The most shameless alchemist in history

When he was a child, he learned magic power cultivation methods from mercenaries. Although it was just some basic skills, Black Wind saw results after practicing them, but he had no effect at all. At that time, he felt strange. Was his talent not as good as Black Wind's? He was disappointed for a long time because of this, but now he was told that this was the reason.

"And what's even stranger is that you were clearly cursed, and your magical energy was suppressed. Normally, even if you've grown up over the years and the power of the curse has decreased, the magical energy you could absorb should still be very weak. The level you could normally cultivate to would be no more than the Steel Rank, but you've reached the Battle Rank, and are even only one step away from the King Rank. This is truly unbelievable. Young man, how exactly is your body structured?" The old woman carefully examined Du Lei from head to toe, her cloudy eyes filled with curiosity, which made Du Lei feel uneasy.

()

763 Poison Sorcerer

"Then, old woman, can this curse be lifted?" Du Lei was also confused about what was going on, after all, this was the first time he had ever heard of a curse. He cautiously asked for a solution.

“Since it’s a curse, of course it can be lifted. But young man, this old woman can’t even tell what kind of curse it is, so please forgive me for being powerless to help you.” The old woman shook her head and sighed helplessly, which gave her a deep sense of frustration.

"I see. Anyway, we've been through so many years, so it doesn't matter if the curse can't be lifted." Du Lei was quite open-minded and didn't hold a grudge about being cursed. He acted as if he didn't know anything about it.

"By the way, young man, although I can't cure this old woman, there is someone who should be able to." The old woman was still very concerned about this matter, and after thinking carefully, she said again.

"Who can do it?" Du Lei asked curiously. Although he didn't have much hope for the curse, he believed that if there was a solution, it would be much better than not.

“Boyesimo should be able to lift the curse on you,” the old woman said after thinking for a moment, giving a name.

“Boyesimer? Who is that?” Dure repeated the name; it was the first time he had ever heard of this person.

“She is a poison alchemist, highly skilled in poisons and curses. If it is her, she should be able to discern the origin of the curse on you and help you remove it,” the old woman said earnestly.

"Where is this poison alchemist?" Dure immediately pressed for her whereabouts, because perhaps she knew something about that man. Now he suddenly felt an urgent need to see him and ask him why he had placed such a curse on him.

“Boyesimo’s whereabouts are unpredictable, and I don’t know where she is. If you are destined to meet her, you will meet her in the future.” The old woman sighed and said, recalling when she last saw Boyesimo. It seemed to have been six years ago.

"I understand now. If it weren't for you, Grandma, I wouldn't have known about this. Thank you so much." Du Lei sincerely expressed his gratitude to her, which also resolved the doubts that had been in his heart for many years.

It turns out that he couldn't cultivate magical energy when he was a child not because he lacked talent or didn't work hard enough, but because of a curse. The person who cast the curse on him was the one he dug out of the snow. Although it was hard for him to believe, he knew it was the truth and he had to accept it.

“You don’t need to thank me, so I’ve already prepared the badge you wanted.” The old woman waved her hand and quickly handed Dure a wooden box, about the size of a palm. Dure was taken aback at first, then he opened the box and looked inside. There was a silver brooch.

“This is…” Du Lei hesitated for a moment, not quite understanding what was going on. His mind went blank. Actually, he wasn’t usually a slow-witted person.

On the contrary, he reacts quickly and is often able to draw inferences from one instance to another. However, too many things happened today, and he couldn't fully process them all at once. Besides, he came to the Alchemist's Guild to obtain the Alchemist's Badge.

The old woman did mention giving him the badge, but he fainted after entering the Alchemist's Guild and didn't wake up until recently. During that time, he didn't undergo any tests, so he feels somewhat confused.

"This is a mithril-grade badge. Didn't you come here to obtain the alchemist's badge?" The old woman looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked him in return.

“It’s true that I came here because of the regulations, but I didn’t take any test.” Dure hesitated. He pointed out the crux of the problem: if he had passed the test, he could accept the badge without any guilt. But receiving the badge without any test made him very uneasy.

"Young man, I already tested you while you were unconscious, so don't be nervous. Just rest well and you can go back." The old woman said with a smile, but her smile was sinister and chilling, which made Du Lei swallow hard, feeling a chill run down his spine.

"It's already been tested? But according to the procedure, shouldn't it be..." Du Lei was still a little uneasy. He asked cautiously, feeling that this was a bit too rash, completely different from what he had imagined.

“Our Alchemists’ Association doesn’t have so many messy rules or rigid procedures, so if I say you’ve passed, then you’ve passed. What, do you want to go through the same procedures as the Magicians’ Association next door?” the old woman retorted.

"No, no, no, that's not it. But why don't I feel any magical energy at all? What's going on?" Du Lei quickly waved his hand and continued to ask.

"This is because you inhaled the Demon-Transforming Incense, which shut down your demonic energy sea, so you can't use demonic energy," the old woman said, pointing to the burning incense not far away.

"So that's how it is. I fell for it without even realizing it. I was so careless." Du Lei realized this belatedly, and it gave him a cold sweat. Luckily, the old woman meant him no harm, or the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Young man, although you are young and already a Battle-Rank Magic Power User, and a Mithril-level Alchemist, you still lack experience and have a long way to go," the old woman said earnestly to Du Lei.

"I understand, thank you for reminding me." Du Lei was very grateful. If it weren't for the old woman's reminder, he would have definitely suffered a great loss in the future.

"Alright, you can leave now if there's nothing else." The old woman waved her hand, signaling Du Lei to leave. At this moment, she handed Du Lei a glass bottle containing the dark, lumpy thing that she had removed from Du Lei's body with a single slash of the kitchen knife.

"By the way, I still don't know how to address you," Du Lei asked cautiously. The old woman had helped him so much, yet he still didn't know her name.

"Name and such... I've forgotten them all. Don't worry about such things. Come on, come on. It's true that as you get older, you're better off alone than hanging out with young people like you." The old woman waved her hand, not answering Du Lei's question, and urged him to leave.

()

764 Long-awaited Reunion

"Then I'll take my leave." Although Du Lei was still a little hesitant, he couldn't press the matter any further. He nodded and left the room. As he went down the stairs, he looked back one last time. It was still pitch black, but it didn't seem so eerie anymore.

"Du Lei!" Just as Du Lei pushed open the door to leave, someone suddenly rushed in. Luckily, Du Lei dodged quickly, otherwise he would have been hit hard. He was stunned for a moment, and with the help of the dim light, he could see that the person who bumped into him was a young man who looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He was very strong and looked a little nervous.

"You are... Lance?" Dure was stunned for a long time before he recognized the man in front of him. He looked somewhat familiar. Although they hadn't seen each other for many years and he had changed a lot in the meantime, Dure was sure he wouldn't mistake the man's words and actions.

"It really is you, Dure! Eight years! It's so great to see you again!" If Lance had some doubts at first, this time he was truly certain that the person in front of him was indeed his former best friend.

Eight years ago, they were still young, working hard together at Maple Leaf Academy for their own futures. Now, eight years have passed in the blink of an eye, and they meet again, which is truly a poignant and moving experience.

"Lance, how did you know I was here? And how did you end up here?" Although Dure was also in turmoil and very excited, he was at least much calmer than Lance on the surface. He calmly asked two questions, somewhat doubtful, because Lance had clearly come to the Alchemist Guild with a very clear purpose, and it was not a chance encounter.

"I heard from the Magic Power Association that you were coming this way, so I came looking for you. Kelly, look, it really is Dure!" Lance said excitedly, calling out to Kelly behind him, his excitement overflowing.

“Kelly? You’re here too?” Dure was taken aback for a moment, then quickly saw a young woman walking over behind Lance. He scrutinized Kelly for a while, and compared to eight years ago, Kelly was even more charming. She was an undeniably attractive and charismatic woman.

"It's been a long time, Durex," Kelly said with a smile, her attitude towards her long-lost friend quite nonchalant.

"How did you all..." Du Lei was full of suspicion. Seeing his old friends was certainly exciting, but he still couldn't figure out how they had found this place.

“Let’s go outside first,” Kelly said, pointing outside. They were still at the entrance of the Alchemists’ Guild, which wasn’t a place to talk.

“Let’s go then.” Dure nodded, and they quickly left the Alchemist’s Guild. He had arrived here in the morning, but now the sky was already shrouded in night.

On their way back to the hotel, Dure realized that they were staying at the same hotel. Lance had overheard Dr. Sarah and the others talking about his name, so he asked around and learned that Dure had gone to the Magic Power Association. So they went to the Magic Power Association to inquire about him.

After some twists and turns, they finally figured out that Dure was at the Alchemist Guild. Kelly originally wanted Lance to wait for him outside, but they waited until dark without any movement. In desperation, Lance barged in.

"So that's how it is. No wonder I felt like someone was watching me yesterday, and it felt so familiar. It turns out that person was you, Kelly." Dure nodded thoughtfully. He hadn't expected such a coincidence to be staying at the same hotel as Lance and the others.

"Durey, what's going on with you? How did you fall into the Abyss of Winter eight years ago? And why haven't you returned to the academy in these eight years? Do you know how worried everyone was when you disappeared?" Lance said with some complaints.

"This matter... is a long story. By the way, how did you end up in Winter City?" Dure didn't intend to hide from Lance and the others why he had only appeared at this time, but that would have to be discussed slowly after they returned to the inn.

Meanwhile, he still didn't know that Lance and the others would appear in Winter City. At this time, Winter City could be described as a place of great turmoil. As the front line where the Southern Front and the Northern Army were confronting each other, it was in a state of imminent war.

"We came here because...who's over there?" Lance was about to tell Dure why they were in Winter City, but then he suddenly shouted because he clearly sensed that someone was following them!

"Over there!" Kelly also noticed something. In the dark box on the right, someone was lurking around suspiciously. It seemed that the other person had been following them. Now that they had been exposed, he was startled and immediately fled. He was very fast and disappeared into the night in a flash.

"Trying to run away?" Lance wasn't about to let the suspicious guy who was following them get away so easily. He immediately gave chase and a chase ensued under the moonlight. The guy used the terrain to his advantage and quickly got rid of Lance's pursuit. But just as he breathed a sigh of relief and retreated into an alley, a figure appeared.

"Who's over there?" This immediately alerted the man in black. He was certain he had shaken off that troublesome fellow. He crouched down, ready for battle, and touched the dagger at his waist. He was prepared to fight to the death with the person in front of him.

"Put down your weapons and surrender. You have no chance to resist." Under the dim moonlight, a young man with black hair and black eyes stepped out and said coldly. He was very confident in suppressing the man in black in front of him, because apart from being very fast, the other party was not good at fighting, especially at such close range.

"Damn it, don't underestimate me, I'll fight you to the death... Oh, you are... Mr. Du Lei?" The other party was very dissatisfied with Du Lei's contempt. Although he was masked and his appearance was not clear, he could be told from his voice that he was a very young man. He was about to come over and fight him in a fit of rage, but he quickly recognized Du Lei and exclaimed in surprise.

"What? You know me?" Dure was quite surprised by his reaction. He hadn't expected the other person to call him by name so directly. Just as he was filled with doubt, Lance and Kelly caught up with him.

"You little rascal, you're quite the runner, keep running!" Lance said angrily.

()

765 The Stalker

When the masked man in black saw Lance, he turned to run away again, but at this moment Kelly blocked his way. The three of them formed a triangle, completely blocking his escape route, which made the latter somewhat flustered.

"Who are you? Why are you following us?" Dure asked, frowning. Judging from the current situation, this person was probably after Lance and Kelly, but he actually said his name, which obviously meant he knew him. This made Dure particularly strange, because there weren't many people who knew him to begin with, and now, eight years later, there were even fewer.

"What's that sound over there? Hurry up and go check it out." Just then, the guards' shouts came from not far away. Obviously, the commotion had attracted their attention, and they rushed towards Du Lei's direction.

"Mr. Dure, it really is you. How come you're with these two people?" After confirming that the masked man in black was indeed Dure, he looked at Dure and then at Lance and the other man, and was particularly surprised. He couldn't connect Dure with Lance and the other man.

“Let’s leave here first; this isn’t the place to talk.” Dure saw the firelight in the distance and knew the guards would be arriving soon. He waved his hand, signaling Lance to leave for the time being.

“But this guy…” Lance looked at the man in black with deep doubt. He didn’t think this guy would cooperate with them obediently. If this guy made a fuss and attracted the pursuers, it would be very troublesome.

“Understood, Mr. Dure, I trust you, I’ll go with you.” The other party’s attitude was very cooperative, which surprised Lance.

"Hey, hey, you're not up to any tricks, are you? I'm warning you, don't try anything funny, or else..." Lance tried to threaten him fiercely.

"You think I'm afraid of you? Come on then if you dare!" The other party didn't back down an inch and confronted Lance head-on.

"You bastard..." Lance was never the type to swallow his anger when provoked. He stepped forward, grabbed the other man's collar, and was about to punch him.

“Alright, Lance, since he’s willing to come with us, let’s leave quickly. It’ll be troublesome if we wait for the patrolling guards to arrive,” Kelly advised Lance, stepping forward to say.

“I’m not going with you, I’m going with Mr. Dure. You need to get that straight, old woman.” The man in black corrected him, speaking with an air of self-righteousness, which made Kelly, who had been speaking up for him, immediately look displeased.

"Old woman? Who are you calling an old woman?" The man in black's words undoubtedly touched a nerve with Kelly, who retorted angrily.

"Alright, now is not the time to argue, let's go." Seeing that the situation was starting to get out of control, Du Lei quickly stepped forward to persuade him. Although he didn't know who the masked man in black was for the time being, one thing was certain: the man truly trusted him.

"Understood, let's go." Although Lance was very angry, he could still distinguish the importance and urgency of the matter. Soon they left in a hurry, disappearing into the dark night before the guards arrived. Only the faint moonlight illuminating their silhouettes proved that they had been there.

When Dure and his group returned to the inn, it was already late at night. He didn't rush to find Dr. Sara and the others, as they were already asleep. Instead, he went to the fifth-floor room where Lance and Kelly were staying. The masked man in black who had been following them since they left the Alchemist's Guild was also with them.

"So, even at this point, you still want to hide your identity? Who exactly are you?" After returning to his room, Lance immediately questioned him loudly, not forgetting the provocation this person had shown him.

"Tch, who do you think you are? You think I have to talk just because you tell me to?" The other party was dismissive of Lance, and even though he was in a very passive position, he was still very arrogant, which made Lance grit his teeth in anger.

“You…” Lance was not a patient person, and immediately planned to step forward and use force to make this guy submit.

“Um… Lance didn’t mean any harm, he was just a bit hasty in his actions, so could you tell us who you are and why you’re following us?” Dure waved his hand to stop Lance. After so many years apart, he was naturally still impulsive, so he tried to negotiate with him as gently as possible.

“Mr. Dure, I wasn’t following you. Meeting you was completely unexpected. I was just following them.” He pointed at Lance and Kelly and said seriously.

"Hey, hey, don't talk about stalking people like it's perfectly justified, okay?" Lance protested, this was the first time he had ever encountered such a shameless guy.

"So who exactly are you, and why are you following Lance and Kelly? And how do you know me? Can you take off your mask before you speak?" Dure asked a series of questions. He noticed that whenever Lance spoke to him, he would not look Lance in the eye. Only when he negotiated with the other party was the man in black slightly more polite.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I completely forgot about that. How rude of me! My name is Celia, Mr. Dure.” She removed her veil, revealing a beautiful face, which surprised Lance, as he had not expected her to be a woman.

To be precise, she was a girl who was only seventeen or eighteen years old, which made Lance very embarrassed, because he couldn't possibly argue with a little girl, could he?

“Celia? So she’s a girl. But you said you know me, what is that…” Dure was increasingly confused, because Celia looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. Dure was certain that he had never seen Celia during the time he traveled from Winter Town to Winter City, so he had to go back eight years. But how old was Celia eight years ago? This made Dure even more suspicious.

“It was in Rock City, Rock City.” Celia reminded Dure, telling him where she had met him. She was all smiles; she was fierce when talking to Lance, but when talking to Dure, she was all smiles.

“Rock City?” Dure thought carefully. Eight years ago, as a member of the guard, he escorted Winry to Rock City. He had indeed experienced a lot there and met many people, but he did not remember Celia among them, because Celia was at most ten years old at that time.

()

766 Old Friend from Shan Country

"You're from the Mountain Kingdom? No wonder you were following us. What are you up to? Tell me now!" Lance belatedly realized what was going on after hearing the words "Rock City." He quickly reacted and shouted at Celia. At this moment, he didn't care about bullying anyone, because this was a big deal.

“Yes, so what if I’m from the Mountain Kingdom? You lackeys of the Rain Kingdom will all come to a bad end!” Celia righteously acknowledged her citizenship of the Mountain Kingdom, while scoffing at Lance’s accusations and mocking him.

“The Land of Rain, the Land of Mountains…” Dure chewed on these two words. At first, he was a little confused as to how Lance and Kelly could be in Winter City and how Celia could be following them, but now he had a better idea.