The most shameless alchemist in history

“Well… the Wind Kingdom has an advantage in airships and commerce, and its land is rich. If we can take over the Wind Kingdom in one fell swoop, it will benefit our Swamp Kingdom and Kelly’s Rain Kingdom in terms of strength,” Messiah replied after thinking for a moment.

“Yes, it can indeed enhance the national strength of our two countries, but Messiah, don’t forget which country is to the west of the Land of Wind,” Kelly asked solemnly.

"To the west of the Land of Wind is... the Land of the Sea." The Messiah was very clear about the geographical map.

“That’s right, it’s the Sea Kingdom. The Sea Kingdom has occupied the sea for many years, and they have always wanted to expand onto land. It was the Wind Kingdom that firmly contained the Sea Kingdom’s eastward advance. Although the Wind Kingdom has no advantage in land warfare, they control the air, which is the most effective weapon against the Sea Kingdom. If it weren’t for the Wind Kingdom, the Sea Kingdom’s army would have already penetrated deep into the land.” Kelly said solemnly.

"Kelly, do you mean that the Land of Wind shielded us from the impact from the Land of Sea?" Messiah asked after thinking for a moment.

"The Wind Kingdom possesses such unique advantages, yet it still cannot expand. There's a reason for this: most of their national strength is consumed in their confrontation with the Sea Kingdom. If the Wind Kingdom suffers a heavy blow and is destroyed, the Sea Kingdom will be the biggest beneficiary. Once the balance is broken, the chaos that the continent will face and the pressure we will bear will be compared to the benefits of our conquest of the Wind Kingdom. Messiah, which do you think is more disadvantageous?"

“Well… Kelly, you’re right. It’s better to let the Wind Kingdom maintain its current state. After this incident, they’ll behave themselves for a while and won’t easily attack neighboring countries again, right?” Messiah thought about it and agreed with Kelly’s words.

“We’ve completed our mission. Let’s head back to Winter City. The situation there should have calmed down by now.” Kelly turned to look in the direction of Winter City, but due to the blizzard, everything in her field of vision was a vast expanse of white, and she couldn’t see the outline of Winter City at all.

“With Dure in Winter City, there’s no need to worry. But what about Winter Valley… I wonder if things will go smoothly?” Although Messiah didn’t participate in the meeting a few days ago, she knew all the plans.

“That girl named Celia… I don’t know if she’s reliable, but I hope so,” Kelly said after thinking for a moment.

“Celia? Is she Zoren’s sister from the Mountain Kingdom?” Messiah had heard of this name before, and she immediately asked.

"It seems so, but I'm not quite sure." Kelly pictured Celia in her mind. She had a deep impression of this girl who was only a teenager. It wasn't because Celia was particularly clever or capable, or particularly beautiful and charming, but because she and Celia simply couldn't get along. Whenever they met, they would argue endlessly.

"Hey, Kelly, haven't you met her a few times?" Messiah was very curious about Celia and asked again.

"It's true that I've seen her a few times... But speaking of which, Messiah, why do you keep asking about that woman who's not cute at all?" Kelly looked Messiah up and down, becoming increasingly curious about the question.

“Because I heard she’s getting quite close to Mr. Dure, I wanted to find out more,” Messiah replied with a smile.

"So that's why. But speaking of which, it's been a long time since you've seen Dure, hasn't it?" Kelly nodded thoughtfully.

"It's been eight years and one hundred and twenty-three days since we last met," Messiah said, counting on her fingers.

"Huh? It's been that long? You remember it so clearly." Kelly was taken aback.

"Yes, I've been writing it down every day, it's been a long time," Messiah said with a smile.

Every day she dreamed and looked forward to it, even though she had heard rumors that the man was dead. However, she always believed that someone as capable as him would not die easily, so she waited patiently. After more than two thousand days and nights, she finally got a result.

"That guy, Dure, is really lucky!" Kelly sighed. Through the heavy blizzard, everything should be settling down soon, right?

Grant was furious, even enraged, because according to his plan, his men should have been able to easily capture Winter City today. Once Winter City was captured, the gates of Frost City would be wide open. Given Frost City's current weak troop strength, he could easily take the capital of Snow Kingdom. In this way, what he had been meticulously planning for more than ten years could be realized!

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809 Crush Plan

The appearance of the Bone Dragon was tantamount to a victory for him, because he knew that no one in Winter City could deal with the Bone Dragon. Moreover, the man named Night Raven had assured him that no one could harm the Bone Dragon's summoner, and that there was someone even more powerful than Restia protecting him.

However, all of this vanished with the news from Winter Valley. The army, which was supposed to be heading towards Winter City, suddenly turned its guns around and returned to its camp when it passed through Winter Valley.

Returning with the Southern Front army was another army: the Lava Guard of the Mountain Kingdom.

This was originally an elite guard unit protecting the capital of the Mountain Kingdom, but with the reform of the Mountain Kingdom's military system, the Lava Guard was secretly transferred to the front line.

Apart from a very small number of guards, there was almost no resistance in the military camp, and a young man walked straight in and stood in front of Grant.

"You must be Mr. Grant. I've heard of your great name for a long time, but I've never had the chance to meet you." Standing opposite Grant was a young man who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He was wearing a deerskin coat and was accompanied by a young general of about the same age.

“You are… Zoren, right?” Although Grant had never seen the man in front of him before, he still recognized him. After all, he recognized the young general next to him from his uniform and rank as Rogge of the Mountain Kingdom. He was currently the most sought-after figure in the Mountain Kingdom's military, and everyone knew that he would succeed General Tidus in the future.

Within the Mountain Kingdom, the only young man of similar age who could have Rogge by his side was Zoren. If Rogge was the future pillar of the Mountain Kingdom's military, then Zoren was the only candidate for the future Speaker of the Mountain Kingdom.

"I never expected you to know my name. It's truly an honor," Zoren said, appearing very polite.

"Brother, everything's taken care of over there. We've taken over the entire military camp. What about that old guy named Grant? Have we dealt with him yet?" At this moment, a girl's voice came from outside, and soon a girl who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old walked in excitedly.

"Celia, don't be rude to Mr. Grant," Zoren scolded his sister.

"I know, I know, why are you being so fierce... Mr. Grant, right? I'm honored to tell you that your men are all dead, and we've surrounded this place. Your plan has been completely thwarted. How about that, are you happy?" Celia lowered her head reluctantly. Although she was always arrogant and unreasonable outside, she was still very obedient in front of her brother.

"What on earth is going on? The plan has been ruined? I'm surrounded? How could this be..." Grant clenched his fists. If Zoren hadn't appeared in front of him in person, he would never have believed it, because it was just too unbelievable.

He clearly had the situation under control; he was clearly the ultimate victor; everything he had meticulously planned was about to come to fruition.

But then this happened at that moment, which was not only sudden but also very unreasonable.

“Grant, you’ve lost. Farn has been arrested, and all your old-school cronies have been wiped out.” At this moment, a man dressed in a Southern Front uniform walked in. He was very young and looked to be under twenty years old.

“You are…” Grant frowned as he looked at the young man. He didn’t remember ever seeing this person before.

“Someone as important as you probably wouldn’t recognize me, so let me tell you, my name is Dorma.” The young man introduced himself and gave his name.

“Doma? I remember now, you were the one Thompson recommended.” Grant thought carefully. He had a good memory. He couldn’t remember Dorma’s name, but he knew Thompson, who was his old friend of many years.

"Do you still remember Mr. Thompson? It's really something, a guy like you who used everyone and made everyone run around in circles." Dorma sneered. Although he was a member of the Southern Front, he had no good feelings towards Grant, and could even be said to hate him.

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Grant really couldn't understand how he lost. He clearly had a great advantage, but somehow he ended up losing miserably.

"Don't understand? Then let that guy Fane explain it to you. Reibo, bring Fane here." Doma waved behind him, and soon guards brought a very disheveled middle-aged man in front of Grant.

"Don't push me, don't push me!" Fane looked extremely nervous and frightened. He was Grant's top confidant and the commander-in-chief of the Southern Front officers. He was the one who led the army through the Valley of Winter to fight. But no one knew what had happened that caused Fane, who was so confident and at ease not long ago, to suddenly become a prisoner.

"Fan, what exactly happened?" Grant asked his trusted confidant, who had fought alongside him for twenty years, angrily. He still didn't understand the situation, which made Grant feel extremely ashamed.

The situation, which was originally very favorable, suddenly developed to this point, and as the army commander, Farn must bear the responsibility.

"Waaah, Mr. Grant, I don't know what happened. I led the army to Winter Valley, and everything was fine until... but then the army suddenly mutinied. They disarmed me and turned back..." Farn felt very wronged. He couldn't understand what he had done wrong to cause such a change.

"You idiot, aren't you the commander-in-chief of the army? How come you don't even know why the troops mutinied?" Grant's eyes widened. He had entrusted the army to Fane out of trust, but he never expected such a thing to happen, and that things would come to this point, and he still didn't even know the reason.

“This… I really don’t know…” Farn knew he bore a great responsibility. If he knew where the problem lay, he would still have a chance to feel remorse, blame himself, and repent. But the problem was that he had no idea where he had gone wrong.

"What, Commander Farn, you don't know? Should I tell you?" Doma sneered. He had a good memory, so he remembered that when Liana was in trouble before, it was Farn, Grant's number one lackey, who personally led people to hunt her down. He had always remembered this debt.

()

810 Utter Defeat

"Who do you think you are, kid? You think you have the right to talk to me like that..." Faen knew that Dorma was just an unknown nobody, and whether in the past or now, he had never taken Dorma seriously.

"Hey, how dare you talk like that? You've fallen to this state, and you still dare to speak like that." Reibo kicked Fan from behind. He had wanted to kick him for a long time, so he kicked him with extra force, which made Fan howl in pain.

“Alright, Reibo, don’t make things difficult for Commander Farn, right? Let’s tell Mr. Grant what really happened.” Doma and Reibo were very close. Grant and Renn didn’t know what was going on, but these young people knew it all, and they were even the ones who had orchestrated it.

“What’s there to ask? Isn’t it obvious, Mr. Grant? You high-ranking officials are always so arrogant and bossy, ordering us young people around. Why do you think we joined the Southern Front?” Rebo slung a flintlock pistol over his shoulder and slowly asked Grant. Normally, he wouldn’t have had a chance to speak to Grant at all.

"What do you mean by this?" Although Grant knew he had failed, he still needed to figure out exactly where he had gone wrong.

“The reason we joined the Southern Front is to realize our ideals and hope to change this country. Mr. Grant and Commander Farn are both important figures, and we usually can’t even see them. But Miss Liana is different. Every time we have an accident during a mission, she comes to save us. Whenever we are injured, she brings a doctor to treat us,” Rebo said coldly.

“That’s her job!” Grant did not agree with Rebo’s answer.

“Yes, that’s Miss Liana’s job. So what is Mr. Grant’s job? Is it to betray us, make us work for you, and then kick us all aside once you take over the Snow Country, turning it into a tool for your own gain, without any change? What are we working so hard for?” Rebo questioned loudly.

"What betrayal? I don't understand what you're talking about!" Grant disagreed with Rebo's accusations.

"Don't understand? After reading this, will you understand?" Rebo handed a piece of paper to Grant.

"This is... a letter?" Grant was initially puzzled, but he quickly realized that it was a letter, or more accurately, a printed copy of a letter, the contents of which were the same letter he had written to Night Raven!

“So, Mr. Grant, it’s not that we betrayed you, but that you betrayed us. Since we joined the Southern Front, Miss Liana has been fighting alongside us, but you drove her away and tried to kill her. Do you know how we, the new faction, reacted when we learned of your order to hunt down Miss Liana?” Rebo continued to ask rhetorically.

“Liana…it seems I underestimated her influence…” Grant clenched his fist. He had ordered the hunt for Liana because she had become suspicious of him and sent people to investigate him. She had even stolen a deadly letter from him. His pursuit of Liana was a last resort. He originally thought that since the time was already critical, as long as he took the Snow Country in one fell swoop, all the problems would be solved.

However, these new faction members who supported Liana turned against her at a crucial moment. When the army arrived at Winter Valley, they mutinied. This must have been secretly planned and instigated by the new faction members who supported Liana. What's worse, they were completely unaware of it beforehand!

“Of course, in our hearts, Miss Liana’s status is much higher than yours, Mr. Grant!” Rebo replied matter-of-factly.

"I never thought I would lose here..." Grant was extremely unwilling to accept this. He was so close to victory, but he never expected to lose to a woman.

"No, how could this be? How could we lose?" Farn still couldn't accept this reality, and he said in a trembling voice.

"Shut up! Fann, you idiot! Such a change has happened in the army and you still don't know? I trusted you so much!" Grant knew that Fann bore an unshirkable responsibility for how things had escalated to this point, so he kicked Fann hard and scolded him angrily.

"Grant, this, this, how was I supposed to know they were so cunning..." Farn was extremely aggrieved. In such a short time, he had been kicked twice, and he had gone from a powerful commander to a prisoner. He had finally reached the pinnacle of his life in middle age, but the feeling of falling into the abyss was truly unbearable.

"You don't know? As the commander of the army, you actually say you don't know? How could I let an idiot like you take on such a crucial position!" Grant was furious, but when he saw the group of young people standing in front of him, he realized something.

That means his era is over. No matter how hard he tried or how much effort he put in, it's all in the past. This is a new era for young people.

“Then Mr. Grant, please come with us,” Rebo said smugly.

When he joined the Southern Front, he did not expect things to turn out this way. He was quite surprised when Doma found him a few days ago and told him to mobilize the new faction in the army to fight back against Grant.

Because at that time, in his eyes, Grant was a high and mighty figure, not someone that young people like them could bring down.

However, with the arrival of Liana, more and more new members joined under her call. It can be said that during the few days that the Northern Army and the Southern Front were preparing for the decisive battle, a huge change occurred within the Southern Front army.

Young people flocked to Liana's side, fighting for her ideals. The older generation, including Fane and Grant, were oblivious, their eyes fixed on Winter City, Frost City, and the Snow Kingdom was about to become theirs.

How could they possibly care about the serious problems that had arisen in their own army?

"Is it over? Gru... Aisha..." Grant's expression darkened. The once shrewd and capable man seemed to have aged more than twenty years in that instant. He recalled a scene from many years ago when he was still young and full of youthful dreams.

All his efforts over the years have ultimately come to naught!

()

8/11 War Ends

The Northern Kingdom, which was originally at a disadvantage, suddenly reversed the situation in just one day. When the news of the victory reached Frost City, it shocked the people of Frost City, because they did not think that the Northern Kingdom army could withstand the attack of the Southern Kingdom's front. Many people were prepared to flee Frost City. Even the Foreign Minister Zanpu was shocked when he received the news.

"What did you say? We won a great victory in Winter City, arrested Grant, the leader of the Southern Front, and successfully incorporated the Southern Front's army? You must be joking. The Southern Front was unstoppable all the way. They are so powerful. They were about to win. How could they suddenly hand over the victory?" Zamp was very incredulous. His first reaction was that this news must be a rumor.

"Well... Your Majesty, I didn't believe it at first either. This kind of thing sounds too outrageous, but it's absolutely true. Princess Winry, who was overseeing the battle in Winter City, has now returned to Frost City and is on her way. I heard she will arrive soon."

Behind the emperor, his secretary, Camus, explained, looking equally suspicious. By this time, the emperor had already packed up his assets into large and small bags, intending to flee.

"What did you say? Princess Wenli is back? Is it true?" Zanpu was still somewhat doubtful. This was quite a surprise to him. Originally, according to his plan, he intended to leave Frost City before the Southern Front's army attacked.

"It's true, Your Majesty, absolutely true. How could I lie to you? I just saw with my own eyes a griffin rider carrying a message flying towards the palace. I got this news from Sangbao, there's absolutely no mistake about it." Camus said confidently. Sangbao was the chief bodyguard of the Minister of the Army, Kaf, and also one of his drinking buddies. In private, Camus and Sangbao often interacted and would exchange intelligence within the scope of their duties.

“I never thought we could actually win this war… No, I have to go to the city gate immediately to welcome Princess Wenli. As the war supervisor, Princess Wenli’s prestige will surely rise to an unparalleled height after winning this war. I must seize this opportunity!” After thinking for a moment, Zamp believed that Camus would not try to fool him with such an important matter. He thought about it carefully and quickly came up with an idea.

"Master, everything has been packed into the carriage. Shall we leave now?" At this moment, a steward-like man walked over from a short distance away and asked.

"Leave? Are you kidding me? My chance to get promoted and make a fortune has arrived, I will not leave. How could someone as loyal to the Snow Kingdom as me run away at such a crucial time? I will wait here for Princess Wenli's return, and now is the time to welcome her!" The Zanpu seemed very excited. Although he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, it was ultimately just a sinecure. Moreover, the Snow Kingdom's diplomatic environment was not good at all, and it was completely surrounded by enemies.

Every time the Zanpu went on a diplomatic mission to negotiate, he achieved nothing, which made him the scapegoat and subject him to a lot of criticism. He had long wanted to resign as Foreign Minister and had his eye on the position of Finance Minister, which was a very lucrative post. However, he had never been able to find an opportunity to advance further. Now, hearing what Camus said, Princess Winry returned victorious.

In addition, the Queen, who has lived in the Winter Palace for many years, has not appeared in public for many years. He has heard many rumors that she has serious health problems. If Princess Winry takes her place, then if the Zanpu seizes this opportunity, he will very likely rise to the top and get the position of Finance Minister that he desires!