The most shameless alchemist in history

Seeing Nono's fierce appearance, Du Lei thought his life at Maple Leaf Academy was about to end. Fortunately, Nono's next reaction relieved Du Lei. It turned out that the reason she came to find Du Lei late at night was because the railway company had sent a thank-you letter to Maple Leaf Academy.

Although the words in the letter were inevitably exaggerated, Du Lei was relieved to have escaped danger. He chased Nono for a long distance but failed to catch up. He considered himself to be in good physical condition, otherwise he would not have become the best hunter in the vast snow-covered mountains.

However, firstly, the series of events that had occurred today had greatly depleted his physical strength and energy, and secondly, although Nono looked very small, she ran incredibly fast. After realizing that he had no way to catch up with her, Du Lei had no choice but to give up and gasp for breath while supporting his knees.

"I'm exhausted, I'm dead tired. If you don't want it back, then don't. Do with it however you want. I don't want that thank-you letter anymore. Anyway, no matter how you try to take it, people won't thank you, they'll thank me." Du Lei panted, looking at Nono who had plopped down on a statue of some unknown great man, feeling utterly helpless.

"Tch, it's just a letter, why are you being so stingy to return it to me? It's like nobody cares." Nono sat on the statue, swinging her feet. Seeing that Du Lei wasn't chasing after her, she lost interest and threw the envelope over. Du Lei caught it.

“This isn’t about being stingy or not, okay? Anyway, you can’t reason with you. By the way, how’s Muna? How is she?” Dure put the letter away without opening it. Nono had already read most of the letter. He asked about Muna’s condition.

“She’s resting now. She was sealed in the Ash Tower for too long, and she also overused her magic energy during the day. She needs to rest properly. But how do you know her name?” Nono suddenly realized something was wrong after answering Durei’s question.

"Oh, well, she mentioned it during the day. What, have you forgotten?" Dure wanted to slap himself. He knew Muna's name; Musa had told him. He was quick-witted and immediately came up with an excuse.

"Did she really say that during the day? I can't remember," Nono said, resting her chin on her hand and carefully recalling the words.

"That's right, that's right, she really did say it, but you were talking to Feiyu at the time, so you didn't notice. Okay, it's so late, I should probably go back now. I'm exhausted after a long day. I mean, Teacher Nuonuo, aren't you sleepy?" Du Lei quickly changed the subject after making an excuse.

"Now that you mention it, I'm actually a bit sleepy. I'll head back now. You should go back and rest early too. Remember, don't be late tomorrow. If you dare to be late again, you'll be in big trouble." Nuonuo yawned slowly, jumped off the statue, and turned to leave.

Before leaving, she turned back and reminded Du Lei that as his teacher, she would be giving the lecture the following day.

"Okay, okay, I wouldn't dare to be late. Well then, Teacher Nuonuo, goodbye! Are you finally far away?" Du Lei watched Nuonuo leave until she was completely out of sight. Only then could he finally relax. He had been worried about giving himself away the whole time.

"Hey, Du Lei!" Just then, a figure suddenly jumped out from behind Du Lei, accompanied by a loud voice.

"Who is it, Lance? It's you! Don't call me from behind like that, it's scary! Oh, Kelly, you're here too!" Dure was startled by the loud voice. He turned around and recognized that it was Lance who had called him, and Kelly was next to him.

"Hehe, sorry, sorry, Dure, I didn't mean to scare you. You were just so focused, I was afraid you wouldn't hear me if I spoke too softly." Lance chuckled, his expression making it hard to believe that his sudden yell wasn't intentional.

"Come on, what are you doing here?" Dure didn't believe Lancer's story and asked him and Kelly in confusion.

"What, you and Teacher Nono are allowed to be here, but we're not allowed to be here too?" Kelly retorted.

"Did you see Teacher Nono?" Du Lei looked in the direction Nono had left. Her figure had long since disappeared. Since Kelly had mentioned Nono, they must have been nearby before Nono left. It's just that he was focused on dealing with Nono and hadn't noticed them.

"Of course, I not only saw Teacher Nono, but also many other exciting parts," Kelly said with a hint of sarcasm.

"What exciting part?" Du Lei was a little confused by what she said and didn't understand what she meant.

"Of course, it's the wonderful scene of you and Teacher Nono being all lovey-dovey, Du Lei! I really didn't expect it. In just one day, you and Teacher Nono have become so close. You're really something! Teach me how, don't be stingy, teach me!" Lance nudged Du Lei's arm.

"What are you thinking? It's not like that at all. By the way, when exactly did you two get around here? Hey, is it really okay to spy on people like this? It seems like one person after another is violating privacy." Du Lei rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

"Alright, let's stop teasing him. We just happened to be passing by. Actually, getting close to Teacher Nono isn't a bad thing. Maybe quite the opposite, it's a great thing." Kelly blinked, glossing over the topic of Du Lei and Nono's close relationship.

"What good news?" Du Lei asked her in return.

"You two shouldn't forget that on your very first day at Maple Leaf Academy as official students, you've already made a whole bunch of enemies. Should I list them for you? There's Teacher Charlotte, Senior Elune, Simon, and Euphemia."

Kelly started counting on her fingers.

"Wow, there are so many?" Lance was startled.

“I haven’t even finished counting yet. You can imagine your situation at Maple Leaf Academy. Don’t be fooled by the calm today. It’s just because the Ash Tower incident has covered it up. It won’t be long before they come after you.” Kelly said, describing the current situation of Dure and Lance.

"Let them come if they want. It's not like we're afraid of them. We're more afraid they won't come," Lance grinned, eager to try.

“Having fighting spirit is a good thing, but when you encounter trouble, fighting spirit alone is not enough. Now you need to gather a group of strong allies to stand on your side, otherwise you will be left fighting alone, and it will be too late to regret it then,” Kelly advised the two of them.

"You mean you're talking about Teacher Nono, trying to win over Kelly, a powerful ally?" Lance asked, bewildered.

“That’s right. Ms. Nono happens to be a sworn enemy of Euphemia’s teacher, Owl. Getting her support will alleviate your situation to some extent, but it’s far from enough.” Kelly nodded and gave Dure a sympathetic look.

Although Dure has Lance as a teammate on the surface, Lance is a complete idiot in every other aspect besides being enthusiastic about training.

222 Happy cooperation

Dure understood that Kelly was thinking of him and Lance. After all, they were different from Kelly. Kelly at least had her brother to back her up. Moreover, although she didn't say it explicitly, Dure knew that there must be a powerful family behind her, otherwise she wouldn't have such confidence.

After saying goodbye to Kelly, Dure and Lance returned to their dormitory. After a whole day of running around, he was exhausted, and Lance was probably the same. Although he didn't have as much experience as Dure, he also spent most of his time sweating on the training field.

After lying down on the bed, Lance soon began snoring and sleeping soundly. Moonlight shone through the window, and Dure, who was also lying in bed, looked out the window and suddenly lost all sleepiness. He tiptoed out of the room, trying not to wake Lance.

"My mind is full of alchemy, so it's really hard to fall asleep. If only Nono hadn't rushed in and interrupted me, I could have listened to Teacher Winster talk more about alchemy. It's all her fault, I've already learned enough today."

Dure arrived at a small grove of trees outside the dormitory building. It was quiet and deserted, with only the moonlight silently shining down. He sat on the ground with his back against a large rock, recalling Winston's explanation, and he went through the concepts of alchemy in his mind again.

"I've learned the theoretical knowledge and seen Professor Winster demonstrate it. Now it's about time I did it myself. And there's one more thing. I was wondering why you insisted I go back and dig things out, leaving my hands covered in bad luck, but now I finally understand."

Dure seemed to remember something. After rummaging around in his pocket, he quickly unfolded something in his palm. It was a pair of gloves, grayish-white in color, looking tattered and worn. The material seemed to be made of some kind of animal fur, and there were several scratches on the surface.

"So this is what you wanted me to find. At first, I didn't know what a mere pair of gloves was for, but thanks to Professor Winster, I figured out that gloves are an essential tool for alchemy. So, apart from a slight difficulty in communication, we're fine."

Seeing that no one was around, Du Lei took out the egg he had been carrying in his arms and spoke to it. If anyone had witnessed this scene, they would probably have thought the boy was a fool for talking to an egg under the moonlight, but only Du Lei knew that it had its own consciousness.

"Actually, you're quite considerate of me and have helped me many times. I might have misunderstood you a little when we encountered problems before, but thank you so much. It's been a pleasure working with you, and I look forward to working with you again in the future. But I still have one question: how should I use these gloves?"

After thanking the egg, Dure put it away and began to study the tattered leather gloves. So far, the egg had helped him a lot, such as the underground palace of the Ash Tower, which even Nono and the others had not noticed, and the academy was unaware of its existence.

However, it keenly sensed this and guided Dure to the destination, which shows its unique ability. Moreover, it was also thanks to its help that Dure was able to pass the magic power test. The two of them have gradually developed a cooperative relationship.

"No rush, no rush, there's still plenty of time. Whether it's the gloves or the correct way to use alchemy, we can study them slowly." Du Lei was determined to overcome this problem. He sat cross-legged against the large rock. The night wind was bleak, and the early spring air was chilly.

But for him, who grew up in the snow and ice, this was nothing. Under the vast moonlight, the boy tried alchemy again and again, but he had only been practicing for a short time and was not yet familiar with the process, so he repeated the process of failure over and over again.

"They're really persistent." In the darkness, someone looked at the grove and murmured, but his silhouette was hidden in the darkness and he could not be seen clearly. Soon he also disappeared into the night, as if he had never appeared. Dure, who was immersed in alchemy, naturally did not notice him.

The moonlight poured down silently, and dark clouds drifted over slowly, briefly obscuring the moon completely. Fortunately, the clouds eventually dispersed, and the moon reappeared, though its radiance was much dimmer than before. Du Lei had tried this countless times before.

"Failed again? Which step went wrong? I clearly remember every step of the alchemy process, but I just can't seem to gather my magical energy together. I feel powerless. If I can't even solve this step, I'll be completely stuck."

Dure felt his legs were a little numb, so he moved his position slightly. Not far away, a stray cat yawned. It was unclear when it had appeared or when it had fallen asleep. It watched Dure's actions from a distance, changed its position, and continued to sleep.

"I was too impatient. Alchemy isn't something you can learn so easily. It's only been a day. Don't rush it. Take your time and try a few more times. You'll definitely find the knack. Let's try again." Du Lei wasn't discouraged by the series of failures and rallied his spirits once more.

The moonlight flowed and gradually faded away silently, leaving only a faint shadow of a new moon in the sky. Grayish-white clouds appeared on the horizon, and birds chirped in the treetops. A stray cat tiptoed up a tree, seemingly wanting to do something.

But its actions startled the birds, and they all flew away at once. Frustrated, it hopped down from the tree and left dejectedly.

"It seems I've found a trick. Let's try again, it'll definitely work if we try again. Oh no, that bell is ringing! It's already dawn! No way, I can't keep trying. If I don't get to class soon, I'll be late!" Du Lei heard the bell.

It was only then that he realized it was already dawn. He had been practicing in the grove all night and realized he had to go to class today. He also recalled what Nuonuo had told him last night, which gave him a jolt. Nuonuo had repeatedly told him not to be late.

If he continued to commit the crime against the wind, one could easily imagine Nuonuo's expression. Realizing this, Du Lei suddenly got up and ran away. However, his legs were already numb due to poor blood circulation, and he fell to the ground as soon as he got up.

A stray cat not far away turned its head to look at him, wagged its tail, and then turned and walked away.

223 is late again.

Nono was furious, more furious than ever before. She had always been a very punctual person. She believed that punctuality was the most basic manifestation of discipline, and that time was a very precious thing. If one could not make good use of such a precious thing and respect it, it would be a crime.

Yesterday, because of someone, she was two minutes late, which already annoyed her. Because of this, she specifically told that guy that he absolutely could not be late today. She rarely tells someone something in such a special way, so doing so yesterday was already an unprecedented gesture of respect.

It was her class again early this morning, but the entire period passed without any sign of that guy. This infuriated Nono. It wasn't just a waste of time, but also an extreme disrespect for her; it was a complete disregard for her words!

"So, Du Lei, a whole class has passed, and you're only just arriving late. Do you have any excuse to give?" Nuonuo's face was very ugly. She saw Du Lei running over breathlessly outside the classroom, stared intently into his eyes, and said with a forced smile.

"This is absolutely an accident, an accident. In my heart, I have kept in mind what you said yesterday, Teacher Nuonuo, and I have been reminding myself all the time not to be late, not to be late, and not to let you down," Du Lei said anxiously.

When he first heard the bell, his first thought was that it was dawn and he had to go to class. But once he got on the way, he suddenly realized something was wrong. It was the bell that signaled the end of get out of class, which meant he had already attended a class, and it was already fully light. This discovery was extremely alarming.

At that moment, he could foresee how terrible Nono's face would look. He felt like dying and immediately had the idea of ​​running away. But then he thought, even if he ran away, where could he run to? He had finally found some clues in alchemy and was just beginning to cross the threshold.

It would be too ridiculous for him to run away because he was late, so he forced himself to come to class. He happened to run into Nono in the hallway as she was coming out of the classroom. He kept praying that Nono would be in a good mood today and wouldn't hold it against him.

"Really? Well, Du Lei, you're really thoughtful. So, the result of reminding yourself is that you're late for a whole class?" Nono wasn't buying Du Lei's act. In her eyes, Du Lei was already labeled as a "sophist" and she didn't believe a word he said.

At this moment, many students saw Nono and Dure talking. They watched from a distance and whispered among themselves from time to time.

"Hey, hey, do you see those two over there? Aren't they Teacher Nono and that guy whose name is what? The one who had a red magic energy reaction during the magic energy test." A student pointed at Du Lei and the other person, not knowing Du Lei's name.

But Du Lei's test that day left a deep impression on him, after all, he had a red magical energy reaction, which made him a prominent figure among the freshmen.

"I think his name is Harley or Duke. What are they doing?" Some students had a general recollection of the name Harley.

"Hehe, his name is Du Lei, he's my good brother. And these guys, of course, are being tutored by Teacher Nuonuo. Didn't you see how gentle and considerate she is? Let me tell you, yesterday Du Lei and Teacher Nuonuo..." Someone else chuckled and explained the situation.

The only person who knew so much about the "insider information" was naturally Lance, Du Lei's roommate.

"Oh my god, is there really such a sensational rumor? Is it true?" One student exclaimed in astonishment.

"Really, really, my information is 100% reliable." Lance patted his chest to assure them, though it was unclear what they were actually talking about.

Although they spoke very softly, some words still reached Nono's ears, making her face grow increasingly pale.

"What kind of rumors are those guys spreading over there? Ugh, they're really annoying. Let's talk somewhere else. Come to my office." Nono turned around and glared at Lance and the others, gesturing for Dure to follow her to the office next door. She wasn't going to let him off so easily.

"Look, look! They're going to the office! Look, the curtains are all drawn!" The students continued their gossipy antics.

Durei saw all of this, especially Lance's energetic demeanor. As Durei entered the office, Lance even secretly gave him a thumbs-up, seemingly encouraging him. But Durei was already on the verge of tears; wasn't this pushing him into a fire pit?

"Teacher Nuonuo, please believe me, I absolutely did not mean to be late," Du Lei said, choosing to play the victim card.

"Okay, then tell me, what did you do last night? If you didn't mean to be late, then did I curse you to procrastinate and be late for a whole class?" After Nono closed the curtains, she walked up to Du Lei, slammed her hand on his desk, and glared at him condescendingly.

"Well, it was just a small accident. I promise I won't be late next time." Du Lei was really not confident, and his voice was very soft. He was also a little annoyed that he had forgotten about time and had to walk right into Nono's trap.

"A little accident? Well, it seems your life is full of surprises." Nono scoffed at this, not believing his nonsense at all.

"If it's full of adventures, I'd be happy to, but it's better to have as few accidents as possible." Du Lei scratched his head, put on a smiley face, and said with a smile, hoping to soothe Nuonuo's emotions a little.

"Don't think that just because you're all smiles and joking around, I won't punish you. Don't get cocky." Nono saw through his trick at a glance.

"Gentle, kind, generous and lovely Teacher Nuonuo, please forgive me this time, okay? I promise I won't be late again next time." Seeing that her tone was softening, Du Lei immediately seized the opportunity and patted his chest to make a promise.

“It’s not impossible to spare you, unless…” Nono thought for a moment and paused.

"Unless it's something else, as long as Teacher Nono gives the order, I'll do it even if it means going through fire and water," Du Lei immediately pledged his loyalty.

"You don't need to go through fire or water. You just need to come with me to do one thing," Nono said, blinking her eyes.

"Ha, I have to go do something again?" Du Lei's eyes widened as soon as he heard this, and his first thought was to refuse.

224 Girl and Cat

If it were anyone else receiving Nono's invitation, especially a male student, they would probably be nodding their heads like woodpeckers. Serving a beautiful female teacher is an honor that one would beg for. But Du Lei knew this all too well; he had already been fooled once yesterday.

Back then, Nono dragged him to the Ash Tower, where he experienced a series of dangers and was almost burned to ashes by Muna's dragonfire. Now, only a day has passed, and Nono has extended another invitation. Dure's heart was undoubtedly set on refusing, and the word "no" was about to come out.

"What, you seem quite unwilling. Let me warn you first, I absolutely hate being rejected, especially hearing the word 'no.' I can easily lose my temper and do something I'll regret if I do that."