Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

Chapter 443: Patient Guidance~

In the dimly lit room, only a desk lamp was on. Isaac and the assassin from before sat facing each other.

"Eat up, and after you're done eating, tell me everything you know."

Isaac placed a steaming bowl of pork chop rice in front of him and lit a cigarette for himself.

The assassin stared blankly at the bowl of pork chop rice in front of him for a moment, but didn't touch his chopsticks. Instead, he asked:

"After you capture the killer, why don't you execute him immediately, and instead give him such high-class food?"

In Hinomoto, where resources were already scarce and large swathes of land had been occupied by the Kabane, a samurai like him would never normally be able to eat such food, and even nobles couldn't eat meat every meal.

“That’s because you still have some value,” Isaac said calmly. “Originally, I wasn’t that angry about your attack on me, but in order to set rules for the people of Japan, I still had to execute you.”

"Then why..."

“As an assassin sent from over there, you must have heard about those foolish forces attempting to rebel against Amestris, perhaps even know them inside and out,” Isaac laughed, flicking the ash from his cigarette onto the ground.

The assassin narrowed his eyes slightly: "You want me to tell you about those 'stabs'?"

"Yes, if you can tell me what happened there, according to the principle of equivalent exchange, your assassination attempt on me can be wiped clean. What do you think?"

“I refuse,” the assassin said sharply. “We warriors are absolutely loyal, and we would never sacrifice our lives for…”

“Toudou Jubei,” Isaac suddenly said a name.

The name silenced the assassin for a moment.

“That’s your name, right?” Ignoring the assassin’s surprised expression, Isaac picked up a stack of documents and began to read. “Toudou Jubei was originally a samurai under Horikawa-kun, a senior councilor of the shogunate. He suddenly betrayed the government two years ago. He participated in the battle against the Kabane and also protected the assassin who tried to kill Horikawa-kun. It is said that he can fight a hundred men single-handedly.”

"...Where did you get this information from?"

His identity should be kept secret. Who told him? Lord Horikawa? Or Chise?

“The shogunate has plenty of people willing to assist Amestris, and it’s very quick to get intelligence directly from them,” Isaac laughed. “Todo Chise seems to be your daughter. She’s gone to great lengths to come here and report to me in order to deal with her father, this great traitor.”

The assassin, or rather, Jubei Toudou, did not respond to Isaac, remaining silent. This seemed to be an admission of his guilt.

“You were originally a samurai under Lord Horikawa, but you turned against him, which means you have basically nothing to do with the word loyalty.” Isaac threw the document in his hand in front of Todo Jubei. “Now you are serving the shogunate, or rather… serving those in the shogunate who want to break free from Amestris’s control.”

After remaining silent for a long time, Jubei finally spoke again:

“…You’re right, I’m now an assassin directly under General Skybird.” He said, then looked at Isaac, who had a cigarette in his mouth, “Your arrival in Amestris, while seemingly saving many people from the fear caused by the Kabane, in reality…”

“In fact, I did save them,” Isaac interrupted directly. “The only result of everything I did was that the shogunate and the samurai class would become history, nothing more.”

"..."

“There are some stubborn fools who feel their position is threatened, but they don’t dare to declare war on Amestris, so they resort to underhanded tactics to drive us away,” Isaac said directly. “And that person is one of those who, led by Amaterasu Okimasa, want the shogunate to continue. Am I right?”

Jubei clenched his teeth, seemingly having been right about Isaac's words.

“The shogunate and samurai will eventually become history. Many countries outside have the power to destroy Japan. Even if Amestris doesn’t come, other countries will.” Isaac smiled and continued to the uneasy Jubei. “So resistance is useless. Sooner or later, you will be crushed into nothingness by the wheels of history.”

This is the truth. Japan has been closed off from the world for too long, which has caused its industrial capacity to lag far behind that of other countries.

"Do you want me to abandon the shogunate?"

“What’s wrong with giving up an organization that’s doomed to perish?” Isaac laughed. “You’ve seen how big the gap is between Japan and Amestris, haven’t you? I could easily crush this country with my own strength, but for the long-term development of the nation, I’m giving you a chance.”

As Isaac spoke, he stood up, walked around behind Jubei, and placed his hands on Jubei's shoulders.

“I know what you’re thinking. To stand against Amestris and betray Lord Horikawa, who supported Amestris, to help the mediocre people of the shogunate in order to uphold your samurai honor. Yes, samurai will indeed die out with time.”

As he spoke, he leaned close to Jubei's ear and continued, "But at the same time, it's a good opportunity. After the shogunate falls, all the powerful figures will be reshuffled, and those who stand on our side are destined to become the new powerful figures in this country."

"The opportunity is in front of you; it's up to you whether you're willing to seize it."

After saying that, Isaac sat back down and observed Jubei's reaction.

Soldier Wei's expression remained unchanged, but his slightly trembling hands on the table revealed that he was clearly wavering and was making a final struggle.

Then a fire broke out.

"Your daughter seems to have always thought you were a traitor. You can tell from the expression on her face when she fought you that she really wanted to kill you."

Jubei's hand suddenly trembled.

“But as long as you obediently hand over the information on those idiots to me, I’ll talk to Lord Horikawa, and your reputation as a traitor can be wiped clean. Everything will go in the best possible direction,” Isaac whispered enticingly. “A wise person knows when to yield. I hope you’ll think it over carefully.”

Jubei is already thinking about it.

If he doesn't agree, he will die, and the status of the samurai will be in jeopardy, just as Isaac said, making the destruction of the shogunate inevitable. If he agrees, perhaps everything will indeed develop in a better direction.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally picked up his chopsticks and began to eat the bowl of pork chop rice that Isaac had handed him.

"Good, this is a good start."

Isaac's smile grew even wider.

Chapter 444: Choosing Cooperation

He quickly finished the entire bowl of pork chop rice, leaving not a single grain of rice in the bowl.

How are you feeling?

"It smells delicious," Jubei said. "I haven't had such delicious food in a long time."

"Is that so? It's one of my rare creations since I graduated with a degree in culinary arts."

The two fell into a brief silence. After a long while, Toudou Jubei spoke up: "What exactly is the purpose of you Amestris people coming to Hinomoto? This country, which has few resources and is ravaged by the Kabane, probably doesn't have what you want."

Isaac chuckled and looked at Jubei, asking in return, "Would you believe me if I said we're here to liberate you?"

This answer silenced Jubei.

Although Amestoris did indeed eliminate a large number of Kabane in Hinomoto and liberate many areas, and was seen as a savior by many people, his wanton killing of high-ranking officials of the shogunate and his bombardment of the shogun's residence with cannons upon his arrival could not be concealed.

“Just believe it. Whatever our purpose is, the outcome will not change.” Isaac smiled and threw the burnt-out cigarette on the ground. “The people of Japan will have a better and better life from now on, and those stubborn remnants of the shogunate and samurai will disappear. The whole country will be under the control of Amestris.”

Even when Isaac was planning to seize the country, he had already decided to take complete control of it and not allow any forces that might threaten his rule to grow.

“Two years ago, your original master, Lord Horikawa, couldn’t bear to see the people of Hinohmoto being harmed by the Kabane, so he planned to seek help from foreign powers. The first country he chose was the Kingdom of Albion, which was relatively close to you,” Isaac said. “The shogunate felt that foreign intervention would cause them to lose their sovereignty and affect their rule, so they kicked Lord Horikawa out of their circle. It was around the same time that you betrayed them.”

Jubei remained silent, having already tacitly accepted everything.

Unable to relinquish his samurai honor, he was the perfect candidate to become a lackey of the shogunate.

"So, what's your decision?" Isaac asked. "As long as you're willing to provide the addresses and lists of the rebels, everything will go in the best direction, as I said before."

"……I see."

Although unwilling, Jubei eventually gave in.

Isaac seemed to have read the middle-aged man's mind, stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said:

"You and I can go to the military camp for a visit, and then we can make a decision."

With that, he took the lead and left. The soldier watched Isaac walk away, unsure of what he was thinking, but he followed anyway.

Chise Todo waited outside, her small face showing a conflicted expression. When she saw Isaac come out, she immediately went to greet him.

"What happened to that traitor? Has he been executed?"

“No, he’s perfectly fine,” Isaac laughed. “That man is your father, isn’t he?”

Chise was somewhat surprised when her identity was revealed, but she still nodded.

“Yes, that man was named Toudou Jubei, and he used to be my father,” Chise said. “But since his betrayal two years ago, he has no longer been my father…”

Although she said these words, her clenched fists and trembling body showed that she was also enduring great pain.

Because her father was a traitor, she was also highly questioned among the retainers of Lord Horikawa and might even be executed. In the end, it was Lord Horikawa himself who saved her.

She was trained as a samurai from a young age, and in order to prove her innocence, she had to kill Jubei, who was originally her father.

At only sixteen years old, the girl was burdened with such immense pressure, yet she never revealed a trace of her inner pain.

"Your father is not a traitor."

"what?"

Qian Shi was speechless. She didn't know what Isaac meant by those words. Then she saw her father come out of the room from before.

When father and daughter met, they remained silent.

Perhaps unable to bear the awkward silence, Qian Shi spoke first: "Are you really not a traitor?"

"Who knows?" Jubei said, then followed Isaac as he walked away.

Only Qian Shi remained standing in the same spot.

----------

An open space in the military camp is used by the soldiers for combat training. Because Isaac, the alchemist, is here, things like shooting ranges or CB training rooms can be built anytime, anywhere.

When Jubei arrived, his previously indifferent expression finally turned into shock, and he felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

Not to mention the main battle tanks and armed helicopters scattered all over the ground, even the soldiers' equipment terrified him.

At this moment, some soldiers were firing automatic rifles at targets in the distance.

Since Isaac returned to Amestris, he has begun to produce and equip the army with weapons from the previous world.

The soldiers who came to Japan this time were all equipped with automatic rifles such as the M4 A1 and HK416. It should be noted that although Amestoris originally had advanced weapons, most of the rifles they used were manually bolt-action, and they could only fire 20 rounds per minute at most.

However, the automatic rifles currently in service fire at a rate of 700-900 rounds per minute, which is already slightly higher than the machine guns used in other countries around the world.

Isaac himself was not armed. According to Olivia, arming him would be a waste of bullets and would likely increase the casualty rate on their side.

Of course, Isaac himself was not convinced, so he still kept an M1014 shotgun in his room.

After trying out so many firearms in the previous world, Isaac discovered that only shotguns could barely hit people at close range.

Although Isaac, as an extremely powerful State Alchemist, should not need a gun—others can't kill him with a gun, and he can't kill anyone with a gun either.

But for someone who has lived on the battlefield since childhood, it's really uncomfortable not to have a gun in hand.

How are you feeling?

“Very powerful, from its weaponry to the individual qualities of its soldiers,” Jubei said. “Amestris is indeed a powerful nation.”

“No matter how good the weapons are, they’re not yours. In the end, the bullets will likely end up in your bodies.” Isaac said, listening to Jubei’s words. “What if I told you that the civilians of Japan might one day face these fully armed soldiers?”

"What!?" Jubei looked at Isaac in disbelief, thinking he had misheard.

“Nothing is impossible. If we can’t find those rebels, we’ll expand the search area. After that, the soldiers might go into the post station to search themselves. And when the soldiers search themselves, they might encounter rebels disguised as ordinary civilians who attack them. And I don’t know who those rebels are.”