cylinder Steam Boiler" that was scrapped by the inner-city military machinery factory. It was small in size and very affordable. It could still be used after repair.

Su Lun bought it and planned to get it back to use as a power boiler for his "Iron Man II".

 It happened to be a coincidence. After buying something, he planned to go back to Green Street. Unexpectedly, when he passed by "Rosen's Alchemy Shop" again, he actually saw a familiar figure in a cloak.

 “Sir?”

Su Lun walked over and gave a tentative shout.

 The cloaked man turned his head. Although he could not see his face clearly, his voice was very familiar and still gentle: "Ah... the boss just told me that you wanted to see me, but I didn't expect you haven't left yet..."

Su Lun confirmed the identity of the person in front of him and directly explained his purpose, "Sorry, I do have something to trouble you."

  After all, the other party was a top professional, and yet he was so polite to a low-level professional like him. Su Lun also returned the courtesy greeting.

  The cloaked man nodded, "Let's talk as we walk..."

  The narrow alchemy shop where you can barely stand is not suitable for chatting.

 …........

 The two walked on the streets of the black market, talking quietly.

Suellen expressed his desire for some systematic alchemy knowledge.

 The man in the cloak is not surprised. He even means to be "helpful". "Knowledge is precious. But when I meet people who sincerely want to learn, I am still willing to give some guidance."

 “Thank you.”

 Su Lun didn’t expect him to agree so readily.

 Thinking about his status as dean, it’s not surprising.

 The cloaked man added: "There is too much systematic knowledge, such as potions, enchantments, plant equipment, runes, alchemy, machinery, blacksmithing, mysticism, medicine... alchemy is generally referred to by the outside world. , are divided into more than ten subjects in Black Tower College. Which one do you want to learn?"

 Su Lun had all kinds of miscellaneous knowledge in his mind. He wanted to learn it all. After thinking about it, he said, "I mainly want to learn alchemy and mechanical knowledge...but if possible, I would like to refer to them all."

 It is impossible to digest so many categories of knowledge by relying solely on self-study from textbooks.

 But Selun has [Death Reaper].

If it were anyone else, the man in the cloak would probably feel greedy and insufficient. But looking at Su Lun, he said this, "Haha...somehow, I always feel that you will give me a big surprise in the future."

  He did not refuse, and agreed casually, adding: "This is quite easy. It just so happens that I still have a set of textbooks that I used before, which can be regarded as the most complete and suitable introductory learning materials in Old Lingtown. Now. I don’t need it anymore, so I can give it all to you.”

 Su Lun heard this and said: "Thank you for your generosity. It is already valuable to get some knowledge in the outer city."

  The cloaked man didn't take it seriously and seemed to be smiling, "After all, my original name is a bit troublesome, you can call me 'Mr. Black'."

 His tone was very relaxed, not at all timid like other wanted criminals, and he said: "Just giving you a few books is not worth the favor I owe you. So... I think you should have something to ask. Me."

 A gentleman as always, unwilling to take advantage of others.

 The other party knows how to "read minds". Su Lun was not surprised when he heard this.

  He did not show too many emotions and went straight to the topic, "As you know, people from outside the city have very little knowledge about the field of high-level professionals. I would like to ask, are there any particularities in advancing to the second-level profession? Or... what are the options for advancing to the second level of the Puppet Master that you know about?"

 “Oh? When it comes to this question, it seems that no one can give you a better answer than me.”

Mr. Hei smiled, seeming to be mocking his profession of teaching and educating people.

  .....

 “After becoming a professional, subsequent advancements are actually all about acquiring the abilities you need around your main career. There is no fixed advancement path, it depends on your own plans for your future career.”

Mr. Hei said, glanced at Su Lun, and continued: "For example, a normal puppet master, the second-level path may choose the fusion of cursed objects related to 'perception enhancement', 'skill enhancement', and 'puppet element control' , used to obtain the ability to improve the puppet's control ability and combat effectiveness. However, some special puppet masters who do not lack attack methods may choose more advanced auxiliary abilities, such as: 'multitasking' and 'space control'. After all, , the number of controllable puppets is also a measure of a puppet master's combat power; and puppets with certain special laws cannot be put into storage rings, and spatial abilities are also very practical... There are other things such as 'corpse research', 'Mind Control', 'Elemental Annihilation', 'Reverse Alchemy', etc., various powerful mixed promotion paths..."

 “So many choices?”

Su Lun felt eye-opening as he listened.

 He just realized that there are so many things to pay attention to when advancing to the second level.

 “That’s why I say you should make a good choice based on your future career plans...”

 Mr. Hei did not continue and said: "It would be too much to explain in detail, and I can't finish it in a while. As far as I know, there are more than thirty second-level ability choices suitable for the puppet master. Of course, the more special and rare the ability, the harder it is to find the corresponding curse. In the end, it depends on your own ability and the best choice. Sometimes, career advancement also requires some 'luck'."

 “That’s it...Thank you, sir, for clarifying my doubts.”

 After hearing these words, Su Lun also felt that it was the right choice to ask this "Mr. Black".

  .....

 At this time, Mr. Hei seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly said: "But... you are very special. I have a small suggestion for your future career plan."

 Su Lun thought he saw something, calmed down his emotions again, and said: "You said it."

 “Well...that’s ‘mental power control’.”

 Mr. Hei said, looking at Su Lun, as if he was observing something.

  She pondered for a moment, and then said: "I found a problem with you. That is that you control your emotions very well. You are also the only entry-level profession I have seen that makes me feel that my mind-reading ability is limited. I noticed it last time when I was at the Ginkgo Street Apartment, but I didn’t think about it..."

Su Lun listened, with a slight color on his face.

 It is not surprising that a person who is very good at reading minds can see this.

 Mr. Hei suddenly changed the topic, apparently having figured it out, and said in a serious tone: "You have suppressed some of your emotions in exchange for being calm at all times. But this long-term suppression is very harmful to your spirit. It will be dangerous, even fatal. The harder you suppress it, the more deadly the backlash will be..."

 “…”

Su Lun narrowed his eyes slightly after hearing this.

 This Mr. Black revealed the real hidden dangers that even past life psychologists did not see.

  He didn’t feel like he had anything to hide, and said calmly: “I didn’t expect to live long before, and I thought it didn’t matter anymore. Now...”

 There was no joy in his previous life, and no matter how long he lived, he felt that he had no expectations for the future.

 After traveling through this mysterious world, he was really reluctant to die like this.

 Now that Mr. Hei can bring up this topic, Su Lun guessed that he might be able to solve it, and asked: "So...Mr. Hei, do you have a solution?"

 “This is not necessarily a bad thing for us alchemists...”

 Mr. Hei did not nod or shake his head, and added: "If I guess correctly, your mental strength before taking office should be much higher than that of ordinary people."

Su Lun smiled noncommittally and said half-jokingly: "I would like to ask, Mr. Hei, are you a doctor?"

Mr. Hei didn’t mind, and corrected him: “No, my profession is [Erudition]. But when it comes to those anecdotes, ancient alchemy knowledge, and medical intractable diseases... the entire Old Town of London There are really not many people who know more than me. So you are right to treat me as a doctor."

 Su Lun suddenly felt a sense of admiration in his heart when he heard these calm but domineering words.

  Only then did he understand what the heavy aura of Mr. Black was about.

 It turned out that his profound knowledge gave him a pair of eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything in the world.

Mr. Hei continued: "The solution is also very simple."

 Su Lun listened attentively, "I would like to hear the details."

 Mr. Hei: “The root still lies in ‘control’.”

 Su Lun: "..."

Mr. Hei said: "Human willpower alone cannot control the violent backlash, so you need to use some external forces, such as the secret method of mental power."

 “The secret method of spiritual power?”

Su Lun frowned slightly as he listened.

 This is another blind spot in his knowledge. No one even knows this concept in any of the memories he peeled off.

 Mr. Hei seemed to see his doubts and explained: "This is a field that only high-level professionals are qualified to access. Even in the inner city, this is a 'forbidden technique' that is restricted by the top management of the Black Tower. '."

 “Forbidden Technique?”

 When Su Lun heard this, he realized that he had probably come into contact with some high-end secrets.

 “I once read ancient books and learned that most of the ancient super-level alchemists practiced the secret method of spiritual meditation, which was used to increase mental power, control mental power, and release high-level spells...Forget it, those things are important to you now It’s too advanced to say, and it doesn’t make sense to say it, but it will cause you trouble.”

 Mr. Hei seemed to have some scruples when he said this, so he did not say more, "You only need to know and learn a spiritual method that suits you, and you can control that part of the disordered spiritual power."

 "That's it..."

Su Lun suddenly realized that there was no cure for his "illness"?

 But it is clear that ancient alchemists can practice it, why is the Black Tower listed as a "forbidden art"?

 Suddenly... he felt as if he had guessed part of the reason for Mr. Black's defection.

 Hearing this, Su Lun looked at Mr. Hei again, as if expecting something.

 “I am indeed exploring the practice of a spiritual mysticism, but it is extremely dangerous and not suitable for you.”

 Mr. Hei saw through Su Lun's thoughts, shook his head slightly, and said with a smile: "I'm telling you this, just to tell you that if you encounter similar secret methods in the future, you can pay attention to it... The current underground 'Dawn City' It has been discovered, a large number of ancient relics have been unearthed, and a lot of good things will appear in the black market recently. Maybe you can find a spiritual secret that suits you before the inner city is completely looted..."

 "Auroville?"

 "Well...it's a large ancient ruin newly discovered underground. Not many people in the outer city know about this news yet, but it should spread soon."

 “Oh...”

 Su Lun’s first reaction was the ancient ruins he traveled to.

 But he is more concerned about the "secret method of spiritual power".

 He has no shortage of mental strength, in fact a lot of it.

 [Death Reaper] is an S-level talent. Every time he harvests soul fragments, he will gain a little mental power. Although the mental power stripped from ordinary people's corpses is getting less and less,...his current The mental power value has reached 75 points, which is more than twice what it was when he first advanced to become a professional!

 However, this doubling of spiritual power did not bring double the benefits to Su Lun.

 It’s not that you don’t have enough mental energy, it’s that you can’t use it.

 But it’s like a plate of loose sand. If he wants to use it, he can’t hold much with just his hands...

  He felt that something was missing before, but now he realized that there is a "secret method of spiritual power" in this world.

  .....

 The two of them were walking and chatting, and more than half an hour had passed.

Mr. Hei seemed to have no intention of continuing, and added: "The more you know about alchemy, the more doubts you will have, and there are endless questions. By the time you finish reading those textbooks, I can guarantee that you will probably It will take ten times or a hundred times more knowledge to solve the puzzle..."

  “I don’t mind you asking me. But meeting me often will bring you big trouble. So, as the last part of repaying the favor, I can introduce you to a place where you can get access to advanced knowledge. ..."

 Su Lun: "Is there such a place in the outer city?"

 “Well, it’s on the black market.”

 Mr. Hei: "It's not a taboo organization, it's just a small circle for high-level professionals to communicate. Generally, only second-level professionals are eligible to accept invitations. I happen to be going there now, so you should go with me." ”