Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

Isaac noticed the scarf around his neck and took it off, putting it over Mikasa's shoulders.

"Let's go home." He smiled, a smile that was so precious to the girl.

"Mmm!" Tears slowly streamed down her face.

Seeing that things were about to get going, Grisha said, "Then we..."

thump!

Isaac suddenly collapsed to the ground without warning.

"Hey! Allen, what's wrong with you!" Grisha shouted as he helped him up.

Allen's eyes opened again: "Dad?" He immediately sat up and looked around: "Where are those bastards? Where did they go?"

"What!?" Grisha looked at Allen in surprise. "You don't remember anything?"

"I only remember being choked unconscious by one of the human traffickers," Eren said, then looked at Mikasa beside him. "Mikasa! Are you alright?!"

"fine."

"That's good." Allen breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing his head. "That dream... it felt pretty real."

……

At the same time.

"Hey! Isaac!" The burly man with a mohawk, Bakania, was berating the boy in front of him.

"What's wrong? Why can't you sleep peacefully in the middle of the night!"

"Huh?" Isaac, dressed in his pajamas, looked at Bakania in confusion. "What did I do?"

“The people in your class said that you were sleeping peacefully in the dorm, and then suddenly you got up and started yelling ‘I’m going to kill you bunch of scum’ and started running around everywhere.” Bakania sighed as he said this. “I’m telling you, Dorakma doesn’t seem to have any intention of attacking lately, so don’t put so much pressure on yourself.”

"Oh."

Watching Bakania leave, thirteen-year-old Isaac recalled the dream he had just had.

“I’ve never dreamed of this happening before, could it be…” Isaac’s expression turned horrified.

I suffer from sleepwalking symptoms.

This was just an ordinary night for Isaac during his teenage years while serving at Brix Keep.

Chapter 376: The Last Dream

Back to the present, Isaac continued talking with Hohenheim in the study.

"The story you told earlier, were you trying to say that the things you dreamed about were actually real? Is that right?" Hohenheim asked.

Isaac said, "In the past, I really wouldn't have believed this was real, even though many characters appeared in my dreams, and they were all just like real people."

As he spoke, Isaac also recalled the circumstances of his many dreams.

He plays the role of Eren Yeager, surrounded by a variety of people: the taciturn Mikasa, the intelligent Armin, Hennessy who likes to drink while working, and his parents.

He enjoyed these dreams back then, unlike his real life where all he did was train and fight. There, he had his parents and friends; you could say that his dreams there represented Isaac's childhood.

“I’ve dreamed about that place more than ten times, and I’m surprised I can have so much fun with those two little kids in my dreams.” Isaac suddenly laughed as he said this.

There are some things that even you yourself may not believe.

"Do you have a deep impression of the girl named 'Mikasa' in your dream?" Hohenheim joked.

“No, apart from the fact that the girl seemed to have become much stronger after that incident, there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about her,” Isaac recalled. “But there was a kid named Armin who left a deeper impression on me.”

"Would you rather remember a boy than a girl?" Hohenheim didn't know what to say for a moment.

“That’s not the reason. The main thing is that when I went there, the kid kept saying he wanted to see the world outside the wall,” Isaac said. “From what I know about that place, their technology is still a hundred years old, their industrial capacity is so weak I couldn’t even bear to look at it, and…”

After a pause, Isaac said in a deep voice, "For some reason, their history says that humanity was wiped out by the giants a hundred years ago, and the people inside the walls have always firmly believed that they are the last survivors of humanity. Outside the walls is a forbidden zone occupied by the giants."

"This……"

"So I think that child must be capable of great things, at least his thinking is completely different from that group of cowardly fools."

"Such a thing is true?"

Hohenheim listened very carefully to the story Isaac told.

“Everyone there firmly believes this, but there are blind spots. If it’s true, as they say, that humanity was wiped out a hundred years ago, then the first group to escape into the wall should have recorded information about the humans outside the wall at that time.” Isaac’s expression was very serious. “But there’s none at all. I checked the history books I could get inside and found nothing. None of the countries I know are mentioned in their history. This makes me feel that this world is unreal.”

“I see. That’s why you thought what happened there was a dream, right?” Hohenheim nodded.

“That’s true, but something that happened recently has made me realize that it might actually be true.” Isaac pointed to the photos he had given Hohenheim earlier, the ones of giants devouring human soldiers.

"giant?"

"That's right, this is the story I'm about to tell, and it's also my last dream."

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

Five years ago, in a bar outside Brix Fortress.

"Not bad, kid. The power of that thermobaric bomb you used was terrifying!" Bakania said, his face flushed, while holding a bottle of strong liquor.

It was obvious that he was already slightly tipsy.

"It's alright, it's just that making this thing is rather troublesome," the boy, Isaac, said.

His face was also a little red at this moment.

He developed a thermobaric bomb yesterday and tested its power in the army of Dorakma, and the horrific explosion killed thousands of enemy soldiers.

Brix's soldiers went straight to the bar and got completely drunk to celebrate their victory.

“Speaking of which, you’re going to Central City next week to take the National Alchemist Examination. If you pass, you’ll be a major.” Bakania laughed loudly. “Hahaha, you’re the fastest promoted person I’ve ever seen. Don’t let your current rank of private fool you; you’ll probably be a major next week, even higher than me.”

“Yes, I won’t forget you all once I become a State Alchemist,” Isaac said with a smile.

He always kept in mind that Brixkes Fortress was a unified whole.

"That brat's got a lot of bragging to him, brothers! Let's get him drunk!" Bakania yelled, grabbing the bottle and pouring it into Isaac's mouth, while the other soldiers joined in the commotion.

The entire bar was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Isaac was also drunk by his comrades until he was unconscious.

……

At the same time, in another place.

In the alley, a little boy with blond hair was pushed into a corner by another group of children.

"What's wrong? Heretic?" the children mocked, looking at the blond boy they had pushed over. "If you're not happy about it, come and try to fight us back!"

The blond boy struggled to his feet, "Who would do something like that!"

"What did you say!?"

"If I did that, wouldn't it mean I'm on the same level as you?"

"You bastard, say that again if you dare!" The boys made a move to hit the blond boy when they saw him say that.

Just then, a voice stopped them.

"Stop it, all of you!"

They turned around and saw Eren and Mikasa standing behind them.

"Mikasa, and Eren!?" Horror immediately flashed in their eyes. "Those two monsters are here! Run!"

Upon seeing the two, the children immediately fled as if escaping a flood or a ferocious beast.

"Am I really that scary?" Allen pointed at himself, somewhat bewildered.

The blond boy dusted himself off: "I think they're not just afraid of you."

"Armin, you're not talking about my 'second personality' again, are you?" Allen looked at his friend helplessly. "Do I really have something like that?"

Armin nodded and said, "Yes, Mikasa has seen it too, right?"

"Hmm." Mikasa nodded expressionlessly.

The group arrived at a stream together, and Armin said, "They only said that humans would eventually leave the city walls and go outside, and they got attacked as a result."

"Honestly, why do I have to get so many disapproving looks when I want to go on an adventure?" Allen sat on the riverbank, completely unable to understand the mindset of the people inside.

But those inside the walls often fail to understand the thoughts of those who want to go out and explore.

“Hey, Eren,” Armin suddenly said, “I remember you once told me that ‘human greatness comes from the noble stance taken in the face of fear.’”

"Huh? Did I say that?" Allen looked at Armin in confusion.

“…So your two personalities’ memories are indeed skewed.” Armin sighed, looking at the towering city walls in the distance. “If we want to explore the outside world, we must cross these walls and face the giants outside. Only courage can keep us going.”

“That’s right.” Allen laughed. “I want to go to all these places: salt lakes, fiery mountains, and icy lands…”

But Allen stopped midway through his sentence.

"What's wrong, Allen?"

“Speaking of the Ice Lands, I feel like I’ve seen it before,” Allen said in a low voice.

"Huh? Where is it?"

“I had a dream several days ago,” Allen said. “I came to a city wall made of steel, with lots of powerful-looking cannons and a group of people in blue uniforms. And I was wearing a blue uniform at the time.”

"Oh, and then what happened?" Armin asked eagerly, "What was that ice continent like?"

"It's amazing! The endless mountains are covered in white." Allen exclaimed excitedly, but then his expression turned sour. "But before I could get a good look, a fierce woman grabbed me and dragged me away, and my dream came to an abrupt end."

"Forget it, it's just a dream anyway. Of course, we should go and see this kind of place in person!"

"Yes."

The group chatted and laughed together.

boom------

The loud noise startled everyone, including the three children, who quickly looked in the direction from which the sound came.

Smoke began to rise outside the city walls.

"What?"

"What happened?"