And these people were all renowned alchemists in the history of Colin Ishurian.

If Hilveld hadn't been holding his hand, Fang Hong would have almost regretted it. The other party should be considered a senior of his family's Miss Ship's Officer, right? What if they asked about his captaincy level?

How should he reply?

Just barely out of the rookie stage?

He thought, better to kill him, the other party might unceremoniously drive them away, which would be pretty embarrassing.

But Hilveld didn't mind at all. Probably seeing his concern, this noble lady smiled slightly and said, "Grandfather Ande is very kind. What are you afraid of? He won't eat people. Besides, you have to prove yourself in front of the current Count Westwood Sibika. What will you do if you can't pass this test?"

"I'm not afraid...?"

"Then why are you pulling back so hard, Lord Captain?"

"I... I'm just not used to others holding my hand..."

Behind him, Luo Yu and Xiangzi rolled their eyes in unison.

Hilveld couldn't help but laugh but didn't expose him.

The legendary alchemist lived on the other side of Dulun, close to the suburban area near the forest, residing alone in a mountain villa. Though Dulun wasn't as enormous as Golande, it was still sizable. Luckily, in cities like these in this era, there were always Magic Powered Trains.

The four of them, plus Miss Fairy, took the Magic Guided Train out of Dulun and then walked for nearly an hour after leaving the city before gradually approaching that place.

It was actually a small town, with snow-covered hills nearby, near the northern hilly area of the Kudi Mountain Range, surrounded by snow-capped mountains in the distance.

The group wound along the mountain path and hadn't gone far before they saw an independent manor situated halfway up the mountain, surrounded by a snow-laden pine forest.

As they got closer, they found that today they weren't the only visitors here.

A black carriage was stopped outside the manor gates, leaving deep wheel tracks in the snow, evidently having just arrived. The carriage bore a crest that Fang Hong couldn't recognize despite a long examination, prompting him to look back at the noble lady.

Hilveld, unusually, shook her head, quietly informing them that this emblem might not belong to any of the nobility from Colin's side.

"It's an emblem commonly used by dwarves from Ishurian," Miss Tata spoke up at this time, "The pattern specification is quite fixed. The visitor should be a dwarf of considerable status."

Dwarves?

The group was slightly taken aback.

Very few knew that the former president of the South Region Alchemist Alliance of Colin Ishurian, Ande Ulriel, was already seventy-three years old this year—

In Eteliria, starlight trickles away with age, combined with backward medical methods, mortals at this age, no matter how illustrious they once were, are usually in their twilight years, approaching the last stage of life.

However, just looking at appearances, this legendary alchemist would not give such an impression, looking more like a robust elder in his early sixties, full of life and casually amiable.

Ande Ulriel was currently seated on the sofa, leaning over as he listened to his old friend recount some amusing tales from outside, occasionally bursting into hearty laughter.

Not far away, the fireplace contained some grayish charcoal, with faint flames casting a dim glow within the room.

Ande Ulriel lit a pipe, took a puff, and amidst the clouds of smoke, he patted the armrest of the sofa, clearly aware of the other party's intentions. After laughing, he shook his head and said, "Old buddy, I am not like you guys. I'm old, and Alchemist Alliance affairs are no longer my business. Those are for the young folks now."

Sitting opposite him on another sofa was an old dwarf, who wrinkled his brow, waving his hand with some disdain, "Old smoking gun, the Southern Region is on the verge of chaos, and you really don't care?"

"My old boss's granddaughter is still missing, so how can I be concerned about this?" Ande Ulriel chuckled. "Old buddy, don't think I don't know you are not the same as them, so why get involved with their mess?"

He waved his pipe, "Let our king, His Majesty, worry about it. Isn't the Prime Minister still around? Okay, you're here as a guest today, and I'm happy to entertain, but talk about anything else, and I'll have to ask you to leave."

Phales Copper Bay heavily coughed, "Could you stop smoking first, I can't stand the smell—that smell of tobacco—cough, cough, you still have this bad temper. If this didn't concern the interests of Colin Ishurian's craftsmen, do you think I would be here? You humans are such troublesome beings, always making things difficult for yourselves."

Ande Ulriel laughed heartily, but he did extinguish his pipe.

Just at that moment, a dwarf goblin hurriedly came in from outside, gesticulating and chirping at the two of them.

It's said that dwarf goblins have dwarf blood, but the dwarf clan always despises these smelly fellows. Phales Copper Bay frowned at the little creature, asking, "What did it say?" But Ande Ulriel had already stood up swiftly from the sofa, asking loudly, "Is what you said true!?"

The dwarf goblin widened its beady black eyes and nodded vigorously.

"All Saints above," the elder exclaimed. He then turned to the Tongwan family clan leader and said, "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

Before he could finish his words, he hurried out.

Leaving only the old dwarf and the dwarf goblin in the room, staring at each other. "You smelly little rascal." Phales Copper Bay frowned at the latter, "You'd better stay away from me before I get mad."

...

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