The most shameless alchemist in history

"Let's take another look at this book. If Bai Ye were here, that would be great. He's read far more books than I have. Maybe he has some clues? Oh no, I can't get this book. I'm still a little short." Du Lei couldn't lift it even on tiptoe, so he had to ask for help with a ladder.

"Do you want this book? Here you go." Just then, someone took the book that Du Lei was about to take down from the shelf and handed it to him. Only then did Du Lei realize that there was another person next to him, quietly reading a book in the library, just like him.

"Thank you very much. Are you... a teacher at the academy?" Du Lei thanked the other person politely. He took the book and looked at the other person, recognizing him as a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. He was tall and slender, about 1.8 meters, well-dressed, and had an elegant demeanor.

Such a person would naturally not be a student of the academy; the only connection Du Lei could think of was with a teacher.

"Teacher? Pretty much. Actually, I'm a researcher at the academy. My name is Aaron. This book is... a study of the Magic Energy Armament Atlas. Are you interested in Magic Energy Armaments?" The young man smiled slightly, revealing his identity while looking at the cover of the book in Du Lei's hand.

“Researcher Aaron, I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before. Yes, because I’m choosing my own magical weapon next year, I want to learn about it in advance.” Dure pondered the name carefully. He remembered hearing this man’s name from Nono.

This was one of the few people in the academy who could receive a positive evaluation from Nono, which made Du Lei think more highly of Aaron. At the same time, he cleverly answered Aaron's question. He was not foolish enough to tell a complete stranger his true intentions, even if the other party was a teacher in the academy.

“So that’s how it is. I remember when I was your age, I also started looking for my own magical weapon. Back then, I naively thought I could make one myself, but I failed at the magic core embedding stage and had to give up in the end,” Aaron said with a smile.

"Magic core embedding?" Dure was taken aback. This was the very thing that was giving him a headache. He had come to the library to look up books related to magic core embedding, but he had unexpectedly learned this term from Aaron.

“Yes, this is the final and most difficult step in creating the magical weapon; only an alchemist can complete it.” Aaron nodded.

"An alchemist... but why does it have to be an alchemist?" Dure asked, puzzled.

“Because this involves the exchange and fusion of energy,” Aaron answered Durree without hesitation.

"Energy exchange and fusion? What is that?" This was the first time Du Lei had ever heard of such a concept.

“Energy is everything on this continent that possesses kinetic energy…” Aaron explained patiently.

"Are you talking about magic energy?" Dure compared energy with magic energy.

“It’s not just magic energy. Energy includes many things, including wind energy and tides. Magic energy is only a part of energy. Of course, magic energy can also induce wind energy and tidal energy to a certain extent. The two are constantly transforming and interdependent,” Aaron continued to explain.

"But what about the exchange and fusion of energy in the embedding of the magic core?" Dure had never been able to understand this point, and now that Aaron was explaining it, he naturally seized the opportunity and was eager to get an answer.

"Inlaying a magic core into the embryo of a magic-powered weapon is like adding a heart to the embryo, and at the same time giving the heart a powerful 'body'. However, the two are mutually exclusive from the beginning. You should know that one of the laws of alchemy is that you cannot use the same magical beast's material core to refine it."

Aaron was extremely exploitative, and he could talk about these complex concepts with ease, acting more like a teacher than a teacher.

“I know that, so... does the so-called fusion mean fusing the magic core with the embryo?” Dure asked cautiously.

"Yes, but during the fusion of the two, there will inevitably be energy leakage. This energy leakage will affect the surrounding environment and cause irreversible reactions. Therefore, the process of energy leakage must be handled carefully, otherwise, an extra energy will appear in a place for no reason..."

"It's like a sealed wooden barrel. If you force water into it, what do you think the result will be?" Aaron gave an example.

"Pour water into a wooden bucket... and the bucket will burst?" Du Lei asked tentatively.

In a daze, he seemed to have found some clues.

.

376 Leading astray

Dure had reached a dead end on the path of magic core embedding. With time running out, he was completely clueless. Just when he was at his wit's end, he happened to meet Aaron, a magic energy researcher from the academy, in the library. Aaron had a lot of insights into this area.

He patiently explained all sorts of details to Dure, especially regarding the issue of fusion and exchange. Dure didn't stand on ceremony and poured out all his questions, which Aaron answered in detail. The two talked for almost two hours.

"Um... the library is closing time now, so could you..." Just as Du Lei was getting into his question, someone timidly walked over and whispered. She carefully hid behind the bookshelves, not daring to come too close. Naturally, it was the librarian.

"Oh? Is it already so late? I'm so sorry to bother you for so long, but I have one last question." Du Lei was not willing to miss this good opportunity to clear up his doubts. Having a knowledgeable person like Aaron explain things to him was an opportunity that many people would rather die for.

“Since the library is closed, let’s go outside and talk as we walk. We’ll leave now.” Aaron pointed to the door and smiled at the young librarian, who was startled and quickly moved away until she saw the two of them walk out of the library.

"What a gentle person. I think he's a researcher at the academy? I think I saw him talking to Professor Winster before, but they seemed to be arguing about something. As for the other guy... why does he look so happy?"

The young librarian was very observant, noticing all of Dure and Aaron's expressions, which puzzled her somewhat.

"They should come again tomorrow, right? Since Mr. Winster left, there have been fewer and fewer people in the library. When will Mr. Winster come back?" She packed her things, walked to the library door, closed it, and looked up at the starry sky.

I wonder if, at this very moment, Teacher Winster is also looking at the same starry sky as she is?

Meanwhile, on another piece of land bathed in starlight, someone also lowered his head to look at the starry sky. Nearby was a deep, dark forest, behind him was a pile of firewood with flames burning brightly, and to his right was a curtain of water.

A scene is being displayed on the water screen. It is a scene that emerges from the long-distance energy transmission through magic. In the scene, a young man and a boy are talking. The young man looks very elegant, while the boy keeps asking him questions, showing a strong thirst for knowledge.

"Aaron, are you trying to lead him astray? After competing with me for so many years, you're still so competitive." The man by the campfire sighed as he looked at the scene. He shook his head and waved his hand, and the scene hundreds of miles away vanished into thin air, as if it had never existed.

The boy in the picture was unaware that he had been spied on for a moment. Although he felt a little uncomfortable for a short while and looked around, he was sure that no one was around, so he didn't think much of it.

Furthermore, he was preoccupied with the matter of embedding the magic core, and had no time to think about anything else. He only had one night left.

"So, the essence of magic core inlay is the conversion between energies. The energy field must be controlled within a certain range to ensure that the conversion and fusion are completed smoothly. It must not conflict with other stable elements in the surrounding area to avoid violent reactions, is that right?"

Dure asked his final question, by which time he and Aaron had already left the library.

"That's right. The essence of alchemy is also the decomposition, conversion, and fusion of energy between different substances. The energy field must be controlled artificially. Any slight leakage or collision of elements will have serious consequences, so we must be very careful." Aaron nodded in affirmation.

"I understand, Professor Aaron, you've really helped me a lot, thank you so much!" Du Lei's gratitude was palpable.

If Aaron hadn't appeared in time, he doesn't know how many detours he would have taken. Let alone completing the magic-powered armor by tomorrow, even if he had ten more days or ten months, he might not have been able to take this step.

"These are all minor matters. Besides, I'm not a teacher at the academy; I'm just an insignificant researcher. It's getting late, and I should head back now. Du Lei, if you have any questions in the future, you can come to the research institute to find me. You should know where it is, right?"

Aaron was very humble and spoke in a gentle and friendly manner, making it very easy to communicate with him.

"Okay, goodbye then." Dure waved his hand. All the questions that had been bothering him had suddenly become clear after his conversation with Aaron. He was now eager to go back and find a place to complete the final step of the magic core inlay. He was very confident that he could do it.

"Goodbye." Aaron nodded, watching the boy turn around and run away. Soon the boy's figure disappeared from sight, and it was clear that he was in a hurry. As for Aaron, he remained in the same spot, watching Dure move away and standing there for a long time.

"Winston, you really have a bad heart. He's such a talented young man, yet you deliberately suppressed his potential, led him down the wrong path, and made him stumble into a dead end, almost unable to get out. Wouldn't it be a great pity to let him waste his life like this?"

Aaron looked up at the sky. The night sky was full of twinkling stars, and he knew that the other person was looking at the same starry sky as him.

"But it's alright. As long as I'm here, I'm sure I can make you a very powerful alchemist one day. Winston, your plans are probably going to fall through." Aaron smiled meaningfully. If Dure heard what he said, he would definitely be very shocked.

Because Aaron met him in the library, and seemingly unintentionally mentioned the magic core inlay, and "coincidentally" answered Dure's questions, countless coincidences came together, so it was no longer just a coincidence.

“It’s about time to head back, Winston. I hope everything goes well for you there, and that you’re satisfied with the ‘gift’ I prepared for you.” Aaron slowly withdrew his gaze, and soon he turned and left, the moonlight casting a long shadow of his back.

A wild cat, foraging in the grass, peered curiously at him. When it saw his back, it suddenly bristled, meowed, and fled in panic.

.

377 Departure List

After leaving the library, Dure headed straight for the back mountain of the academy. Due to a series of accidents that had occurred on the back mountain, including the collapse of the Ash Tower and a series of earthquakes, the once beautiful back mountain was now riddled with holes and turned into ruins. It was very desolate and hardly anyone came here.

It was precisely because of this that the back mountain became the perfect place for Du Lei to refine magical weapons. He had tried all night last night, but he still hadn't succeeded. At that time, he hadn't yet grasped the knack, but now it was different. He had every reason to believe that he had crossed that threshold.

“What’s going on? Normally, as long as the energy field of magic energy conversion is controlled and all the refining is completed within the energy field, and the elements are not allowed to overflow, it will be fine. But the energy field can’t be controlled. This violent collision fluctuation…” Du Lei looked at the marks left on his palm.

It was a small black dot, which didn't look very noticeable, but during the refining process, he clearly sensed that there were out-of-control elements running around in his palm, as if something was drilling into his palm, almost drilling through his palm!

It was only thanks to his desperate attempt to maintain control of the energy field and abandon the refining process that he was able to save his hand. He had experienced this setback several times that night, which was causing his confidence to waver.

"As expected, I was too optimistic. I tried to complete the magic core embedding in one day. I'm clearly a novice, but I was too eager to succeed. This will definitely not lead to any good progress. But it will be dawn soon. At that time... I patted my chest and guaranteed it to Nuonuo."

Dure was getting anxious. He had thought that with Aaron's guidance, he would be able to pass this test smoothly, but now it seemed that he was still lacking in experience. He would definitely not succeed without hundreds or even thousands of attempts. Indeed, alchemy was a complicated and massive undertaking.

"No, we can't rush things now. Calm down and think it over carefully. There must be a way. Think about it..." Du Lei understood the principle that haste makes waste. He calmed down and thought carefully, and went through all the details from beginning to end.

“All the steps are fine, the only problem is controlling the magic energy field. As for control... that’s right, I have this!” While sorting out the clues, Du Lei finally made a discovery at a certain point, and he was so excited that he almost shouted it out.

He quickly pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket. The gloves looked like they were made of some kind of animal leather, but with Dure's experience and knowledge, he couldn't recognize what kind of animal it was. He was certain it wasn't deer or sheepskin, and there were several scratches on the gloves, as if they had been cut.

Overall, it was an unremarkable pair of gloves. Even if he gave them to someone else, they would complain that they were too worn out. He had found them underground in the Misty Forest. Now, he remembered what Winster had said and immediately put the gloves on.

“Professor Winston once said that there is one essential thing for alchemists: gloves. The purpose of gloves is to control the stability of the energy field. How could I have forgotten that? Right now, I only have this one pair of gloves, so I’ll give it a try.” Dure looked at his hands.

He adjusted his mindset, took a deep breath, and repeated the process he had failed dozens of times before. For him, each failure was an opportunity to gain experience for the next success. He had a feeling that his accumulated experience had reached a critical point and was about to explode!

Meanwhile, at the college's office building, which would normally be deserted at this time with all the teachers having gone home to rest, the lights were still on today. Charlotte, who was usually more punctual than anyone else when leaving get off work, stormed over in a fit of rage, carrying a list.

“Vice Principal Norton, I need an explanation!” Charlotte looked extremely fierce, clearly furious.

“Professor Charlotte, what’s wrong? Why are you so angry? Let’s talk this out.” Norton smiled; he was a kind-hearted man.

"This list, this list of people who will be escorting the royal envoy to Rock City tomorrow, I have no questions about the others, but what's wrong with this guy?" Charlotte waved the list in his hand, pointing at a name on it and questioning loudly.

He had long considered the position of vice dean of the academy to be his for the taking. Although Norton was still sitting in the chair, he was getting old and would retire next year. In addition, given his amiable attitude, Charlotte usually did not take Norton seriously.

“I wonder who you’re talking about, Professor Charlotte? Let me see… Oh, it’s this young man named Durley.” Vice Dean Norton picked up his glasses, put them on his nose, and looked closely before recognizing the name Charlotte was pointing to. He was getting on in years and his eyesight wasn’t very good.

“That’s right, it’s him! He’s just a newcomer, how could he be placed in such an important position? Who made this decision? Isn’t that a bit too hasty?” Charlotte questioned, pointing at the name “Durey” without giving Norton any face at all.

"Isn't Bailing on the list also a newcomer? This kind of precious opportunity should be given to these newcomers to train, so what's the problem?" Vice Dean Norton took off his glasses, smiled amicably, and didn't take it too seriously.

"How can you say there's no problem? The problem is huge! How can such an important task as escorting the envoy be entrusted to a newcomer who hasn't even mastered magical weapons? First, it's a disgrace to our academy, and second, if we fail to complete the mission and protect the envoy, wouldn't that be a major blunder?"

Charlotte disagreed with Norton's opinion, especially regarding Durley.

"Well... it's said they've already mastered magical weapons, so you don't need to worry about that, Professor Charlotte," Norton said slowly.

"He's got magical weapons? Him? How is that even possible?" Charlotte scoffed. He knew Durei's situation very well, including that he knew Durei had gone down the mountain to buy magical weapons and that he had been thwarted.

"I find it strange too, but that's what Teacher Nono said," Norton said, shrugging helplessly.

"Teacher Nono? She's just a student teacher. Can you believe what she says? I'm not saying this, but if that guy can master magical weapons, I'll eat this table..." Charlotte sneered. He was about to say something more harsh when suddenly a bright light shone through the window.

The dazzling light illuminated most of the night sky!

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378 Small Achievements

Because of a series of catastrophic accidents that had occurred at Maple Leaf Academy before, any slight disturbance here is enough to trigger people's sensitive nerves. Whether it's students or teachers in the academy, their first reaction when this bright light appeared was that something had happened!

After all, in the past month or so, whenever a major event occurred at the academy, hadn't there always been such strange reactions? Although there was no tremor in the ground, when the sleeping students rubbed their sleepy eyes and walked over, intending to go to the toilet, they just happened to see the appearance of a bright light.

Sensing danger, the students immediately woke up their companions and fled towards an open area. Many of the male students didn't even have time to put on their clothes, and were looking around the square in their underwear. Having learned from their previous experiences, they ran much faster this time.

"What's going on? How come it's happened again after only a few days of calm? At this rate, even if we don't get killed by the earthquake or anything else, we'll be scared to death first!" Some students complained bitterly. Earlier, some people had left to persuade them to go with them, but they believed the disaster was over and chose to stay at Maple Leaf Academy.

However, given the current situation, it's unclear when this endless stream of unexpected events will end.

"But it seems that apart from that bright light, nothing else has happened. There was no earthquake, and nothing collapsed. It seems very peaceful. Shall we go back?" Some students waited for a long time, but the catastrophic event they had imagined did not occur.

"No, go back if you want. I'd rather wait here a little longer. I'd rather sleep on the floor here than go back to the dorm. If something else happens, it'll be too late to run away. Hey, Lance, what are you looking for over there?" Someone waved their hand, unwilling to go back to the dorm.

As the student spoke, he called out to a friend he knew who was pacing back and forth in the crowd.

"Where's Dure? I haven't seen him yet. Could something have happened to him? Of all times... Huh? Dure?" Lance didn't hear clearly what the student who called him said. Firstly, he wasn't very familiar with the student and they didn't have much to talk about. Secondly, he was thinking about other things.

Dure had told him before that he would be doing the final refining of the magic weapon tonight, and he was very supportive of what Dure was going to do. Now that an unexpected incident had occurred at the academy, it was hard for him not to worry about his companion, fearing that something might have happened to Dure.