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HMJ - Chapter 34
🕑 Added 2024-06-17 13:12:16 +0000 UTC? POV
It was nighttime, and the Lanters were spending light as an elderly man was strolling on a road besides the Canal through Central City.
He wore a black tuxedo and a top hat; his grandfatherly dream was completed by a very long moustache.
Suddenly, the elderly man stopped as he spotted a cloaked figure right on his way.
“Giolio Comanche?” The figure asked as he slowly looked at the elderly man, his features hidden by his hood.
The man now identified as Giolio Comanche asked, “What do you want?”
When the figure dropped his hood, revealing the markant scar, dark skin, and red eyes of an Ishvalian, Giolio began to grin madly. “Ho- A ghost of Ishval has appeared.”
He removed his gloves, revealing the tattoos on the palms of his hands: “An Ishvalian with a scar on his forehead. You are supposed to have died in East City.”
“I won’t meet God until I have ended all of you wretched state alchemists." Scar replied as he readied himself.
“Even knowing that I am the Sliver Alchemist, you still dare to challenge me.” Giolio said, now showing off the tattoos on his palm fully, that they were an extremely complex set of transmutation circles. “A fine spirit you have.”
Giolio opened by transmuting the surrounding metal of the lanterns and railings into a pair of speared chains, sending them at Scar.
“Oh, how I have missed this feeling.” He grinned madly as he kept attacking, transmuting two Shurikens that he also threw at Scar.
What happened next surprised the Old Man.
Instead of witnessing the destructive form of alchemy he had heard the Ishvalian was using, instead a steel sword appeared from somewhere, which he used to deflect all the incoming weaponry at an inhuman speed.
“I didn’t know you were using swords. Anyway, my left leg that was taken by you, Asswipes, was aching for this.” The old man grinned as he kept on attacking, transmuting more of his surroundings into weapons. Creating a sword for himself.
He directly jumped at Scar while spinning with his sword, but the Ishvalian blocked all of his attacks with his own blade.
“Don’t look down on me!” shouted Giolio as he saw that it had taken Scar no effort to block him as he once again began to spin jump.
“You are wide open... What’s this dumb spinning supposed to be?” Scar said as he pointed his finger at Giolio and a green flash head headed at the man.
The next thing he knew was that his body no longer listened to him.
With efforescence, he gritted out, “W-who are you?”
“I am Scar, aren’t I? But it doesn’t matter. You are dead either way; just give me what I want.” Scar said with a grin before once again pointing his finger right in between Giolio’s eyebrows, “Legillimens!”
———
[ Alchemy (FMA) has leveled up to Level 103. ]
[ Alchemy Mastery (Apprentice) has leveled up to Level 88. ]
[ Elementary Mastery: Metal (Apprentice) has leveled up to Level 95. ]
[ Mind Magic Mastery (Expert) has leveled up to Level 54. ]
[ Physics Mastery (Apprentice) has leveled up to Level 78. ]
[ Chemistry Mastery (Apprentice) has leveled up to Level 98. ]
‘I believe these were all three that Scar had killed in Central City.’ Harry thought as he removed the glamour and transfiguration he had used to look like Scar and once again blended into society without being noticed.
His skills had leveled quite a lot, and each of these state alchemists had added new knowledge, which gave his skills experience since each of them had focused on a different branch.
But it didn’t look like he would gain the ability to use alchemy without a transmutation circle, like the Elric Brothers or their teacher.
Maybe it was a completely separate skill.
Or there really was a gate inside of him that had to be opened first.
The Homunculi were always talking about the Elric Brothers as the people who had opened the gate. Maybe it was more physical than just metaphysical.
Anyway, it was the only skill that could become really useful in the long term. Most of the other abilities of the alchemist were too limited or had too many weaknesses to be useful in the multiverse.
While Transmutation Circle-less Alchemy was flexible enough to always be useful and far more flexible and easier to use than Transfiguration, which required a great deal of focus,.
Else Alchemy was only useful in science and industry. For that, he had to find a way to make alchemy usable for all the people in Skagos.
Which meant he needed to learn alkahestry too.
For now, it was time to retreat; he still had a few weeks before meeting up with Scar.
Meanwhile, he could use his newfound alchemy expertise to accelerate the different construction projects on Skagos.
‘Are these bikes?’
———
“Yo Harry! How is it going?” Argo asked as she entered the store, “Did you get the sewing kit? Are these bikes?”
“Yup~”
“How? Don’t you live in a medieval world? Did you suddenly manage to revolutionize technology so far?” She wondered as she skimmed through the text of one of the bike’s.
“I recently connected to a world that is technologically on the level of WW1. But they also use alchemy, transmutation, and all that stuff.” He explained.
Argo looked up from the bike and said, "Wait, are you talking about the manga and anime ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’?”
“Huh, so you know it. It’s exactly what I am talking about. I even got some Med-kits from there.” Harry said he was pulling them out of his inventory and onto the table.
Argo read through their texts while asking, "So you've got your hands on a philosopher stone already.”
“I did. I killed Gluttony and took his stone.”
“You did? You sure work fast. What are you planning to use it for?” Argo asked with an unreadable look on her face.
“Honestly? I am not sure. If I am real, while I am ruthless in some aspects, I don’t condone harming innocents. And the majority of souls used for it are innocent. My original idea was to maybe recreate bodies for them and put their souls back. That way I would profit by getting more population while not abusing the stone." Harry said, but sighed.
“So what is the problem?”
“By now, I have spent a bit of time studying the stone. It’s made of souls, and each of them is in agony. They have unfortunately lost their sense of self. Remember the Homunculus puppets in the manga? That’s the best possible thing for these souls. I am not a god. They would be purely instinctive puppets without any real selves." He sighed.
It had been such a great hope for him, but they wouldn’t be any different from his Inferi, just weaker because his Inferi were harder to kill without fire.
Argo thought for a moment: “Then why not create some newborns?”
“As far as I can tell, Each newborn child forms a fresh, innocent soul by itself. I have discussed this with some very wise and experienced people (dragons). If I create a newborn and implant one of the souls into it, I will just get a tormented child who is always in pain, more like a beast. A soul has a lot of influence on itself. The best I can do for them at this point is to use them and return them to the cycle of reincarnation.” He explained that he had even visited the Eldunari in Alagaësia to get their input: “It doesn’t matter right now. Is there anything I could do for you?”
“Oh, right, I totally forgot. But first of all, how much for the bike? I want it!” She demanded while starring at him.
“3000 Cor, they are quite hard to replicate for me right now.” Harry explained briefly.
“Can’t you just Alchemy more of them?” She pointed it out.
"Sure, if I had the raw materials. I am missing the rubber and some of the plastic. I hadn't had the time yet to set productions for such things up. There is simply a massive lack of education and people for me.” Harry replied, “So 3000 is the best I can do. Amestris isn’t the safest place to buy things right now. That Homunculus called Pride, the strongest of them, has his eyes everywhere right now; since the disappearance of Lust and Gluttony, he is very cautious.”
“You killed Lust too?”
“Nope, I recruited her!” was the proud reply.
Argo just starred at him with a deadpan look, “You are a perverted Boob lover.”
“Oy, I said I was lacking qualified people. What’s wrong with recruiting someone qualified just because she is also hot? I saw an opportunity and took it.”
“Hmm, I don’t believe you. Anyway, I take the bike and the Med-Kits. Do you also take items in exchange?”
"What have you got?”
“This~” She summoned something oval-shaped out of her inventory; it resembled an egg.
[ Direwolf Familiar Egg (Rare):
An egg that can be used to hatch a Direwolf Familiar. ]
“I take it. You get the bike for it.” Harry offered.
“The Bike and the Med-Kits. Also, you waived half of my bill for the weapons you sold me in advance! These are clearly items that you won’t find in your own world." She counter-haggled.
“I may not find an egg that can hatch direwolves, but I could find a direwolf and tame it since they are a thing in my world. My last offer is the bike and the medical kits. I will consider releasing a part of your bill for other cool items.” Harry relented.
“Buh~ fine. Cheapskate.” She agreed as they exchanged the goods.
“So what is the actual reason you came here for?”
“Right! Lisbeth is ready to start unlocking the Smithing skills; she has enough skill slots for the necessary skills. Is the Smithy ready?” Argo asked excitedly.
“Yup, through that door." He said this as he opened a door on one side of the room, revealing a medieval forge that he had constructed. It held all the tools and furnishings that were common for Smiths in Westeros.
“Nice! I will send her over. Should I send Ygritte back too? She has a lot of fun. ” Argo asked.
“Keep her for now; I need some stronger people. If she levels up, she will become a good commander in the future. Harry smiled, thinking about how much fun Ygritte had while hunting monsters.
The threat of death was nothing new to her, but hunting such a unique game was something she enjoyed very much.
