Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"learn."

The bartender readily agreed, pouring a glass of wine and placing it in front of Isaac.

“You and another arms dealer will each support a gang. Whichever gang wins completely will own the entire region, and the arms dealer who sells weapons to them will naturally get a share of the profits.”

“That’s true, but now that Bass, whom I supported, is dead, I’m the loser in my game against the other arms dealers,” Wilson laughed, showing no regret for his defeat.

After all, this is commonplace for arms dealers.

"It's not fair to draw conclusions. Once a gang gains control of the slums, they will indeed buy a lot of weapons in the short term to consolidate their position. However, once the fighting stops, they won't want weapons anymore."

"...I think I understand what you're saying."

Having become the masters of this area, they naturally have money, but since they don't engage in fighting, they naturally won't spend their money on buying weapons.

"If the slums weren't dominated by one faction, but rather a chaotic free-for-all, what do you think the situation would be like?" Isaac chuckled. "With large numbers of people fighting every day, the demand for weapons would increase dramatically. What we need to do isn't to support any particular gang in taking over, but to keep their fighting going indefinitely."

“…You’re a madman.” Wilson gasped.

It's hard to imagine such words coming from a small child.

"Today I sold the gun to the boss of Jerry Meyer's little gang, then took care of a bunch of Bass guys. Now all I have to do is watch them fight it out and then deliver the money to us covered in blood."

“It is indeed feasible… but as you said before, there is another arms dealer in this area, and that person’s influence is no less than mine. I think he will also step in to steal our business,” Wilson reminded him.

"You mean that fat guy named Pierre?" Isaac couldn't help but chuckle.

"You've seen him?"

"I met him by chance. When I sold the gun to Jerry Myer, I not only angered Bass, but also that fat guy. As a result, he came to my door first as soon as I left Bass's place."

As he spoke, Isaac threw a round object at Wilson's feet. Wilson looked down and saw it was a bloody eyeball.

"he died?"

“If he’s alive, it means he’s accepted my deal,” Isaac sneered. “If he doesn’t die, you’re the one who’s going to die. Don’t you understand that? One collaborator is enough.”

These words sent a chill down Wilson's spine.

He knew his rival; that man was extremely afraid of death and had a bodyguard team of several hundred men under his command.

However, they still haven't escaped.

"Are you willing to cooperate now, Mr. Wilson?"

"of course."

Chapter 493: A Disgrace to One's Father

"Boss, why did we hand over this business to Wilson? Wouldn't eliminating him mean we'd have a monopoly?"

As George emerged from the tavern, he seemed puzzled, having remained silent inside.

“The profits in the slums are very limited, and sometimes we don’t even have to lift a finger when doing business with these petty thugs,” Isaac explained. “Besides, most of the profits are still ours, and we don’t have to do anything.”

The only thing they had to do was incite conflict between the various gangs in the slums in order to maximize their profits.

"Boss, if you think the gangs in the slums are small-time thugs, then what are the big-time thugs?" George asked with amusement. "It's not the Sicilian Mafia, or the warlords in the Middle East, is it?"

"Those are just the more formidable of the petty thugs."

"Who is that big thug?"

Upon hearing this, Isaac stopped and pointed to the American flag fluttering in the wind atop a distant building.

"This is a big scoundrel; we'll do business with them from now on."

……

From the moment I left early in the morning until I killed two groups of people and negotiated two business deals, a total of four hours had passed.

It was lunchtime, so Isaac quickly asked George to drive him to school.

"So the boss went to elementary school here?"

"I have no choice but to listen to a teacher spouting nonsense on the podium with a bunch of kids," Isaac said helplessly.

“It’s good for the boss to enjoy campus life while he’s young, and maybe even find love,” George laughed. “Speaking of which, I haven’t met your girlfriend yet. I think her name is Revy.”

"She's not my girlfriend. Ever since you left last time, she said she was going on a long trip. I don't know where she is now. I guess she hasn't left New York City."

"I see. I wonder if it's safe for a fourteen-year-old girl to be out there."

"When I was fourteen, I was already taking enemy heads amidst a hail of bullets."

"Aren't you only twelve years old?"

"Then just pretend I didn't say anything."

After dropping Isaac off at school, George drove away. With their first earnings, the two each bought a cell phone for future communication.

Isaac could have easily skipped class all day, but he discovered a huge variable.

That is, Chika would ask him to have lunch together every day at noon.

With no other option, he had to rush to the school before noon, buy a sandwich from the cafeteria, and then hurry to the small pavilion where he had arranged to meet Qianxia.

……

"You're so slow today."

"Oh, I had a stomachache this morning and rested for a bit, but I'm fine now," Isaac said with a smile.

"Is that so? I thought Rooney had bullied you, so I beat him up after class." Chika laughed. "I'm so glad you're okay."

A poor child seems to have suffered another undeserved misfortune.

"Oh, right, I heard that Uncle is taking Erica abroad this weekend," Chika suddenly said.

Isaac nodded. His father had talked to him about this before. It seemed that Erica's physical condition required a special inhibitor to maintain, so he needed to make a trip to her hometown, Yelkastum.

"I think I'll go too."

"Oh? I want to go too."

"You stay home with my mom. I have things to take care of there."

What could you possibly want?

“Scouting out the location,” Isaac said.

That country is currently in a state of lawlessness, and many people have never even heard of it. Neither newspapers nor television have ever reported on the situation there.

It's a chaotic area, probably several levels more chaotic than the slum next to my house.

This is also the limited information that Isaac could find.

Despite the danger, Isaac believed that the area had greater potential for development, so he decided to scout it out first.

Chika didn't quite understand what Isaac was saying, but considering that he had indeed changed a lot recently, she didn't ask any further questions.

She felt that Isaac seemed to have reverted to the way he was when he saved her at the concert, but she couldn't say whether this change was good or bad.

-

After their afternoon classes, the two returned home.

My parents came home relatively early today.

However, there was another person sitting in the room, wearing a blue police uniform with the letters FBI on it. His identity was self-evident: an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

"I have already explained the specifics, and I hope you will pay close attention."

“Okay,” the mother replied.

The detective, who had been looking serious, immediately put on a smiling face when he saw Chika and Isaac return, perhaps to avoid frightening the children.

Hello, children.

"Officer, what brings you to our house?" Isaac asked. "Did my dad get arrested for touching some woman's butt?"

Father:"……"

“No, no, no, your father is a law-abiding citizen. I’m just here to investigate some recent events in the nearby slums,” the agent said. “Kids, do you know the FBI?”

Isaac: "I know, you guys have to warn my dad about what movies he watches."

Father:"……"

The detective seemed to understand immediately, and turned to Isaac's father with a helpless expression, saying, "Mr. Yao, this is not a good way to educate your child."

"I haven't seen him in front of me!"

"Ahem." The detective coughed twice and continued in a friendly tone, "There have been several shootings in the slums recently, and a large number of prisoners have escaped from the detention center. It's very unsafe there now, so don't go there. If you see any suspicious people, be sure to call the police immediately."

"Ok."

"That's all for now, goodbye."

After the detective left, the father grabbed Isaac's face.

Is your dad really that bad in your eyes?

"Who was it that bragged to me when I was a kid that you'd touched every female nurse's butt in the hospital?"

"This is……"

Just as the father was about to explain, he sensed a murderous aura coming from behind him. He turned around and saw his mother smiling at him, holding a frying pan in her hand.

"Wife, please don't do this! Harmony in the family brings prosperity! Please... Ah!!"

……

In the study.

The father, his face bandaged, looked at Isaac with a serious expression.

"Your father's miserable situation is all your fault, you know that?"

"You're alright, aren't you?"

Do I look like I'm alright to you?!

The father sighed and continued, "Your identity as a 'listener' has now been discovered. In order to conceal your identity, you need to promise me two things."

"What?"

"First, don't publish the theories you know. Second, don't do too well on science exams in school."