Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

Isaac walked slowly to the warriors who had already crowded into this circle, and asked with a smile:

“Other colonists, their countries wantonly violate the women within their borders, deprive the people of their freedom, and harm their lives, but we Amestris do not do such things. We open trade ports to supply you with resources, eliminate the Kabane to give you safety, and many civilians worship us like gods, but only you warriors refuse to cooperate.”

As Isaac spoke, he walked around the circle, looking at the more than five thousand warriors crammed into it.

“You say you want to protect the people with weapons, but everyone knows that the weapons in your hands can’t kill the Kabane. Their only purpose is to kill ordinary people,” Isaac sneered. “Protecting the people is all a lie. What you want to protect is just your former status.”

“If we had weapons like yours, we could fight too!” a samurai shouted.

"Then would you be willing to become civilians?" Isaac countered.

None of the samurai objected. Laying down their weapons meant they were no longer samurai, but ordinary civilians. This was something they, who had been educated in samurai ideals, could not accept as being just like ordinary civilians.

“Even if you lack the ability to protect your people, you still refuse to lay down your weapons. Whether you want to maintain the nobility of warriors, or simply want to use weapons for self-defense, or are dissatisfied with Amestris becoming the master of your country, none of that matters. There is only one thing I care about…”

As Isaac spoke, the smile on his face suddenly turned ferocious and terrifying.

"Those who don't follow instructions have no reason to exist!"

Red lightning leaped into the sky, and the warriors found that the circle beneath their feet suddenly flashed red, then turned pitch black, and a giant eye opened.

The warriors panicked at the sight of the enormous eye beneath their feet, shouting as they tried to escape the circle, but black tentacles reached out and bound them. The place instantly transformed into hell, and everyone began to scream in agony.

Gradually, the wails subsided, and five thousand warriors lay on the ground, their eyes lifeless. At the very center of the circle lay a red gem.

The Philosopher's Stone, enough for five thousand people, was forged here.

Isaac leisurely stepped over the corpse lying on the ground and picked up the Philosopher's Stone that was lying there.

The Philosopher's Stone, with its five thousand-person share, wasn't actually as significant to him as he had imagined. Isaac said all he wanted was for the rebels to disappear.

The warriors who hadn't been in that circle looked in horror at the five thousand men lying on the ground, feeling only relief that they were still standing there.

"Alright, the current result is that all the warriors have followed my orders, which is a great thing." Isaac said, clapping his hands as if celebrating his achievements for the day.

The leading warrior from before was also standing here, not inside the transmutation circle. He looked at Isaac and slowly said, "You Amestoris people came to our country as if you had fallen from the sky, opening our gates with cannons. Even though you seem to be eliminating the Kabane, your real purpose is to rule this country. You will always stand on high ground and gradually devour this country as victors."

Isaac smiled when he heard this, walked up to him and said:

"Yes, we are the invaders, but I will never stand on high ground and look down on you."

After a pause, Isaac continued, "Looking at things from a high place makes people seem like ants, and it also generates unnecessary pity and sympathy, so I have always placed myself at the same level as you."

At this point, Isaac's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, and he said sharply, "Only by standing on the same level as everyone else can I see clearly who is standing in my way!"

"And the only outcome for anyone who stands in my way is this: ... " Isaac's murderous gaze caused all the surviving warriors to involuntarily take a step back.

"Destruction".

After uttering the last two words, Isaac gave the order and all the soldiers withdrew. Next, he would go and confiscate the weapons hidden in the warriors' homes.

The leading samurai suddenly went limp and collapsed, but the surrounding samurai caught him.

He watched Isaac's retreating figure and uttered a single word in a slightly breathless voice:

"monster……"

------

"Are there any operational Juncheng towns left in Xianjinyi?"

Upon arriving at the platform, Isaac went straight to the point and asked.

"There used to be a Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, but it disappeared yesterday. It seems to have been driven away." Ikoma answered Isaac; he was still a steam worker.

After a morning of investigation, Isaac learned that the population of Xianjin Post Station had decreased significantly, and Shifangchuan Jianjiang, his elders, and his daughter Changpu had also disappeared. Almost everyone believed that the lord had abandoned them and taken everyone to seek refuge.

And that is indeed the case.

Everything pointed to them, and they couldn't wait for Isaac's troops to come to their rescue, so they took a large number of residents and went to the Iron Fortress.

Do you know which direction the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is heading?

“According to the railway plan, I think it should be here.” Ikoma placed a map in front of Isaac, on which the railway line covering the entire Hinohmoto was drawn. “If they want to resupply, then they should go back to Yashiro Station.”

"Okay, thanks." Isaac patted Ikoma on the shoulder and walked outside.

"Hey!" Ikoma suddenly called out to Isaac, bowing as Isaac turned around.

"Thank you so much! You saved Xianjinyi!"

Last night, the lord fled with his family. The warriors dared not fight, and those who were actually fighting were Amestoris's troops. Not only he, but everyone knew this.

“You’re not bad either. I heard you used the ‘Piercing Gun’ to eliminate five Kabane yesterday and saved many people,” Isaac praised.

Ikoma scratched his head, seemingly a little embarrassed, but still admitted it.

“There will be no more samurai at Xianjin Post Station. I hope to select a few capable people to serve as the local sheriffs,” Isaac said. “Would you be interested?”

"Me?" Ikoma pointed blankly to himself. "I don't know if I'm up to the task."

“If I say you can do it, then you can. I believe no one will disagree.” Isaac’s smile was full of confidence.

Chapter 423: The Situation of the Iron Fortress

Isaac had saved Xianjin Post Station. Although some civilians died from the Kabane and the indiscriminate shooting of the samurai, the overall losses were not too great. In addition, Isaac had people help them rebuild their houses, and it was not long before the area returned to its former liveliness.

However, when the disaster struck, some people escaped to the Kabaneri Castle first, believing that the advance post station had been destroyed, so they were all grieving inside the castle.

Juncheng was like a train, divided into several sections. The front section was for the boiler room workers and the driver, followed by the nobles, samurai, and then the common people.

Even though Juncheng is a large city, it is still a train, and the space inside is very limited. The nobles and warriors have relatively spacious carriages in the first few carriages for their comfort, but it is the commoners in the carriages behind that suffer, with hundreds of people crammed into one carriage.

There was no hope in anyone's eyes, only sadness, despair, and uncertainty about the future. Some parents comforted their children, saying that they could find food and start a new life at the next post station.

They were all people who left Xianjin Station because of the Kabane attack.

It wasn't just the civilians in the back carriages who looked worried; there was also a group of people with furrowed brows in the front carriages.

Yomogawa Ayame's eyes were still red. After arriving at the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress with the help of the nameless one, she discovered that her father had not come here at all.

After searching in vain, he had no choice but to get into the car after being persuaded by his elders. But as the Juncheng started, he saw a Kabane with a pale face and a glowing heart wandering around. The Kabane had the same face as his father.

At that time, she knew that her father, Kenjiro Yomogawa, had died and become a member of the Kabane.

In order to protect the remaining people on the Iron Fortress, she could only pretend to be strong and order the Iron Fortress to be activated. In the firelight, the Iron Fortress gradually moved away from Kenkin Station.

After a day's journey, she discovered a major problem: food resources on the Iron Fortress were limited, and the coal mines also prevented them from traveling too far.

Left with no other option, they had to consult with the elders of the Sifangchuan family from the past to come up with a solution.

The situation in the carriage was extremely strange. Ayame looked troubled, the samurai remained silent, and the elders were arguing amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Mumei watched coldly from the sidelines.

The elders' arguments revolved around nothing more than "How to survive?" and "Who will lead the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress?" As the sole heir of the Yomogawa family, Ayame felt quite resentful watching the former elders vying for power in front of her and occasionally criticizing her.

Even though their father had just died, these old men were already showing their ugly faces.

The conversation became increasingly absurd, even including the idea of ​​abandoning the carriages behind to ensure their own safe arrival at the next station. However, Ayame stopped them in time.

"Hey, I say," Wuming suddenly spoke up, "how about we just go back to Xianjin Post Station?"

This statement startled them all.

"Are you kidding me!"

"That place has been destroyed! How can anyone stay there?!"

The elders loudly questioned Wuming. They didn't know who Wuming was, only that he was the distinguished guest originally invited by Shifangchuan Jianjiang.

“Xianjin Post Station should have been defended by now.” Wuming ignored the elders and said to himself, “Anyway, Isaac is there, so Xianjin Post Station will not be destroyed.”

"How is that possible! Those are tens of thousands of Kabane!"

"Even if he survives, Xianjin Post Station definitely won't hold!"

"That Amestoris man must have already escaped!"

They obviously didn't believe what the nameless man said.

When Wuming heard them say that, he frowned and looked very disdainful.

"Escape? Isaac may not be a good person, but he's definitely not a coward either." The nameless man mocked the group of elders who were spouting nonsense. "He's a different kind of coward from you guys."

"What did you say, you brat!?"

Anonymous's words angered them, or rather, touched a nerve.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"asshole!"

One of the elders, enraged, grabbed the nameless woman by the collar, intending to teach her a lesson.

"Don't touch me."

Wuming grabbed the hand that was grabbing his collar and threw him against the wall, knocking him unconscious.

This action caused the samurai who had been standing still to raise their guns and point them at the nameless man. Ayame panicked at the sight.

Although Wuming's identity is unclear, he is definitely not one of the powerful figures in Japan. In their eyes, beating an elder, no matter the reason, is an act of insubordination.

"Get out of the car, you brat!" the old man shouted.

In their view, this little girl who dared to lay a hand on them could not be allowed to live.

Changpu hurriedly intervened, saying, "Wuming is just a child... Besides, you guys started it first, let's just let it go this time..."

"Forget it!?" They clearly weren't going to let it go so easily. "Didn't you see? She was attacking us!"

"but……"

"Or is it that you, Miss, intend to favor an outsider?"

There was a sense of coercion in his tone.

“…” Changpu gritted her teeth and remained silent.

After Ayame's father's death, the old retainers who had previously fawned over her now held no respect for her whatsoever and were even plotting to seize control of the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress from her. She, being particularly vulnerable, found herself caught in a dilemma.

"How about this?" one of the elders suddenly said. "This unnamed young lady is undoubtedly in great danger, but it's not good to rush her down like this. However, for our safety, could you please go to the last carriage?"

The last carriage was used to store miscellaneous items, and it was also the first place to be abandoned for safety should the Juncheng be attacked by the Kabane.

"I don't care, and I don't really want to be with you guys anyway," Wuming said nonchalantly.

Ayame, however, was somewhat unwilling and tried to dissuade them, saying, "But Miss Wuming's fighting ability can help us!"

“Miss Ayame, our safety should be our top priority right now,” the elder said without hesitation. “Besides, Miss Mumei is also in the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. I believe she will help us when we really need her.”