The most shameless alchemist in history

“I need to get to the front lines in Winter City immediately to discuss countermeasures against the Three Kingdoms Alliance with the generals there.” Wenli nodded. She didn’t hide her purpose and told Duree and his group. At this point, it was impossible to keep the secret any longer.

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741 Let's set off together

"Go to Winter City? But the trains to Winter City have been blocked, haven't they?" Tanya tilted her head and looked at Winry curiously. Winter City is a long distance from Winter Town, and with the current freezing weather and frequent blizzards, it would be very difficult to get to Winter City without a train.

"By the way, the blockade only applies to trains coming from the Swamp Country, but there are trains in Winter Town." Dure quickly remembered this. In fact, he noticed that a train was parked not far away, and a large number of guards were unloading supplies onto the train.

"A military train?" Liana also noticed the train carrying supplies. This train was specifically for transporting supplies to the Northern Army, and it ran once a day.

"This train will depart in twenty minutes and is expected to arrive in Winter City in fifteen hours. So, Dure, and you guys, would you like to come along?" Winry pointed to the military train and asked Dure and the others, her gaze sweeping around, which surprised Liana.

"Can we get on the train too?" Liana asked suspiciously. In her mind, she and Winry should have been mortal enemies, with completely opposite personalities and stances. Now that she had encountered Winry at the station, Liana thought that Winry had brought people to arrest her.

But to her surprise, Wenley not only didn't arrest her, but also invited her to ride on the military train. This greatly surprised Liana, who couldn't figure out what the woman in front of her was thinking, or whether she had some ulterior motive.

"If you're not getting on the bus, do you intend to run errands to Winter City? That would take a month or two, and only if you don't encounter a severe blizzard," Winry coldly retorted to Liana. Although she had extended the invitation herself, it didn't mean she was showing weakness or compromising.

“Miss Liana, she definitely has something on her mind. We must not fall for her tricks!” Doma looked at Wenli warily. He had a strong sense of suspicion and hostility towards the people of the North.

“You say I have ulterior motives? Do you know that with just one order, I can kill both of you on the spot? And not only you, but everyone in your entire Southern Front in Winter Town, I can send them to the gallows. Why do you think I would go to such lengths to have ulterior motives?” Wenli sneered as she asked Dorma, which stunned the latter.

"This..." Dorma didn't know how to refute her for a moment. Rationally speaking, he knew that what Wenli said was right, but emotionally speaking, it would be a great humiliation for him to believe the Northerners. He just couldn't do it.

“In that case, Wenli, you’ve really been a great help. Let’s get on the train quickly and get to your Winter City as soon as possible,” Dure said, stepping forward. He pointed in the direction of the military train and gestured for everyone to go over. Although the people present had different stances and many conflicts, they shared a common goal and destination.

"Let's all get in the car and set off quickly. We've already been delayed in Winterhold for so long, it's time to leave." Dr. Sarah noticed the slightly awkward atmosphere and stepped forward, saying with a smile.

“Okay, Doctor, let’s go!” Tanya said excitedly. She didn’t notice the strange looks on people’s faces, especially the complicated relationship between Liana, Winry and Dure. Liana asked Dure for his opinion with her eyes. After he nodded slightly, the group finally boarded the train and embarked on their journey to Winter City.

This was Du Lei's fourth time taking the train. The first time he took the train was right after he left Hot Spring Village. He was on the train from Maple City in Snow Eagle Town, and on the train, he met a boy named Bai Ye who loved reading.

Back then, he and Bai Ye got along very well. In his memory, Bai Ye was a shy guy. Now, more than eight or nine years have passed, and the boy should have grown into a young man. When Du Lei recalled when he first met Bai Ye on the train, he was filled with emotion because he was also a naive and ignorant boy back then.

His second train ride was when he escorted Winry and her party to the Mountain Kingdom. After completing their mission, he followed Winry back to Maple City from Rock City. They spent most of their time walking, but also took a small portion by train, which was driven by Dure himself. However, that experience was truly unbearable and a complete failure.

After Du Lei took the train for the second time, leaving Rock City and returning to Maple City, he met many people, gained a lot of knowledge, and also received a lot of experience, which greatly improved his abilities. Everything was going to develop in a good direction, but an accident happened when he took the train for the third time.

The third train he took was from Maple City to Winter City. He intended to go to Winter City to conduct a magic power assessment and also visit the Alchemist Association next door. However, he encountered a major problem when passing through the Abyss of Winter. He fell into the Abyss of Winter and slept for a full eight years.

It can be said that every time he takes the train, his life experiences undergo a significant transition. Now, he is taking the train for the fourth time, this time from Winter Town to Winter City. Interestingly, this journey is very similar to the one he took eight years ago, because Winter Town is the next stop after passing through the Abyss of Winter.

It's no exaggeration to say that he completed the journey he hadn't finished eight years ago. However, there are some differences compared to eight years ago. For example, eight years ago, he went to Winter City purely for evaluation.

However, this time there are many uncertainties, because the situation outside the Snow Kingdom has changed subtly. Now that the Three Kingdoms Alliance has sealed off the border of the Snow Kingdom, the Snow Kingdom is in a serious situation of external threat. However, the Southern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom have been unable to compromise, and the two sides have broken out into fierce conflict, which has reached the point of life and death.

This situation cast a shadow over his journey to Winter City, and he was uncertain about the future of the Snow Kingdom. All he could do was to contribute what he could.

"This year's snow... seems to be even heavier than in previous years." Du Lei was riding on a moving train, watching the snow falling continuously outside the window, the scenery outside the window quickly being left far behind.

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742 The City of Winter

As a military stronghold of the Snow Kingdom, Winter City has always been the gateway to Frost City, the capital of the Snow Kingdom. In times of peace, it is responsible for supplying various materials to Frost City, and multiple processing plants have been established here. Once war breaks out, it will be heavily armed and become a shield for Frost City. If Winter City falls, Frost City will be left without any defenses and completely exposed to the enemy's attacks.

Winter City is now facing such a situation. After eight years of civil war, the Southern Front has regained the upper hand. Forty thousand Southern troops are positioned on the south side of Winter City, confronting thirty thousand Northern troops. It should be noted that Snow Country, as a traditional power in the Northern Continent, could originally easily mobilize an army of one hundred thousand men. However, after a series of wars, the strength of the Northern army has been greatly reduced.

These 30,000 men were the last troops they could muster. Moreover, Frost City, which was behind Winter City, had already deployed all its forces except for the Queen's Guard, leaving the capital city quite vulnerable. This meant that if the Northern Kingdom was defeated in Winter City, Frost City would cease to exist, and the Snow Kingdom would complete the change of dynasty.

The train slowly arrived at the Winter City station. The once bustling city was now desolate. Although Winter City was still under the control of the Northern Kingdom, no one knew how long the Northern Kingdom's army could hold out. Most of the merchants in the city had fled, making the city seem empty, with very few pedestrians.

"We've finally arrived! It's snowing again, that's wonderful! Rhodes, let's go build a snowman!" Tanya was very excited to see the snowflakes falling from the sky after getting off the train. As a southerner, she rarely saw snow. She had been sick and hadn't had a chance to play properly. Now that she was finally back to normal, she definitely wanted to have a good time.

"Tanya, this isn't the time to play around, slow down!" Rhode called after her, but Tanya was too fast. She grabbed a clump of snow from the ground, rolled it into a ball, and threw it at Rhode. He couldn't dodge in time and was hit squarely in the face.

“We’re all leaving the Snow Country. If it’s not too late now, we’ll miss our chance. Rhodes, catch! Here I come again!” Tanya said with a grin. There was no sign of nervousness on her face. In a short period of time, she made snowballs and threw them at him one after another, having a great time.

"Tanya, you haven't fully recovered yet, so slow down. Besides, we'll be staying in Winter City for a few days, and we won't be able to leave anytime soon," Dr. Sarah called out to Tanya. He was at his wits' end with his lively and energetic student.

"Huh? Doctor, why do we have to wait a few more days? Didn't we say we could leave once we got to Winter City?" Tanya paused, stopping her snowball-making, and asked curiously.

“Tanya, have you forgotten? The Snow Kingdom is currently under complete lockdown, and we won’t be able to leave until the lockdown is lifted,” Rhode explained, brushing the snowflakes off his clothes.

"Blockade? Why would you blockade the Snow Country for no reason?" Tania asked, tilting her head, her face full of confusion.

“This problem…” Rod sighed, unsure how to explain it to her.

"Is this Winter City? Well then, Doctor, let's find a place to stay first." Dure walked behind, surveying the city he should have arrived in eight years ago. He looked at Dr. Sarah and suggested.

“Durey, I can arrange accommodations for you and Dr. Sarah’s group. Winter City isn’t safe right now, so it’s best to be careful,” Winry reminded him after hearing Durey’s words.

“Dure, didn’t you want to see…see so-and-so? I’ll take you to meet him.” Liana was about to say the name Mr. Grant, but she quickly noticed that the atmosphere around her was a little awkward because Winry was looking at her. They had just gotten off the train and left the station.

“Winry, and Liana, I’ll just take the Doctor and the others to find accommodations. I’ll come find you once everything is settled.” Dure looked at Liana, then at Winry. He knew that it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to go with either of them today, so he had no choice but to compromise and go with Dr. Sarah and the others.

“That’s fine then. I’ll go back to the meeting now. Dure, if you need to find me, go to headquarters and I’ll inform them.” Wenli nodded. Several officers were already waiting for her at the station. Judging from their flustered appearance, it was obvious that something big must have happened.

"Well, Dure, I have to go now. If you want to find me, go to the place I told you about." Liana also gave Dure a word of advice. With Wenli around, she wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal the location of their Southern Front's stronghold, since they were still at war and on different sides.

“Alright, then Winry and Liana, we’ll say goodbye for now.” After Dure nodded, he and Dr. Sara and her group left first. Tanya also greeted them, then looked at Liana curiously, and then at Winry. She wanted to say something, but Rhodes dragged her away.

"Rhodes, what are you doing? I still want to talk to them!" Tanya said reluctantly, by which time they had already walked away.

"Don't you have any sense? Why aren't you leaving now? What are you doing staying here? Honestly," Rhodes scolded her. Although he was a man, he was much more observant than Tanya and could see things that Tanya couldn't.

"What kind of insight do you have, Rhodes? What you're saying is so strange." Tanya was baffled, still blaming Rhodes for dragging her away in such a hurry.

"Can't you see that Miss Winry and Miss Liana have a lot of conflict between them?" Rhodes sighed and scolded her.

"What? Is this what you're talking about? Aren't Miss Winry and Miss Liana on opposing sides? One is the heir to the throne in the North, and the other is the second-in-command in the South. It would be strange if they didn't have conflicts and got along well. But then again, they've achieved so much at such a young age. That's really amazing!" Tania spoke with great admiration when she talked about Winry and Liana.

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743 Long-lost friends

“If things were just like that, it would be much easier, but… never mind, you wouldn’t understand with your barren brain anyway. Let’s find a place to stay first.” Rhodes wanted to explain further, but he quickly realized that it was completely unnecessary, because Tanya’s mind was full of eating, drinking and having fun, and she couldn’t possibly use it for anything worthwhile.

"Your brain is so barren, it's really annoying!" Tanya grumbled unhappily. At this moment, Dr. Dure and Dr. Sarah, who were walking ahead, had found a hotel. From the outside, it looked like a six-story building, which was much more impressive than the hotel they stayed in in Winter Town, but the environment was not as quiet.

"Alright, alright, you two should shut up. Aren't you afraid of making a fool of yourself in front of Brother Du Lei?" Dr. Sarah turned around and scolded them. He was quite helpless with these two students.

“No, that’s not true. Rhodes is steady and reliable, and Tanya is lively and adorable. Isn’t that fun? I originally thought I would have to part ways with you, Doctor, when we arrived in Winter City, but it seems we can stay together for a while longer. I can also take this opportunity to ask you some questions, Doctor. Please don’t find me annoying.” Dure walked into the inn and said with a smile while checking in. With the special pass that Bee Sting gave them, their check-in went very smoothly.

Due to the outbreak of war, the inn was not doing well. On the way to their room, the innkeeper complained and told them that many shops in Winter City had closed down and business was impossible. He said that he had only stayed in Winter City for so many years and was struggling to run the inn. He didn't know when the war would end.

"Guests, your rooms are the four side by side over here. You've only been here since Monday, and this is my second group of guests. Business is getting harder and harder these days, and I don't know how long I can stay open... Sigh... I'm sorry to have kept you grumbling for so long. If you need anything, just come downstairs to find me. Oh, by the way, Winter City is currently under lockdown; you can't go out at night." After his rant, the innkeeper solemnly reminded the guests.

"Understood, we'll let you know if anything happens... The second group of guests?" After seeing the innkeeper off, Du Lei quickly looked towards the stairs. He clearly sensed a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows, which made him very uncomfortable!

"Dure, what's wrong? Why do you look so suspicious?" Tanya noticed the change in Dure's expression and asked him in surprise.

"It's nothing, maybe I saw it wrong. It's alright, let's go back to our room and rest first, and we can come out for dinner later." Du Lei waved his hand and slowly withdrew his gaze. He had just arrived in Winter City, and the feeling of being stared at earlier might have been a mistake on his part.

Just after Du Lei's figure disappeared from the room, someone slowly went up to the fifth floor at the top of the stairs. It was a woman dressed in a black robe, completely wrapped in the robe and wearing a hood, making it impossible to see her face clearly.

Until she knocked on the door of a room on the fifth floor, someone opened the door. The person who opened the door was a young man who was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. He was strong and had a chiseled face. He was a very handsome young man with a lot of energy.

"Kelly, what's wrong? Why do you look so flustered? Could it be that someone's watching you?" The young man looked outside to make sure no one was following them, and asked nervously. They were going to Winter City in secret, so no one should know their whereabouts. But if their location was exposed and they got into trouble, that would be bad.

"No, Lance, I was very careful. No one was following me, so don't worry." The woman who entered the room took off her hood, finally revealing her appearance. She was about the same age as the young man, around twenty-four or twenty-five, but looked even younger. She glanced behind her, but by then the door had already closed.

"No one's following you? Then you..." The young man called Lance asked in surprise, because in his memory, Kelly had always been a very calm person. She shouldn't be so panicked. He had never seen her like this in the past few years, which made him very strange.

“Lance, I think I just saw someone…” Kelly didn’t want to talk about it, but after thinking about it carefully, she found it increasingly suspicious.

"Who is this person making such a fuss? This isn't like you, Kelly." Lance found it increasingly strange. Logically speaking, someone as composed as Kelly would never be so flustered. He really couldn't think of anyone who could make Kelly show such an expression.

“The person I just saw seemed to be… Dure…” Kelly said the long-lost name, even though she found it hard to believe.

"Ha, Kelly, what are you saying?" Lance seemed not to have heard her clearly and asked again.

“I mean, I think I saw Dure just now.” Kelly spoke slowly and clearly this time, which stunned Lance, who was unable to recover for a long time.

“Wait, Kelly, you mean… Dure? Which Dure?” Lance stammered, staring wide-eyed at Kelly. He was usually a very energetic and decisive person, but now he was very uneasy, his palms were sweaty, and he looked extremely nervous.

“Do you think we know several Dure? Of course, it’s our classmates from Maple Leaf Academy!” Kelly glared at him, this time she said with absolute certainty, but she paused when she said “Maple Leaf Academy”, because for her, it was a long-forgotten word, they had been away from Maple Leaf Academy for six years!

“But didn’t Dure fall into the Abyss of Winter eight years ago and die? Have you forgotten that we’ve gone to the Abyss of Winter several times to try and find him, but each time we were stopped by blizzards? And Teacher Nono said that the Abyss of Winter is where ice dragons dwell. If Dure fell in, there’s no way he could have survived.” Lance’s face was pale, and cold sweat dripped down his back as he looked at Kelly in astonishment.

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744 Action Plan

This was unbelievable to Lance. Although he found it hard to accept the fact that Dure had died, he had searched for him many times over the past eight years, but each time to no avail. With the passage of time, he had long since accepted this reality and stopped searching. But now he was being told that Dure was still alive, and that Kelly had just seen him. How could Lance accept this?

“I know that Dure has been dead for a long time and can’t possibly still exist in this world, so I must have been mistaken just now.” Kelly thought carefully. She recalled the glimpse she had seen when she went upstairs. That long-lost feeling was very familiar to her, but eight years had passed. Even if Dure was still alive, who knew what he would look like? People are always growing and changing. She was like that, Lance was like that, and Dure was probably the same.

"Oh, right, Kelly." Lance suddenly remembered something.

"What's wrong?" Kelly asked, looking at him. She had spent most of the past few years with Lance. Lance was usually very impulsive and decisive in his actions. In fact, he had made quite a name for himself over the years. But at this moment, Lance had a furrowed brow and a melancholy look on his face. Kelly had not seen Lance show such an expression in a long time.

"Speaking of which... when Dure had his accident, the place he was going to by train was Winter City, right?" Lance asked softly, recalling this incident.

“Yes, Dure left Maple City to go to Winter City for a ranking assessment, but an accident happened on the way.” Kelly nodded, confirming this. Compared to Lance, who was prone to impulsive actions, she was undoubtedly much calmer.

"Do you think Dure might still be alive in this world?" Lance asked softly. He usually wouldn't think so much, let alone have so many questions, but today was different from usual.

"Well... I don't know either." Kelly shook her head. She didn't want to lie to Lance, so she could only tell the truth.

"You know, Du Lei is such a capable person. He solved so many difficult problems. How could he leave because of a small accident? If he is still alive, why hasn't he appeared after eight years?" Lance was very puzzled and couldn't figure out the answer. Even though he wasn't good at thinking, he still recalled the scene when they first met at Maple Leaf Academy.

"Alright, Lance, don't think about that anymore. I must have been mistaken. Get some rest; we have very important things to do tomorrow." Kelly comforted Lance, then regretted telling him. It was a real blunder. As for the person she mistook for Dure... she shook her head gently, deciding not to think about it anymore. Holding onto hope always makes one sad and heartbroken. They had already been sad once eight years ago; did they have to go through that again eight years later?

Night fell silently over the quiet city. Even though everyone knew that a brutal war was about to break out, the city remained quiet. Snowflakes drifted down and accumulated on the windowsills. Everything was covered in white. Occasionally, you could see stray cats foraging for food on the snow through the windows. Even though they were shivering from the cold, they couldn't survive the long winter without food. They would just lie on the snowdrifts and eventually be covered by the snow.

Outside the city of Winter, the lights of the military camps twinkled. The army had been stationed there for three months. For the past three months, they had been confronting another military camp in the distance. Between the two armies was a narrow valley. Both the army of the Southern Kingdom and the army of the Northern Kingdom knew that the valley would be their burial ground, and their final battle would take place in the valley!

Even the soldiers had a premonition that war was about to break out, let alone the officers who had more intelligence. Even though it was late at night, a large number of senior officers were still gathered together for a meeting. However, this meeting was different from the past because two heavyweight figures were present.

These two people are: one is the second most powerful woman in the entire Snow Kingdom; even without the word "woman," she would still rank in the top five. Apart from her mother, who resides in Frost City and never leaves that cold palace, the other three are representatives of powerful families that have been rooted in the Snow Kingdom for hundreds of years. Of course, the ranking of these representatives will not change, but she will rise in the ranking as time goes by, eventually replacing her mother's position and firmly taking the first place.

The other person's identity is equally not to be underestimated. General Restia, as the commander of the Griffin Legion, holds a pivotal position in the military of the Snow Kingdom. In particular, her personal formidable martial prowess has forced countless men to submit to her. Her joint appearance with Winry indicates that the current standoff between the Southern Front Army and the Northern Army is about to come to an end.

"As you all have probably heard, the armies of the Land of Rain, the Land of Swamp, and the Land of Wind have joined forces to blockade the borders of our Land of Snow. What are your thoughts on this?" Wenli, the youngest woman in this military conference, scanned her surroundings with her cool gaze as she asked the senior officers present.

“These three countries, we previously reached Maple City and were about to completely wipe out the rebels of the Southern Front, but they came out to obstruct us. It was with their support that the Southern Front’s strength increased by leaps and bounds, becoming a major threat to our Snow Kingdom. Now they have once again deployed heavy troops on the border, which must be in response to those rebels and a demonstration. We must not back down!” an officer sternly rebuked.

"Can't we back down? General John is right, we can't back down even a step. So, does General John have any specific suggestions?" Wenley nodded slightly and continued to ask.