The most shameless alchemist in history

Although he had not seen the Messiah for a long time.

But he had heard some things about Messiah before, knowing that she was of noble birth from the Swamp Kingdom and had inherited the title of duke from her father, making her the only remaining duke in the Swamp Kingdom.

When the Land of Snow was facing internal strife, Messiah, who had not yet inherited the title, stepped forward to represent the Land of Swamp in negotiations and provided assistance to the Land of Snow. Durek has always remembered this.

"Excuse me, may I have a look at the newspaper?" Du Lei originally wanted to buy a newspaper himself, but the newsboy had already gone far away.

Therefore, he could only wait a moment, estimating that the other party had almost finished reading the newspaper, before making his request.

"Of course, here you go, young man. Are you also going to Zezhi City? Zezhi City is under martial law right now, which is really bad. This is definitely not a good time to go to Zezhi City." The fat uncle handed over the newspaper and sighed.

"The old king is critically ill, and Zezhi City is under full martial law... Is it related to the heir?" Du Lei quickly finished reading the newspaper, which also quoted analyses from various parties. Many people believed that the martial law in Zezhi City was definitely related to the king's serious illness.

Because the king's serious illness meant a change of power, Dure was well aware of the situation in the Swamp Kingdom.

King Charles the Elder was a man of great talent and ambition, like a lion. Under his leadership, the Swamp Kingdom transformed from a weak nation into one of the leading powers of the northern continent, becoming increasingly powerful and prosperous.

However, as Charles aged, the rise of the Swamp Kingdom came to a halt. At the same time, the Swamp Kingdom faced a problem that almost every country had faced: the complex struggle for succession. After all, none of King Charles's sons were as talented and ambitious as him, and the country was now at the forefront of a period of great change.

The slightest mishap would not only render King Charles's efforts futile, but also plunge the Swamp Kingdom into utter ruin.

Therefore, every king is very cautious about the issue of succession.

This problem is easier to solve in the Land of Snow because Winry is the sole heir, but it's not the same in the Land of Swamps.

The Swamp Kingdom has two heirs. With King Charles not having decided who should inherit the throne, a deterioration in his health would inevitably lead to disaster.

"I thought I could do some business in Zezhi City this time, but I didn't expect to encounter something like this. Sigh, I think I'll get off halfway. Young man, I advise you not to go to Zezhi City during these extraordinary times." The middle-aged businessman sighed.

Faced with such a sudden event, he had no choice but to change his itinerary. At the same time, seeing Du Lei's worried look, he kindly reminded him.

"Thank you very much for the reminder, but I still have friends there. Without knowing the situation of my friends, I have no choice but to go to the Swamp Country."

Dure looked into the distance. If all went well, he would arrive in the capital city of the Swamp Country in two days.

Now that Messiah is missing, what is Lance's current situation?

When the train stopped in Kawano City, the streets and alleys of Sawano City were patrolled by guards. Pedestrians hurriedly hid in various shops or returned to their homes. Outsiders were not very clear about what was happening in Sawano City, but those involved knew.

Three days ago, these guards began blocking off the streets, and there were frequent rumors that the old king had passed away at the palace.

This was originally a sad occasion. According to custom, a grand funeral should have been held for the old king. After all, King Charles had made many contributions during his more than twenty years on the throne, enabling the people of the Swamp Kingdom to live a prosperous life. The people were very grateful to him and wanted to send him off on his final journey.

But who would have thought that the army would frequently enter Zezhi City these past few days? Everyone said that something bad was about to happen.

The eldest and second princes are about to fight each other for the throne!

At this moment, the situation in Sawano City is extremely tense!

()

838 is just the right time.

A sudden, torrential downpour descended upon the entire city, causing unease among its inhabitants. Over the past few days, all sorts of rumors have circulated, with different versions of the news arriving daily. Some say the old king has passed away, while others say he is still alive, leaving everyone confused.

The only thing people could see was a continuous stream of troops entering the city. They had no idea where these troops came from or who they were loyal to. Raindrops hit the streets, leaving many puddles. The surroundings were very quiet, and uniformed guards continued to conduct searches.

Inside a villa shrouded in mist and rain, a pair of guards rushed in, ordered to arrest the villa's owner.

But when they rushed in, they found the villa completely empty; apart from an old butler, they couldn't see anyone else.

"What's going on? Where are they?" the leading officer immediately demanded.

"People? What people, sir? I don't understand what you're talking about," the old butler said tremblingly.

"Don't play dumb. Of course it's the people living here. Where is Lady Messiah? Where did she go?" the officer shouted.

"The Messiah? She left last night and hasn't returned. I don't know where she went," the old butler replied after thinking for a moment.

"What? She left last night? Did she run away?" The officer was taken aback; it seemed they had arrived too late.

"Sir, what should we do now?" his subordinate asked, inquiring about the next course of action.

"You ask me what to do? Of course, we chase after her! We absolutely cannot let her leave Zezhi City. Seal off all entrances and exits and ports, understand?" The officer immediately gave the order. He knew that he had been given a death order from above. If he couldn't capture that duchess, he was afraid he would have to pay with his head!

When the guards came up empty-handed, at a secluded ferry crossing not far away, a group of people were boarding a wooden boat, attempting to leave the city of Swamp by this means. The Swamp Country is famous for its swamps, with numerous rivers and marshes throughout its territory, making it a well-developed waterway system.

Waterways are arguably the most efficient mode of transportation, and once someone leaves by water, they are very difficult to track.

"Hey, we're here! Hurry up and come meet us, bring the boat over here!" a man in the lead shouted at the wooden boat.

According to the plan, if anything happened to them in the capital, they would leave by water. They had already prepared various contingency plans.

However, after shouting for a long time, the boat remained adrift in the river without responding, which inevitably aroused suspicion.

"No, there shouldn't be no reaction. Or... something happened?" The leader immediately became alert.

As the captain of the Messiah's guard, he possessed keen intuition.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" Just then, someone suddenly fired crossbow bolts from the direction of the wooden boat.

Caught off guard, guards near the man fell to the ground, and at the same time, a large number of torches appeared from all directions.

"They're right there! We can't let them get away! Chase after them immediately!" someone shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Hurry up and catch her! There's a huge reward for catching her! We absolutely can't let her escape!" someone shouted, pointing at the crowd.

The appearance of these people greatly alarmed the captain of the guard. It was obvious that their backup plan had been seen through, and now they were backed into a corner.

"Damn it, you guys... how did you know our retreat location? Did we get betrayed? No way! Even if it costs us our lives, we must ensure Lord Messiah's safe departure. We'll charge through from that direction and fight our way out!"

The captain of the guard gritted his teeth. He looked to the west and, even though it was night, he immediately realized that the defenses on the west side were more relaxed.

At his command, he led his men and surrounded the woman as they charged forward, knowing that the recent upheavals in Zezhi City were of great importance.

His Majesty the Messiah must not be harmed!

The heavy rain continued to pour down, causing the torches to flicker and many to go out. This created favorable conditions for the Messiah's retreat. She was terrified as she watched her men fall one by one.

But she knew now was not the time to be soft-hearted; she had to escape the city. Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and the world was black.

Who knows when dawn will finally break?

The heavy rain washed over both the ferry crossing and the train station. After a four-day journey, Du Lei finally arrived at the train station in Zezhi City.

At this time, guards were checking the identity of each passenger at the exit.

"You are... Mr. Redu, right? From the Land of Snow?" The guard looked at Redu and carefully verified his identity.

“That’s right, I am Lei Du. I’m here in Zezhi City to do business.” Du Lei nodded and explained his purpose.

His identity document was forged, but actually, it's not entirely accurate to say it was forged, because the Ministry of Supervision manages many supervisory matters, including population verification. To make things easier, Du Lei created a document proving he was "Lei Du".

This is a completely genuine product.

"I see. Well then, Mr. Redu, welcome to Zezhi City." The guard nodded and, after confirming that Redu's identity was correct, waved for him to go inside.

"The Swamp Country... I feel like something's off. Has something really happened? Well, what I need to do next is... contact Lance's friend." Dure quickly pulled out a small note, which Lance had given him when they met before.

Lance told him that if he went to this address, he could find a trustworthy friend of his, and through his friend, he could find Lance himself. When Lance mentioned this before, he was very mysterious, and at that time, Dure felt that something was not right.

However, he did not voice his concerns. He believed that Lance must have had his reasons for concealing what had happened.

"This person's name is... Glock, right? Then let's go find him first and find out what exactly happened in the Swamp Country." Dure started asking around based on the address.

The middle-aged businessman who had been in the same carriage as him got off halfway through the journey. He lamented that he had come at the wrong time, as he happened to be there when the Swamp Country was in trouble. But Dure didn't think so. He felt that he had come at the right time!

Because he realized that this was the time when Messiah and Lance needed him the most!

()

839 Despite the opening

After arriving in Ze City, Du Lei keenly sensed the subtle atmosphere of the place. After all, as the capital of the Swamp Kingdom, Ze City should have been very prosperous and bustling, as evidenced by its compact architectural layout.

Under normal circumstances, only in areas with high commercial indices will buildings be very compact, exhibiting a trend towards density and high-rise buildings.

Because only when the commercial index is high enough will the land price be more expensive. In a situation where every inch of land is precious, businessmen will make the most of the land, which is why the layout is compact and the buildings are getting taller and taller, making full use of the space.

Moreover, buildings are getting taller and taller, which requires advanced construction technology. Only large cities can afford to use high-end construction technology.

All of these things are reflected in Zezhi City, perhaps the only thing not reflected is the flow of people.

Because there were hardly any people on the streets at that time, although guards could often be seen patrolling the streets. This was partly due to the rain, but every household had their doors closed, which showed that they were very worried about the current situation in Zezhi City.

Dure knew that to solve the problem in Ze City, he first had to understand what had happened. He was new here and completely clueless. To solve this problem, he needed to find someone who could provide him with information, and Glock was undoubtedly the best candidate.

Glock is Lance's friend, and out of trust for Lance, Dure went to find Glock immediately after arriving in Ze City, based on the address on the note.

At first, Dure had some doubts about Glock's identity. In Dure's view, under normal circumstances, he should be someone who runs a small business such as a tavern in the city, because such a person is low-key enough that he would be lost in a crowd and never be found again.

Because if you're too high-profile and attract attention, then you can forget about gathering intelligence; it's just too dangerous.

But when Dure found the location, to his surprise, this Glock was not only high-profile, but far too high-profile.

Because Glock was the commander of the garrison in Ze City, Dure went to the address but couldn't even see Glock.

After all, a major incident has occurred in Zezhi City, and he, as the superior officer, is overwhelmed with dealing with the situation. How could he have time to meet a stranger?

Left with no other option, Dure found out Glock's address and waited outside his house.

As it turned out, Dure was right. After patiently waiting for several hours, Glock finally appeared, looking exhausted as he returned home with an umbrella. There was a squad of guards on duty near his house, but this was no problem for Dure, who easily sneaked in.

"Honey, you're finally back? You must be tired from work today. Did everything go well?" At Glock's home, a housewife came up to him to take off his coat and asked with concern.

"Don't even mention it, it's absolutely terrible. I don't know what happened, how could the higher-ups issue such an order? We have no choice but to obey. Sigh." Glock sighed deeply. As the commander of the garrison, he was considered a powerful figure in Zezhi City.

But this powerful figure was living a very tiring life. Everyone was trying to win him over, but he dared not agree to anyone's offer and dared not offend anyone.

This put him in a very painful and difficult situation.

"What order is it that makes you, the head of the household, so worried?" the housewife asked curiously.

"Don't ask about my work, it won't do you any good. Ugh, I need to go back to my room and get some sleep, maybe two hours at most, I have a meeting to attend." After eating something, Glock headed towards his room; he hadn't slept for two days.

"I understand, but you must make sure you get plenty of rest," his wife reminded Glock, who quickly returned to his room.

But just as he opened the door and was about to lie down on the bed, he suddenly saw a figure by the window.

He instinctively raised his pistol, ready to pull the trigger at the man; it was all too sudden!

“Don’t be nervous, Mr. Glock. I’m Lance’s friend. He introduced me to you to get some information.” Dure explained the situation, indicating that Glock shouldn’t be afraid and that he meant no harm.

"Lance sent you? Why should I trust you?" Glock looked the young man in front of him suspiciously. These were critical times; a single wrong step could lead to utter ruin. He couldn't be sure if this man was setting a trap for him.