The most shameless alchemist in history

“This may not be a bad thing for Zephyr. He has already gone astray. Perhaps it’s time to give him a chance to choose his destiny again. Look over there, it’s dawn.” Kotetsu sighed softly. His personal feelings toward his former best friend were very complicated.

"Choose your destiny again? How many choices does destiny offer?" Dure shook his head; he disagreed with Kotetsu on this point.

"What did you say?" Kotetsu didn't hear Durei's words clearly.

"It's nothing. There was quite a commotion tonight, and the neighborhood is in a mess. Let's go back and rest for a bit, and then decide what to do after we figure out the situation in the morning." Du Lei shook his head. He didn't continue, not intending to argue with Hu Che about something pointless.

He originally wanted to take advantage of the chaos and leave Harrenhal as soon as possible, but Winry had just woken up and was not in a good physical condition to travel like that. Therefore, they had to rest for the time being. His suggestion was also agreed upon by Leopard Tail and the others.

They returned to Connie's house. Although Connie's house was a bit cramped, Dure and the others, whose mental and physical strength had long been at their peak, didn't have many requirements for accommodation. Back in Connie's house, they could fall asleep with their backs against the wall and a blanket.

The time left for Dure and his companions to rest was short. Just two hours later, he woke up to a surprising message: Bishop Zephat had died.

"What did you say? Zefa is dead?" Hu Che couldn't believe the news, which was brought back by Hu Yuan.

“There’s no mistake, Rafa told me.” Hu Yuan nodded, confirming the accuracy of the information.

"But... Zefa, how could he have been killed? What exactly happened?" Kotetsu had originally thought that the destruction of the Order was a new beginning for Zefa, but he did not expect the news to come so suddenly, catching him off guard.

“According to Rafa, it was those sneaky people who came to the cult to place orders before. They were the same boy named Jiying who attacked you in the church yesterday. He was ordered by a man in black robes. I haven’t seen what he looks like. I told you about him before,” Hu Yuan replied calmly.

"Zefa... he actually died like that?" After a brief moment of composing himself, Kotetsu looked somewhat saddened.

“Yes, that’s how he died.” Although Hu Yuan looked calm, his mood was no better than Hu Che’s.

"How is the cult outside?" Dure didn't feel much about Zefa's death. After all, he was different from Hu Che and Hu Yuan, and he didn't have as much experience with Bishop Zefa. He was more concerned about the Church of Light, even though Zefa was not the founder of the church.

However, the Order flourished under Zephyr's leadership, and it is no exaggeration to say that he was the soul of the Order. Now that the soul of the Order has died, Dure is somewhat worried about what will become of the Order.

"With this sudden turn of events, the cult is in chaos. The cult's key figures were discovered this morning to have fled with their valuables, and the church has been completely burned down. The believers are now very confused and have no idea what the future holds." Hu Yuan shook his head; the situation was not optimistic.

"Really? Actually, this is a good thing." Du Lei thought for a moment and said softly.

"A good thing? How did this become a good thing?" Kotetsu raised his voice, his emotions somewhat agitated.

"The cult originally used believers as a cover to secretly engage in illegal trade. Now that the culprit who led the cult astray is dead, isn't this a good thing for the innocent believers?" Dure asked Kotetsu.

"You actually said that Zefa's death was a good thing, you..." Kotetsu was already in a bad mood, and now he was further provoked by Durei, and it looked like he was about to explode.

“He’s right. This is indeed a good thing. Zefa went down the wrong path. From the moment he embarked on that path, this ending was destined to happen.” Hu Yuan shook his head. He was more open-minded than his brother.

"Hu Yuan, you..." Hu Che didn't expect his younger brother to say such a thing. In his memory, Hu Yuan had always been the weak younger brother who hid behind him and listened to him in everything. But how did he become so strong and opinionated without him realizing it?

"I'm telling the truth. Zefa must be living a very tiring life. He's exhausted every day trying to achieve his so-called ambitions. But that might not be what he really wants; he's just blinded." Hu Yuan shook his head, even though the three of them had gone through their childhood together.

But Kotetsu ran away halfway, while he had actually spent over thirty years living and working alongside Zefa.

"Sigh." Kotetsu shook his head. He didn't know what to say, so he could only sigh.

489 will come back.

The upheaval in the cult slowed down the journey of Dure and his group, who had originally planned to leave early in the morning. With the death of Bishop Zepha and the escape of other high-ranking members of the cult, the cult fell into disarray, and the believers wept bitterly at the sight of the ruins.

For them, what was burned down was not just a church, but also the faith they held deep in their hearts. Dure calmly watched the grieving people. Zepha was gone, and the cult no longer harbored any hostility towards them. They would no longer be arrested by guards when they walked down the street.

It started raining early in the morning, the raindrops pattering down, making the ground wet. Because of the recent fire, white smoke occasionally hissed into the air. The Order's warriors were clearing away the corpses, one body after another being carried out of the ruins.

The bodies included those of ordinary believers and warriors of the order, but the most striking was the body of Bishop Zephat. Thousands of believers gathered in prayer, while Dure stood on the hillside not far away, watching the scene in silence for a long time.

“Mr. Dure, you don’t need to blame yourself.” A voice came from behind Dure, along with an umbrella. The umbrella was placed over Dure’s head, at least keeping him from getting wet in the rain, even though his hair was already covered with raindrops.

“Self-blame? What is there to blame?” Du Lei shook his head. He didn’t turn around to look, because he could tell who it was just by the voice.

“I know, Mr. Dure doesn’t say anything, but he’s still bothered by the fire last night. If he had any other choice, I believe he wouldn’t have set that fire. You must have your reasons for doing so.” Wenli walked up to Dure and stood beside him.

She was even taller than Dure, after all, it's not unusual for a girl to be taller than a boy at the age of thirteen or fourteen.

"A reason?" Du Lei pondered the word, then shook his head and didn't continue.

“Yes, Mr. Dure, you have your reasons for doing things. You wouldn’t do them just because you like them. Last night’s fire did cause some casualties… but if we hadn’t done that, the Order wouldn’t have collapsed, would it?” Winry gently comforted Dure from the side.

She witnessed Du Lei and Hu Yuan's argument yesterday. Du Lei had a stern face and looked very self-righteous, which was completely different from his current demeanor. Even this morning, Hu Yuan still harbored a lot of resentment towards Du Lei and didn't even greet him.

"No destruction, no construction; someone has to be the villain." Du Lei shook his head, finally turning slowly away without looking at the crowd in the distance.

“That must be very hard work.” Wenli gave Du Lei a meaningful look. She had seen many geniuses of Du Lei’s age, and they were all from prominent families. They were not only talented, but their families also devoted a lot of resources to nurturing them.

She had never met anyone like Du Lei before. Although Du Lei was insignificant compared to true geniuses in many ways, she could always find something different about him, not a light in the darkness, but a dark room in the sunlight.

"Hard work? Whether it's hard work or not, what does it matter? Alright, Miss Wenley, we've been here long enough, it's about time we left." Dure shook his head and didn't continue. He stepped out of the umbrella's reach and strode away.

Wenli, holding up her umbrella, hurriedly followed him. The rain continued to fall, and it was unclear when it would stop.

Two hours later, Dure and his group bid farewell to Connie at the gate of her house, finally leaving the city that had long been destroyed. Not far away, the two brothers, Huyuan and Huche, were talking. They were taking shelter from the rain under the eaves, and believers could be seen leaving with their packs from time to time.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Kotetsu asked Kogen. He had previously invited Kogen to go to Rock City with him. Firstly, Kogen was a great help and could provide assistance on the journey. Secondly, after completing the mission, he could find a job for Kogen in Snow Country.

"I appreciate your invitation, but it's not necessary." Hu Yuan shook his head, declining his brother's invitation.

"Why? Zepha is gone, and the Order has been destroyed." Kotetsu really couldn't understand why Kogen would refuse him.

“Although the cult has been destroyed, the followers are still here. Apart from those who chose to leave Harrenburg, there are still more than 5,000 people here.” Hu Yuan pointed to the black-clad men in the heavy rain in the distance. They could accept what had happened to the cult in a short time, but the followers might not.

"They... will start new lives after leaving the cult." Kotetsu looked at the large, dark crowd in the heavy rain. How to settle these followers of the Light Cult was indeed a big problem, because they had lived in these ruins before.

It's important to understand that there is no arable land near Harrenhal. Harrenhal is so dilapidated and desolate that there is no business to speak of. Doing business or finding a job is completely impossible. These believers can barely have a bite to eat only thanks to the support of the church.

“A new life? The main reason Zefa went down that path was money. It’s not easy to support thousands of people. He had to find ways to make money. At first, he was unwilling to do the business the cult used to do. But apart from those businesses, there was no other business that made money so quickly. He tried it once and tasted the sweetness, and then he couldn’t stop.”

When Hu Yuan talked about Zefa, he was filled with emotion. Many people can only see one side of Zefa, but he saw much more.

"This...is indeed a problem." Kotetsu thought about it carefully. As far as he was concerned, he had no way of solving the problem of settling these thousands of believers.

“Although the cult no longer exists, their faith still exists. Some people have left Harrenhal to return to their hometowns, some have gone to stay with relatives, and some are confused about the future. I cannot abandon them, so I must stay here with them.”

Tiger Gen finally revealed his reason for rejecting his brother, Tiger Che, a reason that was convincing enough that no one could refute it.

“I understand. If I didn’t have a mission, I would have stayed with you. Hu Yuan, once I’ve finished my business, I’ll come here to protect them with you, lead them to rebuild their homes, and fulfill… the dream we four had as children!”

Kotetsu clenched his fist and solemnly made the promise. In a daze, he returned to his childhood and recalled the vow that the four of them had made when they were young. Of the four of them, one had died young many years ago, and another had died last night.

Now only the two brothers are left.

"I can't interfere with what your future holds, but I'll stay here. If you come back, I'll come to pick you up," Hu Yuan replied softly.

"I will definitely come back!" Kotetsu emphasized. After more than ten years apart, the two brothers were reunited. He had reason to believe that this separation would not last long, at most three to five months, before he returned!

490 When will we meet again?

As Kotetsu and Kogen said their goodbyes, another farewell was taking place. This time, however, the farewell was to Winry and Connie, a brother and sister. The two were complete strangers, but they were brought together by the long night that had just passed. They didn't know what would have happened to them if Connie hadn't taken them in.

"Miss Winry, are you leaving already? I thought you'd stay a little longer." Connie was a little disappointed to hear that Winry and her group were about to leave. Although she hadn't known Winry for very long, they got along very well, and she knew Winry was a very easy person to talk to.

“I also wanted to stay a few more days, but I still have things to do and can’t linger too long. Thanks to Connie for taking care of me last night, I will always remember your help.” Winry’s words were not just polite formalities, but came from the bottom of her heart. She sincerely thanked Connie for her help.

“It was nothing, Miss Winry, you don’t need to take it to heart.” Connie shook her head gently. She could tell that Winry had an extraordinary temperament, unlike anyone she had ever met. She could roughly guess that Winry came from a prominent background, yet she was approachable and easy to talk to.

“Konnie, now that the Order has been destroyed, what are your plans?” Winry looked into the room. She knew that Koni had a younger brother who was bedridden. Koni took good care of her brother. If it weren’t for her brother, she wouldn’t have to stay here at all.

“I spoke with Mr. Dure this morning, and he suggested that I leave, but Terry’s current condition… doesn’t seem to allow us to leave yet, so I think I’ll wait a while until Terry is feeling better, and then I’ll take him to stay with some relatives,” Connie replied earnestly.

“Relatives?” Winry already knew that Connie’s parents had died in the plague, leaving her and her younger brother to depend on each other.

“Yes, we have a distant relative in the Land of Water. I heard my father mention him before.” Connie nodded in confirmation.

"The Land of Water? That's quite far. The Land of Water is at the southern end of the continent." Wenli was familiar with the map of the continent. The Land of Snow was located in the northern part of the continent, and to the south was the Land of Mountains. Further south of the Land of Mountains was the Land of Swamps, and further south of the Land of Swamps was the Land of Water. There were still two countries between them.

"I've heard that the Land of Water is very far away, but I want to try it." Connie is a very weak girl, but this weakness is only reflected in her appearance. In fact, she is a very determined person, which can be seen from her eyes.

“Since you’ve made your decision, I won’t say anything more. Here, take this. I hope we’ll meet again in the future.” Wenli thought for a moment, then took a sky-blue snowflake-shaped hair clip from her hair and handed it to Connie.

“This…” Connie hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it.

“It’s just a keepsake for you. We’re friends, right?” Winry smiled and winked at Connie.

“Yes, Miss Winry, we are friends.” Connie nodded emphatically, confirming this.

“Since we’re friends, then I’ll accept it.” Winry looked very happy.

“I understand, I will accept it.” Connie finally took the hair clip that Winry handed her.

"Miss Wenli, we're ready, it's almost time to leave," Nightingale urged from a short distance away.

“Okay, Miss Bailing, please give me a little more time, just a little bit,” Wenli pleaded.

"Okay, please try to be as quick as possible," Bailing reminded her again before leaving.

"Are you leaving already, Miss Winry? Please take good care of yourselves on your journey." Connie was somewhat reluctant to see them go.

"Of course I will. I'm looking forward to seeing you again, Connie." Winry looked at Dure, who was walking towards them from a distance, and knew it was time to go.

“Durex…” Koni saw Durex and tried to greet him, but his expression looked gloomy. Koni hesitated after seeing his face. She bit her lip and her voice grew softer and softer. In the end, she did not call him again.

“Is there anything you want to say? I can pass it on to him.” Winry looked at Connie, then at Durex, knowing that Connie must have something to say.

"It's nothing, Miss Winry. You have other matters to attend to, please continue on your way." Connie shook her head, still not saying it aloud, and smiled as she saw Winry off.

“Is that so? Then…we’ll be leaving.” Winry nodded and slowly turned to leave.

"Take care on your journey." Connie watched Winry and her group leave, standing there until their figures grew increasingly distant.

"Cough cough, hey, sister, aren't you going to chase after them and get some answers?" At that moment, a cough came from inside the room. Terry, who was wrapped up like a mummy, came out, leaning against the door, and asked his sister.

“Chase after them? What do you mean, chase after them?” Connie turned around, not understanding what her brother meant.

“Go talk to that man and make things clear. Don’t you have a lot to say to him? That man named Dure.” Terry tried to look into the distance to get a better look at the man, but through the heavy rain and because he had already walked away, he couldn’t see him clearly at all.

“What are you talking about? What could I possibly have to say to Mr. Durley?” Connie glared at her brother and raised her voice.

“No? Really no? I don’t believe it.” Terry shook his head, his arms crossed. He knew his sister all too well.

“Terry, when did you become so talkative?” Connie tried to assert her authority as the older sister.

“Really? Your brother is much better, shouldn’t you be happy?” Terry retorted to Connie.

"I'd rather you stayed in the hospital bed; at least you'd be cuter that way," Connie said resentfully.

"How can you treat me like this? I'm your own brother, after all. How could you say such things about me for the sake of a man? Aren't you afraid of hurting me?" Terry felt extremely wronged.

“What’s wrong with me saying something about you just because of a man? As your older sister, am I not allowed to say anything to you?” Connie said matter-of-factly.

“By the way, sister,” Terry suddenly changed his joking tone and said seriously.

"What?" Connie realized that Terry was about to get down to business, so she also quieted down.