Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"It seems Edward was right, you really do have this skill."

As he spoke, Isaac stood still, and an earthen wall rose from the ground, blocking the lightning.

"A formation has been successfully created?" Ashley was startled by what he saw.

However, he had already discovered Edward's ability to create alchemy without a formation when he fought Edward in Central City, so it wasn't surprising that he encountered Isaac as well.

“Hey, you lackey of Amestris,” he suddenly laughed, “you’ve also transgressed the domain of God, haven’t I told you?”

Isaac remained silent in the face of his question.

"What? Aren't you going to say anything?"

At this moment, Isaac finally spoke: "I'll say it..."

"Ok?"

"As a fugitive, when did it become your place to ask me questions?"

Swish!

Suddenly, several dark figures leaped up from beneath Isaac's feet, forming hundreds of sharp blades in the sky that swiftly pierced towards Ashley.

"What!?"

Ashley saw the sudden change and quickly retreated. However, he was still much slower than the shadowy figure.

Pfft!

Ashley's hands, arms, shoulders, and legs were all pierced by the black shadow.

"what!!!!"

He cried out in pain, but his body was pinned to the ground by the dark figure and he could not move.

"Brother Ashley!"

Julia saw Ashley's current miserable state and cried out, trying to run to him, but Alphonse held her back tightly.

"Let me go! Alphonse, my brother..."

“I know, I’m worried we can’t go now!” Alphonse quickly reassured him.

He knew that if Julia went to rescue them, her fate would be dire; she would likely be killed on the spot.

Isaac slowly walked toward Ashley, who was pinned to the ground.

"you!"

His palm was pierced by the dark shadow, and the transmutation array was destroyed. Unable to use alchemy to fight back, he could only glare at Isaac from the ground.

“I originally intended to execute you here, but the transmutation circle you possess and some other things you know require further investigation, so I need you to come with me,” Isaac said. “I hope it won’t make things difficult for me.”

"..."

After tying the man up, Isaac looked at the tense people behind him.

“Right now, I’m prioritizing this fugitive. I’ll look into your matter later.” Isaac said, turning to look at Julia, who was glaring at him resentfully, and Alphonse, who looked bewildered.

"You two come up with me too."

Alphonse asked in confusion, "Huh? Isn't it enough to just catch the fugitive? Why do we have to catch Julia too...?"

"They are siblings, and I think she would know something about the transmutation array in this guy's possession."

Julia, who was standing nearby, suddenly asked, "What if it turns out that my brother isn't a spy?"

“If he’s not a spy, then his crime will be determined based on his level of cooperation. Even if he’s not a spy, he’s guilty of sabotaging the Central City prison,” Isaac said.

Julia clenched her fists in frustration.

Whatever the final outcome, she will have to separate from her brother once again.

“Alright, we can talk about the rest when we get up there.” Isaac placed his hand on the cliff face, and as red lightning flashed, an old-fashioned elevator appeared on the cliff wall, leading directly to the city of Tepp at the top.

Before getting on the elevator, he took a special look at the man with the black bat.

"Don't try any tricks; this is for your own good."

--------

Outside Tep City, Edward was still repairing the railroad tracks using alchemy.

Because the structure here is quite complex, even he might not be able to repair a large area at once.

While working, Edward remained deeply worried about his younger brother in the valley. And he wasn't one to sit idle.

“Um… Major Eve Garden.” Edward turned around and looked at Violet with a fawning expression.

"What is it?" Violet asked calmly.

"I'll fix the tracks later, but could you let me go down to the valley first?"

"No."

"Can't you be a little more accommodating?"

“No,” Violet said. “Brigadier General Isaac has ordered you to finish the railroad here and has asked me to supervise your completion, so please strictly adhere to the rules.”

"..." As expected, talking about it is useless.

Edward had no choice but to look around for any possible escape route.

"Major Eve Garden, news has come from Central City, saying..." At this moment, a soldier walked up to Violet with a document in his hand.

Edward's eyes lit up instantly when he saw this.

Now's the time! The opportunity has arrived!

He stood up and hurriedly ran towards the city of Tepp.

Hahaha, finally we don't have to keep building the railway.

However, before he could run a few steps, a huge ice wall appeared in front of him with a loud bang, blocking all the way.

"What!?"

Edward turned his head and saw Violet intently looking at the documents in her hands, with sparks occasionally flashing across her slender fingers.

"Don't do anything pointless. Go back to your work, Mr. Elric," Violet said calmly.

"Tsk, I forgot you're a State Alchemist too."

Edward turned his head away, but when he noticed that Violet wasn't looking at him, he suddenly laughed.

"Okay, I'll come right over and continue repairing the railway..."

As he said this, he suddenly clasped his hands together.

"That's impossible!"

Edward smiled and slapped his hand on the ice wall in front of him. As lightning shot out, the ice wall instantly turned into water vapor that filled the air.

"I'm sorry, Major Eve Garden. Please give Mr. Isaac my apologies for me."

Before he could get very far, a hand grabbed his head.

"Where do you want to go, little Edward?" Isaac asked with a smile.

However, that smile sent a chill down one's spine.

"Haha, Mr. Isaac, you're back! How's the situation at the bottom of the valley?" Edward asked guiltily, changing the subject.

"I've brought Alphonse back for you. But what about you? How's the railway construction going?"

"Um... it'll be ready soon," Edward said guiltily.

"Commodore, here's a message from Central City." Violet walked over and handed a document to Isaac.

"Hmm? Let me see."

Isaac looked through the file and found that it was sent by Olivia.

“Establish diplomatic relations with the new country? And it seems I’ll have to handle that.” Isaac sighed, handing over the documents in his hand. “Let me finish dealing with things in Tep City first.”

Chapter 349: Your Brother Isn't Your Brother

In the interrogation room, Julia sat anxiously in her seat.

She was still handcuffed and couldn't move freely, but she desperately wanted to know about her brother's situation.

After being severely injured by Isaac at the bottom of the valley, she was transported back to Tep City, and she was brought up with him. Although Alphonse assured her that there would be no major problems as long as she cooperated, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

Besides her brother, she was also worried about the residents at the bottom of the valley.

Their lives were practically in the hands of the Amestolis military; the slightest misstep could wipe out the entire Milos race.

The door was opened.

Isaac walked in with a stack of documents and sat down opposite her.

“Alright, Miss Clayton, because we don’t have enough time, we can’t prepare your pork chop rice,” Isaac said. “Please allow me to ask you a few questions.”

"go ahead."

“Tell me about your journey from the original Milos settlement to Cleta. I’m quite curious about that,” Isaac said, opening his notebook and starting to take notes.

“Originally, my brother, my parents, and I lived in the valley as members of the Milos clan. Because my parents studied alchemy, we were once ostracized by the other clansmen in the valley,” Julia slowly recounted.

“I see, so your parents studied alchemy.” Isaac scribbled in his notebook. “Then tell me what happened next.”

“Yes,” Julia replied. “The military in Cleta found out about my parents’ alchemy research and invited our family to live in Cleta in exchange for providing them with alchemical research materials. In order to escape the harsh environment in the valley, my parents agreed, and we moved to Cleta after that.”

"I see. Then why did you return to the bottom of the valley?"

Upon hearing Isaac's question, Julia seemed unwilling to recall that past event; her expression was grim, and she gritted her teeth.

Isaac continued to look at her, waiting for her answer.

Julia sighed and said, "One night, I woke up by chance and heard something breaking in the study. I got up and went to the study to investigate, and then I found..."

As Julia spoke, she clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh.

“I saw documents scattered all over the study, my parents hanging from the ceiling with blood dripping onto the floor, and a wolf-like monster searching for something in the study,” Julia said bitterly. “Afterwards, I was caught while I was running away. The Cleta military interrogated me in order to obtain my parents’ research data. After they found out that I knew nothing, they threw me back into the valley.”

"I see. Did the people at the bottom of the valley continue to take you in after that?"

“Yes,” Julia nodded.