The most shameless alchemist in history

Although it was only a few words, his words exuded a powerful and resounding aura, a spirit forged through countless fierce battles. Even though the old man was not tall or strong, there was no doubt that he was the undisputed giant in this conference room at this moment.

"What's wrong, young man? You look quite surprised." The old man said with a smile, and then he beckoned to Du Lei, signaling Du Lei to come to his side.

At this moment, the blacksmith Gru stood to his left. Although Dure was still a little confused about the situation, he still followed the old man's advice, walked towards the old man, and stopped on his right. Although the distance from the entrance to the old man's right side was not far, only about ten meters, Dure felt that every step he took was heavy and unsteady.

“I understand now. So all those meetings you had with the generals before, General Tidda, were just for show, just for the people in the city to see.” After Du Lei stopped on the old man’s right, he finally connected all the clues and figured out the whole story.

He had many doubts to begin with, but seeing this scene before him, all his questions were finally answered.

"Young man, you reacted quickly. Someone, bring him up here." The old man was still smiling when he spoke to Du Lei, but soon his face darkened, and he waved his hand toward the door.

Just as Du Lei was still wondering, someone walked in from outside. The four guards who entered were the same four assassins who had just tried to kill him. Du Lei was familiar with them, but there was another person besides these four.

Another person was being escorted by the four guards. This person was dressed in military uniform, a uniform unique to generals. Judging from his armband, he was a lieutenant general, a high-ranking officer.

Dure thought about it carefully and remembered the person's name: Kanda.

Dure clearly remembered that during the meeting two days prior, when all the generals were arguing fiercely and no one seemed to care about General Tie, it was General Kanda who stood firmly by the old man. At the time, Dure had assumed General Kanda was a loyal subordinate of the old man. But now, seeing her being escorted away and her panicked face, Dure realized that the situation was not quite what he had imagined.

"Young man, do you remember who this person is?" The old man was not in a hurry to look at General Kanda who was being escorted, but instead turned to look at Dure standing to his right.

"Of course I remember. Isn't this General Kanda? What happened to him? Did he do something wrong?" Dure nodded. Although he had some guesses in his heart, he didn't say them out loud immediately because he knew that being too clever for his own good was not a good thing.

"Teacher, I'm innocent! What did I do to warrant your arrest? If I've done something wrong, please tell me, and I promise I'll correct it. House, and everyone else, please plead for me!" General Kanda pleaded with the crowd, hoping someone would speak up for him.

624 Stupid Students

"Kanda, when you were still a student at military academy, do you remember the comments I gave you when you graduated?" the old man asked coldly.

“Comments…comments?” General Kanda was taken aback, clearly not understanding what his former teacher meant by those words.

Anyone familiar with the military circles of the Mountain Kingdom knows that General Teda served as the principal of the Mountain Kingdom's first military academy many years ago and enjoys a high reputation in the military.

Nowadays, most of the well-known figures in the military of the Mountain Kingdom were once students of General Teda.

General Kanda was no exception.

"That's right. My assessment of you when you graduated was that you were quick-witted but lacked resilience," the old man reminded you.

"This... I am a dull student, and I hope you, teacher, will enlighten me," General Kanda said with a mournful face.

Of course, he was only a teenager when he was a military academy student, and now he is over 40 years old. These are all old stories from more than 20 years ago, so how could he still remember them clearly?

"Kanda, you're too smart. You're always striving to climb higher. If I remember correctly, you're the youngest person in the history of the Mountain Kingdom to achieve the rank of lieutenant general, right?" The old man sighed and said quietly. His gaze towards his former student was somewhat complicated, and tinged with a bit of guilt.

"I am ashamed to say that the title of the youngest record holder is just an honorary one, and it is all thanks to your excellent teaching, teacher." Kanda's words sounded somewhat humble, but upon closer examination, one would find that they also contained a sense of pride.

Anyone who knows General Kanda even slightly will know that he has mentioned this youngest record on several occasions, clearly showing that he cares about it very much and is very proud of it.

"But Kanda, have you forgotten what I told you when I was teaching you? Military promotions are based on contributions to the country, not on opportunism. You've been blinded by self-interest, so when the country is in turmoil, you don't think about how to save it from danger, but about your own interests—how to climb to the position of Minister of War, isn't that right?" The old man sighed deeply, then raised his voice as he rebuked his former student.

"Minister of the Army? Teacher, how did you know that..." Kanda was taken aback, his face growing paler and paler. If he had tried to deny it before, upon hearing the words "Minister of the Army," he knew that the old man knew far more secrets than he had imagined.

"Kanda, my foolish student, do you really think that even if you do this, that old man Shanlong will hand over the position of Minister of the Army to you?" The old man sighed slowly and then sneered.

“Of course, General Shanlong promised it himself.” Kanda was pale, his lips were bluish-purple. Although, based on his experience, he knew his situation was very bad, and that things were probably worse than he imagined, he still clung to a sliver of hope.

"A promise? That old bastard Shanlong, when has he ever taken a promise seriously? I learned this the hard way years ago. Let me tell you the truth, Shanlong has long considered you a disposable pawn, thanks to my inside contact in the capital." The old man sneered and said in a deep voice.

“How could this be? This can’t be true!” General Kanda began to tremble, shaking his head as he spoke, seemingly trying to deny it all.

"How could that be? I know that old man Shanlong too well. He'll stop at nothing for power, sacrificing everything he can, even his own soul. He's become a power-hungry demon. Do you think he'd be willing to hand over power?" The old man scoffed at General Kanda's words and said coldly.

"What? I've been abandoned? No, this can't be! He made a promise to me! This can't be!" General Kanda's face turned ashen, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Take him away. He used to be my proudest student, but I never imagined he would become a fool who can be taken advantage of. This is all because of my poor teaching." The old man waved his hand, his tone tinged with helplessness, his heart filled with utter despair.

The guards did as they were told and dragged General Kanda away. By this time, General Kanda was too weak to move on his own.

The dozen or so generals remained silent, observing everything from the sidelines. Du Lei also stood to the old man's right, acting as a spectator.

"Now that we've resolved the internal issues, let's formally convene the meeting." After a brief sigh, the old man's sharp gaze swept around, his eagle-like eyes a sight hard to believe belonged to a white-haired old man.

"The core idea of ​​today's meeting is only one thing: how to conquer Rock City in one day!" The old man's voice was firm and powerful, and Du Lei knew that the main event of the day had only just begun!

The old man's words carried an undeniable meaning. This was the first time Du Lei had seen such an astonishing aura emanating from the old man since he had known him for several days. The domineering and oppressive feeling was hardly what one would expect from a frail old man.

Dure could hardly imagine how imposing the old man must have been twenty years ago, when he was still dominating the battlefield!

It was less of a military meeting and more of a final decision made unilaterally by the old man!

Not long after the decision was made, the military camp, which had been under construction in the wind and rain, suddenly became somewhat different.

In just a few minutes, dozens of people were arrested and detained, and these people kept protesting their innocence.

"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you arresting me for no reason? Let me out right now!"

"I haven't committed any crime, so why are you arresting me? Give me an explanation."

"We're close comrades-in-arms, we're brothers! Can't you just let us go? Oh, I need to pee, my stomach hurts!"

The arrested guards tried their best to escape from their place of confinement.

At the same time, they also sensed a dangerous atmosphere; the peaceful military camp was beginning to stir.

"Shut up, you bunch of spies! Are you going to let you back into the city to deliver intelligence? You'd better stay here obediently until everything settles down, and then you'll be given the trial you deserve!" someone shouted at the guards from the side.

They didn't just arrest people randomly without any evidence. All the guards arrested here were spies sent out from within the city!

.vertex

625 Digging a tunnel

A relentless downpour can often obscure many things, such as sight and sound.

Standing atop the castle tower of Rock Castle, through the heavy rain, it was difficult to see anything in the distance. The only thing that could be vaguely seen were the defensive fortifications built by the guards who had come from the border, all shrouded in mist and rain.

As for sounds, there were only the occasional pattering sounds of raindrops hitting the roof, falling on the ground, and landing on people's hair.

“Hey, do you guys hear that sound? It’s clanging and banging, like the sound of a pickaxe breaking rocks in a mine.” A patrolling guard suddenly asked. He used to work in a mine, so he was particularly sensitive to this kind of sound.

"Sound? Besides this annoying sound of rain, what other sound is there? Are you hallucinating?" The guard's companion scoffed at his words, not taking them seriously.

After all, things had been calm lately, and nothing had happened. Plus, patrolling in such heavy rain was a tough job. Right now, all he wanted was to find a small tavern, have a good drink, and eat something nice. If he could also find a pretty girl to keep him company, that would be even better.

But these were all just wishful thinking on his part. He wasn't an officer, just an ordinary soldier, so those benefits were out of the question for him. While complaining, all he wanted was to find a place where he wouldn't get wet in the rain and quietly wait for his patrol to end. During this time, he didn't want anything to go wrong.

"Hallucination? But I've noticed this sound has been going on for quite a while now. A few days ago, the sound was very faint, but it's gotten louder and louder these past two days. It sounds like someone is digging something under our feet. By the way, should we report this to our superior?" The guard was still full of doubts. Although he was just an ordinary soldier, compared to his seasoned comrades, he undoubtedly had a stronger sense of responsibility.

“Report to the officer? What are you talking about? The officer is drinking and carousing right now. He repeatedly told us not to disturb him. Are you crazy to go and bother him at this time?” His companion advised from the side, glaring at the attentive guard next to him, looking somewhat displeased.

This guard was recently transferred here. He was very serious about everything he did, which seemed like a good thing at first glance. But you have to understand that most of the guards, including himself, had become complete slackers. When everyone was slacking off, the sudden appearance of a hardworking and enthusiastic person made them look bad.

"But..." the guard was still worried.

"There's no 'buts' about it. Apart from the annoying rain, the situation is perfectly calm and safe. Don't worry about it. Wait a bit. After the patrol, I'll take you out for some fun. Don't always look so serious. You should at least join in the fun." His companion shared some advice with him.

"This... I understand, thank you for your guidance, senior." Although the guard still had some doubts, after thinking about it carefully, he realized that his relationship with his companions was indeed terrible and he didn't fit in. It was time to try to get closer to them.

The heavy rain continued to pour down, and there were occasional clanging sounds coming from underground. However, even the only guard who noticed the sound had left, so who else would pay attention to its existence?

Leopard Tail was very excited at this moment. He rubbed his hands together, looking eager to try.

He should have been sulking in his tent in the military camp, since he had been there for several days. But all he had to do was sit and watch the rain and shovel out the water. He was so bored that he was still resentful about being betrayed by Pam in Rock City, which led to Colonel Luffy capturing him.

He would often shout that he wanted to march to Rock City to settle scores with Colonel Luffy and teach him a lesson in order to vent his resentment.

But seeing the generals in the camp arguing incessantly and remaining inactive, Leopard Tail was especially angry. He had originally planned to sneak into Rock City to take revenge, but unexpectedly, Dure suddenly found him at this moment.

Under Dure's arrangement, Miss Winry stayed in the military camp with Nightingale and Beesty to protect her, while Leopard Tail, Tiger Tetsu, and Ape Arm followed him out of the camp.

At first, Leopard Tail didn't know what Du Lei was taking them to do. After following Du Lei all the way to an abandoned cave, he noticed that there were a large number of guards pouring into the depths of the cave.

After traveling deeper into the cave for another ten minutes, Leopard Tail saw a large number of elite guards gathering. Even if he was slow to react, he realized what had happened.

"Durey, it looks like we're finally going to make a move on Rock Castle. But if we're going to make a move, shouldn't we attack the castle from the front? What are we doing here in this underground cave?" Leopard Tail rubbed his hands excitedly as he saw the army finally mobilized, but he still didn't quite understand how to attack the castle.

"So that's how it is. No wonder the engineers have been digging trenches and building fortifications these past few days. They were trying to cover up the activity underground. No wonder I kept hearing clanging sounds from underground. Now the answer is finally clear." Kotetsu nodded thoughtfully. He had many questions before, but now that he was in the underground cave, all the clues in his mind were connected and linked together.

"Hey, Boss Kotetsu, and Du Lei, what's going on here? At least tell me, don't play riddles, I don't understand." Leopard Tail was getting anxious when he saw that Kotetsu looked like he suddenly understood. Not only Kotetsu, but even Ape Arm next to him was muttering and gesturing, clearly indicating that even Ape Arm knew the ins and outs of the matter.

"What, don't you understand? Haven't you heard any clanging sounds coming from underground these past few days?" Kotetsu didn't answer his question directly, but asked in return.

"Boss Hu Che, now that you mention it, it does seem to make sense. But, but didn't you say it was the sound of groundwater seeping in?" Leopard Tail scratched his head, looking completely bewildered.

"That's not the sound of groundwater seeping in; it's the sound of engineers digging tunnels," Du Lei explained as he led the way.

"What did you say? Dig a tunnel?" Leopard Tail was clearly stunned; he obviously hadn't expected this at all.

626 Groundwater System

"That's right, it's tunnels. I've seen the defense map of Rock Castle. Rock Castle is built against three mountains, making its defenses extremely strong. If we were to break through from the front, it would be incredibly difficult, resulting in heavy losses and a significant impact on the citizens. But if we attack by digging tunnels underground, we can minimize the damage," Durei continued to explain.

“But Dure doesn’t make sense. Since Rock City’s defenses are so strong, it’s impossible that he’s just putting on a show, only focusing on building fortifications on the surface while the foundation is weak.” Leopard Tail still had many doubts, believing that things couldn’t have been accomplished so easily.

"Since the foundation is solid, why choose to dig tunnels underground to attack? Isn't that just asking for trouble?" Leopard Tail still couldn't understand the reason.

"Although the defenses of Rock City are strong, it has a fatal weakness," Dure shook his head slightly and continued.

"What fatal weakness?" Leopard Tail immediately pressed.

"That's right, it's water, it's groundwater!" Just then, Kotetsu suddenly shouted from the side.

"Brother Hu Che, what water? Don't scare me! You yelled like that all of a sudden, and you almost made me deaf. Wait, Brother Hu Che, what did you just say about underground water?" Leopard Tail covered his ears and complained, but he quickly came to his senses and stared blankly at Hu Che.

“That’s right, it’s groundwater. Rock City’s defenses are certainly strong, but there are no rivers flowing through it. However, Rock City is not a water-scarce city. All of this comes from Rock City’s powerful groundwater system.” Dure nodded, confirming this.

"Speaking of underground water systems and such, I think I heard the innkeeper mention them before." Leopard Tail rested his chin on his hand, thinking carefully. Scenes of chatting with the innkeeper began to replay in his mind.

"The underground water system of Rock City is extremely complex, consisting of multiple underground channels and drainage channels. Moreover, the underground water channels have been rerouted many times throughout history, which makes Rock City's underground drainage system intricate and maze-like," Dure explained from the side.

"Since it's so complicated, won't we get lost if we just rush in like this?" Leopard Tail was still very puzzled.

“No matter how complex the design is, it is ultimately designed by people. As long as you master the drawings of each designer and compare and overlap all the drawings, you can find the right path,” Du Lei continued to lead the way, speaking softly.

"Oh right, and the blueprints too! How could I have forgotten about that?" Leopard Tail slapped his forehead, beaming with delight.

"So the army has been stationed outside the city and digging fortifications for some time now. On the one hand, it's to deceive people and lull the Rock City into a false sense of security. On the other hand, it's to cover up the excavation of the underground fortifications. We'll use this abandoned mine to dig underground into the Rock City, and then, according to the blueprints we've obtained from the craftsmen, connect the mine to the Rock City's underground drainage system, which is where we're going now," Du Lei explained clearly and in detail.