The most shameless alchemist in history

That kid was just making a death throes effort, and Jin was absolutely certain of that.

555. Winning by surprise

Facing hundreds of questioning gazes, Du Lei slowly stepped forward. He had clearly seen the gifts presented by the three people, whether it was the copper pot lid, the speed, or the gold. He knew that each of them was an extremely rare and exquisite item, and it would be difficult to surpass them.

Especially the Chapter of Night that Jin presented was like an insurmountable mountain standing in his way. If it were anyone else, they would probably have slunk away long ago. Why would they choose to fight against Jin? That would be the most foolish choice.

But Dure still stopped. It wasn't that he was going to run away, but because he had walked up to the staff member, who was also holding a box. He presented the box to them, clearly intending to continue the competition until the very end.

The three people who had just withdrawn—Kotetsu, Hyobi, and Ape Arm—returned to the crowd. After forfeiting, they lost their eligibility to participate, but they could still watch as spectators. Soon after they entered the crowd, someone came to greet them.

"Hey, what's going on with you three? Why did you suddenly give up?" someone in the crowd asked. If it were anyone else asking, Hu Che and the others wouldn't have paid any attention, but since the person asking was Feng Shi, their companion, they had to answer carefully.

"Why are you all here?" Leopard Tail asked in surprise when he saw Wenli, Bee Sting, and Nightingale all there.

"Nonsense, we were in Storm City, so of course we were teleported in as well. Why are you asking why? I'm asking you, why did you forfeit?" Bee Sting rolled her eyes at Leopard Tail and answered matter-of-factly, since they had already met outside Golden City.

"The three of us were just there to play a supporting role, purely to assist Du Lei. Now that we've reached the final, we've finished our job of protecting him, so of course we have to make way for Du Lei. Otherwise, what would we do? Fight among ourselves?" Leopard Tail replied helplessly.

"I see. Then you should indeed abstain. But... what exactly is the gift that Dure chose?" Bee Sting asked curiously.

"Well, actually I don't know either," Leopard Tail said helplessly, shrugging his shoulders.

"What did you say? You don't know? Weren't you together the whole time?" Bee Sting was even more confused.

"You're pretty much right. We were together almost the whole time, but in the last few minutes, Dure was alone. He just told us to keep watch outside and not let anyone else get close, without explaining why. We were all outside, so naturally we didn't see anything."

Leopard Tail explained that it wasn't because he was stupid that he didn't know anything, but because Du Lei simply hadn't revealed it at all.

"Is that so?" Bee Sting looked at Tiger Chetsu in confusion, waiting for the latter's answer.

"That's right, we really don't know what Du Lei is going to send." Kotetsu nodded in confirmation.

"What? Don't you believe me?" Leopard Tail was a little unhappy.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that I find it strange. What trump card could that guy Dure possibly have against something like the Chapter of Night?” Bee Sting crossed her arms, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at Dure in front of her with a puzzled expression.

“Mr. Dure must have his own way of doing things. We just need to trust him,” Winry said calmly.

“Miss Winnie, you’re right, we should definitely believe him, but… if he wins, then wouldn’t he be…” Bee Sting suddenly thought of this, and after thinking about the consequences of Dure’s victory, she was stunned. She hadn’t thought about this issue before.

But Leopard Tail beside her frantically winked at her, signaling her to stop talking, and Bee Sting immediately fell silent.

But even if she doesn't say anything, the matter still exists, and who knows what will happen next?

The staff member took the box from Du Lei but didn't open it immediately. He weighed it in his hand; the box was very light.

"Is this the gift you presented, Mr. Redu? It's very light, and it seems there's nothing inside." The staff member asked curiously.

“That’s right, this is the gift I gave to Miss. There’s something inside; you’ll see when you open it.” Du Lei gestured for him to open it.

"Understood. Let's see what this mysterious gift from Mr. Redu is." Realizing he had asked a bit too much, the staff member smiled apologetically and opened the box. Not only was he curious, but hundreds of people were too.

However, most people viewed it with a joking attitude, after all, with the Dark Child as a masterpiece, it was unlikely that anything could surpass it.

The reason why the Sky Star was so amazing was because there was nothing more powerful than it before.

If the chapter on darkness were to come first, followed by the chapter on stars in the sky, it would still be a laughable approach.

"So, the last contestant, Mr. Redu, presented a gift... a flower?" After the staff member opened the box and saw what was inside, his expectant gaze suddenly turned to astonishment. He wanted to confirm if he had made a mistake.

He assumed the flowers were just for decoration and there should be something else around them, but after looking carefully, he realized he was overthinking it.

There was only this lily in the box, and nothing else.

"What? A flower? Has that guy lost his mind? He just gave me a flower?" Someone in the crowd immediately became agitated.

"Could there be something special about that flower?" someone asked cautiously.

"What a joke! What do you mean by 'special'? Look at that flower, it's obviously just an ordinary one that you can buy a dozen of for a silver coin at a flower shop on the street. I don't think it costs a single silver coin. Is he joking?" Someone scoffed at this.

Moreover, it wasn't just the onlookers who were confused; even Kotetsu and the others were somewhat bewildered.

"What's going on? Why did Du Lei only give a flower? It's true that girls like flowers, but what kind of occasion is this? Everyone else is giving such precious gifts, and he only gives a flower? Doesn't he think too highly of himself?" Bee Sting was shocked.

"Well, I'm not too sure either. Maybe Du Lei is trying to win by surprise?" Hu Che scratched his head, unable to figure it out.

"What kind of surprise victory is this? This is just... just a complete disaster! We're doomed, we're definitely going to lose this time." Bee Sting slapped her forehead, feeling utterly speechless. As a girl herself, she knew exactly what girls were thinking.

“But… that blond guy gave away something of that caliber, he was bound to lose. Anyway, let’s not blame Dure, he’s already done his best.” Kotetsu spoke up for Dure.

.vertex

556 A single flower

When the gift that Du Lei presented was revealed, everyone was shocked. Although everyone thought it was impossible for Du Lei to win against Jin's Chapter of the Night, he still had to put up a fight and at least come up with something decent.

Otherwise, surrendering without any resistance would be too embarrassing. But when they saw that Du Lei had only given them a flower, their expectations vanished. Giving a girl flowers on a normal date is understandable, but this was the final of a matchmaking event.

Even in an ordinary family, you can't just bring a flower when you propose, right? Besides, they're in the Golden Castle right now, which is practically a gold mine. Moreover, according to the rules, they can choose anything in the Golden Castle as a gift, it's all up to their personal taste.

Choosing a flower now is tantamount to playing with fire and getting burned; everyone looks down on Durei.

"What? That kid put on such a strong show of fighting Jin to the end, and all he came out with was this flower. That's so boring. But Night Raven, that kid looks kind of familiar to me, doesn't he?" The little girl in the long dress glared at Du Lei with disdain.

Although she looks very young, only about twelve or thirteen years old, she knows quite a lot.

“Of course it looks familiar; we’ve met before,” Night Raven replied casually.

"I've seen it before, but where have I seen it before?" The little girl couldn't remember for a moment.

“Red Sparrow, you’re so forgetful. How could you forget someone so important? You used to say you’d never forget him even if he turned to ashes and you were determined to take revenge. But now that he’s standing in front of you, you don’t even recognize him?” Night Raven didn’t answer her directly but asked a question instead.

"Huh? The person you're talking about... Night Raven, you mean... that village called Hot Spring Village... Right, that brat!" The little girl named Red Sparrow didn't remember at first, but following Night Raven's reminder, she finally connected it with a memory in her mind.

“Red Sparrow, keep your voice down. This is the Golden City, not some other place. If we make any rash moves, we'll anger that person, and we can't fight him.” Night Raven immediately pulled Red Sparrow back when he saw her agitated state.

Luckily he pulled him away quickly, otherwise the furious Red Sparrow would have definitely rushed forward and killed that wretched brat!

"Don't act rashly? Night Raven, we were tricked so badly by him, and you're telling me not to act rashly? I can't stand it!" Red Sparrow recalled the scenes that happened underground in the northern mountains of Hot Spring Village, which made her furious. Those were her most humiliating memories.

“Calm down. Now that we’ve found him, he can’t escape. Let’s deal with him after we leave the Golden City.” Night Raven was much calmer than Red Sparrow. He reminded Red Sparrow to act calmly, and after his repeated persuasion, Red Sparrow finally came back.

"Alright, Night Raven, I'll listen to you. After we leave Golden City, I'll definitely repay this guy properly. He actually left us among the starstones, letting the lava pour down on us. We almost lost our lives!" Red Sparrow's resentment wasn't going to dissipate so easily.

“We’ll make him pay for what he did, but… how did he even get here and make it to the finals of the matchmaking event?” Although Night Raven was angry with Dure, she was still surprised to see him in a place like this again after only a few months.

"So what if he makes it to the finals? Only an idiot would bring out a gift like that," Red Sparrow said irritably.

“No, Red Sparrow, the flower he gave us is, in a sense, more precious than the Chapter of Night.” Night Raven shook his head.

"Nightcrow, what are you talking about? How could a mere flower that can be seen anywhere be more precious than the Chapter of Night? You must be mistaken!" Red Sparrow stared wide-eyed. She didn't doubt the truth of what Nightcrow said, but she still couldn't understand it.

"You'll see as you watch," Night Raven said, offering no further explanation but instead gesturing for Red Sparrow to continue reading.

Although Red Sparrow still had many complaints, she also harbored a desire to watch the show. She wanted to see how that guy would make a fool of himself. Once he was eliminated, she would definitely kill Du Lei in the most cruel way after returning to Storm City, so that she could vent her resentment.

"Um, Mr. Redu, I'd like to confirm, is this the gift you gave to Miss Ellie?" the staff member asked again to confirm.

"Yes, that's it." Du Lei nodded affirmatively.

"Hey kid, you really have good taste, choosing such a flower as a gift for Miss Ellie. Hey, do you think Miss Ellie is such a shallow little girl who can be fooled by a flower? You're so naive." Jin's confidant made sarcastic remarks from the side.

He wouldn't let go of any opportunity to suppress Du Lei, partly to boost Jin Zhuang's morale, and partly because he himself looked down on Du Lei.

"I didn't propose to you, so shut up for a bit." Du Lei was too lazy to pay attention to him.

"you……"

"Wow, this is incredible!" someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed.

"Oh? Isn't this Mr. Fabian? What are you saying?" Someone in the crowd recognized the old man.

“This young man is truly remarkable,” the old man named Fabian continued.

"Of course, our young master Jin is the most outstanding young man, no one can compare to him." The confidant said smugly.

“No, you’ve misunderstood, young man.” The old man waved his hand.

"What misunderstanding?" The confidant was somewhat puzzled.

“I’m talking about this young man; he’s the real genius.” Fabian gave Dure a thumbs up.

"Huh? I say, old man, are you blind? You actually say he's great? How is he great?" The confidant almost fainted from anger. He pointed at the old man and shouted. If it weren't for the old man's frail appearance, he probably would have punched him.

"To give such a gift is truly remarkable." The old man's praise was not a sarcastic remark, but came from the bottom of his heart.

"Old man, do you even understand? He only sent a flower, an ordinary flower. My young master Jin sent the Chapter of Night. Do you even know what the Chapter of Night is?" The confidant bombarded him with a barrage of questions.

“I know, I know. I know about the Chapter of Night. It is indeed a very powerful existence, something that originally existed only in legends. But young man, let me ask you a question. In the Golden City, did you see a flower?” the old man asked in return.

.vertex

Where did 557 come from?

The question posed by the old man named Fabion stumped everyone. Those who had previously doubted Dure instantly turned their attention to Fabion and the lily in the box, exchanging bewildered glances and remaining silent for a long time.

“Speaking of flowers… it seems this golden city has everything, except for flowers,” someone said after thinking for a moment.

"No way, how could such a big castle not have flowers? You must have missed it or remembered it wrong?" someone else retorted.

"It seems that apart from the flowers that the boy brought, there are no other flowers around. What's going on?" someone wondered.

The people in the hall looked around and searched carefully in the vicinity, but to no avail. Just as Fabien had said, they couldn't find a second flower in such a large castle. This was not a big deal, but it was not insignificant either, and it made people very puzzled.

“You don’t need to look anymore. There are no flowers in the City of Gold. You won’t find them even if you dig three feet into the ground,” Fabion gave a definite answer. As a highly respected elder, he naturally wouldn’t say anything nonsensical; every word he uttered was based on evidence.

"But old man Fabian, if there are no flowers in the Golden City, where did that boy get the flowers he brought from?" Someone who knew Fabian knew that he never lied and was very knowledgeable, but he still couldn't figure out the source of the flowers in Dure's hands.

"Since there are no flowers in the castle, they must have been brought in from outside. There are plenty of these lilies in the City of Storms," ​​someone else said.

“Hey, but wouldn’t that break the rules? According to the rules, gifts can only be chosen from the Golden City, but he brought them in from the Storm City. That’s clearly not allowed.” Jin’s confidant keenly noticed this, and in his opinion, this was a fatal blow to Dure.

While everyone was confused and discussing this, Kotetsu and the others in the crowd became increasingly puzzled.

"Why didn't you guys remind Du Lei of the rules? He can't bring anything out of Storm City! We're doomed! He's breaking the rules now, and he'll definitely be eliminated." Bee Sting questioned Leopard Tail and the others for not fulfilling their obligation to remind him. She slapped her forehead, feeling extremely troubled.

"No, we didn't go anywhere to buy flowers when we came in, and we didn't see Du Lei carrying any flowers." Leopard Tail quickly waved his hand. He thought carefully but couldn't find anything suspicious, which left him completely clueless.

"That's strange. There are no flowers in the Golden Castle, and he didn't bring them from the Storm City. So where did he get them from? Could they have just appeared out of thin air?" Bee Sting didn't believe it. She thought that Leopard Tail and the others must have been careless and were just saying that to shirk responsibility.

"Maybe... he really was created from nothing?" Kotetsu thought about it carefully and said uncertainly.