Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and everyone present was worried that the battle situation would change. After all, their lives and fortunes were tied up in this war, and any unexpected turn of events was enough to make their hearts race.

“But there’s no need to panic.” Old Bugambiria paused for a moment, then continued, “Although they have alchemists, we have them too!”

He then turned his gaze to Isaac, and the guests followed suit.

"Now I would like to introduce today's protagonist—Colonel Isaac, the State Alchemist of Amestris!"

Only then did the people around notice the handsome young man.

"So young, he doesn't even seem to be an adult yet."

"State Alchemist? I've heard it's a title awarded to the person who stands at the pinnacle of all alchemists in that country."

"Did he get that title at such a young age?"

Everyone stared at Isaac in surprise, but Isaac ignored them and continued eating while mentally processing what Old Bugambiria had just said about alchemists.

'It seems that the bronze alchemist is probably with the Northeast Allied Forces; he's unlikely to be found in this country.'

'It seems the only way to take him out is through opportunities behind enemy lines.'

"Hello, Colonel Isaac. I am Wordsworth, Brigadier General." Just as Isaac was thinking, a voice interrupted him. He looked up and saw a burly middle-aged man smiling and sizing him up.

"We will need your help in this war."

"Sure, sure." He wouldn't be sloppy if he wanted to get a promotion and a raise when he got back.

After the brigadier general greeted them, more people came over to talk to them.

"Colonel Isaac, I am a representative of the Caledar family. I would like to invite you..."

"Hello Mr. Isaac, I am..."

They all came to chat with Isaac, and their purpose was obvious.

Seeking cooperation.

Alchemists can do things that many people cannot, such as building. Building a house might take months, but an alchemist can do it in just a few seconds.

Alchemy is the core technology of Amestris's prosperity, but the number of alchemists is extremely small. Some cities have never even heard of alchemy. The entire country has no more than 10,000 people who know alchemy. They insist on passing it down in one lineage and will never pass it on to outsiders. People outside the country cannot come into contact with this technology, and even if they study it, very few people can learn it.

Even a novice alchemist, except in the New Kingdom where alchemy is flourishing and therefore not highly valued, will be recruited by various parties wherever they go, not to mention the legendary figures like State Alchemists, who number no more than a hundred in their own country.

Chapter Four: Can the Dead Be Bringed Back to Life?

Isaac's alchemy skills were entirely self-taught, discovered by chance near the Northern Command when he was young. However, he didn't become proficient in alchemy for combat until he was 12, and he didn't pass the national qualification exam until he was 14. While this learning speed was already genius-level, the thought of some kid passing the exam at 12 still made him feel a pang of resentment.

In fact, given Isaac's talent, he would have learned alchemy much earlier, but Isaac had a fatal flaw back then:

Uncultured.

Having never attended school, Isaac barely knew any of his own country's languages, and with half of the documents written in Amestris and the other half in the New Kingdom script, he had to learn academic subjects while studying the documents. It took him five years of stumbling and learning to finally master alchemy.

What's rather surprising is that when Isaac took his documents to his superior, the female soldier who had taken him in, for advice, the answer he received was:

"I've asked many alchemists about this document, and they all say that the theories in it are impractical."

Isaac had no objection to collaboration requests from various social celebrities; his life principles were very simple.

Just give me the money.

Having been an orphan since childhood, he couldn't join the army because he was too old, so he could only work as a handyman to earn some money. To be honest, that little money was not enough to live on in the north. As that woman said, "Those who do not work do not eat."

Incidentally, this woman was already a major general before he went abroad.

Fortunately, the Northern Army didn't have so many requirements; in other places, it would probably take several more years to enlist.

The first thing Isaac did after learning alchemy was to turn it into gold.

As a result, the government issued a decree banning the refining of gold, citing the need to avoid causing economic chaos.

That makes a lot of sense, but back then Isaac could only earn pocket money by repairing some facilities for the army. He only escaped this predicament after he passed the State Alchemist exam and rose through the ranks.

The banquet was still going on.

Having already eaten his fill, Isaac slumped idly on his seat, when Dietrich sat down next to him.

"Mr. Isaac, what are your thoughts?"

"The chicken legs here are delicious."

“Uh…that’s not what I’m asking,” the young master chuckled awkwardly. “I’m referring to my opinion on the alchemist that Father mentioned earlier.”

"This is a bit difficult."

"Is it difficult? Aren't you a State Alchemist, sir? A regular alchemist should..."

“Unfortunately, this is not ‘ordinary’.” Isaac interrupted him before he could finish speaking.

"If my guess is correct, the enemy alchemist should also be a State Alchemist, the Bronze Alchemist—Stephen Andef."

"Both are State Alchemists!?"

Dietrich shouted, then, realizing he was being too loud, looked around to make sure no one was watching and continued to whisper to Isaac:

How did you know?

“This guy defected a month ago, and it’s said he fled to this continent,” Isaac paused, then continued, “Although it’s just speculation, alchemists generally don’t have the ability to influence the course of a battle.”

"So that means..."

"Most likely. I never expected that guy to have fled to the Northeast Allied Army," Isaac said, grabbing a bottle of red wine and drinking it straight from the bottle.

"..."

"Although it is difficult to do, it is not impossible to do."

"?"

"That guy was my comrade-in-arms back in the day. I know his abilities pretty well, and I still have ways to deal with him." Isaac said nonchalantly, setting down his empty bottle.

"That's great!"

Just as the two were talking, a voice interrupted them.

"I'm sorry, brother, I'm late."

Isaac turned his head and saw a young man who looked very much like Dietrich except for his shorter hair.

"Yo~ Kiel, welcome back," Dietfried greeted the man, his tone less reserved than when he spoke to Isaac.

"Brother, are you finally going home?"

"That old guy called me here to welcome our distinguished guest. You were still in the army at the time and couldn't make it back."

It seems that his relationship with his father is really bad.

"Distinguished guest... refers to..."

"Here," she said, pointing to Isaac, "let me introduce you to Colonel Isaac, the State Alchemist of Amestris."

"Colonel...so young?" The young man seemed very curious.

Isaac extended his hand to him, saying, "Just call me Isaac."

“Oh… Hello, Mr. Isaac, I am Gilbert, currently a captain in the Army.” The two shook hands to acknowledge each other.

Just as the information indicated, the whole family were soldiers.

"By the way, Kiel, what's that on your hand?" Dietrich asked his brother, noticing the thing tied to his hand.

“Oh, this?” Gilbert’s face suddenly darkened. “A bullet that killed my comrade. I took it off when we were cleaning up the battlefield, and I’ve been carrying it with me ever since.”

"..."

War is cruel, even for seasoned veterans. They cannot accept that their comrades, with whom they once shared meals, could fall before their very eyes in the next second.

"Wait a minute, let me see the bullet!" Isaac seemed to have discovered something after seeing the bullet and demanded it from Gilbert.

"Oh, please." He said, handing over the bullet.

"Mr. Isaac, have you made any discoveries?"

"..."

After examining the bullet closely for a long time, Isaac asked Gilbert with a serious expression.

Where and when did that previous war take place?

"Um... about a week ago, at the eastern border."

"Is there a problem, Mr. Isaac?" Dietrich asked.

Isaac pondered for a moment and said:

"As long as it is alchemy, because it involves the decomposition and reconstruction of objects, it will leave traces of the alchemy process when the objects are created."

"So that's how it is..." The two brothers seemed to have realized something.

At this moment, Isaac showed the bullet to the two of them. There were some square-shaped marks on the bullet, as if the object had been melted.

"The bullet has obvious square patterns, which are traces of its forging. Judging from the location you pointed out, this guy appeared on the battlefield on the eastern border within a week."

“Is it possible that he was just resupplying the army with ammunition from the rear, and that he himself was not on the battlefield…” Gilbert raised his question.

"It's unlikely. The forging marks are too obvious. If you look closely, some parts are even warped up, and the structure isn't stable. You know, bullets of poor quality are prone to jamming. With his skills, he wouldn't have been able to forge such inferior ammunition if he were hiding in the back."

"The only possibility is that he was on the battlefield and was hastily producing a large number of bullets to cope with the battle when his ammunition was running out."

However, he appeared on the battlefield a week ago, and it's unclear whether he has moved there now.

The two brothers fell into deep thought, and it was unclear what they were thinking about.

"Mr. Isaac...excuse me...may I bother you for a moment?"

A somewhat timid voice came from behind them. Turning around, they saw a red-haired young man with black-rimmed glasses standing behind them.

"what's up?"

The young man pondered for a moment, and seemed to have finally made up his mind.

"Mr. Isaac... can alchemy... bring the dead back to life?"

Isaac's pupil, the one not hidden by his bangs, instantly contracted.

Chapter 5: Human Transmutation? Doesn't Exist.

"You just said...resurrecting the dead?" Isaac asked, staring at the red-haired, bespectacled youth.