The most shameless alchemist in history

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345 Whose Shadow

Dure had always considered himself an unlucky person, but he never expected that someone would be even more unlucky than him. Shortly after he left the infirmary, the unlucky guy in his eyes blocked his way. If it weren't for the fact that the guy's face was so punchable, he would have almost forgotten who the other person was.

"So, kid, how's your preparation going?" The person blocking Dure's path was Simon. If Dure's memory wasn't good, he definitely wouldn't remember him. After all, so much had happened recently that Dure had almost forgotten about this.

"I thought it was someone else, but it's Senior Simon. What do you want to see me about, Senior? What are you talking about preparing...? I don't quite understand what you mean." Dure yawned. He had been watching over Euphemia in the infirmary, and he was almost asleep.

"Kid, don't play dumb with me. I've been looking for you for days, but you always hide and refuse to come out. Now that I've finally caught you, don't think you can get away easily!" Simon glared fiercely at Dure, his eyes so fierce they looked like he wanted to devour him.

"Oh dear, Simon, what are you saying? Why would I run away? I'm in the library every day. You can find me anywhere, right? Oh, right, I think I remember now. Simon, you wanted... a crystal card, right?"

Dure sighed. If he had met Simon half a month ago, he might have been intimidated. After all, Simon had the strength of a mid-level six-star, and back then he could easily defeat him and Lance. But things were different now, especially after the crisis of the magic energy simulation system.

Both he and Lance had improved significantly. Now, seeing Simon baring his teeth and brandishing his claws, Dure not only felt relaxed but also had a sense of watching a show. His leisurely appearance undoubtedly added fuel to Simon's anger, making the latter furious.

"So you finally remember about the Crystal Card? Hand it over right now, or else..." Simon tried his best to control his temper, after all, it wasn't time to lose his temper yet.

"Well, if you need it, Senior Simon, I wouldn't mind lending it to you. It's just that, unfortunately, I've used up all my crystal cards and don't have any extra on me right now." Du Lei put on a helpless expression, the implication of which was very clear.

"What? Borrow? Bad luck? You've spent it all? Kid, are you kidding me?" Simon was stunned for a moment. After he figured out what Du Lei meant, he angrily stepped forward and grabbed Du Lei's collar. He was 1.8 meters tall and very burly, while Du Lei was only about 1.6 meters tall.

The difference in physique between the two was directly reflected in their aura. Simon originally thought that he only needed to scare the kid a little and he would obediently submit, but now it seems that if he doesn't teach this guy a lesson, the crystal card won't be so easy to get!

"Senior Simon, how could I dare to lie to you? Let's talk this out, can't we just not fight? Doesn't the academy have a rule that students are not allowed to fight in private?" Du Lei looked a little flustered, and at first glance, he seemed to be inexperienced and was intimidated by Simon.

"Now you know fear? Kid, don't try to use the academy to intimidate me, and don't try to deceive me. Hand over the crystal card obediently, and you'll suffer less. Otherwise..." Simon gave Dure a fierce look, but he didn't finish his sentence.

But that look was enough to convey his meaning: if you don't hand it over, I'll give you a good beating today.

"What can you do to me otherwise?" Du Lei suddenly asked him with a smile.

"You think I'm just bluffing? I'll show you what's what... Huh, what's going on? Why can't I move?" Simon was furious. He swung his fist at Dure's head, even though it was true that the academy forbade students from fighting.

But Maple Leaf Academy is not what it used to be. A series of events have occurred, and the academy's higher-ups are already overwhelmed and unable to take care of themselves. Who can care about these students? Thinking of this, Simon became even more reckless, but just then he found that he couldn't move.

Du Lei, who had been holding him, was also put down. The latter looked quite content, and it was unclear whether he was behind it.

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and teach this kid a lesson!" Although Simon was not clear about his situation, driven by anger, he immediately shouted and ordered his men to teach Durei a lesson. Several students around him immediately rushed forward.

"Understood. Kid, you dare to mess with Boss Simon? You're asking for trouble. Try to show us what we're made of... Hey? What's wrong with my hand? I can't move it. My feet are also stuck, like they're being held down by something. What's going on?" These henchmen waved their fists, ready to show off.

But to their horror, they discovered that their hands and feet seemed to be bound by something, and they couldn't move an inch.

"It's a shadow! Look at the shadow!" someone exclaimed, realizing something.

"What? A shadow?" Simon belatedly realized what his subordinate was saying and looked down at his own shadow.

He was shocked to find that his shadow had become distorted. The shadow, which should have been cast on the ground and had no substance, began to wrap around his legs and was spreading upwards. This terrified him. He had never seen anything like it before.

"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer! This is a ghost! What's going on? How can a shadow move around in broad daylight? I told you not to come any closer!" Simon shouted, his fear spreading, a tremor creeping into his skin through every pore, making him shiver.

"Senior Simon, what's wrong with you? What are you talking about? The shadow is perfectly fine, and the weather isn't even that hot. Why are you all sweating so much? And you guys too, oh my, what's that smell? It stinks!" Du Lei asked Simon and his group with a smile.

They were not only sweating profusely, but some were so frightened that they wet their pants on the spot. Being dragged by one's own shadow in broad daylight is just too shocking.

"Shadow... Shadow... What's going on? Was that just a hallucination?" Simon steadied himself and looked at the ground again. The shadow that had been wrapped around his trouser leg and terrified him had returned to normal. He moved around a bit, but the shadow showed no abnormalities.

This puzzled him greatly, and he even doubted whether he had seen it wrong. He looked at his men, who were also staring blankly at him. The men looked at each other, none of them able to explain what was going on.

"Senior Simon, what are you guys talking about? It doesn't seem like a good thing," Du Lei asked calmly.

"Boss, could it be this kid's doing? We all got caught in the trap, but he's the only one who's unharmed." Someone whispered, pointing at Du Lei. Just now, all of them were entangled in the shadows, but Du Lei was the only one unaffected, making it hard not to suspect him.

"Shut up! Kid, you're lucky today, I won't bother you for now, but remember to behave yourself in the academy. Let's go!" Simon glared at his subordinate, uttered a harsh threat, and then slunk away with his men.

Du Lei was left alone, watching them flee in disarray with a smile.

"It's true what they say, fortunes change so quickly." Du Lei smiled easily. He quickly looked at his feet and saw a shadow lurking on the ground, moving around and stretching out. But it wasn't his shadow.

"You can't eat that. Go back first. I don't know if you're unlucky or lucky today, but I think you'll avoid me from now on and won't appear in my sight again, right?" Du Lei thought to himself.

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346 Royal Envoy

Du Lei had only been in the library for a short time when he was dragged out. He had already had enough trouble today, and if someone else had dragged him, he would have been furious. But when he turned around and saw who had dragged him, he could only obediently follow her.

Because the one who pulled him was none other than Nuonuo. Nuonuo was not only his teacher, but they had also been through many things together before. He knew that when he was in danger, it was Nuonuo who did her best to help him, and he was also familiar with Nuonuo's temperament.

If you go along with her temper, she'll be very kind to you. But if you go against her, Nono can make you furious. Nono is very good at tormenting people, or rather, she's too good at it. Du Lei has a deep understanding of this.

"Hey Nuonuo, if you need something, just come find me directly. Can you please not drag me out in public like this? It's so embarrassing for me." Du Lei followed Nuonuo all the way to the back of the east plaza outside the library. The two found a place to sit down, and Du Lei kept complaining.

"What do you mean by dragging you out in front of everyone in the lobby? There are no more than five people in the library, including you and me. What, who don't you want to see? It's not that cute librarian, is it?" Nono crossed her arms, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"No, that's not it. But there are more than just people in the library; there are so many books too. It wouldn't be good for them to see them." Du Lei realized he had misspoke and quickly corrected himself, adding a smiley face emoji to his lips, afraid that he might have done something wrong and upset her again.

"Wow, you're pretty amazing. You've even made friends with books and given them a pair of eyes!" Nono said sarcastically.

"No, no, no, what I mean is, Nono, if you need anything, just give me a look, and I'll come right over. It's too much trouble for you to come all the way to me." Du Lei was opportunistic, and every word he said hit Nono's sweet spot, showing his strong will to survive.

"That's more like it. Okay, next time I need something, I'll give you a look. If you don't come..." Nono nodded in satisfaction, while also giving Du Lei a heads-up. If she ever got into a tantrum, she would be absolutely ruthless.

"I'll come, I'll definitely come. Nono, you called me, how could I not come? So what's the matter with you this time?" Du Lei nodded his head like a woodpecker. This was completely different from how he acted when dealing with Simon and his group.

"I came to see you today because I want to tell you something," Nono finally began to explain her purpose.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Nono's serious expression, Du Lei also stopped joking and asked seriously.

"You must have heard about the envoy from the capital coming to the academy, right?" Nono asked him in return.

“I’ve heard them mention it before, but it seems the envoy got lost and hasn’t arrived at Maple Leaf Academy yet,” Du Lei nodded.

“He didn’t get lost, but something did happen along the way… but none of that matters. What matters is whether you know what he’s here for?” Nono continued to ask. She always asked Dure this, not because she loved keeping secrets.

It was because she knew that Dure was a smart man, and smart men can often guess how things will develop based on just a few clues. So when she spoke to Dure, she deliberately only revealed a little bit of information, leaving the rest for Dure to guess. This seemed to prove her presence.

"An envoy from the capital... Maple Leaf Academy... I don't think it's because of the recent series of events, since they've been properly resolved. If there's any remaining issue... is it about the border problem?" Du Lei carefully considered the ins and outs of the matter.

Many things have happened at Maple Leaf Academy before, the most serious of which was the disaster caused by the magic energy simulation system. However, that incident has been resolved, and the one who solved the problem was the female general Serena of the Snow Kingdom. Now that so much time has passed, envoys are still arriving.

Dure naturally linked it to the currently much-discussed border issue.

“That’s right, it is indeed a border issue. The envoy came to Maple Leaf Academy this time to go through here to negotiate with Rock City, the capital of the Mountain Kingdom.” Nono nodded in confirmation of Dure’s guess. Dure’s thinking time was even shorter than she had imagined.

"Negotiation?" Dure frowned, pondering the meaning behind those two words.

"Of course, both the Land of Snow and the Land of Mountains have deployed heavy troops on their borders, and war is imminent. However, judging from the current situation, the Land of Mountains is in an aggressive and proactive position, while the Land of Snow is more passive. The Land of Snow is unwilling to engage in this war."

Nono continued speaking, seemingly aware of many inside stories. She could rattle off those confidential matters effortlessly, without any awkwardness.

"So this negotiation is actually... the Snow Country is going to sue for peace? Entering the Rock City with a peace-seeking attitude is tantamount to inviting humiliation. I've heard that the Mountain Country is determined to win this war." Although Dure rarely goes down from the mountain, he is well aware of the situation outside.

All of this is thanks to the developed newspaper industry. New newspapers are delivered to the academy every day. After all, Maple Leaf Academy is not like Hot Spring Village or Snow Eagle Town. It has convenient transportation and is located in a major commercial town, so it always gets news much faster.

“That’s right. Going to the Mountain Country to negotiate would be fraught with danger, and the chances of success would be extremely slim.” Nono did not deny this.

"Nono, you came all this way to tell me this. What is the reason for this?" Dure roughly understood that the Snow Kingdom was going to send an envoy to the Mountain Kingdom to seek peace, but he still couldn't understand why Nono would specifically tell him this, and why she would drag him out of the library in this way.

“The royal envoy will be arriving at Maple Leaf Academy soon, and a major reason he’s staying there is that he needs the academy’s help,” Nono continued to explain.

"Help? What kind of help do you need?" Dure still couldn't understand.

"Of course, it's about security. This trip to the Mountain Kingdom will not only involve crossing dangerous forests inhabited by magical beasts, but we'll also likely face attacks from assassination groups. The royal guards alone won't be enough; we'll need dedicated magic users as escorts to successfully reach our destination," Nono explained.

“So…” Du Lei had a guess in his mind, but he thought it was a bit far-fetched and shouldn’t be true.

"So I signed you up. We'll set off in three days, escorting the envoys out of the academy to the City of Rock!" Nono patted Durei on the shoulder and said confidently.

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347 will help you register.

Fortunately, Du Lei wasn't drinking water, otherwise he would have spat it out. He had thought of what Nuonuo said, but he thought it was too unreliable. The thought only flashed through his mind and he didn't think about it much.

But when those words came out of Nono's mouth, Dure felt that either he was crazy, or Nono was crazy, or the whole world was crazy. If it had been someone else who said those words, like Lance, he might have slapped them.

"Sign me up? Nono, did I hear that right? Didn't you just say that this trip to Rock City is fraught with danger, that we'll have to cross a forest infested with magical beasts and face the threat of assassination groups? Given how dangerous that is, you actually signed me up and want me to get involved?"

Du Lei was dumbfounded. If Nuonuo had said she wanted to go herself, he could have understood to some extent, and might have even offered some words of advice, such as not to risk his life, etc. But Nuonuo signed him up, which was practically pushing him into a fire pit!

"You heard me right, I'm registering you. What's wrong? Do you have a problem?" Nono said confidently, while she looked at Du Lei with a puzzled expression, as if her decision was perfectly justified. It was Du Lei's reaction that was abnormal.

"No, no, this is a huge problem. I'm telling you, Nuonuo, before you registered me, you should at least have asked for my opinion, okay? I didn't even agree, and you registered my life? Isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Du Lei felt very wronged.

He tried to express his dissatisfaction in the gentlest language possible, otherwise he would have been driven to his death by anger.

"I asked for your opinion, didn't I tell you?" Nono said earnestly.

"But you only told me after you had already made up your mind, which is a bit sudden for me." Du Lei said with a bitter face. Communicating with Nono was really difficult for him.

"I didn't just notify you on the day of departure. I gave you three days to prepare. Do you still have any complaints?" Nono was getting annoyed by Du Lei's repeated questioning and responded with a stern face.

“I, I have no complaints, it’s just… it’s just…” Du Lei didn’t know how to tell her, and was momentarily speechless.

"You must want to soar on a wider stage, right?" Nono suddenly said this out of the blue.

"Huh? Well... I guess so." Du Lei was a little confused by her question, but after a few seconds, he nodded.

"Tch, he's really not a straightforward man, so timid and hesitant." Nono gave him a disdainful look.

“I wasn’t being timid or cowardly, okay?” Du Lei retorted immediately, clearly displeased.

"Then answer again." Nono gave him another chance to answer.

"Yes, of course I want to, I dream about it!" Du Lei answered decisively and loudly this time.

"Then you should go back to dreaming." Nono poured cold water on him, leaving Du Lei stunned and completely bewildered.

"Hey, Nono, stop teasing me, okay? You need to explain yourself clearly." Du Lei was getting impatient.

"Don't you think this is an opportunity for you?" Nono asked him in return.

"Opportunity? What opportunity?" Du Lei was a little taken aback by her question.

"Du Lei, you're usually a pretty clever person, how come you've become so stupid? You even asked me what kind of opportunity this is?" Nono laughed angrily, she was very dissatisfied with Du Lei's answer.

"Nono, do you mean... that I should join the envoy group as a guard and go to Rock City, so that I can see a wider world?" Dure calmed down and carefully considered Nono's intentions. He knew that although Nono usually seemed crazy and unreasonable.

But she always has her own reasons for doing things.