The most shameless alchemist in history

In just two hours, the once peaceful Rock City suddenly descended into chaos. In fact, there were signs of this happening, and even Tama had been prepared for it, but it still came faster than he had imagined, so much so that he was not fully prepared.

"Give me one more day, just one more day, and everything will be settled." The Finance Minister stood on the top floor of the parliament building. From this height, he could overlook the changing situation in the city and clearly see the large number of local troops pouring into Rock City and the defenders retreating in defeat.

"Unfortunately, there are no 'what ifs' in this world. Tama, you've lost. Give up." Behind the finance minister, an aged voice rang out. He wasn't actually an old man, even though he was sixty years old, but he had been in charge of the country for over thirty years.

Two months ago, he was the most powerful person in the Mountain Kingdom. He looked down on everything from his high position. He had a large number of supporters. Under his rule, the country, which was devastated by long-term internal strife, was developing in an orderly and positive direction.

Everything was thriving until he mistakenly trusted the finance minister, which led to his house arrest. In reality, he didn't resent Tama, because Tama was simply doing what he believed was right based on his faith. He resented himself.

If he hadn't listened to Tama's instigation, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

"Lost? It's a bit too early to draw that conclusion before things are even over, Your Excellency the Speaker." Tama slowly turned around, and in the magnificent hall, an elderly man with white hair sat on a high throne.

Two months ago, his hair was gray, he was energetic, and he could give passionate speeches.

But now, two months later, he is an old man with white hair, and no one knows what happened in those two months.

He has endured so much pain and torment; now he only wants everything to return to peace.

"Tama, the empire was destroyed many years ago. Why are you so stubborn? Forcibly activating forbidden power will only bring destruction. Give up." The old man continued to plead with him. In the past two months, he could be said to be the person closest to Tama.

He was also the person who knew Tamar best.

After all, Tamma was a trusted confidante whom he had personally trained; he had watched Tamma grow up!

He really didn't want to see Tamma go down such a wrong path!

“Your Excellency Speaker, you didn’t say this two months ago. You thought it would bring destruction, but you just couldn’t control it. You’re old now, no longer the trendsetter you once were. This is a new era.” Tama paused here.

“It’s a new era for the brave!” Tama’s gaze was deep, even though he was now in an extremely unfavorable situation.

However, he still possesses the key to victory.

If you look closely, you'll notice shadows moving around on the ceiling of the hall; the shadows are so long that you can't make out their shape.

Normally, only things that have physical form can cast shadows.

However, it has no physical form, yet its shadow still exists, which makes it particularly eerie.

"Even if it plunges you into an abyss of no return, you're willing to do it?" Speaker Varo sighed deeply.

His initial intention was clearly to make the country better, and it was only under Tama's influence that he used that power.

But later he regretted it; he realized it was an ominous object and chose to give it up.

But Tama firmly disagreed, and for this reason, Tama even put him under house arrest, letting him take control of that power!

If he had known things would spiral out of control like this, why would he have done it in the first place?

"What is the meaning of human existence?" Tama turned around and asked the old man he had always respected.

"The meaning of life?" Speaker Varo was momentarily puzzled as to why Tama would ask such a question.

"Yes, human life is only a few decades long. We grow from a helpless infant to a child, then to an adult, and then to old age, eventually withering away in the throes of illness, like a withered leaf. In such a life, what can be considered meaningful?"

Tamma pondered this question carefully. He had been thinking about it for many years, but he still hadn't come to a conclusion.

"Living is about making your family happier," Speaker Varo said after a moment's thought.

“Family? I used to think that was the right answer, but gradually I realized I was wrong, terribly wrong.” Tamma shook her head, denying it.

"Wrong? Where is it wrong?" Speaker Varo asked, stunned.

"Because I have witnessed too many helpless poor people die in poverty, too many people cannot protect their families and watch them die, and even worse, some people use their families as bargaining chips to seek profit. What is the meaning of their lives then?"

The finance minister presented his views.

"People are always lucky and unlucky; some are blessed with good fortune, while others are not," Speaker Varo replied.

"Then why are some people destined to be lucky, while others, no matter how hard they try, always encounter one setback after another?" Tama thought about it for a long time but could not find an answer, which puzzled him.

“Perhaps this is fate,” Speaker Varo said softly.

"So people always call the unfair treatment they suffer 'fate'? Your Excellency Speaker, what is the meaning of power?" Tama continued to ask.

"Power is for maintaining order."

"Is it to maintain the order of those in power, the order of those who have vested interests? The nobles live in villas, do not have to work, yet can enjoy everything, while farmers and workers work day and night, yet cannot even guarantee the most basic living conditions," Tama said calmly.

"Change will be a long process," Speaker Varo said softly after a moment of silence.

He did not deny what Tamma said.

“Because during the reform process, you will encounter resistance from vested interests, right?” Tama continued to ask.

Speaker Varo fell silent and did not answer him.

“I always wonder, what is the meaning of life? Your Excellency the Speaker said it is to make life better for your family, but the current order cannot meet this requirement, so change is necessary. However, there is strong resistance to change, and the only way to remove the resistance is... power!”

Tamma ignored the Speaker and continued talking to herself.

He is right.

It was correct from the beginning.

He is determined to carry out the correct course to the end!

635 First Meeting

The heavy rain that blanketed Rock Castle continued to fall relentlessly, but compared to its usual downpours, today's rain seemed particularly different.

Normally, when it rains, most citizens choose to stay at home to avoid the rain, and there are very few pedestrians on the streets. Even if there are people, it is mostly the city guards being mobilized. But today is completely different. Today, the streets and alleys are full of people.

Citizens who usually stayed at home to avoid the rain poured down today, disregarding the downpour. Many of them even carried baskets filled with food such as ham and eggs. They cheered and jumped for joy, welcoming the local army into the city.

The local army, which had taken full control of the defenses of Rock Castle, marched into the castle in neat formation, walking along the wide streets.

The cold raindrops lashed their faces. Many of the soldiers' cheeks were still very young, but their steps were perfectly synchronized. At the end of the street stood the landmark building of Rock City, which was also the tallest building and symbolized the city's highest power: the Parliament Building.

Above the Parliament building, dark clouds rolled in, and a thunderous bolt of lightning struck the building's lightning rod, casting a shadow over the city.

"What terrible weather this is. I wonder what the situation is like inside the Parliament building. I hope that young man named Dure won't disappoint me?" General Titus, dressed in military uniform, adjusted the brim of his hat. His eyes were sharp, and under the strong wind, his battle-hardened aura was particularly strong.

The entire city is now under our control!

Dure was well aware of what was happening outside the parliament building. Even though he wasn't watching from the outside, he trusted that Kotetsu and the others could handle the mission properly.

In his view, solving a problem is simple; all you need to do is make a plan and execute it.

The mission to execute the plan is now halfway complete, and the other half is in his hands.

He bypassed General Shanlong and continued forward. Although General Shanlong was a ruthless and difficult opponent, since Gerald had spoken, Dure didn't mind leaving this opponent to him. After all, Gerald was a trusted confidant whom General House was proud of, and there was one thing Gerald said that was true.

That is because he had just experienced a great battle with Kai and was now in the recovery period. He needed some time to recover the magic energy in his body. He knew very well that General Shanlong was in the middle of the parliament building, not on the top floor.

This means that there are even more formidable adversaries than General Shanlong within the parliament building. Furthermore, he has been in Rock City for several days and has participated in numerous events, but he has yet to encounter the man named Tama.

According to various sources of information and intelligence, the Finance Minister named Tama deserves much credit for the current chaotic situation in Rock City. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the mastermind behind everything.

Of course, Dure had many doubts about this finance minister, such as what kind of power a civil servant in charge of finance had to make so many generals, including General Shanlong, submit.

Furthermore, what kind of power enabled him to overthrow Speaker Varo, who had been rooted in the Mountain Kingdom for decades, and turn the latter into a prisoner?

Du Lei didn't walk fast. He walked step by step, even counting the number of steps he had taken in his mind. When he counted to 1,680 steps, there was only one last set of steps left in front of him.

This series of questions puzzled him, but at the same time he knew that the answer to the questions was not far away, because he would soon reach the top floor of the parliament building.

This is the last staircase leading to the top floor of the parliament building, and the last few steps to the highest power in the country.

In the vast Mountain Kingdom, among its tens of millions of people, only a handful can complete these final steps. In fact, throughout the long history of the Mountain Kingdom, the number of people who have completed these steps is definitely no more than fifty.

As Du Lei walked up the steps, he felt his steps were a little heavy, and he also felt a little cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

A strange sense of unease washed over him; he knew that at the end of this staircase, once he stepped onto the top floor of the parliament building, something terrible awaited him there.

He didn't walk fast, but the stairs weren't long, so it didn't take him long to climb them.

After climbing the stairs, he was presented with a magnificent hall, filled with exquisite furnishings, precious antiques and calligraphy and paintings. Du Lei had every reason to believe that any one of these items would fetch an astronomical price if sold on the black market.

But his gaze did not fall on these priceless antique paintings and calligraphy. In the center of the hall, there was a man, a middle-aged man of about thirty years old, dressed in fine clothes.

The middle-aged man was not fat; on the contrary, he was rather thin. With such a physique, he could easily pull off any kind of clothing, so when the red evening suit fell on him, he looked very gentlemanly.

This made him look like a learned scholar. This was the first time Dure had seen him, and Dure's impression of him was unexpectedly very good. If he hadn't known beforehand that the Finance Minister, Mr. Tamer, was waiting for him on the top floor of the Parliament building, and that there was no one else on that floor except this middle-aged man, Dure would have found it hard to associate this middle-aged man with the words "mastermind."

"You've finally arrived. If I'm not mistaken, you must be Mr. Dure." Finance Minister Tamar had been waiting on this floor for a long time, maintaining proper etiquette and demeanor without moving an inch. Upon seeing the young man appear, he immediately addressed him by name.

“Then you must be Mr. Tamer.” Dure nodded slightly and replied politely.

“Yes, I am Tamma. This should be our first meeting. I have heard of Mr. Durei’s name many times before this,” Tamma said softly.

"Oh? Your Excellency the Finance Minister, you actually remember the name of someone as insignificant as me? That's quite surprising," Dure said with a smile.

"Since Maple Leaf Academy, he has repeatedly performed outstanding deeds while escorting Miss Winry, and has repeatedly thwarted the Empire's forces. How can Mr. Dure, who has accomplished such a series of brilliant feats, be called a minor figure?" Tama asked rhetorically. He knew Dure's whereabouts and deeds very well, as if they were his own.

636 Era Progress

"I only did such a trivial thing, is it really worth remembering by you, the Minister of Finance?" Dure was not surprised by Tama's words, because they had already been watched by others many times on their way from Maple Leaf Academy to Rock City.

If he was just a minor character at the beginning and no one took him seriously, after a series of events, it would be strange if Tama, who was manipulating everything behind the scenes in Rock City, didn't even have a good grasp of his information.

“If what you’ve done, Mr. Dure, is all trivial, then there’s probably nothing important in this world.” Tama smiled gently. Even though he and Dure were on different sides, he still greatly admired the young man’s actions.

"Since you, Mr. Finance Minister, are so well aware of the situation of someone as insignificant as me, you should be even more aware of the current situation in Rock City, right?" After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Tama, Durei got straight to the point. His previous conversation with Tama was simply an attempt to glean some information from this schemer's words and figure out what kind of person he really was.

Because no matter how you look at it, Tamar had no chance of winning and had completely lost hope of turning the tide. However, his words still revealed unparalleled confidence, and Dure was very curious about where his confidence came from.

But after a series of encounters, he discovered that Tama was a very complex person, a very cautious person, and also a very strange person.

Because no matter how you look at it, Tamar had no chance of winning and had completely lost hope of turning the tide. However, his words still revealed unparalleled confidence, and Dure was very curious about where his confidence came from.

“Yes, thank you for reminding me. I am very clear about the current situation in Rock City. General Tidus and General House have led their troops into the city, and the Royal Guard has almost all surrendered.” Tamar nodded. He was very clear about his current situation.

“In that case, I don’t need to tell you what Mr. Tama should do. Now hand over Speaker Varo and await trial. Perhaps that will get you a lighter sentence,” Dure said softly.

While he was talking to Tama, he was also observing the hall. He felt that there was a very discordant atmosphere in the hall, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable. Moreover, all the pores on his body were open, and a cold air kept penetrating into them.

You see, even when he was standing in the pouring rain outside the Parliament building, he didn't feel the slightest bit cold, but after entering this hall, it was as if he had stepped into an ice cellar.

This made him feel somewhat uneasy.

“Mr. Dure, may I ask you a question before we proceed?” Tama avoided Dure’s question and asked softly.

"Please feel free to ask me anything," Du Lei waved his hand, signaling him to continue.