The most shameless alchemist in history

"Are you kidding me? You found it already? Hey, you're not just making up some place to fool us, are you?" Doma looked at Dure with surprise. He had a strong prejudice against Dure, basically always dismissing whatever Dure said first.

“I’m not lying. The words ‘Golden Flower Bank’ are marked on the key. It’s right here, though very small, but you can still see it.” Du Lei pointed to the inside of the key handle, where the lettering was very small, only a hair’s breadth larger than a hair, but he could still make it out.

"Is that really so? The Golden Flower Bank? So... this is the key to the bank's safe deposit box?" Liana was no stranger to the Golden Flower Bank. It was a very famous bank with branches in various countries. It was a powerful bank, and many dignitaries deposited their money in the Golden Flower Bank.

“It seems Mr. Kloff hid the item in the safe at the Plantagenet Bank. Let’s go check it out tonight,” Dure said after thinking for a moment. They had thought they had lost their trail, but now things had taken a turn for the better, and they had found a new direction for their investigation.

"At night? Why does it have to be at night?" Doma retorted again. He didn't care whether Dure was right or wrong. In short, whatever Dure said, he would deny and question.

"Because both the Southern Front and the Northern Front are investigating and arresting people right now, it's very dangerous to go out on the streets like this. So, it's fine to go to the bank at night under the cover of darkness." Dure knew that Doma had a lot of prejudice against him, but he still patiently explained.

“Understood, Dure, I’ll do whatever you say. We’ll go to the bank tonight and see what clues Mr. Kloff left behind.” Liana nodded. She trusted Dure a lot. She was usually a very opinionated person, but being with Dure made things much easier. Dure could come up with ideas for many things without her having to think too much.

Although Doma had strong objections to Dure's proposal, since Liana had already agreed, he naturally couldn't say anything more and could only acquiesce. After resting for an afternoon, they set off after dark, heading towards the Golden Flower Bank under the cover of night.

Although it was night, the Golden Flower Bank was still lit up. This was a special time, and many dignitaries and wealthy merchants were unsure of where the Snow Kingdom would be in the future. They were converting their valuables into money and depositing it in the Golden Flower Bank before leaving the Snow Kingdom to seek refuge in other countries. Once they arrived in another country, they could simply withdraw their money.

This saved them the trouble of encountering robberies and other unexpected events on the road. Furthermore, the Golden Flower Bank had recently moved its money out of Winter City and to its headquarters. Every night, a large amount of money and valuables flowed into the bank and out of it.

On their way to the Plantagenet Bank, although Dure and his group did encounter many patrolling guards and noticed many hidden sentries, they skillfully avoided them and soon arrived at the Plantagenet Bank smoothly, where a manager named Seta was responsible for receiving them.

"Gentlemen, you've come so late at night. Is there anything I can do to help you?" Seta asked Dure and his group. He was a very well-mannered young man who, despite having only worked for five years, had risen to the position of manager through his own abilities. He was very skilled at dealing with people and was highly praised.

"Here's the thing, I've been asked by a friend to come to the Golden Flower Bank to retrieve something he previously deposited here. This is his deposit key," Dure explained, and took out the key that Kluff had given to Liana.

“Let me see… This is indeed the key to our bank’s safe deposit box. Please follow me.” After carefully examining it, Manager Seta confirmed that it was their bank’s property. He then gestured for Dure and his group to follow him, with Dure closely following behind Manager Seta.

Their group followed Manager Seta all the way to the basement of the Plantagenet Bank. During this time, they passed through several checkpoints and bypassed layers of guards before finally arriving at the safe deposit box area where valuables were stored. Manager Seta used the key number to find the corresponding safe deposit box.

()

778 A Letter

"Mr. Hanks' safe is right here. Please make yourselves at home," Manager Seta said, pointing to the safe. The safe wasn't large; there were several hundred similar safes neatly arranged on one wall.

"Mr. Hanks? Shouldn't it be Klose?" Doma asked curiously. Although he wasn't entirely clear on the details, he knew that the man Grant had shot in the alley earlier was named Klose, not Hanks.

“Yes, that’s it. Hanks is my father’s name, and Mr. Kloff opened the safe in my father’s name.” Liana confirmed this. For her, Hanks was a very old name, which made her feel very nostalgic.

"Ah, Miss Liana, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend you..." Doma belatedly realized that he had inadvertently mentioned the deceased's name, which made him very upset. He suddenly became very nervous and quickly apologized to Liana, hoping to gain her forgiveness.

"It's alright, Doma, you didn't do it on purpose. So this key is for opening this cabinet, right? Is the information Mr. Kluff wanted to tell us in this cabinet?" Liana didn't care about Doma's rash actions. At this moment, she felt heavy-hearted because this key was something Kluff had risked his life for, which made her feel indebted to him.

"Open it now. We can't let Kluff's efforts be in vain." Dure knew that Liana was not feeling well at the moment, so he still comforted her. After all, the greatest respect for the dead is to fulfill their wishes and not let them become regrets.

“I know.” Liana nodded gently. After taking a deep breath, she opened the safe. Dure and Doma’s eyes were also focused on it. They both wanted to know what Kluff had left for Liana.

"This is... a letter?" When Liana opened the safe, she saw that it was empty except for a letter lying peacefully inside. This surprised Liana. She had wondered what was in the box before, but she didn't expect it to be this.

"There must be important information in the letter, let's open it and take a look." Dure reminded Liana from the side. The purpose of a letter is to carry information. Since Kluff left a letter for Liana, he must want to tell her something.

"You don't need to remind her, Miss Liana already knows, so can you please shut up?" Doma said with dissatisfaction. His prejudice against Dure had not lessened as they went through more things together; on the contrary, he found Dure increasingly repulsive.

"Alright, stop arguing. Let me see what's written on it. This... wait, is this Grant's handwriting?" Liana said to Doma. She opened the envelope, but she was surprised when she saw the first line of text because she recognized Grant's handwriting. Her words immediately attracted the attention of both Dure and Doma.

"What? Grant's handwriting? How did his letter end up here? Isn't this Mr. Kluff's safe? How could there be a letter from Grant in here?" Doma was very surprised. He wasn't surprised to find a letter here, but it was very strange that it was from Grant.

“Didn’t Liana say before that she asked Mr. Kloff to investigate Grant? I think Mr. Kloff must have gotten this letter somewhere. Maybe he got it from Grant, or maybe he got it from somewhere else. After reading the contents of the letter, he learned something important, so he put the letter away and put it in the safe at Plantagenet Bank.” Dure thought about it carefully and guessed a possibility.

"I didn't ask you, so stop being so presumptuous, okay? Miss Liana, what does the letter say?" Doma asked Liana, very curious about the contents of the letter, as it might be the key to solving the problem.

“This letter was written by Grant to a guy named Night Raven…” Liana said, revealing the recipient of Grant’s letter.

"What? Night Raven? Liana, are you sure the letter is addressed to Night Raven? You didn't misread it?" Dure was greatly surprised. He exclaimed and asked seriously.

“It is indeed written as Night Raven… Mr. Dure, is there a problem?” Liana was taken aback. In her memory, she rarely saw Dure’s face show such a serious expression.

"What, you don't mean to say you know this guy named Night Raven, do you?" Doma scoffed at this, thinking that Dure was just trying to get attention by making a fuss.

“No, I don’t know him, Liana. What does the letter say?” Dure waved his hand, indicating that he did not know Night Raven. Even though his heart was in turmoil and the name was not unfamiliar to him, he was not sure if the Night Raven in the letter written by Grant was the same Night Raven he knew.

Although Dure had been asleep in the Abyss of Winter for eight years, his memories were very clear. When he was still in Hot Spring Village, many people came to Hot Spring Village, which was closest to North Mountain, to investigate because of the strange phenomena that appeared there. Many of these people were mercenaries, and some were adventurers.

They came from all over the continent, but only three groups left a deep impression on Du Lei. The first group was a mercenary from the Dog Kingdom. He seemed to hold an important position in the Cerberus Guild, an important guild in the Dog Kingdom.

The reason Du Lei remembered this person was largely because Hei Feng later left with that person. Hei Feng, who had grown up with him since childhood, was determined to go out and make a name for himself. Now, more than eight or nine years later, Du Lei had no idea how Hei Feng was doing.

Did he, as he initially claimed, make a name for himself? The second group consisted of three people from the Eastern Continent: two men and one woman, with one older and one younger than the other.

Du Lei still remembers the older one, who was called Old Man Teng. He was a very kind old man who always liked to joke around. The younger one was named Duanmu, and he was an optimistic young man.

He always liked to carry a long spear behind his neck, then hold it with both hands, always looking nonchalant. It was very easy and pleasant to talk to him. As for the woman, she was a very quiet girl. What impressed Du Lei the most was her eyes, which, although quiet, were also resolute.

At that time, she was about the same age as him, only thirteen or fourteen years old, but she had already traveled thousands of miles across the continent to find the Star Stone. According to Old Man Teng and Duanmu, their country was facing great trouble.

()

779 The Hidden Hand

As an important figure in the country, Nan Yin traveled a long and arduous journey to save the nation. Neither Old Man Teng nor Duanmu explained the dangers of the journey in detail. However, based on some rumors he heard from the mercenaries and the bitter smile on Duanmu's face when he mentioned the journey, Du Lei knew that it must have been extremely difficult.

Nan Yin overcame these challenges, which Du Lei greatly admired. As for the third group, it was a male-female duo. Both of them were very young; the man was under twenty and the woman was only thirteen or fourteen.

They may seem unremarkable, and mercenaries wouldn't even give them a second glance, but they are actually two extremely formidable and ruthless characters. Du Lei still remembers how they almost killed him when they were in the Star Stones underground in the North Mountain.

Fortunately, he, Black Wind, and Copper Mountain cooperated well and managed to escape danger. As for their names, Du Lei still remembered that the man was called Night Raven and the woman was called Red Hawk.

Originally, these two should have been trapped and died underground in the North Mountain, but later, when he escorted Winry to Harrenhal, he even encountered the accomplices of the Night Raven and the Red Hawk, and it seemed that he learned from them that the Night Raven and the Red Hawk were still alive.

At first, Du Lei didn't believe it, because when they were escaping from underground in Beishan, lava was pouring in, making it extremely dangerous. Under normal circumstances, it would have been absolutely impossible to escape alive.

But he clearly remembered encountering a man named Kashu who should have been buried under boiling lava, yet he had brazenly appeared in the Ash Tower of Maple Leaf Academy. Kashu's survival meant that Night Raven and Red Hawk were also alive.

Night Raven and the people he met in Harrenhal came from the same place. Back then, they wanted to kill Winry, prevent the Snow Kingdom and the Mountain Kingdom from making peace, and incite the two countries to fight. History was so similar that Dure couldn't help but connect the two events.

Eight years ago, those guys who were hiding in the shadows, manipulating everything and seemingly omnipresent, reappeared eight years later. No, these lost eight years only apply to Durei alone. During this period, these people were definitely still active in the shadows.

They will not let go of any opportunity to create chaos, as if chaos is a delicious bait that immerses them and makes them unable to stop. They go to great lengths to create chaos and taste fear.

At first, Du Lei had no idea what these people were up to, but gradually he began to understand. Whether it was the turmoil in the Mountain Kingdom or the civil war in the Snow Kingdom, they all seemed to be focused on reviving an ancient country that had disappeared from the continent more than a year ago, the Azure Thunder Empire.

That country, which was at its peak and then suddenly and without warning, left little trace in history and had very few records. It was like a ghost from the darkness; no one knew where it was born or where it was destroyed.

What kind of traces did it leave behind? These questions have puzzled and perplexed later generations. Countless scholars have studied this, but have never been able to come up with a clear answer. What is even more shocking is that every scholar who studies the Azure Thunder Empire has died a violent death in a confused state.

People couldn't figure out the reason, so they called it a "curse." As the story spread, the various claims became more and more exaggerated, and gradually no one studied the Azure Thunder Empire anymore. It once existed in history, but it was like a shadow, like a ghost.

People selectively avoid him for fear of incurring an ominous curse, just like those scholars who died mysteriously. If the curse truly exists, Dure believes it is a very strange and illogical one.

Because the Azure Thunder Empire was destroyed, some people forbade scholars from studying it and people from discussing it. Du Lei had every reason to believe that an organization had existed for a long time in the cracks of history, and it must have had a great connection with the Azure Thunder Empire.

Those scholars who supposedly died from the curse must have been murdered by members of this organization. Once the curse theory was established, scholars stopped researching it, and with no one researching it, it disappeared from public view. People stopped paying attention to it, and it seemed as if it had truly vanished from history.

Many years later, when the right opportunity presented itself, this name, which had been hiding in the cracks of history, reappeared. Its appearance immediately stirred up a storm, even though the shadow it cast in the darkness was terrifying and exaggerated enough.

But Dure knew that this was only the beginning, and that the man called Night Raven was one of the spokespeople for the shadows, which made Dure uneasy and even somewhat fearful.

His hands were clearly trembling, and he didn't understand what was happening to him, but he knew that none of that mattered. What mattered was that the shadowy figure had appeared, and he had no chance of retreating.

"Dure, what's wrong? You look terrible." Liana called out to Dure, bringing him back from his thoughts. Liana looked at Dure with a puzzled expression. He was acting very strangely today, completely different from his usual self. This situation made Liana quite worried.

"I'm very sorry, I was a little distracted. Let's leave here first and discuss the letter after we get back to the hotel. This isn't the place to talk." Du Lei realized his lapse in composure and said apologetically. He looked around and found the place empty and eerily quiet. They had been here for a while, and given their current situation, it wasn't advisable for them to stay in one place for too long.

“Understood. Since you’re alright, Dure, let’s head back first. We can discuss the contents of the letter when we get back.” Liana nodded, agreeing with Dure’s assessment. She carefully put the letter away, and then the group quickly left.

It was late at night when Liana and her group returned to the inn, as they had left at night. After returning to their room, Liana told Dure and Doma about the contents of their letters.

This is a reply from Grant to Night Raven. Somehow, this letter ended up in Kruf's hands. In the letter, Grant tells the person called Night Raven that the plan is progressing very smoothly. Once the matter in the Snow Country is settled, they will go to the Rain Country and the Wind Country respectively to continue their activities, and so on.

As for what they were going to do, the letter only briefly mentioned it, leaving it vague. However, judging from the implication between the lines, it didn't seem like a good thing.

()

780 convened a meeting

"In other words, Grant's identity is highly suspicious. He didn't form the Southern Front to fight for the interests of the people of the Southern Kingdom. Everything he has done so far has been to create chaos, gain control of the Snow Kingdom, and achieve his ulterior motives?" Doma was greatly surprised after learning the contents of the letter. If this were to get out, it would definitely cause a sensation.

"As for the contents of this letter, that is indeed the case. However, the Southern Front has been established for more than ten years. If Grant's purpose is to create turmoil, then wouldn't his plan have started more than ten years ago?" Liana was particularly concerned about this point. To plan something on a cycle of more than ten years requires a great deal of scheming and courage. Just thinking about it is terrifying.

“I’m afraid their plans are not just a matter of a dozen years. The Snow Kingdom is just one part of a huge plan. Their tentacles have reached into various countries on the continent, and they have been cultivating this for decades, or even longer…” Du Lei clenched his fists. He could vaguely see an invisible net surrounding them.

"What kind of plan is this that takes so much time? It's really..." Doma couldn't imagine how big that shadow was. He felt his imagination was too limited. He was so shocked that he even forgot to argue with Dure for a moment.

“We don’t know those things for now, but we’ve figured out one thing: Grant is probably in cahoots with that guy called Night Raven. From the very beginning, the Southern Front has been on the wrong path.” Dure tried to piece together a picture in his mind.

From the hot spring village to the maple city, and then to the mountain country, the snow country, the wind country, the swamp country, the rain country... this giant net seems to be swallowing up everyone and everything.

"Mr. Dure, what should we do next?" Liana asked Dure for advice. Although she had always been a very opinionated person, the things that had happened were far beyond her ability to handle, and as a party involved in the events, she was also in a state of confusion and did not know what to do.

"What should we do next? Of course, we must stop them. We must not let their conspiracy succeed." Dure thought for a moment and said. If Grant and the Night Raven gang really succeeded, it would be a great disaster for the Snow Kingdom.

"You make it sound so easy. The question is, what exactly should we do? Problems are solved by taking action, not by talking." Doma snorted coldly. Faced with such a complicated situation, it was like a tangled mess, impossible to unravel. Doma believed that even that annoying guy was helpless.

"The first thing we need to do is hold a meeting." Dure was unconcerned about Doma's questioning and spoke casually. Although things had happened suddenly, he had already outlined a clear plan in his mind.

"A meeting? What kind of meeting? Are you ever going to stop? Can a meeting solve anything?" Doma felt that this guy named Dure could talk a good game, but he just couldn't come up with a single effective proposal.

"Meetings can't solve problems, but they can come up with a solution. Of course, the most important thing is to coordinate the interests of all parties," Du Lei replied softly.

"Mr. Dure, what do you mean... to call a meeting with?" Liana respected Dure's suggestion very much. She asked cautiously, knowing that Dure was a meticulous person, and meticulous people don't say or do unnecessary things, making them very efficient.

"Convene a meeting of representatives from the five countries: the Land of Snow, the Land of Wind, the Land of Rain, the Land of Mountains, and the Land of Swamps," Dure replied.

"What did you say? You're convening a meeting of representatives from five countries? Who do you think you are? Where did you get so many people from?" Doma was quite surprised by Dure's answer. After all, convening representatives from five countries at once was a huge undertaking. Moreover, these countries were not on good terms with each other, so getting them to sit down and behave properly would probably not be an easy task.

"Whether we can gather them or not, we have to try. But it will take another two or three days. You should stay at the hotel for the next two days. No matter what happens outside, don't worry about the chance for now. Get some rest." Dure didn't take Doma's doubts too seriously and said softly.

"I understand. Well then, Dure, you should get some rest too." Although Liana had many questions, too much had happened to her today, and she was exhausted. She just wanted to rest, and she didn't want to care about anything else, even if the sky were to fall or the earth were to collapse outside.

"Then, Liana, your room is next door, and your room is on the right corner of the stairwell." Dure had already checked Liana and Doma into the hotel beforehand and pointed out the two rooms to them.

"Wait, why is your room next to Miss Liana, but mine is so far away from her?" Doma protested immediately, dissatisfied with the room arrangement. He also wished to be closer to Liana.

"Because it's more convenient to keep an eye on things this way, since someone has to be watching the area near the window, right?" Dure gave a reason that Doma couldn't refute at all.

“Well… that makes sense. I understand. Miss Liana, please get some rest too.” Doma thought about it carefully and couldn’t find anything wrong with Dure’s words, so he could only agree. At this time, Dure saw them out of the room and took Liana to her room. After making sure the door was closed, Dure and Doma returned to their respective rooms.

"Night Raven... Flamingo... Grant... These mysterious things, the shadows lurking in the darkness, are truly unsettling. I hope my worries are unfounded. I wonder how Lance and Kelly are doing now..."

When Dure was talking with Liana and Doma, he appeared very confident. But now that they had both gone back to their rooms, Dure was left alone. He couldn't help but think about the recent events and things from much earlier times.

"I really hope Lance and Kelly are both safe and sound, and that they can return safely to meet me in two days," Dure sighed. He didn't mention Lance and Kelly to Liana or Doma, so Doma naturally wouldn't know.