The most shameless alchemist in history

If Hilbert were to step forward again, he would become the target of public criticism.

In times like these, someone has to step up and take the blame, and poor Parker is the one who should be chosen.

“This…” As the representative of the Land of Flame, Chief of Staff Gilbert was not good at diplomatic situations.

He was put in this position simply to make up the numbers.

At this point, he had no choice but to look somewhat awkwardly at the young man sitting next to him.

Not long ago, this young man was arrested by him as a suspect in the assassination of Gray Flame.

However, he has now become a guest of honor in the Land of Flames, a change that Gilbert must feel ashamed of.

“We don’t need reparations or land; all we need is the truth,” Dure said calmly.

If it weren't for the appearance of the three-nation alliance, the Land of Flame would have been defeated by the army of the Land of Lightning long ago.

He played a crucial role in the emergence of the Three Kingdoms Allied Forces.

Putting aside his relationship with the Land of Snow, without him, the Land of Snow would probably still be in an endless civil war.

He also has an ambiguous relationship with the newly enthroned queen of the Swamp Country.

Some busybodies have dug up information that Dure was classmates with His Majesty the Messiah back in his student days.

Even more gossip tabloids have started a column to serialize a story written by someone about "Maple Leaf Romance".

It tells the story of a young man's romantic entanglements with several women who would later become influential figures in the mainland during his student days at that academy.

This led to a significant increase in sales for the previously unknown tabloid, transforming it into one of the most popular newspapers.

Although all the characters on the show use pseudonyms, people can still match them with the real-life figures.

In the eyes of the public, the affair between Dure and Messiah is almost certainly confirmed.

As for the Rain Kingdom, Duke Jester of the North had previously attempted a large-scale southward campaign to seize the throne. During the Storm City incident, Dure's name also appeared in the newspapers, leading people to speculate whether this newcomer had reached some kind of agreement with the Rain Kingdom.

If the initial speculation was merely conjecture without any concrete evidence, then the recent military intervention by the Land of Rain speaks volumes.

"The truth? I wonder what the truth you're talking about is, Mr. Dure..." Parker knew that this young man was the key figure.

How this peace talks end depends entirely on the young man's wishes.

"The truth about Crown Prince Ferdinand's assassination in your country, and the truth about why your country suddenly invaded the Land of Flames," Dure said calmly.

"Hey, hey, aren't you guys mistaken about something? What do you mean by the truth about Ferdinand's assassination? Isn't it that Ferdinand kidnapped our lovely sister, and your Flame Kingdom refused to fight back? We came to the Flame Kingdom to take her back, understand?"

Hilbert, who had been silent all along, suddenly snapped.

"You mean Ferdinand abducted your princess but didn't die in your country?" Dure asked, frowning.

"Ferdinand is still alive and well, otherwise how could he have kidnapped my lovely sister? Your excuse is really strange."

Hilbert assumed this was just an excuse from the people of the Flame Kingdom, and he snorted coldly.

“Your Highness Hilbert, I hope you can respect the deceased. His Highness Ferdinand was indeed assassinated in your country, and his body has already been buried!”

Gilbert spoke steadfastly, despite not being in a dominant position in the negotiations.

However, he was still very angry about Hilbert's words and immediately stood up to refute them.

"What? Ferdinand is dead? No way, I saw him perfectly fine a month ago. And Cahill? Where is she now?"

After a moment of surprise, Hilbert immediately stood up and asked.

"Shouldn't His Highness Cahill be in your country?" Gilbert said coldly.

"Since Ferdinand abducted Cahill a month ago, she has been out of the country. We have sent people to the Land of Flame many times to negotiate, hoping to send someone to escort Cahill back, but there has been no progress. Meanwhile, the army of your Land of Flame attacked the border of our Land of Thunder without cause, causing a conflict. We had no choice but to retaliate and send troops into the territory of the Land of Flame, all for the purpose of retaliation and finding Cahill!"

Hilbert spoke with a strong and resonant voice.

“Negotiation? We’ve never seen anyone negotiating!” Gilbert also vehemently denied this.

"As for the claim that we initiated an attack on the Land of Lightning's army, that's utter nonsense. It was the Land of Lightning's army that attacked us first and started the war!"

After a pause, Gilbert continued.

"You people from the Land of Flame are really good at distorting the truth. Even now, you're still trying to cover things up."

Hilbert sneered, clearly not believing what Gilbert said.

"You two, please stop arguing for now, Lord Dure, look at this..."

The representative from the Swamp Country asked for Dure's opinion. He had met Dure when Dure was still in the Swamp Country.

In addition to the representatives from the Land of Rain and the Land of Snow, all three representatives followed Dure's lead.

“I think that’s where the problem lies,” Dure said calmly.

"Problem? What problem?" Pike asked.

"The problem is that the Land of Thunder accused the Land of Flame of abducting the princess and provoking the Land of Thunder to launch an attack, while the Land of Flame accused the Land of Thunder of assassinating the crown prince and also launched an attack. Is that the case?" Du Lei asked.

"This is not an accusation, it is an undeniable fact! Although we lost, we will never tolerate unwarranted accusations or humiliation that is not ours!" Hilbert said righteously.

"Lord Gilbert, did you witness the burial of your Crown Prince Ferdinand?" Dure asked, frowning.

“Well… I’m not a member of the royal family, and the royal cemetery is located in a very secluded place. I don’t know its exact location.”

Gilbert thought for a moment, then shook his head and said.

"So, one side believes that Crown Prince Ferdinand was not killed, while the other insists that Crown Prince Ferdinand was assassinated and buried. Lord Gilbert, who spread the news of the burial?" Dure asked again.

“It was sent by General Grayflame, but General Grayflame…” Gilbert didn’t finish his sentence.

Because Gray Flame had already been stabbed and died.

"If I want to find out the truth, there is one thing I must verify."

"What is it?" Gilbert asked, looking at the young man.

“We must find out whether Crown Prince Ferdinand is really dead.” Dure discovered that the crux of the problem lay with Ferdinand.

"But... how should we do this?" Gilbert asked somewhat nervously.

“Of course, we need to find the royal family’s cemetery and see Crown Prince Ferdinand’s remains with our own eyes,” Dure said confidently.

"What? Enter the royal cemetery? Only members of the royal family are allowed to enter. Ordinary people who go in recklessly will be cursed! And nobody knows exactly where it is located," Gilbert said in a panic.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.” Gilbert looked toward the doorway.

Soon a secretary entered, whispering in Gilbert's ear, which made Gilbert frown.

“What did you say?” Gilbert reacted strongly.

"Lord Gilbert, is there something special? Should we suspend our peace talks?" Dure asked in surprise.

“Mr. Dure, there is someone you are afraid you must meet with no matter what,” Gilbert said cautiously.

"Who is he?" Dure asked curiously, noticing Gilbert's expression.

“Please wait here for a moment, everyone. Mr. Dure, please come with me.” Gilbert stood up and gestured for Dure to follow him.

Although Dure was somewhat puzzled, judging from Gilbert's expression, it must be that some very important person had arrived.

After he left the conference room with Gilbert, he went to the reception room of another building nearby.

At the entrance of the building, he saw guards in red uniforms.

These guards had flame patterns embroidered on their chests, and Dure recognized them immediately as the insignia of the Crimson Flame Guard.

The Crimson Flame Guard is the royal guard of the Kingdom of Flame.

The presence of this guard here is probably...

“Your Majesty, Mr. Dure has arrived.” Gilbert said with a bow after entering the room.

The room wasn't spacious; after all, the Scorching Fortress was a military fortress, and all its functions were for defense.

An old man was browsing through books in the room. He turned around when he saw Gilbert and Dure enter.

He looked to be in his fifties, with a somewhat aged appearance, and wore a magnificent red robe.

His expression looked somewhat sad.

"Understood, Gilbert, you may go now, you may go now too."

After the old man waved his hand, a woman in the corner of the room followed him out.

The woman was in her thirties, carrying a long sword, and her striking purple hair was eye-catching.

Most importantly, Durree realized that this woman was a magic user.

Moreover, its level is not low, reaching the level of an eight-star king.

For a country like the Land of Lightning, the number of people whose strength has reached the King rank is extremely limited.

There is only one woman who has reached the level of an eight-star king.

That was General Purple Flame, the previous commander of the Scorching Fortress.

"Are you... His Majesty Wellington of the Land of Flames?" Although Dure had never seen the old man before, he recognized him.

"The man standing before you now, Mr. Dure, is nothing more than a wretched old man who has lost his beloved son," Wellington said with a wry smile, waving his hand.

“I feel very sorry about Crown Prince Ferdinand, but I have one question: was His Majesty personally in charge of Crown Prince Ferdinand’s burial?” Dure knew that losing a son in old age was an extremely sad thing for the elderly.

But for him at this stage, the urgent need is to find out the truth of the matter.

"This wasn't something I presided over; in fact, I didn't see Ferdinand one last time." The old man shook his head.

"Why?" Dure frowned.

"Because I was bedridden and unable to move at the time, my brother Villefranco presided over the entire funeral," the old man explained.

“Prince Wilhelm?” Dure nodded slightly. He knew a little about the situation in the Land of Flames.

"Yes, Wilfa transported Ferdinand to the royal cemetery for burial. I only came here after I recovered from my illness, wanting to see him. But I didn't expect to be attacked by the Land of Thunder here. If it weren't for Mr. Durei, who promptly dispatched the armies of the three nations to rescue us, I'm afraid not only would the Scorching Fortress have fallen, but even this old man like me would probably have fallen into the hands of the Land of Thunder," the old man said helplessly.

"I see. The timing of the Land of Lightning's attack was quite ingenious. So, the entrance to the royal family's cemetery is near the Scorching Canyon, isn't it?"

“That’s right, that’s exactly it. The reason I came to the Scorching Fortress this time is actually to see Ferdinand.” The old man nodded.

"Then, Your Majesty, I have a request."

“Mr. Dure, please speak freely.”