Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"Ok?"

Isaac turned around; it was Ange who spoke.

All eyes were now on her.

“You’re an alchemist, so you should like to follow the principle of equivalent exchange,” Ange said. “If you’ve gained enough from this, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to help us a little, right?”

"...Is it you again?"

Isaac sighed.

From the first time we met, Ianette seemed to have a problem with him. She seemed to understand Isaac's way of thinking and knew what she could do to get him to agree to her conditions.

The same thing happened in Amestris. He was ruthless in his approach to spies, but in the end he let Ange go. The main reason was that she had proactively exposed her identity before being discovered and handed over the Republic's latest miniaturized antimatter device, the C-sphere, to Isaac.

She knew she was dancing on the edge of a sword, but she always managed to stay on the edge without taking a dangerous step.

"Is my way of thinking so simple that you can predict it?"

“What you value most is the national interest, and people like you always weigh the pros and cons when doing things,” Ange said. “Once you know this, and think about ‘what should be done if it benefits Amestoris,’ you can get a basic understanding of your way of thinking.”

"...Tsk."

Isaac scratched his head, shrugged, and said to Ange, "Alright, I'll take your guess as correct. I will indeed follow the principle of equivalent exchange, and I hope Amestoris can benefit as well. What do you think you can offer in exchange for my help to the princess?"

“We are spies and know the kingdom’s every move better than anyone else. Although you have come to the kingdom to discuss cooperation, I think you each have your own agendas. You have yours, and so does the kingdom.”

“You’re quite right. Just as you said at the banquet, I have my own reasons for helping the kingdom,” Isaac laughed. “So?”

"Therefore, I can also provide you with information on the kingdom's movements. Amestris does not readily engage in espionage against the kingdom, so we can provide you with information directly."

"The kingdom's secrets... that's not bad at all."

"So, did you agree?"

“No, that’s still not enough,” Isaac said. “If it’s just a secret of the kingdom, that’s not enough for me to help you.”

Hearing Isaac say that, Ange sighed.

"What a greedy man."

She stepped forward and made a very bold move.

Ange came to Isaac, tiptoed, opened her arms and hugged Isaac's neck, gently pressing her face against his chest.

"If you want to know my 'secret,' that's fine too~"

"Well!"

Beatrice, who had never seen anything like it before, gasped in surprise, while the princess and Dorothy covered their mouths in astonishment.

Violet frowned, and just as she was about to step forward to pull Angel away, she suddenly noticed the little movement in Angel's hand, so she stopped in her tracks.

Isaac paused for a moment, then suddenly understood, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"I'll give you an answer tomorrow, in the same activity room."

"Thank you."

Ange released Isaac and stepped aside, a warm smile on her face.

……

When Isaac and Violet left, Dorothy quickly moved closer to Angel.

"Hey, wasn't that lieutenant general supposed to be immune to honey traps? Why is he suddenly giving in to you?"

She clearly remembered that when she was on a mission in Amestris, no matter what methods she used to seduce the other party, Isaac was as unresponsive as a block of wood.

Why won't you admit that you're not attractive?

"How is this possible?"

The princess asked with some worry, "Will he really agree?"

"Don't worry," Anjie said confidently with a smile, "he will agree."

Violet walked quickly to Isaac's side in the corridor.

"Lieutenant General..."

"I underestimated you, little girl."

As Isaac spoke, he reached up and touched the back of his head, where a small piece of paper was removed from his collar.

"Look at it."

"Ok."

Violet took the note and opened it, only to find that it contained the flag of the Republic of Albion.

"This is……"

“The ‘secret’ she just mentioned refers to the secrets of the Western Republic,” Isaac said. “The Kingdom’s secrets aren’t valuable enough, so adding the Republic’s secrets fills the gap.”

"But... Miss Ange is probably a spy for the Republic, right? Her words are tantamount to betraying her own country."

"It's more accurate to say that she's in cahoots with that princess rather than with the Republic."

Isaac took the note back from Violet and continued.

“I found it strange from the beginning that this princess dared to negotiate with me with only two spies. And from the beginning of this month, no matter how I said her conditions were not enough, she did not show a trace of disappointment on her face. Rather than saying she is good at hiding her feelings, it is more accurate to say that she had already expected that I would agree to their conditions.”

"So... Her Highness the Princess and that Miss Ange had already conspired together?"

“Yes, now that I think about it, there are many things that can be explained,” Isaac said. “She didn’t tell me directly that she was willing to provide secrets from the Western countries so that her other companion, Dorothy, wouldn’t hear it. That’s the real spy who is loyal to the Republic, and it would be bad if she heard it.”

"Also, for some reason, she pretended to be a princess to get close to me. If she wasn't with the princess, and the princess later said, 'She didn't appear at the banquet during that time,' then everything would be exposed."

Isaac frowned.

"The conclusion we can draw is that the Republic knew that the princess was assisting their organization, but they were unaware of the things the princess and Ange were secretly conspiring against each other. Not only was the Republic tricked by them, but I might have been tricked by them too."

"What decision will the lieutenant general make?"

"Me..."

Isaac's lips curled into a grin, and the small piece of paper in his hand instantly caught fire and burned to ashes.

“Of course, we’ll see how far they can go first. This is also good for me, so there’s no reason to refuse,” Isaac said with a sly smile. “Besides, I haven’t felt this kind of evenly matched opponent in a long time. Maybe things will get more and more interesting.”

Chapter 952: Cooperation Matters

"Hmm... Chapter Two will be written like this."

In the study of the villa, Isaac continued writing his textbook on manuscript paper with a pen in hand.

The cooperative projects in the Kingdom of Albion were mostly completed by his subordinates and technical personnel, so he himself had very little to manage.

This is precisely why he has plenty of time to write teaching materials.

"Let's teach them how to draw a circle in the first chapter, and the taboos of alchemy in the second chapter," Isaac casually wrote down the title.

Knowing the taboos of alchemy will deter them from even considering touching it; Chapter Two serves as a warning to them.

If they still break the taboo after being warned, then...

This person is definitely a promising talent and should be given special attention and training.

knock knock knock...

"Come in."

The study door opened, and Violet came in carrying a tray with a cup of black tea on it.

Thank you.

Isaac put down his pen and took the black tea from Violet's tray.

"Is the lieutenant general going to Queen Mayfair College again today?"

“Yes, it’s good to play with them. It can relieve boredom and also get intelligence from two countries. Why not?” Isaac laughed.

“I met Miss Ange yesterday when I went out,” Violet said. “She told me that Miss Dorothy has already reported the matter of the lieutenant general to the Republic, and they will send someone to meet with the lieutenant general.”

"This is normal."

What is certain is that although Ange appears to belong to the western republic, her true purpose is currently unclear.

However, there was another spy named Dorothy who was not a big problem. She was a spy sent by the Republic, and Isaac would report his meetings with them to his superiors.

"We can discuss the specific details of the cooperation with them today."

Isaac said, taking a sip of the black tea in his cup.

"We'll be crossing in a bit... Pfft! It's so salty!"

He quickly spat out the black tea he was drinking.

What did you add to the black tea?

"Salt."

"Who puts salt in black tea? At least add sugar cubes!"

"Huh?" Violet tilted her head. "When I was chatting with Miss Angela yesterday, she told me that you can just put salt in black tea."

“You two have been talking quite a bit. She’s a spy, and we have to be wary of every single punctuation mark she utters.”

Setting the black tea aside, Isaac took a trench coat from the clothes rack in the room and draped it over his shoulders.

Let's go.

"Going out now?"

“No need to go out, just go to the basement.” Isaac walked out of the study first. “Don’t let anyone know about our collaboration, so yesterday we dug a passage to their activity room.”

"Ok."

Violet followed Isaac out the door and closed the study door behind her.

The study was empty, with only the manuscripts on the desk lying there quietly.

No one noticed that tiny transmutation reactions were occurring on the manuscript, with faint sparks of electricity emanating from its surroundings.

--------------

"I reported the matter of that lieutenant general to my superiors yesterday."