Chapter 6: How Many Times?
A train sped along the tracks. Inside, Su Xiao leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed.
He wasn't asleep. In a place like a train, he would never rest for even a moment.
He checked the proficiency of his Alchemy Pharmaceutics: 143/10, which already met the upgrade requirements. But one problem stood before him—he didn't have enough Paradise Coins.
Su Xiao had high expectations for the Alchemy Pharmaceutics ability. This time, he planned to acquire more Philosopher's Stones.
The train slowly came to a stop, not at the Risenbul Town station, but at a neighboring town.
Stepping off the train, Su Xiao noticed the atmosphere in this town was off. Passersby moved hastily, and some carried daggers with them.
It seemed the unrest in neighboring Risenbul Town had spread here.
Riding on Bubu Wang's back, Su Xiao headed toward Risenbul Town.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao arrived near Risenbul Town. The sounds of battle echoed from within.
It was dusk, the sky dyed red at the horizon, and the town before him seemed bathed in a layer of blood.
Entering the town, several corpses lay across the street. Nearby shops had been looted and ransacked. A faint stench of decay reached his nose—the smell of slightly rotting bodies.
A few vultures waddled nearby, their bodies bloated. There were plenty of corpses for them to feast on, and these vultures had grown so fat they could no longer fly.
A middle-aged woman ran out from a broken-down house, crying and screaming for help. Behind her, several thugs brandished blades in pursuit.
This town was finished. Su Xiao was certain.
Even if he successfully suppressed the chaos here, it would erupt again soon after.
This riot had been deliberately incited; otherwise, it wouldn't have reached this scale. Moreover, the local garrison troops had vanished without a trace.
Homunculi wouldn't do something like this. Not because they were kind, but because this place wasn't within the array diagram. Homunculi had no reason to waste effort on such unnecessary actions.
Just as Su Xiao was riding Bubu Wang forward, a young man with white hair and red eyes burst out from a nearby shop. Without a word, he lunged at Su Xiao.
"Die, you damned Amestrian!"
The young man's expression was vicious, as if he intended to take Su Xiao down with him.
"Ishvalan?"
The young man's hair and eye color immediately told Su Xiao he was an Ishvalan. Although Ishval was not far from here, Ishvalans were forbidden from leaving their territory.
A flash of light appeared in Su Xiao's hand as he produced an Intermediate Alchemy Bomb.
"A... a State Alchemist."
The hatred in the young man's eyes vanished, replaced by fear.
"I'll give you a chance. Tell me why this riot started."
"Heh... The Holy War has begun. You're all dead—"
Boom!
The Intermediate Alchemy Bomb exploded right in front of the young man's face, blasting him to pieces.
From those few words, Su Xiao could tell that this riot was connected to the Ishvalans.
After making a round through the town, Su Xiao found that few people remained. Aside from some thugs and Ishvalans, the ordinary civilians had either died or fled.
Amestris's Central Army was nothing but a bunch of useless gluttons. Their commander had abandoned his faith in pursuit of immortality, and the troops under him were even worse.
Amestris was in a peculiar situation. Its powerful armies were stationed at the national borders to prevent invasion, while the weakling legions became the Central Army.
This led to a division of power. The generals guarding the borders were like feudal lords, some even governing independently with their own rules.
The nation's borders were ironclad, but its interior was hollow. Such a scenario could only be seen in Amestris.
After surveying the area, Su Xiao began using Philosopher's Stones to create Special-Grade Alchemy Bombs. He placed these bombs throughout the town.
He didn't want to know what the Ishvalans' Holy War was about, nor was he interested.
Leaving the town, Su Xiao detonated the bombs once he was at a safe distance.
Boom, boom, boom...
The roar echoed through the town as it gradually crumbled. Flames engulfed the entire settlement.
There were no civilians left here. Su Xiao chose to blow it up—it was the fastest method.
Moreover, doing so would buy him two to three days of free movement. During that time, even if something major happened, he wouldn't be suspected.
He mounted Bubu Wang, who activated his Full Speed Charge (Active).
Skill 1: Full Speed Charge (Active): When activated, increases Bubu Wang's movement speed by 150%. Consumes 12 Mana Points per minute. Can carry heavy loads.
Su Xiao pulled out a map and compass. Bubu Wang ran at full speed, faster than a train. He was heading to a place where, if his judgment was correct, two homunculi were located.
Four hours later, Bubu Wang lay on the ground, utterly exhausted. He had been running at full speed the entire time, and his Mana Points were long depleted.
"Let's go."
Su Xiao switched to walking, but the destination was right ahead.
Bubu Wang whimpered twice, looking at Su Xiao with pitiful eyes, as if saying, "Without ten meaty bones, this Wang isn't getting up today."
Bubu Wang had unlocked a new skill: "Fake Injury." Su Xiao's face darkened as he walked ahead alone.
He knew Bubu Wang's temperament all too well—within five seconds, the dog would follow.
Bubu Wang lay on the ground, watching Su Xiao walk away. After Su Xiao had gone about ten meters, Bubu Wang panicked, scrambled to his feet, and trotted after him without any sign of exhaustion. A true method actor—Bubu Wang.
Ahead was a city beside a desert, named Liore, located on the eastern side of Amestris. If one continued east, they would reach an endless desert. Crossing that desert led to a vast and powerful nation.
Amestris was surrounded by powerful enemies. The only reason it had survived this long was because of the Homunculus in the Flask.
The rulers of those neighboring nations all knew of the Homunculus in the Flask's existence. Although their own countries had strong individuals, the cost of invading Amestris far outweighed the benefits.
Amestris's current prosperity was closely tied to the Homunculus in the Flask. Alchemy appeared to draw power from the earth's crust, but that wasn't the case.
There was an intermediary—the Homunculus in the Flask. Without him as that intermediary, using alchemy would be far more cumbersome.
Liore was a city within the large alchemical array diagram, so unrest was about to occur here, and no one would stop it.
At this moment, Liore was already under the control of a cult. An alchemist wielding a Philosopher's Stone was impersonating a divine messenger, deceiving the common people. Of course, the homunculi were backing this from the shadows.
Before entering Liore, Su Xiao took a mask from his storage space and changed his clothes. He ordered Bubu Wang to hide outside the city.
Walking into the town, Su Xiao pressed his finger to the ground, sensing carefully.
The aura of a homunculus was like a candle flame in the dark night—ominous and intensely dissonant.
He detected one such aura and quickly moved toward it.
...
Inside a church, a beautiful woman with long, wavy black hair, wearing a black dress, sat within. When she saw Su Xiao enter, she smiled, her red lips incredibly alluring.
Below her collarbones, on both sides, was a pattern of a red Ouroboros—the mark of a homunculus.
Homunculus: Lust (Lust).
"It's been a long time since anyone dared to show killing intent toward me. State your name, and leave your last words while you're at it."
Lust leaned lazily against the pew, exuding an air of seduction.
Zzzz— The sound of a metal wire retracting.
Pfft. One of Lust's fair forearms flew into the air.
Dragon-Slaying Flash appeared in Su Xiao's hand. Azure Steel Shadow was instantly activated to its maximum.
"Your regenerative ability is impressive. I wonder how many times I'll have to kill you before you die. Let's start with ten and see."