The Chronicles of the Mysterious Alchemist: The Chronicles of the Mysterious Alchemist, #2

By Wesley Wang

He accidentally traveled to a brand new world, where he discovered some pathogens that had long disappeared in human history, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. With his profound knowledge and technology in modern biochemistry, he began to exert influence in this world. He made up his mind to help those who were ostracized by society, possessed special abilities but were called "Mutants." These people were isolated and discriminated against because of their unique abilities. Through his efforts, he established a powerful group composed of marginalized individuals—the Mutant Knights. They not only bravely confronted the old feudal system and hostile forces but also fought for equality and respect for the mutants. The establishment and efforts of this team gradually changed society's view of people with special abilities and led a profound social transformation.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wesley Wang
• Release date: May 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798223417828

Book preview

Chapter 1

Since crossing over to the other world, Ethan, who had never come into contact with nobles, still had the impression in his mind that he was still stuck in those movie and television productions and novels and comics in his previous life, and he used to think that this group represented nobility and elegance. Therefore, in order to get the right to sell within the Silver Ring City, the first thing that came to his mind when he acted on the card table was his experience in his previous life. What he was going to do was nothing more than to intentionally lose a few pots of moonshine in a betting game, so that everyone would be happy with each other, and then have a calm and mutually beneficial negotiation with these people. Everything would naturally fall into place and flow logically.

Originally, this was what he thought.

But he had ultimately forgotten one important thing, this was not a civilized past life at all, but a medieval world where barbarism and darkness coexisted. Any code of conduct and social cognition that had been verified as valid in the past would be completely subverted here.

If Bishop Fabian’s exhortation could only be considered a warning; the nobles’ cheating in the gambling game could only be considered an unpleasant interlude; then the inhuman treatment of the fae truly made Ethan realize the truth.

The so-called nobles in front of him were merely synonymous with savagery and arbitrariness, and their greed was like a bottomless abyss that could never be stopped.

Since this is the case, why don’t we unlock the chains on the beast of greed, and watch it devour everything ……

Ethan returned to the gambling table, and picked up a silver-copper alloy playing card, the front of the card was a hand-drawn pattern, and the back of the card was a plane as smooth as a mirror, and he tried to utilize his Perspective ability, and had no problem penetrating through the thin metal, the pattern on the front was a hand drawing, and the back of the card was a plane that looked like a mirror Although the pattern on the front was hidden, it was a piece of cake to distinguish the card face.

Viscount Kenneth asked Ethan, Father, I wonder what you mean by playing bigger?

Have you guys ever heard of an isometric series?

People look at each other, no one knows.

Ethan took one of the playing cards in his hand and said slowly, Losing one is 10 silver moons.

He held up a second: Double the second and it’s 20 silver moons.

The third card, The third card doubled again is 40 silver moons.

He holds up all three cards in his hand together, If the hand ends and I still have three cards in my hand, that’s 70 silver months of gambling chips lost. How about all the same rules except the method of calculating gambling chips according to the number of cards stored is replaced?

The Viscount carefully calculated, if the previous gambling game, according to this play, Ethan’s hand of moons would have already won all of them, where would it be delayed until now. Besides, even in the worst case scenario, he would only lose a thousand silver moons at most, which was painless and itchless for him.

After exchanging glances with another noble at the card table, Kenneth nodded: I’m tired of winning dozens of silver moons a game, so I’ll do as you say! However, do you have that much money?

Ethan glanced at the pot of moonshine placed in front of the Queen, and then at the eleven pots of moonshine placed behind the Viscount, and opened his mouth to ask, Is the price you recognize for this kind of flower that grows in a sacred place still the same as it was before?

I had someone look at it just now, 50 silver coins per pot, it’s still the same price!

Ethan nodded, indicating that there was no further objection.

At this moment, Queen Mary, who was sitting on the main seat, opened her mouth to say something, but after looking at the priest’s expression for a while, she finally gave up her words.

The card game under the new rules resumed, Ethan was double minded, playing cards while using his psychic ability to check everything around him.

Soon, he noticed the two nobles at the card table, glancing up behind him every now

Ethan turned the backs of his cards towards the back of his shoulders and used his 『Hawk Eyes』 psychic ability to carefully distinguish the glowing mirror image, when a manservant not far behind him who frequently touched his head attracted his attention.

Sometimes he touched his ears, sometimes he touched the bridge of his nose, and sometimes he put his fingers up and down.

‘Peeping Tom’?

Peeking at your opponent’s cards and signaling with hand signals is an old-fashioned but simple and effective way of cheating.

Looking at the table in front of him with his Perspective ability, Ethan realized that there was something else going on in the piles of cards of the two nobles across the table.

The two nobles across from him had placed their cards on top of each other on the table, face down, with their thumbs facing inwards, blocking the view of others. And underneath the tabletop was a dark slot that could be made to appear when the palm of the hand was pressed, sliding the smooth metal cards down the slot in the table, to the end of the slot at the other end, where the other man could pop the playing cards in the slot into his hand with another press of the palm of his hand.

Ethan shook his head, it looked like the guys had really gone to a lot of trouble for this bet.

The game was over, Ethan lost 4 cards as a pirate and needed to pay 150 silver moons (10+20+40+80) to the Viscount as a knight, and the gambling chips folded into three pots of moonshine amidst the gasps of the onlookers

Are you sure you want to continue?

Surprisingly, the voice actually came from Queen Mary. The latter rose from her position and looked at the priest, something in her eyes that he could not read.

Ethan locked eyes with her for a moment, nodding heavily a little later.

The Queen sighed, waved her hand, and resumed her seat.

A new round began.

This time it was Ethan’s turn to be the knight, and having lost many battles he asked to shuffle the cards himself

Viscount Kenneth looked at him with amusement, as if he was looking at an idiot who had lost so much that he started to mess around, and granted the request rather graciously.

Ethan shuffled the cards in a rather strange way, he laid all the cards face down and face up on the table, recited a prayer while pulling out the cross on his chest and tapping the back of each card three times, and when he was done with that, he gathered them up one card

The Viscount laughed out loud as he looked at the priest and said, Did you expect a miracle from the Father?

Ethan glanced at him and pointed his finger at the moonflower pot in front of him and said reverently, "Is what you see before you not proof enough of the power of the Most High?

Kenneth put away his smile, glanced at the crucifix in the priest’s hand, gulped, and said no more.

The servants began to deal out the cards, first Ethan, then the two nobles, and round by round they were distributed. Everyone, however, noticed that the priest allowed the distributed playing cards to be scattered on the table, not picking them up or organizing them, but praying silently there.

The Viscount first glanced at the hand with a raised eyebrow, followed by glaring at the motionless Ethan, and tapping the tabletop with his knuckles, he reminded, Priest, the first thing that should happen is that you should be the one to play the cards first.

The Heavenly Father has sent down the Holy Ruler, and the winner of this game is decided.

Hearing the other man’s words, Kenneth’s fire rushed up, Heavenly Father doesn’t care about my poker table! Pick up your cards, Father!

Ethan gave him a look and held out his hands, turning over the cards on the table that belonged to him, one by one.

The people saw the cards and at first they laughed softly, then there was silence, and finally there was a chorus of sucking in their breath.

"『Pair 3, pair 4, pair 5, pair 6, pair 7, pair 8, pair 9, pair 10, pair J…… nine consecutive pairs!

Watching the opposite duo dumbfounded and the cards in their hands falling to the ground, Ethan slowed down his speech and little by little began to calculate the betting chips.

The first card is 10 silver moons, the second card is 20 silver moons, the third card is 40 silver moons, the fourth card is 80 silver moons, the fifth card is 160 silver moons, the sixth card is 320 silver moons …… the seventeenth card is 1310720 silver moons, and the eighteenth card is 2621440 silver moons, together a person’s total is 5242870 silver moons. Oh, I almost forgot, if you don’t play a single card, you should triple it again, and that’s 15728610 silver moons. The two of you together would be 31457220 silver moons.

The priest physically pushed his chair backward, stood up and straightened his clothes, looked at the hall that had fallen into dead silence, and said with a smile, It may take some time to prepare the thirty million silver months. But something like reneging on a debt, I don’t think it should come up. Both of you are people of honor, not to mention the fact that so many people are present today, and Her Majesty the Queen even personally witnessed the bet.

Viscount Kenneth collapsed into his chair, his face ashen, his body shaking, and the dark mark on his crotch growing larger and larger

Oh, yes yes yes! Ethan snatched the chains of the young fae girl from the hands of the stupefied servant and shouted towards the people, Dealing with the fae is naturally a matter for the church, so I would like to ask all honorable people to raise their hands and cooperate with the work.

Ethan led the girl to the doorway of the hall and turned back towards the silent hall and said, Please hold your piety at all times, and remember that the Heavenly Father is always watching over us.

Chapter 2

A flying knife was thrown into mid-air, passing through layers of apple branches and leaves. An agile figure flashed its body three times in the trajectory of the flying dagger, making all sorts of incredible maneuvers, and finally landed firmly on the ground as the flying dagger hit the ground.

The girl held a green apple in each of her right and left hands, with one still in her mouth, and with a proud smile on her face, she looked towards the nun in front of her.

Ruichier smiled and applauded, Karen, bravo! In such a short period of time, you’ve been able to manage to use your ability three times in a row, your progress amazes me!

The girl’s happiness only lasted for a moment, and soon a bitter little face rose again.

Ruichier stood up holding his chest and looked at the other party’s expression as he faintly asked, What? Thinking about the priest again?

I didn’t even go to say goodbye ……

The nun touched the top of her head, and there was a rare gentleness in her words, I once heard you talk about the Heresy Trial, when the priest took the initiative to take on the responsibility in order to protect you, didn’t he?

Karen nodded emotionally downcast.

Do you know what that means? Seeing the other woman gently shake her head, the nun smiled and tapped her on the side of the head, He willingly put a part of his destiny in your hands.

Still don’t get it? I’ll put it in a simpler way.Ethan said that there was nothing personal between you and him, and that the only reason you entered the convent was to study the books. But what would people think, how would they speculate, if you spent your days wandering around and were always going to his place?

Looking at Karen’s expression with a slight dawning realization, Ruichier patted the dust underneath her and beckoned to her, Come on Karen, it’s time to go back to town, and instead of mentioning these tedious things, let’s talk about some interesting topics …… hmmm, such as the priest’s alchemy Who did he learn it from?About alchemy, did he have any hidden treasures ……

The old artisan Aiden.Colm was in a depressed mood now.

He had just had a big fight with his wife and children, and with an indignant expression on his face, he walked into the tavern that he usually frequented, and found a table that was already seated with two people.

Ordering a jug of ale and a plate of halibut beans, Aiden said to the other two, Well? How much have you gotten together?

One man’s voice was so low it was almost indistinguishable, Thirty-three copper stars.

The other’s voice was even lower, Twenty-one bronze stars ……

Old Aiden’s face twitched and he sighed, Your families don’t agree with the idea either?

The other two looked at each other and nodded.

The old artisan pulled out a small money pouch and placed it on the table, rubbing the back of his head, Together with what I have here, the three of us should be able to come up with a full Silver Moon. By the way, what’s the market for sacred bones now?

One of them said, Fifty Copper Stars can definitely be bought, and if there’s still a counteroffer, forty-eight or forty-nine might be possible as well.

If it weren’t for Lord Ethan, I’d be nothing more than a poor artisan at the foot of the Abbey Mountain by now, where would I get the money to recruit apprentices, buy tools, and open my own workshop …… said Old Aiden, smothering a mouthful of ale and pursing his lips: Heavenly Father is above, how can a mortal do anything without forgetting his favor?

Another person also nodded and said, That’s right, if there is no that exorcism ceremony, if there is no holy son of the Lord sacrificed his life to save me, I am afraid that my soul is already the devil’s food, and where is the opportunity to sit here, drinking and chatting.

The rest of the man concurred.

It turned out that these two people were the two craftsmen that Ethan had saved in the past and had ‘acute lead poisoning’……

Aiden.Kom grabbed a handful of halibut beans and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing hard for a few mouthfuls, There are people out there who say that Lord Ethan ran off with the money, and there are also people who say that the money has all been lost, I don’t believe it, even if the truth is are as those people say, I don’t care.

We want to buy the sacred bones, but we don’t have any money in our hands, what should we do?

The old craftsman touched the circular keychain around his waist and muttered, That workshop of mine that I only just built, and those individual tools I bought, if I find a merchant to pawn them, I should be able to come up with a sum of money ……

That’s right! I also have some things that I’m able to take in exchange for money.

In Twilight West Town, conversations like this were not exceptional, but happened everywhere.

In the next few days, the price of the holy bones of 『Murexi Mutual Gold』had once bottomed out at 45 copper stars at its lowest, and the sellers were mostly merchants and merchants, while those poor believers who had once been favored by Ethan, or who were deeply convinced of his miracles, had united to make a joint effort to 『copy the bottom』, making the originally low price of the holy bones rise back up to 60 copper stars ……

Walton, you bought another holy bone?!

Watching the short and fat man walk out from the church, Leslie looked at his companion with a speechless face.

Walton dug his ears with his little thumbs and gave the red-striped boy a look of contempt, You don’t know the ropes here, just going by the last time you saw that …… what was it ……

Microscope.

Right! The microscope! Just based on that alone, I felt sure the priest wouldn’t let me down!

Leslie bristled, I thought you had a problem with him, I didn’t realize you had such a weak stance.

Walton laughed, I don’t care if he just draws my blood every day as long as he pays for my booze ……

Alfonso Decavo stood at the top of the slope of the hills outside of the town of Twilight West, with a full view of the town.

The knight unbuckled his chest armor and removed a brass pendant from the base of his neck, gently pressing the button on the slot, three strands of hair lay silently within the brass casing.

Chief, it’s time for dinner. Adelina’s voice came from behind her, causing Alfonso to put away the pendant.

What a nice view here! The white-robed woman couldn’t help but exclaim as she ran her hand through her long, breeze-whipped hair and looked at the sea, beach, fishing boats and houses below the mound.

The knight looked at the smoke wafting up from the chimneys of the homes and suddenly whispered a question, What is it that drives us to live on this earth, to dot the world day after day, year after year?

Adelina froze for a moment at the strange question, she crouched down and touched her finger to a vole that poked its head out and nudged her chin forward, the latter raised its front paws, nodded and ran off.

Maybe it’s because it’s trying to achieve something ……

Hearing the woman’s answer, the knight turned his head around and waited for an answer with silence.

Adelina watched as the vole, not far from the boulder, found a fallen fruit, hopped around and dragged it into its nest, stood up, and said softly, Before I lost my husband, I used to want to be a mother.Now, I wish to protect, every woman who wants to be a mother ……

Alfonso closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the sea breeze blowing past his ears, and gripped the pendant tightly on his chest.

Chapter 3

All the moonflowers have been shipped back?

Howard stroked the moustache on his chin, looked at the list in his hand, and said, Well, except for the one in the hands of Her Majesty the Queen, all the other 31 pots have been placed.

After a pause, he hesitated for a while and added, There is one more thing, those ‘escorts’ haven’t left until now.

Ethan looked back with some surprise.

Those troops from the royal palace have set up guard posts outside the door, but it looks, not like they are watching us, but kind of like they are …… protecting us. Howard closed the list and put it into his arms, The Silver Ring royal family seems to take care of our group of people quite well, not only sending troops to protect us, but also chartering this inn for us to stay temporarily. Well, my lord …… are you sure you don t know that queen ……?

Ethan shook his head and said under his breath, Today in the cathedral, it was the first time we met.

But looking back, he always felt that there was something strange somewhere.

Ethan, who had just returned to the inn from the banquet, held a feeling of loathing and abhorrence towards the beautiful queen who tow

At first, he thought that due to the ‘Tea Party’ in Murexi Town, Queen Mary had conspired with those nobles who were not favorable to him, and jointly set up a scheme to seize the ‘Grafted Moon Season’ and humiliate him in public.

But after calming down, he realized a few strange things.

First of all, if the Queen and those nobles were one and the same, for a powerless little priest, all he needed to do was to bring his army to confiscate the carriage and drive it out of Silver Ring City, there was no need to go through all the trouble of setting up such a game.

Secondly, while the game was going on, Ethan, who was observing his surroundings, realized many times that the Queen intended to stop the game.

Two of the more obvious times were when he lost eleven pots of moonshine; the other time was the penultimate game, when he lost 150 silver moons. The timing of these two times was very interesting, the first time when Ethan lost a third of his goods, a loss that was barely acceptable and the nobles were in a winning mood; the second time was exactly when Ethan was about to lose everything.

From normal human psychology, assuming that the Queen is aware of the cheating tactics of the gambling game, but unaware of the existence of fae abilities, both times are the best time to get out of the game from Ethan’s standpoint.

There was one last thing, the matter of arranging an escort.

If rushing to the banquet, those escorts from the royal family, the purpose could still be said to be monitoring and escorting; but after returning, still staying behind and not leaving, but instead taking on the defense of the inn, it would be hard to speculate with malice.

Did the queen, unlike the nobles, have some other purpose in view? But why didn’t she just invite, instead of taking such a big detour with a banquet and a bet?

Just as Ethan’s brain ached from thinking, Howard poked him with his elbow, distracting the former.

What about that Fae girl? The one you brought back from the party. Howard lifted his arm and pushed up his sleeve, showing Ethan the two rows of thin teeth marks on it, That girl seems to hate the churchmen more than the nobles. I was merely bitten, but Edgar was so frozen that he couldn’t lift his hand.

With a long sigh, Ethan’s head hurts even more.

---

White candles made of beeswax burned quietly, and beside the fireplace carved with intricate patterns, Queen Mary sat quietly in a wooden chair. Like the white snow with a little reddish color of the gelatin skin tone, in the warm light of the candle, gently raised a layer of misty halo. She had long since taken off the heavy and complicated court gown in the daytime, and was wearing the bedding designed by her own hands and had it tailored.

A long, tightly-sleeved garment of white linen with light silk seams embedded in the backs of the shoulders and chest, the snowy lining of the morning sun was faintly visible. The cuffs of the sleeves are decorated with fine embroidery and beautifully patterned laces, and the underside of the collar is decorated with a Tairo stripe and gold and silver filigree. The light and lively style of this clothing clearly went against the secular dress code precepts required by the Church, yet it appeared natural, generous, and distinctive.

Thirty million silver moons? This huge debt, not to mention that old bastard Kenneth, even if he empties the entire kingdom, he won’t be able to come up with it! Hahaha! Gai VI put down the paperwork in his hands, with a pleasant face listening to his wife, recounting everything that happened at the banquet, while slapping the armrest while laughing: When asking him for money, he always cries poor in front of me, and also moves to wear an old dress. Acquiring a mansion but never seeing him stop, this is already the tenth one.

Your Majesty, this is different from what was originally thought. Whether it’s Silver Refining or God’s Eye, Father Ethan’s attainments in Alchemy are obvious to all, and if he can be introduced as a Royal Alchemist, many problems will be solved. However, considering such a tense relationship between the Church and the Kingdom, our intention was to use a banquet to ease the situation, but now we have botched it ……, the Queen leaned her body against the armrest, the curves under her thin shirt attracting a dazzle from the person opposite her.

Gai VI stood up, shook his head without any concern at all, and from a corner of the room, he took out a wrapped four-square item and handed it to the Queen: These can be talked about tomorrow, let’s put those things aside for a moment and take a look at the gift I have prepared for you, a famous painting by Hetris, the Ancient Tairo’s Painter Patriarch.

Queen Mary, who was beaming with joy, couldn’t wait to unwrap the package, looking at the beautiful pattern on the canvas, she laughed joyfully, It’s really beautiful, this is his late work, rumored to be destroyed in the war, I didn’t expect to see it here! Another empty space in my gallery for a collection has been filled!

Thinking of the coins spent for this painting, Gai VI bites his lip in flesh and turns to his wife as he takes her hand, The painting will only be here, it’s not going anywhere, but our time is slipping away a little bit, it’s time to go and rest ……

The queen’s body stiffened, and after a moment regained her composure, smiled and nodded.

The clear and ghostly moonlight hid into the clouds, and the dim night color descended into the world.

A hand on Mary’s waistline, the king carefully came to her shoulder, a soft sentence surrounded the pillow.

I’m sorry.

The former shook her head, still turning her back toward the other owner of the large bed.

The man turned back around and fell back onto the bed.

After a moment, he came back to the Queen’s side and asked in a low voice, Perhaps we could ……

Queen Mary wrapped the bedding around her body a little more tightly, her voice was not loud, but her tone was undeniable, I told you, I don’t like to use that filth.

The man sighed heavily.

The woman buried her head and said no more.

---

The eastern sky was glowing faintly as Ethan got up early.

He didn’t have any trouble recognizing his bed, but unlike in the town of Twilight West, the unfamiliar surroundings and tense atmosphere of the city always made it impossible to sleep peacefully

To his surprise, Howard and his subordinates were already fully dressed and making their rounds inside and outside the inn. The dark circles under their eyes proved that even with the ‘guards’ outside, these people were still doing their duty.

Knowing Ethan’s habit of eating breakfast, Howard handed the former the rye bread and eggs he had already prepared.

Drinking the fresh water brought by the innkeeper, Ethan took small bites of the rough bread and cast his eyes towards the door. Yesterday’s 『Gambling Game』 incident had made it necessary for him to think carefully about what move he should take next.

Howard did not bother to disturb his thoughts, and walked a short distance away to direct the farmers, and began to check up on the state of the moonflowers.

About half an hour more passed, and Edgar and little Jerry came out of the room.

The former, yawning and rubbing his eyes, walked up to Howard, lifted his chin, and extended his right hand in a self-satisfied manner, with the tips of his fingers curving inward. The latter rolled his eyes, shook his head, and handed over half of the leftover wheaten pumpernickel in his arms.

Little Jerry, on the other hand, came to Ethan’s side and moodily watched the pigeons that walked about in the clearing outside the door

Edgar took the pumpernickel and sat down on the bench beside the priest, devouring the loaf. ethan glanced at him, then at the bread still mostly left in his hand, and patted little Jerry on the shoulder, handing the food to the taller man who crouched beside him.

Edgar, who had finished eating the coarse bread and carefully licked each finger, glanced enviously at Little Jerry, suddenly remembered something, and said towards the crowd in a proud tone, In the end, it’s still me who has the solution! That girl called Pamela yesterday, I’ve convinced her that we’re the good guys!

Howard had a bad feeling, What did you say to her?

Edgar coughed twice and said in an unusually serious tone, Miss, although we seem to be from the church, we are actually the embodiment of justice. Otherwise, if you think about it, why didn’t we send you to the Heresy Trial, but instead hid you here?

Howard aimed at the back of his head and went up to slap him, You’re the one who talks too much!

After lecturing the loudmouth, the man rubbed his temples with his fingers and turned his face toward Ethan and asked, What should we do today?

Ethan thought carefully for a moment before saying, I’d like to go to the cathedral again if possible, but the question is how to get out of here ……

Is Lord Ethan here?

A thick and loud voice came from the doorway, causing everyone in the inn’s hall to turn their heads and look.

The rising sun shone on the gleaming armor that had been tended to, and the reflected light shook the eyes.

The visitor was an old man, who in his youth might have had dark hair, now organized and unruffled in the slightest despite his silver temples and white eyebrows His eyes were bright and godly, without any of the deadness and dimness of an old and decrepit person, giving people a feeling of inner piety and spiritual clarity.

Howard saw clearly who the visitor was, his face instantly turned from red to white, and he turned his body in panic, fleeing the hall on his hands and knees.

The old man kicked up a bench with his foot and hit the man’s back impartially, sending the latter crashing to the ground.

Just as Howard was about to get up, the old man hooked his foot in the crook of his leg, putting him back down and stomping on his spine.

A voice exploded over the man’s head, echoing through the halls of the inn.

Asshole! I’ll settle your score with you later!

Chapter 4

Ethan was stunned by the scene in front of him, and by the time he reacted, Howard was being stomped on and repeatedly rubbed on the ground by the old man in full body armor.

Taking a handful of Edgar and Jerry Jr. who had pushed up their sleeves and wanted to come forward to fight, Ethan stepped forward and pointed to Howard who had given up struggling and said to the old man, Sir, I don’t know who you are or what’s going on, but this man is my retainer, so please let go of him for a moment.

The old man shook his beard and gave the man at his feet an amused look, and with a firm grip on his leg, he said in a deep voice, Little bastard! Why haven’t you told Father Ethan who I am!

Howard strained to raise his head, and a smile worse than tears appeared on his dirt-covered face, This is Baron Cumberland, my Lord Knight (the master that the Knight Squire stage follows), and the officer of the warband I was once in ……

Eh ……Ethan froze in place, he looked back, he did not know when, those who stood behind, Howard’s subordinates, all ran away.

After thinking for a while, Ethan, who tried to organize his language, said to Cumberland, Baron, Howard, he has the unavoidable hardships ……

Desertion is desertion! Not to mention that I personally witnessed his knighting ceremony back in the day, and this bastard is the first knight I’ve seen in my life to leave behind a cognac, a title, or even an honor! Cumberland kicked Howard twice and roared in anger, Do you realize that I’ve been ridiculed by my peers and friends for a whole year because of you!

Howard grimaced and was left with no place

Ethan felt that things were getting more and more troublesome and hurriedly dissuaded the Baron, Lord Cumberland, please calm your anger. This matter happened for many complicated reasons, and no one wants to see it happen. But Howard is now my follower, and as a master, I am willing to do everything possible to make up for his mistake.

…… Oh? That’s good. The anger on the old man’s face instantly disappeared without a trace, and he nodded calmly.

Eh?

What’s going on?

Ethan looked at Cumberland, who changed his face faster than the weather, and his brain was in a state of downtime for a moment.

The Baron patted the dust on his pants and said as if nothing had happened, I forgot to get to the point, Father Ethan, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen have invited you to the Royal Palace for a gathering, I don’t think you’ll refuse, right?

The muscles in Ethan’s face twitched and the corners of his mouth pulled out a hard smile, With pleasure ……

---

On the way to the palace, Eth climbed into conversation with Baron Cumberland.

The old man’s temperament is completely different from the first impression, funny and talkative, quick thinking.Ethan vaguely understand, Howard’s character, in fact, in the side of who learnt it by heart.

Cumberland came from a poor background. At the age of fourteen, he joined the war with the barbarians in the north as a peasant soldier. The fearless and heroic figure on the battlefield made the then lord notice him at once. After that, there were nearly a thousand wars, and his triumphant return to the sea of corpses and blood made the name 『Cumberland』be remembered by every enemy in his heart. And with his military achievements, he also went from sergeant, knight squire, trainee knight, knight, and was eventually made a non-hereditary lifetime baron.

Lord Baron, may I ask His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen, what exactly is it that they are looking for me for? Ethan still had some mental shadows about the encounter at yesterday’s banquet, if this time the royal family had recruited him to go over there just to give the nobles a head start, then it would be better to make good on his plans to run away before it was too late.

Cumberland looked at the priest and said with a smile, I don’t know.

Ethan was speechless.

The meeting place was not arranged in the audience room or the side hall, but was placed in the palace’s government hall, which surprised Ethan a bit, because the royal family received a small priest, and this was a bit out of the ordinary.

The moment Ethan stepped into the door of the hall, the bustling crowd inside the hall made him a bit dazzled.

While he was observing the crowd in the hall, the others were also observing him.

One by one, with an aura of mystery and honor, this priest, who was only fifteen years old, became a tall and unpredictable figure in everyone’s eyes.

Ethan found only two people he recognized in the crowd, one was naturally Queen Mary, who sat high on the side of the throne, and the other was Viscount Kenneth, who had made a fool of himself at the banquet yesterday.

Slowly pacing to the center of the hall, Ethan held the cross on his chest with one hand, and with the other hand, he made a cross in the air and recited a blessing prayer towards the King and Queen, nodding his head slightly to show his respect.

Seeing the priest’s action, the people in the hall whispered, and those with louder voices could faintly hear words like 『Even a bishop wouldn’t dare to be so ……’.

Contrasting with other people’s dissatisfaction and discussion, Gai VI only gently frowned, exchanged a glance with Queen Mary beside him, and then said to Ethan in a pleasant manner, Priest, do you know that the legend about you has already circulated in every corner of Silver Ring City.

Ethan shook his head and said, It is the Father’s prowess that is celebrated, not me.

The king froze and asked again, I heard that this time you brought a strange flower, different varieties of moonflowers but growing on a single tree?

That is the flower of the gospel of the miraculous place 『Murexi Town』, a gift from the Heavenly Father.

Gai VI moved his body and asked with considerable interest, Can you tell us specifically what’s going on?

A farmer in the town of Twilight West, one day, inserted those folded down moonflowers and wooden roots, buried them in the town’s soil, and watered the well.The next day, that farmer actually found the moonflowers growing on top of the roots ……

Fr! By the farmer, you mean the runaway serfs who have reneged on the sacred covenant, don’t you?

The crowd was shocked by this statement.

Ethan, who was interrupted, looked to where the voice came from.

Several well-dressed nobles stood together, casting him an impish look.

Ethan said in a questioning tone, I think there is a strange point in what you said, these farmers who reneged on the 『Sacred』Contract deserve to be punished by God, but why is the Heavenly Father falsely trying to fulfill a miracle by their hands?

Watching the nobles pause in speech for a moment, Ethan continued, I think these farmers were inspired to come to the town of Twilight West ……

A bunch of nonsense! Several nobles were furious, and when they were about to refute it, the king, who saw that the situation was not right, hastily changed the topic again, Father, I heard that you won thirty million silver moons through gambling at the banquet yesterday?

Upon hearing this, the crowd in the hall immediately came to their senses, yesterday’s crazy gamble had already spread throughout

Ethan still had that unperturbed look and slowly said, Your Majesty, that is also the holy ruling of the Heavenly Father, it has nothing to do with me.

Viscount Kenneth suddenly screamed, You were cheating yesterday!

Ethan gave him an amused look, his skill at the card table was not good, but his skill at shouting at thieves was top notch.

Standing beside the young Viscount, a fat, middle-aged, balding man, stood out and said, Father, I think the bet you made with my son was unfair, there is never a reason to change the rules at will in a bet.

Ethan skimmed his mouth and sneered in his heart, after all the fuss, it turned out to be ‘the son is aggravated and the old man picks the bag’.

Earl Nar has a point. The king smiled and rounded up the situation, Otherwise, how about we each make a concession?

Ethan calmly looked at the father and son duo, paused for a moment, and suddenly said something that baffled everyone, The royal close guards that escorted me yesterday were the most disciplined and neatest army I’ve ever seen.

Although Gai VI didn’t understand why the priest brought this up, after all, the other party was praising his own close guards, and there was still a proud smile on his face.

Queen Mary, who was sitting beside him, frowned instead. She looked at Ethan’s mouth and her body tightened.

But what makes me feel a sigh of relief is that their saddles are worn down to bare fur, their scabbards already have rust at the bottom, and even dinner is a bowl of meat porridge shared between two men.

The king’s face lost its smile.

The reason for these circumstances was more than understandable to him, because of the lack of money.

Perhaps some people found it strange that as the richest country in the Western Continent, the royal family would also run out of money?

But this was the case, when the Silver Ring Kingdom was first established, it was still upholding the medieval law of 『The king should rely on himself to support himself』, but with the frequent wars, as well as the expansion of the palace’s expenses, the real estate income of the royal domains, the income of the sovereigns, and the income of the judiciary were far from being able to cover the royal family’s expenditures.

Taxes on the subjects became the only option, and the rate and types of taxes became more and more harsh as the monarch’s needs increased, and a saying even began to circulate in the Silver Circle - 『Taxes are as harsh as rats, fattening oneself and harming the people』.

But what the high and mighty king didn’t know was that most of these huge amounts of taxes flowed into the hands of the nobles who held the power of finance and taxation.

Watching Gai VI’s face become grave, Ethan suddenly said, I voluntarily give up my right to recover the gambling chips from the Viscount Lord ……

Once these words were said, everyone’s heart was at ease, but what they didn’t expect was that the priest’s words hadn’t been finished.

Only to hear him continue, Without those royal close guards guarding all night long, I even doubt if I could have slept peacefully last night. Therefore, I hope that Earl Kenneth and Lord Viscount, for the sake of these close guards doing their best for the kingdom, will donate a little bit of money to improve their equipment and meals.

As soon as the words of this speech fell, the crowd in the hall looked different.

The guards who stood inside and outside the hall threw grateful looks at Ethan. Not only because the priest was fighting for their interests, but more importantly, the royal family and nobles were always asking them to do this and that, but very few were able to pay attention to the hard work and dedication of the close guards.

The nobles didn’t have much to object to, instead they nodded their heads. On the one hand, it was because Ethan had voluntarily given up the right to collect that astronomical gambling debt; on the other hand, whether it was day or night, the royal guards had indeed guarded his safety, and it was perfectly reasonable for the priest to get a little reward for them.

Gai VI, on the other hand, was overjoyed and be For one thing, Ethan listened to his own advice, immediately gave up the right to collect the gambling debt, whether it is face or face, really is to give himself enough; Secondly, said to be for the royal guards to fight for the reward, first of all is not to fall into their own pockets to be able to share out again, when he takes the big head, guards take the small head, is not it a profit again.

I am afraid that Queen Mary’s look was the strangest one in the hall. She stood up, first looked at Ethan with rounded eyes, and then immediately saw her husband’s face of joy, lightly opening her lips she wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to say it, the expression on her face was getting more and more alarmed and overwhelmed.

Father your inner self, your character, is truly the most good and true. Gai VI coughed and looked at his father and son with an expectant expression, My two beloved ministers, what do you think?

The earl and his eldest son’s faces were difficult to discuss for a long while, finally tremblingly raised a finger: One …… hundred silver months?

The king’s face instantly collapsed.

Ethan put his head down and nearly laughed out loud.

Chapter 5

A hundred silver moons? Count, you are really generous! Gai VI laughed angrily and slapped the armrest of the throne with great force.

Looking at the people around him casting despicable looks, and the closest peers even took two steps back, the mean and miserly Lord Earl panicked, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and said in a loud voice, Double it, double it! 200 silver moons, 200 silver moons!

Queen Mary covertly pulled her husband’s sleeve, but unfortunately the other party pressed no response. Only the king stood up, suppressed his anger, and said in a deep voice, I heard that the earl has ten mansions within the city, each worth thousands of gold asahi?

The Earl’s veins were exposed, and almost gritting his teeth, he reported a new figure, I’m willing to add up to 2,000 silver moons.

Gai VI still doesn’t look too satisfied, but his face is finally better than just now, and with the Queen beside him pulling hard on the hem of his coat, he finally mumbles and sits back in his seat, shaking his hand in dismissal.

Looking at Viscount Kenneth, who was twitching his moustache and casting an indignant look, Ethan shrugged his eyebrows and raised his head to look at the ceiling.

The king, who had slightly calmed down his anger, suddenly remembered the main topic of this meeting, and hurriedly leaned his upper body forward and asked Ethan amiably, Father, this time, I invited you here because I want to invite you, to become the Royal Alchemist of the Kingdom ……

I object!

This time, the one who jumped out was actually the Count, a bald fat man, again, only to see him raise his hand to point at Ethan and exclaimed, Ever since the late king succeeded to the throne, in the history of Silver Ring City, there has never been a churchman in a prominent position in the royal palace, this is out of order!

The other officials and nobles in the hall also spoke out in agreement. The specific reason, in fact, we all know in our hearts, the church and the kingdom always have some contradictions and sordidness that can’t be brought to the surface, letting a priest into the royal palace, not only will all the secular nobles have a grudge in their hearts, but also fear that the power of the church will infiltrate into the royal family, and even sway the king’s decision.

Gai VI looks like he is trying his best to suppress the anger in his chest, he reddened his face and continued to explain with a strange tone: Mr. Ethan’s ability and attainments in alchemy, I believe that all of you have witnessed, he has already improved the silver refining technique when he was in the convent, coupled with God’s eye that can distinguish between good and evil, if he can be invited to become a royal alchemist,For the kingdom’s finances ……

The king’s words were once again interrupted by the count, Church personnel are not allowed to serve in the palace! This is the legacy of the late king!

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