Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

At this moment, the food on his plate seemed quite plentiful.

"Lord Isaac, is the food alright?"

"Hmm, not bad," Isaac said casually. "To be able to produce so much food under these circumstances shows that you've put a lot of effort into it."

"I don't deserve it, I'm just glad you're satisfied." Yomokawa Kenshin was always very careful with his words.

This was a stark contrast to his previous actions, yet the retainers around him understood their lord's behavior. The man before them was the true ruler of Hinomoto, the Amestris officer with absolute military power.

A young girl was kneeling beside Isaac, pouring him drinks.

This young woman was the one who came out with Kensho earlier. She looked like a lady from a respectable family. Isaac remembered that she seemed to be Kensho Yoshihawa's daughter.

“Lord Isaac, let me introduce you.” Jian pointed to the girl next to Isaac and said, “This is Xiao Changpu.”

“Oh, nice to meet you,” Isaac nodded to the iris.

Sweet flag also bowed slightly, as if to offer her greeting.

Midway through the banquet, Jian suddenly said, "Lord Isaac, I've heard that you're interested in our Juncheng."

“Yes, I am indeed somewhat interested in those massive armored trains,” Isaac said with a chuckle, sipping his sake. “They do seem to have some aspects worth considering.”

"Is that so? It's truly an honor," Jianjiang said with a smile. "Your country already possesses such powerful weapons; I never expected you to be interested in a mere Jun City."

“Speaking of weapons, the weapons here are indeed somewhat disappointing,” Isaac said bluntly. “Steam-powered firearms, in terms of both penetration power and effective range, are only suitable for hunting.”

Upon hearing Isaac's words, Jian Jiang replied awkwardly, "Our country is indeed far behind yours in terms of industrial capabilities, but I also have a short gunpowder-powered weapon."

"Oh?"

Jianjiang nodded and looked at Changpu, saying, "Changpu, take that out."

"Yes, Father."

Changpu nodded and handed the gun, which was wrapped in cloth behind her, to Isaac.

Isaac lifted the cloth, revealing a pistol inside, which looked somewhat like a flintlock musket from over a hundred years ago.

"I've used this short-barreled gun for a long time, but it's starting to malfunction..."

呲——

Before he could finish speaking, a tiny blue electric current flashed in the gun in Isaac's hand.

"It's usable now."

After Isaac finished speaking, amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, he raised the gun with his left hand and pointed it at his temple.

"Wait, sir! What are you doing!?"

"My lord, please don't do anything rash!"

Jianjiang and his retainers were all stunned by his actions.

Iris, sitting next to Isaac, was also startled. Isaac ignored them and pulled the trigger on his own.

boom!

Unable to bear watching what was about to happen, Changpu covered her eyes with her hands.

However, at the very moment the gun fired, Isaac's right hand flashed and appeared between the muzzle and his head, trapping the lead bullet that had been fired.

Everyone opened their eyes; the gun barrels were smoking, and Isaac had already grabbed the ammunition.

“I don’t have any methods to test weapons, this is how it usually is.” Ignoring their freakish looks, Isaac continued, “The result is that the power is not even as good as a steam gun. I have no hope for the weapons of your country.”

Chapter 413: You agree, right, Matcha Head?

Jian was the first to recover from his shock, clapping as he said, "As expected of Lord Isaac, your strength is truly admirable."

"It's all basic procedure, nothing special." Isaac waved his hand, having had enough of the sycophancy from these Japanese elites lately. "Tonight I'd like to visit Junjo, is that alright?"

“Not at all, you can do whatever you want at Xianjin Post Station.” Jianjiang said with trepidation, then glanced at Changpu beside Isaac, “Changpu.”

"Yes."

“Take Lord Isaac to visit the steam factory. He is our honored guest. Remember to fulfill all his requests,” Jianjiang said.

He could emphasize the pronunciation of "all requirements".

“…Yes, Father.” Changpu nodded.

Ayame led Isaac out of the mansion, leaving only Yoshikazu Kensho and his retainers in the room.

"Lord Yoshikawa, is this really alright?" some retainers asked.

Kensho took a sip of his drink and said slowly, "Ever since the Amestris people blasted open the gates of Japan with cannons, and General Amaterasu signed all sorts of unequal treaties with them, the era of the samurai was destined to come to an end one day."

His words drew nods of agreement from all the retainers present. This had indeed become a major trend.

The lower-ranking warriors under his command did not realize this problem. They thought that as long as they bypassed the Amestris, they could still swagger over the civilians. Little did they know that they would also lose everything they originally possessed.

After a country opens its doors to the world, it is destined to be shrouded in the storms of the times.

"Therefore, what we need now is a strong enough backer so that we can establish a foothold in Japan in the future."

"But... do you think Miss can succeed?"

“I don’t know either, but a young man of Lord Isaac’s age should be unable to resist beauty.” Jian Jiang stroked his beard. “It all depends on luck.”

That's why he deliberately let the calamus get close to Isaac.

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.

Meanwhile, Ayame was leading Isaac to the steam factory.

Isaac already knew the way there when he came, so logically he didn't need Changpu to lead the way.

Isaac wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that Jian Jiang had been intentionally or unintentionally pushing his daughter toward his side.

Combining Isaac's own reasoning, he came to a conclusion.

That old man wanted to send Changpu to monitor him.

"What exactly is that old bastard up to?"

"What did you say, Lord Isaac?" Changpu asked, having overheard Isaac's muttering.

“It’s nothing,” Isaac said. “Well… I know how to get to the factory, you don’t need to come along.”

"Eh? Is that so?" Ayame was slightly taken aback. "However, Father needs me to stay with him during this time, so leaving now might be a bit..."

"That's it."

He wanted to see what kind of tricks Jian Jiang was up to.

Upon arriving at the steam factory, Isaac looked around at the environment, the steam-filled pipes, and the steel buildings everywhere. The last time he had seen something like this was in the Kingdom of Albion.

The steam workers who were working nearby started whispering among themselves when they saw Changpu and Isaac from afar.

"Lord Ayame is walking together with an officer from Amestoris."

What is the relationship between the two?

Why did they suddenly come to the factory?

Changpu stopped and looked at the factory in front of her, saying, "Lord Isaac, we've arrived. Let me show you around..."

As she spoke, she turned her head and suddenly realized that Isaac, who had been beside her, had vanished.

Just as she was looking around for Isaac, his voice came again.

"Oh~ is this the Juncheng? It looks very imposing. Its rugged and domineering appearance is pleasing to the eye." Isaac exclaimed as he arrived at a huge Juncheng parked in the factory for maintenance.

"It would be even more perfect if a 156mm rifled gun could be mounted on top."

Isaac was visiting the site, and the workers standing respectfully to the side all knew what the blue military uniform Isaac wore represented.

He looked down and saw a boy with light green hair repairing something on the ground.

He patted the boy on the shoulder: "Young man, what are you doing?"

The boy didn't even turn his head, continuing with his work as he said, "Cheng Sheng, are you free right now? I don't have time for you."

The boy's words startled all the workers around him, causing them to drop their tools on the ground.

"Huh? Who are you talking about?"

"If you have so much time, could you go get me a wrench? I need one."

Isaac was taken aback at first, then smiled, and then activated the alchemy, pulling a wrench out of the ground with a flash of blue lightning.

"for you."

"Thank you." He still didn't turn around, but reached behind him and grabbed the wrench.

"Hey, Ikoma."

The green-haired boy, Ikoma, heard his friend call him and looked up to find Shoji standing in front of him.

"Hey? Cheng Sheng, when did you get in front of me?"

"I've been here all along!" Cheng Sheng shouted hurriedly.

"Huh? Then just now..."

"Look behind you," Cheng Sheng said helplessly.

Ikoma turned his head and found Isaac smiling at him.

"Ah!" He quickly stood up straight and said loudly, "I'm so sorry, your voice sounds so much like my friend's, I mistook you for someone else."

A samurai walked over and shouted, "Damn it! How could Lord Amestoris be compared to a lowly steam worker..."

“Shut up,” Isaac said calmly.

"Ah, yes." The samurai quickly stepped aside.

Isaac looked at the young man and smiled, "Young man, I'd like to visit the factory here. Could you please be my guide?"

"Huh? But I still have..."

“No problem, Ikoma agrees.” The fat man next to him, Tsuneo, quickly walked over and said, then leaned close to Ikoma’s ear and whispered, “Hey, refusing the officer from Amestris is not a wise decision.”

"But my job..."

"I'll make it for you."