I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Haha! Ironclad warships! Hahahaha! They're ironclad warships!"

As he ran toward the Napoleon and Joan of Arc, he opened his arms as if to embrace the two warships.

John Manjiro and the others following closely behind him also looked incredibly excited.

As the naval commander of the shogunate, Katsura Rintaro dreamed of equipping the shogunate fleet with the most advanced ironclad warships available at the time.

However, due to insufficient funds, lack of channels, and other reasons, his wish has been delayed in being realized.

At this very moment, the top-tier warships he had always dreamed of were neatly arranged before him... How could he not be excited? How could he not be thrilled?

With the capture of two ironclad warships in one fell swoop, the Shogunate Navy's combat power will be boosted by leaps and bounds!

Such a rich spoils of war are certainly delightful.

However, for Qingden, the biggest gain tonight was capturing Mael.

……

……

"Wake up... wake up... wake up...!"

In a daze, Mael heard someone calling him.

He slowly lifted his heavy eyelids... The orange candlelight shone into his eyes, making him dizzy.

He subconsciously squinted, using his eyelashes to filter the light.

As his vision gradually cleared, he saw a familiar figure—Qing Deng, holding the sword at his waist, stood straight in front of him.

Right next to Aoto, Ogata leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

Mael didn't know Ogata, only that he was the skilled and brave swordsman who dared to face a Gatling gun head-on.

After glancing at Aoto and Ogata a few times, Mael turned his gaze to survey his surroundings.

In the dimly lit, secret room, there was no one else besides the three of them.

Then, Mael looked down and found himself tied to a chair, his arms twisted behind his back, and his feet tightly bound to the chair legs, making it impossible for him to move.

Looking at his own body, bound hand and foot, and then at Qing Deng and Ogata in front of him, memories from before he lost consciousness gradually surfaced in his mind... Mael let out two strange laughs:

"So that's how it is... Was I utterly defeated...?"

He muttered to himself as he curled the corners of his mouth into a strange, ambiguous smile.

"Since I've been defeated by you, I have nothing more to say."

Ignoring Mael's mutterings, Qing Deng asked without a trace of sadness or joy:

“Mael, I have some questions for you, and I hope you will answer them honestly. First, please explain in detail ‘alchemy’, and by the way, how your ‘Berserker’s Water’ is made.”

Qing Deng skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the question that concerned him and Ogata the most right now.

Mael raised an eyebrow:

"You not only know about 'alchemy,' but also about 'Berserker's Water'? You know quite a lot, didn't you? Did Sirika tell you that?"

Qing Deng said calmly:

“Sylica is dead.”

"He's dead... What a pity. I quite admired him."

Mael said this calmly... Judging from his expression, he was not surprised by Cilica's death.

Qing Deng frowned slightly:

"You knew all along that Xilika would die?"

“Sirika is the kind of person who would rather die than grovel. He must have taken the potion I gave him and fought with all his might until the very last moment.”

Qing Deng recalled Xilika's strangely muscular body and the gruesome sight of him spitting blood from his seven orifices as he died.

"What kind of potion did you give him?"

Mael didn't mince words and readily stated:

"A magical potion that can greatly enhance the user's physical functions, but will most likely cause death once the effects wear off."

"You knew that potion would be deadly, yet you still gave it to him?"

Mael shrugged:

What does it matter?

"When he was reduced to needing to take that potion, it meant he had reached the end of his rope."

"From another perspective, I'm actually helping him."

"Since we're already on the verge of despair, we might as well take a gamble and maybe we can find a way out."

Qingdeng didn't care about Xilika's life or death.

However, Mael's tone and rhetoric made him frown.

"It seems you have quite a few potions. That makes me even more curious about what this so-called 'alchemy' is all about."

Mael sneered:

"King Ren, although I am now your prisoner, why should I obey your orders?"

Qing Deng said calmly:

"You have a mouth, so of course you can choose to remain silent."

"However, my hands are also part of my body, and I am free to choose to interrogate you and torture you."

"If you are unwilling to cooperate, then I will have no choice but to use brutal methods against you."

"Do you know how our Shinsengumi interrogated loyalists?"

As Qingdeng spoke, he took out two long nails and two candles from his pocket.

"Once upon a time, we caught a tough guy with a strong will."

"No matter what methods we used, he stubbornly refused to say a word."

"Finally, we drove nails into the guy's feet, piercing from the instep to the sole, put candles on the nails and lit them, and then hung him upside down from the beam."

"All the blood in your body rushes to your head, making you dizzy and lightheaded."

"The pain in your feet is so intense that you're screaming for your life."

"The constantly flowing hot oil makes you wish you were dead."

"That guy, who had endured the torture of being whipped and shackled without uttering a sound, couldn't hold on for long. He cried out and begged us for mercy, spitting out everything he knew like beans."

“I’m not a very patient person, so I don’t intend to use a ‘gradual’ approach with you.”

"If you insist on resisting, I will drive nails into your feet without saying a word."

"By the way, don't underestimate my determination."

"I'd do anything to get you to talk, even if it hurts Alice!"

As he finished speaking, Qing Deng suddenly raised his voice, his tone revealing a firm resolve.

Such an expression and such a tone exuded a cold aura, making people dare not question his words.

Mael stared intently at Qingdeng, their eyes meeting.

A moment later, he slumped his shoulders and lowered his gaze.

"...Alright, I'll cooperate with you obediently."

The unexpected reply startled Aoto, and even Ogata, who was standing next to him, showed a surprised expression.

They thought Mael would say something stubborn again.

To my surprise, he nodded in agreement so readily...

Mael saw through Aoto and Ogata's doubts and smiled knowingly:

"I am just a businessman, not a warrior with an iron will."

Do you know what the biggest secret to being a successful merchant is?

"That means you have to be thick-skinned, disregard 'face' as nothing, and survive by any means necessary."

"There's no point in me putting on a 'calmly facing execution' act right now."

"The most important thing is to find a way to survive and maintain the integrity and health of your body."

“What did you ask me again? Oh, right, ‘alchemy’ and ‘Berserker’s Water’…”

Mael paused, considering his words.

He finished speaking in no time:

"Alchemy is an ancient art in the West."

"Initially, its main purpose was, as its name suggests, to try to refine base metals into gold."

"About three hundred years ago, a group of alchemists were surprised to discover that although 'alchemy' could not produce gold, it could create strange magical potions."

"The most alluring potion is the 'Baccano!'"

It was "Baccano!" again, and that familiar name... Aoto and Ogata both straightened their faces and became serious.

"Legend has it that as long as you drink a sip of the 'elixir of immortality,' you will live forever, and even if you are crushed into mincemeat by an oncoming train, you will be perfectly resurrected."

The origin of the legend of the "Baccano!" is now lost to history.

"It was as if, one night, all the alchemists knew of the existence of this potion."

"For three hundred years, alchemists have been trying to concoct the 'Breath of Immortality'."

"I don't know if there are any successful ones."

"Quite a few people have inadvertently created all sorts of strange things while making the 'Breath of Immortality'."

“My ‘Berserker’s Water’ is a prime example.”

"Simply put, my 'Berserker's Water' is a degraded version of 'Baccano!' It can't grant immortality, but it can increase the user's vitality, so even if they are seriously injured, they won't die immediately."

At this moment, Ogata suddenly interjected: