The most shameless alchemist in history

"Well, I hope I'm not too late," Dure said with a slight nod.

“Mr. Dure, you’re quite the joker. Please come with me. By the way, who is this…” Ghost asked Mira beside him.

Mira shrank back behind Dure; she always felt that the old man gave off a dangerous and unsettling feeling.

“She’s my woman, is there a problem?” Du Lei retorted.

“No problem at all!” Ghost smiled and led Dure toward the Duke’s mansion.

Dure soon met Jester.

At this moment, Jester was wearing a military uniform, and the crisp uniform made him look exceptionally smart and handsome.

He walked towards Du Lei with great confidence.

"Mr. Dure, do you know what day it is today?"

"I'm not sure," Du Lei shook his head.

"Today is the day Lord Lin Ye marched into the Lionheart Empire! And today, we will follow in Lord Lin Ye's footsteps and repeat this great journey. What an inspiring and glorious honor this is!" Jester looked very excited.

"So this time... where does Lord Jester intend to march?"

"Of course, it's Sky City! That guy Zeref has turned the country into a mess and chaos these past two years. As a member of the royal family, I can't let him continue to act recklessly. Now I've decided to send troops to Sky City to bring the chaotic Land of Rain back on track!"

Jester looked smug and beaming with pride.

"I see." Du Lei nodded slightly, not at all surprised.

After all, it was common knowledge throughout the Land of Rain that Jester was about to raise an army.

“Then Mr. Dure, please come with me. Together we will build this great nation!” Jester extended an invitation to Dure.

In fact, he had already invited him once last night, but Dure did not give a clear answer.

Jester wasn't a patient man, but he wouldn't mind being a little more patient with Dure.

"But Lord Jester, have you ever thought about this?" Dure suddenly asked.

"What's the problem?" Jester is currently at the peak of his life.

He had every reason to believe that within a few days, he would successfully take over Sky City and replace Zeref as the King of the Rain Kingdom. But his ambitions did not stop there; he also wanted to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and achieve great feats.

His goal was to become a great being like that Duke of the Far East, or even surpass him!

"Regarding the question about Jelf," Durrell said calmly.

“Jeref? He’s made a mess of the country these past two years and has long lost the support and trust of the nobles. And how could such short-sighted people understand what greatness is?” Jester scoffed.

He actually looked down on his nephew.

He never took even his own brother seriously.

"Actually, in the past two years, Jelf has been dealing with the great nobles. Your criticisms of him mainly focus on his attitude towards dealing with the nobles. As for the common people, there haven't been many voices opposing him. In fact, some of his policies have brought many benefits and advantages to the common people."

Dure spoke slowly and deliberately, while Jester's expression had already turned somewhat unpleasant.

“Mr. Dure, do you even know what you’re saying?” Jester emphasized.

Today is supposed to be a great day for him to send out his troops, but Dure is saying such disheartening things.

This is not a good sign.

"Does Lord Jester know what you are doing?" Dure asked in return.

"You... are you not going to accept my invitation and instead stand against me?" Jester's tone grew increasingly harsh.

"Lord Jester, you've embarked on a path of no return, and you don't seem to realize it?"

()

901 Let's make a bet

Jester's future is full of hope, at least in his view.

Many years ago, when he was a teenager, he had a chance, but due to a small accident, he missed the throne.

Now that the man he hated is dead, if Jelf can work hard and not give him any opportunity, then he can only continue to lie low.

He still has a chance because he is still young, only in his thirties, in the prime of his life.

He still had plenty of time to realize his ideals and his ambitions, and he truly got the opportunity.

The series of decrees issued by Jelf after he came to power were all aimed at the great nobles.

This caused the nobles who supported the framework of the Rain Kingdom to become alienated from Zeref.

Without the support of the nobles of the Land of Rain, Zeref is just an empty shell.

Jester felt that Jelf had presented him with this opportunity, and he was determined to seize it.

To this end, he actively contacted nobles in various places, trained troops, and expanded military equipment. Even the farmers in the countryside of the Land of Rain knew that Lord Jester was about to rebel.

However, instead of making any move, the city of Clear Sky arrested and imprisoned the Assassin family, who had been suppressing the various noble families.

This is practically like cutting off your own arm!

Jester believed this was simply the best opportunity God had ever given him!

After careful preparation, he finally ushered in this day. The soldiers were all assembled at the train station, waiting for orders. He had reason to believe that at this moment, he was the master.

He will take the whole world into his own hands, and then he will use that power to realize his great ideal!

The arrival of that young man who had risen to fame in the Snow Country was a great boost to Jester's abilities, and he believed that Dure had no reason to refuse him.

This is a great opportunity to leave my name in history; only the most foolish idiot would refuse such an opportunity!

However, just before he was about to leave, the young man clearly rejected him, and Jester thought he had misheard.

Does this guy even understand the current situation?

This is his territory, and he has his men all around. How could he refuse me?

“Mr. Dure, do you know how many people follow me?” Jester asked with a grim face.

"They probably do know," Du Lei said after thinking for a moment.

At this moment, Ghost had already noticed Dure's abnormality, and he immediately took a step towards Dure.

Not only him, but three other King-level magic users nearby also blocked Dure's retreat route immediately.

The nearby guards all raised their guns and aimed at Dure.

This scene terrified Mila.

Just moments before, Dure was Jester's VIP guest, but now the two sides have suddenly turned hostile and are at each other's throats.

This made her feel extremely frightened and confused, and for a moment she grabbed Du Lei's clothes and moved closer to him.

Because at that moment, she knew that he was the only person she could rely on.

"Oh? To what extent do you know?"

"Lord Jester has four King-level magic users under his command, all of whom are here at a glance, along with twenty-nine Flame-level magic users and ninety-eight Battle-level magic users. This is truly a formidable force. Of course, Lord Jester's strength over the years is not limited to this. He has three standing legions under his command, with formidable combat power and excellent equipment. Later, he urgently expanded to six more legions. Actually, it wasn't really an emergency expansion, because these people were originally secretly trained by Lord Jester in private. In other words, Lord Jester has nine legions under his command." Dure paused here.

"Moreover, Lord Jester's advantages are not limited to this. Lord Jester's territory is the wealthiest place in the Rain Kingdom, with fertile land, developed commerce, and especially a transportation network. Lord Jester can transport nine legions to Sky City in three days. Moreover, Lord Jester has a secret weapon, which is an airship squadron. This airship squadron can launch a surprise attack on Sky City, achieving a swift and decisive victory. It can be said that Lord Jester holds a very strong hand. If I am not mistaken, more than half of the nobles in Sky City probably correspond with Lord Jester, right?" Dure calmly stated.

"Since you know all this, why are you still blocking my way? Do you think you can turn the tide by yourself? Besides, you're from the Land of Snow, you don't know Zeref, and you have no reason to risk your life for him, right?" Jester was also surprised that Dure had so much information, but he still questioned loudly.

"Lord Jester, have you thought about something?" Dure suddenly asked.

"What is it?" Jester asked, somewhat surprised.

"Don't you think things are going a little too smoothly?" Du Lei reminded him.

"What's wrong? What is it?"

"It's like Lord Jester's wishes come true, don't you think? He hoped that Zeref would do nothing and make enemies, and he actually did it. He thought the Assassin family was a thorn in his side and had to be eliminated, and Zeref actually dealt with the Assassin family. Lacking the support of several major merchant guilds, these guilds quickly sent letters... There are many, many similar examples. Lord Jester, haven't you thought about it carefully? These things have developed too smoothly. Do you really think you have such good luck?" Dure asked one question after another.

"What...do you mean?" Jester frowned. If he was initially full of pride, he suddenly felt uneasy.

“Perhaps it’s not too late to give up now,” Du Lei asked softly.

"Give up? I have the upper hand now, and you're telling me to give up? What kind of joke is this?" Jester found it utterly absurd.

"How about we make a bet?" Du Lei suddenly suggested.

"A bet? What kind of bet?"

“I bet you will receive a telegram of total defeat within ten minutes, Lord Jester,” Dure said with absolute certainty.

“How could such a thing be possible? I would lose? Based on just a few words from you, I would lose?” Jester found it absurd and laughable.

He had made thorough preparations for this day and had been working on it for many years; it was a labor of love.

However, just as he was about to harvest his bountiful harvest and pick the fruit, someone came to tell him that his fruit had rotted and all his efforts had been in vain.

If he's not crazy, then this person must be crazy!

“Then just wait a few minutes, Lord Jester. You won’t miss a few minutes, will you?” Dure said softly.

"What, you still want to stall for time?" Jester replied with a sneer.

"Does Lord Jester really fear that a few minutes could squander all the advantages you've accumulated over the years?"

“This is really interesting. Alright, I'll wait a few minutes. But Dure, I kindly invited you to create this great era together, but you cruelly refused. You'll soon find out what a foolish decision that was!” Jester sneered.

The originally harmonious and pleasant situation suddenly became extremely rigid in an instant.

Dure remained calm and waited patiently.

But he could clearly sense that his hands were trembling.

It wasn't Duré's own hand that was trembling, but Mila's.

"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Du Lei asked softly.

“A little bit…” Mila said softly.

"Do you regret it?" Du Lei asked with a smile.

"Regret what?" Mira asked him, looking up at him.

"I regret your choice."

"Why regret it?" Mira still didn't quite understand.