The most shameless alchemist in history

"Finally escaped! I'm exhausted. If I had been even a fraction slower, I probably would have died here. Honestly, instead of going to the library to study or going back to the dorm to sleep in the middle of the night, I came here to cause trouble. It's all your fault." Du Lei said with lingering fear.

He blamed everything on the egg in his arms, saying that if it weren't for the egg guiding him there, he would never have gone to that place, even if you killed him.

"What's going on over there? Why is the Ash Tower making noise again? Didn't it just collapse during the day? Oh my god, look, the Ash Tower is completely gone!" At this moment, the students patrolling nearby noticed the abnormal situation and rushed over to check. They were all shocked by the huge crater.

"Quickly, go and inform the teacher! The Ash Tower is gone! Everyone, cordon off the area! What's going on? It's only the first day of the new semester, and so many things have happened. This is really unsettling!" Some students immediately cordoned off the area and went to call the teacher, their minds filled with doubt.

"I can't let them find out I'm here, otherwise if I get caught and questioned, I won't be able to explain why I sneaked out here in the middle of the night. It's about time to go back." Du Lei looked up at the sky, the crescent moon was still hanging, and he quietly disappeared into the night and left in a hurry.

Another earthquake struck on the 215th.

In just one day, Dure escaped from the Ash Tower and then from its underground. The tower, which was over a hundred meters high during the day, had become a crater more than ten meters deep at night. This seemed unbelievable to outsiders, but it was something that Dure, the person involved, was aware of.

This reminded him of the feeling of speeding across the snowfield on a train. The progress was too fast. When he arrived at the library entrance and looked back in the direction of the Ash Tower, many people were awakened by the sound of the Ash Tower collapsing and hurriedly fled from the dormitory building.

Because the earthquake was quite strong during the day, there were rumors that the earthquake would continue. Now, another earthquake struck tonight. How could students who had never experienced an earthquake be afraid? Some of them didn't even have time to put on clothes and were wrapped in blankets, looking around in the square.

"Hey, what's going on with Maple Leaf Academy? There have been several earthquakes in just one day! I can't stay here any longer! I have to change schools. I don't want to end up like that tower, crushed into a meat floss pancake without even knowing how!" a student said anxiously.

"You guys, can't you put your clothes on properly? What kind of behavior is this? Hurry up and go back and put your clothes on!" Some student council members saw the male student wrapped in a blanket and shouted at him. Many girls in the square turned away. This scene was really too embarrassing.

"I don't want to go back. Are you trying to kill me? Let's sleep on the ground in the square tonight. If the college doesn't give us a clear answer, we'll go on strike and refuse to go to class," some students called out. These students were mostly freshmen and male students.

They were young and full of energy, with nowhere to release their passion, at an age where they could even pick a fight with an ant.

"Hey Du Lei, are you alright? There was another earthquake just now. Why are you heading towards a place like the library? I saw so many people running out of the library. Everyone was trying to hide, and you're still trying to squeeze in there?" Someone in the crowd glanced towards the library and walked towards the main entrance.

The person who arrived was none other than Lance, who was training intensely on the training field. He was still wearing his training vest and was covered in sweat, which showed that he had encountered the earthquake in the middle of training and had fled to the square with other students to take refuge.

"I'm fine, I just remembered I had some information to look up, so I went to the library. What, do you want to come with me?" Du Lei offered an invitation. He glanced at the West Square not far away, where at least a hundred or two people had gathered, creating a noisy atmosphere.

"You know I get dizzy when I look at books, so forget it. Hey, Dure, it's earthquake season right now, who knows when another earthquake might happen? Aren't you worried?" Lance quickly waved his hand, telling him to calm down and read, because that was worse than killing him.

"Don't worry, there won't be any more earthquakes. You should go back now. If you're not going, I'll go in. See you later." Du Lei waved his hand and walked straight into the library, leaving Lance looking confused.

"There won't be any more earthquakes, Dure. Although I believe you, there have been several earthquakes today. Can you really predict earthquakes and the weather?" Lance was a little suspicious. He left the library and returned to the west square to talk to some new friends.

The moonlight poured down, covering the ground with frost. It was not a quiet and peaceful night, at least not for Dure.

At the same time, Du Lei walked into the library. The library was empty and deserted. However, due to the earthquake, many bookshelves were tilted and scattered with a large number of books, making it look quite messy.

"Even the library has been turned into this state? No wonder everyone ran away. But where is Professor Winster? Shouldn't he be on duty here?" Du Lei walked into the library and searched carefully, but he couldn't find any trace of Professor Winster, the librarian on the first floor.

"This is really strange. The person who should be here is not here. Oh well, I'll go find the book I want to read myself. Hey, what's that noise over there?" Du Lei originally planned to go find the book himself, but he noticed that the pile of books not far to his right was shaking.

"Could it really be like this under this pile of books? I say, Mr. Winster, what are you doing here?" Dure noticed something was wrong. He walked over and tossed aside the pile of books that was as tall as a person. Sure enough, he saw a hand reaching out. He quickened his pace and pried all the books apart.

He dug a person out of this pile of books, which was similar to the time he dug a living person out of a snowdrift. The only difference was that back then he dug out a man who was going to the north mountain of Hot Spring Village but ultimately did not take the Star Stone, while this time he dug out Winster.

"I'm saved! I thought I was going to die there. It was Du Lei who helped me a lot." Winster thanked Du Lei with a smile.

"Teacher Winster, what happened to you? How did a perfectly healthy person end up under a book?" Dure sighed. He had just been looking for Winster, and he never expected to see him like this.

"I was organizing the bookshelves when the earthquake suddenly struck, and I accidentally got crushed by the collapsing bookshelves. Du Lei, you know there are so many books here, everyone was just focused on running away and didn't notice me, so this is what happened," Winster said with a smile.

"It sounds like you've been abandoned by everyone. That's really pitiful. Nobody wants to go into the library at this time of year. If it weren't for me, you probably would have suffocated here." Dure looked at Winster with sympathy.

"Did the earthquake come from the Ash Tower? The earthquake during the day was because the seal on the top of the Ash Tower was broken, and the sealed girl woke up. And the earthquake happened again at night. What is going on?" As a teacher at the academy, Winster knew a lot of inside information.

His wisdom and shrewdness are completely at odds with his apparent carelessness.

"How is Muna now?" Dure suddenly remembered what had happened not long ago and inquired about the girl Muna.

"Muna," Winster paused, unsure who Dure was referring to.

"I'm referring to the girl that Nono brought down during the day. She said she would protect her, so she should keep her word, right?" Du Lei omitted his own involvement in the matter.

“I don’t know the details either. The academy held an emergency meeting of senior officials this afternoon, but I didn’t attend. But since Teacher Nono made the promise, you can rest assured that there won’t be any problems.” Winster knew Nono very well.

He can vouch for Nono on this matter.

216 Two branches

Due to the earthquake, the library was in a mess. The students who were reading in the library all fled in a panic. Otherwise, Winster would not have been buried in the pile of books without anyone noticing. After Dure pulled Winster out of the pile of books, he helped him tidy up the scattered bookshelves.

After all, he rushed to class this morning and scattered quite a few books. He was in a hurry at the time, and Winster helped him tidy them up. In a way, he still owed Winster a favor, and this was the perfect time to repay it. The two of them worked quite a bit.

"Mission accomplished. Now all the books are back on the shelves, and after checking, there are no misplaced ones. Du Lei, I really have to thank you today. Otherwise, I don't know how long I would have had to finish cleaning by myself." Winster scratched his head and expressed his gratitude to Du Lei.

"Alright, alright, you helped me this morning, so we're even. I'm going to go read some books over there. You go about your own business." Du Lei waved his hand and headed towards the corner on the right. He had spent the entire night there yesterday, where there were books that interested him.

"Please wait a moment," Winster suddenly called out to Dure.

"Hey, is there anything else?" Dure turned to look at Winster, wondering why the guy had called him.

"Although it may be presumptuous of me to ask this, you seem to be quite interested in books on alchemy, don't you, Dure?" Winster inquired.

"What, are there different types of books in the library that you can read and those you can't?" Dure frowned, wondering why Winster brought this up.

"Of course not. Since they are books displayed in the library, they are meant for everyone to see. It's just that some people are a little curious." Winster said with a smile. He seemed like a gentle and kind ordinary teacher, with a gentlemanly demeanor, yet also prone to making mistakes.

"Curious? That's quite a coincidence. I'm also a tiny bit curious about alchemy." Du Lei readily admitted this. In fact, it would have been pointless for him to hide it, since all the books he had piled up next to him that morning were related to alchemy.

Since it was Winster who tidied it up for him, he naturally knew what books Dure was reading. Moreover, Dure remembered something: Nono had told him earlier that the librarian on the first floor, Professor Winster, was quite skilled in alchemy, although Nono had only mentioned it casually.

But Dure remembered this point well. He was worried that he didn't have a chance to ask Winster properly, but now Winster brought it up on his own initiative, which made Dure quite happy. However, he remained calm on the surface and did not show his joy.

"Indeed, alchemy, in a sense, is the source of all disciplines. It has played a crucial role throughout history. However, with the development of science, more and more people have questioned alchemy, and fewer and fewer people are willing to study it."

Winster spoke with some emotion, as he was very knowledgeable about topics related to alchemy.

"There are two reasons for this," Dure interrupted Winston. Not long ago, he was a novice in the field of alchemy. Of course, even now, he has not yet crossed the threshold of entry. However, he still has unique insights into the current state of this discipline.

"So, Dure, what do you think are the two reasons?" Winster listened to Dure with great interest and gestured for him to continue.

“The first reason is that it has been diverted to other disciplines, such as modern science, ammunition science, and mechanics. Many young people are now enthusiastic about these new disciplines, which has reduced the number of people choosing alchemy,” Du Lei said earnestly.

“And the second reason?” Winster nodded, agreeing with Durley’s point of view.

"The second reason is the nature of alchemy itself," Dure continued. He believed that Winster was trustworthy to a certain extent. He had some reservations about discussing these things with other people and could not speak freely, but he did not have many worries with Winster.

"What's wrong with alchemy itself?" Winster pressed.

"Because it's too difficult, the threshold is too high," Dure said with a shrug and a rather helpless tone.

“Is it too difficult? I see. Du Lei, what you said makes a lot of sense. Since alchemy is the source of all disciplines, to master it, one must master the knowledge of almost all disciplines. In fact, alchemy has two major branches.” Winster thought for a moment and agreed.

"I saw the concepts of alchemy and weapon crafting in a book last night," Du Lei said truthfully.

"That's right, it's alchemy and weapon crafting. Alchemy is very simple; it involves mixing different plants together. Each plant has its own unique characteristics, and when these different characteristics are mixed together, they create new characteristics. This is the wonder of nature."

Winston nodded and took the initiative to introduce the alchemy process, speaking of alchemy with great familiarity.

"Is this also the prototype of modern chemistry? The book says it's called a chemical reaction." Du Lei wasn't trying to undermine Winters; he just wanted to take this opportunity to clarify everything that was puzzling him. Otherwise, who knew when Winters would have the time to explain it to him again?

“Yes, modern chemistry evolved from alchemy. Scientists are conducting research in what they believe to be rigorous methods, just like the alchemists of hundreds of years ago.” Winster chuckled softly, it was unclear whether he was mocking or showing sympathy.

"Hundreds of years ago, alchemists conducted alchemical research, believing they had found the truth. Now, hundreds of years later, chemists are conducting chemical research, similarly believing they have found the truth. And perhaps hundreds of years from now, with the emergence of new disciplines, new truths will appear."

Dure couldn't figure out what Winster meant by his smile, but he knew he was clearly mocking him.

“The truth has never changed; it has always been there. What has changed is only people’s level of understanding.” Winster nodded, deeply agreeing.

"Let's skip this part; I'm not a philosopher," Dure waved his hand, indicating that they should move on from this topic.

"Du Lei, you've tried alchemy yourself, haven't you?" Winster suddenly asked.

"How did you know this?" Dure was taken aback at first. His first reaction was to cover it up, but he quickly realized that it was pointless to hide it from Winster. Moreover, since Winster had said it, he must have solid evidence.

217 Three conditions

Dure wasn't the type like Lance who wore his emotions on his sleeve. After all, he grew up in the vast snow-covered mountains, where he had few friends. For him, the way to survive was to lie in wait for prey in the white snow, and emotions were meaningless at that time.

He mostly concealed his emotions, not only his emotions, but also his experiences and secrets, which he tried his best to avoid letting others know. This sense of vigilance accompanied him from the hot spring village, from the vast snow-covered mountains, all the way to Maple Leaf Academy in Maple City.

Even when facing Lance and others, he didn't mention certain unnecessary things. Now, facing Winster, Winster keenly grasped some of his secrets, which made Dure very uncomfortable. However, he also realized that this discomfort would bring many benefits.

One of the advantages is that you can get a lot of information from Winster, information that you can't get from books alone. Dure believes that Winster's level is definitely no worse than that of the authors of ordinary alchemy books. As long as you can get one more question out of Winster, you've already gained something.

"Because you have the scent of medicinal powder on you, unlike the pollen or plant scents you might accidentally pick up in a wild forest. It's a mixture of at least a dozen different plant powders. Usually, only alchemists would have such a complex scent," Winster explained.

"You actually figured it out by smell?" Dure was taken aback. He had thought Winston had a more sophisticated method of investigation.

“Otherwise, what did you think, Du Lei?” Winster smiled. He was a man of few words because he spent most of his time in the library, a quiet place. Out of respect and awe for him, other students rarely asked him any questions.

"I collected these medicinal powders while hunting in my hometown. I accidentally discovered that mixing different plants together could produce incredible effects, so I experimented repeatedly and came up with quite a few things. I added a lot more on my way to Maple Leaf Academy."

Dure pulled several vials of potions from his pocket, each filled with a different color, and handed them to Winster with a hint of pride.

“Not bad. How could you do this without formal alchemical training? But may I ask, Dure, how exactly did you conduct your experiments?” Winster uncorked the potion bottle and smelled it. Dure tried to stop him.

However, he waved his hand to indicate that he was fine, and seeing that he was safe and sound, Du Lei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Of course, you'd use yourself as a test subject. Only by experiencing the effects of the drug with your own senses can you know how effective it is. But that bottle of medicine contains a large dose of anesthetic. Normally, a person would faint after just one whiff, yet you were unharmed," Du Lei said, somewhat puzzled.

He knew exactly what kind of anesthetic he had concocted, but Winster was completely unaffected after smelling it.

“I’m a half-baked alchemist, after all. If I were to fall for this dose of anesthetic, wouldn’t I be a laughingstock?” Winster chuckled. After smelling all the potions, he put the stoppers back on and returned them to Dure.

“I knew it, you are the alchemist. Nono didn’t lie to me.” Dure nodded. He had suspected it before, but he wasn’t sure.

“I only passed the Alchemist Guild’s exam a long time ago. I haven’t been promoted to a higher badge all these years, and I’ve gradually forgotten that I was once an alchemist.” Winster shook his head, unwilling to talk about his past as an alchemist.

"Looks like you've been through a lot, but I'm not curious about those things. I just mentioned alchemy and weapon crafting." Du Lei wasn't the kind of idiot who couldn't read between the lines. He nodded and glossed over the previous topic. He was only interested in things that would benefit him.

“Alright, let’s continue our previous topic. Refining tools means crafting implements, and these implements usually refer to magical weapons.” Winster emphasized the last few words, as this was very important.

"I always thought that magical weapons were made in blacksmith shops, but it turns out they were made by alchemists." Dure was no stranger to magical weapons; in fact, he had seen Nono use one in the Ash Tower during the day.

"That's not entirely true. Actually, making magical weapons involves two parts. The first part is forging, which is indeed the work of a blacksmith shop. It requires skilled blacksmiths to quench and forge the raw materials of the magical weapons to create a prototype," Winster added.

"After the prototype is created, is it time for the alchemists to take the stage?" Dure asked curiously.

"That's about right. The work of an alchemist is to enchant the prototype, that is, the weapon, by attaching the crystal core of a magical beast to the weapon or equipment. This work can only be done through alchemy, and it is something that a blacksmith cannot do," Winster explained.

"If someone is both a blacksmith and an alchemist, wouldn't he be able to complete both tasks independently?" Dure asked.

“Theoretically speaking, that is indeed possible. It seems that there were two alchemists in history who were also famous for their blacksmithing.” Winster thought for a moment, and with his extensive knowledge, he quickly found corresponding examples.

"Are there really such examples? I think I understand now. So the most important question is, what conditions are needed to become an alchemist?" Dure carefully pondered Winster's words, memorizing every single one of them.

After absorbing everything Winster had said, he began to ask the crucial questions, the ones he most urgently wanted answers to.