Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

Sitting on the wooden chair by the window, watching the lights of Hydeland City gradually illuminate outside, Su Zhisu began to sort out her next plan.

"The top priority right now is to complete the hidden quest 'The First Mate's Wish,' find Liliana Thea, deliver [Thorne's Pocket Watch], and obtain her mastery of puppet alchemy."

"Based on the information from the one-eyed old man in the Broken Reef area and the resonance of the mutated [Thorne's Pocket Watch]..."

"The most likely place for Liliana Thea is the abandoned alchemy workshop at the foot of the cliffs in the old port."

"But it's clearly not a simple place, and I need to be fully prepared before I go to explore."

"Secondly, Queen Sephiria of Hydeland had previously sent a letter via messenger."

"As the current lord of Atlantis besides my sister, it is both a matter of duty and reason for me to contact the official high-ranking officials of Hydeland."

"This will not only allow us to obtain more information about this world and strengthen the connection between Atlantis and Hydeland..."

"It's also possible to leverage official resources to more effectively locate Liliana Thea, or to obtain other, more effective assistance."

"Let's go to the reception desk and find Manager Elena first, and see if we can get in touch with Kyle Crane."

"He was an important figure in Hydeland's mission to Atlantis, and perhaps we can use him to introduce Queen Sephiria of Hydeland."

My thoughts are gradually becoming clearer.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll first go to the city library to check the publicly available information about that abandoned alchemy workshop. Then, we'll go to the Broken Reef area to gather more information and conduct a preliminary investigation of the workshop's surroundings."

"If circumstances permit, we should attempt a preliminary exploration."

"otherwise……"

"Let's contact the official channels through Manager Elena first..."

After making the plan, Su Zhisu ate a simple dinner provided by the hotel and went to bed early to allow her mind and body to fully recover.

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the window.

Su Zhisu woke up feeling refreshed.

After washing up and having a meal, we went to the public library in Hydeland.

The library is a magnificent stone building, quiet and solemn inside.

He asked the administrator for information about the "Old Port Cliffs" and the "Abandoned Alchemy Workshop".

The administrator was a young-looking female scholar wearing thick glasses.

Hearing Su Zhisu's question, she raised her eyelids and glanced at him.

"The abandoned workshops over there on the cliffs of the old port? What, are you interested in that place?"

"I'm just curious; I heard that place used to be very famous."

"Famous? Hmph, more than just famous."

The female scholar pushed up her glasses and led Su Zhisu to a row of dusty bookshelves in the corner.

He pulled out a thick, leather-bound book, "Hydeland's History of Alchemy: Modern Times".

She turned to a certain page and pointed it out to Su Zhisu.

"Look here, the 'Puppet Grip' workshop, built by Amadeus Thorne, the 'Master of Puppet Alchemy' personally appointed by Her Majesty the Empress."

"He was one of the most promising alchemists in Hydeland at the time to break through the third-tier 'Watcher' and enter the fourth-tier 'Great Being' realm."

There is a blurry illustration on the page, depicting a magnificent workshop built on a cliff, accompanied by a brief text description.

"However, in his quest for a breakthrough, Master Amadeus conducted alchemical experiments that were extremely famous in Hydeland at the time."

The female scholar lowered her voice, her tone tinged with regret and a sense of unspoken unease.

"The specific details of the experiment have been sealed off; the official records only state that it 'involved the transformation of life forms and the anchoring of the soul.'"

"Later..., the experiment went wrong."

"A violent explosion occurred in the workshop..."

"Master Amadeus perished on the spot, and the workshop was abandoned."

"The entire debris field we see today gradually formed after that."

"As for Liliana Thea you mentioned..."

The female scholar shook her head. "This name is not in the official records."

"They were probably just ordinary apprentices or assistants in the workshop at the time. Given that kind of accident, I'm afraid..."

Su Zhisu's heart stirred.

"The transformation of life forms? The anchoring of the soul?"

"And that Master Amadeus also has the surname Thorne?"

This does indeed sound like something related to "puppet alchemy" or certain forbidden areas of life alchemy.

What role did Liliana Thea play in all of this? Was she a test subject? An assistant? Or... something else entirely?

"More detailed information can only be found in the city hall's confidential archives or in the high-privilege area of ​​the Alchemists' Guild."

The female scholar closed the book. "Sir, take my advice: it's best to avoid places like that."

"Thank you for reminding me, I understand."

After thanking him, Su Zhisu left the library.

More information was obtained than expected, but the core mystery remained unsolved.

"Liliana Thea's specific connection to the workshop explosion, and her current condition..."

"We still know nothing about it."

"It seems I'll have to go there in person eventually."

Leaving the library, Su Zhisu stepped into the Broken Reef Area once again.

The reef area was much busier during the day than it had been the night I left.

Deliberately avoiding the main roads, he lingered in some secluded alleyways and near some old-fashioned taverns.

They tried to find out more "unofficial" information about the abandoned workshop.

"Hey, I've got an idea. Any news about that abandoned workshop over at the cliff in Old Port lately?"

He stopped an old drunkard with cloudy eyes who looked like he had been hanging around the neighborhood for years and handed him a few copper coins.

The old drunkard grabbed the money, grinning with his missing teeth: "Abandoned workshop? That place makes strange noises at night, like something is hammering metal... and will-o'-the-wisps float around!"

"Nobody dares to come near, so what's the commotion?"

At another tobacco vendor's stall, he heard a different story: "The workshop? I heard it's haunted! It's the spirit of those who died in that explosion!"

"Especially at night, I can hear a woman crying... It sounds like... what was her name again? Yes, it sounds like a female alchemist, oh dear..."

The news was fragmented and chaotic, filled with exaggeration and superstition.

But overall, several key points are consistent: the workshop is extremely dangerous, the anomalies are more obvious at night, and there seems to be a vague connection to the presence of a "woman".

"A woman's cry... Liliana?"

Su Zhisu couldn't determine how much of the rumors were true, but the information was enough to show that the workshop was definitely not a good place.

"At this point in the investigation, we've gathered most of the information from publicly available channels. The rest..."

"It seems I still need to explore this myself."

Arriving at the edge of the broken reef area, a place rarely visited by people, one can already see the desolate, black-rock-covered cliffs of the old harbor in the distance.