The most shameless alchemist in history

"Leopard Tail, never be curious about names that have been lost to history. Whether it's Duke Blackfire or Lin Ye, similar words are buried in history. If you bring them up rashly, you'll only bring trouble upon yourself," Bee Sting solemnly warned.

Although she wasn't much older than Leopard Tail, she knew a great deal about certain things, thanks to her certain identity.

"Don't try to scare me. What can I do even if I bring it up?" Leopard Tail has never been one to believe in superstitions.

"I'll only tell you one thing: Siegfried's downfall was related to that person. Even a Sword Saint lost his life because of him, let alone a mere Steel-rank nobody like you." Bee Sting warned Leopard Tail again, fearing he wouldn't give up.

"What happened to Siegfried after he died? What became of him after his death?" Although Dure was also curious about those two names, he could tell that neither Kotetsu nor Bee Sting were joking. Even if he asked, he wouldn't get an answer.

Rather than risk getting humiliated, he decided to learn something useful, because he realized that the reason Kotetsu mentioned Leiming was related to Siegfried's demise.

"After he died? His resentment lingered after his death, and his powerful demonic energy transformed him into a ghostly spirit. So, if you were facing a Saint-level ghostly spirit, could you still say what you just said?" Kotetsu asked rhetorically.

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387 spinning in place

After hearing what Kotetsu said, Leopard Tail finally shut up. Du Lei, who was standing next to him, asked a few questions and listened attentively. He also gleaned some information from the two of them. First of all, both Leopard Tail and Kotetsu were at the nine-star steel rank, just one step away from the flame rank.

Compared to Du Lei, who is only a two-star high-rank, there is a huge gap between them, like a train car full of cars, and that train car is still running. Furthermore, even though both of them are nine-star steel-rank, Kotetsu can completely crush Leopard Tail, meaning there is a huge difference even among people of the same level.

This puzzled Dure, because the information he had received before was that the difference between those of the same level should not be significant, and in fact, his personal experience also confirmed this. However, this did not apply to Kotetsu and Hyoo. He wanted to ask, but now was not a good time.

As for the last point, Bee Sting's identity is very suspicious. Du Lei could vaguely sense that both Leopard Tail and Kotetsu were more or less wary of Bee Sting, and her attitude was particularly forceful in certain matters, even Kotetsu had to avoid her sharp edge, which made Du Lei especially confused.

Despite their many questions, they still had to keep going, especially with Hu Che's repeated urging. They had to speed up and leave Nightmare Mountain before dark, otherwise encountering high-level ghosts and phantoms would be troublesome!

"Strange, why haven't we made it out yet after walking for so long? This isn't normal. It's getting dark soon, and fog is starting to rise over there." Leopard Tail looked around. Fog was gradually forming and spreading, and the forest was becoming increasingly quiet. The sound of breaking branches could be clearly heard as one walked.

“We’ve been turning in the same spot, we’re stuck here.” Dure walked over to a tree and examined it carefully before speaking softly.

"What did you say? Turning in place? What makes you say that? This area is all wooded, and they all look pretty much the same. Don't jump to conclusions." Leopard Tail's prejudice against Du Lei hadn't disappeared. According to his philosophy, whenever that kid spoke, he should just deny him first.

"Based on this alone," Du Lei said, pointing to the tree in front of him with absolute certainty.

"Just one tree? Are you kidding me? All trees look pretty much the same, how could you possibly recognize it?" Leopard Tail scoffed at this.

“Although I don’t recognize it, I do recognize this. This is a mark I made before, and this is the third time I’ve seen it.” Du Lei pointed to a piece of bark that had been peeled off the tree trunk, on which a cross-shaped symbol had been carved with a dagger. It was clear that it had been carved recently.

"What? We've seen it for the third time? You mean we're in a maze, and after going around in circles, we've come back to where we started? No, why is it the third time? Shouldn't you have said so the second time?" Leopard Tail stepped forward to examine it closely, even though he had argued with Du Lei quite a bit.

However, he had a piece of evidence right in front of him, and he himself was full of doubts and hoped to find a definite answer.

"I wanted to say it several times the second time, but you always stopped me," Du Lei said with a shrug.

"Pfft." Someone next to her laughed; it was Wenli, who walked with a limp.

“Miss Winry, what’s so funny?” Leopard Tail was stunned. He couldn’t figure out who Winry was laughing at.

“I’m so sorry, it’s alright, please don’t take it to heart. So, Mr. Dure, you said we’re in a maze, what should we do now?” Wen Li asked Dure instead of Leopard Tail, as she could tell that Leopard Tail wasn’t good at analyzing problems.

"Tell me what you think," Kotetsu said, stopping and turning back to ask Dure.

"Don't you think the shape of the forest is strange?" Dure didn't answer their question directly, but instead found another angle to approach the question.

"The shape of the forest? What shape?" Leopard Tail asked immediately, as he always had to deny or question anything Du Lei said.

“This is the shape of the forest when we walked the first lap, this is the shape of the forest when we walked the second lap, and this is the shape of the forest when we walked the third lap, which is the shape of the forest we just walked through.” Du Lei said, while using a twig to draw patterns on the ground.

"What shape? What are you talking about?" Leopard Tail scratched his head, completely unable to understand what Du Lei was saying.

“These three circles… the shape of the forest is wrong.” Kotetsu frowned; he had finally found the problem.

"What? The shape is wrong? Kotetsu, this forest doesn't have legs, how can it walk by itself? How can the shape be wrong?" Leopard Tail looked around. All around was a deep, dense forest, quiet all around, with the occasional "cooing" sound of an owl.

"That's the problem. Normally, trees don't have feet; they don't walk on their own. But the three times we passed by, they moved. Why is that?" Du Lei pointed out the key issue, looking at Leopard Tail and asking.

"What are you looking at me for? If I knew, would I need to ask you?" Leopard Tail felt uncomfortable under Du Lei's gaze and yelled at him.

"Don't trees have feet? In the comic books I read when I was little, there were lots of tree people who could stand up and walk. It was so much fun." Wen Li, who was the one being escorted and had the most right to speak, but due to her lack of experience and personality, she had the least right to speak, asked curiously.

“Tree people? That is indeed a possibility.” Dure did not completely deny Winry’s words.

"What? The surrounding woods are full of tree people? Did they grow legs and run away?" Leopard Tail was somewhat surprised and looked around warily.

“No, if that were the case, we would have discovered it long ago. The Treants’ actions are quite commotion; there’s no way we wouldn’t have noticed.” Bee Sting shook her head, denying this. She was a cool-headed type, the exact opposite of Leopard Tail.

“You’re right, the treants possess magical energy, but there’s no magical energy fluctuation on these trees, and they…” Hu Che frowned and didn’t continue. He had already noticed the suspicious points, but he hadn’t made a fuss about it.

"Huh? Not a tree person? I thought I'd see a tree person from a fairy tale. I was even a little bit looking forward to it." Wen Li looked a little disappointed. She was the least worried of the group.

"If it's not a tree spirit, then what is it? Tell me!" Leopard Tail was getting impatient; he was almost completely confused.

"Do you believe your eyes?" Dure suddenly asked.

"What?" Leopard Tail seemed not to have heard him clearly.

"Is everything you're seeing real?" Du Lei asked in a strange tone.

“Isn’t that obvious? Of course my eyes won’t lie to me, of course… are you saying what we’re seeing is all an illusion?” At first, Leopard Tail spoke with certainty, but he quickly realized another possibility and exclaimed in surprise.

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388 Where is he?

Leopard Tail's discovery gave him a cold sweat. It wasn't that he was ignorant or that a mere hallucination could fool him. In fact, he had experienced similar events before, but he had dealt with them calmly. What truly shocked him was that he hadn't noticed it beforehand.

It was one thing for him not to notice, but even Kotetsu, the leader of the guard, didn't realize they were in an illusion. On the contrary, it was that shady kid he had always looked down on who saw through it all at a glance. This shocked and angered Hyo-o, and he lost face.

"Hallucination? Mr. Dure, do you mean that everything we're seeing is fake?" Winry didn't have as many thoughts as Leopard Tail. She looked around in confusion. They had been traversing Nightmare Mountain for quite some time, and she hadn't noticed anything strange about their surroundings.

“Yes, everything we’ve seen so far has been fake.” Dure nodded in affirmation; he wouldn’t make things up without evidence.

"Wait, didn't you just say you left a mark? How could it be fake?" Leopard Tail remembered this and raised an objection.

“The problem lies in the markings.” Durei was still standing by the tree where he had left the markings, pointing to the forked marks with certainty.

"What? What do you mean by that?" Leopard Tail was completely confused and had no idea what Du Lei was referring to.

"It's true that the mark I left was a cross-shaped engraving, but there should have been another mark in the center of the engraving." Dure pointed to the engraving on the tree trunk. He clearly remembered that there was a slight difference between the engraving he had left beforehand and what he saw now.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand at all." Leopard Tail still didn't understand what Du Lei meant.

"You mean... you were careful when you left the mark, so what you see now is roughly the same as the mark you left, but there are actually differences, right?" Kotetsu, who had remained silent all along, thought for a moment and sorted out his thoughts.

“That’s true.” Dure nodded in affirmation.

"But why did it turn out like this? This mark is still very new. If it wasn't you, Du Lei, who else could have left it?" Wen Li was even more confused. She couldn't understand how a mark could have appeared out of nowhere.

"The answer to this question is actually very simple. When we were on the first lap, what we saw was the real scene. It was indeed on Nightmare Mountain, and everything we saw was real. But then we fell into the trap, and what we saw was not necessarily real."

Dure offered a general explanation: he had noticed something amiss from the very beginning, but simply hadn't said anything.

“You mean what we saw starting from the second lap was an illusion? Then this mark of yours…” Bee Sting frowned.

“This mark was deliberately used to mislead us, making us think we’re in a maze going around in circles. In reality, we’ve just been deceived by an illusion and have arrived at a place where we have no idea where we’re going.” Dure used the dagger in his hand to slash the symbol in front of him heavily.

"You're making it sound so complicated. Even if your speculations are true, then tell me, what is the purpose of the other party going to such lengths to do this?" Although Leopard Tail wasn't good at thinking things through, he knew that everything has a starting point, and no one would go to such lengths to do something unnecessary.

If you think it's superfluous, then you must not have seen the hidden secret.

“I was also confused about this, so I didn’t point it out on the second lap, but by the third lap, I think I should understand,” Du Lei continued to explain. He was probably the most clear-headed person here. Although he didn’t have as much experience as Hu Che and the others, he was quick-witted.

"What do you understand? Hurry up and tell me," Leopard Tail urged impatiently.

"It is a confirmed fact that ghosts and spirits are hidden on this Nightmare Mountain. However, as Uncle Kotetsu just said, ghosts and spirits also have different levels. Powerful ghosts and spirits like those left behind by the Sword Saint Siegfried are invincible, but there are also weak ghosts and spirits."

Du Lei remained silent throughout his conversation with Kotetsu in the leopard's tail, gleaning a great deal of useful information from them.

"You mean the ghosts and spirits on this Nightmare Mountain aren't powerful, they're quite weak?" Leopard Tail asked tentatively.

“If they are just weak ghosts and phantoms, they won’t be able to trap us.” Kotetsu shook his head, disagreeing with this point.

“That’s true under normal circumstances, but what if it’s not normal?” Du Lei asked rhetorically.

"An abnormal situation? What do you mean?" Kotetsu immediately pressed.

“Ghosts are weak in some places, but if they lure us to other places, they might become very strong. It’s like a fish that can only be slaughtered on land, but can swim freely in the water,” Dure suggested.

"Are you saying that we were deliberately lured to a place by the ghostly figures on this Nightmare Mountain that could unleash his power and make him even stronger, so he used illusions to lure us in?" Kotetsu thought about it carefully, and he nodded. There was indeed such a possibility.

"What? How dare they fool us like this? This is outrageous! Where is that guy? I'll tear him to pieces!" Leopard Tail roared furiously. He couldn't tolerate being fooled, especially by Ghostly Ghost.

“If I’m not mistaken, he’s not far from us and has been observing us the whole time,” Dure said calmly.

"Then tell me where he is! Is he over here or over there?" Leopard Tail was eager to fight and ready to battle.

He's always been the impatient type; no matter who the opponent is or whether he can win, he'll fight first and then worry about the outcome.

“No, he wasn’t hiding on the outskirts.” Dure shook his head. His purpose had been clear from beginning to end, because he had been observing and constantly gathering information. When he spoke and pointed out their current situation and the troubles they were facing, he already had a solution.

"So stop keeping me in suspense about where he is!" Leopard Tail's patience was gradually wearing thin.

"Haven't you guessed it yet?" Du Lei didn't answer him directly, but instead asked him a question in return.

"Guessed what?" Leopard Tail stared at him blankly.

“The ghosts and phantoms of Nightmare Mountain are right among us,” Dure said coldly, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings.

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389 Who was missed?

Du Lei's words caused a huge stir. Leopard Tail, who had been in a hurry and ready to make a big splash, stared at him blankly. He doubted whether he had heard correctly several times, but seeing Du Lei's serious expression, Leopard Tail suddenly clutched his stomach and laughed out loud.

"Hahaha, kid, what are you joking about? You're saying Ghostly Ghost is right among us? Look around here, there's me, Miss Winry, Kotetsu, Bee Sting, and Ape Arm, oh right, and you too. Just these few people, tell me, who is Ghostly Ghost?"

Leopard Tail laughed as if he had heard a huge joke. Although he had a great prejudice against Du Lei, what Du Lei said just now was so convincing that for a moment he still thought that the kid could be reliable. But those words completely destroyed his trust.

"Is it that funny?" Du Lei asked with a straight face after seeing Leopard Tail laughing loudly for more than ten seconds.

"What do you mean?" Leopard Tail heard a mocking tone in Du Lei's words, which made him very uncomfortable, and he immediately frowned.

"What I mean is, was what I just said really funny?" Dure repeated what he had just said, neither humble nor arrogant.

"What you said is not only funny, it's also shameful! Ghosts and phantoms are right among us? How could you even think of such a thing!" Leopard Tail stopped laughing and roared at Du Lei. Du Lei's words were clearly meant to sow discord!

"What evidence do you have for saying this?" After pondering for a moment, Kotetsu asked Du Lei seriously.

"Hey, Kotetsu, you're not going to listen to his nonsense, are you? This is obviously a lie he made up. We're all people he knows well, living, breathing people. How could we be ghosts? He's just trying to provoke us. Don't believe him," Leopard Tail warned Kotetsu.

"I was asking him, not you." Kotetsu glared at Hyo-o, completely ignoring the latter's words, which made the latter very indignant. He wanted to say something, but after meeting Kotetsu's gaze, he had no choice but to obediently retreat. However, as he retreated, Hyo-o's mouth moved, but it was unclear what he was saying.