The most shameless alchemist in history

"Because the situations in the two countries are different. In the Snow Country, the two factions have very sharp conflicts and have experienced a long civil war. A truce plan that can be accepted by both sides must be proposed, otherwise it will be an endless war, or even lead to division. But the Swamp Country is different. The transition in the Swamp Country is much smoother, and the emerging power, namely the merchant power represented by the River Bend region, has the upper hand. To put it bluntly, Messiah, you are a representative of the big merchants, not a representative of the old nobles." Dure explained the difference between the two.

"So, does that mean I can only stay in Ze City from now on, and can't go anywhere else, and can't go on adventures with you, Dure?" Messiah said with some disappointment.

"This is the responsibility that has fallen on your shoulders, the responsibility you need to bear," Dure said, looking at Messiah's disappointed expression.

A girl like her should be enjoying her free time and traveling all over the world.

But at such a young age, she will be bound to this place, her dreams imprisoned.

For the Swamp Country, the rise of a moderate king, especially one who represents the interests of the business class, is a good thing.

But for the Messiah, she lost a lot, which may not be what she wanted.

"I understand the responsibility. I'm very sorry, I was being willful just now," Messiah said remorsefully.

“Perhaps one day, when the times reach a crossroads and the Swamp Kingdom is forced to make a new choice, Messiah, you will be able to break free of your shackles and live the life you want?” Dure said softly.

"Will that day really come?" Messiah's eyes lit up, and she immediately asked.

"I think there probably is," Dure looked up at the sky, unsure if that day would ever come.

The night was peaceful and quiet, and for them, this moment was also silent.

After a night, the coronation ceremony finally began. Not only did nobles from all over the Swamp Country come to participate in the coronation ceremony, but representatives from neighboring countries also came. Some of these countries were friendly with the Swamp Country, and they came to offer their congratulations and to sound out its intentions.

They needed to know whether the Swamp Country would continue to be on friendly terms with them, and what strategies they would adopt to protect their mutual interests.

Another group consists of those who have fallen out with the Swamp Kingdom, and they also want to find out what strategies the new king will follow.

It was a busy day for the Messiah; she didn't do a perfect job and there were many shortcomings.

But she is a serious person, a hard-working person, and a person who is willing to learn.

She believes that even if she doesn't do well, through learning, she can try her best to avoid making mistakes and gradually improve.

Messiah spent the entire day receiving guests from various countries, with almost no free time.

Dure was not idle either, because representatives from many countries wanted to meet with him, and he couldn't refuse them.

Because these people were all his old acquaintances.

For example, Celia from the Mountain Kingdom and Zoren, the newly appointed Foreign Minister of the Mountain Kingdom.

"Lord Dure, it's been a long time! Have you missed me?" Celia greeted Dure immediately upon seeing him.

She and her brother Zoren were there as representatives of the Mountain Kingdom to attend the Messiah's coronation ceremony.

"Ahem, Celia, stop fooling around." Zoren felt a headache coming on when he saw his sister rushing over so enthusiastically.

"What nonsense! Lord Dure and I have been friends for a long time. Who knows, I might even become Lord Dure's wife someday," Celia said earnestly, taking Dure's arm in her own.

"Pfft!" Zoren, who was drinking water, spat out his water when he heard Celia's words.

"Ugh, can't you maintain the image expected of a foreign minister? What an idiot brother you are," Celia said, looking at Zoren with disdain.

"Celia, I'm your brother, how can you talk to me like that? Besides, you're a girl, aren't you ashamed to say such things?" Zoren was having a headache with his sister, who was equally adept at handling all sorts of political affairs.

His precious younger sister was the only one who gave him the biggest headache.

"Shy? What's there to be shy about? Brother, what era are we living in? Girls should actively pursue their own happiness, instead of staying in one place and being coy, understand? Besides, you're not young anymore and you don't even have a girlfriend, it's really shameful."

Celia looked at her brother with disdain.

"What did you say? Embarrassing?" Zoren's eyes widened. Only Celia would dare to say that to him.

If it were anyone else, would they dare to speak to him, the next leader of the Mountain Kingdom, in such a tone?

“That’s right, you should have been married long ago at your age, but you’re still a bachelor. I’ll introduce you to a few girlfriends when we get back,” Celia said matter-of-factly.

"I don't need you to explain this kind of thing, okay?" Zoren was completely exasperated by Celia's antics.

"If I didn't introduce you, would you be able to find a girlfriend with your abilities?" Celia retorted.

"Do you mean your brother is so incompetent... Really, Dure, you're laughing at me. Don't take Celia's words seriously, she loves to joke." Zoren sighed softly.

“What are you joking about? I’m very serious!” Celia said, gripping Dure’s arm tightly.

“It’s alright, it’s not like we’ve never met before. I know Celia quite well,” Dure replied with a smile.

He knew that if he argued back, Celia would definitely keep insisting on talking.

So he might as well just go along with Celia's words.

“It’s great that you understand, Durei,” Zoren said with a sigh of relief.

"Oh, isn't this Celia? It's been a while, you've become more and more beautiful." At this moment, a noble lady came over from not far away. After greeting Zoren and Dure, she spoke to Celia.

“It’s Helen! I haven’t seen you in so long. How are you?” Celia recognized her as her good friend Helen.

“Let’s go over there and talk. I’ll introduce you to a few more of my friends.” Helen warmly pulled Celia aside.

"Well then, Lord Dure, I'm going to see some friends. I'll come back to see you later!" Celia said goodbye to Dure and then followed Helen.

Dure and Zoren watched Celia walk away.

"Selia is really something, she's so old and still so playful." Zoren said helplessly.

“Actually, Celia is also very capable. She’s only... seventeen years old this year, right? And she can already deal with various nobles skillfully. What were we doing when we were seventeen?” Dure recalled his own seventeen years, wasn’t he still in a frozen state?

“Yes, Celia will be eighteen in two months. After she turns eighteen, I’ll arrange some things for her to do so she won’t cause trouble everywhere…” Zoren said helplessly.

885 Reencounter with the First Encounter

The ascension of the new king of the Swamp Country is a major event, attracting the attention of various countries, which have sent representatives to the Swamp City to gather information.

Fortunately, the entire coronation ceremony went very smoothly without any unexpected incidents or any remaining forces attempting to cause trouble during the ceremony, which relieved Bill, the Messiah's chief guard.

Bill looked at the palace behind him, feeling as if he were in a dream. Just two months ago, they had escaped from this city in a sorry state as wanted criminals. At that time, they were not even sure if they could return to River Bend City safely, and their future was shrouded in shadow. But in such a short time, everything had changed dramatically. They, who should have been besieged by a huge fleet as wanted criminals and nearly wiped out, not only turned the tide but also came to this prosperous royal city. If he hadn't personally participated in this transformation, he probably wouldn't have believed that it was all real.

The man who single-handedly brought about such a flourishing state in the Land of Swamp is now skillfully dealing with representatives from various countries.

He saw all of this.

“It all feels like a dream. If it weren’t for Mr. Durley…” Bill tried to think about what their situation would be like without Durley’s help.

However, he only thought about it for a moment before giving up, because he realized it was meaningless. As long as they were doing well and things were going smoothly for the time being, that was enough. After all, they were living in the present, and he had not let down the previous Duke.

Bill saw Dure chatting and laughing with someone in the distance under the lights, and he looked away, not looking any further.

He was very grateful to that young man, but he could only keep that gratitude in his heart. The only way he could respond was to do his duty to the best of his ability and to better protect His Majesty the Messiah... or rather, to protect His Majesty the Messiah's safety now.

Because he knew that the young man was destined not to stay for long, he had many, many more things to do for him.

After Bill turned and left, Dure had just said goodbye to Zoren and Celia, with Celia leaving reluctantly.

"Oh dear, I want to spend more time with Lord Dure. Honestly, why are you rushing me like this? You're acting like an old woman," Celia said impatiently, glaring at her brother.

“Celia, Dure has a lot of things to deal with. Do you think he’s as free as you are? So, let’s go back first, and you can bother him again after Dure is done with this.” Zoren had no way to deal with his sister and could only speak in a conciliatory tone.

Anyone who witnessed this scene would find it utterly ridiculous, because Zoren has always presented himself to the world with a tough stance. Everyone in the Mountain Kingdom knows that any policy Zoren implements must be carried through to the end, and any negligence will be severely punished.

However, even the usually tough Zoren has his weakness, which is his sister Celia. This is probably what is meant by one thing subduing another.

“What you said makes some sense…after all, I’m not the unreasonable type…” Celia said after thinking for a moment.

"If you're not being unreasonable, then who is..." Zoren complained in a low voice.

"Hey, what are you saying? You could have spoken louder," Celia said, staring at her brother with a stern face.

"No, it's nothing. Well then, Dure, we'll head back now. You'll have plenty of work to do today. I'll be staying in Ze City for three days. Let's have a proper chat tomorrow when you're free." What Zoren wanted to have a proper chat about was, of course, business.

“Understood. See you tomorrow, Celia.” Dure nodded, bid farewell to the siblings, and left.

"Goodbye, Lord Dure." Celia smiled radiantly as she bid farewell to Dure. Soon after the siblings left, Zoren's wailing could be heard.

"Waaah... Celia, I'm your brother! How could you treat me like this? Couldn't you be a little gentler?" Zoren cried so hard.

"Gently? Who was it that just said I was being unreasonable?" Celia said angrily, pinching him.

"Huh? Really? I don't remember. Is it true?" Zoren quickly waved his hands. He wouldn't dare admit it even if you killed him!

"No? If not, then I can help you remember properly. We'll have a good chat when we get back to the mansion!" Celia had always bullied her brother since she was little, which made Zoren's eyes well up with tears. He looked so pitiful.

Dure watched the siblings leave, while someone else was watching him.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally came over.

"I never imagined that the unremarkable guy on the street would one day become such a big shot. I really don't know what's wrong with this world, it's so crazy." The woman said softly, biting her lip. She looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, about the same age as Du Lei.

She was exceptionally beautiful and had an outstanding temperament; she was undoubtedly a natural beauty. Even though many beauties attended the Messiah's coronation ceremony today, she was still one of the most outstanding.

Every move she makes exudes charm and captivates the viewer.

But at this moment, she stared coldly at Dure, her gaze filled with hostility, which was different from the other guests Dure had met today.

Because people know Dure's identity; even if they haven't met him, they should have heard of his name.

The mastermind behind the peaceful resolution of the internal strife in the Land of Snow a year ago.

He swiftly quelled the complex situation in the Land of Snow with ruthless decisiveness and rallied various nations to jointly combat the people of the Land of Wind.

Now he stands behind the young queen of the Swamp Kingdom who has just ascended the throne, and there is no doubt that he has a huge influence in the Swamp Kingdom.

Such a young man, yet already wielding immense power, is naturally the object of intense courtship from all sides. Giving him the cold shoulder at this juncture would not be a wise move.

But that's exactly what she did.

If she were from the Land of Wind, that would be one thing, because there would be a reason to explain it, since the Land of Wind had already suffered losses at his hands twice and was in a sorry state.

As someone from the Land of Wind, it's not hard to understand why she hates him, but the problem is that she is a pure northerner, from the Land of Snow.

Those unaware of the inside story would find it utterly unbelievable.

Dure has made great contributions to the Snow Country, and the people of the Snow Country should not hate him.

But those who attended Maple Leaf School in their early years will certainly find it familiar.

When Du Lei was still at Maple Leaf Academy, he had a very bad relationship with one of the students. In fact, their feud was not only within the academy, but could be traced back to when Du Lei first arrived in Maple City. At that time, he was almost hit by a carriage while protecting a little girl, Tie Xin's daughter, Shirley.

Those who can drive their carriages recklessly and without restraint within Maple City are naturally not ordinary mortals.

Normally only high-ranking nobles could do such a thing, and that is indeed the case.

From the moment Dure saw Euphemia, he didn't have much of a liking for her, even though they had some interactions later on.

But that was nine years ago. They hadn't seen each other for nine years, and now they met again on this occasion. This gave Du Lei a feeling of both long-lost familiarity and strangeness.