The most shameless alchemist in history

"Huh? You're leaving already? Dure, wait for me, wait for me!" Lance immediately chased after him.

The two quickly disappeared into the workshop.

"Durey, Lance, I'll see you off..." Sherry originally wanted to go out with them.

"Sherry, stop right there." The blacksmith called out to her from behind.

"What's wrong? Wouldn't it be very impolite not to see the guests off?" Sherry didn't understand why her father had stopped her.

"Sherry, that kid... he has a really annoying aura about him. You only helped him this time because he saved you before. Once this is over, you're not allowed to have anything to do with him." The blacksmith solemnly warned his daughter.

"What aura, what non-interference, I don't want it." Sherry wouldn't listen to her father.

"Sherry, I'm not joking with you. Don't be so willful!" The blacksmith was a little annoyed and raised his voice.

This surprised Sherry, because she had never seen her father like this before. Was he really serious?

.

356 Doesn't do business

Dure knew that Sherry's father, the blacksmith named Tiexin, held a great prejudice against him, which could be seen from his words and expressions. Dure was also puzzled by this, because although the blacksmith had never given him a kind look before, he was not so cold.

He couldn't figure out what he had done to cause the blacksmith to have such an attitude. He didn't have any expectations that the blacksmith would help him. But in the end, the blacksmith took a turn for the better and introduced him to a shop that sold raw materials.

With a "nothing to lose" mentality, Dure and Lance headed toward the shop Tie Xin had recommended. The street was long and crowded, but it became increasingly deserted as they walked further down. When they reached the vicinity of the end of the street, they couldn't see a single person around them.

"Durey, what's wrong with that blacksmith uncle? I feel like he's targeting you in every way. Did you offend him before?" Lance was still resentful of Tie Xin's previous attitude. Normally, they shouldn't have been treated like that.

"Probably not. Maybe we're being too sensitive. Uncle Tie Xin might just be that kind of person. There's no need to take it to heart." Du Lei carefully recalled all the details of his actions, confirming that he hadn't said or done anything wrong, and gently shook his head.

"Dure, you're too nice. I think that uncle was obviously bullying people, and the shops he introduced... What's going on around here? Why is there no one here?" Lance complained while also noticing the strange situation around him, looking around and finding it deserted.

“It’s a bit deserted around here. The shop that Uncle Tie Xin mentioned should be… this one, right?” Following Tie Xin’s direction, Du Lei found a shop at the very end of the street. The shop looked quite old, and even the lettering on the signboard was faded and difficult to read.

"Hey, Dure, this shop looks really old... no, it looks really run-down. Are you sure there are people here? Could we have come to the wrong place? Or is that old man playing a trick on us, deliberately pointing us to the wrong location to tease us?"

Lance compared this shop to the surrounding opulent shops, and it was like comparing a mansion to a thatched hut. The shop was narrow and dilapidated, and to make matters worse, the entrance was piled with all sorts of junk and dust, and it was hard to tell how long it had been since it had been cleaned.

Moreover, a nauseating stench permeated the shop, making it impossible for any normal person to approach; they would stay far away.

"Uncle Tie Xin shouldn't be that kind of person, right? And since we're here, we should go and check it out." Although Du Lei was a little suspicious of this shop, he still decided to find out what was going on. Just then, a middle-aged woman came out of a shop next door.

"Young men, where are you headed?" the middle-aged woman called out to Du Lei and his companion.

"Hello, ma'am, we'd like to buy something at this shop," Du Lei replied politely, pointing to the shabby shop in front of him.

"What? You're going there to buy things? Let me tell you, don't go!" The middle-aged woman immediately dissuaded Du Lei and his companion.

"Can't we go? Why?" Lance was stunned. The surroundings were very deserted. They finally bumped into someone, but it turned out to be someone trying to dissuade them.

"Don't you know? There's a strange old man living here. He doesn't do business with anyone. People used to come to him from time to time, but he always yelled them away. Now his shop hasn't sold anything for years. If you go there, you'll definitely be kicked out."

The middle-aged woman kindly offered some advice to Dure and Lance. She had lived here for many years and knew very well what kind of people her neighbors were.

"What? Not doing business? But opening a shop? That's quite novel." Lance chuckled; this was indeed a rare find.

"That strange old man used to be quite normal, but he completely changed after his son left. Actually, he's quite pitiful. If you want to buy anything, go to another store; you can't even get into his." The middle-aged woman continued.

After she finished speaking, she sighed, whether out of sympathy or something else, and turned and left, leaving Dure and Lance looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Durey, did you hear that? They said there's a weird old man living here who doesn't do business. I told you the blacksmith was trying to fool us. Making us come to a place where even the shops aren't open is ridiculous. I think we should just go back." Lance said indignantly.

He already had a lot of opinions about Tie Xin, and now that he had fallen for Tie Xin's trick, he couldn't help but mutter complaints in his heart again.

"Well... I think we should give it a try." Du Lei was still a little hesitant. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and knocked on the shop door.

“Alright, we’ll listen to you then. Let’s see what’s so strange about that old man. Hey, is anyone there? We’re here to buy something. Hey, is anyone there?” Lance also knocked on the door, asking casually and waiting for a response from inside.

"Lance, keep your voice down. Didn't that old lady just say that he's a grumpy old man? If you act so recklessly, people won't like it," Dure reminded Lance, who seemed to have forgotten that they had just been kicked out not long ago.

“Durey, because he’s an old man, he might be a little hard of hearing. You have to shout loudly for him to hear you. Trust me, you won’t go wrong. Hey, where are you? We were introduced by the blacksmith on the street. Hurry up and open for business!” Lance shouted, bringing up the blacksmith’s name.

Dure wanted to say a few more words to dissuade him, but at that moment the tightly closed door suddenly creaked open, which surprised Dure, while Lance was overjoyed.

“See, Dure, I told you so. Only by speaking loudly can the old man hear me…” Lance turned around and boasted to Dure.

"Which brat is making such a racket? Don't people want to sleep? I haven't done business in a long time. I don't care who introduced you, get out of here!" An impatient voice came from inside the door. Before Lance could figure out what was going on, something flew out.

"Huh? Is this how you do business? We're customers, we're customers... Ouch, what is this? It stinks." Lance instinctively turned his head to argue with the other party, but was hit in the face by something thrown out from inside the door, and a wave of stench immediately hit him.

These are smelly shoes.

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357 Little Black and Little White

Dure and Lance were thoroughly turned away. Lance was furious at being subjected to the stench of smelly shoes for no reason. He jumped up and down and cursed for a while at the gate, but no one inside paid him any attention. In the end, Dure had to persuade him to leave.

Lance originally wanted to go back and argue with the blacksmith, since it was the blacksmith who introduced them to this place, but Dure disagreed and pulled Lance back into the academy. Today's search for magical weapons had ended in failure, and the day was about to pass by like this.

"Du Lei, I think you're just too kind-hearted. You were tricked like this for no reason, so of course you have to yell back. And that old man, it's one thing if he doesn't want to do business with us, but he even used a smelly shoe to chase us away. That's so unreasonable of him. People like that are really going too far."

After dinner, Lance was still indignant about the treatment he received during the day. He listed the crimes of the old man he had never met and the blacksmith who had introduced them. In particular, the smelly shoes had made him lose his appetite after eating only a few bites of dinner.

"It's all in the past, so let's not dwell on it anymore." Du Lei shook his head; he was a very easygoing person.

“But Dure, there are only two days left, and your magical armor matter…” Lance was anxious for Dure.

"I'll think of something else. I'm going out for a bit. See you later." Du Lei packed up and prepared to leave.

"Durey, are you going to the library again? You really love reading. What time is it? Do you think you can discover magical weapons from reading?" Lance thought Durey's attitude was a bit too relaxed. It was like he was in a real crisis but wasn't worried at all.

"Probably, maybe I really will find a top-tier magical weapon. See you later." Du Lei waved his hand and immediately left the dormitory. Lance thought he was definitely heading towards the library, which was actually quite accurate for Lance under normal circumstances.

But after leaving the dormitory, Du Lei did not go to the library. Instead, he left the college and went down the mountain to a small town in the mountains.

"You... no, are you sure you haven't come to the wrong place?" Du Lei asked softly after leaving the academy. There was no one else around, and he seemed to be talking to himself, which was very strange. In the eyes of others, he might be labeled as a "weirdo".

"Kid, there's no mistake, it's that place from during the day. There are plenty of good things there, you'll definitely find what you need." There was no one nearby, yet a voice rang out. This wasn't a supernatural event, but rather the voice came directly from Du Lei's head.

"That place during the day... is that the shop where Lance and I were turned away? It seems Uncle Tie Xin did recommend the wrong place. But even if I know there are good things there, what can I do if people don't want to do business with me? Besides, I don't have any crystal cards to buy them."

Dure was troubled by this. Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. At least you have a pot and a stove, but he didn't even have a pot or a stove.

"If you want something, just rob it, why are you so conflicted?" the voice rang out again.

"Go and rob? Ouch, ouch, ouch, don't burn me! I'm not really going to listen to him and rob him. Hey, Xiao Hei, you're trying to trick me!" As soon as the word "rob" appeared in Du Lei's mind, a scorching flame rose from his chest, burning him and making him cry out in pain.

"That's not my name, kid. Can you please stop calling me that?" The voice was clearly unhappy with how Du Lei addressed him.

"If that's not your name, then what is it?" Du Lei asked him in return.

"Well... I forgot." The voice was slightly weaker, with a hint of helplessness.

“So, you’ve already forgotten everything. Until you remember your name, you’ll be called Little Black!” Du Lei decided for him.

"Who told you to act on your own?" the guy Du Lei called Little Black protested loudly.

“Since we have a mutually beneficial and cooperative relationship, you should just compromise,” Du Lei said matter-of-factly.

"In short, I will never acknowledge this title! Where were we? Right, if you want something, just go and steal it..." Xiao Hei, whose true form is a creature from the Void Abyss and who has gradually achieved a symbiotic relationship with Du Lei, put aside the topic of titles.

"No, stop right now! Don't say that word again, or Xiaobai will burn me alive!" Du Lei immediately made a shushing gesture.

The "Little White" he mentioned was naturally the unknown egg he had found in the underground spider cave in the Misty Forest. Although it couldn't speak, it seemed to have consciousness. No matter what Dure did or said, it knew and even influenced Dure in its own way.

As for how it influences people, it means that if they disagree with Dure's opinion, they will burn him to death.

"Kid, you're a man, why should you care about other people's opinions when you do things? If you don't fight for what you want, are you even a man?" Xiao Hei scoffed at Du Lei's words and continued to urge him on.

“Xiao Bai has helped me a lot, so I can’t ignore his opinion. Besides, he has so many good things, do you think he’s an ordinary person? I have a feeling this matter isn’t so simple. We should think carefully about how to get these things.” Du Lei shook his head.

He was a rational person, and as he left the shop, he sensed that the old man was unusual.

"As long as I help you, there's nothing I can't handle. Like that guy last time, I still managed to take care of him perfectly well for you." Xiao Hei remained dismissive.

"You still have the nerve to talk about last time? I almost lost my life, okay? As long as you handle Xiaobai, you can do whatever you want, how about it?" Du Lei suddenly said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Taking him down is a piece of cake... Ouch, it's so hot!" This time, it wasn't Du Lei who was calling out.

Even the arrogant Little Black was brought to his knees. To be precise, it wasn't a person, but an egg.

“Even powerful creatures from the Void Abyss can only be dealt with. Little White, Little White, what exactly are you…” Du Lei became curious about the origin of this egg. Since the egg couldn’t speak, he named it Little White to make it easier to communicate with it, and the egg readily accepted the name.

"Alright, you'll hatch eventually anyway, and then I'll know what kind of thing you are. Right now... we still need to figure out how to deal with that old man who's known as the weird old man. If we don't find a solution soon, there won't be any time left."

Du Lei looked up at the crescent moon in the sky. Tie Xin had asked him to bring the things over before dusk, but it was already night and he still hadn't gotten them done.

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358 Who ordered it?

Although Du Lei knew that the chances of persuading that strange old man again were slim, and he might not even be able to get through the door, there were only two days left of the three days Nono had given him, and according to the blacksmith, making the magic weapon would require roughly three steps.

Dure had also learned that it could take anywhere from a few months to several years to fully create a magical weapon. He had even heard that some alchemists devoted their entire lives to creating a top-quality magical weapon, which was an unimaginable undertaking.

Even so, the necessary attempts still had to be made. During the day, with Lance around, Lance acted recklessly, and with so many people talking during the day, Dure only visited again at night. He walked along the narrow street towards the end of the street.

As he passed the blacksmith's shop, he could faintly hear the clanging of metal being struck. At this time, Sherry must have been fast asleep. Du Lei didn't want to disturb her before he successfully obtained the materials, so he walked all the way to the shop that had been turned away during the day.

Moonlight streamed down from the sky, and all the shops on the street were closed, with most of their lights off, including Tie Xin's shop. Du Lei counted only three shops still lit up as he walked over, and the shop where he was headed was also emitting a faint light.

"Although I'll most likely be turned away again, I'll give it a try anyway. There's no better way." Du Lei hesitated at the door for a moment before finally stepping forward to knock. He had prepared for the worst; otherwise, he wouldn't be here.

"Hello, is anyone home?" Unlike Lance, Dure was not impulsive. He knocked gently, making sure to leave a good impression.

He waited outside the door for a long time, but there was no response from inside. This result made him feel somewhat disappointed, but it was also reasonable.

"As expected, I was turned away again. There's nothing I can do. I can't force my way into getting the materials. I'll have to go back to Sherry's father and think of another way. But I'm sure I'll get a lot of dirty looks then." Du Lei sighed and could only leave the place the way he came.

"thump."

Just as Du Lei was about to leave, a sound of something falling to the ground suddenly came from inside the shop, which startled Du Lei.

"That voice is... Hello, is anyone home? Could something have happened?" Du Lei became alert and suspiciously knocked on the door again. This time, he knocked much more urgently than before. Based on his innate and keen intuition, he realized that something bad might have happened.

"Although I know this might be a bit rude... I have no choice but to do it just to be on the safe side. I apologize." After thinking for a moment, Du Lei realized he couldn't just turn around and leave. He loudly apologized and then slammed his head against the shop door.

With a creak, the fragile door was kicked open by Du Lei, who was able to see the scene inside the shop. The lighting was dim, the air was filled with a stench, and various bottles, jars, and furs were scattered haphazardly on the ground, making it a complete mess.

Dure was not interested in these things; his gaze quickly settled on an old man lying on the floor in the room.