The most shameless alchemist in history

"This... sir, the assassins had prepared poison beforehand. They died from the poison as soon as we surrounded them," the captain of the guard said tremblingly. He knew Halden's temper and knew that the latter was extremely indignant at this moment.

"You're all a bunch of useless trash! You actually let the assassins kill you, damn it... Get out, get out!" Halden grabbed a bottle and threw it at the head guard, angrily shouting that he was very dissatisfied with the outcome.

Just then, someone rushed in from outside the door. It was his political officer, Lille, a shrewd and capable young man.

"My lord, I heard you were just attacked. Are you alright?" Riel asked anxiously about Halden's condition.

“Do I look like I have something to do right now? What are you doing here?” Halden asked, staring at Riel.

“My lord, it’s like this, I just received news from River Bend City…” Riel lowered his voice and whispered in Halden’s ear.

"What did you say? You want to strip me of my title? Our Octopus family's title was bestowed by the king more than a hundred years ago. What right does she have to strip us of our title?" Halden was furious. He had only recently inherited his father's title, and now she wanted to take it away from him.

This is something he absolutely cannot accept.

“The reason they gave was that they received an order from His Majesty the King,” Lille said softly.

"His Majesty the King? That's a joke! His Majesty hasn't appeared in public for almost a year. We don't even know if he's alive or dead. How could he possibly care about something like this? His two sons are always causing trouble!" Halden didn't believe it at all.

"But sir, because His Majesty the King has not shown up, no one can say for sure whether the so-called order to strip him of his title is true or false," Riel said anxiously.

"What about the capital? His Highness William wrote me a secret letter before, asking me to send troops, and I did as he said. But we almost wiped out the entire Octopus family's wealth. Now it's his turn to respond to my sincerity. What's his attitude?"

"My lord, because of the disastrous defeat at the Battle of River Bend, Prince William, who had previously gained considerable support, is now facing another crisis of trust. Many ministers in the capital have sided with Prince Henry, and Prince William is now in a precarious situation."

"He can't even protect himself, so he's going to abandon me and not protect me anymore?" Halden asked in a deep voice.

“There’s nothing we can do about it, so we can’t count on the capital. And according to reliable sources, River Bend City will soon be launching an attack on us!” Riel knew the seriousness of the situation, which is why he immediately went to Halden to report to him.

“They’re actually going to attack us? Damn it… But the Octopus Clan has survived for so many years, we’re not someone you can just throw your weight around. What about the Osprey Clan? They’ve always been on good terms with us, they’ll definitely send troops to help us, right?” Halden immediately thought of his allies.

"My lord, the Osprey family has already issued a statement earlier, publicly condemning our betrayal of the River Bend region!" Riel said helplessly.

"What? Those Osprey family guys, have they forgotten who helped them when they were in their most difficult time?" Halden exclaimed in shock.

“My lord, times have changed. Those who were once close to our family now wish they could sever ties with us. Our strength has been severely damaged, and the capital city no longer intends to cooperate with us. And the assassins sent this time are probably…” Riel hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

"You mean the people sent by the capital want to kill me? Damn it... I never thought our Octopus family would end up in such a sorry state!" Halden said indignantly.

“There’s nothing we can do about it, so you’d better be prepared, sir,” Riel suggested.

"Prepare? What preparations?"

"The army from River Bend City will be attacking soon, and with our current strength, it will be difficult to resist. So we might as well retreat to the sea."

"What? You mean you want me to go back to sea and become a pirate?" Halden reacted strongly to this.

The Haletons have always considered themselves nobles. Although the Octopus family started out as pirates, they have tried their best to erase that shameful history.

When the Octopus family was at its peak, no one dared to provoke them. Mentioning pirates was out of the question; at most, people would mutter a few complaints in private. But now, with Dohamma's death, the entire Octopus family has fallen into decline.

Now that it has fallen into Halden's hands, the situation is even more dire, to the point that it is forced to flee. This is undoubtedly a major blow to Halden's self-esteem.

“My lord, this is a reluctant choice for the Octopus Clan to continue its survival. Although this choice is difficult, as the head of the family, you must consider the interests of the family and not let the family perish in your hands,” Riel said solemnly.

If someone else had said those words, Halden would certainly not have taken them seriously, and might even have rebuked them. But the words did indeed come from Lille.

Lille was the strategist his father left him, and he was instructed to listen to Lille's advice in everything he did.

This forced Halden to seriously consider the issue.

"After more than 100 years of prosperity, has our Octopus family finally fallen to the point of having to return to the sea as pirates again?" Halden smiled bitterly. This change was too sudden for him. Not long ago, he was still looking forward to his lofty ideals.

Not long ago, he had the opportunity to become the Duke of River Bend and even take over the city of Ze, but in just over a week, he has fallen to this state. The contrast is too great.

An ordinary person would absolutely not be able to accept such a reality. In fact, it was also very difficult for Halden to accept, but he had no choice but to accept it.

“I understand. Since this is the only option for our Octopus family, let’s do it this way.” Halden sighed deeply, knowing that he had reached a point where he had no other choice.

“Well then, sir, I’ll go and make the arrangements now. Please also prepare yourself. I’ll set off at dawn tomorrow,” Lille nodded and said.

"What, leaving at dawn? Is it that urgent?" Halden thought it was too rushed. He was not prepared at all, and with so much stuff, it would be difficult to pack it all in just one night.

“My lord, don’t you understand? While we are talking, the fleet of River Bend City is already assembling. If I’m not mistaken, they will arrive at Old Port by noon tomorrow at the latest. If we don’t leave before them, do you think we will still have a chance to leave?” Riel asked rhetorically.

"What did you say? They moved that fast?" Halden was taken aback.

“Of course, because Lord Messiah urgently needs to stabilize the situation in the Reach region. They need to use the toughest and most swift methods to eliminate our Octopus family, so as to deter others and teach those families who used to have close ties with our Octopus family and were secretly plotting something a lesson, showing them who the true masters of the Reach region are,” Riel said solemnly.

"I never thought our Octopus family would fall to this state. Sigh, Riel, I understand. I'll pack my things, and we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning." Halden sighed softly, all traces of his previous sharpness gone.

The moonlight outside the window was like water. He knew that no matter how beautiful the scenery was, this would be his last night in the old port.

Lille's judgment was correct. The fleet had been assembled in River Bend City. In the previous naval battle of River Bend City, the Combined Fleet suffered heavy losses, but the River Bend Fleet had not yet participated in the battle and still maintained its complete organization and combat capability.

Messiah and Dure bid farewell to Colonel Chido, who was in charge of commanding the fleet, at the port. Colonel Chido was a young and excellent commander with outstanding command abilities. Both Dure and Messiah were very confident in entrusting the fleet to Colonel Chido's command.

"Then I wish you all the best." Messiah saw Colonel Chido off. At this moment, the officer, who was about thirty years old, saluted Messiah and returned to the warship.

The night was hazy, the sea was calm, and the full moon could be seen hanging on the horizon in the distance, giving people a refreshing feeling.

The fleet quickly sailed away from Dure and Messiah's sight.

"I hope Colonel Chido will have a successful trip this time," Messiah said softly after watching the fleet sail away.

"Although we were able to pacify Old Port this time and bring it back to River Bay City for management, it will probably not be easy to completely eliminate the Octopus Clan," Dure said softly, withdrawing his gaze.

"Huh? What? Not easy? Why is that?" Messiah didn't quite understand the meaning behind Dure's words.

"Because the Octopus family has a long history, existing for hundreds of years, it is said that they were descendants of sea people long ago. However, for some reason, they became pirates and then came to land through speculation, becoming nobles. The Octopus family has been able to prosper for more than a hundred years, and there is a reason for it. Although the current leader, Halden, has many shortcomings, the foundation of a family is that it cannot be completely destroyed by one or a few people. Therefore, I guess the Octopus family will decisively abandon Old Harbor and flee to the sea. They were originally pirates, and they know the sea better than anyone else. So once they escape to the sea, I'm afraid there will be no way to deal with them." Although Dure was still in River Bay City, the River Bay Fleet's campaign to attack Old Harbor had not yet begun.

However, he was already able to foresee what might happen.

"Then what should we do? Should we send more people to wipe out the Octopus Clan?" Messiah didn't doubt the truth of what Dure said, and she asked in surprise.

"No need for that. Throughout history, many have tried to exterminate the Octopus Family, but none have succeeded. It's said they possess a secret about the sea. Anyway... let's leave them alone for now. After this blow, while the Octopus Family won't be wiped out, they will certainly suffer a fatal blow. Without decades of recuperation and waiting for an opportunity, they won't be able to return to land." Du Lei shook his head; he didn't intend to exterminate the Octopus Family.

“Although I don’t quite understand either, since you’ve said so, let’s do it this way,” Messiah nodded and said.

"We should receive news of the victory at Old Port in about three days. In these three days, Messiah, you should make your preparations."

"Huh? Prepare? What's there to prepare?" Messiah was momentarily confused about what Dure meant by that.

“Of course, we’re going to Ze City,” Du Lei replied calmly.

"What? Dure, you mean we're going to Ze City? But doesn't Ze City hate us and want to kill us?" Messiah was taken aback.

“They did want to kill you, but you are different now. After pacifying the Octopus Family, the River Reef region will be more united than ever before. And taking advantage of the victory in the River Reef naval battle, neither William nor Henry will dare to do anything to you. Besides, you are not going to Ze City alone,” Dure explained.

"Isn't it just me? There's also..." Messiah asked hesitantly.

"And me, and an army." Dure's calm gaze drifted into the distance.

The sea was calm and the waves were still; it was a truly peaceful night!

()

The King died in 877

Historically, the Swamp Country was not a powerful nation; for a considerable period of time, it was bullied by neighboring countries.

However, since King Charles ascended the throne, he has gradually increased the strength of the Swamp Kingdom with a tough approach.

Although sometimes his methods were too harsh, which some people found very uncomfortable and unfair.

For example, during certain special periods, a family might commit a trivial mistake, but in order to ensure the smooth implementation of his decrees, Charlie would not hesitate to wipe out the entire family that had supported him in the early days, which earned him a lot of infamy.

However, Charlie didn't care about these criticisms. All he cared about was that the Swamp Kingdom could gradually become stronger, and that his hard work and dedication to the country would bear fruit. In fact, he did achieve that, and the Swamp Kingdom's national strength increased significantly.

This had consumed almost all of his energy. Even though he was only fifty years old, the prime of his life, his body had long been overworked and plagued by serious illness. He had been very weak for a year and rarely appeared in public.

There was much discussion in Zezhi City about the king's situation, with all sorts of rumors circulating. Some said the king had fallen ill and was in despair, while others said he was merely observing and manipulating everything from the shadows. Still others said the old king was actually dead.

Outsiders were unaware of the old king's condition, but his sons William and Henry were quite aware of it.

William, in particular, kept abreast of his father's situation and sent people to visit him every day.

William was recently overwhelmed by the defeat in the Battle of River Bend, and he was running around every day dealing with these matters.

This caused him to neglect his father's affairs for a while, so he was greatly shocked when he learned of this news today.

"What did you say? Father... passed away?" William knew about his father's condition.

Due to his poor health, Charles had been recuperating in his palace for a long time and rarely concerned himself with state affairs. He had bribed the doctor, who said that the old king should be able to hold on for another year or two. But unexpectedly, the bad news came so quickly!

“Yes, it happened around midnight yesterday,” William’s confidant Jones confirmed.

"Midnight? It's already noon. Why are you only reporting this to me now?" William was shocked. Nearly ten hours had passed. Even a second could change many things, let alone so much time!

“Because His Highness Henry blocked the news, he bribed everyone in the palace. We only learned about this news through an inside source close to His Highness Henry,” Jones explained.

"What? He bribed them all? Didn't I also pay a hefty price? And those bastards took my money but were doing Henry's bidding?" William was utterly astonished, and he angrily denounced them.

“Your Highness, now is not the time to worry about those things. His Highness Henry received the news at midnight and has already made preparations. We received the news even later, but fortunately, we have been operating in the capital for many years. In terms of strength, we are still stronger than His Highness Henry. Therefore, we must seize the time to take action and not fall behind!” Jones gave William advice immediately, which was also his duty.

“You’re right, we must take action immediately. Send men to the Blackwater Guard’s camp and mobilize troops to seal off the entire Ze City!” William made a decisive decision. He believed that he had extensive connections in the military, and several guard commanders had previously sworn allegiance to him.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, the Blackwater Guard has taken control of Ze City!" Just then, someone rushed in to deliver the message.

"Oh? They've already taken action? So quickly. Good for them. Now let's go arrest that idiot Henry." William was somewhat surprised, but he had originally planned to have the Blackwater Guard mobilized. Now that the Blackwater Guard had arrived so quickly, it saved him the trouble.

"Wait a minute!" Jones immediately stopped William.

"What's wrong, Jones? Is there a problem? We've already wasted so much time, and now we can't afford to delay any longer!" William said anxiously.

“No, Your Highness William, something’s not right,” Jones said, frowning immediately.

"What's wrong?" William felt a sense of bewilderment.

“Your Highness, we only just received the news. It will take the Blackwater Guard some time to arrive and seal off Ze City. This means they knew about the changes in the situation in Ze City before we did. What does this mean?” Jones asked solemnly.

"This means... they learned about this from Henry? They actually sided with Henry?" William quickly came to this conclusion, which greatly surprised him, because he had always regarded the Blackwater Guard as his private army!

“That can’t be right. How could this be? I just met with General Bolon last week.” William still found it hard to believe.

“This is indeed shocking, but Your Highness William, we received the news ten hours too late. His Highness Henry knew about the situation beforehand and made arrangements before us. We have lost the initiative, so it would be better to be cautious.”

“Since the Blackwater Guard has run into trouble, let’s summon the Whitewater Guard,” William said after a moment’s thought.

“No, Your Highness William, how can you not understand? Even your most trusted Blackwater Guard has run into trouble, let alone the others,” Jones sighed, pleading with him.

"Hey, you don't mean... the Whitewater Guard is also in trouble, and they've all sided with Henry?" William's eyes widened; this was simply too unbelievable for him.

"Given the current situation, this is very likely, Your Highness William. We cannot afford to take any risks right now, so we must evacuate Ze City!" After a calm analysis, Jones confirmed that this was the best option they could make at the moment.

“You want me to leave here? Wouldn’t leaving here be a sign of weakness to that Henry? And if I leave, wouldn’t that be tantamount to admitting that he is the rightful heir to the throne?” William was very unhappy about this and would never agree to leave Ze City so easily.