The most shameless alchemist in history

"As for the specific suggestion... we must resolutely resist their illegal acts and defeat them in the Valley of Winter!" General John said sternly, full of momentum.

"Defeat them? Then, General John, what are the specific methods for defeating the Southern Front army? Is there a feasible plan?" Wenley continued to ask.

"This... we are currently planning a solution," General John said hesitantly, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

"So, there's no concrete plan at the moment?" Wenli asked coldly.

“Currently… there isn’t one.” General John paused, then shook his head.

()

Meeting at 745 Tavern

“Since there isn’t one, General John, please sit down. We’re holding this military meeting today to resolve issues, not to chat.” Winry stared coldly at General John, who sat down in shame.

"Since no one wants to speak, then I will. We in the North are currently facing a serious crisis." After a dozen seconds of silence, Wen Li broke the tense atmosphere.

While a military conference was being held at the headquarters of the Northern Army in Winter City, in a dark little tavern in Winter City, the last drunken customer was seen off. Most of the people who came here to drink were guards from the city, and they all knew that the final battle was about to begin.

Their leisure time was running out. Having just received their wages, they squandered them and indulged in drinking, since no one knew if they would have a tomorrow. The married guards sent all their wages home and wrote letters, while the unmarried guards left only a lonely figure under the dim light.

After everyone left the tavern, the once-popular establishment finally closed its doors. The owner was cleaning up the mess when someone knocked on the door again. Normally, no one would come to the tavern for a drink at this time.

But the boss stopped what he was doing. He cautiously peeked through the crack in the door to confirm the identity of the person knocking, and then secretly opened the door to let the person in. He opened the door several times in total.

This means that several groups of people entered the tavern late at night. However, despite so many people entering, the main hall remained empty. This was not because these people had disappeared into thin air, but because they had quietly gone to the tavern's basement.

Typically, the basements of pubs are used to store various beers, malt spirits, and wines. However, behind the beer storage room, there is a hidden room that is rarely used. It is usually only used in very special circumstances, such as when a meeting is needed.

At this moment, a meeting was being held in the room. There were quite a few people attending, more than a dozen. If the officers from the Northern Kingdom were to see this scene, they would probably be overjoyed, because these dozen or so people were almost all wanted criminals by the Snow Kingdom, and they also had one thing in common.

They are all core members of the Southern Front. If all of them were arrested, it would be a heavy blow to the Southern Front. However, these people are elusive and can be captured without a trace. If they were so easy to catch, how could the civil war in the Snow Country have lasted for eight years?

"Mr. Grant, what exactly is going on? Why are the Three Kingdoms Alliance joining forces to block the borders of our Snow Kingdom? Aren't they supposed to be our staunch allies?"

Once everyone at the meeting had arrived, Liana, whose bounty was second on the Snow Country wanted list, immediately raised her question. She had learned of the news while she was still in Winter Town and then rushed back to Winter City, eager to confirm it with Grant.

“Yes, these three countries, plus the Mountain Kingdom, have always been steadfast in their support for us and helped us conquer Winter City step by step. But now they have suddenly deployed heavy troops on the border without informing us in advance. We only found out about it through the newspapers. What is going on? What are they planning?” Another middle-aged man also raised questions. They were all high-ranking members of the Southern Front, but as things stand, apart from Mr. Grant, none of the others knew the ins and outs of the matter.

Dozens of eyes were fixed on Grant, awaiting his response. As the leader of the Southern Front, Grant had single-handedly founded this resistance organization and gradually transformed it from an unknown small group that was being routed by the Northern forces into one capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Northern army and even showing signs of defeating and replacing the Northern forces. It could be said that he had a high level of prestige, and people placed unparalleled trust in him. But what was happening now was not in their plans.

"I understand everyone's concerns. Actually, I knew about this matter, but I kept it a secret in order to keep the news from the Northern Kingdom. Now that everyone is here, I will tell you the whole story so that you don't have to worry."

Faced with questions from many core members, Grant calmly replied that he had always been a very composed person. Even when the Southern Front was driven to Maple City by the Northern Army and surrounded, he calmly sought outside help, lifted the siege, and launched a counterattack step by step. This was enough to prove that he was a very resourceful and strategic person.

“Mr. Grant, please tell us what’s going on. Is this the result of your discussions with the Three Kingdoms Alliance? But why didn’t the Mountain Kingdom join?” Liana asked immediately, because initially, it was not the Three Kingdoms Alliance that supported them, but the Four Kingdoms Alliance.

Besides the Land of Wind, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Swamp, the Land of Mountains in the south is also included. However, only the first three countries are currently submerged on the border, not the Land of Mountains, which makes Liana very strange.

There were all sorts of rumors surrounding this situation. Some said that the Four Nations Alliance had begun to split due to internal disagreements, while others said that a major event had occurred within the Mountain Kingdom, forcing it to withdraw. There were many conflicting opinions, and no clear conclusion was reached, which left Liana feeling very confused.

"The Three Kingdoms Alliance has sealed off the border to put pressure on the North, to help us defeat the North and establish a new, free nation. Given the current situation, the North won't last much longer. Only if we all work together can we win this war in at most half a month and achieve final victory," Mr. Grant said with great certainty. His face radiated confidence and composure, and his gaze was resolute and piercing.

"Oh, I see. People are saying that the Three Kingdoms Alliance is going to deal with our Snow Country and dismantle it. There are all sorts of rumors, which really startled me. But now that you've said it, Mr. Grant, I feel relieved." The middle-aged man who had raised the question earlier nodded. He trusted Grant completely, and now that he had received a definite answer from Grant, he relaxed.

()

746 had no choice but to fight.

“But, Mr. Grant…” Liana hesitated. Although Grant had given an affirmative answer, she still felt that something was not quite right. This feeling had become stronger since she returned to Winter City. Although it was not right, she always felt that Grant was hiding something from them and had not told them the whole truth.

"What's wrong? Liana, is there a problem?" Grant turned his gaze to the deputy he had personally trained. Liana was the daughter of his deceased friend, and he had taken good care of her over the years.

At first, he disagreed with Liana's participation in the activities of the Southern Front, but the latter was very stubborn and secretly participated in many activities, and completed very difficult tasks excellently. This made him look at Liana with new eyes and agree to let her join the Southern Front.

Over the past eight years, Liana has grown from an unknown figure to the number two on the Southern Front. This is partly due to Grant's support, but more importantly, it is a concrete manifestation of Liana's own abilities.

"No, there's nothing wrong." Liana shook her head gently, not raising her question, because she recalled what Dure had said to her in the carriage on her way back to Winter City from Winter Town.

"Alright, let's wrap up the meeting here. Liana, you must have had a tough time in Winterhold. I heard some things; you suffered a great setback there. But that's okay. Failure is the mother of success. As long as you learn from your failures, it will still be very rewarding for you." Grant patted Liana on the shoulder, comforting her.

"There's nothing hard about it. It's all because of my poor performance that the organization suffered such losses, almost ruining Mr. Thomson's hard work." Liana said with some guilt. Although the responsibility was not actually on her shoulders, at that time she was the person with the highest authority in the Southern Front in Winter Town, and she had to take responsibility for what happened.

“Well, it’s not your fault. I’ve worked with Thomson for over ten years, and I know him very well. Alright, let’s put the Wintertown matter behind us for now. Don’t think about it. Now we need to focus on the battle on the front lines in Winter City,” Grant comforted her.

"Mr. Grant, is this war... really necessary?" Liana hesitated for a moment, but still asked the question. On the way back, she thought about it over and over again, but she still couldn't come up with a definite answer.

“We have to fight now that we’ve come this far, otherwise what has all we’ve done so far been for? Liana, what’s wrong with you? Ever since we came back from Winterhold, you’ve been in a daze, like you’ve become a different person.” Grant looked at Liana with surprise and asked softly.

"It's nothing. I guess I haven't been sleeping well lately and I'm a little stressed. I'm very sorry, Mr. Grant, I couldn't even handle such a small matter properly." Liana waved her hand and said apologetically again.

"Then go back and get some rest. We'll prepare for two more days, and then we'll have an important operation." Grant gently patted her shoulder, signaling her to go back and rest. By this time, the other key members of the meeting had all left one after another, leaving only him and Liana in the room.

“Understood, Mr. Grant… By the way, may I introduce you to a friend? He’s a very capable person.” As Liana was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask.

“Liana, is he your friend? Sure, I’d love to get to know your friend. Bring him along next time we meet.” Grant nodded, agreeing to the arrangement.

After Liana nodded gently, she said goodbye to Grant and left. Before leaving, she turned back to look at Grant. For the past eight years, she had never doubted Grant and always regarded him as a respectable person like a father. But now, looking at him again, she felt that something was not quite right.

The snow fell silently, blanketing every corner of the city. It landed on the rooftops, quickly piling up into a white layer, and even settled on the brims of the patrolling soldiers' hats. On the fourth floor of the inn, Dure looked down at the snow falling into his room.

For someone who grew up in the snow-capped mountains, such snow was nothing new and nothing to be surprised about. Moreover, he had been asleep in the Abyss of Winter for eight years, and compared to the ice storms of the Abyss of Winter, this level of snow was obviously insignificant.

"Winter City? After eight years, I've returned to this destination. I wonder how those familiar faces from eight years ago are doing. But... at least I saw Winry and Liana, though their positions are somewhat different."

While reflecting on the situation, Dure went through the whole story. After all, the Snow Kingdom was in a very difficult situation. Although Winry and Miss Liana had different positions, neither of them wanted the Snow Kingdom to fall into disarray or even be completely destroyed.

“There are many things to do in Winter City this time, but the first thing… is still to finish the unfinished business from eight years ago. I need to go to the Magic Power Association first.” Dure looked out the window, and through the white snow, he could see the tower-like building in the distance.

That was the location of the Winter City branch of the Magic Power Association. He had already inquired about it beforehand and knew that the Magic Power Association still existed; otherwise, he would have made a wasted trip.

The snow fell silently, and perhaps only at this moment was the world quiet. The next morning, a thick layer of snow had already piled up outside the hotel. People who went out early were wearing thick clothes, and playful children had already started building snowmen.

The hotel owner's son had two children sitting in the courtyard. The hotel guests all got up very early. When two guests staying on the fifth floor came downstairs and passed the bar, the hotel owner greeted them.

"Good morning, guests. Are you up so early too? Breakfast isn't ready yet." The innkeeper waved to them. The inn was responsible for providing guests with three meals a day, and it wasn't time for breakfast yet; it was barely dawn.

"Huh? There are people who were here even earlier than us? Who?" The male of the two guests asked in surprise. He was still yawning and looked like he hadn't woken up yet. If Kelly hadn't insisted on pulling him up, he would have liked to sleep a little longer. Hearing the innkeeper say this, he felt a little strange.

()

747 Magic Power Association

"That's the guest on the fourth floor. He just went out a little while ago. I really admire you for getting up so early in this cold weather." The innkeeper pointed to the doorway, where there was still a line of shallow footprints in the snow.

"The guest on the fourth floor? Is it that person who's about this tall and has an Asian face? By the way, boss, do you know his name?" Kelly couldn't help but ask another question. She was really worried. She had only caught a quick glimpse of him yesterday and hadn't seen him very clearly.

"Name? I'm not quite sure, I think it's Rod or something like that?" The innkeeper thought for a moment, then quickly shook his head, giving an ambiguous answer.

“Rhodes? That doesn’t look like Dure. Let’s go, Lance, we still have errands to run.” Kelly nodded thoughtfully. Yesterday she had only had some doubts, but now that the innkeeper had said this, her concerns were dispelled.

Lance looked somewhat disappointed. Urged on by Kelly, the two left the inn and disappeared into the snow, leaving only two sets of footprints, one deep and one shallow, in the snow.

"Oh, I remember now, that guest wasn't called Rod. Rod is someone else's name. I heard his companion call him Dure. That's right, Dure... Huh, are they already far away?" The innkeeper thought carefully and quickly remembered the real name, but by then Kelly and Lance had long since gone and couldn't hear him anymore.

The first to leave the hotel was naturally Du Lei. He went to the Magic Power Association early. For some reason, he couldn't sleep all night. He was probably thinking that he had finally caught up with the footsteps of eight years ago, which made him feel a little emotional and a little lost.

He didn't know where this sense of bewilderment came from. The only thing he was certain of was that he wanted to get to the Magic Power Association as soon as possible and finish what he hadn't been able to do eight years ago. That would at least put his mind at ease.

"Hello, welcome! How can I help you?" Du Lei had been waiting at the entrance of the Magic Power Association for about half an hour. When the association opened, he went inside and was greeted warmly by a cute girl dressed as a maid, which startled Du Lei.

"Um... I'm here for a level assessment," Du Lei said cautiously. The girl's attitude made him feel that she wasn't here to take an exam, but rather to inspect the work.

"I see. Please wait a moment, I'll register you right away." The enthusiastic girl nodded. She was wearing cat ears and waved for Dure to wait. At this moment, a young woman dressed in a maid outfit, but with rabbit ears, came over carrying a tray with drinks on it.

"Your attitude... has it always been this enthusiastic?" Du Lei asked somewhat nervously, because the treatment he received here was quite different from what he had heard before. He clearly remembered that others had told him that the Magic Power Association had an extremely bad attitude and that he should be prepared to swallow his anger. However, the treatment he received in reality was many times better than the rumors.

"Well, it wasn't like this before. I heard that the seniors were quite rough in their work and often got complaints. But things started to change after I started working at the Magic Power Association." The cute maid answered Durei's questions earnestly while processing the registration.

"A change has begun? Why?" Du Lei was taken aback. It seemed that the change in the service attitude of the Magic Power Association had occurred in the last two years, since this girl looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, and her working hours could not possibly be very long.

"Because after Vice President Grenier took office, he carried out sweeping reforms. He introduced a lot of regulations, requiring our Magic Power Association to have an excellent service attitude. He also said that customers are God, and we must treat everyone who comes to the Magic Power Association as God. If we receive a complaint, we will have our salary deducted. By the way, may I ask what your name is and which academy you graduated from?" the girl explained patiently.

“Vice President Grenier?” Dure was taken aback when he heard the name. He was familiar with the name; it was the name of that unreliable guy who called him brother!

“Yes, although Vice President Grenier is very young, he is energetic and very motivated. Although he has only been in office for two years, he has already introduced a lot of effective measures and plans. He is very popular in the Magic Power Association!” The girl nodded and said seriously.

"This is really... Grenier has actually become the vice president of the Magic Power Association? By the way, how many people named Grenier are there in your Magic Power Association?" Dure was very incredulous. Eight years had passed, and he never expected Grenier to have climbed to such a high position. However, he still couldn't quite believe it and asked again.

"Naturally, only Vice President Grenier has this name within our association. Sir, do you know our Vice President?" the lovely girl asked with a smile.

"So it really is that guy? Well... let's just say we know each other. By the way, what did you ask me just now?" Dure brushed it off. You really can't judge a book by its cover. Even Grenier has become the vice president, but what about him?

"I just asked for your name, age, and the college you graduated from," the cute girl with cat ears repeated, asking very patiently.

"Oh, my name is Du Lei, and my age... I should be twenty-two this year. As for the college I graduated from, let's just say... Maple Leaf College." Du Lei gave his information. Although he did not graduate from Maple Leaf College, he had only stayed there, so it didn't matter if he listed Maple Leaf College here.

"Oh, sir, you actually came from Maple Leaf Academy? That's quite surprising!" The girl looked at Du Lei with surprise, her eyes sparkling, clearly giving him high praise.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Du Lei asked somewhat nervously. After all, he hadn't graduated smoothly, and eight years had passed, leaving too many uncertainties.

"There's no problem. It's just that Maple Leaf Academy is very famous, and many outstanding individuals have emerged in recent years. They are all graduates of Maple Leaf Academy. Mr. Du Lei must know them, right?" the girl said with a kind smile.

()

748 Preparation Venue

"Is that so? They are really amazing. May I ask what I need to do to get a level assessment?" Du Lei said vaguely. He felt bad after hearing this, because others had already made a name for themselves in the Snow Kingdom and even the continent, while he was still unknown. Moreover, he had wasted eight years of his life due to an accident, which made him feel ashamed and very unwilling.

“Alright, I’ve completed the registration. Mr. Du Lei, please wait in the rest area for half an hour. After half an hour, when everyone who is going to be evaluated today arrives, you can all be evaluated together. This will not only enhance the relationship between magic users and allow you to make new friends, but it will also make our work more efficient. I hope you can understand.” The girl said earnestly and handed Du Lei a number tag with the number “1” on it, indicating that he was number one and the first person to arrive at the Magic User Association for evaluation today.

"Half an hour? Understood, I'll go wait there now." Du Lei nodded slightly and headed towards the rest area. The Magic Power Association was very grandly decorated, with many photos posted on the walls. Some of them were of the Magic Power Association's internal officials, and others were of outstanding Magic Power users from history.

"That guy... it really is Grenier? I didn't expect him to look so respectable." Dure saw Grenier in these photos when he went to the rest area, which confirmed the news that he had become the vice president of the Magic Power Association. This really made Dure feel a lot of emotions.

Even someone who was so unreliable eight years ago is now doing very well. Time is truly a terrifying thing. Just thinking about this makes Du Lei feel uneasy. Eight years ago, he practiced desperately every day, afraid of wasting a single day. But what was the result? He lost more than two thousand days. This is extremely painful.

"Mr. Dure, Mr. Dure?" Just as Dure was lost in thought, someone woke him up. Dure realized that he had just lost his composure and immediately looked over. It was the cute cat-eared girl who had helped him with the registration at the front desk earlier.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought just now. Is there anything I can help you with?" Du Lei said apologetically. He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that half an hour had already passed.

"It's alright, Mr. Dure. I just wanted to remind you that it's time for the level test. Please come with me to the venue." The girl gently shook her head. She didn't mind Dure's distraction. In fact, she was becoming more and more curious about this Mr. Dure from Maple Leaf Academy, because in the past two years, Maple Leaf Academy's reputation had become so great. Whether it was Sterling or Roland, those were resounding names that inspired awe.

"Understood, then thank you for your trouble, lovely lady. By the way, what's your name?" Du Lei nodded and followed the cat-eared girl forward. She was wearing a short skirt and walked briskly, which impressed Du Lei. She was dressed like this even in such cold weather, which was truly the ultimate in being dedicated to her duties.

"Mr. Dure, you really know how to talk and make girls happy. My name is Freya, and I was transferred from the Cloud Kingdom. Please come this way; we'll be arriving at the main venue for the ranking assessment soon." The girl said her name and led Dure through a crystal-paved corridor.

This was enough to show that the Magic Power Association was rich and powerful. Not everyone could afford such a display. Soon, Frena led Dure into a room. At first, Dure didn't think much of it. Although the Magic Power Association was decorated lavishly, it was still within his acceptable range. After all, he had seen a bit of the world. But soon after entering the room, he was still surprised.

Because this room is so huge, it's practically a giant arena. The layout is low in the middle and high around the edges, forming a bowl shape. It's supported by huge stone pillars at each corner, and the interior is divided into four floors, allowing you to find the best viewing angle from different floors to see the center of the bowl-shaped arena.