The most shameless alchemist in history

"I saw him on the tree-lined path yesterday. He was a mess, his hair was like a bird's nest, and he smelled terrible. How could a perfectly normal person turn out like this?" someone chimed in, expressing their deep regret.

"Do you think he's been driven mad by the series of strange things that have happened at the academy? First the earthquake, then the fire, and now people are going crazy too. What's wrong with this academy? Will it be our turn soon?" someone boldly suggested.

Conspiracy theories are incredibly resilient, because any hint of darkness or malice can breed fertile ground for them. Du Lei, of course, had no idea that he was simply trying to conduct a quiet research project, yet he was unwittingly becoming a victim of conspiracy theories.

Panic gripped the academy. Rumors spread that following the natural disaster, Maple Leaf Academy was now facing a man-made catastrophe. The land was considered extremely ominous, and some people had been driven mad by an ancient curse. These rumors triggered a chain reaction, with some students even vehemently resisting and dropping out.

Of course, these things had nothing to do with Du Lei, and he didn't want to get involved in such messy matters. He was so engrossed in his research that he couldn't extricate himself. A month of school had passed in the blink of an eye. On an ordinary night a month later, the grove was very quiet.

As time went by, early spring gradually turned into warm spring. The evening wind was no longer chilly, and the ground was covered with bright little flowers. More and more squirrels, rabbits, chickens, and ducks started jumping out of the grass, and more and more small animals gathered around to look at that strange creature.

They're just idling around anyway, and watching that guy mess around without having to buy a ticket is such a good deal!

"The reason I failed before was because I overlooked an extremely serious problem: everything has life, even elements. Elements are active; if alchemy cannot be fixed within a certain range, allowing these active elements to come into contact with the surrounding elements..."

Du Lei quickly analyzed the formula on the ground. At first, he was a little rusty, but after more than half a month, he had become very familiar with it and his movements had become very fast. Of course, the price was that he hadn't taken a shower for more than a week and his body smelled bad.

Boys his age usually care a lot about their appearance, but he was completely uninterested in such things. For him, conquering one problem was better than having a hundred or a thousand beautiful clothes.

"It's like when you're stewing a pot of mushrooms, you have to use an iron pot to hold it in place, otherwise it'll just be roasting them directly over a fire. And the iron pot has to be sturdy and leak-proof. What I have to do now is set up the iron pot and make sure it won't burn or leak. Oh, and I have this too."

Dure suddenly remembered the gloves he had found in the spider's nest in the underground of the Misty Forest, along with the egg of unknown origin. Winster had once told him that gloves were an essential part of alchemy, something he had almost forgotten about before.

Now that he had reached the most crucial stage of alchemy, he finally remembered that he was missing a pair of gloves. Although the gloves looked a bit tattered, he immediately put them on and used them as a pot for stewing mushrooms, since he couldn't find any other gloves to replace them.

"After failing 138 times, will I face my 139th failure, or will I succeed? Give me the answer." Dure completed all preparations and began to guide magical energy into the transmutation array. Soon, light reappeared.

The squirrels and rabbits in the grass peered out curiously. They had seen this scene many times before, like a fireworks display, which would only flash for a moment and then be over. The little rabbit thought it would be the same as always and stood there watching. It thought it would be even better if there was a carrot.

But then a large rabbit suddenly darted out of the bushes, grabbed it, and ran away at full speed.

After 138 attempts, the 139th attempt was different from usual.

262 I took leave

Nono was very angry. Due to some personal matters that needed to be dealt with, she had been away for more than half a month. Because things were in a hurry, she did not tell anyone. In fact, she did not have any close friends in the academy, and even if she wanted to tell someone, she would not be able to find anyone.

Although there was indeed someone she interacted with quite frequently, she always made the decisions when she was with that guy. Coupled with her naturally willful personality, she didn't even inform him before leaving.

Now that she had finally finished her business and returned to Maple Leaf Academy, she originally wanted to see how that guy was doing lately. However, as soon as she arrived at the academy, she heard something interesting: a strange person had appeared in the academy. At first, he seemed quite normal, and she could see him in the library every day.

But later, he suffered some kind of trauma, and his whole personality became chaotic. He was always mysterious and could not be seen by anyone. Occasionally, when someone saw him, he looked like a homeless person. He always seemed to be in a daze, and everyone kept their distance from him.

Nono didn't care about it at first, since it was none of her business. But when she found out that the homeless man was a guy named Du Lei from her class, she suddenly got furious. She didn't even have time to rest after arriving at the academy and rushed out with murderous intent.

As for her destination, it was naturally Du Lei's dormitory. Normally, women weren't allowed in the boys' dormitory, but firstly, she was a teacher, and secondly, seeing her fierce expression, her eyes blazing with anger, clearly ready to annihilate anyone who stood in her way, who would dare to provoke her?

"Du Lei, what have you been up to all this time? Even if you're going to wallow in self-pity, there's a limit. Get out here right now!" Nuonuo rushed to the door of Du Lei's dormitory, completely ignoring the astonished looks of the students walking around nearby, and kicked the door open.

"You're a man, after all. Even if you encounter problems, you can't run away. You have to face them bravely. How could you..." Nuonuo scolded him without giving him a chance to explain. In her opinion, during the short time she was away, Du Lei had completely fallen into depravity and lost his direction in life.

She rushed over to scold him awake, but when she kicked open the door, what appeared before her was the silhouette of a boy drying his hair. Actually, drying hair wasn't important; what was important was the "skein," because silhouettes are usually hard to see from a distance.

We can only see a rough outline, so it is called an "outline". But at this time, Nono and Dure are very close, so there is no issue of distance. Therefore, this leads to another interpretation of the outline, which is the outline of the limbs. To be more precise, Dure has just taken a shower.

Alone in his dorm, he didn't have many rules to follow. After all, Lance wasn't there, and even if Lance suddenly came back, the dorm building was full of boys, so there was nothing to be ashamed of. How could he have imagined a girl suddenly bursting in?

"Teacher Nuonuo, what brings you here?" Du Lei was stunned for a moment before he broke the awkward silence.

"Why can't I come? That's not the point. You have three seconds to get dressed right now!" Nuonuo's shouts could be heard throughout the entire dormitory building, and many people gathered outside to peek and see what was going on.

After all, they were all teenage boys. The fact that a girl had barged into the boys' dormitory was such an exciting event that it was hard not to have wild thoughts. But if it were anyone else, it would be fine, but it was Teacher Nuonuo, who was always unreasonable and domineering. Nuonuo suddenly opened the door.

Under her astonishing aura, the male students all fled for their lives. They saw a strong murderous intent in Nuonuo's eyes; if they were too slow, they might really be killed by her. They hadn't lived enough yet and didn't want to risk their lives.

"Teacher Nuonuo, what can I do for you? I haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?" After getting dressed, Du Lei invited Nuonuo to sit down. If it were anyone else, meeting a girl in a boys' dormitory would definitely be an extremely embarrassing thing.

But Du Lei saw nothing wrong with it. After all, Nono's actions couldn't be judged by common sense; it would be strange if she did something normal.

"You asked me what I wanted to talk to you about? It's all over the college now. They say there's a weirdo who always smells bad, doesn't shower for a month or two, and acts all neurotic. He follows girls around, staring at them and laughing all the while, making the girls afraid to go out alone."

Nono denounced Durei's crimes, glancing at him as she spoke, trying to find something amiss about him.

"Is it really that exaggerated? Besides, I just went to an auction with you, Nuonuo, not long ago. It's not that exaggerated. Not showering for a month or two, and being with girls, is utter nonsense." Du Lei remained calm. He wasn't the kind of person who cared about gossip.

“Okay, even if these are all rumors, I asked the substitute teachers in the past two weeks and you have hardly attended any classes. How do you explain that?” Nono knew that Du Lei was not the kind of pervert who would stalk others, so she didn’t really take this seriously.

However, she had confirmed that Du Lei hadn't attended class, and now she urgently needed an explanation from him.

"Well, there's a tiny reason. I asked the substitute teacher for leave." Du Lei was stumped by her question, but he wasn't skipping class without a reason. At least he had asked for leave. Thinking of this, he, who was originally a little guilty, suddenly felt more confident.

"You only asked for three days of leave, but you were absent from class for a total of twenty-three days. Did you ask for leave for the extra twenty days as well?" Nuonuo smiled coldly. She had just been reprimanded because of Du Lei's absence from class, after all, Du Lei was a student in her class.

When she was there, Du Lei was quite well-behaved and didn't cause any trouble. But after she left for just over half a month, he started skipping classes for long periods of time, which made her, as his teacher, lose face.

"Twenty-three days? That's a long time! I thought only three days had passed. I was even thinking I could go to class tomorrow." Du Lei was surprised. He had been focusing all his attention on solving the problems of alchemy these days and did not expect that time would pass so quickly.

"You're still thinking about going to class tomorrow? At this rate, I don't think you'll ever go to class. The academy is already planning to expel you," Nono said angrily. This was the very reason she rushed to find Du Lei.

263 Just starting out

The term "expulsion" is a euphemistic way of saying that a student has violated the school's rules and regulations and has been expelled by the school. Since Du Lei entered Maple Leaf Academy, he had been thinking about spending three years here peacefully and learning enough knowledge in those three years.

Then he could leave Maple Leaf Academy and travel to the vast continent. In his plan, there was no place more suitable for him to study than Maple Leaf Academy. However, without his knowledge, he actually reached the edge of being expelled, which made even the usually calm man a little panicked.

"Has it really gotten this serious? I didn't even realize so much time had passed. Lance didn't even remind me." Dure slapped his forehead. This was a very serious problem facing him, one that urgently needed to be solved. He knew very well that Nono wasn't just trying to scare him.

If this problem isn't resolved, he could very well be kicked out of Maple Leaf Academy, which would be terrible.

"You mean that clueless guy? He's obsessed with training every day and has been skipping classes for more than ten days. He's on the verge of being expelled, just like you. He probably doesn't even know it himself. How can he remind you?" Nono said irritably.

She didn't care about Lance's affairs, but today, while being criticized, she also heard about Lance and Dure, this crazy truancy duo, which drove her crazy. One person skipping class was one thing, two people skipping class together was another, but they even expected each other to remind them!

"That really sounds like Lance's style," Dure nodded, quite impressed.

"You bastard, this isn't the time to be sentimental about other people's business, so you have to give me a reasonable explanation for what you've been doing all this time!" Nono started yelling at him, she was already fuming, and Du Lei's attitude was clearly adding fuel to the fire.

"I understand, I understand. Actually, this is what happened." Du Lei realized that Nono was the only lifeline he could hold onto, and he didn't dare to offend her. He immediately put away his smile and told Nono the general events that had happened in the past few days. Of course, he downplayed the important points.

What he told Nono was that he had recently become engrossed in research. With Teacher Winster also away on a trip, he had to study a subject that Maple Leaf Academy did not have, namely alchemy. After more than twenty days of almost non-stop effort, he had finally made some progress.

"You mean you've already learned alchemy?" Nono listened to Durei for a while, finally extracting some valuable information from his nonsense, and looked at him with suspicion.

"Well, that's about right. But we've only just crossed the threshold. There are still many details that haven't been handled properly. However, I believe that given some more time, we can definitely resolve them." Du Lei nodded, readily acknowledging this.

Nono was considered to have a relatively good relationship with him within the academy, and he hadn't hidden the matter of alchemy from her.

"What a joke! The reason Maple Leaf Academy doesn't offer alchemy is because it's just too difficult. Not only Maple Leaf Academy, but most academies have abolished this subject and replaced it with more modern, contemporary, and simpler and more efficient disciplines."

Nono didn't quite believe Durei's words. What she said wasn't wrong. The cost of training an alchemist was too high. It was better to train dozens, or even hundreds, of people who could skillfully use firearms or cannons than to use the entire academy's resources to train one or two alchemists.

This is more efficient and practical. Furthermore, in recent years, alchemy has been increasingly questioned. In the entire Maple Leaf Academy, there is only one alchemist worth mentioning: Winster. Moreover, he has to be labeled as a "former alchemist" because he had long since given up the title of alchemist.

In an era when steam and gunpowder took center stage and became the mainstream, traditional alchemy was showing signs of decline and decay. At that time, choosing alchemy as a discipline would likely be seen as "crazy".

"To even begin to understand alchemy, it takes at least three years, and that's only with a titled alchemist to guide you. You, all by yourself, crossed the threshold of alchemy in just over twenty days." Nono knew very well how difficult it was to become an alchemist.

In fact, she does have a lot to say on this issue, which is why she raised the question.

"Sigh, is alchemy really that difficult? Actually, I haven't just been studying it for over twenty days. I've dabbled in it for a long time before, but that was just messing around, not really formal training, I think." Du Lei felt a little guilty seeing Nono's serious expression.

"In short, alchemy is not as easy as you think. You say you've completed it, but how can you prove it?" Nono stared intently into Dure's eyes. She was particularly concerned about this question, and it was clear that she wasn't friendly about alchemy.

A faint cloud of gloom settled over her face. Dure didn't understand where this cloud came from, but it was definitely there.

“As for the way to prove it, I think this should work.” Dure thought for a moment. He saw a cup on the table next to him. He walked to the cup, took out gloves from his pocket, put them on, and then spread his hands out above the cup, keeping a distance without touching it.

"You rascal!" Nono looked at Du Lei's action, but she didn't continue speaking because at this moment, a light was emanating from between Du Lei's hands. The faint light enveloped the cup, and the light was very soft. Under its embrace, the cup began to shimmer and become indistinct.

Nono rubbed her eyes. Being stung by the light was an instinctive reaction, but she could clearly feel a surge of magical energy flowing through them. When she opened her eyes again, she found that the cup on the table was gone, replaced by a saucer.

Cups and saucers may look similar, as they are made of similar materials, but their shapes are different and their manufacturing processes differ. Yet, in just a few seconds, a cup transforms into a saucer.

"Did you really do this?" If Nono had any doubts about Du Lei before, the reality was now undeniable.

"This is the best we can do right now. This should be the lowest level of alchemy. As Professor Winster said, the core of alchemy is two aspects: potion making and weapon making. Skilled alchemists can make potions with different effects, as well as powerful magical artifacts, namely magical weapons."

Dure was well aware of his current situation. He wasn't someone who easily became complacent, but once he took this first step, he believed that no matter how difficult the road ahead might be, he would see it through to the end.

264 Sorry to bother you

Nono's intrusion into the boys' dormitory caused a huge uproar. Although Nono chased the teenage boys away, they were all talking about it and saying all sorts of things. For nearly an hour, Nono still did not leave, and they all leaned against the wall, curiously looking around.

"Did you see that? Teacher Nuonuo actually stayed in the boys' dormitory for more than an hour. Which guy is so lucky to be alone with Teacher Nuonuo for so long? Can you guess what they did in the dormitory?" someone asked, looking at the dormitory door.

"Does this even need to be said? Even a child could figure it out. I remember that dorm was Lance's and that guy named Lei's. I saw Lance go to the training ground earlier, so he's definitely not here. Therefore, there's only one answer." Many of the male students knew Lance.

"Damn it, why doesn't this kind of good thing happen to me? Having such a lovely teacher and being alone together seems like such a subtle development." Some people were indignant about this. Although the dormitory door was closed, their eyes could practically kill Du Lei through the walls.

Just as the dozen or so people were huddled together discussing something, someone came down the stairs wiping away sweat.

"Hey, you guys, what are you doing scurrying around here? I think I heard someone saying my name." The person who walked over was none other than Lance, who had just returned from the training ground. He looked at the group of people huddled together, staring at the entrance of his dormitory, and shouted at them.

"No, it's nothing. Lance's back. Let's go." The male students scattered in a panic. They all knew that Lance was a reasonable person, though he was the kind who would use his fists to reason, so no one dared to provoke him. They all disappeared without a trace.

"That's really strange. What's so interesting about a boys' dormitory? It's not like a young girl is going to suddenly appear." Lance felt a bit confused. He wiped the sweat from his brow, walked to the front door, and opened it as usual. There was nothing strange about that until he saw a person inside the room.

"Even if you were researching alchemy during this time, do you know how bad it is to skip class for more than twenty days?" Nono was scolding Dure inside the room, while Lance opened the door. Noticing the noise, Nono turned around and met Lance's eyes.

"I'm so sorry to have bothered you." Lance was taken aback at first, but his mind was racing, even though he was usually slow to react. After coming to a conclusion, he immediately turned and ran away. A little while later, he remembered that he hadn't closed the door, so he rushed back and closed it.

"As expected of Du Lei, a real girl actually popped out of the boys' dormitory. You have to admire that." Lance ran downstairs in one breath, panting, and then turned back to give the dormitory building a thumbs up, not holding back his praise for Du Lei.

Lance ran wildly and disappeared completely, while Dure and Nono in the room were still completely confused.

"Hey, what's wrong with your friend? Why did he run away as soon as he saw me? Am I that scary?" Nono was completely baffled and didn't understand why Lance was reacting so strongly.

"Well, maybe Lance suddenly remembered something he hadn't done, so he went to take care of it on the spot. Don't worry about him." Dure waved his hand. Anyway, Lance was the kind of person who would suddenly remember something and then go about doing it enthusiastically. Dure was used to it.

"You two truant duo really are a perfect match. So, the problem you're facing now is that because you've skipped too many classes, the academy is planning to expel you. Hey, did you have a grudge against that bald guy before?" Nono suddenly asked after scolding Du Lei.

"Baldy? What baldy?" Du Lei was stumped by her question.

“It’s Charlotte, the one with the bald spot on top of her head,” Nono said, cutting to the chase.

"So it's Professor Charlotte. There was indeed a misunderstanding before. What's wrong?" Dure nodded.

“Normally, skipping class would only require a disciplinary action, after all, you are a freshman, and you performed exceptionally well in the freshman test. The academy also wanted to observe for a while longer. However, that bald Charlotte insisted on persuading you to withdraw, so I wonder if there is some kind of conflict between you two.”

As a teacher, Nono was very clear about what was going on at the academy. In fact, the first thing she did upon returning to the academy was to attend a meeting. After the meeting, she went straight to the boys' dormitory to find Du Lei and tell him about it.

"The result of the academy's discussion was..." Du Lei finally realized the seriousness of the problem, and he was also unsure how to handle it.