Chapter 5: The Node
"Promises aren't trustworthy. I want to see the benefits immediately."
"Fine."
Envy pulled a piece of Philosopher's Stone the size of a fingernail from his pocket and tossed it to Su Xiao.
"This is just a deposit."
Su Xiao caught the Philosopher's Stone, and a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[You have obtained Philosopher's Stone (Purple), Energy 470/470, (Uncertified).]
With this item, Su Xiao could find a way to improve his Alchemy Pharmaceutics.
However, the energy was still too low. To max out his Alchemy Pharmaceutics, he would need at least four pieces of Philosopher's Stone of this size.
"From now on, every time you help us, we'll provide you with Philosopher's Stones."
Hearing Envy's words, Su Xiao showed a smile, but the negotiation couldn't end there. He was currently an alchemist suffering from war trauma. If he appeared too rational, he would arouse suspicion.
It was precisely because of his war trauma that he had attacked ordinary soldiers and ended up in prison.
"Envy, I've always had a question for you."
Envy was taken aback. "What?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the energy you consume is Philosopher's Stone, right? With your massive size, you must require a considerable amount of energy each day."
Although Envy appeared as a frail young boy, his true form was quite large.
"What are you trying to say?"
Envy already sensed something was wrong.
"Consuming that much energy, and with such strong combat ability, I saw you quickly recover from injuries before. That's very interesting."
Su Xiao looked Envy up and down, as if Envy were lying on an operating table waiting to be dissected.
Envy's expression turned cold, but then he thought of something, and a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.
"If you want to die, you can try."
Su Xiao hesitated for a long time before finally turning and leaving.
A few minutes after Su Xiao left, a voice came from the shadows in the basement.
"He wanted to dissect you just now. Is it really okay to use someone like him?"
The voice came from the shadows, though there was no one visible within them.
"That's precisely why I released him. Do you think those righteous alchemists would cooperate with us? He's one, and Kimbley in prison is another. These are the few alchemists we can work with. But we need to be cautious with this guy. His mental state is unstable. Sometimes he's very calm, other times he's not quite right."
Envy seemed a bit troubled. Their manpower was far too scarce.
"Makes sense. Weaknesses and flaws make him easier to exploit. He's also a decent candidate for a human sacrifice."
"Exactly. That's why Father ordered me to find him."
"It was Father's order? Understood."
The voice from the shadows faded. This was Pride, the embodiment of arrogance among the homunculi. His ability was to merge into shadows and attack using them.
...
Leaving the Fifth Research Institute, Su Xiao strolled through the streets of Central City.
Following the directions in his memory, Su Xiao arrived at a two-story building. This was his residence.
He took out the key and opened the door. It swung open easily, confirming he hadn't remembered wrong.
The room was covered in dust, clearly unvisited for a long time.
After cleaning up the bed, Su Xiao went to the bathroom to wash the blood off his hands. When he returned to the bedroom, he found Bubu Wang already asleep on the bed.
Bubu Wang had slacked off during the cleaning, but once the bed was clean, this fool crashed out immediately.
Su Xiao lay down on the bed, took out his tablet, and played some puzzle games, all while pondering one thing.
How could he leave Central City without anyone knowing? There should be many such opportunities. Central City was the homunculi's territory, and incidents were rare here. Today's events were just an exception.
If he were to eliminate the homunculi one by one, he had to do it flawlessly. Once discovered, he would be hunted down by them.
Su Xiao already had a preliminary idea, but it required the right opportunity.
The next morning, Su Xiao got up, washed up, and began crafting [Basic Alchemy Potions].
There was a drawback to [Basic Alchemy Potions] made with Philosopher's Stones: they couldn't be taken out of the Fullmetal Alchemist world.
Understandably so. If these potions could be taken out, it would be a windfall. Obtaining Philosopher's Stones in the Fullmetal Alchemist world wasn't too difficult, but the alchemy potions made from them weren't certified by Reincarnation Paradise.
Not only the alchemy potions, but even the Philosopher's Stones themselves couldn't be taken out of the Fullmetal Alchemist world.
To be precise, Philosopher's Stones obtained through trade with the homunculi couldn't leave the derivative world. Those obtained from treasure chests were different.
Philosopher's Stones certified by Reincarnation Paradise were valuable items, highly sought after by contractors. The fact that they could substitute for spellcasting materials alone demonstrated their preciousness.
Light flickered in his hands as bottles of [Basic Alchemy Potions] appeared.
3 bottles, 8 bottles, 10 bottles.
When his mana points dropped to 400, Su Xiao stopped crafting. He had made a total of 15 bottles.
Looking at the [Basic Alchemy Potions] before him, Su Xiao nodded in satisfaction. At least he wouldn't lack recovery items in the Fullmetal Alchemist world.
At the same time, an idea occurred to him. This derivative world had no hunting missions, so he wasn't hostile to other contractors. He could sell the excess potions to them.
However, there was a prerequisite: he had to ensure that the other contractors' missions didn't conflict with his own.
The main mission and the promotion mission were unlikely to clash. Su Xiao estimated that the contractors' main missions might involve defeating the Homunculus Father, defeating the Führer, or saving the country, among other things.
Although these alchemy potions couldn't be taken out of the Fullmetal Alchemist world, they could still be used within it. If the price was low enough, those contractors would surely buy them.
Since Reincarnation Paradise didn't certify these alchemy potions, Su Xiao would find his own way to profit.
At least several dozen contractors had entered the Fullmetal Alchemist world. This was a Lv.10 derivative world, so the number of contractors entering would be significant.
If he could mass-produce and sell potions, the profit would be substantial.
But he had to be cautious when selling. He absolutely must not supply the enemy. That would be a joke.
"Ring, ring, ring~."
The phone in the room rang. As a State Alchemist, and a combat type at that, Su Xiao had a dedicated phone line at home. This line wouldn't be cut off even if he didn't pay the bills.
He picked up the phone but didn't speak.
"There's a job for you. A riot has broken out in Risembool Town. Go and suppress it."
It was Envy's voice.
"Risembool? The town near Ishval?"
"Yes, that's the one. Make sure the riot stops within three days, and don't kill too many people."
The call ended. Su Xiao tapped his index finger on the table.
"Sending me to suppress a riot... It seems Risembool Town is located outside the transmutation circle. If the people there die, it would reduce the number of Philosopher's Stones."
If he were to pull out a map of Amestris at this moment, he would see that the country's shape was circular.
On this circle, connecting all the locations where wars had occurred would form a transmutation circle.
Wars meant death, and the transmutation circle used the souls of the dead as fuel to activate.
The Homunculus Father's plan required: his leadership + a large number of Philosopher's Stones + five human sacrifices + an underground tunnel encircling the entire country + a massive number of casualties at the nodes of the transmutation circle. This was everything needed for the colossal transmutation circle.