Chapter 91: The Method of Promoting to Alchemist (Two-in-One Chapter)

At this moment, Li Yu was thinking about retracting his earlier assessment of Hongdou’s body as cold and rigid.

The pieces of mechanical armor peeling off her body and covering Li Yu did not seem like metal products at all; they felt soft to the touch, even slightly damp and sticky, and as the fragrant red mist and steam surged, they were all heated up.

It was as if Li Yu had been dressed in a strange garment, with every corner of his body being permeated and covered.

In a daze, he once again recalled the pistil flower demon he encountered during his first expedition into the Strange Domain.

The difference was that Hongdou was not that erotic.

She was merely eerie and complex.

The unique experience she brought to Li Yu also made him feel a strong curiosity about Hongdou’s origins once again.

The sticky armor was covering and permeating Li Yu, likely also collecting his Qi essence.

During this process, Li Yu also achieved a "reverse" perception of Hongdou.

It was very blurry and faint, as if they were merely emotional fragments attached to the microscopic world of her shell.

"Slaughter and combat... high intelligence... unwillingness... liberation?"

"This sense of vicissitudes... Hongdou is definitely not just a mere Sequence 7 Linglong Puppet!"

Deep in his heart, Li Yu suddenly became certain.

After his body was completely covered by this "special mechanical armor," light and shadows flickered before his eyes, and a cute, exquisite mechanical fox jumped out from a screen-like interface.

The familiar mechanical voice sounded once again:

"Fingerprint collection complete... bodily fluid collection complete."

"Qi essence collection complete!"

"Ownership recognition complete!"

"Master is a sixteen-year-old human male; body scan shows no abnormalities; psychological evaluation in progress... some minor abnormalities detected."

"Suspected to be in an environment with excessive pressure and high mortality rates; has a defensive mindset toward everything around him; strong desire for survival; suppresses reasonable desires."

"Beginning search for relevant medical solutions!"

"Starting Spiritual Doctor module... startup failed."

"Starting Bounty module... searching for entities within authorized range that can resolve Master's desires..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Li Yu had long known that if he let this increasingly intelligent mechanical maid run and handle problems on her own, the decisions she made would become more and more outrageous.

For instance, at this very moment, various female cultivators began popping up on the screen before Li Yu’s eyes—courtesans, seductive nuns, half-beast demons... everything one could imagine.

This was clearly a misdiagnosis!

What Li Yu had in mind was that Hongdou, who had begun to recover, had unlocked those modules and permissions again.

After calling for a stop, fearing that this formidable maid would go off to search for other solutions, Li Yu asked directly:

"Hongdou, tell me what modules you have newly unlocked or restored?"

"Understood, Master!"

"Compared to the first repair, all of Hongdou’s module permissions have increased by ten percent."

"At the same time, a new permission function has been unlocked: [Spiritual Energy Armor]."

"This function allows Hongdou to merge with Master; in addition to increasing Master's defense, it also allows Master to use Hongdou’s combat modules, intelligence modules, transformation modules, and so on."

"According to self-check search, Master previously attempted to use the [Spirit-Replenishing Secret Art] to restore Hongdou’s intelligence; this function can greatly shorten the replenishment time... Master also previously intended to purchase a bionic skin for Hongdou; this function can absorb and modify bionic skins. Master only needs to purchase one set of basic bionic skin, and after Hongdou absorbs it, all skins will be unlocked."

The more Li Yu listened, the brighter his eyes shone.

But he didn't stop talking, continuing to ask:

"Do you still remember your origins?"

"No... I do not remember."

"Besides the Spirit-Replenishing Great Art and devouring blank secret cores, are there other ways to repair you?"

"Searching... none currently."

"What is your current combat power equivalent to in terms of sequence?"

"Replying to Master, combat power across different paths and sequences cannot be quantified or compared; specific reference objects are required."

"What if you analyze and compare using me as an example?"

"Based on Master’s past combat records and relevant privacy, it is estimated... if Master does not consume elixirs, Hongdou can kill Master within twenty breaths... if Master consumes elixirs, there is a high probability of killing Master before the high-grade spiritual energy stones in Hongdou’s body are exhausted, provided that Master does not attempt to flee."

After hearing Hongdou’s answer, Li Yu was immediately shocked.

His main body was an Alchemist, and he was indeed not very good at fighting; aside from his alchemical fire arts, which had a strong suppressive effect on evil spirits, it was meaningless against mechanical bodies.

But he still had a pile of elixirs like the Skinning Ghost Elixir and Vajra Elixir on him. If he popped pills continuously, Li Yu believed he would have no rivals in the same sequence. Even if Hongdou had previously scavenged a pile of high-end weapons like chainswords and bolters, and had now repaired a portion of them, could she really blast him to death?

Just as Li Yu’s inner defiance arose, he received a simulated combat scenario from Hongdou, which was a deduction of him being killed multiple times.

In the images!

Li Yu had indeed used all his trump cards except for the Truth Bubble.

Yet in the end, he was still killed by Hongdou.

The most common method of death: being sliced into pieces by Hongdou’s upgraded [Chainsword Art].

Seeing this, Li Yu was not angry but happy.

Because the process and the deduction itself allowed him to see Hongdou’s fierce combat ability and her obvious evolutionary enhancement.

From combat to intelligence, and this Spiritual Energy Armor function—it might not be a complete rebirth, but she had at least moved up a level.

"It’s really great. With Hongdou here, at least I’m not alone in surviving in this Mancheng."

"She is a thoughtful maid, an intelligent assistant, and a fierce bodyguard... the value of that original transaction is still skyrocketing."

"Hmm?"

"Hongdou, what is this rapidly depleting progress bar?"

"It is the spiritual energy stones, Master. The Spiritual Energy Armor function consumes several times more spiritual energy stones than other functions. At the current rate, it can allow Master to maintain the armor coverage for about three more days."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? Quickly, take it off."

"Hongdou detected that Master enjoyed the feeling of being covered by the armor, so this function was set to remain on by default."

After answering Li Yu, steam surged once again.

The pieces of soft, damp, and sticky armor fell off one by one, and then automatically restored themselves into Hongdou in front of Li Yu.

Only, compared to before, the Hongdou before him was clearly much more intelligent; Li Yu even had the illusion that there was a faint, elusive smile hidden on the mechanical fox girl’s face.

Having figured out Hongdou’s changes, Li Yu took out the scent pouch he had already claimed with a drop of blood and said: "Scan this item, is there any problem?"

Li Yu was confident that with the petty schemes of that little nun called "Miao Chang," she shouldn't be able to trap him.

But after all, it was an item from a different faction, so being careful was never wrong.

"Scan complete!"

"Upon inspection, this item is a scent pouch on the outside, while the inside contains a mustard-seed space opened by Buddhist secret arts. There are not many Buddhist sects that master this secret art, and combined with the unique fragrance emitted by the pouch, it is inferred that its original owner was a human female practitioner from the [Qian Kingdom Shuiyue Nunnery]."

"There is no problem with the scent pouch itself, and wearing it has the effect of calming the mind and soul."

Once this result was out, Li Yu’s eyes lit up again.

Aside from the scent pouch, it was also because of Hongdou.

He was increasingly satisfied with this assistant maid.

Confirming there was no problem with the scent pouch, Li Yu took out the two strange items from within, which were also additional gains from this Strange Domain expedition.

The Holy Book Blade!

The Zhishan Notes!

To a certain extent, both of these items were deeply connected to the [Holy Nest], the overlord of the South District where he was currently located.

"This Holy Book Blade is unsharpened and not very effective against other enemies."

"But for those things in the [Holy Nest] that have undergone flesh-and-blood modification, this item is simply a great weapon. Perhaps it could even injure those three monsters of the Three Saints Gang?"

"The notes were compiled by the three demons of Zhu Zhishan and his mysterious master, the Holy Nest Elder Fifth Saint; they are filled with forbidden flesh-and-blood arts."

"I can't use them now, but there's no guarantee they won't be of great use later. At the very least, once I promote to Alchemist, I can steal and improve the forbidden arts inside. Having more skills is never a burden."

After reviewing everything.

Thinking of the Alchemist realm, Li Yu couldn't help but start pondering his own affairs.

Just as Hongdou said: he was very eager to improve his strength and had a strong desire for survival.

"Although I haven't been a [Sequence 8 Alchemist] for long, my cultivation base is already considered complete. Next, I should promote to Sequence 7 Alchemist as quickly as possible."

"Refining the Nine Elixirs is not difficult, and I don't even need to buy the materials myself. Tomorrow, I will go to work at the City Lord’s Mansion pioneer camp, and under the guise of 'researching new medicinal diets,' I will have the captain file a report to the higher-ups to purchase the materials, then I can pick them out and bring them home."

"What is difficult is the promotion ceremony."

At this thought, Li Yu couldn't help but frown. Within a certain range, become famous in some specific way... influence at least one thousand people...

These conditions for the promotion ceremony were actually not difficult.

Li Yu could do it if he wanted to.

But one thing had to be ensured: he could not reveal his true colors.

At the very least!

He could not let others know that he was cultivating the Spirit Venerable path. Even if they mistakenly thought he was on the path of some other evil god, that would be fine, but not the Spirit Venerable.

The reason was simple, as could be seen from the rather disgusting abilities of Alchemists.

This path was very detestable.

Especially since Li Yu had already read the "Illustrated Guide to the Gods," and judging by the description of the "Spirit Venerable" within, this True God was likely the common enemy of the Divine Realm.

The righteous gods loathe it, and the evil gods despise it too.

"Perhaps it is precisely these disgusting abilities that led to the fall of the Spirit Venerable and caused the inheritance of this path to be severed."

=9+Shu_Ba

"I am already viewed with hostility by many because of my identity as a [Calamity Star]."

"If I were to leak the Spirit Venerable's path as well, wouldn't that just be adding frost to snow?"

In his mind, Li Yu seemed to foresee the scene of himself becoming the public enemy of Wanfu City, and he couldn't help but shiver.

He made up his mind: the method of advancement must be absolutely obscure, and then even more obscure.

In this way, he would naturally have to carefully look for a suitable opportunity.

Li Yu remembered something and spoke directly to Hong Dou again:

"Contact Shi Dazhu and have him send over the latest discarded drafts of the Wanfu Daily. Also, buy a set of biomimetic skin, the highest grade available."

"Very well, Master!"

Li Yu gave the instructions without blushing or skipping a beat.

It was as if his true purpose was the discarded drafts, and the biomimetic skin was just an offhand addition.

Before long, Shi Dazhu arrived at the door.

He brought the discarded drafts and an extremely high-grade set of biomimetic skin, better than human skin itself; the outer appearance was that of a tall, voluptuous, mature woman that Li Yu had personally selected.

Because of this skin, Shi Dazhu teased him before leaving:

"Fellow Daoist, it seems you are extremely fond of the items produced by my Heavenly Crafts Sect. A loyal reader of the Wanfu Daily, a die-hard fan of Linglong dolls—I was wondering just which day you would be unable to resist buying a biomimetic skin."

"Believe me, Fellow Daoist, my sect's dolls are the best in the world, countless times better than real people. In my home... *ahem*... when you come back for more, I will introduce you to even better goods."

"I just want the landing to feel a bit better next time I return from the Strange Domain."

Li Yu offered a silent defense.

Immediately after, while taking the discarded drafts, he watched with great interest as Hong Dou put on the biomimetic skin.

Accompanied by a burst of steam, in the blink of an eye, an extremely magical scene occurred.

The mechanical maid, whose entire body was made of metal, gears, springs, and even a chainsaw sword, gradually disappeared. Replacing her was truly a tall, voluptuous woman in a maid outfit.

The only flaw was that her face was too stiff.

But very quickly, that face also began to change, becoming incomparably vivid and very similar to Hong Dou, as if she were an older sister version of Hong Dou.

At the same time, a mechanical voice kept coming:

"Wearing biomimetic skin... Fusion complete."

"Beginning consumption and modification."

"Transforming maid module generating... All templates being recorded..."

Accompanied by these sounds.

Under Li Yu's incomparably astonished gaze, Hong Dou began to change.

She had clearly only put on one set of skin, but next, starting from the mature woman, subsequent forms such as a sweet young girl, a charming young wife, a buxom matron, a cold and aloof saintess... and even non-human maidens, were all included.

Right under his gaze, she changed one after another.

Li Yu had, after all, lived in Wanfu City for some time and had long since seen other mechanical dolls wearing biomimetic skin.

They were very realistic, but without exception, they were all very stiff.

Yet, these changes of Hong Dou were not only incomparably real, but her expressions and demeanor were also incomparably lively.

There was no difference from a real person.

Although the transformation process even included "clothing," Li Yu still watched the whole thing with curiosity.

It wasn't until he had stared at it for half an incense stick's time and realized it wasn't over yet that he couldn't help but ask a question.

Hong Dou, in the midst of her busy work, took a moment to answer:

"According to the latest sales records updated on the Heavenly Crafts Sect's internal network, there are a total of 208 sets of biomimetic skin templates in Wanfu City, and 350 sets in the three kingdoms of Gan, Li, and Jing. A few are designed independently by the Heavenly Crafts Sect, while most are customized by clients."

"Recording them all will take three hours. Please wait a moment, Master."

Once this answer came out, Li Yu was astonished again.

There are many perverts in Wanfu City, so it is reasonable that they created so many skins.

But the three kingdoms shouldn't be like this; weren't they all supposed to be devout believers of the six righteous gods?

So, in secret, there are quite a few perverts too, right?

Li Yu muttered to himself, and gradually lost his patience.

For no other reason than that he had seen too much, and was gradually entering a "sage mode."

His attention quickly shifted to the discarded drafts, and while flipping through them, he compared them with the newspapers and drafts he had read in the past, searching for a method of advancement that would allow him to deceive the heavens and cross the sea.

After reading through them carefully, there was no time to summarize.

Another piece of good news arrived abruptly.

It was that the ninth truth bubble had finished charging.

Just as Li Yu was about to feel surprised, he quickly recalled the key point himself.

It was the Illustrated Guide to the Gods!

This atlas only cost him 100 merit points, and its content was very brief and rough, but as "transcendent knowledge," its weight was not low; it pushed the ninth bubble to the very last bit, and now it was a matter of course.

His greatest reliance had gone from one to two.

Li Yu's mood immediately improved, and he took the opportunity to start thinking about the feasibility of several methods of advancement.

"In the East District, Zhao Xi, the master of the Xi Prince's Mansion, is a high-sequence powerhouse and a super pervert. He and the large group of little princes in his mansion all have a penchant for cannibalism, and they all prefer fresh brains and internal organs... This has caused this trend to become prevalent in the East District, which is also one of the reasons why that Garuda Restaurant opened in the East District and has such invincible business."

"Later, after the Xi Prince colluded with the [Forbidden God Sect], this trend surged even more, and finally, some side effects appeared."

"A discarded draft of the Wanfu Daily that was killed shows: a contagious anomaly broke out in some streets and alleys of the East District."

"Some citizens of the East District inexplicably developed symptoms such as madness, vomiting, and a greatly increased appetite, and died suddenly within a very short time."

"Because these symptoms were highly similar to the reaction after a failed parasitism by a 'Forbidden Egg,' and everyone who had an outbreak had eaten two-legged sheep meat, this infectious disease was called... Cannibal Egg Poison!"

"Preliminary investigations show that as many as a thousand people in the East District have been infected with this poison."

"Hmm? I didn't expect there to be prions in this other world; they deserve it."

"However, the number of infected people is just right for me to make a move."

"With my medicinal cuisine techniques and my understanding of Forbidden Eggs, it might not be difficult to develop a relevant vaccine or medicinal dish."

"At that time, I can disguise myself as a [Mysterious Itinerant Doctor], walk the streets and alleys, package the medicinal dish as a miraculous elixir, and quietly cure them... In this way, my reputation will spread, and I will have left traces in their bodies; advancing to Alchemist will be a sure thing."

"The only problem is... I don't want to."

This method, which first appeared in Li Yu's mind for evaluation, had the highest feasibility.

At the same time, it was also the least desirable.

First, Li Yu was unwilling to develop medicinal dishes to detoxify these things with cannibalistic habits; how is that different from aiding and abetting?

Second, the future consequences were not small; once he did this, it was certain that he would be noticed by the Forbidden God Sect.

Although Li Yu was confident that he could withdraw before being noticed, it was not worth the risk, so he dismissed the idea in his heart.

Soon, several subsequent methods also emerged:

"The Blood God Sect in the North District is entirely composed of barbarians who are addicted to fighting and killing, and their related customs are the same."

"Among them, there is a custom that is extremely cruel: performing a physical constitution test on newborn infants. Those who are not strong enough are thrown on the spot into the so-called [Abandoned Infant Tower]. The iron tower, which is like a steel-making furnace, will refine all those newborn infants into blood Qi and integrate it into the air; they believe this can strengthen everyone's physique."

"And among the barbarians, there are many lazy and stingy people who are unwilling to make the trip to the Abandoned Infant Tower, which requires payment, and throw them directly into the trash heaps and sewers of the streets and alleys."

"If I spend some time walking through the North District, it would not be difficult at all to save hundreds or thousands of abandoned infants with medicinal dishes that can strengthen their physique... The strengthened infants would also be re-adopted, and my actions would surely make me famous, allowing me to successfully advance to Alchemist."

"It's just that this method also has many dangers."

"The brain circuits of the North District barbarians have always been strange. If I do this and they think I am breaking customs and blaspheming the Blood God, I'm afraid they will dig me out and slaughter me overnight."

"Truly a headache; I'll list it as a backup for now."

(End of chapter)