The most shameless alchemist in history

"Durey, don't get angry with her. It won't do you any good." Kelly frowned and whispered a reminder to Durey. Although Durey's test results were surprising, and even Roland avoided him, she still chose to stay and speak up for him.

"Stubborn? We'll only know after we try." Dure declined Kelly's offer and returned to the platform. The pure, transparent crystal lay quietly on the table, much like a sleeping beauty waiting to be awakened, while Euphemia stood no more than ten meters away from Dure.

She had to look closely to get a full look at Dure's frustrated expression; she loathed his dark eyes and wished she could gouge them out.

"Durey, don't worry. No matter what the outcome, I'll stand by you. We're partners, we're friends, we'll stand together through thick and thin." Lance stood firmly by Durey's side. He was a grateful person and knew that without Durey, he wouldn't have been able to get this far.

"So, Du Lei, are you sure you want to try again?" the gentle senior, Ruth, asked Du Lei, giving him a somewhat sympathetic look.

“Yes, I’ll try again.” Dure nodded. He never did anything he wasn’t sure of, including this time.

"Then please begin, good luck." Ruth's eyes turned encouraging. In her view, even losers deserve recognition as long as they have courage.

"Tch, he really is someone who won't learn until he's faced with a fatal mistake. It's disgusting that he still has that look in his eyes even now." Yuffie was increasingly annoyed. She couldn't understand why she was targeting Dure so much; perhaps those dark eyes were the real culprit.

“Miss Yuffie, don’t worry, that kid has absolutely no chance of succeeding. The magic crystal he used was specially made, two levels higher than the commonly used crystals. Even someone with red magic reaction aptitude would only get a blue level when tested with this crystal.”

Charlotte noticed Euphemia's dislike for Dure and made special arrangements to curry favor with this arrogant young lady.

"The specially made one can't even detect a reaction from ordinary magic crystals, so why use a specially made one?" Yuffie frowned, puzzled.

“Well, it’s better to be safe than sorry, just in case something unexpected happens,” Charlotte paused for a moment, then replied with a smile.

"There are no accidents in this world. I think that idiot is still dreaming." Yuffie scoffed at this. From childhood to adulthood, she has never failed to get what she wanted, and she has never failed to punish anyone she disliked.

“Miss Yuffie is right. How could such low-class people be allowed to enter the gates of our Maple Leaf Academy?” Charlotte smiled brightly. The appearance of four people with red magic energy reaction aptitude today was already a great gain. Now she would go along with it and help Yuffie.

If he could get in touch with Yuffie, it wouldn't be impossible for him to become the vice dean of Maple Leaf Academy, let alone take a step further if he wanted to.

"Hey, what do you guys think that guy is trying to do? I saw him try several times but there was no magical reaction. Why is he standing on it again now? He's really persistent." A student in the crowd sighed. Du Lei had undoubtedly become the focus of attention.

“I think this isn’t persistence, it’s genuine stupidity. He clearly knows that others are targeting him, and he has no power to fight back. If he had just slunk away, everyone would have just made a fool of it and forgotten about him quickly. But now he’s stubbornly refusing to back down. Isn’t he just putting himself in the fire to roast?”

Some people have expressed the opposite opinion. At first, they felt some sympathy for Dure, since no one wanted to mess with someone like Euphemia. But now, many people are just laughing at him. Only a few people, including Lance, are worried about Dure.

Meanwhile, Dure, who was standing next to the magic crystal, noticed something unusual about it.

"This isn't the crystal I used for testing before. That senior didn't touch it either. The person who did touch it is the one next to Charlotte. Did they deliberately switch the crystal to embarrass me? What a sycophant, good at flattering others." Du Lei smiled sarcastically.

"If I were alone, I would definitely have collapsed here. This place is indeed different from the snow mountain. There are many people and many things to do. These people are all very capable, unlike those in the village who are easy to fool. At least for now, in their eyes, I am just a clown," he continued to mock himself.

"But this is my first step out of the snow-capped mountains. I promised him that I would find him one day. If I fall here, how far can I go? If I can't even get over the small hills, how can I cross the mountains and rivers? So lend me your strength."

Dure stood alone on the high platform, with everyone else keeping their distance. He was the focus of everyone's attention, and no one dared to get too close to him, lest they be seen as a thorn in the side by Euphemia and Charlotte. Even when Lance wanted to get closer, Ruth dissuaded him.

This would distract him, and being alone meant that Dure was talking to himself. Some people saw his mouth move and wondered if he had gone mad, talking to himself like that. But only Dure knew that his heart had skipped a beat.

It wasn't the heart inside his chest cavity, but the heart of the egg he placed near his chest. It was a trophy he had obtained in the Misty Forest. Although he didn't know what kind of egg it was, from the moment he touched it, he knew it was alive and could understand his words.

"We had a pleasant working relationship in the cave. No matter what you are, if someone bullies me and takes their anger out on you, smashing you to pieces, you won't be able to be born properly, right? So I think you can definitely do it with your power. Come on, lend me your magic power."

After taking a deep breath, Durei picked up the transparent magic crystal and held it in his palm.

162. Too soon to be happy.

Although hundreds of people in the arena were watching Du Lei's every move, few of them had any expectations for what he was about to do. Everyone could see that he had run out of ideas and, without any magical energy, he couldn't stir up any trouble at all.

In fact, if it weren't for what happened last night, Dure wouldn't have dared to take this step, especially something as simple as betting on an egg. No normal person would make such a choice. Yuffie watched the farce with bated breath, knowing he only had a few minutes left anyway.

The students' attitude towards Dure also shifted from sympathy to schadenfreude. While people are instinctively sympathetic to the weak, when a small ant struggles to do something it wouldn't normally dare to do, sympathy turns into disgust, and one can't find a sense of superiority in that.

"What? Look at him, I thought he was going to do something amazing, but look at him, it's been a while and there's still no reaction. Isn't this the same as before? He was just bluffing, all bark and no bite." Some students commented.

"Let's call it a day. What's there to see here? We should learn a lesson from this incident. We must never mess with people we can't afford to offend, and we must never stick our necks out for others, or we'll really suffer the consequences." The students sighed and immediately turned to leave.

"Wait, look at that! The magic crystal seems to be emitting light!" Just when everyone was pessimistic about Dure, a light suddenly appeared, which startled everyone. They immediately followed the light source and saw Dure's hands, which were crystal clear with a pale blue luster.

"Kelly, look! The magic crystal in Dure's hand is reacting and glowing! I knew Dure wouldn't have any problems. He just didn't perform well earlier. Now he'll definitely show his true skills and scare everyone!" Lance was very excited and genuinely happy for Dure.

"It's just the lowest level of pale blue luster. Don't be too happy yet. At this level, it can't even cross the threshold. And to put it bluntly, even an ordinary person could have such a magical energy reaction." Kelly's words undoubtedly poured cold water on Lance.

She wasn't saying this to deliberately provoke Du Lei; on the contrary, her palms were sweating as she nervously watched his every move. But she was right; blind hope would only bring more disappointment. Reason told her to wait patiently and not to be too optimistic.

“Even so, it’s still a good start, right, right, Senior Ruth?” Lance, having been discouraged by Kelly, turned to ask the gentle-natured Ruth, who had previously guided him. She was much better than the other Elune Lance had encountered before.

“Lance is right, this is a good start, but…” Ruth looked at the gleam emanating from Dure’s hands on the stage, her expression worried.

"But what?" Lance asked, puzzled, seeing her hesitate.

"The crystal in Du Lei's hand doesn't seem to be the same one as before." Ruth was very interested in the crystal in Du Lei's hand.

"Sigh, it's not the same one as before. But didn't you change it once, senior? After the change, it's definitely not the original one." Lance scratched his head. He remembered that Ruth had changed the crystal to take care of Dure before, but that crystal still didn't have any luster.

"No, it was someone else who changed it after I did. And if I'm not mistaken, it was a higher-grade crystal. It has a higher magic energy trigger point. Even if you have red magic energy reaction aptitude, it's nothing compared to it." Ruth was genuinely confused.

This crystal is intended for use by older students for testing purposes, and is definitely not for use by freshmen who have not yet officially enrolled.

"What trigger point? What high-level crystal? I don't quite understand." Lance was completely confused.

“You idiot, let me put it this way: if you’re going to chop wood, and I give you a fruit knife, it’s the same as giving you an axe. Although both the axe and the knife are made of iron, one can’t chop wood at all, while the other can easily split the wood,” Kelly explained.

"A knife and an axe, oh, I see. Kelly, you mean that we used an axe to chop wood during the previous test, but this time when Dure went to test it, you secretly replaced it with a knife so that he couldn't chop at all, is that what you mean?" Lance thought carefully.

“That’s right, that’s exactly it.” Kelly nodded, her gaze sweeping across the crowd before finally settling on Charlotte.

"Damn it, aren't they deliberately trying to screw over Dure? No, I can't stand to see him suffer. I have to go over and remind him that this is unfair!" Lance was furious. He made a move to step forward and interrupt Dure, to speak up for his friend.

"Stop right there! Don't tell me you're barging in without any proof. They won't admit it. Is it really okay for you to interrupt him like this? Didn't you see the light getting darker?" Kelly immediately grabbed Lance, afraid that this impulsive guy would act rashly again.

"But I can't just stand by and watch my friend suffer! Wait, what did you say? The luster has deepened!" Lance had been so focused on Dure's matter in his haste that he hadn't noticed Kelly's words or the change in the situation. Only after Kelly's reminder did he start to pay attention.

“That’s right, the luster is deepening. What’s going on? Just now, the ordinary crystal didn’t release any magical energy fluctuations, but now it’s a crystal with added materials. Under normal circumstances, it should be even harder to react. How come it is like this?” Kelly was very surprised and couldn’t understand it at all.

"Kelly, look! The sheen has changed from light blue to dark blue. Does this mean things are moving in a positive direction?" Lance shouted excitedly. Although he was still confused, his concern for Dure was not diminished at all.

"Not only that, the color is continuing to deepen, it has already turned pale yellow, and there is no sign of it stopping." Even Kelly, who always considered herself to be able to keep her composure, is now starting to get a little excited. She had long been prepared for Dure to suffer a big setback here.

Although reason told her that keeping her distance from Dure was the safest course of action, she still couldn't understand why she had stayed. Although she had felt regretful at one point, it seemed that she hadn't made a wrong decision in the current situation.

163 Red Crystal

Charlotte's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He had done something for Euphemia today, which could be considered as making a connection, and he was secretly delighted. As long as he handled the matter properly and Euphemia was satisfied, his future path would be smooth sailing.

But it was precisely the magic crystal he had deliberately added that emitted a warm yellow light. If it were the previous magic crystal, it wouldn't be surprising if it had reacted this way. Today, he had truly seen many talented students, so what was this level?

However, he knew very well that this magic crystal was two levels higher, meaning that the current warm yellow glow could be raised two levels to reflect that guy's true talent level. This was something Charlotte found hard to accept, and his first reaction was that something was definitely wrong.

"Hey, how did you do this? You didn't make a mistake and get the wrong crystal, did you? Otherwise, how could this happen?" Charlotte questioned the male student next to her. He was the one who had secretly gone over and switched the magic crystal, with the aim of completely ruining Durei.

“Ms. Charlotte, no, I did exactly as you instructed. I even checked it myself, and the crystal is definitely not faulty. As for why it's like this, I have no idea. I really didn't make a mistake,” the male student explained.

"There can't be a mistake, there can't be a mistake. How come it didn't even react to the most basic magic energy testing crystal just now, but now the crystal, which is two levels higher, is reacting and the color is getting darker. Damn it, it's already orange, it'll turn red soon! Stop it, stop it!"

Normally, Charlotte would be overjoyed to see a student's talent constantly surging, even to the point of overflowing. But now, he was only thinking about stopping the magic crystals from rising any further, otherwise he was afraid his heart wouldn't be able to take it. He noticed Euphemia's gaze beside him.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! That guy already has a red magical energy reaction. How could a country bumpkin like him have such outstanding magical energy talent?" Yuffie's face was extremely ugly, and her right nails dug into her flesh.

Her body trembled slightly. Clearly, Dure's magical reaction had greatly exceeded her expectations. Originally, she had planned to laugh at him and trample on the dignity of that country bumpkin, but now she was gradually becoming the laughing stock herself, which was very difficult for her to accept emotionally.

"Look, look, Kelly, it's turned red! She's the fifth person with red talent today! I knew Dure couldn't possibly be an ordinary person. This is amazing! Oh, right, didn't you just say crystal?" Lance was so excited he was practically dancing with joy.

At the same time, he recalled what Kelly had said earlier: if this magic crystal was two levels higher than the one tested before, it would mean that Dure's magic reaction level was two levels higher than the previous red one. This startled Lance.

"Shh, don't make a sound. Just keep this to yourself, don't spread it around." Kelly immediately made a shushing gesture.

"But why is that?" Lance didn't understand Kelly's meaning and stared blankly at her.

"Don't you know that the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow against it? And secretly replacing Dure's magic crystal is a scandal for the academy, just like the fire lizard incident last night. They'd rather die than admit it, so it's better to keep a low profile," Kelly immediately explained.

“I understand. I won’t say anything, I won’t tell anyone, is that alright? Hehehehe, Kelly, did you see their expressions? Let’s see what they have to say now.” Lance was smug. He looked at Charlotte and Euphemia in the crowd, whose faces were particularly ugly.

The students who had initially viewed Du Lei with schadenfreude were now taken aback by the sudden turn of events and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"Did you see that? The crystal has turned orange. This is a sign that it's about to turn red. What's going on? It didn't have any magical energy reaction just now. How come it's suddenly reacting so strongly and the energy is increasing? If this continues, it will soon become the fifth red one."

"Look at Professor Charlotte's expression! The academy has produced another genius. Shouldn't he be happy? Why does he look so grim? This shouldn't be happening!" Someone exclaimed at the change in the crystal's color, while others were surprised by Charlotte's unusual reaction.

"You wouldn't know this, would you? Professor Charlotte is unhappy because Miss Euphemia is unhappy. If Miss Euphemia is unhappy, then Professor Charlotte can't rely on her family to pave the way for him. As for why Miss Euphemia is unhappy... well, that's another story."

The students kept glancing at Euphemia, who was standing not far from Charlotte, unable to understand why she was specifically targeting Durex.

As hundreds of eyes scrutinized him, Dure remained focused on the magic crystal. The gradually deepening red glow attracted people's attention, causing them to overlook his own reaction. In reality, Dure did not feel any better from venting his resentment.

He was in so much pain that he had no energy left to think about venting his anger. His forehead was covered in sweat and his body was glowing red. If you looked closely, you could see small flames rising on his skin, but the flames did not burn his clothes.

It was like a fire that wouldn't burn in any medium, yet it enveloped Dure's entire body. The crystal's brilliance became even more dazzling, and soon the intense red light was far more intense than the red light that had appeared during the tests conducted by Keita, Sterling, Roland, and Bailing.

"No, I can't hold on any longer. Obtaining your power is no easy task." Dure's hands trembled violently, and the magic crystal in his hand was radiating intense heat. He realized that he could no longer suppress the ever-increasing magic energy and suddenly let go of his hand.

Even after Dure let go, the crystal, which had been infused with too much magic energy, did not fall to the ground on its own. Instead, it remained floating in the air, shining brightly. But just as Dure lost his balance and sat down on the ground, the magic energy crystal suddenly cracked.

In the blink of an eye, the once dazzling crystal turned into fragments, shattering into pieces all over the ground.

164 Where are my eggs?

When Du Lei regained consciousness, it was already evening. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in the past few days, and his physical strength was already at its limit. In addition, the magic energy test had exhausted his remaining physical strength. When the red magic energy crystal shattered, he fainted as well.

This terrified Lance and the others, who were afraid that something might happen to him. Fortunately, his breathing was even. They called the academy's doctor, who said he was just too tired. When he regained consciousness, he looked around blankly and found himself in a room, where he could hear people talking.

“Kelly, what’s wrong with Dure? Why hasn’t he woken up yet? Do you think he was secretly harmed by the people from Maple Leaf Academy? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been asleep for so long. No, I have to go find them. I don’t trust the doctors at their academy.” The speaker was Lance.

"Stop thinking nonsense, okay? So many people are watching. Even if Charlotte wanted to cause trouble, he wouldn't dare to do it. Besides, it's only been a few hours. Do you think everyone is like you, made of iron and doesn't need to sleep?" Kelly scolded Lance.

"I'm not just overthinking, I just don't trust them. No, I have to go outside to find a doctor. Hey, Dure, you're awake!" Lance got up to go outside, but just then he heard a noise from the bed and saw Dure getting up.

"I'm fine, this is Maple Leaf Academy." Du Lei surveyed his surroundings and saw Lance and Kelly next to him, which reassured him. He looked around and found that this was a double dormitory room. The room was not big, with two beds and a table. Lance and Kelly were sitting at the table.

Upon seeing that Dure had regained consciousness, Lance immediately came over to check on him. After confirming that Dure was alright, he was overjoyed.

"Yes, yes, this is the student dormitory of Maple Leaf Academy. Du Lei, are you alright? Is there anything wrong with your body?" Lance asked again, very worried about Du Lei's condition. He had stayed in the room all afternoon and hadn't gone out.

"I was just too tired. I took a nap and I was fine. What happened after I got here?" Du Lei thought carefully and remembered that he had fainted because he was exhausted during the test. What he asked about afterward was naturally what happened after he fainted.

"I'm relieved you're alright. I was terrified when I saw you faint. You want to know what happened next? Hahaha, Dure, you didn't see it. Charlotte and that woman's expressions after you passed the test were absolutely priceless. They stormed off on the spot."

Lance vividly described the scene, even gesturing, and it was clear he was very happy.

"So, we've passed all five tests and are now members of Maple Leaf Academy?" Du Lei listened to Lance's description, glossing over Charlotte and Euphemia's reactions and not taking them too seriously. He was only concerned about their current situation.

“What Senior Ruth said is true, but I have a feeling they have a conspiracy and want to harm us. Dure, maybe we should leave. It’s not safe for us to stay here.” Lance was getting uneasy.

"Today we have completely offended Charlotte, and that young lady already had a grudge against us. Staying in the academy will definitely not be easy for them, but on the surface they don't dare to do anything. After all, with so many people watching, they don't dare to be too blatant."