The most shameless alchemist in history

756 Who are you talking about?

“In that case, come with me,” the black cat continued, gesturing for Dure to follow, but it remained motionless.

"Then where should I go with you?" Du Lei stood there for a while, but the black cat didn't move, which left him completely confused.

"Meow." The black cat suddenly meowed, which made Du Lei even more confused.

"What did you say? Speak louder, I didn't hear you," he asked weakly, having momentarily thought he had misheard.

"Meow!" The black cat meowed again, which made Du Lei even more confused. He thought there was something wrong with his hearing, because the black cat had clearly spoken human language just now. How could it be meowing like an ordinary cat now?

"Young man, what are you saying to my cat over there? I'm right here." Just then, the old voice appeared again, and without warning, it appeared behind Dure. Dure instinctively turned his head to look.

Soon, a wrinkled old face appeared behind him. An old woman was carrying a lamp, and her face looked especially withered and frightening in the light. This made Du Lei stumble and almost fall to the ground!

"Huh? The one who was talking to me just now wasn't a cat, it was...you?" Du Lei was startled. He had been talking to the black cat for a long time and he had always thought that the voice was coming from the black cat. But now he realized that the voice was coming from the old woman behind him. What was most shocking was that he had never noticed how the old woman appeared behind him. This was what shocked him the most.

"Young man, are you out of your mind? How can a cat talk?" The old woman looked Dure up and down and said disdainfully.

"Well... that makes some sense. Cats can't talk, hehehehe..." Du Lei scratched his head, feeling quite embarrassed. He hadn't even realized that cats couldn't talk, and had been talking about it for a while.

"Then come with me." The old woman was hunched over. She waved her hand, signaling Du Lei to follow her up the stairs to the second floor.

"What?" Du Lei was stunned, not understanding what she meant.

"Weren't you here for an alchemy level assessment? The test is on the second floor." The old woman pointed to the second floor and said. By this time, she had already reached the stairs. When she turned around, her eyes were exceptionally ferocious and terrifying. At the same time, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck outside the window, making Du Lei tremble.

"What's wrong? You're not going? Are you giving up?" the old woman asked again when she saw that Du Lei was unmoved.

"No, no, no, we haven't given up, let's go." Du Lei swallowed hard and waved his hand. He followed the old woman up the stairs. When he passed the corner of the stairs, something poked him. He glanced over and saw a pale skeleton staring straight at him, which almost made him fall down the stairs.

"Young man, are you really alright?" the old woman asked again. Her wrinkled face resembled dry old tree bark, and her voice was hoarse like an owl's, which made Du Lei's heart leap into his throat.

"No, no problem. Madam, are you all alone here?" Du Lei quickly changed the subject to cover up his panic and embarrassment, and asked tremblingly.

“There used to be many people here, but later… I’m all alone now.” The old woman chuckled and spoke in a dry, hoarse voice, while lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the window.

"Why, why did those people go there?" Du Lei asked in a low voice. At this moment, he noticed that there were quite a few skeletons in the corridor. He counted them and there were dozens of them. No normal person could stay here openly.

"You're asking where they went? Hehehehe, guess?" The old woman turned around and stared straight at him, making Du Lei's heart pound and making him extremely nervous.

"Well..." Dure hesitated, looking at the eerie skeletons. He wondered if they were the missing people from the Alchemist Guild. He had heard some unsettling rumors about alchemists using human bodies for alchemy, which truly terrified him.

"Alright, we're here, young man, come in, hehehehe..." After the old woman opened a room, she beckoned Du Lei to go in. The room was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything, which made Du Lei a little uneasy.

"What's wrong, young man? Are you, a powerful magic user of the Battle Rank, afraid of an old woman like me?" The old woman smiled sinisterly as she stared at Du Lei and asked.

"No, no, no, of course I'm not afraid." Du Lei quickly waved his hand. Soon he also felt that what the old woman said made some sense. After all, he was a Dou-rank magic user. How could he be so timid and hesitant in front of an old woman? If word got out, people would laugh him to death.

Thinking it over, Du Lei followed the old woman inside. But the moment he entered the room, he suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. He collapsed to the ground!

At the same time, inside the hotel, Dr. Sarah and her group were having dinner when they were surprised to see the sudden downpour outside the window. It was unusual for it to rain in this kind of weather, especially with the thunder and lightning.

"The weather in Winter City is really terrible. I wonder how much longer we'll be stuck here," Rhodes remarked. They had been trapped in Winter Town before, and now they were trapped in Winter City.

"We can only leave Winter City once the Three Kingdoms Alliance lifts the blockade. But it's strange, the Wind Kingdom and the Swamp Kingdom are clearly at war, yet the two countries have joined forces to pressure the Snow Kingdom." Dr. Sara looked at the newspaper, feeling extremely confused.

"Hey, stop talking about those things. What's wrong with Dure? He left early this morning and hasn't come back yet. Could something have happened to him?" Tanya said worriedly, concerned about Dure's safety.

Just then, two people walked in. They stopped abruptly as they were about to go upstairs, and someone walked over and stared at them blankly.

"Who were you talking about? Could you repeat that?" The two people who walked in were a man and a woman, both in their twenties.

They all looked shocked, especially the man, who immediately stepped forward and asked nervously.

"What I just said... Dure, who are you?" Tanya repeated the name she had just mentioned and asked curiously.

()

757 Familiar Name

There were only two groups of people staying at the hotel, one on the fourth floor and the other on the fifth floor. The group on the fourth floor consisted of Dure and his group, including Dure, Dr. Sara, Tanya, and Rhodes. The group on the fifth floor consisted of a man and a woman.

After they finished their business, they originally went straight back to the hotel to rest. Although Kelly had mentioned to Lance before that she had accidentally seen someone who looked a lot like Dure, they both knew that it was probably just her imagination.

Because Dure had fallen into the Abyss of Winter eight years ago, there was no chance of survival in such a place. Moreover, the entire Abyss of Winter was frozen over at that time, and was in a state of violent ice storm, so people had no way to enter.

For this reason, she and Lance and the others guarded the outside of the Abyss of Winter for a full month, until they could no longer hold on and left. As for the frozen entrance to the Abyss of Winter, it remained frozen for several years.

During the period when the Abyss of Winter was frozen, Lance and Kelly went to the Abyss of Winter many times to check if the frozen state had been lifted, but each time they returned empty-handed. Of course, there were other people who went there, and they even stayed there for longer than they did.

However, persistence also ultimately came to nothing; time is something that can build everything, and it can also destroy everything.

Over the years, they have selectively forgotten that place. Everyone knows that the hope they still hold in their hearts has long become unrealistic, long gone, and impossible to obtain.

But now, eight years later, when they had completely forgotten about that person, he suddenly reappeared. If it were just based on Kelly's glance, it wouldn't be enough to believe it, but now they heard that name again. How could Lance not be excited?

He immediately moved closer to Tanya, which made her tense up, especially Rhodes next to her, whose reaction was even stronger.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let her go right now! Are you here to cause trouble? Don't think we're scared of you just because you're like this. Let go of her right now!" Rod stepped forward and tried to grab the man's collar, but the guy was too strong. With a light push, Rod was knocked to the ground!

"This... I'm so sorry, Lance, please don't get so worked up. You're scaring people." Kelly, who was next to Lance, realized that he had been too reckless. While trying to dissuade Lance, she immediately apologized to Dr. Sarah and her group.

"What's going on with you guys? Why did you suddenly rush over like that? It's so rude! And who are you people? This is really strange," Tanya asked, annoyed. She had always been the kind of person with a good temper, but this time, facing that reckless guy, her good temper gradually disappeared.

“I apologize again. My name is Kelly, and this is Lance. We are travelers stranded in Winter City and are staying at this inn. When we went back just now, we heard you mention the name Dure, so I wanted to confirm where you met him.” Kelly was much calmer than Lance. She didn’t want to make a misunderstanding, so she was determined to find out what was going on.

“We were…” Tanya didn’t think much of it. She was about to tell Kelly where she had met Dure, but then Rhodes pulled her aside and Dr. Sarah coughed.

"Before answering your questions, I think there's something I need to clarify." Dr. Sarah carefully examined the two young people and said cautiously. Compared to Tanya, who was naive, clumsy, and reckless, he was quite shrewd.

"Just tell me what it is, old man, why are you so long-winded?" Lance said anxiously. If Kelly hadn't been there to stop him, he probably would have rushed forward, grabbed the old man's collar, and used his fists to demand to know where Dure was.

"What exactly is your relationship with Dure?" Dr. Sarah asked solemnly. He didn't believe what these two young men were saying. The so-called traveler was just a pretext to fool them. He wouldn't reveal anything about Dure until he found out the truth about these two.

"Old man, you're really driving me crazy! I'm the one asking you questions, how did it become you asking me? Kelly, I don't have the patience to dawdle with them, let's just get started." Lance turned around and saw Kelly, and asked her for permission, because they had agreed before they came out on business that Lance would listen to Kelly in everything when they were out.

“Lance, just stay there quietly for a while. We… are Dure’s classmates, his good friends at Maple Leaf Academy. I saw Dure when you first entered the hotel yesterday, but I wasn’t sure if it was him. Now that I’ve heard you mention his name, I think it’s highly likely we’re talking about the same person. Sir, we are Dure’s friends, not enemies, so please tell me where Dure is right now?” Kelly said earnestly.

“Friends from Maple Leaf Academy? No, I think I heard Dure mention before that he did study at Maple Leaf Academy, and they don’t seem like bad people, Doctor. Should we tell them?” Tanya thought for a moment and asked Dr. Sara for her opinion.

“I understand. We met Brother Dure in the Abyss of Winter.” Dr. Sarah was a worldly and experienced person. She was not only knowledgeable but also very good at reading people. After careful observation, she confirmed that the two people were indeed Dure’s friends and would not harm him.

"The Abyss of Winter? It really is the Abyss of Winter! It's definitely that kid, Dure! He's still alive! Did you hear that, Kelly? He's still alive! By the way, where is Dure? Isn't he living with you guys?" Lance clenched his fists and said excitedly. He hadn't been this excited and happy in a long time.

He immediately reached out to ask about Dure's whereabouts. If Kelly hadn't been watching him, he probably would have picked Dr. Sarah up again. Only after seeing Kelly's warning look did he retract his outstretched hand.

"Durey went out early this morning and hasn't come back yet. I don't know where he is now," Rod said roughly. It was already dark, and there was lightning and thunder outside the window. The sky was gloomy. Durey had been gone for a whole day.

()

758 Sharpening the Knife

"What? He's not back yet? Do you know where he went?" Lance immediately pressed. He had finally found out where Dure was, and since he was staying at the same hotel as Dure, he was naturally eager to see him.

“I think I heard Dure say yesterday that he was going to the Magic Power Association for a level assessment. I think he went to the Magic Power Association. As for why he took so long, or if he did something else in between, I don’t know.” Tanya thought carefully and gave an uncertain answer.

"He went to the Magicians Association? Kelly, do you remember? Dure had his accident eight years ago on the train to Winter City, and he was also on his way to the Magicians Association at that time." Lance frowned, this immediately connected with the events of eight years ago, and he had a bad feeling.

"The Magic Power Association? The Magic Power Association should have closed down long ago at this time. This shouldn't be the case. What is going on..." Kelly frowned. Based on her understanding of Dure, Dure was the kind of person who was very organized and planned in everything he did. There were very few unexpected things happening to Dure.

Now that he has suddenly disappeared without a trace, it's hard not to connect it to what happened eight years ago. Is that scene from eight years ago going to repeat itself? Kelly bit her lip. She always plans for the worst; blind optimism is not a good thing.

“You don’t need to worry, Dure will definitely be fine and will be back soon. You just need to wait for him here, right, Rhodes?” Tanya said easily, then asked Rhodes beside her.

"Yes, you can rest assured." Rhodes nodded. Although he hadn't known Dure for long, he considered Dure to be a very reliable and trustworthy person.

"Can I just wait for him? But..." Lance clenched his fist and repeated the question. There was a time when he truly thought that way, but how long has he been waiting?

“Lance, be patient. Dure is probably off on something important and will be back soon,” Kelly said softly, understanding his feelings.

"No, I can't just wait here. I have to go to the Magic Power Association." Lance couldn't contain himself any longer and turned to run out of the inn.

"Lance, wait for me!" Kelly was worried about Lance, who was so reckless, especially since it was a critical time. She hurriedly chased after him, very concerned about him. Before long, the two people who had just returned to the hotel left again.

"Are those two... alright?" Rod asked worriedly. He couldn't understand what the two were thinking and looked at their departing figures with surprise.

“They must have a very good relationship with Dure. It’s so nice that they’re so worried about him,” Tania said with a hint of envy.

"Really good? What's so good about it?" Rod looked at her in surprise, unable to understand her meaning for a moment.

"Rhodes, you're such a big idiot, a big idiot like you definitely wouldn't understand," Tanya said, waving her hand dismissively. She couldn't be bothered to talk to that slow-witted guy any longer; it would be a complete waste of her life!

"How did I become a big idiot again? Tanya, can't you explain yourself more clearly?" Rhodes was very dissatisfied and protested loudly.

"I don't care, Rhodes, you're such a big idiot! Okay, I'm full, I'm going back to rest now." Tanya turned around and went upstairs to her room, not even glancing at Rhodes again.

"So, just say what you have to say clearly, don't run away halfway through! Hey, stop right there!" Rhodes immediately chased after her, determined to get a clear answer from Tanya.

"Hehehe, youth is truly wonderful," Dr. Sarah remarked wistfully, glancing out the window where thunder still roared, signaling another long night ahead.

While Kelly and Lance were deeply worried about Dure's condition, Dure himself slowly woke up. He felt dizzy and his body ached. He opened his eyes and looked around blankly, only to find that it was pitch black all around. His mind was a little fuzzy, and it took him a long time to sort out his thoughts. It was several seconds before he came to his senses.

"I remember I went to the Magic Power Association for a level assessment. The whole process went very smoothly. I even met someone named Ellen. Then I left the Magic Power Association and came to another place. That other place is... right, the Alchemist Association, right next to the Magic Power Association. And after I arrived at the Alchemist Association..." Dure thought carefully, trying to organize his thoughts.

"In the Alchemist's Guild... there's a black cat, and the black cat can talk? No, that's not right, it wasn't the black cat talking, but an old woman. She seemed to be the only person in this ancient building, like the person in charge. She told me to follow her upstairs for an alchemy level test, and then I followed her to a room, and then..."

Dure felt dizzy and his memory was fragmented, which gave him a terrible headache. He struggled to sort out his thoughts and recall all the things that had happened to him that day.

"Oh right, the problem was that after entering the room, I fainted, that old lady..." Du Lei finally figured out the whole process he had experienced. After realizing that the problem was in that room, he regretted it very much. Why wasn't he more careful at the time, so that he fell for it?

"Young man, are you awake?" Just as Du Lei was feeling frustrated, an old and hoarse voice came from not far away. Du Lei subconsciously looked over and only then did he realize that the room was not completely dark.

A faint light still managed to get through, and the source of that faint light was actually a stove. By the red glow of the stove, he could clearly see an old woman with a hunched back and a face full of wrinkles staring at him strangely.

She was dressed in black clothes that looked tattered. Her hair was grayish-white and very messy, like withered grass. She was sitting on the ground making a "clanging" sound. Du Lei was initially puzzled and didn't know what the sound was.

But when he looked closely, he was immediately terrified, because the old woman was sharpening a knife, and the kitchen knife was so shiny that it made Du Lei feel uneasy, because the scene was just too eerie!

()

759 Don't move around.

"What's going on here? Why am I tied up? And my magic power..." After seeing the old woman's eerie smile, Dure felt a chill run down his spine. He belatedly realized that he might be in a very dangerous situation, so he immediately checked his condition. Only then did he notice that his hands and feet were chained.

Ordinary iron chains wouldn't have been able to harm him; he could easily destroy them. However, when he tried to strengthen himself with magical energy, he found his body limp and his magical energy completely undetectable. This discovery shocked him.

"Hehehehe... If I didn't tie you up, how would you behave and stay there quietly without moving?" The old woman focused on sharpening the kitchen knife, and the crisp sound of the blade on the whetstone made Du Lei's heart tremble.

He had encountered dangerous situations before; in fact, there were many times when he was on the verge of death, many times more dangerous than what was happening now. But while those situations were dangerous, at least he was free.