The most shameless alchemist in history

Seeing that a conflict was inevitable, Lance leaned back and grabbed the opponent's arm, which was coming at him fiercely. He was ready to counterattack. Although he knew nothing about magic, he was quite skilled in close combat and was confident that he could knock his opponent to the ground.

"Stop it, all of you! Fighting is forbidden in the academy. You will be punished for it!" Just then, someone rushed over and stopped the conflict between Sido and his group and Dure, Lance and others. Dure, who had already touched his trouser leg with one hand, stopped when he heard the voice.

"Oh, Ruth-senpai, what are you doing here?" If it were anyone else, Lance probably wouldn't have been able to stop them. He had already pushed Sido and his gang to their limit. But after recognizing that the person stopping him was Ruth, the gentle senior who had helped them before, Lance finally let go and put his fist down.

"I just happened to be passing by. Lance, Sido, don't fight! We're all alumni, so we can resolve things amicably. Fighting is not allowed. If Xiao Ai sees you, you'll both have your crystal cards confiscated and be sent to solitary confinement." Ruth gasped for breath.

It was clear she had rushed over in a hurry. Seeing that both sides had stopped further conflict, she breathed a sigh of relief and earnestly tried to persuade them.

"Tch, I thought it was someone else coming over, turns out it's you, Ruth, you busybody. What, you dare to meddle in my business now?" Sido was a little guilty after being scolded earlier, because Ruth was right, private fights between students were indeed prohibited in the academy, and what he did was against the rules.

However, seeing that it was Rose who was scolding him reassured Sido quite a bit, because Rose was gentle and weak-willed and didn't take anyone seriously.

“Sido, I know you won’t listen to me, but if you don’t give up, I’ll have to call Xiao Ai over.” Ruth knew she couldn’t intimidate Sido and his gang of lawless guys on her own, so she had to bring up her friend’s name.

"Who is Xiao Ai?" Lance had just entered Maple Leaf Academy and knew nothing about the academy, so he didn't know who Ruth was talking about.

"It should be Senior Elune. I saw her getting very close to Senior Ruth before. They must be close friends." Although Kelly and Lance enrolled on the same day, she observed more carefully. Elune was also a senior they had met before. Her personality was strong and completely opposite to Ruth's.

"What? Elune, that fierce woman?" Lance was startled. It was Elune who had almost kicked him out earlier.

"Damn it, bringing up Elune? You think we're afraid of her? Hmph. Fine, I just remembered I have some errands to run, so I'll let you off the hook for now. Kids, remember this: don't think you can get away with this just because you have a woman protecting you. This isn't over yet. Let's go."

Although Sido didn't take Ruth seriously, it was clear that he was still wary of Elune. After all, Elune was one of the three people in Maple Leaf Academy who were not to be trifled with. Not to mention Sido, even his older brother Simmons would have to think twice. Even so, he still made some harsh remarks.

After waving his hand forcefully, he led his gang of accomplices, who usually bullied everyone at Maple Leaf Academy, away in a swagger. Just before leaving the cafeteria, he kicked the trash can by the door hard, and the trash can fell to the ground with a soft "bang," startling away a stray cat that was looking for food.

"Tch, I don't know what this guy is so smug about. If a fight breaks out, I wonder who will get beaten up." Lance watched the departing figures of Sido and his group with great resentment. If Ruth hadn't come to stop them, he would have already pinned Sido to the ground and given him a good beating.

"Alright, even if you want to beat him up, you'll have another chance. Didn't he say this isn't over yet? He'll definitely come back to haunt us." Du Lei finally removed his hand from his trouser leg, and as Xido and his gang disappeared, he slowly withdrew his gaze.

"It's good that nothing happened. That's how Xiduo and his gang are. They're always causing trouble in the academy. Many people have complained about them. Xiao Ai has taught them a lesson a few times, but they just won't change their ways. If they come after you again, be sure to tell me."

Ruth was relieved to know that Sido and the others had really left and wouldn't come back. She then gave Dure and the others a few more instructions.

“It’s no use telling you. They don’t take you seriously at all, and they can’t even start a fight, Kelly. Why are you pinching me? Ouch, that hurts.” Lance realized that Ruth had no say at all, and he was a little annoyed.

Just as he was complaining, Kelly suddenly pinched him hard from behind, making him cry out in pain.

"Senior Ruth, you don't need to take that idiot's words to heart. I'm so grateful for your help just now, otherwise it would have been terrible to be bothered by them." Kelly glared at Lance before turning to thank Ruth.

"It's okay. I know I didn't help at all, and I know Lance must be very angry. Sido and the others really went too far, but no matter what the reason, fighting is wrong. They ignored the academy's rules and weren't afraid of punishment, but it's not good for you guys, Dure, to get involved."

Ruth gently shook her head, maintaining a gentle smile even when criticized to her face.

"What? Even when they come looking for trouble, we can't fight back? We can only passively take the beating?" Lance was very surprised by this.

"If they come to us, we can just report it to the student council; that's the college's policy," Ruth replied truthfully.

"They've already come knocking on our door, where are we supposed to find the student council? By the time they come looking for us, they've already left." Lance was dissatisfied with this system.

"Well," Ruth didn't know how to respond for a moment; she didn't seem to have considered this point.

“So this system is really unreliable. Du Lei, you’re right. To change the world, we must start by changing the academy.” Lance decisively rejected the academy’s system and became spirited again.

"Did I say such a thing?" Du Lei didn't want to be blamed for nothing.

"Hey, it hasn't been long, Dure, have you already forgotten? We promised to change the world together!" Lance's passion burned brightly.

"I think you're delusional. I'm not so noble as to do such a thing," Dure quickly tried to distance himself from Lance.

“I can already foresee that bright future, Dure, I will support you unwaveringly,” Lance said, completely ignoring Dure’s words.

"What are you even talking about supporting me?" Du Lei was completely defeated by him.

178 Unbearable

Although Ruth's appearance temporarily halted the conflict between Dure's group and Sido's gang, it was clear to everyone that Sido and his group would not let it go. They had been bullying others at Maple Leaf Academy for a long time, and they wouldn't be silenced just because Ruth said a few words.

Dure was also very helpless about this. He had always believed in minding his own business and would never do anything that would cause trouble or invite hatred. However, he found that the person being harassed by Xido was someone he knew and who had helped him before. He owed the person a favor.

Secondly, his initial intention was to use the crystal card to try and resolve the matter peacefully. However, Sido was too greedy and, even after obtaining the crystal card, he remained relentless, which led to a complete feud. Although Du Lei was unwilling to cause trouble, the matter came to him on its own.

He could only deal with whatever came his way. Recalling everything that had happened since he came to Maple Leaf Academy, he realized that in just two days, he had offended quite a few people, the most prominent being Charlotte and Euphemia. Even though the guy named Leo had taken the initiative to make peace, Dure didn't believe that was Euphemia's true intention.

Later, Elune, a senior student and Ruth's friend, also clashed with them during the shooting test. Dure had also heard that Elune was one of the "three most untouchable people" at Maple Leaf Academy. There was no doubt that if they encountered Elune again, they would not have a good time.

Now, before one wave has subsided, he has incurred the wrath of Siddo, or more precisely, Simmons, who is behind Siddo. Dure must be lamenting that what he fears most is what comes to pass. The more he fears trouble, the more trouble comes in droves, and Lance, one of the parties involved, is completely oblivious to it.

"Durey, it really is you! You really passed the Maple Leaf Academy test and became a formal student! That's wonderful!" After Sido and his group left, John, who had been forced into a very awkward position by Sido, carefully identified Durey and was very excited after confirming that he was the guy he knew before.

“It was just a fluke. I didn’t expect to run into you here, John and Lillian. What are you doing here?” Dure nodded to John. Three days ago, when he first entered the Academy Mountain, he met Hassan at the foot of the mountain, and Hassan took him to the riverside camp.

John met him at the Riverside Camp. Although Dure only stayed at the Riverside Camp for one night, he and John got along very well. At that time, Hassan did not believe that Dure could pass the Academy test and was pessimistic, but John had great trust in him.

"I never expected that unassuming guy would become a member of Maple Leaf Academy. You must be laughing at me." Lillian's attitude was not as enthusiastic as John's. Her expression was indifferent, and her words carried a self-deprecating tone.

"Hey, what do you mean by that? Dure helped you just now. You two knew each other before, right? How can you treat someone who helped you like that? Isn't that going too far?" Lance was very dissatisfied with Lillian's attitude and immediately brought it up.

“I didn’t ask him to help me, he came on his own.” Lillian turned her head to the side, refusing to look at Dure.

Lance was very angry and wanted to say something more, but Dure stopped him.

"It's alright, it's good that you're all safe. That guy named Sido doesn't seem like a good person. We're both members of the academy, so he might be a little hesitant to cause trouble for me openly, but if it were you..." Dure didn't take Lillian's words to heart.

He kindly offered Lillian and John a few words of advice, which was his way of repaying them for the night they had spent at the riverside camp.

“Thank you for your kindness, but our affairs are none of your business. Goodbye.” Lillian decisively interrupted Durei, turned and left with a stern face, seemingly hating Durei, the person who helped her, even more than Sido, who had caused them trouble.

"Oh, Lillian, why are you leaving? Oh, Dure, I don't know what's wrong with her either. Don't mind her. I have to follow her, just in case something happens. By the way, congratulations on achieving your wish. I'm genuinely happy for you. I'm leaving now." John was also surprised by Lillian's reaction.

Seeing Lillian rush out of the cafeteria alone, John couldn't just stand by and watch her go, so he immediately followed her.

"What's wrong with her? Every girl I meet these days has such a bad temper. I was trying to help her, but she gave me this attitude. It's like repaying kindness with enmity." Lance watched Lillian's departing figure, feeling resentful and regretful that he shouldn't have helped her.

"Hey, Lance, what do you mean by that? Explain yourself clearly." Kelly glared at Lance. She was a woman too, and Lance was even insulting her.

“Kelly, I didn’t mean you had a bad temper. You have a good temper, you have the best temper in the whole world.” Lance realized he had misspoke and quickly apologized, trying to make amends.

"It sounds like you're mocking me. Never mind, I can't be bothered with you. By the way, Dure, did you have some kind of grudge against her before? Why is she treating you like this?" Kelly chose to ignore Lance completely, as she was genuinely confused about Lillian's attitude just now.

"There probably isn't a holiday, but I think I can understand her feelings to some extent." Dure pondered for a while, seemingly figuring out a bit of the situation. He looked in the direction Lillian and John had left, but they were already far away and he couldn't see anything anymore.

Meanwhile, on the mountain path at the foot of the Academy, Lillian was walking ahead, looking rather dejected. She was walking very fast, and John had to jog to catch up with her.

"I'm exhausted, Lillian. What happened to you? Just now, Dure was clearly trying to help us. If it weren't for his help, we would have had a hard time getting away. You know Sido is a tough nut to crack, and he was even willing to give up three crystals to help us," John said, wiping his sweat.

He really didn't understand Lillian's thoughts, and there was a hint of complaint in his voice.

“Enough!” Lillian suddenly turned around and shouted at John.

"What? Did I say something wrong? Why are you so angry?" John was startled by Lillian's appearance. He immediately fell silent, carefully recalling every word he had just said, trying to figure out which sentence might have triggered Lillian's sensitive nerves.

“What’s so great about it? It’s just becoming a formal student. What’s so great about that? But even those unreliable guys can pass the test and become students. I put in so much effort but was rejected.” Lillian clenched her hands tightly.

Her body convulsed. She could endure bullying and harsh words, but for someone she clearly looked down upon to suddenly climb to a higher position and look down on her from a superior position was something she simply could not tolerate.

179 Outside the library

After John and Lillian left the cafeteria, the four of them, including Dure, didn't linger for long and left as well. Ruth and Kelly went to their dorms to sleep, since it was already dark at night. Lance invited Dure to train with him at the training ground.

Although they haven't formally started magic training courses yet, Lance has noticed that at this time of night, there are many people in the training ground doing all-round training, including skills, strength and stamina. He has long been eager to join the training army.

But Dure declined his invitation. He chose to walk around the academy alone, wanting to familiarize himself with the place where he would be living for a long time to come. Lance did not insist. He was not the kind of person who had the leisure to wander around. So the four of them went their separate ways.

"Maple Leaf Academy? Although the process was a bit tortuous, I've finally become a part of it. This is the first step towards my goal. With Maple Leaf Academy as my platform, I think I can not only learn a lot about magical energy here, but also consult a large number of alchemy-related books in the library."

Dure walked alone along the academy's path. Nearby were retro-style buildings with pointed roofs. It was very quiet at this time of day. Occasionally, students in the academy's white uniforms with gold trim would walk by, but they would only brush past Dure. The moon was bright in the sky, and some clouds drifted by.

"According to the map, the library should be over here." Du Lei held a booklet in his hand, which introduced the functional areas of the various buildings in Maple Leaf Academy. Every new student received a copy to familiarize themselves with the academy's environment.

Lance couldn't understand the descriptions in the booklet at all, nor did he have the patience to look at them. Dure, on the other hand, could see them clearly. He followed the map of the academy drawn on the booklet toward the library, which was the place he was most interested in. Back in Hot Spring Village, he had been looking for books to read.

However, due to the limitations of the conditions at that time, he could only read a few books over and over again. Of course, the man he threw out of the snow back then left him a notebook, but he couldn't understand it no matter how he looked at it. He only figured out many of the symbols in it now; they were symbols related to alchemy.

He was particularly interested in alchemy because of this. In Snow Eagle Town, he spent a night in the town's library, but due to the limited space, he did not find much valuable information. The town's library mainly contained novels and travelogues.

However, the library at Maple Leaf Academy is different. It is not only a professional magic academy, but also one of the top academies in the Snow Kingdom. Even in the northern part of the continent, it is very famous. The library here is undoubtedly far more valuable than the library in Snow Eagle Town.

"Found it, here it is. As expected of Maple Leaf Academy's library, it's huge." Following the map, Du Lei finally stopped in front of a massive building. Before Du Lei came to Maple City, the largest building he had ever seen was the inn in Snow Eagle Town.

The four-story building was tall enough to stand out in Snow Eagle Town, let alone Hot Spring Village where he had lived for thirteen years. You should know that the tallest building in Hot Spring Village, the Hart family's inn, was only three stories high, and it was a wooden structure with a small footprint. But compared to the library that was now in front of him.

That's like the difference between a towering mountain and a small hill. Du Lei counted on his fingers. The library has eight floors in total. The architectural style is retro Gothic, and the whole building is made of stone. From his position, he could clearly see that there were at least twenty windows in the library.

This means that the library has at least twenty sections, and the interior of each window is brightly lit. He could count at least several hundred lights on in the huge library, which was undoubtedly a luxury for him, who was usually reluctant to even light candles.

"A library like this must have a rich collection of books, and I'm sure I can find the book I want to read. It's just that I don't know if the library is closed at this time. I'll go and ask first." Du Lei was pleasantly surprised, but he began to hesitate about whether it was appropriate to enter the library at this time.

It was already evening, but he noticed that the lights in the library were still on, which meant that someone was reading. With that in mind, he cautiously made his way to the library entrance, which had dozens of steps leading up to it.

The higher you go, the narrower the steps become, and on both sides of the steps are stone statues that are about half a person tall. The statues are all half-human sculptures, and you can see that the workmanship is exquisite. The facial expressions of the people on the statues are very lifelike. Some look like they are deep in thought, some look like they are giving a speech, and some look like they are smiling.

"Such a strong sense of oppression, what exactly are these stone statues?" As Du Lei approached the library entrance, he looked anxiously at the stone statues on both sides. Although it was early spring, there was always a saying that spring was still chilly.

But Dure's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he kept wiping the beads of sweat from his brow. These stone statues on either side were no ordinary objects.

"They are all outstanding seniors who have made remarkable contributions to Maple Leaf Academy. One senior is Ymir, an expert in magical beast research. The academy's magical beast specimen display room is largely thanks to him. The other senior is Camus, an authority on mineral exploration and a pioneer of the Mining Academy."

At the library's main entrance, a refined-looking man in his early twenties, dressed in white and wearing glasses, approached. He pointed to the busts displayed on both sides of the steps and introduced them, rattling off six or seven names as if he knew them by heart.

"And who is this person over here?" Dure was a good listener, and he wrote down all the names the man mentioned. At the same time, he pointed to a half-human statue next to him and asked, "This is the highest-ranking of all the statues."

However, unlike other stone statues, which are clearly carved and show the subtle changes in the expressions of the great people who made outstanding contributions, this statue next to him only has hair and a general outline, while the facial expression is completely blank.

This is a faceless stone statue.

“This is a man forgotten by history.” The man walked to Dure’s side, examining the half-human stone statue with a complicated expression.

“Since he has been forgotten by history, why deliberately carve his statue here? Isn’t it to commemorate him?” Dure was somewhat suspicious of this.

"Although he has been forgotten by history, what he created is deeply engraved in history, so no matter how people try to erase his name, they cannot escape his shadow." The man said with a bitter smile.

"Shadow? What shadow?" Du Lei was even more confused.

"The shadow of alchemy," the man said softly.

What did 180 see?

Dure was deeply shocked by the words of the gentle and refined man in front of him. In his limited knowledge, alchemy was a magical technology that had left a deep mark on history. Alchemy appeared frequently in the course of human history and left an indelible mark.

However, with the changing times, the emergence of steam technology led to an explosive development in the technology of this era. Alchemy, which originally stood at the top of the pyramid of all subjects, began to decline under the bite of monsters called "medicine", "gunpowder", "machinery" and so on.