The most shameless alchemist in history

"Um... Boss Bill, is this okay? Isn't it too rough?" someone asked in a low voice.

"Compared to the lives of everyone on board, do we need to care about such trivial matters? Everyone, get moving and protect this ship at all costs, because your lives are tied to the ship. If the ship is destroyed, you are all destroyed, understand?" Bill shouted.

"Understood!" Everyone on the ship answered in unison, each performing their duties and immediately coordinating actions at their respective posts.

The ship, which had been swaying precariously in the vast waves, finally stabilized and slowly sailed toward the location of the Shadow Tower...

This was not an easy process for Dure and his team, as they thought they were going to die several times during this period.

The ship swayed precariously in the raging waves. As the storm approached, every drop of rain that fell could mean the ship's destruction.

Despite the dire circumstances, they persevered. When the ship finally reached the edge of the Shadow Tower, Bill was the first to jump over, pulling everyone on board one by one onto the base of the Shadow Tower.

()

850 Shadow Lighthouse

A strong wind swept across his face, whipped his clothes, making them flutter loudly, and raindrops lashed his cheeks, causing him considerable pain.

Not far away, one could see black silhouettes roaring and howling, with surging lightning in the distance, a truly terrifying sight.

After much effort, Bill will walk to the top of the tower where Durella is last.

The twenty-seven people on the ship finally escaped and, led by Bill, headed towards the interior of the Shadow Tower.

Bill found an oil lamp near the entrance to the Shadow Tower, and there he also found a flint.

He quickly lit the oil lamp, and the faint light finally illuminated the situation inside the shadow tower.

"Is everyone here? Let's count everyone and see if anyone is missing," Bill shouted, holding up his oil lamp.

As the captain of the guard team, he was responsible for the safety of everyone and for keeping abreast of the team's situation.

"Boss Bill, everyone's here, no one's missing," he replied quickly after the count was completed.

“No one got lost? That’s great,” Bill said with a sigh of relief.

“But Boss Bill, there’s something that’s probably not good…” the boy said as he stepped forward.

“What is it, Tom? Tell me.” Bill recognized the boy; he was the youngest in the guard.

Originally, this boy named Tom was just doing odd jobs with the guards, but unexpectedly, he came in very handy at a crucial moment.

"Boss Bill, the ship is completely destroyed and unusable. We're trapped in the Shadow Tower and can't get out," the boy named Tom said anxiously.

"What? I thought you were going to say something else, but this is what you meant. But Tom, we're still alive, which is the luckiest thing that can happen, and it's all thanks to you. We were saved because of you." Bill patted Tom's shoulder approvingly.

"Huh? Well... actually, I didn't do anything..." Tom was a little embarrassed by the praise, and he scratched his head as he spoke.

"Tom did a great job. I've never seen you do anything so impressive before. I'm really impressed with you."

"Tom, I owe you my life. Once we get back to River Bend City safely, I'll introduce you to my sister."

"Little Tom, you are our hero tonight! You deserve all the praise!" The survivors applauded Tom enthusiastically.

"Everyone...everyone..." Tom scratched his head, feeling somewhat lost.

Because he was just a minor character in normal times, and not many people took him seriously, but now he has become a star.

"Alright, Tom, you've worked hard too. Go and rest. Oh, and while you're at it, look after Zancab. He seems terrified." As Bill gestured for Tom to rest, he also reminded him that Zancab was the captain's name.

“We shouldn’t have come here. This place is cursed by the gods. Everyone will die here, everyone will die here…” Zankabu’s lips were turning blue and purple. Ever since he arrived at the Shadow Tower, he had been talking nonsense, completely unlike his usual self.

“Mr. Zankab, let’s go down first. Don’t be afraid, everyone is here, nothing will happen…” Tom comforted him and pulled Zankab down to rest. The Shadow Tower was quite large, and during this time, people gradually lit fires to keep warm.

"What's wrong with Zankabu? He's usually such a brave person, why is he like this today?"

"Who knows his? But are we really okay staying here? This place feels a bit eerie and unsettling."

"If we don't stay here, where should we go? Are we supposed to go out and fight the raging waves and battle that monster?"

People were discussing Zankabu's situation and their current predicament.

However, after battling the wind and waves, everyone was exhausted and needed rest.

It was very quiet all around, except for the sounds of thunder, wind, and crackling flames.

Dure sat by the window, watching the commotion on the sea. He kept watching the large black serpent stirring up trouble.

Then we saw it gradually sink into the sea and disappear without a trace, but the storm continued and showed no signs of abating.

"Mr. Durley, have something to eat. You've worked hard too." At this moment, Bill walked over and handed Durley a bowl.

The bowls were filled with freshly cooked hot soup. Although the boat was badly damaged and unusable, it had thankfully not sunk.

They also salvaged some supplies from the ship and managed to cook some food to replenish their strength.

"I didn't do anything special, and I even held you back." Du Lei was referring to holding you back because he had been seasick ever since the ship started rocking. At that time, he was weak and powerless, a typical case of wanting to help but being unable to.

“Mr. Durley, what are you saying? If it weren’t for your help back in Shadow Harbor, we would have all been captured long ago. How could we have retreated here?” Bill waved his hand, showing his respect for Durley.

To be precise, Bill respected all capable people.

"Boss Bill, I need to talk to you about something." At that moment, someone called out to Bill from not far away.

"Understood, I'll be right there... Well then, Mr. Dure, I'll head over first. If you need anything, just let me know."

Bill quickly said goodbye to Dure and went to take care of his business, leaving Dure alone there soon.

However, right after Bill left, another person came over.

The one who is walking towards us is the Messiah.

"Durey, are you alright?" Messiah asked about Durey's condition.

"I'm much better now, thanks to Messiah's help just now," Dure said gratefully.

When he was seasick, Messiah helped him the most; otherwise, it would have been really difficult for him to make it to the top of the Shadow Tower.

“We’re the ones who dragged you into this, Dure. I should be the one apologizing to you,” Messiah said with some remorse.

"Why are you telling me all this? We've known each other for so long, there's no need for such formalities," Du Lei said, waving his hand.

“Yes, we’ve known each other for a long time, but it feels like time has stopped nine years ago when we first met,” Messiah said with a smile.

“Yes, time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, we’ve gone from being young to looking like this now,” Du Lei said softly.

"If time could stand still a little longer, I would rather be trapped here forever," Messiah said, looking out at the surging waves.

These were the words she wanted to say, but ultimately she couldn't bring herself to say them.

()

851 Sealing the Demon

This was destined to be a turbulent night for everyone, not only because they had just experienced a raging storm and were still shaken, but also because the storm outside continued, with cold winds constantly blowing in and howling.

Although people managed to start a fire, the flames flickered in the cold wind. Moreover, the Shadow Tower had been abandoned for a long time, creating a very oppressive atmosphere. Coupled with the captain's earlier madness, this added an eerie touch to the place.

"What's wrong with the captain? He's usually a perfectly normal person. How could he suddenly go crazy?" someone asked curiously.

"Maybe he was scared, but that doesn't make sense. The captain is someone who has weathered many storms. He shouldn't be so easily frightened." Someone else suggested a possibility, but he quickly dismissed it himself.

“However, I did hear a rumor before…” someone whispered as everyone huddled together drinking hot water.

"What rumors? Tell us about them!" someone immediately pressed, probably driven by curiosity.

"As everyone knows, this Shadow Tower has been abandoned for a long time, right? Historically, it has always served as a lighthouse to guide lost ships, hasn't it?" A middle-aged man glanced around and asked mysteriously.

“Of course, I’ve also heard the story of a king waiting for his wife to return.” The others nodded in agreement.

"But do you know that this rumor is false? It's all made up by others. What I heard is not like that at all."

"What? That's not how it is? Then what exactly happened? Stop keeping us in suspense and just tell us."

"I used to hear the old folks in the fishing village say that this lighthouse is the Devil's Tower."

"What? The Tower of Demons? Why would you say that?" Everyone looked at each other, asking nervously.

"Legend has it that long ago, a demon stirred up storms on the sea, destroying many passing ships and killing countless crew members. Hundreds of ships were ultimately lost at sea due to its destruction," the middle-aged man said quietly.

"Is it really that scary? It sounds like our situation is so similar to theirs?"

"Actually, we're in a slightly better situation, because at least we have a place to stay, but others aren't so lucky; they're wiped out by a storm." Some people pointed out the differences between the two.

"That seems to be true. And then, what happened?" People nodded in agreement, gesturing for him to continue.

"Later? Later, the gods could no longer tolerate the demon causing trouble, so they sealed it away."

"What? A seal? How was it sealed?"

"It was this Demon Tower, now known as the Shadow Tower, that sealed it at the bottom of the tower," the middle-aged man said solemnly.

"Tch, you're kidding us, right? Sealed at the bottom of the tower? We're at the bottom of the tower right now, and I don't see any demons."

“That’s right, that’s right. You can’t lie like that. Do you think we’re idiots?” the others chimed in.

“No, that’s not right. We’re not at the bottom of the tower,” the middle-aged man said, shaking his head.

"If not at the bottom of the tower, then where else could we be?" People looked at each other, not understanding what he meant.

“I’ve heard that this Demon Tower is a mirror image,” someone suddenly said.

"Mirror structure? What does that mean?"

"It means that this lighthouse has four layers on the ground and four layers underwater as well, something like that?" someone asked tentatively.

“That’s right, the Demon Tower is the Mirror Tower. It looks like it only has four floors, but that’s just the height above the water. There are four more floors underwater!” the middle-aged man said confidently.

"What? There's more underwater? Hey, are we really standing on a sealed demon?" someone asked, startled and trembling.

"It's just a story, why make such a fuss? Don't think too much about it. We'll just wait until the rain stops tomorrow, and a passing boat will rescue us." Some people comforted the crowd, not believing the demon's story.

"But if there's no demon, what about that giant black serpent?" someone else asked.

After the question was raised, everyone fell silent, and no one spoke.

"Hey, what are you all talking about here? I heard someone mention demons or something?" Bill asked as he walked over from a distance.

“Boss Bill, Gortat said this Shadow Tower used to be called the Demon Tower, and that demons were sealed inside.” Someone immediately went up to him and said.

"What demon? You actually believe such an old, outdated rumor? It's just a bunch of lies made up by bored people," Bill scoffed.

"But Boss Bill, that giant snake..."