The most shameless alchemist in history

"Who told you that?"

"Do we need to hear anyone's opinion? It's all in the newspapers; they even dedicated a special column to telling your story!"

Pope chuckled and patted Dure on the shoulder, handing him a newspaper at the same time.

Dure took it; it was today's latest newspaper, and just as Pope had said, there was indeed a column about him.

"This is way too exaggerated," Du Lei said after taking a quick look.

“It’s not an exaggeration at all, after all, we witnessed what you did with our own eyes, Durex,” Pope chuckled.

"By the way, Dure, are you planning to go to Lava City now?" Mai asked.

"Yes, we're going to Lava City."

"Then hurry to the station. The train to Lava City will arrive in about ten minutes," Matthew said.

"Ten minutes? That's a bit of a tight timeframe."

"We're also preparing to go to the Free Federation, which isn't on our way, so we won't be traveling with you. But Du Lei, seeing you again after nine years, seeing you grow from a boy into a renowned figure on the continent, makes me feel very gratified, happy, and proud."

Matthew said, holding Durei's hand.

"I will never forget the camaraderie we shared while fighting side by side!" Dure affirmed.

"Well then, Dure, let's do it again. I don't know when we'll see each other again."

"No matter how long it takes, I believe that day will definitely come!"

"Okay, bye!"

Matthew, Pope, and Marlene waved to Dure and soon said goodbye and left.

Dure also headed towards the train station.

They soon went their separate ways.

As Matthew and his two companions headed south, Pope looked at the train slowly approaching in the distance, intending to stop at the station.

“It’s incredible and exhilarating that we’ve witnessed the growth of such a great man and fought alongside him,” Pope exclaimed.

"Now you know the gap between yourself and others, right? Didn't you think you were very capable before?" Marlene said sarcastically.

“I wasn’t joking before, and compared to ordinary people, we are indeed very capable, but compared to Dure…”

"Alright, let's head south. The Free Federation is now the most developed and active industrial and commercial center on the entire continent. I hope we can find meaning in our lives there and achieve something, instead of being just a mere sheriff nine years from now."

"Isn't it because you're too low-key, Matthew? Otherwise, with our strength, we wouldn't be stranded here."

"So you mean you're blaming Matthew?" Marlene glared at Pope.

"No, no, that's not it at all! No matter how many years pass, we will continue to travel and continue to adventure. Onward!"

Matthew, Pope, and Marlene quickly disappeared into the wilderness.

The train, which had stopped briefly in Jiaore Town, slowly began its journey. Some people got off at Jiaore Town; these were travelers returning from afar.

Some people boarded the train at the station in Jiaore Town and embarked on their journey, some of them carrying the desire for freedom and dreams.

Another group was filled with worry.

Dure is better than the latter.

He sat in the empty carriage. He had met Marco Polo on his way from Stormy City to Scorching Town. Marco Polo was a chatterbox and talked non-stop the whole way, but now Marco Polo was gone.

The letter he left for Dure included his address and a promise to meet again and go on an adventure together.

Actually, Dure had a pretty good impression of Marco Polo, except for the fact that he talked too much.

After all, the world needs explorers and adventurers to know just how big the world really is.

Otherwise, you'll live in that small area forever, and your perspective will be too narrow.

"Hey buddy, are we setting off again? It's been so long since I've taken a train. Every time I ride a train, it feels so special. By the way, buddy, what about that girl you used to be with? How's she doing? Actually, I thought you two were a perfect match back then."

Du Lei lost the talkative Marco Polo by his side, but gained the talkative Old Black.

He was very excited after encountering Lao Hei again in the underground mine of Jiao Re Town.

There was no rest along the way; he was not only curious about the surrounding scenery, but also frequently mentioned his past adventures.

At first, Du Lei would patiently talk to Lao Hei about the current situation of the people who had gone on the adventure with him.

Eventually, he lost patience and stopped paying attention to him, letting him talk to himself.

"By the way, young man, what about your wife? Why don't you ever mention her?" Old Hei asked casually.

"Wife? What wife? I'm not married, where would I get a wife from?" Du Lei felt increasingly confused.

"Huh? Not married? Bro, really? You've forgotten something like that? What happened in Lan City?" Old Hei asked in surprise.

“Storm City? Storm City… Have I ever been to that place?” Dure tried to recall carefully.

He knew that the City of Storms was a city located on a hill within the Kingdom of Mountains.

"Hey bro, stop joking. Weren't we all together? There were two young girls, one older woman, and two men too."

Old Hei reminded him, he was getting more and more confused. Du Lei didn't seem like someone with a bad memory, so how could he not know this?

"The little girl you're referring to is Wenli and Bailing, right? The older girl you're referring to is Fengshi, and the other two men are Baowei and Huche."

Dure still remembers some things.

"That's right, that's right, it's them, the ones we went to the Mountain Country together back then, right?" Old Hei said with certainty.

"Yes, that's right. We started from Maple Leaf Academy, then crossed Nightmare Mountain, passed through the underground mines of Spring Breeze Town, and then Harrenburg..." Dure carefully recalled the route they took.

“But I don’t remember ever going to Storm City.” He frowned, if it weren’t for Old Black’s sudden remark.

He simply couldn't connect the Castle of Storms with himself.

"Hey buddy, think about it again. How could you not have been there?" Old Hei reminded him again.

“City of Storms…Spring Breeze Town…Hrenburg…City of Storms…wait, City of Storms is the only way to the Mountain Kingdom, I’m sure I’ve been there!” Dure quickly formed a map in his mind, outlining the route he had taken.

He had never thought about this problem before, but now, a piece was clearly missing from the map.

That's the Castle of Storms!

If he didn't go through the Castle of Storms, how did he get to the Land of Mountains?

But since he went to the City of Storms, why does he have no memory of the City of Storms at all?

“Oh right, we’ve been there. You even got married there, how could you forget that… But I think I forgot about it for a while too, until recently when I suddenly remembered it.” Old Hei said after thinking for a moment.

"Marriage... Storm City... No, I still can't remember." Du Lei felt that there were many unreasonable things in this.

"Don't worry, young man, you'll remember eventually," Old Hei comforted him.

"By the way, young man, you just mentioned the stone slab, right?" Old Hei changed the subject.

"Well, I already have two stone tablets. Once I collect seven stone tablets, I can find the coordinates left behind by that Duke of the Far East."

"But why is it absolutely necessary to find that coordinate point?"

“It’s because of… a notebook,” Dure said after thinking for a moment.

"A laptop? I've never heard you mention it before."

"It's a notebook I got when I was a child, left to me by a man named Xia Yi. I never understood who he was, where he came from, where he went, or why he put a curse on me, warning me never to leave Hot Spring Village."

But then I discovered something. I found a symbol that appeared repeatedly in the notebook he left behind. It was a mark similar to a clan emblem. I didn't know what it meant until I saw the stone tablet and found that there was an identical mark on the stone tablet.

I remember that man once asked me, "Dure, do you know where you come from?" I told him that I didn't know. I was just a baby who was picked up from the snow. I didn't know who my parents were, where my hometown was, or whether I had any other relatives.

I've always thought these things weren't important. I've traveled and ventured to many countries and have indeed achieved quite a bit. But the higher a person's status and the more outstanding their achievements, the more they care about certain things.

Where do I come from? This question has always haunted me. Xia Yi must know, and it's no coincidence that he appeared in the hot spring village. I want to see him again and ask him the answer to that question. The only clue I have to find Xia Yi is the stone slab.

To be precise, it's the symbols on the stone slab. This must be connected to that Duke of the Far East, so I must find that place and find the answer to the question that's been troubling me.”

Du Lei looked out the car window at the scenery rushing past and said softly.

“I see, brother. I understand you. Sometimes I miss Xuyuan too, even though it’s an extremely harsh and dangerous place where you could die at any moment. But it’s still my hometown.” Old Hei said with emotion.

"Do you still want to go back?" Dure asked calmly.

"I think about it. Actually, I came here because I heard that there are seeds of the Tree of Life here. As long as I get the seeds of the Tree of Life, return to the Void Abyss, and plant them, they can grow into a Tree of Life with infinite vitality. With the Tree of Life, the environment of the Void Abyss will be greatly improved. The scorched earth will become an oasis, and the Void Abyss will have enough food. People will no longer fight each other for food."

"Is this why you came here? But the Tree of Life... it's a legendary thing. I've only seen related records in books, and I've never seen the real thing. Does it really exist?" Dure asked with a big question mark.

"Whether it really exists or not, we should still look for it properly, just in case we find it?" Old Hei said with a smile.

“You’re right. We have to try no matter what. If we try, we’ll have a chance. If we don’t try, we won’t even have a chance.”

Dure nodded slightly, and the train continued its rapid journey.

He checked the time; he would arrive in Lava City in four hours.

In Lava City, the armies of the Land of Flame and the Land of Lightning are at war. Of course, most importantly, according to the intelligence that Dure has obtained, the whereabouts of the stone tablets have been discovered in Lava City...

()

912 Wang Family Cemetery

For Du Lei, the most urgent matter at hand is to find the seven stone tablets that were divided up by various countries after the collapse of the Azure Thunder Empire.

He now holds two stone tablets, one being the Swamp Country Stone Tablet, which was kept by Lance's grandfather and eventually passed down to him.

The other is a stone slab from the Land of Rain, hidden in the ancient castle of the royal family of the Land of Rain, located in Storm City.

There are five pieces remaining, located in the Land of Snow, the Land of Mountains, the Land of Wind, the Land of Flame, and the Land of Thunder.

The stone slabs from the Snow Country and the Mountain Country are relatively easy to obtain; he has already written letters to Winry and Zoron respectively.

I believe they will respond soon.

The Land of Wind is a more troublesome place, because Black Wind is currently there and holds a high position.

Although Du Lei and Hei Feng were friends, they grew up together.

However, Black Wind was proud and strong-willed, and in order to prove that he was stronger than Dure, he stood on the opposite side of Dure.

In particular, Durei led the armies of the Snow Country and the Swamp Country to defeat the airship legion of the Wind Country led by Black Wind.

This created a grudge between the two, and it won't be easy for the Wind Kingdom to hand over the stone tablet willingly.