Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

Isaac must know the location of all the spies. Amestris is about to undergo a technological revolution, and to prevent any unforeseen events, it is essential to eliminate all the spies remaining in the country beforehand.

That's...that's all.

Are you sure it's gone?

"It's really gone!" he said quickly.

After staring at him for a while, Isaac said, "Your aura tells me that you didn't miss anything. So, can you tell me why most of you are concentrated in Tep City?"

"It's... all for a legend."

"legend?"

“It’s a sacred object of the Milos clan, called ‘Sacred Star’,” he said in a trembling voice. “It is said that obtaining ‘Sacred Star’ grants the power to build a nation.”

The Milos Clan? The Holy Star?

These were all words Isaac had never heard before.

"Could you describe this thing called 'Holy Star'?"

"It is said to be a bright red gemstone, which grants unprecedented power when used, and alchemists can unleash tremendous energy when it is used."

"..."

Isaac finally understood; after all that, what they wanted was the Philosopher's Stone. Amestris had already researched this several years ago. Isaac had only casually crafted it for fun.

“That’s enough. I know everything I need to know,” Isaac said. “Be thankful that your girlfriend survived.”

"That……"

"But you can't."

呲——

A red flash of electricity illuminated the scene, and the young spy convulsed before losing consciousness.

At that moment, with the roar of the train, the city of Tep came into view.

Chapter 344: Little classmate, come here for a second.

Tepe is a very special city, surrounded by very deep cliffs. It is these cliffs that protect the city from harm.

As seen on the map, the city is a large circle.

For Isaac, who had experienced the transmutation of the bottle into a kingdom, seeing such a circular city was still quite stressful.

"Commodore, we've arrived," Violet reminded Isaac.

After the two got off the train, Isaac turned around and saw that the railway next to them had been reduced to ruins, and even the platform had been destroyed.

"How is this going?"

"It's said there was a battle on that previous train, fought by a group who called themselves the Black Bats," the soldier who had just checked entry permits on the train replied.

After the train arrived at the station, they removed the spy's body from the carriage and disposed of it.

"Black Bats? You mean those people with bat-like wings on their backs?" Isaac had heard Hughes mention them before. They seemed to be terrorists.

However, whether they are terrorists or a vanguard force sent by Cletta still needs to be investigated.

“Yes, it’s them,” the soldier said indignantly. “Several of my comrades were killed by them.”

It seems this isn't the first time black bats have attacked Tep City.

At that moment, a middle-aged military officer with a small mustache and narrow eyes came out.

“Isn’t this Brigadier General Isaac and Major Eve Garden? What a rare treat.” The middle-aged officer wore a fawning smile. “I’m sorry for not welcoming you sooner. I’m Peter Soins, the person in charge of Tep City.”

"It's Major Soins. You must be tired from your work."

Isaac shook hands with him symbolically.

A close look at Soins gives him the impression of being cunning and shrewd.

“Tell me about the situation in Tep,” Isaac said.

"Of course, just hours ago, the Black Bats attacked Tep City, damaging some buildings, and an unidentified man vandalized the Tep City prison, where one of the prisoners escaped."

Was the prison in Tep City vandalized?

Isaac suddenly remembered something and took two photos out of his pocket.

"Look, do you recognize these two people?"

The two photos are of Melbin Jabo, an escaped convict from Central City Jail, and Julia Clayton, an illegal immigrant arrested in Tep City, as seen in the news.

“That’s right, the escaped criminal is this girl, and the one who sabotaged the prison is this man in the photo,” Soins said.

"Have they caught them yet?"

"Not yet. My men went to capture them, but suffered heavy casualties."

"Tsk, where are they now?" Isaac asked, frowning.

If they escape to Clayta, things will be very difficult.

“The two fell off the cliff after the fight,” Thorins explained. “They were fighting a blond kid and a man in armor.”

"...I understand the general situation."

It seems the Elric brothers had already arrived.

Isaac pointed to the damaged railway and platform next to him and asked.

"Oh, this? It seems to be the work of that blond kid. Apparently, the train brakes broke down, so he used alchemy to destroy the entire railway track."

“That brat…” Veins bulged on Isaac’s forehead.

"In any case, Your Excellency, please come with me to the city for a look."

As the group entered the city, the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, as if a major battle had just taken place.

Just then, a sound of crying came from behind. Isaac turned around and saw several people crying over a body covered with a white sheet on the ground.

“These are the soldiers who were killed by those black bats,” Soins said. “They attacked the soldiers stationed here and then tried to rescue the girl who was being held captive.”

"...Are those black bats Cleta's men?" Isaac clenched his fists.

If they did it, then Isaac can now go to Clayta on the other side and launch a war of annihilation, killing his own soldiers to prove that the other side is determined to start a war, and then give them a profound lesson.

“No, it must have been done by people from the bottom of the valley,” Soins said. “Those people call themselves the Black Bats and are trying to take over the city.”

"Is someone at the bottom of the valley?"

"Of course, we call that place the Valley of Death. It's full of germs and criminals. I advise you, Brigadier General, not to go there."

"So that's how it is... They did it?" Isaac's killing intent surged at this moment.

Killing Amestrian soldiers on Amestrian territory is an act that is utterly intolerable.

We absolutely cannot let this opportunity slip by!

"Hey! Major Soins, where's the road to the bottom of the valley?"

Just then, a short, blond-haired boy ran up from a distance and loudly asked Soins a question.

It's Edward.

"It's you? Didn't you see I was talking to the brigadier general?" Soins said with obvious disdain when he saw Edward.

“Brigadier General?” Edward turned around and saw Isaac standing in front of him.

His pupils contracted instantly.

“I…Isaac? You…are still alive?” he asked in a trembling voice.

"Nonsense, who else would I be?"

"But I clearly saw you..."

After the final battle with the man in the bottle, Edward could only watch helplessly as Isaac's body disintegrated right before his eyes.

"Your body gets broken down and then rebuilt in no time, why overthink it?"

After a long moment of stunned silence, Edward suddenly laughed: "Anyway, it's so good that you're back. I'm sure Al will be very happy to hear this news."

"Is that so? But there's something I'd like to ask you, Edward." Isaac's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"Huh? What?"

"Did you encounter a battle when you were on the train before?"

“Yes, I was chasing a fugitive from Central City, but I was attacked by a werewolf chimera, and then a battle broke out,” Edward said.

"Did you damage the train tracks and platform?"

“This…” Cold sweat dripped down Edward’s forehead.

"Has the criminal been caught?"

"Uh..." He glanced to the side, his forehead beaded with even more sweat.

"So, you not only damaged the train tracks but also the platform without catching the criminal, is that right?" Isaac asked with a 'kind' smile.

"Well... that does seem to be the case," Edward said, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Come here, little student, come here for a moment."

"I'm not coming!"

Chapter 345: Julia Clayton

"Tell me about the fugitive you saw. I heard you fought with him?"

In a conference room in Tep City, Isaac asked Edward, who had a bump on his head.

“He looks exactly like the one in the photo, but he can use an alchemy technique we’ve never seen before,” Edward said.

"Alchemy I've never seen before?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.

For Edward, a man who travels and studies extensively, to speak of alchemy he has never seen before, it must be extremely obscure, perhaps even undocumented in the entire Amestris.

"Yes, he has transmutation circles drawn on both of his hands, which can be used to transmute ice and electricity."

Creating ice and snow is relatively straightforward, as long as there are water molecules in the air. Violet's ice alchemy works on a similar principle.

However, if one wants to create an electric current, then the knowledge involved involves charged particles and the like, which is not something that simple alchemy can achieve.