The most shameless alchemist in history

“Your…friend?” Ellie was taken aback. He looked up at Dure in surprise.

"Yes, it was a guy named Black Wind. He's not like me at all. He was born with a handsome face, and he always talked about how being a kept man was an art. I wonder how he's doing now." Du Lei looked into the distance and said wistfully.

533 Luckily it rained

As night approached, large patches of dark clouds gradually gathered in the sky. A gentle breeze blew, causing the tree branches to crackle. The first flash of lightning streaked across the churning, inky clouds, followed by a deafening roar, and large raindrops began to fall from the clouds.

The people on the street seemed unprepared for the sudden downpour. They hurriedly ran across the street and returned home. The surrounding area was filled with dense buildings, almost all of which were wooden structures. They were not tall, but they had a classical charm. Raindrops pattered down.

Before long, many small puddles had accumulated on the ground. Through the reflections in the puddles, one could see people hurriedly stepping across them. In the sound of the wind blowing in their faces, there was also a "clanging" sound. Nearby, some windows were open as people tried to find out what was happening outside.

"Hey, what are you doing? Those are members of the Cerberus Guild. Nobody can interfere with what they do. Quickly close the window, and don't get yourself into trouble." Inside the room, an elderly adult was instructing his child not to watch the commotion.

"The three-headed hellhound... Are they arresting people again?" The child in the window blinked. Although he was young and not particularly knowledgeable, he had seen too many similar things and could figure out the gist of it. Soon the window closed and he could see nothing.

In the midst of the heavy rain, someone, disregarding being soaked to the bone, weaved through the streets and alleys, glancing back frequently. Behind him, a number of people were hurriedly chasing him, all dressed in black.

The clothes bear the mark of the three-headed dog. In the Land of Dogs, the meaning of this mark is known to every household. Once targeted by the three-headed dog of hell, even if you don't die, you will be skinned alive. It can be said that the entire country depends on the three-headed dog of hell for survival.

"Stop! You stop right there! Don't even think about escaping! You're not getting out of here! Hey, where is he? I just saw him here." The group chased him to an intersection and looked around. The leader tried to find his target, but the sky was too dark, and the heavy rain was an obstacle.

He couldn't see which direction the target had gone, which made him somewhat resentful, because his superiors had given a strict order.

"Don't think you can escape like this. You're being too naive. Go over there, go over there, follow me. We must catch that kid!" The leader knew that they had to race against time and couldn't afford to waste any more time worrying. He immediately split into three groups and chased after them from different directions.

A few minutes after they all disappeared from the intersection, someone climbed out of the fountain, soaking wet. He carefully looked around to make sure he was safe before walking into a nearby alley.

There were few pedestrians on the street, and those who were seen hurriedly left. Firstly, the weather was terrible, and no one wanted to get soaked in the rain. Secondly, the Cerberus Guild was currently arresting people everywhere, and who would be so foolish as to run out and invite bad luck? It would be bad if they offended the Cerberus.

The man who climbed out of the fountain pond observed the alley carefully for a few more moments. He was clearly very cautious and careful. Soon, a group of people dressed in black with a three-headed dog symbol on their chests passed by. After watching the group walk away, he entered the alley and opened the sewer cover.

After entering the sewer, he walked for another ten minutes or so. At first, the sewer was relatively dry. It was raining on the ground, and the underground area could be considered a place to shelter from the rain. However, as the rainwater continued to accumulate, the water in the sewer increased.

He had to wade through the water, and after several more minutes, he found his destination, opened the lid, and struggled to climb out. By then it was very late, and it would be almost impossible to move without a light. However, he did not choose to use a flashlight or anything else.

Firstly, he didn't bring such a thing with him, and secondly, he didn't want to attract the attention of the Cerberus Guild members to question him. He moved forward in the dark, and even though his vision was obstructed, he remembered the path. Soon, he knocked on the door in the darkness.

"Who is it... It's you? Black Wind, you're finally back." At first, the person inside was a little wary, because these were extraordinary times, and she had to be careful not to attract trouble. However, once she recognized the person who entered, she immediately welcomed him in.

Before closing the door, she carefully looked around to make sure no one was following her before going inside.

"I'm back." The boy named Black Wind replied weakly. His clothes were soaked through, and raindrops dripped down his hair. He grabbed a towel to wipe the raindrops and took off his coat.

"It's raining so hard outside, you should change into some dry clothes." The girl who had opened the door for him earlier tossed him a piece of clothing.

"It's fortunate that it rained, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to escape." Black Wind took off his clothes, but didn't rush to change.

"You're injured again?" The girl noticed fresh, bloody wounds on Hei Feng's shoulder.

"It was just a little accident, it's nothing, I can bandage it myself. By the way, could you go and clean up the area at the entrance? The rain on the way here will wash away the bloodstains on the road. I avoided walking under the eaves where bloodstains would be left, but there should be some at the entrance."

Black Wind was very attentive. He turned around and gave a reminder. Although the girl was worried about his situation, she also knew that it would be a headache if it caused unnecessary trouble. So she immediately went out to tidy up.

"Can't you be a little more careful? You always end up like this." Before long, the girl had wiped the bloodstains at the door clean. When she entered the room, Hei Feng had already been bandaged up and changed into clean clothes, and was warming himself by the fire.

"I've been very, very careful. I told you it was just a little accident. I'm perfectly fine, still jumping around." Hei Feng smiled, indicating that he was alright, but you could still see some bright red spots through his bandages.

"I don't believe you. You always act like you're courting death. It's so dangerous outside, and the Cerberus are looking for you. You're still running around outside." The girl complained.

"I don't want to wander around aimlessly either, but I haven't found Boss Riley yet. I can't just leave him like this, after all, he's the one who brought me to the Dog Kingdom." Black Wind took a sip of water and said helplessly.

534 Unreasonable

The heavy rain continued to fall, and although it was only dusk, the sky was already pitch black. There were hardly any pedestrians on the streets. Occasionally, through the windows, one could see that some houses nearby still had lights on, proving that people still lived in the area and that it was not a dead zone.

A cold wind blew in through the window. It's past early spring now, and normally the weather should be lovely and pleasant. It shouldn't be getting dark so early and so cold. Actually, the weather here was normal a week ago, but it suddenly changed recently.

"Was the Land of Dogs like this before?" Black Wind closed the window, sat down in a chair, and asked the girl in front of him. "The Land of Dogs has never been like this before. It suddenly became like this after my father disappeared. I don't know what happened." The girl gently shook her head, a worried look on her face. She could clearly hear the raindrops "drip-dropping" outside the window.

"This must be the work of a human. Can human beings really change the weather? Or... is there something else changing the weather, and someone is just messing around with it?" Black Wind asked himself, trying to find the crux of the problem.

"You should leave this place as soon as possible. Your father said that the Dog Kingdom is no longer the Dog Kingdom it used to be. He can't keep his promise to you, so you can choose to leave and go elsewhere to make your way in the world. Don't come into this mess in the Dog Kingdom," the girl advised Black Wind.

“You’re right. I really have no reason to stay here any longer. Back then, Boss Riley told me that after I came to the Dog Kingdom, he would guarantee me a life of luxury, and that I could follow him and climb to the top step by step. But after I arrived, I found out that something big had happened in the Dog Kingdom.”

Black Wind spoke slowly and deliberately, and a regretful expression did indeed appear on his face, because the current situation in the Dog Kingdom was different from what he had imagined.

"There was nothing we could do about it. Everything was normal for the week before my father left, but a week after he left, the Kingdom of Dogs underwent a dramatic change. The Cerberus Guild suddenly changed its previous approachable image and became unusually tough, arresting people indiscriminately. Anyone who voiced even the slightest dissent would be taken away by the guild. This caused the reputation of the Cerberus Guild to plummet, and people were all angry but dared not speak out."

The girl softly explained the situation in the Dog Kingdom. Her father had left the Dog Kingdom during this time, but she had stayed behind.

"The reason why the Cerberus Guild has become like this is because a few new guys have been causing trouble. Uncle Riley also said that he was going to find out the guild leader, but he never came back and his whereabouts are still unknown, right?" Black Wind sorted out all the clues one by one.

"I don't know about those things. After all, I'm not a member of the Cerberus Guild like my father, so I don't know anything about guild affairs." The girl shook her head. She looked somewhat guilty because she couldn't help at all in this situation and could only worry anxiously.

“If you don’t know, you can investigate slowly. I just sneaked in these past two days to gather some information, and it attracted a chase. It seems they’re quite nervous about Uncle Riley.” Black Wind nodded. This was the third time he had risked going in to gather information, including today.

"Black Wind, do you think Father might have already..." the girl asked anxiously, clenching her fists and trembling all over.

"Don't overthink it. Uncle Riley is definitely alright, otherwise they wouldn't have reacted so strongly. Besides, it's hard to say whether they've actually captured Uncle Riley. Don't worry, I'll go out and investigate again when it gets late," Black Wind comforted the girl.

"But didn't you say before that you had no reason to stay here?" The girl remembered something Black Wind had said.

“That’s right, there’s really no reason for me to stay, but do you think I’m a reasonable person?” Black Wind asked with a smile.

"Reasonable?" The girl was stunned, not understanding what Hei Feng meant by that.

"Yeah, people need to be reasonable with each other, and I used to have a friend who always said that, as if he was the most reasonable person in the world." Black Wind recalled some distant events, looking somewhat melancholy.

"Friends? Someone like you actually has friends?" The girl was taken aback by these words and looked at Black Wind in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that. Yes, even someone like me has friends. Is that so strange?"

"Strange, very strange, extremely strange. I always thought you didn't have any friends. So what kind of people are your friends?" The girl scrutinized Black Wind from head to toe again, as if she had discovered a new continent, and began to be curious about Black Wind's friends.

To be precise, she was curious about everything related to Hei Feng, and her friends were no exception.

"You mean him? He's a complete bastard!" Black Wind said, his teeth itching.

"Bastard? How can you talk about your friend like that?" The girl was somewhat surprised by Black Wind's evaluation.

“I think every negative comment in the world could be applied to him. He’s hypocritical, cunning, shameless, utterly unjust, and untrustworthy… You could find almost any flaw you can think of in him.” Black Wind listed his crimes one by one.

"But you said he's very reasonable, right?" the girl seized on this point and asked back.

“Yes, he’s very reasonable.” Black Wind nodded, confirming this.

“But shouldn’t someone who is willing to reason be a good person?” the girl continued to ask rhetorically.

"That's not right. Even bad people can be very reasonable." Black Wind shook his head to correct him.

"That's really strange. The reason why bad people are bad is because they are unreasonable, ignore the rules, and break the rules, right? Father used to say that all the time." The girl was a little confused.

"So do you think Uncle Riley is a good person or a bad person?" Black Wind countered.

"My father is, of course... a good person, right?" The girl wanted to give a positive answer, but as she spoke, she lost her confidence.

"So whether someone is reasonable or not isn't the standard for judging whether they're good or bad. But, well, that guy is definitely a bad guy," Black Wind sighed.

"But he's still your friend?" The girl couldn't understand why Black Wind would associate with someone like that.

"Yeah, no matter what he looks like, he's still my friend. Hey kid, I've already reached the high level of the ninth star, and I'll be crossing the threshold of the steel rank soon. I wonder what level you are. Don't let me leave you too far behind."

Black Wind looked towards the distant horizon and said wistfully, "Perhaps they are looking at the same sky?"

Is it raining as heavily there as it is here?

535 just happened to be there

While the Kingdom of Dogs was experiencing torrential rain, the City of Storms, a thousand miles away, remained calm and peaceful. After nightfall, a gentle breeze blew and the stars twinkled, making it the perfect day to find a place to gaze at the stars and enjoy the breeze. In fact, that's exactly what Dure did.

He looked up at the newly emerging crescent moon and recalled some distant events, feeling quite emotional. Although only a few months had passed, and it was late winter when he left the hot spring village, and now it was almost summer, it felt like many years had gone by.

“It seems like you two have a really good relationship.” Ellie, who was standing next to him, felt quite emotional seeing Dure’s melancholy expression.

"Me, have a good relationship with him? Don't be ridiculous. On the surface, he's all meek and submissive, and he listens to everything I say, but behind my back, he's cursed me countless times and wants to pin me to the ground and beat me up." Du Lei waved his hand, he knew exactly what Black Wind was thinking.

“But this is also a way to show friendship between friends. Isn’t it nice that everyone is playing around like this?” Ellie asked back, her eyes filled with longing. The evening breeze was blowing gently as he sat on the city wall, swaying softly.

"Friendship... By the way, Ellie, is this the kind of playful banter you have with your friends?" Dure turned to look at him.

"Huh? Mr. Redu, why are you suddenly asking this..." This question seemed to have stumped Ellie.

"What's wrong? Is there something you can't tell me?" Du Lei asked, scrutinizing him curiously.

"It's not something I can't talk about, it's just... I don't have any friends, so I don't know the right way to have a friendship." Ellie shook his head gently, putting on a sweet smile. Although night had fallen, his smile was still sunny and charming.

"Is that so? I thought someone like you, Ellie, must have a lot of friends," Dure replied softly.

"Why do you think that, Mr. Redu?" Ellie asked, somewhat surprised. He looked at Redu with curiosity, waiting for his answer.

"Because you have a very good temper, are easygoing, and have impeccable temperament and knowledge, plus you are generous and lavish, everyone wants to do business with you, right?" Dureiro listed a series of Eli's advantages, which was his first impression of Eli.

“That’s true, but…” Ellie shook her head gently, her face looking somewhat forlorn.

"What's wrong? Is there something you can't talk to me about? Or do you not consider me a friend?" Du Lei asked, seeing his troubled expression.

"No, no, absolutely not. Ellie does have a lot of people around her, but they all have very strong ulterior motives. Rather than saying they want to be friends with me, it's more accurate to say they want to be friends with my family." Ellie said this with a hint of sadness.

"Is this what they call utilitarian friendship?" Dure thought carefully and asked.

"Probably." Ellie nodded, but it was clear he wasn't too happy; in fact, this problem had been bothering him for a long time.

“Actually, you don’t need to think about it so much,” Du Lei continued.

"What?" Ellie didn't understand what Dure meant.

"What I mean is, interactions between people are inherently purposeful," Du Lei patiently explained.

"Purpose? Ellie doesn't quite understand what you mean, Mr. Redu." Ellie was still completely confused.

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not just referring to utilitarian motives; I'm also including feelings. People feel lonely and isolated, so they want to confide in a reliable person and make friends. That's one manifestation of motive. Of course, some people approach others to achieve a certain goal, which might sound despicable, but in essence, what's the difference between that and making friends out of loneliness? So, there's never been a noble or despicable distinction when it comes to making friends. Why think so much about it?" Du Lei said to himself.

“Mr. Redu, what you’re saying is so complicated, I don’t understand it. But why did you become friends with me, Mr. Redu?” I thought about it carefully, but I couldn’t figure out what Redu meant for a moment. However, he raised another question and looked at him curiously.

"Well... because you're quite generous, you're obviously from a wealthy family," Du Lei said seriously.

"Huh? It's because of this? But Mr. Redu, you didn't..." Ellie wanted to say that Redu hadn't accepted the cash.

"Just kidding, just kidding. You're so serious, you can't even crack a joke. That's not how you're going to win a girl's heart... Well, you're so good-looking, fair and clean-cut. That alone should be enough to make girls happy. I guess I was just worrying unnecessarily."

Du Lei, who had just been keeping a serious face, suddenly burst into laughter.