The most shameless alchemist in history

"As the old saying goes, 'Those who live near the mountain live off the mountain.' With such a large mountain where magical beasts roam, merchants naturally sensed a business opportunity. So they set up a lot of shops near Maple Leaf Academy, buying precious materials and medicinal herbs that they hunted from the mountain from the students of Maple Leaf Academy."

Lillian continued to explain that when they passed the herbal medicine shop, they could clearly smell the strong aroma of herbs coming from the shop, and when they passed the weapon shop, they could hear the clanging of metal being struck, with people frequently going in and out of the shop.

"Brother, let me tell you, the things here are all rare items that are hard to find outside. Besides precious medicinal herbs and sharp weapons, you can even buy magic-powered weapons, although they are a tiny bit more expensive," Hassan said, pointing to the nearby shops.

"That's not just a little bit more expensive, and magical armor can't be bought with silver coins. It can only be obtained by exchanging it with equally precious raw materials. Hassan, that Salamander Armguard you're eyeing requires double the Salamander Cores, plus Tier 2 Mithril to purchase."

John, who was standing next to him, chimed in, emphasizing that the value of magical weapons was not as trivial as Hassan made it out to be.

“It’s for making the Salamander Armguard. It can’t be done with just one crystal core and level 2 mithril. Why do you need two?” Dure frowned.

"Because there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. People won't make things for you for no reason. So you need double the amount for them to be willing to do it. And let alone double the amount, I can't even gather enough for one. Fire lizards are high-level magical beasts, and they are very difficult to deal with. I can only think about it."

Hassan waved his hand. "I am very self-aware. You could say this is the goal he has been pursuing in the most ethereal way of his life."

"I see, I think I understand now. Because of Maple Leaf Academy's unique advantages, the students periodically go to the surrounding forests to hunt magical beasts and collect precious medicinal herbs, which they then sell at nearby shops or exchange for valuable items, right?"

Through Hassan, Lillian, and others, Dure finally understood the purpose of these shops and their interdependent relationship with the academy.

"Yes, students can also use the equipment they buy from the store to become stronger, because in addition to training in magical energy and using skills, equipment is also a crucial factor. Okay, enough about that, buddy, that's the registration point over there. Good luck."

Hassan pointed to a long queue not far ahead and gestured for Dure to join it.

"By the way, aren't you guys planning to try again? Maybe you'll have a chance to pass the test and get into Maple Leaf Academy this year." Dure was very grateful for Hassan and the others' help. Given Hassan and the others' condition, they could definitely choose to try again.

“Brother Dure, the ‘chance’ you’re talking about is actually a complete failure, because the examiner this year is still Charlotte. That means we’re doomed to fail the test. But it’s okay as it is. Don’t get your hopes up too high. Just go.” Hassan smiled helplessly.

"Is that so? Then I'll head over there." Du Lei nodded and hurried toward the registration point where a long line had formed on the right.

"He's quite the energetic guy. I wonder if he'll still have that mindset in three days," Hassan said with a sigh as he watched Dure walk away.

“Anyway, it’s always a good thing to be willing to try new things. And Hassan, you were too blunt. Aren’t you afraid of hurting him?” Lillian scolded Hassan, her eyes showing a hint of pity as she watched Dure’s departing figure.

"I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just telling the truth. They always say the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. You can't blame me, blame Charlotte. Alright, we should probably get to work now. Work and earn money to buy the Salamander Armguard, that's my life's goal."

Hassan clenched his fist. They all worked for nearby shops and the college, and he had saved up a small amount of money over the past year.

"With your meager savings, you probably couldn't afford it even if you saved for ten lifetimes." Lillian scoffed at Hassan's pursuit.

“Harilian, you were just blaming me for hurting that guy, but now you’re hurting me?” Hassan protested.

“You’re more shameless than others, so you deserve it.” Lillian said this with a straight face.

"Why should I deserve this? We've known each other for so long. You can't treat him differently just because he's a tiny bit more handsome than me." Hassan complained bitterly, full of resentment. He and Lillian met when they enrolled last year, which is exactly one year.

"Alright, stop with the nonsense and get back to work. We've got a lot to do today." Lillian rolled her eyes at him.

"Okay, okay, I have to run errands for the grocery store today, so we'll say goodbye here. See you tonight." Hassan waved goodbye to Lillian and the others, and they disappeared into the crowd.

102. Interpersonal Relationships

Dure didn't think Hassan was deliberately trying to scare him. Firstly, Hassan had no reason to scare him, and secondly, this phenomenon did exist. While he was still in line, he had personally witnessed many parents with their children being served without having to wait in line at the office not far ahead.

However, having traveled a long way to Maple Leaf Academy, he naturally couldn't just give up without even trying. He patiently queued in the crowd for over an hour before it was finally his turn. He was greeted by a well-dressed middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties.

His clothes were finely tailored and inlaid with gold trim. Even though his head was bald and he didn't have much hair left, he had taken great care of it and looked very elegant. His face was clean and beardless. He was of medium build and had a thin face. When he saw Du Lei, he looked him over and frowned.

"Your name is Du Lei, right? Looking at your form, it's not a prestigious surname. Do you have any letters of recommendation or anything like that?" The middle-aged man with the name "Charlotte" on his name tag put down the form Du Lei handed over and asked. This was the form he had filled out at the office earlier.

“I came alone without a letter of recommendation,” Dure readily admitted. While Charlotte was observing him, he also took in every move of the examiner. It was clear that this was a difficult person to deal with, and the first thing he asked for was a letter of recommendation, just as Hassan had said.

"Are you alone, Du Lei? Do you know that our Maple Leaf Academy is the premier academy in Maple City? Even in the Snow Kingdom, it is renowned. Every year, countless students come to our academy to enroll. As you can see, we only admit outstanding students."

Charlotte pointed to the magnificent Maple Leaf Academy, her words brimming with undisguised pride and self-satisfaction.

“I know that. I came here because I admire Maple Leaf Academy’s reputation, hoping to become a part of the academy and listen to your wise teachings, Professor Charlotte.” Dure nodded and answered cautiously.

"That outstanding student always gets the teacher's favor and special attention. Everyone likes that kind of outstanding and sensible student, right? So, Du Lei, before you came here, did your elders at home give you any special advice, like about interpersonal relationships or something?"

Charlotte rubbed his hands together as he looked at the student in front of him. He had already been quite blunt, and he had even spared himself the smile. When Dure was still in line, he had clearly seen Charlotte greet the students and their parents, who were dressed in gold and silver, with a smile on her face.

“I live alone at home, and I don’t have any elders. But even without anyone reminding me, I will always remember your kindness, Professor Charlotte.” Dure wasn’t oblivious to his meaning; he was simply penniless and had no silver coins to bribe him.

"What, so you're just a poor kid? It's too early to talk about being grateful. The test starts tomorrow morning. Here's your application form. Alright, alright, stop blocking the way. Next, next." Charlotte's face fell when she saw that Dure didn't react.

Although Dure mentioned the "gratitude for being recognized," implying that he was grateful to him, who was Charlotte? She was the chief examiner for freshmen at Maple Leaf Academy, and many people who gave her money were grateful for her recognition. She scoffed at Dure's empty words.

"Just as Hassan said, this teacher Charlotte is a money-grubbing fellow. If we don't leave a good impression on him, things will get complicated later. But we can only take it one step at a time. The test starts tomorrow, and I wonder what it will be like."

Du Lei left the registration area and looked towards the location of Maple Leaf Academy. This academy, which required climbing hundreds of steps to reach and was considered the southern gateway to Maple City, appeared distant in his eyes, forcing him to prepare for the worst.

"Then I should find a place to rest for the night. Should I go to find Hassan and the others? Or should I forget it? If I go like this, they'll laugh at me. Besides, it's not good to keep bothering others. I still have a few silver coins. I'll find an inn to spend the night."

Du Lei glanced at the silver coins in his pocket, made up his mind, and decided to stay at a nearby inn. There were many inns on the street that catered to students' parents, so he found one that looked ordinary and was obviously a small inn that had been temporarily converted. The innkeeper immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Oh, a guest has arrived! Please come in, please come in. Do you need to stay at our inn? We have clean rooms and hot water." The owner invited the guest in.

"A regular room will do, how much do you want?" Du Lei didn't have many demands.

"Alright, a standard room, sir, only twenty silver coins. Thank you for your patronage." The innkeeper gave the price with a smile.

"What?! Twenty silver coins for just one night's lodging? That's so expensive!" Du Lei was shocked by the price. Normally, lodging in an ordinary inn like this would cost at most one silver coin, but the price was a full twenty times higher.

"Oh, sir, what's with your reaction? It sounds like we're ripping you off. Don't you even know that all the nearby inns are full? We're the only one with one room left, and it's in this remote, desolate area, so it's more expensive when it's scarce. So, do you want it or not?"

The boss was displeased by Du Lei's tone and immediately urged him to make a decision quickly.

"I...I don't want it anymore." Du Lei really couldn't come up with that much money, and even if he could, he wouldn't willingly be ripped off, so he immediately fled.

"Tch, what's the point of coming all the way to Academy Mountain if you have no money? Don't you know you can't get anywhere here without money? How boring." The shopkeeper watched Du Lei leave.

Meanwhile, Du Lei went to several hotels to inquire, and as the hotel owners had said, they were all fully booked and there were no vacant rooms. Du Lei originally planned to just find a place to sleep nearby for the night, since he had slept on the snow mountain before.

However, they were told that due to the recent appearance of monsters, a curfew had been imposed on Academy Mountain, and people were prohibited from being in the vicinity at night.

"This is terrible. We can't even find a place to stay. We can't even sleep outdoors. This is really troublesome." Du Lei was at a loss for what to do.

"Hey, that's big brother, we meet again!" Just then, a voice rang out behind him.

"We meet again, who is it?" Du Lei turned around when he heard the voice. He really couldn't think of any acquaintances he could have in the Academy Mountain.

103 Blacksmith Shop

Dure didn't remember having any acquaintances in the Academy Mountain, but when he turned around, he found that he had indeed seen the person who called him before, and the time was not long ago, to be precise, yesterday, when he had just arrived in Maple City and met him while asking a vendor for directions.

At that moment, a carriage went out of control and crashed into him. He was almost hit head-on. If it had just been an ordinary accident, it would have been fine. But the other party was extremely rude, especially the girl who jumped off the carriage. She swung her whip and lashed out at Du Lei’s face. There are still marks on her face to this day.

"So it's you. Your name seems to be..." Du Lei recognized the girl who called out to him. It was the same girl he had rescued from under the carriage wheels yesterday. At the time, he hadn't thought much about it; it was purely an instinctive reaction. After leaving, he forgot about the incident.

He never expected to run into her here again. He remembered that she had told him her name yesterday, but he couldn't recall it at the moment.

"It's a pear, a pear, a sweet pear that you can eat. Pears love to eat pears the most!" The cute little girl tilted her head and said. She looked at Du Lei with a smile and blinked. She was wearing a red dress and had her two ponytails tied up. She looked innocent and cute.

"Oh right, it's Sherry. I remember now. I'm so sorry, what are you doing here?" Du Lei smiled apologetically. There were people coming and going nearby, especially the mercenaries who all looked fierce. The cute girl in front of him seemed a bit out of place with the atmosphere.

"Because Sherry's home is here, so I'm here. By the way, big brother, how come you're here? Is your home nearby too? And big brother, what's your name?" The little girl asked Du Lei curiously. She grew up in the neighborhood, but she didn't remember ever seeing him before.

"My name is Du Lei. I'm here to register for Maple Leaf Academy. You said your home is nearby." Du Lei briefly introduced himself and his current situation. At the same time, he was a little worried. He was unfamiliar with the place and people here, so it was too much of a coincidence to run into someone he knew.

"Oh, Sherry, I understand. You're a student enrolling at Maple Leaf Academy, right? I've seen so many people like that lately. Brother Du Lei, you left in such a hurry yesterday that Sherry didn't have a chance to properly thank you. Now that we've met again today, you must come to Sherry's house."

Sherry dragged Dure along, her enthusiasm and innocent charm leaving Dure momentarily bewildered. Considering he didn't know where he was going, he could only let Sherry drag him along, following her without knowing where she would take him.

"So, Sherry, how come you brought a man home? There's an old saying that daughters are not meant to stay at home once they grow up. You're not even grown up yet, and you're already going to abandon your father?" In a blacksmith's shop, a middle-aged blacksmith who was wielding a hammer stopped.

He saw his lovely daughter walk into the shop, along with a boy of unknown origin, and his emotions shifted from grief to anger.

“That’s right, Father, Sherry is getting married. Hurry up and prepare the dowry,” the little girl said earnestly with a serious face.

"What are you two talking about? Is there some mistake?" The boy following behind was completely bewildered. He had been worrying about where to go, but unexpectedly ran into the girl he had helped yesterday, and followed her home in a daze.

Upon arrival, he found himself in an unassuming blacksmith shop on the street. He was quite frightened to see a strong, burly middle-aged man with dark, shiny skin swinging a hammer high in the air, as if he were about to smash his head in the next instant.

"There's no mistake! You bastard who kidnapped my lovely daughter, you'll meet your end right here!" Enraged, the middle-aged blacksmith raised his hammer to smash it down on Dure, who had no time to explain and immediately braced himself for the impact.

"Just kidding! Do you think I'd believe that someone with your shabby appearance could trick my lovely daughter? I don't believe it at all! Oh, my lovely daughter, Sherry, is back! Where did you go today? I told you, it's not surprising that you keep bringing back cats and dogs."

Just as the blacksmith's hammer was about to smash into Dure's head, Dure was actually prepared to fight back. But just as the hammer was about to fall, he threw it aside with a dull "bang" on the ground, and then turned around and picked up the little girl.

"How come you picked up a poor boy with a shabby face today, who looks like he won't live long?" The blacksmith lifted his most beloved daughter high, his face full of happiness, completely different from his cold expression just now. Moreover, when he looked at Du Lei, his face was full of disdain.

"Father, your beard is so prickly, it's so annoying! I've told you so many times to shave, it hurts so much when it pricks. Oh, Father, his name is Du Lei, he's the one who saved Shirley." Shirley was lifted up by her father, who affectionately pressed his face against hers, the stubble of his beard poking her face.

"A beard pricks, right? A beard is a symbol of manhood, isn't it? Shirley, when you get married, you must marry someone with the manly spirit of me. Don't marry that poor guy with a shabby face, or you'll suffer! Hahaha, tickle, tickle!"

The blacksmith was completely absorbed in his time with his daughter, and even when Sherry protested, he moved closer and closer, and even started tickling her armpits.

"It tickles, it tickles! Father, you're so annoying! Shirley doesn't want to get married! Stop tickling me, hahaha!" Shirley was clearly very ticklish; she protested while laughing so hard that tears were almost streaming down her face.

"He's clearly just a poor blacksmith, yet he has the nerve to say I look poor. We're practically the same. Besides, I'm young and have unlimited potential, unlike some people." Du Lei had only just met him, and he was already being threatened with a hammer and mocked for being poor.

Even with his good temper, he couldn't stand it and immediately retorted. In fact, what he said wasn't wrong. Compared to the other magnificent shops on the street, this blacksmith shop only had a few ordinary weapons displayed at the entrance. Du Lei had glanced at them before entering and they weren't particularly special.

Upon entering, besides the intense heat and the occasional sparks drifting by, there wasn't a single decent piece of furniture in the room.

104 Poor blacksmith

It could be said that Du Lei and the middle-aged blacksmith disliked each other from their first meeting. The blacksmith called Du Lei a poor slacker, while Du Lei called him a poor blacksmith. Although Sherry mentioned her father's name, Du Lei was in a fit of anger and wouldn't listen to what she said.

The two men were locked in a fierce confrontation inside the blacksmith's shop. In terms of physique, the middle-aged blacksmith undoubtedly held an absolute advantage. He was over 1.8 meters tall and had a muscular build due to years of blacksmithing. Compared to Du Lei, who was only thirteen years old, he was like a bull.

"Alright, alright, Father, you and Brother Du Lei stop arguing. Brother Du Lei is a good person. If he hadn't saved Sherry yesterday, you wouldn't be able to see your lovely daughter. Brother Du Lei, Father is just a stubborn person, please don't take it to heart."

Sherry was caught in the middle of the conflict between Dure and the blacksmith, which put her in a very difficult position. She could only try to make peace with a smile, but it was clear that they were both very stubborn. It was like two heads were clashing, and neither was willing to give in.

"You ignorant and arrogant brat! If it weren't for my lovely daughter, I would definitely teach you a lesson. Alright, you can go now. Wait, Sherry, what did you just say? What happened yesterday?" the blacksmith threatened fiercely.

But then, belatedly, he realized what Sherry had said and immediately became anxious, asking about his daughter's condition.

"Oh, Father, you didn't even know? Yesterday, Shirley was almost hit by the carriage. It was Brother Du Lei who saved her. All you do is work as a blacksmith and don't care about me at all. Waaah!" Shirley's eyes were brimming with tears, and she was about to burst into tears, which made the blacksmith very anxious.

"Since there's nothing for me here, I'll be leaving now. I won't see you again." Du Lei said coldly. He hadn't done anything wrong, yet he was unjustly scolded by the blacksmith. Naturally, he couldn't stay here any longer. With the blacksmith's order to leave, he turned and left without looking back.

"Wait, buddy, oh dear, I didn't quite understand what was going on. What? So you're not the criminal trying to kidnap my lovely daughter, but the one who saved her? I get it now. Come back, come back. If I don't treat you to a proper meal, Sherry will definitely not let me off the hook."

When the middle-aged blacksmith saw that his daughter was serious and about to cry, he immediately stepped forward to stop Du Lei and put on a stiff smile.

"Sorry, I have other things to do and don't have time to stay here." Du Lei insisted on leaving, walking to the door. Shirley's eyes were brimming with tears, and she was just short of bursting into tears.

"Hey kid, you stop right there! Anyone who dares to make my lovely daughter cry, I won't let them get away with it. If you insist on leaving, I'll smash your skull with this hammer!" The blacksmith threatened in a low voice, grabbing Dure's collar. He lifted Dure up without any difficulty whatsoever.

"You're the one who made Sherry cry, okay? How come you're blaming me now? And don't think I'm afraid of you just because you say that." Du Lei was a little annoyed. This blacksmith's way of doing things was really too bizarre and eccentric. His patience was almost at its limit.