The most shameless alchemist in history

649 Ordinary Stories

Perhaps the blacksmith is extraordinary, at least in many ways, he is exceptional and unconventional. But setting aside all the messy things, just in terms of love, he is very ordinary, just another ordinary person in the crowd.

How could such a person possibly be associated with Her Majesty the Queen?

People found it absurd and ridiculous, and yes, even he himself thought it was absurd and ridiculous.

“Mother, she is indeed very good, but she is not happy, she is very lonely,” Wenli said softly after a moment of hesitation.

She has a noble status, which allows her to become an envoy representing the Snow Kingdom. No one dares to neglect her. The reason she has this noble status is because she has a mother with an even more noble status.

If others were to speak privately about Her Majesty the Queen's unhappiness or displeasure today, it would be a highly disrespectful act, but as her daughter, she has the most right to speak on the matter.

"Lonely? She feels lonely too?" The blacksmith smiled softly, an expression rarely seen on his face, even though it used to be a common one. But this smile had a touch of absurdity to it.

“Although my mother never showed it in front of outsiders, when she was alone, I often saw her staring blankly at an ordinary bracelet,” Wenli continued.

"Does she still keep that thing?" The blacksmith seemed somewhat surprised.

“Yes, Mother takes it out often, and she keeps it very well,” Wenli said confidently.

"I thought she had thrown it away a long time ago." The blacksmith chuckled softly, this time his laugh was much more open.

“Mr. Gru, can you tell me about you and Mother?” Winry asked earnestly. She had a knot in her heart since she was a child, and now it was time to untie it.

“Well, Ash and I have known each other for a long time…” The blacksmith thought for a moment and began to recount his past with the woman who was once as gentle as the girl in front of him.

That's quite a long story!

At the same time, in the northern lands thousands of miles away, although it was already summer and most parts of the continent were experiencing hot weather, for the Snow Country, especially its capital city, Frost City, there was no summer; instead, it was a world covered in ice and snow all year round.

On the observation deck at the entrance of the Winter Palace, the most beautiful building in Frost City, someone was leaning against the railing, looking up at the southern sky. She was a middle-aged beauty, with no trace of time on her face. Her demeanor was noble and her status was dignified. Standing here, she seemed to merge with the entire world.

"What does the sky look like in the south? Come to think of it, it's been so many years since I've been to the south, I've forgotten what the sky looks like there." The beautiful woman sighed softly. She was never the kind of person who lived in the past, nor was she the kind of person who was sentimental, but she didn't know why, lately she kept thinking about things from the past.

“Your Majesty, the Mountain Kingdom has withdrawn its troops, and border traffic between the two countries has returned to normal. I believe Princess Wenli will be able to return soon. Princess Wenli is so young yet she has accomplished such a difficult task. Everyone in Frost City speaks highly of Princess Wenli.” A minister-like figure spoke respectfully beside her.

"Yes, she did a great job. I didn't expect her to complete this mission so well. This will help her build up her popularity and prevent her from being suppressed everywhere..." the beautiful woman nodded and said.

"Princess Wenli is so young, yet she already possesses the demeanor of His Majesty in his prime. This is truly a cause for celebration." The minister's words were not entirely flattery, after all, he had been following the woman before him for a very long time.

As for Princess Winry, he watched her grow up.

"She's still very young and has a long way to go. This is just a small amount of experience she's gained," the middle-aged woman said softly, shaking her head.

"Your Majesty, you are really harsh on Princess Wenli. To achieve this much at her age is already quite remarkable. Moreover, I heard that Princess Wenli's journey was not easy; she experienced many hardships and faced several life-or-death tests along the way." The minister was very kind, and his concern for Wenli was heartfelt.

"These are all paths she had to take, nothing to brag about. It's just that she's in Rock City, and I wonder if she's met that person yet." The middle-aged beauty sighed softly, a worried and complicated expression appearing on her face. This was very rare for someone in her position, at least for the minister, who hadn't seen her show such an expression for a very long time.

What was the last time His Majesty showed such an expression? The minister suddenly wondered.

Oh, right, it was around the time the late emperor passed away, wasn't it?

"Princess Winry will grow up, and one day you will take on the responsibilities you bear. I believe she will become a true queen," the minister said earnestly.

"I hope so. You may leave now; I am a little tired." The middle-aged beauty waved her hand, signaling the minister to leave, and the latter quickly withdrew from the Winter Palace.

"I just don't know if this is really the path she wants to take? I'm afraid not. My poor child, one day you will have to walk the same path as me. If I had a choice, I really wouldn't want it to be like this!" The middle-aged woman sighed deeply. She suddenly thought, what if she had made a different choice in that city surrounded by mountains many years ago? What would things be like now?

Only Heaven knows.

The moonlight poured down silently, and the morning stars stretched across the sky. It was a quiet night, both in the north and in the south.

As dawn broke, Wenli finally arrived at the blacksmith's shop. She didn't rush to leave but waited for something. Soon, a noisy commotion came from the second-floor attic of the blacksmith's shop.

"What did you say? You want me to leave Rock City?" Gruffy was very surprised by this news. She stared blankly at the man whose skin was dark from years of blacksmithing, but who was very strong, a man she should call her father.

“Yes, haven’t you always wanted to leave this place? Now the time has come to leave.” The blacksmith nodded and said earnestly.

"But, but I'm not ready yet. Weren't you against me leaving before? Why are you suddenly saying this now?" Grufi felt a little lost. Although he disliked the blacksmith shop a hundred times over, it was, after all, the place where she grew up, and it held too many memories for her.

.

650 embarked on the return journey

"Because the time hadn't come before, but now the time has come," the blacksmith explained from the side.

"Timing, hey, you think you can get rid of me with such a lame excuse? I'm not that easy to fool!" Grufi was very dissatisfied; clearly, this reason couldn't convince her.

"You...have you always wanted to know who your mother is and what she looks like?" Although the blacksmith was usually taciturn, he knew what his daughter's biggest wish had been since she was a child.

"But...but you've always refused to tell me, haven't you?" Grufi was extremely surprised. From childhood to adulthood, she didn't know how many times she had asked this question and investigated it, but she had never received a definite answer.

She once thought she would never know the answer to the question in her life, but now the blacksmith has brought this question, which should have been hidden in the dust of time, back to the forefront.

“If you want to know who your mother is, then go with her,” the blacksmith said softly.

"Her? Miss Winry? Isn't she going back to the Land of Snow?" Glofi knew about Winry's itinerary.

“Yes, go with her to the Land of Snow, and you will see your mother,” the blacksmith said confidently.

"But, but... what will you do if I leave?" Glofi was initially agitated, but she quickly realized the problem and asked after a moment of hesitation.

"Don't worry, we've been doing this all these years, haven't we?" The blacksmith smiled gently, his teeth were very white, and he smiled somewhat shyly.

“But…” At this moment, Grufi was very conflicted. When she was young, she always had two dreams: one was to leave the home where there was no other sound or warmth except for the cold sound of blacksmithing; the other was to find out who her mother was and find her.

Now that these two dreams have merged into one, and there is a possibility that it will soon be realized, she is somewhat hesitant.

"There are no 'buts'. Winry is waiting for you outside. Go on," the blacksmith urged.

“If I leave, who will cook for you? If I leave…” Grufi suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She lowered her voice and choked out the words.

"Go, go to where you belong, go, go..." The blacksmith waved his hand and walked down the stairs, suddenly looking somewhat old.

At the entrance of the blacksmith's shop, the boy leaned against the corner of the wall; he had been waiting there for a long time.

He was a very patient man, so while Winry was talking to the blacksmith, he waited outside without disturbing her. He had already figured out the whole story before Winry did, and although it was shocking, he knew it was the truth.

"Is this really okay? Taking Glofi back to Frost City, are you sure that's the life she wants?" Dure yawned slowly and asked softly.

“I don’t know what kind of life she wants. It all depends on her choices. Maybe she will choose to live an ordinary life in this ordinary place, or maybe she will choose to leave and live a new and different life.” Wenli was not very sure about the answer either, and shook her head as she spoke.

"So how much longer do we have to wait here?" Du Lei asked casually. In truth, this was someone else's family matter, and he didn't want to get too involved.

“I think it’s about time. Maybe she’s already made her decision… Let’s go.” Wenli thought for a moment, then looked back at the blacksmith shop and prepared to leave.

“Alright, let’s set off now and take the train back to the Land of Snow in two hours.” Dure nodded. They had already been delayed in the City of Rock for a long time, and it was time to return.

"I don't know when I'll be able to come back to this place, or when I'll be able to see them again," Wenli said, looking somewhat regretful.

"There will definitely be a chance to come back in the future, right?" Du Lei said in a somewhat uncertain tone. After all, the future was too far away, and no one knew what would happen.

"In the future? Who knows?" Wenli shook her head gently and turned to leave.

"Please wait a moment!" Just then, someone called out to her from behind. The voice came from the blacksmith's shop, and in fact, only the people working at the blacksmith's shop in the area knew her.

“Grufi, you…” Winry recognized the person who called her from behind and rushed over as none other than Grufi, the daughter of the blacksmith Gru.

"I've made up my mind!" Glofi said with absolute certainty, her fist clenched as she carried a bundle on her back.

"Decid what?" asked the boy next to him, who had his hands behind his head and a smug expression on his face.

"I've made up my mind. I'm going to Frost City with you!" The morning sun slowly rose into the sky, its rays shining down and illuminating her earnest and resolute face. Yes, she had made her decision. Although she did have many regrets in her heart, when she was still a toddler crying for her mother, everything that was happening now was destined.

With the end of the border standoff between the Mountain Country and the Snow Country, the previously interrupted transportation routes have been restored. This is great news for both countries, because the Mountain Country is a mountainous and relatively isolated country due to its geographical limitations. Although it has abundant mineral resources, it cannot convert them into gold coins.

The Snow Country has a much flatter terrain. Although the Snow Country does not produce resources and is relatively scarce in all aspects, it is rich in one type of mineral: gold.

If the Land of Mountains is a country sitting on a mining cart, then the Land of Snow is a country sitting on a gold mine.

When transportation between two countries is paralyzed, goods and materials cannot be exchanged normally. Whether one possesses iron ore or gold ore, it is useless if trade cannot be active.

Now that transportation routes have been restored, the railway line connecting the two countries is busy again. Large quantities of mineral resources are being loaded onto trains and are ready to be sent to the north. Moreover, it's not just these supplies; due to the war, the northerners who were stranded in the Mountain Country can finally return to their homeland. After all, if they were to return to the Snow Country by rail, it would only take three days. But if they were to use other means, it would be a long time coming, and who knows when they would be able to return to their homeland.

.

651 The journey has ended

During their journey, Dure and his group experienced firsthand the hardships of reaching Rock City using any means of transportation other than trains. Now that they had completed their mission and transportation routes had been restored, they were not foolish enough to return to Snow Country in the same way. In fact, they had already bought their return tickets long ago.

There were seven tickets in total. There were seven of them when they came, but there were eight tickets when they returned because there was one extra person. They asked General House to get the extra ticket.

Because transportation routes have been paralyzed for so long, there are too many merchants and passengers wanting to return to the north, and many people have been queuing for days without being able to buy a ticket.

But if General House were to come, it would be a different story. The railroad company sent them tickets immediately. Although General House was busy and couldn't come in person, she sent her trusted confidant, the boy named Gerald.

"Are you leaving? I really hope to see you again, after all, we still have a written test to finish." The boy said expressionlessly. On the day Dure stormed into the parliament building, General Shanlong blocked his way.

At that time, it was thanks to Gerald Dure that we were able to move forward. After dealing with Tamar, Gerald challenged Dure to a match. He was a very competitive person, and Dure readily agreed because he was also curious about what kind of person could defeat General Shanlong.

Unfortunately, they've been too busy with other things these past few days, and their competition hasn't been put on the agenda yet. Even now, as Dure is about to leave the country by train, the competition still hasn't happened.

"Yes, it's not finished yet, which is really a pity," Du Lei sighed. At this time, the train was about to depart, and many people on the platform were seeing off their relatives and friends. Many people hugged each other and cried, their words filled with reluctance to part.

"I hope you won't run away next time and will gladly accept my challenge," the boy said earnestly. He rarely took anything to heart, but a competition was undoubtedly an exception.

"Don't worry, I will keep our promise when we meet again," Du Lei said confidently.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh." The train sounded a long whistle, signaling its imminent departure.

The train staff urged the passengers to board quickly. One by one, the passengers entered the carriages, sat down in their seats, and could see their relatives and friends waving to them through the windows.

“Okay, that’s our agreement, and I trust you won’t break your word.” Gerald nodded as he watched Dure and his group board the train.

Soon the train slowly started moving and soon disappeared from people's sight.

The train has left and will be back soon, but when will those who have left return?

Gerald didn't know the answer, nor did Dure, and as for the blacksmith Gru, he was even less sure.

The train traveled along the fixed tracks, its mind preoccupied with the winding mountain road. After two weeks of continuous rain, the sky cleared, a clear blue, a rare treat. Although Du Lei and his group had traveled by train before, they had always worried about encountering unexpected situations, as they were being tracked at that time. Now that their mission was successfully completed, they were relieved of their psychological burden and could quietly enjoy their journey home.

The three-day journey passed quickly, and the train slowly entered Maple City. This was a midpoint station where the train would make a brief stop to allow passengers to board and alight before continuing to its final destination, Frost City.

Many passengers got off at Maple City, including Du Lei and Bai Ling.

"Although I knew this moment would come, it still feels a bit unsettling now that it's here," Leopard Tail said softly as he watched Du Lei and his companion disembark from the train.

"This is just one of many journeys we've already taken, and there's still a long way to go. If we have the chance in the future, we'll definitely meet again, right?" Kotetsu was much calmer, after all, with his experience, he had seen too many similar situations.

“Yes, I believe we will definitely meet again in the future, but I don’t know when…” Bee Sting had a strong premonition, but for some reason, the premonition was not particularly good. She thought, maybe it was just an illusion.