The most shameless alchemist in history

"Who sent you here?" After washing his hands, the blacksmith sat down next to Durei. He looked ordinary and unremarkable.

“My client told me that you’ll understand once you see this.” Dure handed the blacksmith something—a brooch.

The brooch features a deer symbol, depicting a deer running through the snow.

"Is it... her? How is she now?" The blacksmith's expression was somewhat complicated.

“I’m not sure which ‘she’ you’re asking about.” Dure didn’t know much about the inside story.

“Wen Li sent you, didn’t she… that should be her name,” the blacksmith said softly after a moment’s thought.

"Do you know Miss Winry?" Dure was somewhat surprised that the blacksmith mentioned Winry's name, because Winry didn't know that this person existed.

“I don’t know her, and I’ve never seen her, but I know her. Perhaps she doesn’t know me,” the blacksmith said bitterly.

Grufi watched furtively from a distance. She found it strange. The first strange thing was that there were guests at her house, and they didn't seem to be there to buy weapons. In fact, her house hadn't been open for business for a long time.

The second strange thing was that the man who only knew how to forge iron all day actually stopped forging and talked to the boy. This was almost unprecedented in her memory. Even when there were customers, he would just keep forging iron and not pay any attention to them.

She was the one who had to negotiate with the customers, and sometimes when she was bullied, the men would remain silent, which made her feel somewhat humiliated.

Maybe her mother left because the man was too weak? She sometimes thought that.

The third strange thing was the man's expression; she had never seen a blacksmith look so bitter before!

“Winley? Who is Winley?” Gruffi frowned. She thought carefully, but she couldn’t remember anyone with that name.

"Let's keep watching." She decided to continue observing; these things were just too suspicious.

In her line of sight, Dure and the blacksmith remained calm, still talking quietly.

“You’re right, Miss Winry doesn’t know you exist, so who exactly are you…” Dure asked tentatively.

He had just witnessed the blacksmith's skills firsthand, and he was puzzled as to why someone with such terrifying strength would be content to spend his days and nights doing monotonous blacksmithing in such a place. At the same time, he was also somewhat relieved, because if they really got the blacksmith's help, things would go much more smoothly in Rock City.

“Since she doesn’t know I exist, it’s better that she doesn’t know. There’s a reason she hasn’t told her,” the blacksmith said softly.

"Understood." Du Lei nodded.

"Does she need me to do anything for her?" the blacksmith asked.

“We want to rescue some friends who are supposed to be locked up, but I don’t know where they are being held,” Dure made the request.

"I understand, you can go back now." The blacksmith nodded and waved his hand, signaling Du Lei to leave.

“But you don’t know…” Du Lei hesitated, as the blacksmith hadn’t asked him any related questions.

Did he know who he was trying to save?

"Go back, go back. You'll see the person you're trying to save tomorrow morning. I just want some peace and quiet now," the blacksmith said again, dismissing him.

"Then I'll take my leave." Although Du Lei was still somewhat skeptical, he chose to leave anyway.

The rain continued to fall, relentlessly.

m.

Warden Zoren (605)

Although Kotetsu and the others realized that the one imprisoned was the real Valan, they were trapped in the prison and had no way to contact the outside world. They couldn't do anything at all, which made Leopard Tail anxious and frustrated. He tried every means to escape from the prison.

However, the prison was heavily guarded and gave him no chance at all, which infuriated Leopard Tail. Just when they were almost at their wits' end, someone suddenly opened the cell door. The person who opened the door was a middle-aged military officer in uniform. He was not wearing an armband, so it was impossible to tell what rank he was.

Leopard Tail initially thought this was a good opportunity to escape, and he lunged at the officer. However, the officer easily neutralized his attack, demonstrating a level of strength far superior to his own. This left Leopard Tail completely deflated. Just as he was about to resign himself to his fate, the middle-aged officer told them to follow him.

The prison, which was usually guarded every three steps and sentries every five steps, suddenly became deserted for some reason. There were no guards at all, and it was very quiet all around. Footsteps could be heard clearly. Leopard Tail had many questions, but Tiger Chetsu gestured for him to keep quiet and just follow along.

They followed the middle-aged man out of the prison without incident, only then realizing that it was raining heavily outside.

"Hey, what do you mean by this? You suddenly released us. You need to explain yourself! Don't go. You have to give us an explanation. You can't just let us get away with locking us up for a few days like this." Leopard Tail tried to stop the middle-aged officer and get some answers.

In his view, releasing them this time was almost equivalent to declaring them innocent and rendering the previous arrests invalid. This gave Hyo-o a sense of triumph, but behind him, Kotetsu tugged at him and pointed to a street corner not far away, gesturing for Hyo-o to look over there.

Leopard Tail was taken aback at first, but soon he, Tiger Che, and Ape Arm walked over, where someone was waiting for them with an umbrella at the street corner.

There were four people waiting for them: one man and three women, namely Durei, Wenli, Bailing, and Bee Sting.

"You two have been released too? What's going on, Dure, Miss Winry, what are you doing here?" Leopard Tail asked in surprise after meeting up with them. He was completely baffled and couldn't understand what was going on.

"This isn't the place to talk, let's leave here first." Du Lei held up an umbrella and handed a raincoat to Hu Che and Bao Wei.

After receiving the raincoats, Kotetsu and the others hurriedly put them on. They could see pedestrians walking by in a hurry on the street, and the heavy rain kept washing the rooftops.

"Understood, let's go. But could we find somewhere to eat something? The food in prison is really bad, I'm starving." Leopard Tail rubbed his stomach and made the suggestion. The group of seven quickly disappeared into the heavy rain, water still splashing on the ground.

Shortly after they left, an officer stormed into the prison warden's office with a group of men, his insignia indicating he was a colonel. If Leopard Tail saw him, he would certainly recognize him, as he was Colonel Luffy, whom they had dealt with twice before.

"Warden, what's going on? Where are the prisoners I locked up? They've disappeared!" Luffy slammed his fist on the table, looking very angry.

His men stormed in, blocking all the entrances and exits to the prison. He also sent many people to search the entire city in an attempt to find the whereabouts of the escaped convict.

"Who do we have here? It's Lord Luffy. Why is Lord Luffy so angry?" The warden was a young man in his early twenties. It was unbelievable that someone his age was sitting in the position of warden, because under normal circumstances, his qualifications would be far from sufficient for the job.

If one didn't know the inside story, most people would assume that this was a young master from a certain family who rose to power through personal connections. However, those inside the prison knew that it was not the case at all. Even though the young warden lacked experience, his personal abilities could completely make up for his shortcomings.

"Zoren, don't try to pull any tricks on me! The prisoner I locked up here has escaped, and you have to give me an explanation, or I'll tear this place down!" Rufu was furious. He had originally come with his men to take the prisoner away.

He had only been following procedure when he locked the man up here. Now that the handover was complete, he was about to take him away, but the cell was empty except for a dying patient who refused to talk no matter what he was asked. This infuriated Luffy.

He had no choice but to go to Warden Zoren for an explanation. He knew very well that with Zoren's methods, it would be extremely difficult for prisoners to escape from his prison. The fact that all the prisoners disappeared from the prison could only mean one thing: that Zoren had given his tacit approval!

"If Lord Luffy wants to demolish it, then go ahead and do so. I just feel that the prison's decoration style doesn't suit my taste, so I'll renovate it. However, I must remind Lord Luffy in advance that damaging a prison is a serious crime. Lord Luffy should think carefully before you start demolishing it."

Warden Zoren remained unmoved by Luffy's threats; in fact, he leisurely sipped his tea, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Outside the window, the rain was pouring down, and raindrops kept hitting the windowpane, making a "pat-pat" sound.

Luffy's angry expression was reflected in the glass window; the young warden clearly didn't take him seriously!

"Zoren, don't be so arrogant! Don't forget, I'm here representing that person. With just one word from him, he can remove you from your position as warden. Do you know how many people want to kill you once you leave this position?" Luffy shouted angrily.

Even though Zoren has ignored him to this extent, he still doesn't dare to make a move easily, which shows that he is still very wary of Zoren.

"Is that so? Then you may call that gentleman over. I have some excellent black tea here. We can invite him to sit down and have a cup. It would be a waste not to drink tea on such a fine day." Zoren said slowly and deliberately, unconcerned even with Luffy's words.

"You... fine, very well, Zoren, you've made the most foolish choice, you're doomed!" Colonel Luffy was furious, slamming the door as he prepared to leave.

“Lord Luffy, please wait a moment.” Zoren suddenly called out to him.

"What?" Colonel Ruf assumed the young warden had changed his mind and immediately stopped.

"I have a question for you."

"What's the problem?" Ruf frowned.

"How does it feel to be someone's dog?" Zoren asked with a smile.

.vertex

606 A list

After leaving the prison, Kotetsu and the others put on raincoats and quickly left with Du Lei. They were followed on the way, a fact that both Kotetsu and Hyobi noticed early on. However, these followers were quickly stopped, and someone suddenly rushed out in the rainy night and stabbed them.

Before the people who were following Kotetsu and his gang could figure out what was going on, they were knocked down and lay in the cold rain. The rain washed over their gradually cooling bodies, and the murder weapon was thrown on the ground, the bloodstains on it quickly washed away by the rain.

The heavy rain was enough to cover many things, to mask smells, to conceal footprints. Dure and his men arrived silently and quickly disappeared into the rain, which particularly angered Colonel Ruff. Coupled with the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of the young warden, he immediately reported the matter.

Meanwhile, Dure and his group arrived at the hotel where they had stayed before. Dure and Winry had been staying there for three days, but there were no signs of them being followed. Dure was sure that the hotel was safe. After settling in, Leopard Tail immediately asked the hotel owner to bring him some food.

The innkeeper was a timid and cowardly man who disliked dealing with people in uniforms and was extremely greedy. At first, he was somewhat dissatisfied with so many strangers staying there, but when Du Lei gave him enough silver coins, he happily accepted them and didn't ask any more questions.

As for the guests' requests, he tried his best to fulfill them. He immediately had the kitchen prepare a lot of food for the guests. However, the appetite of these new guests was... to a shocking degree, almost consuming all the food stored in the inn.

A huge pile of plates were laid out in front of Leopard Tail in the room, showing that he was really starving!

"So, you encountered the real Valan in prison?" Dure learned of this from Kotetsu.

“Yes, we have examined his clan crest, and the ape arm has confirmed that it is indeed the clan crest of the Aoyama clan and there is no doubt about it.” Hu Che nodded.

"Woo woo!" The ape-like arm next to him kept gesturing, clearly confirming what Kotetsu was talking about.

“Let’s sort out the situation in Rock City. That is to say, about two months ago, Speaker Varo, the highest authority in the Mountain Kingdom, was suddenly placed under house arrest. The person who placed him under house arrest was the Finance Minister of the Mountain Kingdom, Tama. However, Tama did not have the power to overthrow Speaker Varo, so he must have received strong support behind the scenes. After placing Speaker Varo under house arrest, they began to suppress the Speaker’s old subordinates, gradually clearing obstacles, and then deliberately provoking border friction with the Snow Kingdom. Is that right?” Dure connected all the clues.

"Based on the intelligence we have gathered, that's pretty much it." Kotetsu nodded in affirmation.

"By the way, Dure, how did you manage to get us out of here? And those people who followed us and helped cut off our tails... who are they?" After finishing his meal, Leopard Tail finally let out a burp. After listening for a while, he finally understood the current situation.

"The reason I was able to rescue you is because of a sentry that the Land of Snow planted in the Rock City many years ago. As for how he did it, I have no idea, but it's great that you're safe and sound." Du Lei briefly explained the blacksmith's situation, which left Leopard Tail and the others in disbelief.

"How could an ordinary blacksmith possess such power? This is unbelievable!" Leopard Tail exclaimed in amazement.

"The so-called 'ordinary' is just what it appears to be on the surface. You have to know that the Snow Country's national strength is comparable to that of the Mountain Country. Both are first-class countries. The pawns planted many years ago must be extraordinary." Kotetsu offered his opinion, as he was quite familiar with the Snow Country's intelligence agencies.

"Mr. Dure, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly not talking?" Wen Li couldn't help but ask when she saw Dure frowning.

"It's nothing. I just remembered some things the blacksmith said. I feel like he's not just a pawn, but... never mind, let's not think about that. The people supporting us from behind are Dom's men. Judging by the time, he should be here soon." Dure looked out the window.

The rain was still drizzling when he saw someone carrying an umbrella walk to the hotel entrance.

He was followed by several men, who kept watch from an inconspicuous spot outside as he entered the hotel.

It's clear this person is very careful; cautious people rarely make mistakes.

"Bang, bang, bang." A knock came at the door shortly afterward. Leopard Tail immediately stood up and carefully went to open the door.

"Who are you?" Leopard Tail became wary. Their current situation in Rock City was very delicate. Any slight movement was enough to trigger his sensitive nerves. Standing outside the door was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties, with a taller man behind him.

“Leopard Tail, don’t be nervous. This is Mr. Dom, and behind him is his brother, Mr. Pam. Please have a seat.” Dure gestured for Leopard Tail to step aside. He went to the door to greet the Dom brothers and led them into the room to sit down. They had just come through the rain and were soaked.

"Oh, so you're one of us. Come on in, come on in." Leopard Tail stepped aside. Although he didn't know much about these two, since Du Lei trusted them, he couldn't be wrong.

“Mr. Redu, here is the list you requested.” Dom took a piece of paper out of his pocket and carefully handed it to Redu.

"A list? What list?" Leopard Tail curiously went over to see what was going on.

“This is a list of former members of Speaker Varo’s staff, along with their detailed addresses. Mr. Dom, thank you for your hard work,” Dure explained.

"But what's the point of making this list?" Leopard Tail couldn't understand Du Lei's intentions.

"With our current strength, it would be extremely difficult to overthrow Tama and the forces behind him. Therefore, we need help. Speaker Varo has always had a high level of prestige. He has ruled the Mountain Kingdom for many years and is deeply entrenched. Now that he is in trouble, his former subordinates will not sit idly by."

Dure went on to explain that he had already conducted a comprehensive analysis of their current situation.

"So that's how it is. But are these people really reliable? If they were really that reliable, Rock City wouldn't have ended up like this in the last few months, would it?" Leopard-tailed Fox said suspiciously.