Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

“That’s fine then. It’s better to keep this a secret for now.” Isaac put away the C-ball. “It doesn’t matter if I’m exposed. They wouldn’t dare to start a war against me anyway. But it’s different for you. You know what betraying the organization means.”

Anjie fell silent after hearing this.

“Yes, we are different from you. You can live openly and honestly in this not-so-gentle world by your own strength, while all we can rely on is lies,” Ange said with a smile. “That’s how we spies survive.”

“I am indeed different from you,” Isaac said. “From the beginning, I never intended to just ‘exist’.”

"Huh!?"

Isaac suddenly asked, "Miss Spy, human life is precious, but do you know what's even more precious than life?"

“This… I’m not quite sure.” Ange was a little confused about what Isaac was trying to say.

What's more precious than life? Freedom? Love?

“I don’t know what it means to others, but at least to me when I was a child…” Isaac looked up at the sky, “What is more precious than my own life is life itself.”

Chapter 402: Black Lizard Alien

"Lieutenant General Isaac, what are you doing?"

In the office, Violet looked at Isaac with some oddness.

"Oh, I just got something interesting from Ange, and I'm studying it now." Isaac held a screwdriver and examined the golden sphere in his hand.

"I think if the lieutenant general wants to conduct research, he should find a more normal place..."

"It shouldn't be a big problem for me to study it in the office."

“…Could you please come down from the ceiling?” Violet asked, looking at Isaac who was hanging upside down from the ceiling.

Isaac shook the C ball in his hand helplessly and said, "...I can't get down."

After receiving the C-ball from Ange, Isaac couldn't wait to rush back to his office and start disassembling it. The internal structure consisted mostly of various intricate gears and some devices he had never seen before.

Considering that the country's industry was mainly based on steam power, which was completely different from his own, Isaac didn't quite understand some of the structures.

When he discovered that the core inside was a test tube containing a green solution, he took it out and began to analyze it using alchemy.

Suddenly, the bottle started glowing for some reason, and then Isaac felt his body quickly lift off the ground and crash into the ceiling.

Even now, he is still thinking about how to analyze this antigravity substance.

"This antigravity material is really amazing! If it weren't for the ceiling blocking my way, I'd probably be wandering in space by now, hahaha," Isaac laughed.

He was completely oblivious to his current embarrassing state.

"Should I go ask Miss Anjie?"

"No need, I can analyze it right away." Isaac waved his hand to indicate that he had no problem.

……

Meanwhile, Anjie also returned to the hotel without any problems.

When Dorothy saw Angela return, she rushed over and asked, "How did it go? Did Isaac give you any trouble? Did he discover your identity?"

"No, it's safe for now."

"That's great." Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as their identities remain undiscovered, they are safe for now.

Ange ignored Dorothy and went to the bedside, lying down directly on it. Isaac's words to her were still flashing through her mind.

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.

"Life?" Ange looked at Isaac strangely.

“That’s right, that’s life,” Isaac laughed. “Some people are born into royalty and wealth, while others are born in slums. They have the same life, but they lead very different lives.”

Isaac's words, though seemingly unintentional, pierced Ange's heart like a sharp sword.

She remembered a girl who looked just like her.

The two met when they were children, when she was a princess of the Kingdom of Albion. She had the idea of ​​switching identities when she saw a girl who looked just like her sneaking into the palace.

The girl who sneaked in from outside played the princess to deal with her busy etiquette studies, while she dressed up in her clothes and sneaked out of the palace to play.

Over time, they started switching identities every time they met, and occasionally they would frolic and play together in secluded spots within the palace.

The two young girls have already come to regard each other as soulmates.

The world is impermanent.

Ten years ago, a revolution broke out in the Kingdom of Albion, and during that time she and the girl were in a state of identity swapping.

The country was divided by a giant wall, and the original Kingdom of Albion became the Kingdom of Albion and the Republic of Albion.

Her best friend was treated like a real princess, while she was left to wander the streets.

During her wanderings, she also discovered a world that she, as a princess with no worries about food and clothing, could never have seen:

Poverty, hunger, crime... these were the darkness hidden deep within the nation that I had never known before.

Soon after, he was discovered by the intelligence organization of the Republic of Albion and became a spy after several years of training. Her friend is now Charlotte, the fourth in line to the throne of the enemy kingdom of Albion.

The two people, who looked alike, realized at the same time that they would be facing completely different lives.

Isaac looked at Ange, who was lost in her memories, and continued, "There's no point in living a life that doesn't suit me. I also climbed my way up from a cleaner at Brix Keep to where I am now. I've faced life-or-death battles countless times. But when I'm fighting, I'm never thinking about how to survive. Instead, I'm thinking about how to kill more enemies and climb the ranks faster."

As everyone has seen, Isaac reached the pinnacle of power in Amestris at the young age of twenty, and was the closest person to the position of Grand President.

“I’m willing to gamble my life on anything that will make my life what I want it to be,” Isaac sneered. “That’s why I’ve never had any interest in simply ‘living’.”

“Then… Lieutenant General Isaac,” Ange looked up at Isaac, “what kind of life would you be satisfied with?”

“Become the president of Amestris, and then…” Isaac smiled and looked into the distance, “lead the country to an unparalleled peak.”

“I see… What a magnificent dream.” Ange smiled.

Indeed, the person in front of them was completely different from them.

“If Miss Spy only wants to live an honest life, then why not become a citizen of Amestris?” Isaac laughed.

"...Aren't you afraid our organization will cause you trouble?"

“What I want to do is let all the citizens of Amestoris know that no matter where they are, the country is their strongest support,” Isaac said. “So there’s no need to worry about what you’re talking about.”

Ange paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's a tempting offer, but I still have someone I care about in Albion."

The person she was referring to was her childhood friend, now the princess of the Kingdom of Albion.

“Lieutenant General Isaac, my true identity is actually…” Ange began softly.

"Ok?"

“They are Black Lizard Aliens.” She smiled radiantly at this moment.

"what!?"

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.

“We’re spies, creatures that spew nothing but lies,” Ange said with a laugh as she lay on the bed.

"What are you suddenly saying?" Dorothy looked at Angela strangely.

She seemed a little different after she came back. Did something happen in between?

“It’s nothing, I just told Isaac that I’m actually an alien,” Ange said with a smile.

"Are you crazy? Do you think anyone would believe you if you said you were a 'Black Lizard Alien'?" Dorothy looked at her like she was an idiot.

Obviously, this wasn't the first time this girl had spouted such nonsense, and no idiot would fall for it.

What she didn't know was that Isaac had dialed Central City's number when he returned.

……

"Hello? Isaac? What's the situation on your end?"

"This is incredible, sir! I've discovered aliens!" Isaac shouted.

"...What I can't stand is your brain."

"Sir, we need to move up our space colonization plan. I have the plan, but... Sir? Sir, why aren't you saying anything?" Isaac looked at the phone and found that Olivia had already hung up.

----------

Back to the present, Isaac has now fully deciphered the antigravity matter.

His entire body was suspended in mid-air.

Chapter 403: It's all an exchange

Isaac, suspended in mid-air, casually performed a few rolls; he could now freely manipulate this anti-gravity substance.

This was also the first time he had ever flown.

Previously, he could only fly by creating something like a glider or a flying machine, but now, with the help of anti-gravity matter, he can actually fly in the sky.

"Not bad, not bad, this thing is very interesting."

After flying around in the sky for a few minutes, Isaac returned to the ground and took out one or two iron balls.

One is the original C-ball obtained from Ange, and the other is the C-ball that Isaac modified himself after analyzing it.

Through experiments, he discovered that if Ange's C-sphere was used for a long time, the anti-gravity material at its core would overheat, rendering the device unusable. Therefore, Isaac specially added a steam circulation cooling system during the modification to ensure that the device could be used for a long time.

"But it's quite inconvenient to carry around a ball the size of a pineapple all the time," Isaac thought, looking at the iron ball in his hand.

Having successfully analyzed the substance, he used the Philosopher's Stone to create a new bottle of antigravity matter. This resulted in the improved version of the C-sphere he now possessed.

He looked around and then suddenly focused his gaze on his right leg.

His right leg was blown off in the war three years ago, and now it is a mechanical leg. The most convenient thing about mechanical legs is that they can be equipped with whatever devices he likes.

Isaac smiled slightly and patted his right leg.

--------

That evening, Ange and Isaac met up again at the warehouse.

"Here's your C-ball back." Isaac threw the C-ball that Ange had lent him earlier back.

"I thought you weren't planning to return it." Ange didn't think much of it and put her C-ball away.

“Your terms for the deal are that I guarantee your and Dorothy’s safety. If this thing is lost, your organization will probably trace it back to you,” Isaac said. “Besides, my research was already completed a long time ago.”