The most shameless alchemist in history

"Lance, what are you doing standing there so recklessly?" Someone called Lance's name. Lance turned around and saw Kelly.

“Kelly, have you seen Dure?” Lance asked immediately.

“Durey? I don’t see him. Shouldn’t he be with you?” Kelly shook her head. In her memory, Lance and Durey were always inseparable.

"No, I've looked everywhere but I can't find him. Could something have happened to him?" Lance was a little anxious. Almost all the freshmen he knew had returned safely from the simulation space, but he hadn't seen Dure, which gave him a bad feeling.

"How could this be? Then hurry up and look for him, Du Lei, Du Lei..." Messiah, who was behind Kelly, also panicked and began to search around.

As for the other students, some celebrated their survival, others worried about the future, and still others began to tidy up the ruins of the college.

No one noticed that beneath the rubble, riddled with holes by termites, someone struggled to move the plank that had been pressing down on him and get up. He was covered in dust and looked no different from a refugee.

"Cough cough, this is really choking me! Where am I? I almost died just now." Du Lei choked on a mouthful of dust, his whole body aching.

"This looks familiar... Is this... the academy? It seems they've finally returned safely. I wonder how the others are doing." Du Lei looked around, squinting to confirm. Although the surroundings were badly damaged, he could still recognize the outline of the academy.

"Hey, is anyone over there? Hurry up and check, there seems to be someone who needs help." At this moment, someone heard the commotion over there and came over with a torch to check the situation. These were students organized by the academy to clean up the ruins, and they had to assess the damage to the academy.

"It sounds like everyone's alright, that's great. But what was that sudden, overwhelming green light that poured down? And this thing... never mind, let's go back and talk about it later. I'm so tired right now, all I want to do is get some sleep."

Dure recalled the scene he had just experienced, feeling as if he were bathing in a green river. Not far from him, he saw a green, crystal-clear stone about the size of a fist, which he immediately picked up.

The moon, having parted the clouds, poured down its light, bright and serene. The students, who had spent the night in fear and anxiety under the moonlight, gradually returned to their tents to rest. They were so tired and exhausted; the mental pressure they had endured far outweighed their physical strain.

Meanwhile, soldiers from the foot of the mountain arrived one after another to provide support. They were all stationed near the border. Upon learning of the sudden incident at Maple Leaf Academy, they rushed to offer their assistance. Now that the disaster is over, the academy still needs manpower for its post-disaster reconstruction.

.

316 Griffin Unit

This upheaval, which could have swept through the entire Maple City and even the Snow Kingdom, ended with Maple Leaf Academy suffering more than half of its damage. This was undoubtedly a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune. The next morning, as dawn broke, the soft sunlight shone on the magnificent buildings that had been so grand and beautiful just yesterday.

Only one night had passed, and large areas of buildings had collapsed into ruins. Soldiers drawn from nearby areas and temporarily hired craftsmen were each doing their own jobs: some were clearing the ruins and transporting away the broken building materials and debris, while others were planning the reconstruction.

They found reusable materials in the ruins, and architectural experts were on site planning blueprints. Rebuilding the academy would be a difficult project, but Maple Leaf Academy was well-funded and received strong support from the Snow Kingdom, with materials being continuously transported in.

The students, who had spent the night in tents at the foot of the mountain, but had actually not slept at all, came out for breakfast with dark circles under their eyes. They were starving after a night of running around. Lance was one of them. He yawned and walked out of the tent to stretch his muscles.

"I'm so hungry. I need to eat at least ten loaves of bread today, the kind with ham... Huh? What are those things?" Lance looked up at the sky and suddenly saw many black dots flying by. This surprised him, so he rubbed his eyes and tried to see more clearly.

“Those are airship and griffin units, right? I’ve only heard of them before, but I’ve never seen them in person. It’s quite amazing to see them in person.” Someone answered Lance’s question. Lance looked over and saw that Dure had also come out.

“Airship force and… Griffin force? Dure, what are these?” Lance scratched his head, completely bewildered.

"The so-called airship force is an aerial fleet built with the power of steam and machinery. They can fly in the air like birds and are equipped with new weapons. They can carry out effective strikes from high altitudes. The sky will gradually become the main battlefield for the major military powers on the continent."

Dure continued to look at the sky, and at this moment the black dots became clearer because they had lowered their altitude, allowing the outline of the airship to be seen.

“Although I don’t quite understand, I roughly get it… What about the griffin? What is that?” Lance thought about it carefully and figured it out. As the altitude decreased, he saw that the airship was roughly the same as the ships he had seen before in terms of outline.

If there's any difference, it's that the airship doesn't have a sail, but it has a huge propeller at the bow, stern, and overhead. From this position, you can clearly hear the noisy sounds coming from the airship. As for the griffin, Lance hasn't seen it yet due to the altitude.

“Griffins are actually a type of magical beast, but they have been domesticated by humans,” Durei continued to explain.

"Taming? Can magical beasts be tamed?" Lance was taken aback; it was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing.

“Of course they can. The dogs we keep were domesticated from wolves by humans a long time ago. Monsters and humans are both competitors for living space and interdependent. It’s not surprising that some monsters have been domesticated by humans,” Du Lei continued to explain.

"So, tamed magical beasts will fight for humans? That sounds pretty cool. If I could tame magical beasts..." Lance's eyes sparkled, clearly showing his great interest in taming magical beasts.

"Stop dreaming." At this moment, someone poured cold water on Lance and walked over coldly.

“Kelly?” Lance was annoyed by being reprimanded like that, but when he turned around, he saw Kelly and Messiah walking over.

"Good morning, Lance, and good morning, Dure too. Dure, are you alright? When I saw you yesterday, you were..." Although Messiah greeted Lance first and put Dure last, she was clearly more concerned about Dure's situation.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you for your concern, Messiah." Dure nodded, indicating that he was alright.

"Hey, Kelly, what do you mean by this? What do you mean by dreaming?" Lance immediately asked Kelly, clearly dissatisfied with her.

"There is only one type of person who can tame magical beasts," Kelly replied coldly.

"A type of person? What kind of person?" Lance asked, puzzled.

“Only forest prophets can do that. They grow up and live in the forest, and can communicate with animals from a young age, including magical beasts,” Dure answered for Kelly, after all, her conversation with Lance was far too heated.

"The Forest Prophet? That sounds familiar, like I've heard it somewhere before..." Lansto stroked his chin, trying to recall.

"Have you forgotten that we encountered a forest prophet just a month ago?" Kelly reminded him irritably.

“A month ago…that was the time when we entered the academy, a month ago, a month ago…oh, I remember now, it was Hannah!” Lance pounded his left palm with his right fist, finally remembering this.

“Yes, Hannah is from the Forest Prophets. They are naturally close to nature and can communicate with magical beasts. Only they can tame magical beasts. Anyone else who approaches a magical beast will only be attacked.” Dure nodded in affirmation.

At this moment, the griffins in the sky also lowered their altitude, and Lance could clearly see their outlines. The griffins were grayish-white, huge and majestic, with beautiful lines. Whirlwinds would be stirred up wherever they flew, which made Lance almost lose his footing and he could only retreat more than ten meters away.

"Wow, that's so cool! Are those griffins? Those people can actually ride on griffins, so they can fly all over the sky! I want a griffin like that too!" Dure exclaimed enviously as he watched the griffin riders dismount from their griffins.

“This idiot is dreaming again. Becoming a griffin rider is very difficult; you might only find one in a thousand,” Kelly said, not forgetting to rub salt in his wounds.

"What's wrong with me dreaming? Shouldn't young people have dreams? What if those dreams actually come true?" Lance said, somewhat unconvinced. "By the way, Dure, what are those airship and griffin units doing at Maple Leaf Academy?"

Lance turned to Dure and asked him why he was so excited but also puzzled to see such a spectacular scene so early in the morning.

"I think there are only two reasons why they came here," Du Lei thought for a moment and gave an answer.

"Two reasons? Which two?" Lance pressed.

“One is to help the college rebuild, transport building materials and such, and the other is to hold demonstrations,” Dure replied.

“Demonstration? What kind of demonstration?” Lance was even more puzzled.

“Because Maple City is the southern gateway to the Snow Kingdom, and Maple Leaf Academy is the pillar of Maple City, now that Maple Leaf Academy has encountered trouble, the Mountain Kingdom, which has always been at odds with the Snow Kingdom, will inevitably become restless. I heard that the Mountain Kingdom has increased its troops on the border.” Du Lei lowered his voice.

"What? Reinforcements? What are they planning? Are they going to start a war?" Lance was startled.

"I'm not too sure about that. The Sky Country, which owns the airship force, and the Eagle Country, which owns the griffin force, are both countries that are on good terms with the Snow Country. Now that they have sent troops to Maple City to help rebuild the academy, it is probably to send a message to the Mountain Country, reminding them not to act rashly."

Du Lei looked at the airship and griffin that had already landed in the distance. The continent was also going through a turbulent and unsettling time.

.

317 Reassessment

The High Mountain Fortress is the northern gateway to the Mountain Kingdom and also borders the Snow Kingdom. It faces the Maple City of the Snow Kingdom across the Shuofeng River. Due to the many frictions between the Mountain Kingdom and the Snow Kingdom in history, and the fact that the Mountain Kingdom has always been tough, the High Mountain Fortress has always been heavily guarded.

It is early spring, and the ice on the Shuofeng River has melted. On the city wall of the high mountain fortress, a soldier dressed in full black armor is gazing in the direction of Maple City. A gentle breeze caresses his face, but it does not reach him, because he is wearing a mask and his appearance is not visible.

"General Hill, as per your orders, everyone is waiting in the conference room, awaiting your arrival." Behind the soldier, a guard stepped forward to relay the order. The guard was nearly 1.8 meters tall, which was not considered imposing in the army.

But he was almost two heads taller than the man in full armor in front of him. The man called "Hill" was less than 1.6 meters tall, a complete dwarf. If he were on the street, he would definitely be the object of ridicule.

But in the high mountain fortresses, and even in the land of mountains and the land of snow, no one dared to mock him, because his name was labeled with the mark of strength, a mark he had written on the record of merits he had accumulated through countless battles and countless enemy corpses.

His short stature is topped with the unremarkable name "Hill," and in fact, few people outside the Land of Snow and the Land of Mountains have heard of him. But if you were to mention his other name, or rather his nickname, it would be absolutely famous.

The indomitable dwarf, Hill, the bravest general of the Mountain Kingdom, once led five hundred warriors to guard the western border of the Mountain Kingdom. Facing an attack by forty thousand men, he held out for three months without falling. In the end, only sixty-three men remained by his side. He personally killed no less than two hundred enemy soldiers. He was truly a fearsome figure!

"Everyone's here? Not necessarily. At least that guy... he's unlikely to obey my orders. Never mind him, let's go. Something happened in Maple City last night, although we still don't know exactly what happened..." Hill shook his head.

Last night, he ordered all his knights to come to a military meeting to discuss the details of attacking Maple City. Of the fourteen knights who were conscripted, he knew very well that at most only thirteen would answer the call. There was one guy left, and even though he was the most powerful and valiant general in the Mountain Kingdom, he couldn't do anything about him.

"But this is definitely an opportunity for us. Hmph, do those fools Ironwood and Mad Lion think I'll be afraid of them just because they send some people to show off? Come on, you've had too many peaceful days. Maybe you've forgotten the taste of blood. Let's go!" Hill gave the North a deep look.

He turned around abruptly. His armor looked rather heavy, making a clanging sound as he walked. But no one dared to underestimate the weight of his words, not even the king of the Mountain Kingdom. A war was about to break out!

Meanwhile, inside Maple Leaf Academy, the students were completely unaware of the looming war. Their only concern was their future – the question of whether they would stay or leave. So many things had happened at Maple Leaf Academy in just one month, which was truly unsettling.

The college has been quite open about this matter. If a student wants to leave, Maple Leaf College is willing to write a letter of recommendation to help them study elsewhere. Students who do not wish to leave will remain. The reconstruction of the college will soon begin.

After all, according to statistics, the damage to the academy was only to some insignificant buildings. The important buildings, such as the library, were protected by a barrier. When the termites were wreaking havoc, the library was always protected by the barrier above it and was not affected in the slightest.

Aside from three students seriously injured and 126 slightly injured, there were no fatalities among the students, which was fortunate amidst the misfortune. After being comforted, the students calmed down considerably, and most of them chose to remain at Maple Leaf Academy.

But at the same time, they also face another problem, which is the evaluation of the new students' level.

"Huh? What? A re-evaluation? Du Lei, we already messed up the previous test, why are they doing this again? Aren't they afraid of causing more trouble?" Lance was startled by the new rule proposed by the academy; he was already traumatized by it.

"The reassessment will no longer involve entering a simulation space as before. Instead, it will be based on the simplest method of determining the level by magical energy reaction. This was not proposed by the academy, because the interpretation of the level assessment rests with the Magical Energy Association. This is merely an expedient measure by the association to quell this disaster," Du Lei explained in detail.

"So that's how it is. You scared me. I thought they were going to cause trouble again." Lance finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, Dure, what are your rating criteria? Do you still need to reach the mid-level of eight stars?" Lance thought of this again and brought it up once more.

“This time, we don’t need to reach the mid-level of eight stars; we only need to reach the mid-level of one star,” Kelly chimed in.

"Huh? Why?" Lance didn't understand why things had suddenly changed again.

"You idiot, Charlotte deliberately made things difficult for Dure when he was supposed to reach the mid-level of the eighth star. Now that this has happened, the academy is in such a state, and the people from the Magic Energy Association haven't left yet. The level assessment is handled entirely by the Magic Energy Association, so Charlotte has nothing to do with it."

Kelly rolled her eyes at Lance and gave her answer. She was always well-informed and her analysis was very insightful.

"So that's how it is. One-star mid-level, that's simple. Du Lei definitely won't have any problems." Lance breathed a sigh of relief.

"A mid-level one-star?" Du Lei suddenly revealed a playful smile.

"What's wrong, Dure? Could it be that you're not even a mid-level one-star..." Lance was worried when he saw Dure's reaction.

He suddenly recalled that Du Lei was only at the low-level before. Although Du Lei was full of confidence at that time, he was still worried that Du Lei would not even reach the standard of a mid-level one-star.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. They're testing over there. Let's go over first and at least solve this problem." Du Lei pointed to a spot not far away where a brand-new level assessment was being organized. However, compared to the previous complicated rules, this one was much simpler and more direct.

"It's good that you're alright, hehe. I've heard the old folks in my hometown say that those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune. I suddenly feel like good luck will be coming our way soon." Lance followed Dure toward the level assessment area, talking casually as they walked.

"You're really optimistic. It's already incredibly lucky that we haven't had any bad luck following you, you jinx," Kelly mocked him.

"Life goes on, and optimism is always good. Keep it up, Kelly! Please take good care of me in the days to come," Lance said with a grin.

“Who needs your help? You’re such an idiot,” Kelly scoffed at him.

"Oh, don't say that. Maybe your score in this ranking assessment won't even be as good as mine," Lance retorted.

"We'll find out who's taller in a moment!" Kelly stormed forward angrily.

No matter how tortuous and dangerous the process may be, at least for now, things are calm.

.

318 New Achievements

Compared to the previous complex rules, the following level assessment is much simpler. In fact, it was precisely because it was too rushed that the results of this level assessment were inaccurate. However, the changes that the academy encountered were too great, and the academy simply did not have time to worry about the accuracy.