Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"They only held it once. The next time I went, they held a boxing match, and the time after that, it was an arm-wrestling competition. They're a really amazing family."

"Is that so..."

After saying this, Violet closed her eyes.

Under the bright lights, everyone was dancing gracefully in the hall, and Violet was also enjoying her time with Isaac.

Chapter 944: Espionage Activities

The ball proceeded as usual. After saying goodbye, Ange, who was playing the princess of the kingdom, left the hall first, and the three people who were with her followed behind her.

Outside the palace, Ange took off her golden wig, revealing neat, short, silver-white hair underneath.

"Anjie, why did you suddenly abandon the mission?"

After the three men checked that no one was around, one of them asked a question.

"I just met with that lieutenant general alone, and my personal assessment is that the plan cannot continue."

"What's the reason?"

“He seemed very familiar with the princess, and he started to suspect me when we met alone,” Ange said. “Moreover, he is the state alchemist of Amestris, so if we proceed as planned, it is destined to fail.”

They were all spies for the Western Republic.

Isaac's visit to the kingdom to help with its development has greatly touched a nerve with the Republic.

Currently, the Republic still holds a technological advantage over the Kingdom. If Isaac truly helps them develop something, the Republic will lose all its advantages. Furthermore, the Kingdom may intend to align itself with Amestris, making the situation even more uncontrollable.

The only way out of this predicament is to disrupt the cooperation between Isaac and the Kingdom of Albion.

Their plan was to have Ange pretend to be the kingdom's princess to assassinate Isaac. Of course, they didn't intend to succeed; they just wanted to make a show of wanting to kill someone and then find an opportunity to slip away.

After Ange escapes, the kingdom's princess will become a prisoner who plans to assassinate General Amestoris in full view of everyone.

Even though the princess of the kingdom is fourth in line to the throne, if she does something like this, even if Isaac is not injured at all, the relationship between Amestoris and the Kingdom of Albion will be strained, and cooperation between them can be declared over.

However, it seems impossible for all of this to continue today.

Not to mention that her identity has already been discovered, Ange has no chance of escaping from Isaac's grasp. If she is caught, it will easily expose the Republic, which would be a dead end.

"...That makes sense. Let's report to our superiors first."

"This is the only way. Just in case, try to get as far away from the palace as possible."

"learn."

One of them took a flashlight out of his pocket and flashed it a few times in the sky.

The few people hidden around the palace instantly understood the message and began to pack up and leave.

Before leaving, Ange turned back and glanced in the direction of the palace.

Admittedly, she knew the plan would be difficult to succeed, but even so, she stopped Isaac at the banquet to talk to him.

Even if Isaac doesn't reveal her identity, she will still find ways to pass information to him.

The purpose was to prevent the person they valued from becoming a victim of the politics between the two countries.

-

Inside the palace, Isaac, who was still dancing with Violet, keenly sensed the disappearance of the several streams of energy outside.

"Looks like they've already slipped away."

"Ok?"

"It's nothing, just some trivial matters."

Isaac smiled and continued dancing with his arm around Violet's waist.

"The Kingdom of Albion isn't very stable internally either."

“I’ve heard before that the Kingdom and the Republic are only separated by the London Wall, so espionage is very common on both sides,” Violet said. “The fact that the Lieutenant General is coming to the Kingdom this time means the Republic must have its own countermeasures.”

"It's precisely because the two countries are mutually restraining that they can only use espionage to harass each other. No matter which country I help, the other country's spies will no longer be effective," Isaac said with a smile. "Unfortunately, I'm not going to help either country; maintaining the status quo is the best course of action."

As long as the two countries remain divided, there is no possibility of the kingdom rising to power; the important thing is to maintain this delicate balance.

The music gradually faded, and the dance party slowly came to an end.

Isaac released Violet's arm, and the two bowed to each other face to face.

"What a delightful ball! I wish time could slow down."

"There are plenty of opportunities like this in the kingdom."

"Your Excellency Lieutenant General."

At that moment, Duke Normandy found Isaac.

"I wonder if Your Excellency was satisfied with this banquet?"

"It's pretty good... but the food isn't quite to my liking."

As for the food, Isaac had to be frank, because it was truly awful. If he had to eat this kind of food every day during his time in the Kingdom of Albion, he probably wouldn't have been able to stand it either.

“It was my oversight,” Normandy said with a slight bow, expressing his apology. “Next time, I will definitely arrange a chef that will satisfy Your Excellency.”

"That's not a problem. I can cook for myself whenever I have the chance. I just hope that where I live will have a kitchen or similar facilities."

“That’s for sure. I’ve already arranged a villa in central London for Your Excellency to stay in,” Normandy said. “By the way, Your Excellency, you previously mentioned building something within the Kingdom…”

"Base stations and the embassy—I hope these things can be finalized as soon as possible so I can arrange the next cooperative projects."

"That's true, but what is that thing called a base station...?"

"Oh, it's for mobile phones; you need it to make calls and access the internet."

"cell phone?"

Normandy thought for a moment, then took a rectangular black cell phone out of his suit pocket.

Is this what you mean?

"It's him. But I haven't even officially started selling it to the kingdom yet, and you've already got it. It seems you do have some connections."

"It was obtained by chance. This machine is very advanced. Despite its small size, the photos it takes are incredibly clear. It must be a machine produced by Amestris."

Clearly, even if people here get a cell phone, they simply use it as a camera.

"Once the base station is set up, your mobile phones will be able to make calls or send messages to each other. That's the original purpose of this thing."

"I see. I believe Her Majesty the Queen will be very pleased with this feature."

Even so, Normandy had a worry in her heart.

It's small and lightweight, so you can carry it with you. It has an excellent camera function and even a magical video recording function. Plus, you can contact the other person anytime, anywhere.

This is practically designed for espionage.

Chapter 945: Invited

Inside a secret room within the kingdom, several people sat around a round table with solemn expressions.

"The mission failed, but fortunately, we weren't exposed."

"Your actions are too risky!" a man in military uniform shouted. "Having a spy impersonate a princess is already problematic enough, but you actually want to assassinate the commander-in-chief of Amestris's army."

"Colonel, calm down. We don't really intend to assassinate anyone; we're just putting on a show..."

"You think just putting on a show will make everything alright? Do you even know who they are?" the colonel roared. "Let me tell you, if this goes wrong, the country is finished!"

“I understand your instincts as a soldier, and we don’t want to start a world war either…”

"World War?"

The colonel seemed to have heard something funny.

"You underestimate Amestris. Have you forgotten how a country as large as Alrugo was wiped out in just twelve hours a few months ago? If they had intervened, it wouldn't have triggered a world war; instead, our republic would have been razed to the ground in less than a day!"

After saying those words in his excitement, he calmed himself down slightly and sat back down in his seat.

"A bunch of guys who know nothing about military affairs just do this kind of nonsense. Don't you consider the people you're dealing with?"

“Fortunately, this mission has been canceled,” one of the women said. “The lieutenant general didn’t discover our plan either, so let’s let this matter drop.”

"But what do we do next? If Isaac helps the kingdom, our situation will be in grave danger."

"The most important thing now is to confirm the extent of their cooperation," the elder in the lead said slowly. "Since he is in the kingdom, let them go."

"Angie and Dorothy? Haven't they already made contact with that lieutenant general? Won't sending them out again be discovered?"

"According to their report when they returned, they were not discovered, and their identities were the least likely to arouse suspicion."

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.

"Sorry, I woke up late."

After waking up in her room and washing up, Violet went to the living room, where Isaac was already wearing an apron and making breakfast.

"It's alright, there is still a time difference of several hours between the Kingdom of Albion and Amestolis."

After Isaac finished speaking, he placed two plates of bacon and eggs on the table.

He now lives in a detached villa in the city center of the kingdom's capital, which also has a large garden.

It is said that this place was originally built as a rendezvous place for an old nobleman and his mistress, but the old nobleman passed away five years ago, and the house was specially renovated by the kingdom after they learned that Isaac was coming so that it could be inhabited.

What are your plans for today?

“I still need to complete the formalities with the kingdom, and I’ll need to supervise the construction of the base station and embassy,” Isaac said. “There’s nothing else to do, so I’ll just treat my free time as a vacation.”

"I understand. Also, some families in the kingdom want to invite the lieutenant general to a tea party they're hosting. Regarding this..."

"To be honest, I don't want to go."

Isaac's face suddenly turned bitter.

He still doesn't understand a lot of the country's etiquette, such as which snacks should be eaten starting with the top layer of sandwiches, the seating requirements, and the topics of discussion at tea parties.

Olivia taught him a lot, but he could remember very little of it.

"How about... Violet, could you go in my place?"

“If the lieutenant general doesn’t go, I’ll refuse them,” Violet said. “I’m your adjutant, and it’s not appropriate for me to go to a place too far from the lieutenant general.”

"Oh, I see. Then forget it."