With the ability to transform, I am a judge.

Mission Information: The Great Underground Cavern in 'Northern Ephesus', in the northern part of the Empire!

Time limit: 60 days!

Task Rewards: 30000 Trading Points, 6 Medium Source Crystals.

Failure penalty: All attributes -25%

……

After glancing at the new side quest that popped up, Yang Li silently accepted it. This quest was exactly what she wanted to achieve, so why not take advantage of the free benefits?

However, just from the difficulty level of LV.21, you can tell that this legendary alchemy even involves the third rank, and the danger is extraordinary.

He picked up the scabbard stuck in the ground, sheathed the greatsword, and then slung it back over his shoulder as if nothing had happened.

With a smile, Ernest put down the raw meat in his hand, rubbed his two large hands against the maid beside him, and then dismissed the maid.

The ministers who were instantly killed were dealt with by someone, and the four Rakshasa demons also hid in the shadows again, leaving only three people in the hall.

Yang Li silently took a few steps back and began to dress up as a stone statue, staring intently to one side with a serious expression, as if she didn't exist at all.

Without much hesitation, the minister picked up a scroll from the table beside him. Inside was intelligence gathered by the Imperial Assassination Force.

The scroll wasn't very large, and the contents recorded on it were certainly limited, but Ernest still showed a very serious expression and placed it in Dr. Fashion's hands.

"I'm entrusting these things to you. I'll have the assassination squad send people to protect you and make sure you retrieve them from the secret site."

Dr. Fashion looked puzzled, subconsciously pulled out the scroll and began to read it carefully, after which his whole body trembled slightly.

The expression on his face changed from doubt to shock, then from shock to joy, and finally to numbness and relief, leaving Yang Li with a deep sense of emotion.

'It's a real waste of this guy's talent for face-changing if he doesn't go to China to learn Peking Opera makeup.'

After carefully reading through the entire scroll, Dr. Fashion put it away, his face no longer showing the slightest hint of frivolity.

He looked solemnly at Minister Ernest, knowing why he had been entrusted with such an important task; his abilities were just right to decipher the mechanisms within the secrets…

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency, these are the things I have sought all my life. I was quite regretful that they had disappeared, but I will do everything in my power to bring them back this time."

"Hahaha! With your words, I can rest assured for now. Take this token and go to the assassination squad to gather more manpower."

He accepted the token that flew through the air. This item represented the minister's instructions and had extremely important significance in the capital, even surpassing the young emperor's edicts.

After tucking the token into his clothes, Dr. Fashion bowed and then turned to walk out of the hall, his excitement impossible to conceal.

Yang Li glanced back at the minister one last time. The minister had resumed his large, voluminous movements, making it impossible to discern anything. They would have to rely on Dr. Fashion's assessment.

As if they had received some great news, Dr. Fashion swaggered through the palace with an air of nonchalance, heading to the headquarters of the imperial assassination squad.

What could possibly excite Dr. Fashion so much?

Yang Li couldn't help but think that among the things that might happen recently, alchemy seemed to be the most attractive to Dr. Fashion.

For Dr. Fashion, who is obsessed with Imperial Arms, the Supreme Imperial Arms are the ultimate masterpiece of alchemy, so he is eager to study them.

But what if real alchemy were presented to us?

It's not the kind of alchemy that Dortya practiced, which was considered heretical in this world. Rather, it was the kind of alchemy that the founding emperor of the empire gathered together from countless alchemical masters.

Dr. Fashion craves these things, but for some unavoidable reasons, it seems that no one but Dr. Fashion can explore the so-called secrets...

Therefore, Ernest ultimately chose to entrust the task of bringing back alchemy to Dr. Fashion.

The person sent to summon the Imperial assassination squad was ostensibly there to provide protection, but in reality, they were probably doing more surveillance.

Yang Li didn't care about this. Unless it was an assassin of Akame's caliber with a Teigu that could kill in one hit, it wouldn't pose much of a threat to her. Most of the troubles that could be solved didn't need to be taken too seriously.

"Is this a good idea? If it were you, you definitely wouldn't like being monitored."

Yang Li said this while scanning the palace, ostensibly out of concern for being watched, but actually to take the opportunity to familiarize himself with the palace's layout.

To complete the main quest (II), it is essential to understand the layout of the palace. Otherwise, you might not even know where the young emperor is and end up wandering around like a headless fly.

"It doesn't matter. At worst, if something goes wrong with the mechanism, all the assassination team's escorts will be buried in the secret site, right?"

A sharp glint flashed beneath his glasses; this man, whom Yang Li had never paid attention to, was now revealing astonishing wisdom.

If surveillance were useful, Dr. Fashion would have been dead long ago. After all, monsters developed through human experimentation have theoretically unlimited growth potential, and even ministers would be wary of them!

In the original story, Dr. Fashion's experiment could not continue because he was defeated in a one-on-one night raid, and the giant he ultimately released was merely a defective product to him.

If the envisioned scenario is achieved, even if the giant cannot fight against the Supreme Imperial Arms, it can at least buy some time and pose a significant threat to second-tier life forms.

"This is really... I've always underestimated the Doctor."

"It's nothing. After all, I'm just a researcher with no physical strength. If I didn't have some intelligence, I would have died long ago."

Dr. Fashion gave Yang Li a mysterious smile, which confirmed to her that this man understood that she had a purpose in joining the laboratory.

Yang Li didn't say anything more. She understood the principle that the more she said, the more mistakes she would make. After all, Dr. Fashion was still unsure about her plan, and keeping it hidden would increase the chances of it being implemented.

After walking for about an hour, Yang Li followed Dr. Fashion across most of the palace and arrived at a secluded courtyard on the far side.

An old man sitting in the courtyard drinking tea received them and checked the token given to him by Minister Ernest before letting them in to choose people.

“Since it is the minister’s request, of course it is possible. How could I, Gozchi, dare to obstruct it?”

With a wave of his hand, Gozchi opened the door and led Yang Li and Dr. Fashion underground. The true location of the Imperial Assassination Force, like the experimental facility, was underground…

PS: This is the third chapter today. As long as it's not 5 AM the next day (I think it was 5 or 6 AM, I can't remember), the update will count as the previous day's.

Chapter 279, Section 285: The Sora Tavern, Switched by a Night Raid

Chapter 279: The Sora Tavern, Switched by a Night Raid

The beautiful sunset was dazzling and mesmerizing, and the powerful warhorses galloped along the official road, gradually revealing a city of moderate size in the distance.

Yang Li, who was at the forefront, nodded slightly. The city looked neither too big nor too small from the outside, and its remote location made it difficult to be affected by the outbreak of war.

Most importantly, the geographical resources in this area are so scarce that they are not worth anything to those in power.

Not to mention that on the surface, this is just an impoverished city, but who would have thought that the real treasure is hidden deep underground?

Anyway, Yang Li hadn't paid any attention to it at first. This little place on the map held no appeal whatsoever, since she'd never even heard of it...

They easily entered the city. The guards outside the city gate only conducted a symbolic check before letting them through. Their overall quality was comparable to that of the Imperial Capital's guards.

North Ere is located closer to the north, and due to its terrain, it experiences winter earlier and its temperatures are usually lower.

Especially the small hill outside the city of Bei'e, where you can even see some white on the top, which looks like snow.

To be honest, in terms of scenery alone, Yang Li prefers snow scenes, so she has a natural affinity for this city. If she happens to be there when it snows, she's lucky.

"Doctor, it's getting late. I personally feel we should take care of dinner first."

"Hmm, let's find a small tavern first... We can't make too much of a fuss this time."

'No, I feel that riding a warhorse is already impressive enough...'

After silently complaining to himself, Yang Li asked a random passerby for directions and then continued forward with Dr. Fashion and the assassination squad members behind him.

Sora's Tavern is known for its down-to-earth atmosphere in North Eldar City; it's not a grand tavern, but it's still quite nice.

It is said that the main dishes are the specialties of Bei'e City, as well as a rather strong liquor, but Yang Li has no interest in liquor at all.

All the warhorses were put into the stables, where a waiter was on duty to look after them. The group felt reassured and went into the tavern, where they found a corner to sit down.

"Here is the menu. Please take a look and see what you would like to order."

A rather hearty voice rang out from the side. The moment Yang Li took the menu, she froze, because she saw a pair of breasts...

No, she saw the absolute human heart.

A guy named Leone stood beside her, dressed in a tavern uniform, and handed her the menu.

After a brief moment of confusion, Yang Li quickly regained her senses and handed the menu to Dr. Fashion, since he was still her boss.

Dr. Fashion accepted it without hesitation. He was starving after a long day of travel; the portable military rations produced by the Empire were truly inedible.

"Wow, this looks so stylish...and this one is stylish too..."

The word "fashion" was Dr. Fashion's catchphrase. Hearing the constant utterance of "fashion" in his ears, Yang Li's gaze swept across the tavern.

The green-haired man was doing odd jobs, Zha Zha Mi was recording accounts near the counter, a bartender wearing a clown mask was wiping glasses, and the others were nowhere to be seen.

'This is obviously a revolutionary army contact point... Damn, did the kitchen poison the food?'

With a sense of doubt, Yang Li closed her eyes to rest until the dishes were served, at which point she opened them again.

So those huge chunks of fat on the table, those calorie bombs, the person in charge of cooking in the kitchen was definitely Akame...

Are you worried that the person in charge here won't secretly eat all the food in the kitchen if you let Akame be in charge of cooking?

"Why aren't you eating? Although these dishes look a bit amazing, they taste pretty good."

"You guys eat, I have no appetite."

Yang Li would never tell Dr. Fashion that she chose to be the chef during a night raid precisely because she couldn't stand the heat...

Yang Li got up from the table and walked toward the counter. She could clearly see that Tatsumi's body was slightly stiff.

I guess I heard it from Mine that the Teigu user next to Dr. Fashion is very strong?

He's still too immature. He got so nervous just as the enemy approached. Tatsumi needs more training from Brand.

Ignoring Tatsumi, Yang Li plopped down in the chair in front of the counter and spoke to the bartender behind it.

"Give me a glass of juice."

"Iced orange juice, please."

Yang Li glanced at the bartender with surprise. Although she liked orange juice, it didn't mean she could drink it ice-cold in the almost winter weather.

Yang Li gave the bartender a deep look. Although he wanted to punch him to the ground, he silently picked up his glass and drank all the chilled orange juice in one gulp.

"Doctor, I'm going to rest now. You should all get some rest as well after traveling all day."

"Ah, let's go, we want to go for a walk outside after we eat..."

After greeting Dr. Fashion, Yang Li took the key to her room number. The bar here offered accommodation at a reasonable price.

She opened the door, went inside, and locked it again. Yang Li then collapsed onto the bed like a piece of pork, completely losing her composure, and pulled a note out of her mouth.