Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

"I must find Liliana Thea, return this pocket watch, and... see for myself if she is alright."

"Whether Master Amadeus's research is taboo or what the results are, is not my primary objective for this trip."

"All I need to do is see Liliana Thea and fulfill my promise."

"If possible, I'll offer her some alchemical knowledge that she might be willing to share as payment. That's all."

Su Zhisu's voice was clear and honest, and his gaze calmly met the Empress's scrutiny.

He was basically telling the truth, but he omitted the existence of the "Sea Iguana Egg" and the fact that he had already inherited Amadeus's puppet alchemy.

Queen Sephiria's gaze lingered on Thorne's pocket watch for a few seconds.

With her status and knowledge, she could naturally sense the faint yet resilient spiritual fluctuations in the pocket watch, as well as the deep affection and obsession contained within it.

Her gaze softened slightly.

"Edgar Thorne...that boy, I remember him."

"He chose to go to the sea instead of his father's alchemy workshop."

"I didn't expect this..."

She sighed softly.

"You are a person who keeps his promises, which is good."

"However, Lord Su Zhisu, regarding the whereabouts of Liliana Thea, and the current status of the 'Puppet Grip' workshop..."

"I must tell you, things are far more complicated and dangerous than you imagine."

Her tone became serious.

"After the accident, the core area of ​​the workshop was shrouded in intense pollution and chaotic force fields, the spatial rules were distorted, and dangers were rampant."

"I sealed it off and designated it as a restricted area because it is extremely unstable and may still contain uncontrollable dangers created by the experiments back then."

"Over the years, it's not that no one has tried to explore it, but few have survived, and none have ever gone deep into the core."

"For certain reasons, I was unable to personally eliminate the potential dangers there."

"As for Liliana Thea..."

"There is no conclusive evidence that she died in the accident, but there is also no evidence that she is still alive."

"Or... remain in the 'normal' state as we perceive it."

"If you insist on finding her, you need to go deep into the workshop."

"And there, guarded by Amadeus's masterpiece—the Final Work."

"It possesses the blessing of 'order' that I bestowed upon it, and it will carry out ruthless elimination orders against unauthorized intruders."

"Even if you have authorization from me or Liliana Thea, it will be difficult to get through its blockade without authorization from Amadeus himself."

Su Zhisu listened attentively, and only spoke after the Empress finished speaking.

"Your Majesty, I am already aware of what you have said."

"In fact, before coming to see you, I had already tried to explore the outer area of ​​the workshop."

"There, I had a brief encounter with [Amadeus' Alchemy Golem - First Edition]."

A hint of surprise flashed in Queen Sephiria's eyes.

Kyle Crane couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "You've already been there? And you even saw the original?"

"Yes."

Su Zhisu nodded. "I had a brief conversation with them and learned that authorization from the 'Creator' or 'other permission holders' is required."

"It is precisely because of this obstacle that I realize that to go further, I may need Your Majesty's authorization."

He looked at the Queen, his gaze calm and composed.

"Therefore, in addition to fulfilling my visit agreement, I have come here today also hoping to seek Your Majesty's assistance."

"I hope to obtain permission to enter the 'Puppet Grip' workshop to search for Liliana Thea's whereabouts."

"Or, at least, assistance with relevant information."

"In exchange, I am willing to pay the corresponding price."

Queen Sephiria did not answer immediately.

She turned her gaze back to the sea outside the window. The sun had mostly sunk into the sea, and the purplish-red of the sky had become even more intense.

A brief silence fell over the hall.

Only the faint whistling sound of the sea breeze passing through the cracks in the crystal window could be heard.

"cost……"

The Empress repeated the word softly, turned around, and faced Su Zhisu again.

"You mentioned before that you are a 'mysterious alchemist' skilled in an ability called 'alchemy mutation'?"

"Yes."

Su Zhisu's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the main topic was about to be discussed.

"Could you give me a brief demonstration? Of course, you won't need to use any precious materials; just demonstrate it and I'll understand its principles and potential."

After a moment's thought, Su Zhisu took out the Hydeland-certified skilled alchemist badge from his pocket.

He held the badge in his palm.

"Your Majesty, this is a badge I obtained through certification by the Hydeland Alchemists' Guild. It is of ordinary quality and only represents my identity."

"Now, I will perform a simple alchemical transformation on it."

With a slight thought, he activated his skill.

A strange power, mixed with the properties of the Night Watcher's Heart Flame, slowly enveloped the bronze badge.

The badge's surface shimmered, and its internal, intricate structure began to adjust extremely slowly under the intervention of a strange force.

A few seconds later, the transformation was complete.

The badge's shape remains unchanged, but when held in the hand, its texture seems to be slightly denser and more solid, and the faint light flowing on its surface carries a hint of the dark blue hue of the Night Watcher's Heart Flame.

Alchemist's Badge (Alienated)

[Quality]: White (Standard) → White (Standard) (+)

[Information]: The badge, after being transformed by alchemy, has slightly improved sturdiness and energy affinity, and can withstand more enchantments.

Su Zhisu handed the badge to Kyle Crane, who was standing beside him, so that he could present it to the Queen.

Queen Sephiria took the badge and examined it carefully.

With her abilities, she easily detected the extremely faint but real structural optimization and energy imprint inside the badge.

"Without altering its basic form and function, its internal structure and energy properties were directly optimized through special alchemy..."

"This ability to gently intervene in and enhance the nature of matter... is indeed unique."

She handed the badge back to Kyle, her gaze returning to Su Zhisu, her azure eyes showing even greater interest.

"What if the object is made of higher quality materials, or is already manufactured equipment? What would the effect be?"

"The effect will be more obvious, but the cost, consumption and difficulty will also increase accordingly."

Su Zhisu answered truthfully.

"Currently, due to my alchemy level, I can only reliably mutate items of blue quality or lower, and there is a daily limit on the number of times I can do this."

"A very practical and valuable skill."

The Empress nodded slightly, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest.

"Hydeland's military equipment, alchemical machinery, and even some important building components could benefit from this optimization."

"Although the number of times is limited, the accumulated value is considerable."

"So, let's go back to the original question—your request to enter the 'Puppet Grip' alchemy workshop."