Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"What!?" the princess exclaimed in surprise.

“There’s nothing strange about it. It’s perfectly reasonable to give a country to a princess who wouldn’t normally become queen.” Isaac didn’t care about her expression at all. “I know what you’re thinking. It’s very good to get my support through some interests that interest me, but you need to understand that you’re not the only one who can offer such interests.”

"Then why did Isaac support the princess of Rhodesell in the first place?" the princess asked, voicing her long-held question. "You didn't gain any benefits from Rhodesell either, did you?"

"You mean her? I support her because she promised to give me everything in exchange," Isaac laughed. "She has that kind of courage and resolve."

“If it’s courage and awareness, then I have those too,” the princess hurriedly said.

"is it?"

呲——

Blue lightning flashed as Isaac suddenly pulled a revolver from his pocket and pointed it at the princess.

"Huh!?" The princess was so startled by the sudden scene that she froze on the spot.

Why did he point a gun at me? Did he want to kill me?

The princess's mind was in complete chaos, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

“Don’t be afraid, Your Highness, there’s only one bullet in here,” Isaac grinned, then pulled the trigger.

Click!

The princess closed her eyes tightly, but the next moment she found herself still standing there, only her dress was soaked with sweat.

“Then, Your Highness, please allow me to ask you a question.” Isaac continued to point the gun at her, the smile on his lips sending chills down her spine.

What is courage?

Chapter 391: Maintaining Elegance Under Pressure

"Then, Princess, tell me what courage is?" Isaac's gun was still pointed at the princess.

"Of course..." The princess seemed a little hesitant, for she didn't really know what the correct answer was.

Isaac smiled and pointed the pistol at his temple.

"Huh!?"

“Courage is about maintaining elegance in the face of pressure,” Isaac said with a smile, his finger pulling the trigger.

Click!

The bullet didn't leave the barrel. This relieved the princess, who had been holding her breath.

“When I point a gun at myself, my face won’t change at all; there will only be a smile,” Isaac laughed. “A smile is the most infectious thing.”

Isaac disassembled the gun and, looking at the still-shaken princess, continued, "The reason I helped Charlotte of Rhodesel is because, despite facing hostile nations abroad, suppression from various ministers at home, and a weak father, she fearlessly traded the future of the entire nation to me in the palace. She has the spirit to gamble everything for her own life."

“So, it’s not that I helped her become queen, but that she was already a queen the moment she made the decision.” Isaac said, turning around to continue smoking. “You are not qualified to cooperate with me now.”

A brief silence fell between the two.

"Is that so... So that child with the same name as me is so amazing." The princess said with a wry smile.

“That’s right. You two have one thing in common: your purpose in becoming queen was never for the people, or even to satisfy your own desire for power, but simply to escape your lives as puppets on strings,” Isaac laughed.

“You’re right, I do want to become queen for my own life.” The princess’s eyes changed as she said this. “So, even without Mr. Isaac’s help, I will still become queen.”

“Even if… the entire Kingdom of Albion is wagered.”

Seeing the princess's unwavering statement and earnest gaze, Isaac suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha, that's good. I'm also looking forward to your future performances."

"Yes, please look forward to it, it might surprise you~" The princess's face was full of smiles.

Because she also understands that a smile is the most infectious thing.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Grandmother, I'm back."

The princess returned to the meeting hall and stood obediently beside her grandmother, Queen Albion.

"Oh, you're back. Anyway, the meeting is almost over." The Queen smiled kindly.

She doted on this granddaughter. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't need to worry about her future, but the Kingdom of Albion wasn't ruled by him alone.

For example, the Duke of Normandy standing to the side.

The Duke frowned when he saw the princess return: "Your Highness Charlotte, it is very impolite to go for a walk in such a serious meeting setting."

“Wait, Normandy, Charlotte is still young.”

"Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, this is an international conference. Our kingdom's image is being presented to all nations. It would be troublesome if any bad rumors were to spread."

The Duke of Normandy wielded considerable influence within the kingdom's public security and police organizations, and even controlled spies. He was one of the few individuals who could directly offer advice to the Queen.

"Oh dear, does the Duke mean that everyone in the meeting room and when they go out is ill-mannered?" The princess covered her mouth in feigned surprise.

"That's exactly what I mean. It's a very rude and ill-mannered act, but since Her Majesty the Queen has agreed, I can't say anything. However, Your Highness Charlotte, please..."

But as he put it this way, he felt something was off; it seemed like someone else had left before she did.

He glanced to the side and saw Isaac, who had just returned from smoking outside, passing by him and overhearing what he was saying.

She's looking at him with a subtle gaze now.

“Um… Lord Isaac…”

"Speak quickly, or you'll miss your chance."

“Your Excellency, I was just joking,” Normandy quickly corrected himself.

Isaac glanced at him, muttered "Crazy!", and then headed towards his country's location.

Although Normandy didn't know which dialect of the new country it was, he knew it certainly wasn't anything good. Looking at the princess beside him, covering her mouth and chuckling, he felt like he'd been tricked.

……

As the meeting drew to a close, the participating countries had exchanged their views extensively.

Violet's performance at the meeting was outstanding, which earned her high praise from Olivia.

“Isaac, if you want to become president, you need to be at least as good as your adjutant,” Olivia said with a smile.

"...Why don't you just make Violet the president?"

Isaac was self-aware enough to know that if he replaced Violet at the conference table, he would probably declare war on the world before they even finished exchanging a few words. Then he would return home to prepare his plan to unify the world.

Olivia thought for a short while, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "Great idea. I have great confidence in Violet as the next president."

"No way! I've dedicated my youth to the army and made so many contributions to the country. It wouldn't be right if I didn't become president!" Isaac cried out in despair.

"Then you must work hard. I'm afraid that if you become president in your current situation, it will break out into a world war."

"Sir, you're not much better; you directly confront people in meetings."

"You have no right to talk to me if you give someone the middle finger in public!"

In short, thanks to Violet's actions, the international conference came to a successful conclusion.

"Lieutenant General, how did I do?" Violet trotted up to Isaac, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

Isaac smiled and ruffled her hair: "Yes, very good."

It's hard to imagine that this is just a girl who has just turned fifteen.

"Are you Lieutenant General Isaac?"

At that moment, a middle-aged man with long hair, dressed in a white suit, walked towards Isaac. Isaac remembered his name: Billy Deba from the Marley Empire.

"Is there anything I can help you with? The meeting is over."

“Of course, please forgive my rudeness.” Billy bowed to Isaac. “It will only take a little of your time.”

"Okay, go ahead."

Billy looked up at Isaac and said, "Actually, I came here this time to purchase some weapons from your country on behalf of the Marley Empire."

"Okay, let's find a place to discuss cooperation."

It just so happens that Amestolis is currently short of money, so it would be great if someone were willing to come and trade with them.

Chapter 392: The Situation on Paradis Island

Isaac and Billy sat in a café in London, the capital of Albion.

Olivia took Violet out for a stroll in the streets, leaving all the transaction matters to Isaac himself. Although she had little confidence in Isaac's political skills, he was definitely an expert at swindling and deceiving.

"No wonder it's the Foggy City, the fog is so thick even in broad daylight," Isaac remarked, then looked at Billy. "Mr. Daba, what weapons do you want to buy from me?"

"The number may be a bit large, because the joint operations in the Middle East are becoming increasingly fierce, which has led to some inadequacy in our capabilities," Billy said with a wry smile.

Isaac looked at him suspiciously: "I remember you had giant weapons, so why are you fighting so passively?"

He still vaguely remembered those giants, who were completely unkillable. Logically speaking, they should have been no problem for large or small countries.

“Although giants are known as ‘demons of the earth,’ they are helpless against threats from the sky.” Billy pointed to the sky. “Ever since airplanes and airships were invented, giants have been in a rather awkward position.”

"I remember there was a monkey in your area that seemed pretty powerful."

"Are you talking about the Beast Titan? He is indeed very powerful, but he's still a bit weak against aircraft that can fight at high altitudes, and it seems that current artillery shells can also damage him," Billy said. "In addition, we originally had four Titans that couldn't participate in the battle, resulting in insufficient combat power."

He didn't hide the Titans' weaknesses, after all, newspapers from various countries had reported on the war between Marley and the Middle East alliance, and they all knew that the Beast Titan had been injured by the Middle East alliance's naval cannons.

Unfortunately, Isaac was someone who didn't read newspapers much.

"So what do you want to buy from our country?" Isaac asked. "Let's make it clear beforehand, we don't sell hydrogen bombs, and we don't have any airplanes."

The production of 500 A-10 attack aircraft is a secret and cannot be known to other countries.

“What I want to buy is the vehicle you used this time,” Billy said in a deep voice.

"The one I used to get here?"

Isaac paused for a moment, then immediately realized he was referring to the AH-64 attack helicopter he used to fly to Albion.

The various weapons mounted on the helicopter made it look aggressive, and it's understandable that Billy was interested in these weapons.

Which one do you want to buy?

"Yes, I wonder if Lieutenant General Isaac would agree?"

“Not bad, very discerning,” Isaac praised, then changed the subject, “but it won’t work.”