The most shameless alchemist in history

But who knew that Dorak would fall in love with a woman at that time and refuse to become king, which caused a major headache for all parties.

In the end, it was Charlie who stepped in to quell the situation; Charlie originally had no ambition to become king.

However, Dorak trusted his half-brother very much, handing over all power to Charlie and eventually publicly declaring his support for Charlie to become king. This drew opposition from many sides and strong dissatisfaction from the Rain Kingdom.

However, Dorrac persisted, and with his strong support, Charles successfully became king. Dorrac was also made Duke of the Reach and went to the Reach region. After arriving in the Reach region, Dorrac governed the area very well.

The two brothers, one stationed in the capital and the other in charge of the most prosperous region, could have been considered a remarkable story.

But then things changed. With the passage of time, everything changed, and Charlie changed.

At first, he had no desire to become king and was even quite averse to the throne, but gradually, he discovered the benefits of being king.

After becoming king, he could do whatever he wanted without restraint. In the past, whenever he wanted to do something, there were always people who would jump out to oppose him.

But once he became king, no one dared to oppose him; it was as if a completely new door had been opened for him.

He saw the benefits that power brought, and he even became addicted to the feeling. Unconsciously, he, who had no ambition for power, actually became a slave to power. He gripped power tighter and tighter, and at this time someone told him that Dorak had a great reputation.

Under his rule, the River Reach became increasingly prosperous, and the people of the River Reach only knew of the Duke of the River Reach, not of the King.

Moreover, at this time, a voice suddenly emerged, saying that Dorrac should have been king back then, but that Charles had used despicable methods to successfully obtain the throne. The voices questioning him grew louder and louder, which made Charles increasingly panicked.

Charlie began to feel afraid. He was afraid of losing his status and his power. Once he lost them all, he would have to go back to his old life!

He was gradually getting older, and he had lost himself in the pursuit of power.

After feeling the pressure from Dorak, he suddenly decided to do something to solidify his position.

The way to solidify his position was simple: the only threat to him was his younger brother, Dorak.

So wouldn't it be better to just take care of Dorak?

Thus, the young Duke of the Reach, Dorak, was murdered by bandits while he was out suppressing them.

But how could mere thieves possibly defeat Duke Dorak's personal guard?

The one who actually carried out the deed was the person he sent out. With Dorak dead, his power was secured, and he was genuinely excited for quite some time!

But after a few years, he became confused again, and he couldn't figure things out anymore.

Were all of these things he did correct?

Who put him on the throne in the first place? If Dorak really coveted his power, why would he have given up the throne to him?

Charlie began to reflect on himself and the mistakes he had made, and eventually he understood.

Indeed, I lost myself in the lust for power and lost far too much.

So when he realized his health was deteriorating and he was nearing the end of his life, he decided to do something to make up for the mistakes he had made in the past. That's why he summoned the current Duke of River Bend, who was also his niece Messiah, to the City of Swamps...

875 Assassination Culprit

The old king, nearing the end of his life, summoned Messiah to the City of Ze. This seemed like a perfectly normal thing, since Messiah was his niece, they shared the same surname, they were family, and she had visited him in the City of Ze every year before.

But this time, the old king's summons to Messiah was very different, because it was a private meeting, and in front of Messiah, he confessed the mistakes he had made in the past, admitting that he had sent someone to assassinate his younger brother, who was also Messiah's father, Dorak.

In his repentance, the old king decided to return the throne to Dorak, who was no longer alive. So he gave the throne to Dorak's daughter, the Messiah, in order to soothe his guilt, knowing that his life was coming to an end.

Since he was blinded by power, his personality changed drastically, and his health deteriorated. He knew that he would soon reach the end of his life, and before leaving this world, he tried to do something to make up for the only debt he owed.

Of course, Messiah decisively rejected him at the time, because Messiah believed that she was not qualified to be the king. Moreover, she had heard about what happened back then before. She had heard all sorts of rumors since she was a child, but this time it was finally confirmed.

Messiah did not want to dwell on the past, so she refused to leave Ze City and planned to return to River Bend City. She would continue to be the Duke of River Bend and manage the territory left to her by her father. She would be content as long as the people of River Bend could live in peace and happiness.

But not long after she bid farewell to the old King Charles, she was assassinated. Realizing she was no longer safe, she fled Zee City under Bill's protection. Later, she met Dure, which led to the series of events that followed.

"I had already refused my uncle's offer, but I never expected that a series of things would still happen," Messiah said helplessly.

“I think it must be that the conversation between the old king and you, Messiah, was leaked and found out by Princes William and Henry. In order to consolidate their own positions, they put aside their differences and decided to join forces to get rid of you. Only after defeating you, their common enemy, will they start fighting amongst themselves again, right?” Dure had finally figured out the whole process.

“But I have no intention of fighting them.” Messiah never had much ambition, otherwise she wouldn’t have refused.

“What they care about is not whether you, Messiah, are willing to participate in the struggle, but that you pose a threat to them. That’s why they went to great lengths to get rid of you, Messiah, which led to the Battle of River Bend. If you had lost the Battle of River Bend, your fate would have been certain death. But now they are the ones who lost the Battle of River Bend, so the situation is completely different.”

"They have the same surname, so why do they have to kill each other?" Messiah really couldn't understand what her two cousins ​​were thinking.

"In the face of power, few can guarantee a clear head. So, Messiah, what do you plan to do next?"

"What's next? I don't know. I guess it'll be the same as before, managing the River Bend region well. That's the only thing my father left me." Messiah thought for a moment and said bitterly. For her, River Bend City was almost everything.

“But if we ignore Ze City, they will continue to attack you, Messiah. Even if you were lucky enough to win the battle of River Bend City this time, do you think you will always have good luck?” Dure did not agree with Messiah’s point of view.

"This..." Messiah was momentarily stumped by Dure's question, unsure how to handle such a difficult situation.

“Messiah, you have to do something. You have to save this country. If Duke Dorak were still alive, he certainly wouldn’t want to see this situation now, would he?” Dure asked rhetorically.

"But Dure, what should I do?" Messiah was completely clueless and could only ask the person she trusted most.

"The first thing to solve is the problem of Old Port. The Octopus family was also involved in the plan to assassinate Duke Dorak back then, right?"

"Huh, Dure, how did you know..." Messiah was surprised, because she had only learned about this from the old king after meeting him in Ze City, but she hadn't told Dure about it just now.

“I investigated that incident back then and interviewed some of the surviving participants. I found intricate connections to the Octopus Family’s involvement, so I suspect they were involved in the plot to assassinate Duke Dorak,” Dure explained.

"That's right. Back then, the bandit gang was based in the territory of the Octopus family. The Octopus family asked my father for help, claiming they were powerless to defeat them. So my father personally led his guards to fight the bandits. But when they arrived at the bandits' stronghold, an emergency occurred in the old port. My father sent half of his guards to deal with it, which resulted in insufficient troops when he went deep into the bandits' territory."

Messiah knew all too well what had happened back then. Although she wasn't a participant, it was her father who died, and she had been investigating the truth ever since.

“Now the Octopus Clan has colluded with Ze City again. Everyone knows their ambitions. Now they have openly betrayed you, Messiah. Whether it is a new grudge or an old one, it should be dealt with,” Dure said softly.

"But Dure, how should I handle this?" Messiah was still completely confused and didn't know what to do.

“It’s divided into two steps. First, seize the title; second, suppress.” Du Lei had already prepared a plan and said calmly.

“Take away the title? But the title is conferred by the royal family, and I am not qualified to take it away,” Messiah said, frowning.

"All you need to do is take away the Octopus family's title in the name of the old king."

“But Zezhi City won’t admit it.” Messiah thought this approach was inappropriate.

“No, they will admit it,” Dure shook his head, saying with absolute certainty.

"Huh? Why?" Messiah hadn't figured out the cause-and-effect relationship between the two.

"Because the capital lost the Battle of River Bend, what they fear most now is that River Bend will press their advantage and send an army to Zee City. This would fundamentally shake Prince William's position, so this is the only thing he wants to avoid at all costs. If they had won the Battle of River Bend, they would have needed the Octopus family's power to stabilize the situation in the River Bend region. Therefore, Halden would have been indispensable to them. But since they failed, the Octopus family has no value to them and has become a burden. If you, Messiah, were to take away the Octopus family's title in the name of the capital, William and Henry in the capital would not only not object, but they would probably issue a formal official statement. This would mean that you would be temporarily unable to spare the time to deal with the Octopus family, giving them a chance to breathe."

Du Lei had already figured out the ins and outs of the matter, and he had a very clear understanding of the situation in his mind, he analyzed.

"Why not just strip the Octopus Family of their title? Why suppress them?" Messiah asked, puzzled.

"Because they refuse to submit obediently. The Octopus family has a long list of misdeeds over the years, as you, Messiah, know. They've offended too many people, and too many are waiting for them to suffer. Now, the Octopus family's defeat in the Battle of River Bend has already caused them great losses. Furthermore, families that used to be subservient to the Octopus family are starting to break away. So, Halden knows very well that if he obediently lets River Bend take away his title now, all his enemies will come after him, and his fate will be dire." Dure could foresee the treatment Halden was about to receive.

Not long ago, when he met Halden in River Bend, he was the object of countless nobles' flattery and an honored guest.

But in less than a month, such a change has already occurred.

"So, Halden will definitely resist taking the title? Should we suppress him again?" Messiah gradually understood what Dure meant.

“Yes, the Octopus family has existed for over a hundred years. During this time, they have been incredibly shrewd and adept at maneuvering. Although they have committed numerous evils, no one has been able to do anything about them. However, with the death of Dohamma, the family has lost a leader, and the Octopus family will surely be destroyed by Halden,” Dure said softly.

"By the way, Dure, did you send someone to assassinate Dohamma?" Messiah suddenly thought of this question.

She hesitated for a moment, but decided to ask anyway.

"So you think I killed Dohamma?" Durree countered.

“Well… I don’t know either. Dohamma’s death is very advantageous to me. As for the motive, it should be someone who has a good impression of our River Bend City who would do such a thing, right?” Messiah was not quite sure about this either.

"It was indeed I who sent someone to assassinate Dohamma," Dure nodded, readily admitting it.

“Huh, it really is you, Dure…” Messiah was taken aback.

"Actually, it's not just about River Bend City. Dohamma has been controlling pirate gangs and attacking merchant ships, including those from the Land of Snow. This has caused great losses to the Land of Snow. When I was the Inspector General, many of the documents in my office were about the Octopus Family. So, this time, I came to the Swamp Country to take care of this big pirate leader as well. This will also ensure the safety of merchant ships from the Land of Snow. Besides, Dohamma's hands are stained with blood, so he deserves what he got," Dure said calmly.

“I see. But no matter what, Dure, you’ve been a great help. By the way, Dure, didn’t you say you were going to find someone who could decipher ancient texts? Have you figured out the solution to the stone tablet?” Messiah asked gratefully.

Because Dure had been away for a week, he had gone to find a way to decipher the stone tablet.

The stone slab was given to him by Lance, but now there is no clue where Lance has gone, and she doesn't know where Lance is either.

"We're still in the process of deciphering it, and there probably won't be any results in the short term. I've placed the stone tablet in a safe place, and I've made a rubbing of the text on it for a renowned doctor to study. However, the doctor said there's definitely more than one stone tablet; we need to collect all of them to know what's on it. I wonder where Lance found this stone tablet. If only we could find Lance." Dure had been inquiring about Lance for some time now, but still hadn't found out anything.

Lance seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, which gave Dure a bad feeling.

Regardless, Lance was his friend, and he didn't want anything to happen to Lance.

“Lance left in a hurry, and I don’t know where he went…” Messiah wanted to do something for Dure, but she felt powerless.

“Lance is always shrewd and capable, so he should be fine. But the most important thing right now is to deal with Old Port first, dismantle the Octopus family, and then deal with the Ze City issue.” Dure was concerned about Lance and the stone tablet.

However, he still knew the priorities and urgency of things; the situation in the Swamp Country was not yet fully resolved.

“Then I’ll leave everything to you, Dure. I’ve already given the order: all the troops in the River Bend region are under your command.” Messiah nodded. Apart from her deceased father, this man was the only person she could trust without reservation.

The moonlight poured down silently, casting a golden glow on the sea. For River Bay City, it was a peaceful night.

But for the old port, this night was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Halden received the representative from River Bend City, wondering why they had come to see him—had they won a battle and come to humiliate him?

But when he met the representative, he discovered that the other party was not from River Bend City at all.

This is an assassin.

The other party attempted to assassinate Halden, but fortunately he was prepared. His double took the fatal blow for him, and Halden escaped in a sorry state through the basement.

"Damn it, where did that guy come from? How dare he try to assassinate me? This is unforgivable! Have we caught him yet?" After escaping to a safe location, Halden loudly questioned his subordinates.

Since he took over as the head of the Octopus family, nothing good has happened; instead, one bad thing after another has occurred.

()

876 Ready to depart

Halden was incredibly unlucky. He had thought that by inheriting his father's title and becoming the head of the Octopus family, his life would surely rise to the top, and the Duke of the River Bend would be his for the taking. Moreover, his vision was much broader, not just limited to the River Bend region.

However, his path to the top had only just begun when he unexpectedly encountered a major setback. Not only was the fleet that the Octopus family had painstakingly built up over many years destroyed, but he himself was also assassinated. If his father hadn't left him a substitute early on, he would probably be dead.

"Lord Halden, the assassin is dead." The captain of the guard was also very nervous about this sudden situation.

He rushed over to report the situation; it had been a fierce battle, and he had mobilized a large number of people to complete the encirclement and annihilation of the assassins.

"What? He's already dead? Didn't I say to leave him alive and find out who wanted me dead?" Halden was furious. Lately, things had been going wrong one after another, and even this small matter was being handled poorly by his subordinates.