Chapter 14: The Great President
The Great President, King Bradley, walked before Su Xiao, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Do you know... who it was that you killed?"
Though King Bradley wore a smile, his tone was icy cold.
Su Xiao narrowed his eyes, his right hand moving unconsciously, ready at any moment to draw the Dragon-Slaying Flash. He could clearly sense the killing intent from the other party.
"Who knows? It might have been the product of some alchemist."
"Is that really the case? Then should I commend your actions?"
King Bradley's body relaxed, indicating he was not prepared to fight Su Xiao.
The Homunculi's team appeared strong, but that was not the case. They had a fatal weakness: they could not operate in the light.
The goal of the Dwarf in the Flask was to transmute everyone in Amestris into a Philosopher's Stone. Only a few Homunculi and a handful of high-ranking military officials knew this.
As for the Dwarf in the Flask's purpose in creating the Philosopher's Stone, it was to become a 'god.'
The Dwarf in the Flask was not trying to cultivate immortality or ascend to heaven; that was impossible in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist.
Based on Su Xiao's speculation, the Dwarf in the Flask might want to use the Philosopher's Stone to exchange something with the Gate of Truth, or perhaps simply to obtain the Gate of Truth itself.
In the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, obtaining the Gate of Truth could be considered becoming a god.
Although the Dwarf in the Flask had survived for centuries, the Philosopher's Stone within its body would eventually deplete, and that would be its death.
The Dwarf in the Flask pursued perfect existence. It wanted to become a god, an eternal being.
Though the Dwarf in the Flask seemed very powerful now, it knew well that its current abilities were insufficient to conquer Amestris by force. Thus, the Homunculi's actions were all carried out in secret.
King Bradley understood this as well. Su Xiao had indeed killed Greed, but Greed was no longer one of them; he had left a century ago.
Suspicion was possible, but a direct confrontation with Su Xiao was unlikely.
Su Xiao had already eliminated three Homunculi and planned to continue. You couldn't wrap fire in paper; exposure was inevitable.
But before being exposed, Su Xiao had to gain as much advantage as possible—an advantage for the final battle against the Dwarf in the Flask.
Defeating the Dwarf in the Flask alone was unlikely for Su Xiao. He had never considered a one-on-one fight with it, a being that might be the strongest in the world.
In the original story, four factions opposed the Dwarf in the Flask.
The first was led by Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist.
The second was the protagonist, his blood relatives, and his teacher.
The third was the Briggs Northern Wall army, led by the Ice Queen, Olivier Mira Armstrong. This faction had the most people and extensive connections.
The fourth was the remnants of Ishbal, represented by Scar alone.
Following behind King Bradley, Su Xiao began to consider which of these four factions could become allies.
First, he ruled out the protagonist and Scar. His temperament clashed with the protagonist's team, and he didn't approve of their methods.
A single belief in 'no killing' would put his side in a passive position. Facing an enemy while thinking of not killing? Remember, the Dwarf in the Flask controlled an entire nation's government.
Next, he ruled out Scar. Although this guy's combat ability was decent, the identity arranged for Su Xiao by Reincarnation Paradise had participated in the 'Ishbal Extermination War.' If Scar saw Su Xiao, he might roar, 'Prepare to die, you devil!'
The remaining two factions were the best choices: Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, and the Ice Queen, Olivier Mira Armstrong.
Both commanded armies, possessed considerable personal strength, and were not corrupt. Of course, that was a polite way of putting it. Another way was that they were ruthless enough.
Su Xiao first considered allying with the Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang, because he was about to return to Central City, under King Bradley's escort.
That's right, an escort. Su Xiao couldn't escape now; he could only regain his freedom after returning to Central City.
Sitting in the train returning to Central City, King Bradley held a cup of black tea and sat opposite Su Xiao.
"Flame Alchemist, there was a murder case in Liore recently. Have you heard about it?"
King Bradley's tone was calm, as if chatting with a subordinate, but murderous intent lurked beneath.
"Murder case? I haven't heard. I've been busy suppressing riots these past few days, too tired to read the newspapers."
"Is that so? There aren't many diligent State Alchemists like you left."
"The Great President flatters me."
Su Xiao chuckled lightly. The Great President also smiled. The two of them perfectly embodied the art of hiding a knife behind a smile.
A falling out could happen at any moment, but there was no excuse for it—that was the Great President's current situation.
As for Su Xiao, he was waiting for an opportunity, but the timing wasn't right.
He had a vague feeling that the Great President, King Bradley, might have noticed something, but without evidence, he couldn't openly break ties.
"I wonder if the Flame Alchemist has any family. Your file says you have no family. Don't you plan to settle down?"
"I haven't considered that for now. I indeed have no family, but I do have a friend."
"Oh? Who? An alchemist? If his abilities are decent, consider inviting him to become a State Alchemist. You know the benefits."
Su Xiao took a sip of black tea and nodded.
"Indeed. But that guy's situation is a bit special."
"What situation?"
"He's in prison. We were cellmates before."
Su Xiao looked up at King Bradley, a smile on his face. The other party's inquiry about family was actually a probe for weaknesses.
If Su Xiao's expression showed even a hint of discomfort, King Bradley would immediately send people to investigate. If they found anything, the so-called family would become hostages.
"In prison, is it..."
"It's him. Zolf J. Kimblee."
"How surprising. You two were friends."
The Great President fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.
Seeing that the Great President had stopped probing, Su Xiao leaned back in his seat, contemplating his next move.
The plot of the Fullmetal Alchemist world was actually very simple. The Dwarf in the Flask wanted to transmute everyone in Amestris into a Philosopher's Stone. The protagonist's team and other factions stopped it, and ultimately succeeded. That was it.
Though simple to describe, it was extremely difficult in practice.
In the original story, the protagonist's team took a long time to defeat the Dwarf in the Flask. Su Xiao couldn't wait that long, so he had to speed things up.
Now, the Dwarf in the Flask's large-scale transmutation circle had not yet been completed. This was the best time to deal with it.
...
The train quickly returned to Central City. Su Xiao holed up in his residence, waiting for someone. If nothing unexpected happened, that person would definitely come to find him.
In the bedroom, after setting up traps on the window, Su Xiao took out two purple treasure chests.
He had been busy before and had no time to open them. Now, he finally had the time.
It was worth noting that when he killed Greed earlier, the guy hadn't dropped a treasure chest, which frustrated Su Xiao immensely.
Not only Greed himself, but also his chimera subordinates. Su Xiao didn't even see a white treasure chest.
This made him think of one possibility: it might be due to the use of alchemy bombs.
More precisely, it was because he used bombs made from an unverified Philosopher's Stone, which reduced the chance of dropping treasure chests.