The most shameless alchemist in history

“Poor little princess, if it weren’t for her father, she would never have ended up with such a tragic fate. Every time I hear this story, I feel so sad. Hey, what’s wrong with you? Why are you still wearing that long face? Don’t you have any compassion?” Nono wiped away her tears.

She told her story with such passion that she seemed to be a very emotional person. In contrast, Du Lei showed little emotion, only a more serious expression. This greatly displeased Nono, who immediately accused Du Lei of being a cold-hearted guy.

"Shh, now's not the time for sentimentality." Dure made a shushing gesture. Firstly, he genuinely had no interest in the story, and secondly, he seemed to have noticed something subtle. He crouched down, closed his eyes, and listened carefully; his hearing was exceptionally sharp in this environment.

"Shh, shh, shh! What are you shh about? You cold-blooded bastard, you're not cute at all!" Nono huffed angrily. From the beginning, she had a great prejudice against Du Lei, and now Du Lei's behavior made her even more contemptuous.

"It's here!" Ignoring Nono's accusations, Dure suddenly opened his eyes, which had been closed, and shouted a warning.

"What's coming? What are you talking about? Hmm, this is... what is this?" Nono thought Du Lei was just trying to scare her and didn't take it seriously at all. But at this moment, in the swamp to her left, bubbles suddenly started to rise, and the noise got louder and louder.

In the blink of an eye, something suddenly leaped out of the swamp, splashing out a large amount of foul-smelling mud. Nono was startled by the noise and instinctively took a step back. But the commotion in the swamp didn't stop there.

A hissing sound came from the mud-covered creature as it lunged at Nono. In the rush, it was impossible to see clearly what it was; it was only roughly the size of an adult, larger than the burly man, and reeked of a foul stench.

"Whatever it is, it's definitely not a good thing. Get back! What? Is the dagger completely ineffective against it?" Du Lei reacted quickly, pulling Nono behind him. At the same time, he drew his dagger to try and parry the mud's attack.

But when he stabbed the other person with the dagger, he discovered that the other person's body was made of mud, a wet mess. The dagger went in soft, as if it had been stuck with syrup. It not only failed to cause any harm to the other person, but also stuck the dagger to the ground.

No matter how hard Dure tried, he couldn't pull the dagger out. His shoulder was also stuck to the mud, which made him realize something was wrong. This clump of mud that had jumped out of the swamp was clearly trying to swallow him whole. He struggled with all his might but couldn't break free.

"What? I thought some terrible monster had appeared, but it's just a mere mid-level magical beast, a Mud Monster. How dare it frighten a beautiful girl? Do you know how despicable this is? It's decided, I'll turn you and your ugly body into cold statues! Frost Domain!"

Enraged by the sudden appearance of the mud monster, Nono's hands began to glow with a pale blue light in her fury. Dure instinctively turned around to look. He was familiar with this scene, as he had seen it before in the academy when Camille and Sterling confronted each other.

Just as they were about to clash, similar radiance emanated from both of them. Although the colors were different, Dure could detect the magical energy fluctuations emanating from them. This was clearly a prelude to the use of magical energy weapons, and a dark gold color also flashed in Nono's pupils.

Dure could see with his naked eye that something resembling a crossbow was forming between Nono's hands. Nono nocked an arrow, released the bowstring towards him, and a blue streak of light shot towards him. Dure clearly felt the temperature around him drop sharply, and could even hear a "crackling" freezing sound in the air.

This made him realize something was wrong, and he instinctively twisted to the right, the arrow grazing his cheek and striking the Mud Monster's head.

"Hiss hiss hiss, howl!" With a series of screams, the mud monster that had been so aggressive just moments before was instantly swallowed up by a ball of blue ice. Its sticky mud body began to freeze into ice, making a "crackling" sound. Before long, it turned into an ice sculpture, fell to the ground, and shattered completely.

"How about that? This is the power of Nono, the number one beautiful teacher at Maple Leaf Academy. Were you surprised?" Nono flipped her hands, and the icy arrow that had just appeared vanished without a trace. She was very proud of herself and would never miss an opportunity to show off.

"You scared me half to death? Do you even know that? You almost froze me to death, and my arm too. I can't move it at all now. Can you please undo it? If I hadn't dodged quickly, you would have been a murderer!" Du Lei roared loudly, not caring about anything else.

It is true that Nono knocked down the Mud Monster with a single blow, but Dure, who was very close to the Mud Monster, also suffered an undeserved disaster. His arm was affected by the cold air and was completely frozen. His face turned ashen and purple, and his whole body trembled incessantly.

Even someone like him, who grew up in the snow-capped mountains, found it difficult to endure the chill emanating from the icy realm.

"Oh, I almost hit you! Sorry, sorry, I almost forgot you were there. No, how can you blame me? It was your own fault for being slow to react and not dodging." Nono is not someone who easily admits her mistakes.

"How could I possibly escape when I was stuck to the mud monster? It's a miracle you didn't shoot me dead. Besides, I was clearly trying to help you when I got stuck, otherwise you would have been the one stuck!" Du Lei shouted, blaming Nono for completely twisting the truth.

"Whatever, it's all your fault. I didn't ask you to help me. Alright, Ice Domain off. You stink. Stay away from me." Nono released the Ice Domain, and the ice on Du Lei's arm shattered instantly. Fortunately, this was a magical energy that Nono released voluntarily.

Otherwise, his arm might have turned into pieces like a mud monster.

190 Speak your mind

For Dure, the encounter in the swamp was quite thrilling. The first thing that was thrilling was that a mud monster suddenly jumped out of the swamp and almost swallowed him whole. Moreover, if it weren't for Nono's Frost Domain, Dure's dagger and crossbow alone wouldn't have been able to cause any damage.

However, it was also Nono's Ice Domain that put Du Lei in danger. It was understandable that she attacked the Mud Monster, but it was wrong of Du Lei to become her target as well. Du Lei was furious about this, but Nono refused to admit her mistake and was very stubborn.

"Fine, fine, I'll stay away from you then. It's not like I want to go with you. Besides, it was clearly you who took it upon yourself to bring me here, and now you're criticizing me. Well then, you can go to the Ash Tower by yourself from now on. I'm not keeping you company. Goodbye," Du Lei sneered.

He had long been fed up with this willful teacher, Nono. As Nono accused him, his dissatisfaction exploded. After saying those words, he stormed off. Although he realized that the area was indeed very dangerous, as evidenced by the mud monster that had suddenly attacked them earlier, he still couldn't swallow his anger.

"Hey, you're a boy, how can you be so stingy? Would it kill you to give way to a girl? Hey, where are you? Come back here! Come back here! How annoying! You're just leaving like that? Oh well, bringing such a useless guy along is just getting in the way anyway. I'll go by myself."

Nono hadn't expected Dure to leave so decisively. According to her judgment, once inside the Ash Tower, the surrounding area was fraught with danger. As a student who had just started learning magic and hadn't yet used magic weapons, Dure would have to rely on her to survive here.

But Du Lei left without looking back, which surprised and angered Nono, or rather, made her furious. Du Lei's words clearly showed that he looked down on her. Moreover, although she didn't admit her mistake verbally, she still felt guilty for ignoring Du Lei's attack.

"What kind of people are these? Going on an adventure with a beautiful teacher is something countless people would kill for, and you're already impatient and complaining? You're so ungrateful! I haven't even settled the score with you this morning. People like you deserve to die in the middle of nowhere!"

Nono stormed off into the withered jungle, cursing Dure as she went. She was still brooding over what happened that morning. She was the type who would forget anything someone had done for her, but she would hold a grudge if someone offended her.

Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, Du Lei was also full of resentment. He remembered the way he came and planned to leave this scorched land along that road. He had not come here voluntarily in the first place, and now that he had completely broken ties with Nono, he was happy to be free and had enough reason to leave.

"What an unreasonable woman. I admit I said the wrong thing this morning, I was wrong, but I was also misled by Mr. Winston. He said that the Magic Teacher was a very fierce person who hated people being late, so I naturally associated him with the old witch or something."

"Besides, I was just saying it casually. Anyone could tell it was a joke, but you insisted on taking it seriously. Can you blame me for that? But what Teacher Winster said isn't wrong. He was not only fierce but also unreasonable. He almost killed someone and didn't even apologize."

Dure angrily denounced Nono's crimes. He was already a very patient and tolerant person, but his patience with Nono had reached its limit.

"But she did apologize, though she quickly changed her tune, acting like she was being unreasonable and wouldn't let it go. Seriously, is she really okay on her own? Du Lei, what are you worried about? She's so capable, why would a newbie like you need to worry about her?"

Du Lei rubbed his hair, determined to leave the scorched land and go to the library to continue reading. Although he had completely fallen out with Nono here, he could just switch classes. Anyway, he never wanted to see that self-proclaimed best teacher Nono again.

"The exit is over there, I remember. Huh, what's going on? It's so hot, so hot! Hey, what's wrong with you now?" Du Lei recognized the direction he was leaving. Just as he was about to leave the forbidden area of ​​the academy, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest.

He was familiar with this sudden burning sensation; it was the egg he had picked up from the spider's nest in the Misty Forest that was causing the trouble. He took the palm-sized egg out of his inner pocket, placed it in his palm, and the scalding heat dissipated most of it, becoming warm and moist.

"You've only been quiet for a couple of days, why are you causing trouble again? Can't you just say what you want to do? But expecting an egg to talk doesn't seem very realistic. Communicating with an egg is indeed a very unreliable thing." Du Lei hung his head helplessly.

Although he still doesn't know what's inside the egg, one thing is certain: it must have self-awareness. Previously, in the spider's nest, Dure was guided by it to find a pair of old gloves whose purpose he also didn't know.

In addition, during the previous magic power test, Dure, who had no magic power reaction, only passed the test smoothly with its help. Otherwise, he would have already returned home by now, and how could he still stand openly in Maple Leaf Academy? From a certain perspective, they complement each other.

"Okay, if you suddenly get hot, you must be trying to tell me something or guide me somewhere, right? If that's the case, then you should get hot. No, just a little bit hot is fine. I can't stand it if it gets too hot. I feel like I'll turn into a roast suckling pig if I stay with you for too long. If not, then just keep this temperature."

Dure spoke to the egg that had helped him in a consultative tone. He couldn't hear it, but it could hear him. Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, the egg became slightly warm, clearly acknowledging Dure's words.

“You’re going to guide me somewhere, right? Same old rules, I’ll point the direction, you decide. No, you just need to maintain this temperature and not react. Right, you need to generate heat. Okay?” Du Lei stood up and looked around.

Except for the area directly in front, which is the exit, which is lush and green, the other directions are all barren and desolate.

“So first, let’s talk about the exit. This place isn’t very fun, so let’s leave as soon as possible. You think so too, right?” Du Lei held the egg in his palm and pointed to the exit, which was the direction he wanted to choose. However, the egg did not react at all.

"What? You still don't want to leave? What is there to be attached to in this place? Then it's this way," Du Lei asked, pointing to the left.

191 Murder Scene

After parting ways with Dure, Nono continued on her way and soon arrived at the gate of the Ash Tower. Although she knew the story of the Ash Tower very well, this was her first time visiting this tower of destruction from the story. She looked up at the lonely tower standing there, even though the Ash Tower was cut in half.

Even the remaining parts are still vast and magnificent. Even with modern architecture, building such a large building would not be an easy task, let alone hundreds of years ago. Traces of a city can be seen on the outside of the Ash Tower, which, according to records, was an ancient city.

Now all that can be seen are broken walls and ruins, and in some places, piles of bones are exposed, including human bones and animal bones. The air is filled with the smell of dampness and decay. After hundreds of years of wind and rain, this lonely tower has witnessed history and has become history itself.

"The Ash Tower? I never imagined that my first visit here wouldn't be for sightseeing, but to catch a criminal, a murderer! This completely ruins the sacred and romantic image of this tower in my mind. This is an unforgivable crime. I must catch you!" Nono entered the tower.

In her mind, the Ash Tower was a place imbued with romanticism, and she had always dreamed of coming here one day to seek out the romantic stories that had happened here. However, the presence of the murderer clearly enraged her, and after entering the tower, she strode straight to the top.

Of course, the real top of the tower had long since broken off due to the fire; what she wanted to go to was the top of this broken half of the tower.

"Murderer, murderer, murderer, where are you, you bastard? Get out here right now! Hmph, there's only one way out of this tower. Let's see where you can hide. Surrender obediently and repent for what you've done." Nono climbed more than ten floors in one go.

Her physical strength was truly amazing, but after searching more than ten floors, she found no sign of anyone. All she saw were collapsed pillars and cracked steps. Just as Nono was about to continue, she suddenly became alert and turned around sharply.

"Who is it?" Nono's expression hardened. Although she looked relaxed, she was actually on high alert. Even though she had done so, she still didn't notice the other party's presence immediately. By the time she realized what was happening, the other party had already launched a fierce attack.

"Were you noticed? Although your reaction speed is not bad, it's still a bit slow. And the price of being too slow is..." A figure flashed behind Nono, and a red figure quickly approached, pressing Nono to her side with trembling notes.

"You'll lose your life," the other person licked his lips, a sharp edge flashing in his hand. Nuonuo realized something was wrong and tried to defend herself, but just as the other person said, no matter how fast she moved, she couldn't keep up with him. She clearly felt a chill on her shoulder, and blood splattered out.

"Wow, that's a playing card!" Nono retreated to the end of the corridor, leaning against the wall. This left her with nowhere to go, but at the same time, she could observe the other party's actions from the front to avoid being suddenly attacked from behind like before. This feeling made her very uncomfortable.

She covered her arm, and a chill emanated from her palm, forming a layer of ice crystals on the wound. She used this method to stop the bleeding. At the same time, she saw clearly that the person who attacked her was a voluptuous man wearing a red bodysuit and holding a playing card.

"You dodged the fatal blow, huh? Not bad, you're even better than I expected. But if you could dodge that last attack, can you dodge this one?" The other person made a "gurgling" sound in their throat, a suppressed excitement.

"Don't think I'll fall for the same trick twice. Go ahead and bring it on! Hey, where is everyone?" Nono was on high alert. As a teacher at the academy, she was no pushover. She was already furious after suffering a loss once, and now she was determined to turn the tables.

Just as she was concentrating on finding a weakness in her opponent, she suddenly discovered that his figure had vanished completely in a flash, and even his aura had disappeared without a trace, as if he had never existed. This greatly alarmed Nono; she had never encountered such a situation before.

"Don't think you're safe just because you're in a blind spot. What will happen then?" The trembling voice appeared again. Nono was surprised for a moment when he disappeared, but at the same time she immediately realized what he might do and reacted.

But when she tried to parry the sudden attack from above, her opponent was faster and had already taken the lead in suppressing her. With a loud "boom," smoke and dust filled the air, and the already rotten floor could not withstand the final blow and was blasted with a hole.

Nono was also pushed down to the lower level by the impact. During the fall, she continuously condensed ice crystals to form a defensive shield to resist the opponent's attacks. This was indeed very effective. The opponent continued to throw out more than a dozen playing cards, shattering one piece of ice crystal after another.

“A very clever move, but in a life-or-death struggle, trickery is useless. So, let me cut off your lovely head right here.” As Nono fell to the floor below, her opponent also gracefully descended, destroying all her ice crystal shields.

He pointed a deck of cards at Nono, who lay on the ground completely defenseless. At that moment, even if Nono wanted to mount a defense, it was too late; her life was entirely in his hands.

"This overwhelming power is at least at the Flame Rank. Who exactly are you and what do you want to do here in the Ash Tower?" At first, Nono was full of confidence, thinking that she could definitely compete with the other party, but gradually she realized that she was wrong.

Her opponent's strength far surpassed hers, which greatly undermined her confidence.

"Now it's time to kill, not to answer questions, lovely lady. So, let me..." The alluring man raised a playing card depicting the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe, ready to reap Nono's life, but at that moment, a sudden "boom" sounded beneath his feet.

He was familiar with that sound, because it was the same sound when he blasted Nono down. This sound meant that someone on the lower level was attacking the upper level, blasting him down.

192 (My own composition)

When Nono realized she had underestimated her opponent, she was already on the verge of death. And if things continued as they were, she would likely lose her life there. The moment the man in the red bodysuit waved the playing cards, she felt an unprecedented chill.

But then something unusual happened. With a loud crash, the man fell to the lower level without warning. This scene shocked not only the murderer but also Nono, the person involved. She stared blankly at the large hole that had appeared in the ground.

"Hey, what are you standing there for? He'll be up here soon, run!" A figure flashed out from the dust and smoke. He grabbed Nono's hand and ran towards the upper level. The Ash Tower only had one path, either up or down.

The enemy has now been carried to the lower level by the collapsed floor, leaving them with only one option: to continue upwards.

"You're Du Lei! How could it be you? Didn't you leave already?" Nono recognized the man who walked out of the smoke as Du Lei, who had just quarreled with her not long ago. She never expected to see him in this way, which greatly surprised her.

"Do you think I wanted to come? Forget it. Now is not the time to talk about this. Let's hurry up and go. Kashu is a dangerous person. If you get too close to him, you will die." Dure pulled Nono and ran all the way. The two continued to go up the upper level of the Ash Tower along the winding stairs.

"Kashu, what are you talking about? Do you know that guy?" Nono asked Dure, puzzled, as she ran around.

"I wouldn't say I know him, I've just seen him before. There's no mistake about that guy, but shouldn't he be dead already? How come he's here?" Du Lei was just as surprised as Nono, and perhaps even more so.

The man who almost killed Nono was none other than Kashu, the mercenary Dure had encountered in the hot spring village. At that time, he did not have a good impression of Kashu. Later, after entering the snow mountain, he witnessed Kashu killing his comrades. After entering the Star Stone Chamber, Kashu went on a killing spree.

But Dure clearly remembered that he had orchestrated the deaths of everyone, including Kashu, beneath the snow-capped mountains. Yet, not long after, Kashu reappeared at Maple Leaf Academy, completely unharmed. This made Dure wonder if he had crawled out of hell.

"Coo coo coo coo, I thought it was someone else. Isn't this that brat from the hot spring village? I remember being tricked by you before. I never thought I'd run into you here. It's always been a regret of mine not being able to kill you with my own hands. Now I can finally get my wish."

Kashu squinted as he quickly pursued from behind, throwing playing cards at Dure in front of him. Sharp winds whistled past, but fortunately Nono was beside Dure. She countered each move, condensing ice crystals to effectively block the attack of the playing cards; otherwise, Dure would have been hit long ago.

"I don't want to be targeted by a dangerous person like you. It'll give me nightmares. Oh no, this can't go on. I have no choice but to do this." Du Lei saw Kashu rapidly closing in and knew that if he got closer, both he and Nono would be doomed.

"Hey, what do you mean by 'only this way or that way'? What are you talking about?" Nono was completely confused.

"Shut up! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have come here and met this scoundrel. Now, get down!" Du Lei shouted at Nono. His fierce appearance startled the latter. He turned around to calculate the distance between Kashu and them, and suddenly threw something.

"Do you think I'll listen to you? Don't be so presumptuous. What do you mean, 'I'm not listening to you'?" Nono was furious. In her opinion, it was a shameful thing to obediently listen to Du Lei. But at that moment, a shock wave quickly spread over, accompanied by a loud "boom".

This sound was several times stronger than the commotion when Kashu fell, and the entire ground trembled violently.

"Cough cough, what are you doing? The stairs have been completely blown up! What have you done?" Nono fell to the ground under the shockwave. Several seconds later, she heard puffs of smoke behind her, which made her cough. She subconsciously turned around to look.