Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

Kyle Crane's voice was filled with barely concealed surprise, and the faint light of the communication array flickered gently in the air.

"Your Excellency Su Zhisu, I did not expect you to be so swift. His Majesty is currently handling state affairs at the White Pagoda Palace and has instructed that you may go directly to him for an audience upon your return."

Su Zhisu nodded and lightly touched the magic array with his fingertips to shut down the communication.

"The Queen's decisiveness saves me the trouble of maneuvering."

He straightened his robes, pinned the alchemist's badge to his lapel, and stepped out of the guest room.

The palace attendants were already waiting outside the door. When they saw Su Zhisu come out, they bowed slightly in greeting.

"Lord Su Zhisu, please come with me."

Su Zhisu followed the attendant's footsteps. The magic lamps on both sides of the corridor emitted a warm yellow glow, making the marble floor as smooth as a mirror.

"The Hydeland court has strict regulations, and the fact that Empress Sephiria allowed me to have a direct audience with her clearly shows that she attaches great importance to the 'Puppet Grip' workshop."

After passing through two heavily guarded palace gates, the outline of the White Pagoda Palace gradually became clear.

At the main gate of the White Tower Palace, two guards clad in silver armor stood solemnly with their hands on their sword hilts. As the attendant led them in, their eyes fell on the alchemist's badge on Su Zhisu's clothes, and they stepped aside to make way for him.

A servant knocked lightly on the door, his voice respectful: "Your Majesty, His Excellency Su Zhisu has arrived."

"Come in."

A clear, cold, and authoritative female voice came from inside the room. It wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable aura.

Su Zhisu pushed open the door and entered. The imperial study was spacious and quiet. The central desk was piled with scrolls and books, and behind the desk sat Empress Sephiria, dressed in a dark purple imperial robe.

She looked slightly different from the one I saw that night, but she was still just as beautiful and radiant.

The empress's long hair was piled high, adorned with a crown inlaid with a deep blue gemstone. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, yet her eyes held a hint of aloofness and sharpness. She was none other than Queen Sephiria of Hydeland.

She looked up and her gaze fell on Su Zhixu. Without any further pleasantries, she went straight to the point: "Lord Su Zhixu, tell me, what is the current situation of the 'Puppet Grip' workshop?"

Su Zhisu walked to the desk, bowed slightly, and said in a calm but not humble tone: "Your Majesty, I have successfully explored the entire abandoned alchemy workshop in 'Puppet Grip' and found Liliana Thea."

Sephiria tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her gaze shifting slightly: "Liliana Thea? Master Amadeus's prized disciple, she's still alive?"

"I guess I'm alive."

Su Zhixu slowly said, "Back when the workshop exploded, in order to maintain the experiment, she bound her soul to the workshop's furnace..."

"Now it has been reborn into the alchemical golem it made in advance, and its current condition is relatively stable. This should also be partly due to the marine iguana egg."

"Marine iguana eggs?" Sephiria raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I never imagined that the egg containing the finest life-giving matrix would end up in your hands."

"It was just a lucky break."

Su Zhisu didn't explain the origin of the egg in detail, and continued, "The core area of ​​the workshop was not damaged. The alchemy equipment, experimental data, and puppet guards left there by Master Amadeus are all intact."

"The workshop is now jointly controlled by me, Liliana Thea, and Edgar Thorne's newborn form, Thorne Sue."

"Thorne Sue?"

"Master Amadeus's experiment was a success, and his son Edgar Thorne was reborn as a result, and is now the highest authority holder of the Alchemy Workshop."

Sephiria was silent for a moment, then a look of understanding flashed in her eyes: "So, the 'Puppet Grip' workshop is now operational again?"

"Currently, we still need to repair the damaged areas and some peripheral equipment, and organize the master's remaining materials."

"Given time, it will be able to restore its former scale, or even go further."

Su Zhisu said, "However, rebuilding the workshop requires a lot of manpower and resources. With just the three of us—Liliana, Thorne Su, and myself—the process will inevitably be slow."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sephiria said, "Hydeland will do everything in its power to assist you."

Su Zhisu was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting the Empress to agree so readily.

"The 'Puppet Grip' workshop is the brainchild of Master Amadeus and a treasure of Hydeland."

Sephiria said with a hint of solemnity, "The alchemy workshop suffered heavy losses in that experimental accident back then. Now that there is an opportunity to rebuild, there is no reason not to help."

"I will order sufficient alchemy materials and craftsmen to be dispatched to the reef area to assist you in repairing the workshop. At the same time, I will send a guard team to be stationed around the workshop to prevent strange creatures or uninvited guests from entering."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Su Zhixu bowed slightly, sincerely expressing his gratitude.

"His Majesty's assistance will not only speed up the reconstruction of the workshop, but also allow Master Amadeus's legacy to continue better."

"You're welcome."

Sephiria waved her hand, her gaze falling on Su Zhixu with a hint of scrutiny.

"I'm helping you, and that's for Hydeland's sake too."

"If Master Amadeus's puppet alchemy could be replicated, it would be of great help to the situation in Hydeland."

"Your Majesty, rest assured," Su Zhisu said firmly.

"Having both control over the workshop's secondary permissions and the inheritance of Master Amadeus, I naturally won't sit idly by."

"My profession is a strange alchemist, specializing in alchemical transformations, which I have already demonstrated to His Majesty last time."

"Going forward, I will use my alchemical transformation abilities to assist Hydeland in return for His Majesty's help."

Upon hearing this, a faint smile finally appeared on Sephiria's face. The smile was like the first melting of snow, softening the dignified aura around her.

"Okay, I believe you!"

"If you can do it, Hydeland will certainly not treat you unfairly. You will have priority access to the knowledge of the Alchemists' Guild and Hydeland's rare alchemical materials."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Now that we've finished talking, you can go down. I'll arrange for manpower and supplies to be sent to the reef area as soon as possible."

Sephiria waved her hand and turned her gaze back to the scroll on the table.

"For any needs, please contact Kyle Crane directly."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Su Zhisu bowed and turned to leave the imperial study.

Stepping out of the imperial study, a gentle breeze blew through the corridor, and Su Zhisu let out a long sigh of relief.

"I didn't expect things to go so smoothly. With the Queen's help, we've saved ourselves a lot of trouble."

"However, I promised to help Hydeland improve its combat power, and I can't go back on my word. My alchemical mutation ability can indeed come in very handy."

Back in the palace guest room, Su Zhisu closed the door.

"Completing the dungeon and the hidden quest allowed me to reach level 12 and gain 8 free attribute points, which I can now allocate."

Sit cross-legged, close your eyes, and concentrate your mind on your personal panel.

On the panel, the free attribute points column clearly shows 8 points. The allocation plan I had planned beforehand can now be implemented without much hesitation.

"The mental attribute is related to the upper limit of the strange power, and it should also be the 'main attribute' of the strange alchemist. We must allocate more to it, putting all 5 points into mental."