1888: Memoirs of an Unconfirmed Creature Hunter-Chapter 45: The Alchemy Workshop in the Castle

That faint trace of alchemical potion scent, which didn't belong in this deathly ancient castle, served as an invisible guiding thread, pointing Lin Jie and his companions toward the correct direction within this vast ruin.
Sergeant William, the veteran soldier with extensive experience, immediately took command of the team. In this complex environment requiring extreme stealth and reconnaissance, his instincts—no different from a leopard's—proved far more reliable than Lin Jie's tactical mind.
He didn't choose the broad main roads long covered by weeds and rubble. Instead, he led Lin Jie and the scholar along the shadows inside the castle walls, merging with the darkness as they silently advanced toward the castle's core area—the main tower that had already collapsed by half.
Every movement William made possessed textbook-perfect grace: his footsteps fell soundlessly on the rubble, his body always found the optimal cover angles, and his eyes, still sharp in the darkness, vigilantly scanned every corner of their surroundings. Not the slightest rustle or movement could escape his perception.
Lin Jie followed closely behind him, diligently mimicking his rhythm and pace, greedily absorbing this veteran's stealth techniques and converting them into his own knowledge.
They soon arrived beneath the ruins of the main tower. This magnificent structure, once symbolizing the Urquhart family's glory and power, now remained only as a broken foundation and a lone stone wall completely covered in ivy.
A massive, pitch-black opening appeared where the tower's cellar entrance should have been, and that alchemical potion scent continuously wafted out from this very hole.
William made a "halt" gesture, then retrieved a small silver mirror with an adjustable handle from the leather pouch at his waist. He cautiously extended the mirror into the opening, using moonlight reflection to quickly scan the interior before swiftly withdrawing it.
William relayed the intelligence to Lin Jie and the scholar in nearly soundless whispers: "Below is a spiral stone staircase descending downward. At least two people are guarding the stairway corner. They're not using lights, but both are equipped with those Steam Weapons we saw before. They appear quite alert."
Forcing their way through was absolutely impossible. In such a narrow passage, once discovered, they would have no space to dodge and would instantly be riddled with holes by those Steam Weapons of unknown power.
The scholar's face showed traces of nervousness, and he began regretting why he hadn't stayed on the boat.
Meanwhile, Lin Jie's mind had already started rapidly working, considering methods to break this deadlock.
But this time, before he could devise a perfect plan, William had already solved the problem in his own way.
The veteran picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground, weighing it in his hand, then tilted his head to listen for a moment as if calculating wind direction and the echo patterns within the tower ruins.
Then his arm suddenly swung, and the stone flew with a faint whistling sound as he precisely threw it toward another collapsed section of the castle wall several meters away!
"Clatter—!" The crisp sound of stone striking stone echoed particularly sharply through the night air.
The two guards at the cellar entrance simultaneously had their attention drawn by this sudden noise. Alertly raising their weapons, they leaned halfway out toward the direction of the sound, attempting to see what was happening there.
This was the moment!
William's body transformed into a fully drawn bow, suddenly tensing then springing forward. He didn't make much noise—his large, fan-like feet stepped on the ground with feline lightness as he charged toward the opening at an incredible speed!
By the time the two guards realized the sound was merely a diversion and redirected their attention back, William's death-carrying figure was already upon them!
Lin Jie only heard two extremely brief, dull sounds resembling watermelons splitting under heavy impact—"thump, thump"—followed by the soft thuds of two heavy objects collapsing to the ground. Then everything returned to deathly silence.
Clean, efficient, without the slightest hesitation, leaving no opportunity for the enemy to raise any alarm—this was the fearsome assassination skill possessed by a true veteran who had survived bloody colonial wars.
When Lin Jie and the scholar followed down the moss-covered, slippery spiral stone staircase, they saw the two guards wearing the organization's uniforms already lying in pools of blood.
Their throats had been cleanly severed by William's gleaming military knife at an extremely tricky angle.
William's face showed no expression as he calmly wiped the blood from his blade with a cloth, as if he had merely disposed of two troublesome chickens.
This was the most real and cruel aspect of inner world hunting—no exaggerated, flashy fights, only the most efficient one-strike kills.
After dealing with the entrance guards, a massive secret base, repurposed from the castle's original underground wine cellar, finally revealed its full scope before them.
The alchemical potion scent in the air grew stronger, now mixed with the pungent odor of nitroglycerin. Dozens of stable carbide lamps illuminated the entire cellar bright as daylight. This place resembled a busy secret factory, with seven or eight uniformed members diligently working in different areas, each attending to their duties.
Some were carefully mixing yellow, grease-like nitroglycerin with some kind of powdered rune-engraved stone on tables, producing those high-power "alchemical explosives" they had seen on the lake.
Others gathered around a copper cauldron emitting green steam, seemingly brewing something. Lin Jie noticed they occasionally tossed processed large fish skins into the cauldron.
But what made Lin Jie and William most vigilant was the cellar's deepest section. There hung several massive nets woven from some unknown creature's tendons, each densely painted with ancient golden runes.
Beside the nets were neatly stacked several steel chains thicker than arms, similarly covered in carved runes. Each chain's end connected to a massive, three-barbed anchor head resembling a harpoon.
Without doubt, these were the true "cages" this organization had prepared for their god-like prey, the Guardian of Loch Ness!
The core design concept of these items wasn't for killing but for capture. The runes on those fishing nets and chains likely possessed special effects capable of suppressing large UMA spirituality, preventing them from utilizing their power.
"They're desecrating a deity... They actually intend to capture that great existence like livestock using chains and fishing nets!" Alistair trembled with rage at this sight, his scholarly composure completely vanishing as he wanted to charge forward and fight these damned heretics.
Lin Jie grabbed him and made a "calm down" gesture. Now wasn't the time for impulsiveness—the enemies here were numerous and well-equipped. If they alerted the enemy, the three of them would absolutely not leave this cellar alive.
He needed more intelligence.
His gaze began rapidly searching through this alchemical workshop filled with various miscellaneous items.
Finally, his eyes locked onto an isolated desk in the workshop's corner.
Besides some blueprints and alchemical tools placed on that desk, there was also spread open a thick logbook with black leather covers and a lock on its surface.