The most shameless alchemist in history

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781 Air Superiority

The idea of ​​"summoning representatives from five countries," which Doma considered a joke, was actually quite reliable with representatives from four countries already in place. These four representatives were Lance from the Swamp Country, Kelly from the Rain Country, Celia from the Mountain Country, and Winry from the Snow Country. Only the representative from the Wind Country remained uncertain, and Dure was still unsure.

"I originally wanted to get to know Mr. Grant properly, but now it seems that opportunity is gone. Thinking back, Grant was probably an alias. The letter was written to Night Raven, an old friend from almost nine years ago... I really hope he doesn't remember me, or Kashu..."

Du Lei recalled the events of many years ago with great worry. After all, he had no real relationship with Night Raven and his ilk; they only had old grudges. If they were to run into each other again, he feared that both old and new scores would be settled together.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for today. I should get some sleep and take care of something else tomorrow."

Although Du Lei still had some worries, quite a few things had happened today. Since leaving the Abyss of Winter, he hadn't had a good night's sleep, especially after arriving in Winter City. One thing after another had given him a headache, but there was nothing he could do about it. When problems arose, they had to be solved; he couldn't just keep putting them off indefinitely.

After sighing, Dure turned off the lights in the room. Before going to sleep, he looked out the window. A cold wind was blowing and snow was falling. The Snow Country was originally a country covered in ice and snow. Having grown up in the hot spring village, he was already used to the silver-clad snow scene.

In my experience so far, only during the time I studied at Maple Leaf Academy and the time I went to the Mountain Country did I not have to face this icy and snowy land. The further north you go in the Snow Country, the harsher and colder the weather becomes. And what is further north of the Snow Country?

Durei didn't know the answer to this question either. It was often at times like this that he realized how small his world was. He hadn't been to many places, and his vision was limited to the area around the Snow Country. In fact, he had only been to the Snow Country and the Mountain Country so far.

As for what other places are like, his understanding only exists in books and from the descriptions of Lance and others. He learned from Lance and the others that the Swamp Country is full of swamps, close to the River Country, and often has disputes with the River Country. He also heard Kelly talk about the Rain Country, a country where it rains all year round.

In addition, there is the Wind Country, which is building an airship industry, and the Wing Country, which has magical Pegasus and can fly around in the sky. These different countries have different customs and characteristics.

When they were very young, Black Wind told him that he aspired to travel to all parts of the continent. After leaving Hot Spring Village, the first place he went to was the Land of Dogs. The Land of Dogs got its name not because it was a country of dogs, but because dogs were worshipped as gods there. It was a southern country.

Dure had read about the Kingdom of Dogs in a book, but as for how Black Wind had fared in the past eight years, or how many countries he had visited, Dure wasn't quite sure. To be honest, he still admired Black Wind's adventurous spirit.

"I wonder when I'll see Black Wind and Copper Mountain again. Oh well, I shouldn't think about it anymore. I should just go to sleep." Du Lei shook his head gently. He didn't know what was wrong with him lately. He kept thinking about things from a long time ago and people from the past. Each of those figures appeared in his mind, very clearly. The snow outside the window was still falling softly, and the world was quiet.

At the same time, on the southwestern border of the Snow Country, which borders the Wind Country, the terrain is much flatter than the southeastern border of the Snow Country, which borders the Mountain Country and is separated by the treacherous Lieyang Mountain Range.

It is precisely because of its flat terrain that the Snow Country, a traditional military power in the northern continent, often clashes with its neighboring countries despite its own scarcity of resources. Flat terrain also means better military operations.

In fact, compared to the Mountain Kingdom, which has underdeveloped agricultural resources and only possesses advantages in minerals, the Wind Kingdom is an undeniably wealthy country. The Wind Kingdom has fertile land and abundant resources, with one-third of its territory being core grain-producing areas.

This is a highly coveted prize in the eyes of the Snow Kingdom. Of course, there is one thing that the Snow Kingdom is very fond of: the Wind Kingdom is not superior in military strength. The Wind Kingdom has always been known as the "Free Country". Due to its abundant resources, the people do not have many material needs, and there is almost no history of people going hungry.

This has led to a very relaxed mindset among the people of the Wind Kingdom. Children who grow up in the Wind Kingdom have an adventurous spirit from a young age. They love to travel the world. Most of the adventurers active on the continent today are from the Wind Kingdom. Even among the adventurers who go to explore the Eastern Continent, nine out of ten are from the Wind Kingdom.

Because its young men had all gone out on adventures, the Wind Kingdom was severely lacking in manpower and discipline was very lax. This made the Wind Kingdom seem powerless when it faced invasions from the Snow Kingdom throughout history. However, even such a country had an advantage: air superiority.

People always say that the people of the Land of Wind have two dreams: one is the dream of "freedom," and the other is the dream of "adventure." The adventure, of course, is to explore different countries on the continent and to explore new soil in remote and harsh places.

Newspapers kept reporting the emergence of new continents, and "freedom" referred more to "freedom of the sky," meaning that people were not satisfied with conquering the earth; they also wanted to conquer the sky!

The mechanical manufacturing industry in the Land of Wind, especially the airship manufacturing industry, is particularly advanced. From simple flying machines hundreds of years ago to airships that can now soar freely in the sky, people have finally been able to fly in the sky after hundreds of years of research breakthroughs and scientific development.

However, at present, it is only at the level of flying. To completely dominate the sky and become the overlord of the sky, there is still a long way to go. It can be said that apart from the Pegasus Force of the Winged Kingdom, the airship force of the Wind Kingdom is the second strongest air force on the entire continent.

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782 Return to the Snow Country

With the Wind Kingdom's air superiority, the Snow Kingdom is unable to pose an effective threat to it. On the contrary, the Wind Kingdom's airships frequently invade the Snow Kingdom's airspace. The "Griffin Legion," one of the Snow Kingdom's three major legions, was formed precisely to counter the Wind Kingdom's air superiority by taming the Snow Kingdom's unique "Snow Griffin" magical beast.

During this extraordinary period when the three-nation alliance has joined forces to block the border of the Snow Country, an airship is slowly flying along the border between the two countries into the territory of the Snow Country. Under normal circumstances, such a thing would be absolutely impossible.

Because there are small detachments of the Griffin Legion patrolling the border, they would attack any airships that showed signs of intrusion. However, no Griffins came out to stop them today. This was not because the people of the Snow Kingdom had neglected their duties and made such a big mistake.

Rather, it was because the border of the Snow Country was almost undefended at this time. Half of the Snow Country's elite army, which was originally responsible for guarding the border, withdrew, while the other half surrendered to the Southern Front. The Southern Front regarded the Three Kingdoms Alliance as an ally.

In addition, there was an agreement signed between Grant, the leader of the Southern Front, and the Three Kingdoms Alliance. If the Southern Front defeated the North and seized control of the Snow Kingdom, it would cede territory to the Three Kingdoms Alliance and redraw the border lines. They would not do things like setting up defenses on the border.

On the airship, someone was looking ahead with binoculars. Because the location was relatively close to the south, there wasn't much snow nearby. However, once the gaze was turned to the north, it could be seen that wherever the eye could see, everything was covered in white.

Just looking at him sent a chill down your spine. The person holding the binoculars was a young man who looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He was tall and handsome, with a natural good looks that would attract countless girls. If he were just a pretty face, that would be one thing.

But on his back was a long sword, which anyone with a discerning eye could recognize as no ordinary weapon. It was a sacred object from the "Land of Dogs," said to have been made from the canine tooth of the Tengu, a great creature revered as a god in the Land of Dogs.

Generally speaking, only the number one swordsman in the Dog Kingdom is qualified to wear this sword.

"The Land of Snow? It's been a long time since I've been back here. If I think about it carefully, it should be... more than eight years, right?" The young man said with great emotion.

Apart from the Land of Snow, he had never seen such a vast expanse of ice and snow anywhere else, which gave him a long-lost feeling.

This reminded him of building snowmen and having snowball fights with his two best friends when he was a child. Of course, they also teamed up to trick mercenaries from out of town. They were only ten years old at the time. Thinking back on those absurd events, he felt both angry and amused.

"Mr. Black Wind, are you from the Land of Snow?" A middle-aged man in a sky-blue military uniform asked from behind the young man. The middle-aged man was not tall, a little overweight, and had a small mustache. If you threw him on the street, he would definitely be an ordinary person.

However, he had two gold stars on his shoulders, which indicated his identity. He was Lieutenant General Marshall of the Wind Kingdom's Air Force, a man with considerable influence in the Wind Kingdom's military. But at this moment, even someone like General Marshall was merely a guest.

“Yes, I am from the Land of Snow. I grew up in a small village called Hot Spring Village in the northeast of the Land of Snow. I really miss this kind of snowy and icy place…” The young man named Black Wind nodded and said.

His eyes were filled with melancholy. When he left the hot spring village, he was full of ambition. At that time, he was determined to surpass a certain guy. But after so many years away from home, he suddenly wondered if leaving the hot spring village was really the right choice.

If he had chosen to stay, or to venture out with that guy, could the three of them, who had grown up together, have created something "great" if they had worked together? He didn't know any of this, and it had all become a fantasy, because he had made a choice after all, and he had returned here after all.

"I never imagined that the Snow Country could produce a talent like Mr. Black Wind, especially from such a small village..." Lieutenant General Marshall remarked with admiration, unaware of the young man's background.

However, back in the Land of Wind, this man was a guest of honor of the royal family. At first, he looked down on him, thinking he was a spineless coward who relied on his looks. It wasn't until he witnessed Black Wind's abilities firsthand that he was deeply impressed.

After all, he is only in his early twenties, yet he has already reached the peak of the Dou Rank and is also a highly skilled swordsman. Such strength would place him among the top three in their Wind Kingdom!

As for the other two, who are they? Both of them are over sixty years old. If Black Wind were given another forty years, what level could he reach? Just thinking about it is terrifying.

"A small hot spring village? If I hadn't left the hot spring village, I'd probably still be that guy's lackey by now, right?" Two familiar figures flashed through Black Wind's mind.

One of them was fat, like a mountain. He liked to tinker with all sorts of machines. That was Copper Mountain. Copper Mountain was very simple-minded. He only had two friends. He usually agreed with whatever the other person said and never argued back.

The other person is a cunning scoundrel, which is generally acknowledged in the hot spring village. Everyone in the village has suffered at his hands. The scene of them teaming up to swindle mercenaries when they were young is still vivid in their minds, and they can still laugh when they think about it.

"A follower? How could that be? Someone as outstanding as Mr. Black Wind would be a distinguished guest in any country. How could you be someone else's follower?" General Marshall found it very strange. In recent years, their Wind Kingdom had suffered a talent shortage, resulting in a gap in their pool of talent.

Seeing that several neighboring countries were producing outstanding young talents, the Kingdom of Wind was extremely anxious. Now that a promising young man named Black Wind had arrived, they naturally treated him well, hoping to keep him in the Kingdom of Wind. Otherwise, General Marshall would not have personally accompanied him.

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783 Lord Nightcrow

"That's the truth. That guy is far more cunning, shameless, and capable than me. I wonder how he is doing now." Black Wind has always been an arrogant person who has never taken others seriously.

But at this moment, he is giving such high praise to others. If those who know him knew this, they would be very shocked and would be very interested in the person Black Wind was talking about. What kind of person could make someone as proud and arrogant as Black Wind sincerely admire him?

For the next two days, Winter City remained peaceful, except after nightfall when many shadowy figures would appear in the city. Meanwhile, a large amount of goods from the Golden Flower Bank would be transported to the train station. Although Winter City's transportation was currently under lockdown, the Golden Flower Bank was still able to use the train.

After all, the Golden Flower Bank is a powerful conglomerate based on the continent, and no country would dare to offend it easily. Furthermore, the bank has always maintained a neutral stance, so neither the Three Kingdoms Alliance nor the Snow Country would oppose the Golden Flower Bank.

Even along the border of the Snow Country, which was sealed off, the trains of the Golden Flower Bank could come and go freely. Many high-ranking officials and nobles were important clients of the Golden Flower Bank, including important ministers from the Northern Kingdom and figures from the Southern Kingdom. Among them was Grant, who had just come out of the Golden Flower Bank at this moment, his face full of gloom.

"What's wrong? Did you get the stuff?" In a dark alley outside the Golden Flower Bank, someone calmly asked. The person who asked the question was young, looking to be only in his twenties. He was wearing a black tuxedo, and he was tall and elegant.

He possessed an innate aristocratic air, and any beautiful young woman would surely flock to him. He was the kind of man who could easily attract a young woman's attention, and he spoke slowly and deliberately. Clearly, he was waiting for Grant here.

His attitude was neither arrogant nor humble, which was enough to show that he was neither a Northman nor a member of the South Front, but that he had a very close relationship with Grant. If Dure saw him, he would be very shocked, because it would dispel a doubt in Dure's mind.

Before this, Dure had been puzzled about who the "Night Raven" in Grant's letter was, and whether it was the same one he had seen in the hot spring village. If he could meet the person waiting for Grant in the alley, his doubts would surely be dispelled.

Because this man was exactly the same as the one he had seen eight years ago. What was even more shocking was that eight years had passed, and Night Raven was still exactly the same as he had been eight years ago, without any change, as if he were detached from the passage of time.

“I didn’t get it. I investigated. That man named Kloff did open a safe deposit box at Plantagenet Bank, but he didn’t use his own name for the account. It took me a lot of effort to find out that he used the name ‘Hanks’.”

Grant's face was clouded with gloom. He had really been too careless. He was originally a cautious person, but not long ago, he had made such a tiny, negligible oversight, which was keenly noticed by others.

This directly led to him losing important letters, which made him extremely angry. Although he killed the guy named Klof, he did not get the letters back.

"Hanks? That's a name I haven't heard in a long time. But wasn't the man with that name executed more than a decade ago? And if I remember correctly, you were the one who did it." Night Raven said after thinking for a moment.

He knew all about some hidden past events, and if Liana heard what he said, she would be shocked, because "Hanks" was her father's name. According to the information Liana had, her parents died in an accident when she was very young, and she was raised by her father's friend Grant. She had always regarded Grant as someone she respected like a father, until Grant shot and killed Klose not long ago, which made her suspicious.

“That’s right. Hanks betrayed us, so I executed him and, as ordered, raised his daughter, because she is an excellent vessel,” Grant said, nodding lightly as if he didn’t take the matter seriously at all.

According to him, his best friend Hanks, whom he claimed to be his best friend, was the one who died at his hands. He still remembered the scene when he went to shoot Hanks. At that time, Hanks was being hunted and was in a state of fear. He found Grant and tried to entrust his daughter to this friend.

Grant did indeed agree, reassuring Hanks. But just as Hanks turned to leave, Grant suddenly shot him in the back, killing him. As Hanks fell to the ground, he stared wide-eyed at Grant, his face filled with astonishment and fear.

That expression left a deep impression on Grant, and he became completely captivated by it.

"And what about Hanks' daughter? Where is she now?" Night Raven continued to inquire, his voice seemingly possessing a penetrating power, capable of seeing through everything and bewitching everything, which suddenly made Grant feel somewhat uneasy.

"Hanks' daughter? Well... she's... run away now, but Lord Nightraven, don't worry, I'll bring her back soon!" Grant assured him confidently.

Even though he was the leader of the Southern Front, he was extremely apprehensive when facing Night Raven, because he knew that this person was of noble status and far above him, and he dared not offend him easily.

"It ran away? So, Grant, you not only lost the letter, but also an important container?" Night Raven hesitated for a moment before asking softly.

For him, what Grant told him was not the correct answer he wanted to hear. His calm eyes scrutinized Grant, causing the latter to lower his head, unable to meet Nightraven's gaze. Grant's body trembled slightly, filled with fear.

"This is just a small mistake. I promise to retrieve the letter and find Liana within three days, and I will also take care of all the people involved!" Grant's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He knew that if he messed this up, the consequences would be extremely serious, far beyond what he could bear!

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784 appeared again

"No need. You should focus on solving the current problems of the Snow Country. You have been working here for more than ten years, but you have not been able to take over this important land. That lord is already... very impatient. As for other matters, someone will take care of them for you. So you can go back now."

Night Raven shook his head slightly, his gaze toward Grant filled with disappointment. According to the plan, they should have taken over the Snow Country three years ago, but too many problems arose during that time. After all, life is always full of surprises. For example, they should have taken over the Mountain Country eight years ago, but problems arose during that time as well, leading to their ultimate failure.

"Understood. I will definitely live up to that person's expectations and will absolutely handle everything!" Grant made this promise again before leaving the dark alley.

He is currently the most wanted criminal in the Snow Kingdom, but even in the heavily guarded Winter City of the Snow Kingdom, he can come and go freely, because the night is his best cover. He is very confident that he is invincible in the dark!

"What an incompetent fellow! I say, Night Raven, are you just going to let him go like this? Aren't you going to punish him at all?" After Grant left, a figure reappeared in the dark alley. It was the silhouette of a girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old.

She wore a black, vintage-style court dress. Although she had a very cute face, her demeanor was quite gloomy. She harbored many grievances against Grant and questioned her companions. If Dure were to see her, he would be equally shocked.

Because this was the same person who was with Night Raven eight years ago in the hot spring village. If Dure remembered correctly, her name was Red Hawk, and she looked exactly the same as she had eight years ago.

"He's still somewhat useful now. We need him to help us take over the Snow Kingdom. Even if he needs to be punished, that will be after he completes his mission," Night Raven said slowly. In his eyes, Grant was already a dead man.

Whether or not he can complete his mission, his fate was already sealed.

"I know, I know. Anyway, whatever you say, Night Raven, is right. But speaking of which, ever since I came to this city, I've smelled a very unpleasant odor here."

For the little girl, Red Harrier, the question of whether Grant lived or died was not her concern; she cared about something else entirely.

"You noticed it too, that familiar scent?" Night Raven wasn't surprised that Red Hawk said this, because he had noticed it long ago; he was a person with very keen intuition.

He could keenly detect every move that occurred in the shadows of this city. In the entire Snow Kingdom, there were no more than five people who could escape his detection.

"It's a smell that's extremely repulsive, and I feel like I've smelled it somewhere before." Red Harrier frowned as she carefully considered the source of the smell, which made her feel disgusted from the bottom of her heart. She couldn't understand why she hated it so much.