The most shameless alchemist in history

"Huh? Miss Winry? How did you all get teleported in here too?" Leopard Tail saw that Winry and the other two were in a great mood, seemingly forgetting his duties.

“I don’t know what happened. We were talking on the balcony when suddenly everything went black. When I opened my eyes again, we were here. And that is…” Bee Sting explained the situation, but she stopped before she could finish.

Her gaze shifted to the golden castle. Even the most experienced person would find it difficult to remain calm upon seeing such a magnificent and imposing castle, let alone a girl like her. The golden radiance was like the sun's rays, dazzling and radiant.

"Although I'm still a bit confused about the current situation, that should be the legendary Golden Castle. I didn't expect it to actually exist." Kotetsu was also amazed. He had been a little worried about Winry's safety. They were competing here, while Winry and the other two were in Storm City.

Despite Leon's promise, Hu Che was still somewhat uneasy, but seeing Winry right in front of him put his mind at ease.

“The Golden Castle? This is truly astonishing. I heard about such a castle when I was a child, but people said it was just a rumor and couldn’t possibly exist. I never expected to see it here today. However, the way it exists…” Winry examined the Golden Castle closely.

Although she was young, she had exceptional insight. Her special family background allowed her to meet many masters from a young age, which naturally broadened her horizons far beyond those of ordinary people. Countless people behind her were amazed and cheered for her, but she still maintained a calm demeanor.

“It exists in a very special way, doesn’t it?” Durex said for Winry, finishing what she hadn’t finished saying.

"Special? What's special about it? Can't you explain yourself clearly?" Leopard Tail asked from the side.

“Yesterday, two hundred people were teleported here, which we found incredible because there simply wasn’t that much magical energy available. Today, tens of thousands of people have been teleported in, which seems like an impossible feat, but they actually did it.”

Dure has a good memory, so he remembered that he had explained this to Leopard Tail yesterday, though there were some slight differences.

“There’s only one reason why this can be done: the Golden Castle exists within the City of Storms, very close to it. It didn’t involve long-distance teleportation; it was merely a spatial transformation.” Wenli nodded in agreement with Durei’s point of view.

"Located in the City of Storms? What does that mean? I didn't see this golden castle when I was in the City of Storms. It suddenly appeared from underground... no, it appeared from underground in another city. So it means there is an ancient city in the City of Storms, and a golden city appeared from underground in this ancient city..." Leopard Tail felt a headache coming on, and his brain was not working properly.

“You can think of it this way: you’re walking in the City of Storms, and you’re carrying a bag full of wheat, or whatever else you might be carrying. Someone somehow gets you into the bag and turns you into a grain of wheat,” Du Lei explained.

"How did I, a perfectly normal person, become Wheat?" Leopard Tail still couldn't understand.

“I understand everything, but you still don’t? Your brain is too barren. Dure, and Miss Winry, don’t pay any attention to him. He’s just here to cause trouble.” Hu Che pinched Leopard Tail’s head. He had no patience to explain to Leopard Tail.

"Waaaaah, Captain Kotetsu, you can't do this to me." Leopard Tail felt very wronged and innocent.

"Come on, you." Kotetsu wasn't buying into the leopard tail trick and smacked him on the head.

“Mr. Dure, it seems like they’re urging you over there.” Wenli smiled as she watched Kotetsu and Hyoobi playfully fighting, then turned to look at Dure.

Not far ahead, staff were directing the contestants who had advanced to the fifth round to go in, and Du Lei and his team were among them.

“Then we’ll head over first.” Dure nodded. Before turning around, he looked back at Winry, but he didn’t say anything because he didn’t know what to say, and he felt a little awkward.

"I wish Mr. Dureth great success." Wen Li watched Dureth and his entourage leave, her smile still faint.

"Wenli, why are you wishing him a great success? If he succeeds, wouldn't that mean..." Bailing reminded Wenli from the side.

“I don’t know either, but… what’s wrong with wishing Mr. Dure well if it’s something he wants to do?” Winry maintained her polite smile. She had been taught since childhood that no matter what difficulties she encountered, she must always keep a smile and not be defeated.

"Isn't that guy usually pretty smart? How come I think he's incredibly stupid now?" Bai Ling frowned, her perception of Du Lei was completely changed.

“It’s not just him who’s stupid, Leopard Tail is stupid too, they’re all stupid.” Bee Sting next to her shook her head. Through her gaze, Du Lei and his group had already entered the territory of Golden City, and behind them was a large crowd of people who were still in shock.

"Whether it's stupid or clumsy, I wish time could slow down," Wenli said softly.

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548 Choosing a Gift

Winry and the other two were teleported to the outskirts of Golden City. Both Dure and Kotetsu had reason to believe that since Ababa was able to send such a large number of people to Golden City, he must also be able to ensure Winry's safety, since the staff member had made it very clear before.

The purpose of bringing everyone from Storm City in was to have them witness the upcoming wedding. If anyone were to harm Winry during the ceremony, it would be considered a disruption of Ababa's plans, and given the scale of Ababa's actions, such disruptions would not end well.

"I understand that everyone has questions, but before answering those questions, the normal procedures for the fifth round of the matchmaking event will still be carried out. I hope everyone will listen carefully to the content of the fifth round of the matchmaking event. This round is about finding a gift to give to the ladies."

The staff led Du Lei and his group into the interior of the Golden Castle, which was resplendent in gold. At first, Leopard Tail was a little doubtful about whether the gold was real. He secretly took a bite to verify it when no one was around, which almost broke his teeth. He was finally convinced.

"A gift? What gift?" Leopard Tail stroked his chin and asked Kotetsu in a low voice.

"Idiot, when you propose to someone, don't you give a gift? Oh no, we didn't prepare anything beforehand, now we're in trouble." After glaring at Leopard Tail, Kotetsu began to feel uneasy, after all, the four of them had come empty-handed.

"Listen carefully, he hasn't finished yet." Du Lei gestured to Kotetsu and Hyowei to be patient and continue listening.

"Before you begin your search for gifts, please note one rule: gifts can only be chosen from within the Golden City. Items outside the Golden City, including anything you carry with you, are not eligible. Of course, anything within the Golden City can be a gift; it's all up to your judgment. Please keep this in mind. Now, if you're ready, let's begin. By the way, you have two hours. After two hours, your chosen gifts will be delivered to Miss, and she will decide the final winner." After announcing the remaining rules, the staff declared the start of the fifth round.

"A gift? Picking a gift from this golden city? What does that mean?" After the staff left, Leopard Tail was still a little confused, and he asked Kotetsu next to him in a daze.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? By the way, Du Lei, what do you think about this?" Kotetsu said he didn't know who to ask, but his mouth was more honest than he was, and he honestly asked Du Lei. He also knew that at this time, Du Lei was the only one who could come up with a solution.

"Didn't you notice it on your way here?" Dure asked Kotetsu.

"What did you notice?" Leopard Tail also turned his attention to Dure, waiting for the latter's response.

“There are many things that are placed in a way that feels out of place in the castle,” Dure explained carefully.

"Explain what's wrong with it!" Leopard Tail was getting more and more confused.

“For example, in that corner, there are gold products all around, but next to it is a vase covered in dust. Don’t you think that’s jarring?” Du Lei said, pointing to a vase in the corner of the back corridor.

"Huh? If you put it that way... it's probably because no one has cleaned it for a long time, that's why it's like this?" Leopard Tail speculated.

“No, we saw many servants on our way here. They even have a golden castle, so why would they be stingy with cleaning? Besides, look at the other places, they are spotless, except for that vase which is full of dust. Yuanbi, go and get that vase!” Hu Che shook his head and offered his opinion.

After thinking for a moment, he asked Yuanbi to go and get the vase. Although Yuanbi had difficulty communicating with them, he was still very efficient and quickly handed the vase to Huche.

"No matter what, it's just an ordinary vase. What's so special about it? There are plenty of these on the market." Leopard Tail couldn't see anything remarkable about the vase either, especially since it was covered in dust and looked dirty.

“No, this vase… Although I’m not an expert in antique appraisal, I remember attending an auction when I was on a mission before, and I saw a vase that looked similar to this one. Yes, it had this mark on it.” Kotetsu examined it carefully.

He quickly turned the vase over, revealing the bottom, where there was a stamp. Although he didn't recognize what was written on the stamp, he remembered what it looked like.

"Antique? This dirty vase is an antique?" Leopard Tail scoffed, clearly not taking it seriously.

“I can’t be mistaken, this is it. I remember the auction price was… 80,000 silver coins.” Kotetsu thought carefully.

"What did you say? Eight, eighty thousand silver coins?" Leopard Tail, who hadn't taken it seriously before, was shocked when he heard this number.

"Yes, it's 80,000 silver coins," Kotetsu confirmed.

"Hey Tiger Che, are you kidding me? This broken vase is worth 80,000 silver coins?" Leopard Tail still didn't believe it.

“This item came from the Eastern Continent. It’s said to have been used by the royal family of a once-prosperous dynasty in the history of the Eastern Continent. Eighty thousand silver coins is considered cheap. If it were put up for auction, it would probably cost an extra ten,” Du Lei added.

"Adding a ten means... ten, eighteen thousand silver coins?" Leopard Tail's eyes widened, and he could barely speak.

“Yes, 180,000 silver coins. Believe me, if you put it up for auction, 180,000 silver coins will definitely be just the starting price,” Du Lei said confidently.

"My God, this world is crazy! A small vase is worth so much money? By the way, wouldn't it be very precious as a gift?" Leopard Tail exclaimed in amazement, then suddenly remembered the contents of the fifth round.

“It’s not just this vase, look at that painting over there.” Du Lei pointed to a painting hanging on the wall at the end of the corridor.

"What's wrong with this painting? Is it an antique too?" Leopard Tail immediately went over and picked up the painting, holding it carefully.

“It doesn’t really qualify as an antique,” ​​Dure shook his head.

"What? I thought it was another thing worth 180,000 silver coins, but it's just worthless stuff." Leopard Tail tossed the painting aside with little interest.

"However, it is a work by the modern master painter Davenport, and its market price is probably 300,000 silver coins," Du Lei said casually.

"What? Three hundred thousand silver coins? Just for this painting? Oh dear, Boss Kotetsu, lift your foot, don't step on it!" Leopard Tail turned pale with fright and immediately stopped Kotetsu, who was about to walk over. If he stepped on it and broke it, he would be devastated.

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549 Test your vision

If it were just Dure alone saying that a broken bottle and a broken painting were worth so many silver coins, Baowei would definitely not believe it. But with Kotetsu affirming it, it's a different story, even though Kotetsu isn't a professional and could even be said to be completely ignorant.

However, firstly, Kotetsu had seen the bottle's seal, and secondly, even as a layman, he had heard of Daven's reputation. He picked up the painting from the ground and examined it carefully. Indeed, he saw Daven's signature on the painting, which confirmed its value.

“Wait a minute, kid, you said the bottle and painting are so valuable, they must be genuine. If they’re fake, they won’t be worth much.” Leopard Tail asked, puzzled. He was afraid of damaging the painting earlier, but now that he thought about it carefully, he started to have doubts again.

“You’re right, there are indeed many fakes on the market, but do you think it could be fake in a place like this?” Du Lei affirmed Leopard Tail, at least it was good that he had this idea, but at the same time he pointed to the magnificent corridor and asked him a question.

"Well... it seems unlikely that there would be counterfeit goods in a place like this. After all, even the city walls are made of gold. The owner here must be rich. It would be too disrespectful to display counterfeit goods here. But... if it's something so valuable, why would it be deliberately placed in a corner?"

After thinking about it carefully, Leopard Tail realized that this made sense. He had only been questioning the matter and hadn't thought about it in depth.

“Yes, I’ve looked at the other paintings around here. Although they are all by famous artists, none of them are as precious as this one. Why are the other paintings hanging properly in their frames, while this one is just thrown here like trash?” Kotetsu also didn’t understand the reason behind it.

“Don’t forget what we’re doing right now,” Dure reminded him.

"Huh? What are we doing right now? We're attending a matchmaking event, of course." Leopard Tail was a little confused by Du Lei's question.

“That’s right, it’s a matchmaking event.” Du Lei nodded in confirmation.

"And then what?" Leopard Tail had thought there would be more to Du Lei's story, but after waiting for a while, he found that there was no follow-up.

“Didn’t you hear what that old man said before? The fifth round is about choosing a gift, and the gift can only be chosen from inside the castle, so isn’t the answer obvious?” Dure sighed, this time explaining in more detail.

"Obvious?" Leopard Tail was still confused. He stared blankly at Du Lei, then at Hu Che and Yuan Bi.

"Uh-huh." The ape arm stammered and gestured to him, clearly having understood. He was trying to convey it to the leopard tail, but the leopard tail couldn't figure out what he was trying to say.

"By the way, is this round about discernment? That Ababa deliberately displayed a large number of valuable items in the castle, and then asked us to choose the most precious one to give to his daughter, is that right?" Kotetsu thought about it carefully, and soon he came to a conclusion.

“That’s right. To become Ababa’s son-in-law and inherit his business, you definitely need a discerning eye. A businessman is a businessman. How can you be a businessman without a discerning eye? If we’re talking about value… the bottle is worth 80,000 silver coins, and the painting is worth 180,000 silver coins… the painting is more valuable.”

After realizing this, Leopard Tail carefully compared the two, then put the bottle back in its original place and held the painting in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Kotetsu asked, somewhat puzzled by Leopard Tail's actions.

"Of course we're treating it as a gift for Ababa's daughter. Isn't this round a test of our judgment? We'll hold onto the valuables first, and then replace them when we find something even more valuable." Leopard Tail had his reasons, and he spoke with great conviction.

"I didn't realize you were so clever. Let's do it this way." Kotetsu nodded approvingly, agreeing with Hyo-o's idea.

"Du Lei, what's wrong?" Hu Che noticed that there was no joy on Du Lei's face and asked him.

"It's nothing, let's keep looking." Du Lei shook his head, indicating to Hu Che not to worry. The four of them continued to travel through the Golden Castle. There were still one hour and fifty minutes left until the end of this round.

Meanwhile, in the City of Storms, what was once a bustling and noisy city instantly became a ghost town, which seemed extremely eerie. A golden light flickered in the sky, enveloping the city in a semi-circle.

Someone slowly walked into the square, looking at the empty surroundings. With his appearance, it was confirmed that Storm City was not an absolutely deserted city.

"What, what happened? How did everyone disappear in an instant?" Someone next to Lyon stammered. If Dure were there, he would definitely recognize this person, because he had seen him before, and this person had even helped him once, but Dure had not accepted the help.

This is Kerry, who also participated in the fourth round, but he did not make it to the fifth round.

"They were all teleported to another place. Such a huge fluctuation of magical energy is truly astonishing." Leon seemed quite calm, without the slightest surprise.

"What? They were teleported away? So many people? Where were they teleported to?" Kerry was startled.

“I was teleported to the place you went to yesterday,” Leon answered truthfully.

"Yesterday? That ancient city? I was already surprised that two hundred people were teleported yesterday, but today tens of thousands were teleported. This kind of thing... can it be called a miracle?" Kerry was speechless.

"A miracle? You can interpret it that way if you want." Leon neither agreed nor disagreed.