Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"No!" the Holy Emperor exclaimed hastily. "This method of measuring human life by value is absolutely wrong!"

Isaac paused, then looked at the Holy Emperor and said, "Holy Emperor, look at my face."

"Huh?" The Holy Emperor was also stunned. He didn't know what Isaac wanted to say.

“Look closely,” Isaac said, pointing to his face.

"Oh."

"Did you see it clearly?"

"I saw it clearly."

“Then let me ask you,” Isaac asked, “do I have the word 'good person' written on my face?”

"..."

The Holy Emperor gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Isaac continued, "Of course I know it's incorrect, even wrong, but no one dictates that I have to do things the 'right way'."

Even if it means many people will die.

"Why not?"

"..."

"You are the head of state. Don't always think about doing the 'right' thing, but think about doing the 'beneficial' thing, whether for the people or for yourself."

The Holy Emperor pondered Isaac's words, unsure whether she had taken them to heart.

After a long silence, the Holy Emperor spoke, "I think I still cannot do what Mr. Satomi said."

Although this is the current situation, she simply cannot accept Isaac's extreme views.

“Never mind then, everyone has their own choices,” Isaac said casually, taking an indifferent attitude towards the Holy Emperor’s choice.

Anyway, this isn't his country.

"Thank you, Mr. Satomi, for coming to keep me company today because of my impulsive phone call. It's thanks to you that you're not so scared anymore." The Holy Emperor smiled. "Although it would be great if Mr. Satomi could stay with me all the time, you're going to the 40th ward tomorrow, so you should probably rest."

"Yes, indeed."

"Um...can I ask you one last question?" The Holy Emperor suddenly became hesitant.

"what?"

Can I contact you again next time?

“Okay,” Isaac said. “By the way, it’s three hours in total today, and the price is…”

"..."

Chapter 295: The Third Battle of Kwantung

The next morning, the 40th district was now overcrowded.

After information about the 'Third Battle of Kanto' was released yesterday, a large number of police officers gathered here. Everyone set up tents and used this place as a campsite.

Isaac arrived here early as well.

"Rentaro, what are you doing?" Enju looked at Isaac, who was digging in the dirt with a shovel, with a puzzled expression.

While the other police teams around were setting up tents, Isaac was the only one digging in the ground.

“Of course we’ll dig a trench. This place is going to become a battlefield, and tents aren’t safe,” Isaac said, continuing to swing his shovel.

"Where will you sleep at night?"

"Of course, I'll sleep inside."

"Sleeping in a pit!?"

"correct."

"I cannot accept this!"

Originally, as police officers participating in the campaign, the Self-Defense Force would have provided them with tents, but unfortunately there was a rule that members had to go to collect them in the form of a legion, which means they had to bring auxiliary troops with them.

The auxiliary force was supposed to consist of six pairs of police officers, and Isaac, who came alone, was clearly not qualified, so he naturally couldn't get a tent.

Of course, Isaac didn't care.

Ignoring Yeonju's shouting, Isaac dug a large hole in the ground and said to her, "I'm going to check out the center of the camp now. Do you want to come with me?"

"Of course! I'm going!" Yeonju's voice was always full of energy.

Their position was in District 40, which was right next to District 39, Yanju's hometown and the place where Isaac taught his children. However, before the headquarters was set up there, the outer districts were all ruins. Now, the surrounding scenery has completely changed.

The first thing you notice upon approaching the headquarters is the smell of fermenting alcohol. Beneath the open tents, a group of boorish promoters have been drinking and making noise since broad daylight.

Then came the stench of gunpowder. Harsh, savage roars accompanied the occasional gunshots. Isaac turned around and saw that a merchant dealing in holmium-modified weapons was having police officers test-fire them, promoting the weapons' lethality and suppressive power.

There were also various restaurants, street performers, and loan sharks, all located in a row of simple shops nestled between street stalls and vendors. By the time you reached the main street in the center of the camp, the population was so dense that it was difficult to pass each other, a dizzying sight.

"It's so lively!"

"I really enjoy the feeling of temple fairs."

“A temple fair? I’ve never been to one before,” Isaac said.

He had only ever seen the term "temple fair" on his computer, but had never actually been to one.

“Then, Rentaro,” Enju suddenly grasped Isaac’s hand and said, “this time, let’s go to the temple fair together.”

"...Alright then."

Isaac and Yanju walked hand in hand around the camp.

In a place that could turn into a battlefield at any moment, they still have the mind to set up a stall here, and one has to admire their courage.

Although Isaac admired their thick skin, it wasn't long before he and Yeonju were carrying a huge pile of snacks.

He himself is not the kind of person who would worry.

There are quite a few police officers at this camp.

The range of people was diverse, from military-style police officers in field uniforms and tactical vests adorned with MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-Bearing Equipment System) to individuals clad in Western armor or plate armor, helmets, gauntlets, and Japanese armor. The weapons were also varied, including FN Minimi light machine guns, IMI Galil assault rifles, Magnum revolvers, axes, hammers, Persian swords, and even the proud broadsword of Scotland.

It's like accidentally wandering into the athletes' rest area of ​​an ancient Roman arena.

What they have in common is that their weapons are all made of holmium, and the blades and striking surfaces are black.

Individuals modified by the Gastrea virus have vastly different abilities and ways of dealing with them. In other words, there are as many types of Gastrea as there are police officers using different tactics.

"Rentaro, these people all look really strong."

"They're all noobs. You've been with me for so long, can't you broaden your horizons a bit?"

"Where are these two? They look pretty formidable."

Looking in the direction Yanzhu pointed, they saw a group of heavily armed police officers. The Initiators were armed with rifles, while the Promoters were armed with muskets.

"Very bad."

"why?"

"Those two people's bodies. They had protective gear around their necks, heads, elbows, and even their knees. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were on their way to link the fire," Isaac said dismissively.

"Wouldn't that make the defense very strong?"

“Our opponents are Gastrea, and huge Gastrea can shatter a person with a single blow, no matter how much armor you wear,” Isaac explained. “Wearing such thick armor obviously reduces our ability to dodge.”

"I see."

The two continued to wander around casually, and along the way, some people invited Isaac to join their group, but he declined each time.

After walking for a while, the two found a place to sit down as evening approached.

"Why isn't there a single stall that's willing to sell me alcohol?" Isaac complained, annoyed.

"There's nothing we can do about it, after all, Rentaro doesn't look like an adult at all."

"We're already in the outskirts of the 40th ward, why should we follow the rules of the Tokyo ward? Wouldn't it be better to just pay a little more?" Isaac could only drink his cola now.

Just then, a bottle of beer was placed in front of Isaac.

"Ok?"

Isaac looked up and saw a young man with white hair. Standing beside him was a little girl wearing a magic hat.

He smiled and said, "Long time no see, see you here."

Isaac: "???"

It seems this person is someone Rentaro Satomi knows, but I have no recollection of him at all.

"Huh? Has time really made you forget me?" The white-haired man gave a wry smile and pointed to himself, saying, "I am Akima."

Then Isaac remembered.

When she last went to the doctor, she mentioned this person to her: Akimaru Nakizawa, who seemed to be Rentaro Satomi's senior in the Tendo-ryu martial arts style.

"Senior brother?" Isaac replied tentatively.

"That's great, it seems you remembered." Akima breathed a sigh of relief. "I've heard about your achievements before. I heard you defeated Stage V on your own, but I didn't expect you to have grown to this level."

“Huh? Oh,” Isaac replied casually.

He felt that given the current situation, it would be better to tell the person in front of him that he had 'lost his memory'.

Just then, Yeonju suddenly shouted.

"Wow! Rentaro, look at this! It's amazing!"

Isaac turned around and saw that Enju had somehow gotten behind the girl that Shoma had brought. Amid the girl's screams, she took off her hat, revealing cat ears underneath.

Chapter 296: Persuasion

(There was a change in the previous chapter; Fūshi Midori was an A type with only ears and no tail. This has now been corrected.)

Why did you lift someone else's hat?

"Because I wanted to see if she was really a magician," Aihara Enju said excitedly. "I didn't expect Da to discover this."

The cat-like girl quickly grabbed both sides of the hat to cover her entire head and squatted down.

She was very shy.