Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

"I can now decipher the alchemical ciphers of puppetry..."

"Then...can I...try to communicate with it?"

This idea is extremely risky.

But right now, it seems there's no better option.

Su Zhisu took a deep breath. After dodging another heavy blow in a sorry state, he did not immediately retaliate or run away.

Instead, he stopped, faced the initial work, raised his hands, and made a gesture similar to "stop".

At the same time, he recalled the knowledge of [Alchemy Language - Puppetry] that he had just mastered.

He attempted to combine his mental power with strange and unpredictable forces, transforming it into a special information fluctuation containing the alchemical cipher of puppetry, and "sent" it towards the initial creation.

The message is simple, consisting of only a few basic cipher symbols representing "stop," "communication," "Amadeus," and "transmission."

The fist that was about to strike suddenly stopped less than half a meter from Su Zhisu's head.

The sapphire in its eyes flashed intensely, as if it were conducting rapid analysis and verification.

A few seconds later, a cold, mechanical, and emotionless voice echoed throughout the library and into Su Zhisu's mind.

"Alchemy cipher fluctuations detected..."

"Analyzing...Analyzing complete..."

"Message content: Cease attacks... Commence communication... Successor of the Creator..."

The initial work slowly withdrew its fist, but the blue light in its eyes remained firmly locked on Su Zhisu.

"Identifying identity..."

"Target detected to possess knowledge of the Creator's (Amadeus Thorne) legacy (Puppet Alchemy)."

Verification result: Partially consistent.

"However, the target has not been authorized by the 'Creator' or 'other authority holders'."

The cold, mechanical voice continued to ring out.

"According to Article 3 of the core agreement: Unauthorized individuals are prohibited from entering the core area of ​​'Puppet Grip'."

"You have triggered the alert."

"Final notice: Please leave the 'Puppet Grip' Alchemy Workshop within five minutes."

"If you fail to leave by the deadline, a forced eviction process will be initiated."

Su Zhisu felt a slight sense of relief.

They stopped.

But then another tightness appeared.

You only have five minutes, and you must leave.

"Forced eviction... is probably not a gentle approach."

He tried sending the message again, asking who the "other permission holders" were and how to obtain authorization.

But the initial creation no longer responded, simply standing there quietly, the blue light in its eyes flashing rhythmically like a countdown.

"It seems it's just executing a pre-defined procedure and hasn't been granted permission to engage in further communication. That's probably not going to work..."

Time passed second by second.

Su Zhisu's mind raced.

"Could the other privilege holder be Liliana Thea?"

"She's in this alchemy workshop, and I've even seen her alchemical golem."

"She is very likely connected to Amadeus, so there is a high probability that she has authority."

"But where is she?"

"If she's deep inside the workshop, how can I notify her?"

"Or...let her know I'm here?"

His gaze swept once more across the depths of the library.

Just then, the unique, fluid-looking [Lyliana's Alchemy Golem] flashed past once again from the deeper shadows behind the original creation.

It seemed they were just passing by, glancing at the situation before disappearing again.

At the same time, the [Thorne's Pocket Watch] on Su Zhixu's wrist suddenly vibrated violently, a vibration unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

The watch case was burning hot, and the hands were frantically pointing in the direction where the [Lelena's Alchemy Puppet] had disappeared, as if they were about to pierce the dial.

As the puppet was about to disappear, a bold conjecture instantly surfaced.

"The pocket watch's reaction... has never been this strong before."

"That alchemical golem... could it be directly connected to Liliana Thea?"

"Yes, that must be it!"

Without further hesitation, Su Zhisu shouted with all his might in the direction where [Lilia's Alchemy Golem] had disappeared:

"Please wait a moment!"

His voice echoed in the empty, silent library.

"I am Su Zhisu! I have been entrusted by Edgar Thorne to return his pocket watch!"

"Please take me to see Liliana Thea!"

The shouts subsided.

The library was deathly silent.

Only the faint sound of the regular flashing blue light in the eyes of the initial work.

A few seconds passed.

No response.

The alchemical golem of Lilia has long since vanished without a trace.

The cold, mechanical voice of the initial creation rang out once more:

"Warning. Time remaining: three minutes."

"Please leave as soon as possible."

Su Zhisu's heart sank.

"No response..."

"Did you not hear it? Or did you hear it but choose not to pay attention?"

"Or... is Liliana Thea simply incapable of responding in her current state?"

He glanced at the initial work, then at the direction the pocket watch hands stubbornly pointed.

That was the only path leading deeper into the workshop, but it was firmly blocked by the initial creation.

Forcing our way in is absolutely impossible.

"It seems... this is the end for today."

Su Zhixu took a deep breath, suppressing the resentment and helplessness in her heart.

He gazed intently at the deep darkness behind the initial creation, as if trying to memorize everything there.

Then, he turned around, dragging his tired and injured body, and walked towards the faint energy barrier at the entrance of the library.

The barrier seemed to sense his intention to leave, rippled slightly, and opened a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Su Zhisu stepped out.

Behind me, the view of the library began to blur and fade.

The colossal figure of the original creation still stands silently, its blue light resembling the eternal stars in the sky.

[Network Notification]: You have voluntarily exited the instance [“Puppet Grip” Abandoned Alchemy Workshop].

[Instance Status]: Exploration Failed

Current exploration progress: 55%

[Network Notification]: Your dungeon progress has been reset due to your voluntary exit. Upon your next entry, you will start exploring from 0% again, and the status of some triggered mechanisms or enemies will be reset.

[Network Notice]: Based on your exploration progress, you have gained some experience, but have not received any other rewards.

Light conversion.

A cold, damp sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, swept over me.

Su Zhisu stood once again on the rocky platform below the cliffs of the old port.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sea a dark red, and faint noises came from the distant reef area.

He looked down at himself.

The wounds on my body had healed slightly after leaving the dungeon and stopped bleeding, but the pain and fatigue were still very noticeable.

The strange power within his body was also mostly depleted.

"Dungeon exploration failed..."

Su Zhisu leaned against the cold cliff wall, gazing at the boundless and strange sea, and slowly sat down.

"That initial work... was too powerful."