Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

“It’s very similar to this place,” Edward said with a wry smile. “Although the place names are different, many people who look alike live here, including Isaac and Alphonse.”

"Then why are you here?"

“…Because my brother died there, and I came here to bring him back to life. This is the price.” Edward’s expression was bitter. “This is probably the hell that God has given me.”

"Mr. Isaac... is that also the case?"

"Probably. It seems he also broke taboos in his own world, and being brought to this hellish world is the price he has to pay."

"...Wasn't it him who brought hell to this world?"

"what?"

“I once saw the view through his eyes,” Nona said. “He was a man who would create hell with his own hands for the sake of the country.”

“…Perhaps he is different from the Isaac I know,” Edward laughed. “In my world, Isaac was just a corporal in the army, but he was very enthusiastic and would always want to help anyone in trouble. He was a guy full of a sense of justice.”

At this point, Edward's expression seemed somewhat grim, as if he were recalling something sad.

"But... it was that sense of justice that made him never consider retreating when facing a powerful enemy. When I returned from my trip, I saw him again at his funeral in the cemetery. He had no relatives; the only people who came to see him off were that bastard colonel from the Eastern Command and a few of his colleagues."

"Which military region did I come from?"

"Ok?"

Hearing the sound, Edward and Nona turned around and found Isaac already standing behind them.

Isaac listened quietly from the start of their conversation.

“I remember you told me back then… that you were in the Eastern Command when you first enlisted.”

“I see. You haven’t been to Brix Keep…” Isaac nodded. “If I hadn’t lived there, I probably would have grown up to be like me in your world.”

Chapter 967: Diary

"If I hadn't appeared at Brix Keep back then, I'd probably be the person you're talking about now."

What... happened in your world?

“Not everyone has the opportunity to live in a peaceful and tranquil place,” Isaac said. “When I arrived at Brix Keep, there was fighting almost every day without interruption, and the keep did a good job of keeping the enemy out of the country, so that the people inside were not affected by the war at all.”

“Our world seems to be particularly vulnerable to invasions by foreign enemies,” Edward said after a moment’s thought. “But as you said, very few people talk about war.”

"This is also because we kept the war out of the people's sight."

Isaac walked up and looked out the window. From the high-rise building, one could overlook half of Munich's streetscape.

“Geographically speaking, Amestris is very similar to Germany. Both are surrounded by a bunch of countries in the center, and there are many hostile countries around them. I came to Amestris when I was seven years old, and since then, all I have seen in the world is gunfire and corpses.”

“Isaac…”

“From what you just said, my world’s version of me is a person full of a sense of justice, which proves that I have not abandoned the justice in my heart,” Isaac said. “But the world follows the principle of equivalent exchange. Not giving up some things means not being able to get some things. It is normal for me to die there.”

Do you hate the version of yourself from my world?

“No, quite the opposite. I admire the version of myself in your world.” Isaac lowered his head and said slowly, “The reason I became the way I am now is also due to the environmental pressures at the time. People’s growth trajectories will change depending on the environment they live in. If I could, I would also like to be a partner of justice, rather than a simple executioner.”

After a pause, Isaac continued, "I remember you said that I was killed by the Führer, right?"

"Yes."

"King Bradley?"

"Yes."

“I see.” Isaac smiled. “That’s not a bad way to die. There’s nothing shameful about dying at the boss’s hands.”

"You really have a positive outlook."

"Speaking of which, are you going out now?" Isaac asked.

“Yes, the robotic arm has some sensitivity issues and needs to be adjusted.” Edward smiled and raised his right hand. “Your robotic arm probably needs some maintenance too, since you’ve been doing manual labor every day since coming to Germany.”

"Mine has already been replaced, so there's no need to worry."

Isaac raised his right hand and tore off the outer layer of simulated skin, revealing a very high-tech mechanical arm inside.

Wow, when did you change it?

"Before going to the carnival with you guys, I used the gear I had back in Amestris."

"Alright then, I'll go by myself. Where should we eat when I get back?"

"Let's go to the Four Seasons Hotel and have a good meal there."

"It's rare that you're willing to spend money on a good meal."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Edward put his hat on his head and walked out the door.

Nona had been standing silently to the side since earlier. She turned to Isaac and said, "I'm really sorry, but I saw the images in your mind back then."

“It’s alright, I asked you to do my divination in the first place,” Isaac laughed. “But to be honest, your divination skills are more like mind reading.”

“This is my ability: to see images in someone’s subconscious by touching them,” Nona said. “It’s not just simple memory, because the images I see change subjectively depending on the influence of the person’s subconscious.”

"Really."

"Mr. Isaac, who is that blonde girl you remember?"

"Ok?"

“The images I see in your mind are different,” Nona said, staring at Isaac. “The earlier images are all corpses, gunfire, and blood. The colors are extremely monotonous, only black, white, and red, just like in a movie.”

Films from this period were all black and white, and mostly silent films.

“But when you meet a blonde girl, although the scenes you see are still filled with fighting and killing, the colors are noticeably more vibrant than before,” Nona said. “That girl changed you, didn’t she?”

"Maybe."

Isaac smiled; he probably knew who Nona was referring to.

"It's a bit of a stretch to say I've changed. I won't be changed by anyone. It's just that back then I really didn't have a good feeling about the war-torn world."

At this point, Isaac's face broke into a warm smile.

"Perhaps it was after meeting her that I had a glimmer of hope for that shitty world."

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.

Nona and Edward went out, and Alphonse also went to work because an investor was willing to invest in the factory. Now, only Isaac is left in the house.

He returned to his room and checked some information about himself in this world.

While rummaging through his suitcase, he found a diary; it seemed that this person in his own world had a habit of keeping a diary.

"Look what I've been through."

The diary begins with his studies in England:

April 1917, 6, sunny.

At my father's suggestion, I went to study in the UK. Although I didn't know why I had to come, I came to this unfamiliar place so that I could better help him run the business after graduation.

July 1917, 7, overcast.

The British weren't very friendly to me, or rather, they weren't friendly to Asians at all. I don't know why they care so much about race, when we're all people who would die if stabbed.

1917 8 Month 5 Day.

British food is awful, I can't take it anymore.

1917 8 Month 7 Day.

The food was really bad.

1917 8 Month 9 Day.

Damn it, why can the food be so awful?

......

Isaac: "..."

In this world, my life in China was probably quite affluent; I'd say I was the pampered type.

He patiently continued reading.

……

1918 1 Month 15 Day.

It seems the war in Europe is almost over. Everyone here has lived in fear, terrified that bombs will fall on their heads one day. I'm scared too; I long to go home. But the situation in the Allied Powers seems better; I believe the war should end soon.

1918 3 Month 2 Day.

The movie was really good.

1918 4 Month 4 Day.

I met an uncle named Hohenheim. He seemed to know me before and called me Corporal when he saw me, but I don't remember ever joining the army.

Chapter 968: Information in the Diary & Hohenheim's Whereabouts

“Hohenheim… He also came from Amestris, and from the same place as Edward, from the world I am now dead.”

Isaac recalled what Edward had told him: Hohenheim was also unable to use alchemy in this world, which must be related to the alchemical system of their world.

With that in mind, he continued to flip through his diary.

……

1918 6 Month 26 Day.

The German army used a giant cannon to bombard Paris, France. I was not significantly affected in London, but the German advance still made those around me uneasy.

1918 7 Month 8 Day.

By sheer coincidence, I became friends with Uncle Hohenheim, whom I had met before. Although he seemed a bit odd, he didn't have the arrogance of the white people around me; he was an approachable person. Today, he brought a child a few years younger than me named Edward. Although Edward was an annoying little brat, we were surprisingly easy to get along with, which was quite lucky for someone like me who didn't have many friends in a foreign country.

1918 8 Month 8 Day.

The Allied forces planned to wipe out the German troops in the Amiens salient, and I hoped they would succeed. Otherwise, if the front line were pushed to Britain, I would be finished. I was extremely unlucky to have come to study abroad when there was war in Europe.

1918 8 Month 14 Day.

According to the news published in The Times, the mopping-up operation is progressing smoothly. The Battle of Amiens can be considered a victory for the Allied forces over the German army. At this rate, the war should end soon.

……