The most shameless alchemist in history

"Winter City? What a coincidence! Brother, I'm also going to Winter City. Looks like we can team up." Liata scratched his head and said with a smile. When he smiled, he had shallow dimples on his face, making him look very cute.

"I see." Dure nodded. He didn't continue talking to Liata, but instead focused intently on his book.

"Hey, bro, what book are you reading?" Liata was a restless person. Seeing that Dure ignored him, he glanced at the book in Dure's hand and asked curiously.

“They’re books about alchemy,” Dure replied. He didn’t usually like being disturbed while reading, but he wasn’t angry out of basic politeness.

"Alchemy? Is that the technique of turning stones into gold?" Liata asked.

"Turning stones into gold was just wishful thinking at the beginning. But as research deepened, people discovered that it was impossible to turn stones into gold. However, many interesting things were invented during the refining process, such as many precious potions and some special metal materials. People recorded the refining process and experimented and studied it repeatedly, eventually forming the systematic discipline of alchemy," Du Lei patiently explained.

"It sounds complicated, but I don't understand it at all. You smart people always like to do these complicated things. Don't you find it boring and tedious?" Liata said with his head drooping. He had been somewhat curious, but after Dure's words, that curiosity vanished.

"Research is a very interesting process. It's about creating something from nothing, gradually unveiling the mysteries of this world. Without research, we humans would still be in a primitive society, living in caves. It is thanks to the tireless scientific research that we have been able to conquer the sky and the sea step by step," Du Lei said calmly, his gaze fixed on the pages of the book, turning them one by one.

"I don't understand, I don't understand. This is far too complicated. As for things like unveiling the mysteries of the world, I'll leave them to you smart people. I really can't do it. Speaking of which, brother, you really are the second strangest person I've ever met," Liata said, waving his hand.

"The second one? What kind of person was the first one?" Dure asked curiously. He stopped, looked up at Liata, and asked him.

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674 North Country South Country

"The first one was a guy named Wales. He used to be very talented. He studied at the Imperial University and later joined the Imperial Academy of Sciences. After the Empire fell, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. He originally had the opportunity to avoid going to jail, but he was stubborn and insisted on serving his sentence. After he was released, many countries invited him to serve as a researcher, even a chief researcher position. What a great opportunity! So many people would kill for it, but he refused them all. As a result, he is now poor and miserable, unable to afford bread and ham, living in a dark and damp basement, yet he spends his days fantasizing about doing unrealistic research. What else could you call him but a weirdo?" Liata seemed to know Wales very well. He sighed and said slowly.

“Then he must be a person with firm beliefs and great ideals, worthy of admiration.” Dure listened attentively to Liatah’s words, and he had a very high opinion of the man named Welsh whom he had never met.

"Faith and ideals? They sound nice, but what's the point if you can't even get enough to eat?" Liata shook his head, disagreeing with Durei's words.

“No, people’s pursuits shouldn’t be as simple as filling their stomachs. There are too many mediocre people in this world, but only a few people drive the progress of an era. If you only want to fill your stomach every day, then the meaning of life will be bleak and unable to shine.” Du Lei insisted on his opinion. He had always admired those who painstakingly conducted research, because they were the ones who contributed to this era.

"Alright, alright, bro, I don't understand your lofty ideals. I'm so sleepy, I need to take a nap. Wake me up when we reach the final stop, yawn..." Liata waved his hand, not intending to continue the conversation with Durei on this topic. He yawned, lay down on the table, and fell asleep.

Soon, even snoring could be heard, showing that he was extremely tired.

"Fell asleep so quickly? Doesn't he have any wariness towards me, a stranger? Hmm? Something's not right." Dure was surprised that he could fall asleep so quickly, but just then, he noticed that Liata's right hand was always touching his chest, and from his angle, he could vaguely see half of a knife hilt. Clearly, this was a person who was highly vigilant even when sleeping.

Moreover, his sleeping posture suggests he is ready to escape and fight back at any moment. It's hard to imagine what kind of experiences and encounters have made him so wary of the outside world.

"I'll just keep reading my book and avoid unnecessary conflicts or trouble." Du Lei made up his mind and focused his attention back on the pages, continuing to read the chapters he hadn't finished yet.

Dure turned more and more pages of the book, while the scenery outside the train window grew darker and darker. Soon night fell. During this time, the train stopped several times, each time for new passengers to board. However, the journey to their final destination, Winter City, was still long, and they would not arrive until dusk the next day, assuming everything went smoothly.

The reason for adding the prefix "all is well" is that the railway line has been quite turbulent recently. This is not due to bad weather. For example, when Du Lei was traveling from Snow Eagle Town to Maple City, an accident occurred on the way. Due to the cold weather, the tracks were covered with snow, making it impossible to continue. The train had to stop to clear the snow, but when they stopped, they were met with a large number of snow wolves. Du Lei has a deep memory of that long night.

"Train Conductor Hank, you've been on duty here for quite a while now. Go and take a break. I'll take care of things here; there won't be any problems," a young staff member suggested as he approached Hank.

“Schürrle, this area has been rather unsettled lately. I’ve heard there are rebels around. Just to be on the safe side, I’d better keep an eye on things myself. Anyway, I can take a vacation after this trip,” said the train conductor, Tank, shaking his head. He was a very dedicated person when it came to his work.

"Taking a vacation? I heard that you have a very lovely daughter at home. Are you going back to spend this vacation with your daughter?" the train attendant named Schürrle said with a smile.

"Yes, I'm always on the railway and rarely go home. Now that I finally have a vacation, of course I want to spend quality time with her," Hank said with a smile. He's usually a very serious person, and only when he talks about his lovely daughter does a smile appear on his face.

"The Winter Bridge should be just ahead, right? Once we cross the Winter Bridge, we can cross the Frosty Winter Mountains. Even in summer, it's very cold here," another train conductor said, looking ahead.

"That's how the Land of Snow is. Only the southernmost Maple City has a better climate, where you can occasionally see the sun in the sky during the summer," Schürrle remarked.

"It's so annoying that the weather is always like this," a young staff member next to me complained.

“But this is our hometown,” Hank said softly.

At this point, the train had reached the Winter Bridge, an important bridge connecting the north and south of the Snow Country. The Snow Country's terrain is roughly divided into two parts by the Frost Mountain Range. North of the Frost Mountain Range, centered on Frost City, is the Northern Country. The Northern Country is cold, but it is famous for its brave and skilled warriors. Three of the Snow Country's four elite legions come from the Northern Country.

South of the Frosty Winter Mountains lies the Southern Kingdom. Although it occupies only a quarter of the Snow Kingdom's area, its population exceeds three-quarters. This is because, compared to the frigid Northern Kingdom, the Southern Kingdom has a more favorable climate and its land is not permafrost. It has abundant fertile land in the southeast corner and rich mineral deposits in the southwest corner. If the Northern Kingdom provides the country with powerful warriors, then the Southern Kingdom provides the army with supplies. Moreover, the Southern Kingdom is the economic and research center of the Snow Kingdom. In recent years, the Southern Kingdom has gradually gained the upper hand over the Northern Kingdom.

"Wait, what's going on up ahead? Why are there figures?" Just as the train was about to cross the Winter Bridge, Hank, the train conductor, suddenly noticed a flickering figure directly in front of him, which alerted him.

"Huh? Really? I didn't notice." Schürrle paused for a moment. He looked closely, but firstly, the night was hazy, and secondly, due to the terrain, the Bridge of Winter was located at a high altitude, and a thick fog spread at night, which greatly interfered with his vision.

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675 The Bridge of Winter

"Something's wrong ahead! Stop immediately!" Although Hank couldn't see clearly what was ahead, his years of experience on the railway had made him alert. He immediately shouted, signaling the mechanics to stop the train.

"Ah? I understand!" Schürrle immediately went to relay Hank's instructions.

And just then...

"Boom!"

In the darkness and fog, a violent explosion suddenly occurred in the middle of the Winter Bridge. A red light dispelled the fog, its crimson glow exceptionally glaring in the night. The train braked to a stop almost simultaneously, but even so, it continued to move forward a distance due to inertia, and the train body shook violently due to the impact of the explosion.

"What's going on? What happened?" The passengers in the carriage were thrown about by the explosion, and many of them bumped into the walls of the carriage. Someone immediately asked, the accident had come too suddenly.

"My God, look over there! The Bridge of Winter! The Bridge of Winter is broken!" Someone exclaimed in surprise. He had seen the scene clearly through the window. Although it was not very clear, the dark break was very obvious in the dim moonlight.

"How is that possible? The Winter Bridge is the only passage connecting the North and the South. The Snow Kingdom paid a great price to build the Winter Bridge. How could it break so easily?" Some people didn't believe it because they were very confident in the sturdiness of the Winter Bridge.

"It was an explosion! Someone planted a bomb on the Winter Bridge and blew it up!" Based on the loud bang, someone quickly came to a reasonable conclusion.

"What?! How dare they bomb the Winter Bridge?! Who is so bold? This is a serious crime!" This immediately caused an uproar among the passengers in the carriage.

"No need to think about it, it must be those rebels. They've recently launched several attacks, and many places have suffered. We just didn't expect it to be Winter Bridge's turn this time, and we've run into them." Some knowledgeable people directly pointed out the culprit that led them to their current predicament.

"Is it those guys who call themselves the Southern Front? Damn it, they really dare to do anything, even blow up the Winter Bridge. We're so unlucky to run into them." Someone sighed deeply. What bad luck!

At this moment, the train slowly came to a stop. All the passengers were discussing what had happened and worrying about the bleak future. Du Lei also closed his book after the train stopped, frowning with a bad feeling.

"Yawn... Bro, have we arrived in Winter City yet?" The person next to Dure, who had been sleeping on the table and snoring evenly, slowly yawned, stretched, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and asked with some confusion.

“We haven’t arrived in Winter City yet; we’re currently on the Winter Bridge,” Dure said, shaking his head, and told Liata where they were.

"What? We've only reached the Winter Bridge? That's still a long way off. We've only just crossed the Frosty Winter Mountains, and we haven't even finished half the journey yet." Liata was somewhat disappointed. He had originally thought that he would reach his destination after waking up, but now it seemed that this was not the case.

"But why did the train stop? I don't remember there being any stops near the Winter Bridge." Liata looked around and asked in surprise when he noticed the train had stopped. It was clear that he was very familiar with the route and knew which stations it would pass through.

"It seems there was some trouble along the way. The bridge ahead was blown up by gunpowder," Du Lei said truthfully. He opened the window and glanced outside. A cold wind howled in. His eyesight was good, and through the mountain mist, he could see a dark break in the middle of the bridge.

"What bridge was blown up? Who did this? How could they be so bold?" Liata, who had looked half-asleep, suddenly perked up and asked curiously.

"I heard it's an organization called the Southern Front. Have you heard of it?" Although Du Lei wasn't quite sure what the situation was, he had overheard the discussions of other passengers in the carriage and had gathered some clues.

“Southern Front? How could that be? We didn’t do this, we absolutely won’t take the blame.” Liata waved his hands repeatedly, denying Durei’s words.

"You guys?" Dure sensed something unusual in Liata's words and frowned as he asked in a low voice.

"Oops, I let it slip... Ah, I meant them, them! I've run into people from the Southern Front before, so I know them pretty well. They definitely wouldn't do something so stupid." Liata quickly covered his mouth, looking like he didn't know what to do. But he quickly came up with an excuse, blaming it on Dure for mishearing him.

"I see. So, according to Liata, you mean someone impersonated the Southern Front to do this?" Dure nodded. He didn't expose Liata directly, nor did he point out the flaws in his words. Instead, he continued to ask.

“This must have been done by the Snow Shadow Guard. The Snow Shadow Guard has always regarded us… no, I mean their Southern Front as a thorn in their side, trying every means to provoke conflict. Now that they’ve blown up the Winter Bridge, isn’t that the perfect fuse?” Liata said with great certainty.

"Snow Shadow Guard? What is that?" Du Lei frowned. He had never even heard of the Southern Front before, let alone the Snow Shadow Guard.

"Hey bro, you're not a local from the Snow Country, are you? You've never even heard of the Snow Shadow Guard." Liata looked at Dure with surprise and asked.

“Yes, I just came from the Land of Mountains and I’m not very familiar with the situation in the Land of Snow.” Dure thought for a moment and then nodded. He didn’t tell Liata that he came from Maple City, since Liata was hiding something from him, as could be seen from what happened on the Southern Front. He wouldn’t tell Liata everything.

"So that's how it is. No wonder. Brother, since you helped me earlier, I'll tell you. The Snow Shadow Guard is directly under the Ice Queen's command. They not only hold a high position in the Snow Kingdom and only obey the Queen's orders, but all members are top-notch magic users, extremely powerful!" Although Liata had a great prejudice against the Snow Shadow Guard, he still gave a very objective assessment of their strength.

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676 Southern Front

"A guard that only obeys the Queen's orders? What about the Southern Front? What kind of organization is that?" Dure nodded, then asked.

“Brother, you’ve come to the right person. The Southern Front is a civilian organization formed by a group of people with aspirations to protect the interests of our Southern Kingdom. Our goal is to turn our homeland into a free, new, and beautiful country!” Liata said with great enthusiasm. He had endless things to say about the Southern Front and was exceptionally energetic, with all his previous sleepiness gone.

"Our goal?" Dure asked, repeating what Liata had just said, his voice filled with confusion.

"Uh... Oops, I seem to have gotten a little carried away. Um, did I say that, bro?" Liata immediately put on a smiling face, waving his hands and chuckling awkwardly.

"Yes, I heard it clearly, I definitely didn't mishear it," Du Lei nodded and said with certainty.

“Brother, sorry, sorry. I got really into what I was saying. I was just repeating exactly what my friend told me. You know he’s with the Southern Front, so it’s understandable that he got a little excited when he talked about it. But I’m not like that. You can tell I don’t look like someone who would join the Southern Front, right?” Liata scratched his head and laughed as he spoke.

“I see, I understand now. So I want to know, what is the fundamental conflict between the Southern Front and the Snow Shadow Guard?” Dure nodded. He wasn’t curious whether Liata was a member of the Southern Front or not; he was interested in the relationship between the Southern Front and the Snow Shadow Guard.

"Change." Liata's previously excited emotions calmed down immediately, and after thinking for a while, he gave this answer.

"Change?" Dure chewed on the word. He waited for Liata to finish speaking, because he knew that Liata had thought about it for so long, and it was impossible for her to just say these two simple words.

“Yes, change. Actually, our fundamental disagreement lies in the fact that the Snow Shadow Guard, which is also the Queen behind it, wants to maintain the status quo and preserve her rule. But brother, you also have to know that times are changing. New things appear every day. Look, for example, decades ago there were no trains on this land. To get somewhere, you had to walk or take a horse-drawn carriage. It's not as convenient as it is now. Even in faraway places, you can sit still and get to where you want to go in less than two days. And what's appearing is not only new things and new phenomena, but also new ideas.” Liata said seriously. In Dure's memory, since he met Liata, he had always been outgoing and cheerful, and he rarely saw him so serious.

“New ideas? There has indeed been a wave of freedom recently, which is getting stronger in the south of the continent, but I didn’t expect this wave to spread to the land of the Snow Kingdom.” Dure nodded. After returning to Maple Leaf Academy, he read many books, including many newly published ones about new ideas.

"The people have lived in ignorance for far too long. Generations have toiled on this land, yet they have not received the corresponding rights. This is unfair and must be corrected and changed!" Lyat said resolutely, his eyes shining brightly.

“I see. But since you’re fighting for the interests of all the people of the Snow Kingdom, why do you insist on calling it the Southern Front? Isn’t that too narrow-minded?” Dure nodded and continued to ask.

“That’s because we… ah, no, brother, wrong, wrong, not us, it’s them.” Liata was about to say something passionate, but he quickly realized something was wrong and immediately changed his words.

“Alright, alright, it’s them, not you. Why do you have to call it the Southern Front?” Du Lei corrected and asked.

"Because the Snow Country is currently facing a very serious situation," Liat said with some helplessness.

"What's going on?" Du Lei realized that he had been at Maple Leaf Academy for so long, but he didn't even know much about the layout of the Snow Kingdom.

"It's about the situation in the North and South. The North has a harsh climate, barren land, and a sparse population, but these people are all top-notch warriors. They form the most elite army in our Snow Kingdom," Liata explained.

“I do know a little about this. With the Frosty Winter Mountains as the boundary, the Southern Kingdom has a warm climate, fertile land, dense population, and developed industry and commerce. It is the industrial and economic zone of the Snow Kingdom and controls most of the Snow Kingdom’s wealth and food,” Du Lei nodded and said.

“But brother, do you know this? Eighty percent of the wealth of the entire Snow Kingdom comes from the Southern Kingdom, and ninety percent of its food comes from the Southern Kingdom. Yet, the nobles with status in the Snow Kingdom are all from the Northern Kingdom. We Southern Kingdom people don’t enjoy the corresponding rights at all,” Liata said indignantly.

"In other words, the imbalance between contribution and rights led to the division between the Southern and Northern Kingdoms. The Northern Kingdom believed that they were traditional nobles and deserved all rights. It was only natural for the Southern Kingdom to provide them with wealth and food. This had been the case for hundreds of years in the history of the Snow Kingdom. However, with the emergence of new ideas, enlightened people in the Southern Kingdom wanted to change this situation and thus formed the Southern Front, right?" Dure organized what Liata had said, went over his thoughts again, and came to this conclusion.

“That’s right, that’s exactly how it is in the Land of Snow.” Liata nodded, clearly agreeing.

"So how does the Southern Front counter the Snow Shadow Guard? Is it by creating attacks in various places to demonstrate its military might?" Du Lei continued to ask.

“No, that’s not how it is. We… uh… no, their initial approach was simply to make demands through legal channels, hoping that the people of the South would enjoy equal rights with those of the North. However, the reaction from the North was extremely strong. They sent the Snow Shadow Guard to suppress them and arrested many important figures in the South’s front.” Liata said solemnly.

“For the people of the North, they have held power for hundreds of years. Now that someone has suddenly stepped forward to share their power, they will naturally be very resistant and suppress them. So what happened next?” Dure nodded. He could completely understand this point and asked again.

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677 Rebels

"Later, the radicals in the Southern Front attempted to break into the prison to rescue the important figures who had been arrested, resulting in a conflict with the Snow Shadow Guard. As a result, the people were not rescued, and the Northern Front, enraged, executed the arrested prisoners." Liata clenched his fists as he spoke, his emotions becoming somewhat agitated, and his voice trembling.