Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"I'm home," Alex said as she opened the door.

"Welcome back, Alex-chan~" Warwick still had that flippant expression. "Did you buy the cigarettes?"

"I bought it and happened to run into an acquaintance."

"Oh~"

“It’s been four years, hasn’t it, Warwick?” Isaac walked over and casually found a chair to sit down.

Over the past four years, this man in his thirties has remained virtually unchanged, still sporting long, flowing blond hair and an eye patch over his single eye.

Warwick was surprised to see a somewhat familiar-looking boy in front of him. He immediately remembered that this was the kid he had met four years ago.

"Isaac?"

"That's amazing, your memory is pretty good," Isaac laughed.

“Having a good memory isn’t something to be proud of; sometimes, having a bad memory makes life more enjoyable.” Warwick didn’t seem to care about Isaac’s praise and continued, “I heard you opened a factory in Yelcastrum and hired many Twilight People as workers.”

"That's true. So, would you like to work for our company?"

"Forget it, it's more enjoyable to run my convenience store while doing my main job," Warwick said nonchalantly.

As for his main job, he had already told Isaac about it four years ago: he was a gigolo, commonly known as a male prostitute.

"You're really something else! Starting a factory at such a young age. Four years ago you were only twelve or thirteen, and now you're probably no more than seventeen," Warwick laughed. "Did you come here specifically to see me?"

"I just happened to run into your convenience store employees, and thought I'd drop by to see how you two were doing," Isaac said, glancing around. "Speaking of which, there's another person here? I think his name is Nicholas."

"You mean him? He had a request that needed his attention, so he went out," Warwick replied. "I just got back from a client's place too."

Without a doubt, his client is probably another unsatisfied wife.

"You're going to get killed sooner or later if you keep going like this."

"How could that be? I always do my research before meeting clients." Warwick grinned and gave an OK sign.

"Alright, stop corrupting Isaac."

Alex, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and picked up a magazine and threw it at Warwick's head.

"Ah...no, I still really hope that little Isaac can do the same job as me." Warwick rubbed his head where he had been hit. "He's so strong, even if he's discovered, he won't get into trouble, and he's also very cute."

“What do you mean by cute? My face is a tough, masculine face,” Isaac retorted.

He still doesn't have a clear understanding of his own appearance.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the door, and someone was walking towards them.

Click.

A man covered in blood walked in, a Japanese sword tucked into his waistband. This was the other person Isaac hadn't seen before: Nicholas.

His outfit clearly showed he had just come back from killing someone.

"Hey, Nicholas, you're back," Warwick said with a smile when he saw the visitor. "Look who's here."

Nicholas turned his head upon hearing this and spotted Isaac sitting in the chair.

"..."

"..."

Nicholas is deaf and mute, but he can read some lips. However, he doesn't usually pay attention to what others are saying, so he can only respond when Warwick speaks.

Isaac and Nicholas exchanged a glance but said nothing more. They gave each other the middle finger as a greeting.

Alex: "..."

"Hahahahaha."

Warwick looked at the two of them and burst into laughter.

"Alright, you two have met. I need to go back to the factory to supervise them." Isaac got up from his seat and walked towards the door.

"Huh? Are we leaving now?"

Alex tried to persuade her to stay, but was rejected.

"Let's come again next time if we have the chance. I've been quite busy lately."

Warwick suddenly spoke up at this moment: "By the way, Isaac, I have something to remind you."

"Ok?"

“Although your factory in Yerkastum has been approved by the local government, Yerkastum is not a place where the government has the final say,” he said. “Your hiring of the Twilight race has angered the Corsican family, and you’ll probably have a tough time in this city from now on.”

"Is it that family again?"

"What? You two have a grudge?"

“I killed their family members before, and they haven’t come looking for trouble with me these past few days.”

“The major powers that rule this city have a history of conflict. Just because they don’t have time to deal with you now doesn’t mean they won’t have time later,” Warwick said. “They probably want to settle scores later.”

I'd heard Luca mention this family's name before; they're supposedly one of the four major powers in the city. Anyway, everyone who knows them warns Isaac that it's a dangerous organization and he shouldn't mess with them if possible.

"Are you very familiar with them?"

"No, it's just that I often go to the brothels run by their family."

"Really? Then please pass on the message to them for me when you have the chance."

Isaac didn't ask any more questions, and walked out the door on his own, leaving behind a single sentence.

"Tell them that if they dare to interfere with my plans, I will cut off all their heads and hang them at the gates of Yerkastum as road signs."

"..."

Nicholas just smiled after Isaac left, while Warwick covered his head, feeling a headache coming on.

"It seems this city is going to become even more chaotic in the future."

Chapter 547: Erica's Family

"I heard you have an older brother in Yelkastum, is that correct?"

"Yes, I was abandoned by my parents and lived in an orphanage."

On the street, Isaac and Erica walked side by side.

Isaac didn't tell her his true identity, but he did tell her about setting up the factory and asked her, her parents, and Chinatsu to keep it a secret. Erica agreed without hesitation.

She's always been like this since she was little; she'll agree to all of Isaac's requests, and she'll be the first to stand up for him if he's bullied.

As a child, Isaac was initially afraid of this girl who always had a blank expression, but over time he did come to regard this girl, who had been adopted by his father, as his older sister.

“Should we go look for it? Maybe we can find it,” Isaac asked.

Now that he's connected with the high-ranking figures here, he can certainly use his influence to help Erica find a lost relative.

“No need, you are my only family,” Erica said calmly.

“Is that so? Then I won’t force you.” Isaac didn’t continue the conversation after hearing this. “Don’t push yourself too hard. Just tell me if you need any help. We’re family.”

"Ah."

There aren't many people on this street when there's no gang fight. Anyone with common sense knows that wandering around outside can easily lead to being shot.

The streets were deserted by then, and the dried bloodstains and bullet holes on the dilapidated walls indicated that this place was a dangerous area most of the time.

The two continued walking when a huge figure blocked their way.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Isaac?"

"Ok?"

Looking up, a burly, bearded man stood between the two of them.

Although this person looked like an elderly man, his height of over 1.9 meters still gave people a sense of oppression.

"It's me. Is there something you need?"

When Isaac asked the question, Erica had already stepped in front of him.

The burly old man was taken aback when he saw Erica, then noticed the sign hanging around her neck.

“Miss, I have no ill intentions toward your master.”

“Old man, watch your mouth.” Isaac frowned. “Erica is my sister.”

"How rude of me."

He didn't pay much attention to Isaac's rudeness, but instead bowed his head and apologized.

“My name is Miller Meyer. I have been invited by the chief to be your guest,” Miller said respectfully.

"Who is your leader?"

"Daniel Monor".

"So it's the leader of the Monno family." Isaac quickly realized who had invited him.

He had previously investigated the situation in Yelkastum and had mentioned that the city was controlled by four factions.

These are the Cristiano family of Luca, the Corsica family of Uranus Corsica, the Monno family of Daniel Monno, and a mercenary group of Twilight People led by Gina Parkley.

The first three of these forces are gangs, and the last one is a mercenary organization.

The man named Miller in front of them, Daniel Monor, was the leader of the Monor family, a criminal gang.

"What business does Mr. Monno have with me? Why do you want me to come in person?"

"I am very sorry. The leader originally intended to come to see you in person, but he had to deal with some traitors at the last minute, so he had to send me to pick you up."

His tone remained respectful, which inevitably made people suspicious of his true intentions.

Logically speaking, Isaac's current identity in IW is only known to the Yerkastum authorities, or rather, the information they have is limited to knowing that he has some connection with IW, perhaps as a collaborator or a high-ranking member.

His public identity is at most that of a factory owner.

The person in front of me is speaking to me so cautiously; could it be that they've discovered my other identity?

“Sure, take me to meet your leader.” Isaac said, glancing at Erica beside him. “You don’t mind bringing one more person, do you?”

"Of course I wouldn't mind."

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