Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

She was very curious about the mysterious son of a high-ranking officer in Mithril, who was often mentioned by her captain and was also a close friend of her subordinate, Sousuke Sagara.

"Young Master should be here soon."

Soon, two figures appeared in the distance.

Isaac appeared at the port with Mira, who had changed into a new outfit.

"I'm sorry, something came up and I was delayed."

"You must be Isaac Yao. I've heard the captain mention your name before," Melissa said as she walked over and shook hands with Isaac.

She carefully examined the boy in front of her.

He was very handsome, but didn't seem to have any fighting ability. Rumor has it that the rescue operation was carried out by him and the maid next to him.

"Hello, Sergeant Mao, I am Isaac."

Isaac looked at Mira, who had been hiding timidly behind him, and said, "This is Mira. I hope Mithril will protect her well from now on."

"Please rest assured, we will ensure Miss Mira's safety from now on," Melissa said, then looked at Mira and smiled, "Miss Mira, we will protect you."

Despite Melissa's kindness, Mira simply clung tightly to Isaac's clothes and hid behind him.

Since being rescued from the lab, the girl has trusted no one except Isaac.

“Mira, these are people protecting you, not those who want to capture you for experiments,” Isaac patted her shoulder and smiled. “They’re not bad guys.”

"Can't I stay close to you?" Mira asked softly.

“It’s not safe to follow me. Mithril has a more comprehensive security system. Besides, my father is in charge. Your safety is absolutely guaranteed.”

"……Um."

In the end, Mira agreed to seek refuge in Mithril.

Before leaving with the troops, she turned her head and looked at Isaac with her big, watery eyes.

Will we... ever meet again?

"Yes, it definitely will."

Melissa suddenly put her hand on Isaac's shoulder in a familiar way, and said with a hint of teasing, "I didn't know you were so gentle. No wonder Tessa talks about you all the time."

“I know that Miss Testarossa is your captain.”

"Our captain would like to see you. Is this a convenient time?"

"I really don't have anything to do right now..."

"That's convenient then. Come with us to the ship."

After saying that, she pulled Isaac towards the submarine, with Mira and the others following behind.

When Isaac passed by Sousuke Sagara, the two exchanged a glance.

……

last night.

"Sousuke, I have a task for you."

"what?"

"I want you to investigate someone, but since you're currently in the Mithril organization, some things might not be convenient."

"As soon as the instructor gives the order, I will return to the team immediately."

"Don't be in such a hurry. I'll send an encrypted email to your personal computer now. Take a look at it briefly."

Isaac took a few photos of the documents and sent them to Sagara Sousuke.

Sousuke Sagara's personal computer is the watch that Isaac gave him before he left for Mithril. It is specifically used to call IW's support forces and to allow Isaac to directly relay missions.

"This girl is..."

"Make a quick note of her personal information. I'll discuss the rest directly with your supervisor."

621: You invite a man but you don't invite me.

The 'Son of Danu' was converted from a large transport submarine that the Soviet Union had just built. Compared to ordinary, cramped submarines, the interior space was much larger, resembling a military base.

It had been a long time since Isaac had last visited this submarine, and this was his first time touring its interior.

"I heard you were involved in the modification of this submarine."

Melissa led the way, occasionally striking up a conversation with Isaac.

"Just some minor improvements."

"You're really being modest. The 'Son of Danu' is a super submarine built with the world's most advanced technology. Ordinary people don't even have the right to nitpick," Melissa laughed.

She had occasionally heard rumors about Isaac, such as the story circulating in the army that the boy had infiltrated Romania four years ago when he was twelve years old and rescued orphans there, and that he had single-handedly taken on elite troops with a kitchen knife.

"Well, I'd love to chat with you a little longer, but the captain wants to see you, so there's nothing I can do."

She led Isaac to the door of the captain's cabin and gestured for him to open it and go inside.

As Isaac opened the door, he was greeted by a pleasant fragrance; the room was decorated in an elegant manner.

Tessa, dressed in a white dress, was waiting inside. She had light makeup on her face and looked like she had dressed up carefully. Her eyes lit up when she saw Isaac walk in.

"Brother Isaac, you're here."

"Colonel Testarossa, it's been a long time."

"Honestly, why do you always act so distant when you see me?"

Melissa smiled and said from outside the door, "Well then, Captain, I'll be leaving now. Have a nice chat!"

As she spoke, she winked at Tessa.

"..."

The door was closed, leaving only Isaac and Tessa in the room.

"Did my father send you here to receive 'Listener' Mira?"

"Ah, yes, I was also shocked when Uncle Yao told me that you and Miss Robertt broke into the Khabarovsk experimental base to rescue 'The Listener'. It was really too dangerous."

“It’s not dangerous,” Isaac said. “Speaking of which, I also happen to have something to ask you.”

"Huh?"

Tessa blushed.

'Did I hear that right? Isaac came to find me? What does that mean? Does he want to confess his feelings? Oh dear, isn't that a bit too fast? By the way, has that fierce woman from the video already left?'

Unaware of Tessa's wandering thoughts, Isaac took out a stack of documents and placed them in front of her.

“I obtained some information from the experimental base, which recorded some things that a ‘listener’ and former KGB members were doing in secret.”

Tessa: "..."

"what happened?"

"Is it business?"

“It’s business, of course.” Isaac looked at Tessa with a matter-of-fact expression. “Why else would I need to talk to you?”

"..."

For some reason, she now really wanted to grab the vase on the table and whack Isaac on the head.

What a waste of all that special effort I put into dressing up.

Isaac turned to the page with the name 'Chidori Kaname' and said, "This is information I got from the lab about the Japanese 'Listeners.' The fact that this information is in their hands proves that her identity has likely already been investigated."

"Yes, that's true."

Tessa became serious upon hearing this.

'Listeners' are coveted by organizations and forces around the world, and those who are discovered to be 'listeners' generally meet a tragic end.

Her parents were killed, and even worse was Mira, who was taken to be used for human experiments.

If it is discovered, the best course of action is to protect it.

“I hope your Mithril organization can send dedicated personnel to protect her, so that she doesn’t fall into the hands of other organizations,” Isaac said.

"That's what I thought too, but there have been a lot of terrorist attacks around the world recently, and the Western Pacific team is located in one of the most intense battle zones, so we can't spare any manpower for the time being."

“Don’t worry, I might go to Japan for a while to secretly protect this girl. The long-term mission is the most important thing,” Isaac said. “It would be best if you could choose someone from your team who is about the same age as her, so that you can protect her at school.”

"Someone around her age... Sousuke Sagara?"

“Yes, I also think he’s the most suitable candidate,” Isaac said with a smile. “I personally trained that kid before, so he shouldn’t have any major problems with the mission.”

“I understand, but even I, a commander in the Western Pacific, may not be able to make such an important decision as ‘The Listener’.”

"What if I add my dad to the mix?"

"This……"

"Let's leave it at that for now."

"Ok."

"Speaking of which, is there still no news about your brother?" Isaac asked at this point.

"There's still no news about my brother."

"Really? I've been busy with business lately—no, I've been busy investigating those behind-the-scenes organizations—and haven't paid attention to this matter. I'm truly sorry," Isaac said apologetically.

“No, please don’t say that,” Tessa quickly said. “I know that Leonard is also Isaac’s friend. You must be very sad that something happened to him. Please don’t blame yourself.”

"I understand. I will intensify the search efforts during this period."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself," Tessa said somewhat dejectedly. "I heard from Uncle Yao that Brother Isaac started investigating the organization behind the attack on us when he was twelve years old. I'm sure he's had a very tough time these past few years."

It's quite tiring because all transactions involve cash, and my hands cramp up from counting so much money. Even with a money counter, I don't know how long it would take to put all those banknotes in.

"That's not true. Perhaps the truth will come out soon."

"Ah."

"By the way, how long are you staying on the Roanapur coast?"

“The Thai government has granted us 24 hours,” Tessa said.