Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

“Not bad, not bad, it seems you’ve pulled through,” Isaac laughed, leaning closer to Albert and whispering, “You have the capital to complete the next deal.”

"Your Excellency... what exactly is this...?"

"You now possess the characteristics of an artificial human."

"what?"

Albert touched his cheek and found that the cut he had made earlier had disappeared.

Not only that, he also felt that his original fatigue had been swept away, and his body seemed to have inexhaustible strength.

"Remember, how you want to use this power is your business, but if you don't produce something in exchange within the allotted time, I will take it from you myself."

"I look forward to the day you pay the price."

As soon as he finished speaking, Albert felt the scene before him suddenly change.

He was sitting at the front gate of the Deswald mansion, and the gate was slowly closing in front of him.

He stared blankly at his hands, and with each touch of the ouroboros symbol on them, he was certain he wasn't dreaming.

"Finally... I finally got what I've always dreamed of..."

Unable to contain his excitement, he burst into laughter.

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

"You damned alchemist, what did you just do?"

“Oh, I just gave him what he wanted,” Isaac laughed. “But the price was enormous; if he doesn’t produce results, I’ll have to ‘collect rent’ from him.”

Hugh said with a wry smile, "The way you were just now was like a demon from a story trying to lure humans. I was quite startled."

"Is it my fault? Anyone with a bit of ambition and a brain wouldn't be tricked by the devil."

Chapter 1027: The Changes in Xiu Yi

“I said, let’s not write anything in the car.”

Hugh was driving on a suburban road toward a nearby town when Darian started nagging Hugh to take her there, since today’s newspaper reported that a new fried bread shop had opened.

Isaac also wanted to go for a walk, so he went out with Fran.

Hugh and Dallian sat in the passenger seat and the front passenger seat, respectively, while Isaac and Fran sat in the back seat.

In the back seat, Isaac was still writing his unfinished new national martial arts manual.

"It would be best to finish writing it as soon as possible; I don't like to drag things out."

"You can even write on such a steep road?"

"Don't worry, I'll just have someone reprint it after I finish writing it. At worst, my handwriting will just be a little messy."

Anyway, the handwriting in the notebook was so messy that even Isaac himself might not be able to read it.

"Have you found any leads on the textbooks you lost before?"

“It’s the same as always. We’ve located both of them. One is with the ‘Professor,’ and the other is with my friend Edward,” Isaac said. “The remaining two are still missing. I guess whoever found them is probably making a fortune in the meantime.”

Can you confirm it's in Europe?

"It's tentatively confirmed that they're all in this area, but we still need to find out the specifics."

After Isaac finished speaking, he put the pen into his pocket and closed the notebook in his hand.

"Okay, all done."

……

A long line of people stretched along the main street near the park.

A rough estimate puts at least three or four hundred people. It might even be nearly double that number.

It was originally a bustling street near the station, but it was quite rare to see it this noisy.

Their destination was a shop on the corner of the intersection—an outdoor cafe styled like a donut shop.

Perhaps because it hasn't been open for very long, the store's exterior still looks quite new. Inside, the calming brown and green color scheme is accompanied by the aroma of freshly baked bread.

"I'll park the car here. When the clock tower shows 3 p.m., we'll meet here."

"understood."

Isaac grabbed his coat, opened the car door, and headed toward the bookstore in the distance. Fran followed him.

"Hey Isaac, isn't it a bit boring to come all the way to town and not visit one of those shops or bookstores?"

"You don't have to come along."

"Of course I'll come along! I can help you find some pretty girls along the way," Fran chuckled.

"Shut up. I should thank you for not damaging my reputation."

Watching the two bickering figures walk away, Hugh chuckled twice, turned off the car, and prepared to get out. Dalian, however, had already run over there when she smelled the aroma of bread.

"Honestly, Dalian, you run way too fast."

Hugh was about to chase after them when he turned around and found that the book Isaac had written earlier was left on the seat in the back.

His car is an old-fashioned convertible without a roof. He usually doesn't leave anything inside because it's easy for a passing thief to steal it if he's not careful.

"Really."

Hugh could only take the notebook written by Isaac and head towards Dalian.

The fried bread that Dallian wanted was at this coffee shop with the long queue.

The group consisted of people of all ages and backgrounds. There were servants from what appeared to be wealthy families, as well as young lovers. Others included mothers with children, and a few elderly people could also be seen among them.

"Judging from the queue, it should take about half an hour to get to the store."

"Yes, but it was all worth it."

"It's just a fried bread..."

"Watch your mouth, kid."

Dalian pointed at Hugh and said disdainfully, then her expression inexplicably showed a hint of intoxication.

"When it comes out of the oven, it's fluffy and soft, with an incredibly crispy exterior and a moist and smooth interior. It's such a delicious fried bread that it's almost melting in your mouth. It's said that people from the countryside travel long distances just to eat this fried bread."

“We are one of those country folk.”

"Shut up. Instead of wasting time talking nonsense, you should take out your wallet and buy as much as you can."

"Can you finish all of these?" Hugh laughed. "Besides, did you see the sign at the door? Each person is limited to ten."

"...Tch, I should have left that damn alchemist here and made him buy this shop with a ton of gold coins."

"I don't think Isaac would do something so pointless."

"Well, anyway, I brought you to queue up with me, which proves that there are two of us, so we can buy twenty loaves of bread together. So stop talking nonsense and pay up."

Hugh shook his head with a wry smile. Just as he was about to take his wallet out of his pocket, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head.

"Well……"

"what happened to you?"

"...Dalian, can't you feel it?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? What should I be feeling?" Dalian looked at Hugh, who was frowning, in confusion.

"Really……"

Hugh looked around.

He had sensed it from the moment he arrived; everyone on the street was emanating a kind of energy, and he seemed to be able to perceive it.

Hugh raised his head and looked at the store entrance at the front of the line.

"What are you looking at?"

"Two people will come out in a little while, a man and a woman."

"what?"

"3, 2, 1."

Click.

The store door was pushed open, and a couple who looked like a man and a woman walked out of the store. The man was holding bread that he had just bought from the store.

Dalian glanced at Hugh with some surprise.

"Not bad, a magic trick?"

"No... I sensed someone inside the door intending to come out."

Hugh himself had no idea what was going on with the strange changes happening to him.

About half an hour later, as the team advanced, it was finally the two of them's turn.

Ignoring the changes in his appearance, Hugh took out some banknotes from his coat pocket. He finally reached the counter and ordered fried bread. Even under the strange looks from the staff, he accepted the tray containing twenty fried bread rolls.

Immediately afterwards, a small commotion broke out behind Hugh.

Someone ran into the line surrounding the shop, pushing through the crowd and rushing inside. People who were bumped into screamed one after another, and several who fell to the ground even began to curse angrily.

The commotion was caused by a young woman dressed in a white coat similar to a doctor's. She was petite overall and had long, flowing hair that reached her waist. Perhaps because of this, she gave the impression of being somewhat young and childlike.

"Hey! How dare you cut in line!?"

"First come, first served!"

"Move to the back of the line!"

Ignoring the insults from the crowd, she finally arrived at the store.

Even the shop assistants looked at the girl in white with puzzled expressions. But since they didn't know her purpose, they could only remain silent.

Chapter 1028: Any book I write is a fantasy book

Judging from the girl in white's movements, she was probably in danger and was running away.

The girl's eyes darted around the packed store, and she snorted. Then, she spotted Hugh and the other girl standing behind the counter.

"Hey!"