Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

Sumire Muroto also reached out her hand to shake hands with Isaac.

Click.

"...What does this mean?"

Sumire Muroto stared blankly at the extra handcuffs on her hands and asked in confusion.

"That's right. Whether someone as talented as you can become a citizen of Amestoris is not up to me. I need to go back and ask the current president."

"Then why are you wearing handcuffs?"

"Given your level of danger, it's safer to put you in handcuffs."

"You're joking. How could a weak woman like me be a dangerous person?" Sumire Muroto said with a helpless smile.

"Now that you know so much, I can't just let you go."

As he spoke, Isaac led Sumire Muroto into the transmutation circle and gestured for Natsume to come in.

The three stood in the middle of the formation, and Isaac continued, "Your bodies will be disintegrated in a moment, but don't worry."

Xia Shi nodded, and Muroto Sumire asked from the side, "Is it too late for me to regret it now?"

"It's too late."

呲——

Bright red lightning surged from the array, illuminating the dimly lit room.

The three bodies slowly crumbled into fragments starting from their feet, until their entire bodies were completely disintegrated. As the lightning from the transmutation circle faded, the room went dark once more.

The original three people have disappeared.

--------------

In the white space, stands a colossal gate of truth.

The door was slowly pushed open, and Isaac walked into the space.

"Congratulations on your successful return, alchemist."

The white figure, which is Truth, clapped and laughed.

"Looks like it was a success," Isaac said with a smile.

Only Authentic and Isaac were present in this white space; Natsume and Sumire Muroto were not there. After all, Authentic was a being that only alchemists could see.

Truth looked at Isaac and smiled, "It seems you've had quite a bit of success there."

He was referring to the Philosopher's Stone, which contained five million portions of material within Isaac's body.

"Fortunately, it was an interesting trip."

As Isaac spoke, red lightning crackled from his hand, and a small stone appeared in his palm.

"This is the travel fare: two adult tickets and one child ticket."

"...What do you think this place is?"

Truth covered his blank face, but soon burst into loud laughter.

"You're still as funny as ever! I've received the travel expenses!"

The moment Truth finished speaking, the white space began to collapse, the Gate of Truth opened once more, and countless black tentacles reached out to pull Isaac inside.

-

Inside a research institute in Amestris, Eastern City.

Since his capture during the attack on Isaac, the android Gluttony has been strapped to an experimental table. He doesn't even know that his father, the man in the bottle, has disappeared.

"Ah... I'm so hungry..."

Suddenly, his enormous belly burst forth with a multitude of lightning bolts, and then split open.

"Ah! It hurts!"

Gratoni shouted, but the gash on his stomach grew larger and larger.

boom--

The loud noise startled the entire research institute, and three people suddenly emerged from his stomach.

“We’ve arrived,” Isaac said with a smile to Xia Shi and Muroto Sumire. “Welcome to Amestris.”

Volume Four: War Begins

Chapter 333: The Current Situation in Amestoris

"Have we arrived?"

After Natsume and Sumire Muroto emerged from Gratoni's belly, they lost their balance and fell to the ground.

They looked at their hands and feet to make sure they were intact; the image of their bodies being dismembered was still vivid in their minds.

When the two of them stood up shakily and looked in Isaac's direction, they suddenly opened their mouths wide and froze on the spot.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Who...who are you?"

The person in front of them was not the face they were familiar with, but a delicate face they had never seen before.

The clothes were changed from the original Gouda High School uniform to a blue military uniform.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Isaac laughed, “this is what I really look like.”

"The original appearance?"

“When I was with you, I was using the body of Rentaro Satomi. Although it was me from another world, there were still individual differences,” Isaac explained. “And when I came back, the moment my body was disintegrated, I rearranged it and became my original self.”

"I see."

Although Isaac's explanation was quite shocking, they, who had already accepted the idea of ​​traveling through worlds, naturally didn't delve into that point.

"Where are we now?" Sumire looked around and then saw Gratoni struggling on the experimental table.

"he is?"

“Oh, the androids, our enemies in Amestris. They attacked me before, but I captured them and have been keeping them in the lab for research purposes,” Isaac said.

"I see. So you even have androids here." Sumire Muroto looked interested.

"Alright, this isn't the place to talk. Let's leave."

Ignoring Gratoni on the lab bench, Isaac led the two, one big and one small, out of the laboratory.

As the research institute doors opened, Natsume and Sumire Muroto saw the view outside. A rustic atmosphere from the last century washed over them.

There are no skyscrapers, no giant electronic screens, and no cars speeding by everywhere.

All that could be found were buildings less than two stories high, roads paved with bricks and stones, and old-fashioned cars that didn't move very fast.

“It feels like I’ve traveled through time; it’s a truly exhilarating feeling,” Sumire Muroto said with a smile.

Xia Shi nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I need to report to the Eastern Command first. You two come with me."

“Okay, but there’s something I need to do before that,” Sumire Muroto said.

"what's up?"

"Could you please remove my handcuffs?"

Sumire Muroto raised her hands, still bearing the handcuffs Isaac had put on her earlier.

"No."

"Isn't this a bit unfair to a weak woman like me who can't even kill a chicken?"

"This is a military regulation; suspicious individuals receive this treatment whenever they come to Amestoris."

Who typically defines a suspicious person?

"I."

"We've been together in the Tokyo area for so long, do you still think I'm a suspicious person?" Sumire Muroto said, wiping away non-existent tears from her face.

"Shut up, I'm leaving."

-

Inside the Eastern Command Headquarters.

"Lieutenant General Gulaman, I've put all the documents from Central City here."

A blond-haired young man with a cigarette in his mouth placed a thick stack of documents in front of a balding old man.

"Oh, it's Habock. You've really been working hard lately," Gulaman said lazily, leaning back in his chair. "This headquarters has been so quiet lately. Little Isaac and Little Violet aren't here anymore."

“There’s nothing we can do about it. Violet has been transferred to the north, and Brigadier General Isaac is said to have a mission to take him on a long trip.” Hubble scratched his head and said helplessly, “The Brigadier General is really busy. He went abroad to carry out a mission as soon as the incident calmed down.”

A few months ago, a major battle took place in Central City that shocked the world.

Former President Kim Bradley has died and his body has been returned to China, but his son Selim Bradley remains missing.

The war ended in a decisive victory for the Brix army, officially explained as follows:

Major General Olivia Mia Armstrong had already discovered that some people in the Central Command wanted to harm President Bradley. Major General Armstrong discovered this and had his troops hidden in Central City long ago.

In the end, all the criminals were wiped out, but the president's life could not be saved.

The truth is no longer important; what matters is that after that, Olivia naturally became the new President of Amestoris.

Those who witnessed or were directly involved in the incident all tacitly remained silent about the fact that the dwarfs in the bottle and Bradley and his 'son' were actually androids.

Therefore, many people only know: 'A coup d'état occurred in Amestris several months ago, and His Excellency President Armstrong, the righteous one, ultimately triumphed.'

“Speaking of which, little Violet is quite impressive; she’s already a major.” Gulaman chuckled. “And she’s also a State Alchemist.”

Violet studied diligently, researching the materials Isaac left her. In the first month after Isaac left, she passed the State Alchemist qualification exam and, according to regulations, jumped from second lieutenant to major in one go.

The Frost Alchemist – Violet Evergarden, that's what everyone calls her now.

Furthermore, since Violet was transferred to Brix Keep, and Olivia, the former commander of Brix Keep, is now the Grand President, there is a vague implication that Violet will take over Olivia's position at Brix Keep.

Many people privately refer to Violet as the 'successor of the North Wall of Brix' or the 'second Ice Queen'.