章 135: Chapter 135 Alchemy (Part 2)
"Mustang would never join them," Hughes declared firmly before Mustang could respond. The three of them, Hughes, Mustang, and Hawkeye, stared at the national map with the alchemy array drawn on it in silence. At this moment, Hawkeye had already put away her handgun.
They didn't doubt Daniel's words. If an ordinary person had suddenly said what Daniel did, they wouldn't have believed it. But Hughes and Mustang had long suspected something strange about the upper echelons of the military. They just couldn't figure out why. Now they knew.
However, knowing the reason left them silent. The enemy's power and influence were overwhelming. The entire military, from the highest leader to the top-ranking generals, was united. What could two lieutenant colonels like them do?
Although Mustang's rank was higher than other lieutenant colonels because he was a State Alchemist, it was still a nominal position without much real power. Mustang had only a handful of direct subordinates.
In a military organization, power flowed from the top down. If the upper echelons were corrupt, there was nothing the lower ranks could do. One order could strip them of their power or even make them fugitives.
Revealing the conspiracy was also impossible. The upper echelons had plenty of ways to discredit them. The fate of the ice alchemist who tried to assassinate the President was a lesson in this.
"This is really interesting. Now I'm one step closer to the President's position," Mustang said after a long silence, smiling. But while his mouth smiled, his eyes were cold.
"That's the situation. If you don't want to die, it's best not to do anything unnecessary. Pretend this never happened," Daniel said, looking at Hughes and Hawkeye.
This was all Daniel could do for Hughes. The best outcome for Hughes now would be to leave the military and avoid getting involved. The Homunculi wouldn't go out of their way to target him. After all, they were different from humans, which led to their downfall.
But it was clear that Hughes wouldn't leave the military. Daniel could use force, but he wouldn't. He had done his best to warn Hughes. He didn't want to see the tragedy but wasn't a babysitter.
"You haven't warned me," Mustang said, puzzled. He wondered why Daniel had warned Hughes and Hawkeye but not him.
In the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, the adults like Mustang were quite reliable, unlike in many other stories where the protagonist always had the upper hand.
"Because you might be a sacrifice. The Homunculi can't let you die before their plan is complete unless they find a replacement. Among the State Alchemists, very few can be sacrifices. Besides you, only the Elric brothers have the qualifications."
Daniel decided to reveal some information about the human sacrifices to Mustang, though he didn't go into too much detail. He mentioned that the State Alchemists were selected to find sacrifices but didn't elaborate further.
"That's all the information I have. Be careful, and goodbye," Daniel said, standing up to leave.
"You're leaving?" Hughes asked, confused. He hadn't expected this stranger to bring them to this place, reveal the truth about the country, and then leave without doing anything more.
"I need to go to Xing to investigate some things. There seems to be an issue with alchemy in this country. I want to see the difference between their alchemy and our alchemy," Daniel explained his goal.
"An issue with alchemy in this country? What issue?" Mustang asked, incredulous.
"If I knew, I wouldn't need to investigate," Daniel said, then left directly. Whatever they decided to do next was up to them.
After leaving Hughes and the others, Daniel quickly packed his belongings and prepared to leave Central City. He had nothing else to do there.
"I wonder if a close-range nuclear strike could kill the Homunculus," Daniel thought as he sat on his flying skateboard, considering the possibility of taking down the Homunculus head-on.
The Homunculus had many lives, but if hit by a nuclear bomb at close range, no amount of lives would save it. After all, the Homunculus couldn't manually trigger nuclear fusion.
Although nuclear weapons were hard to come by, Daniel could get his hands on a small one. A certain country was notorious for selling anything for the right price.
Since the Homunculus didn't understand nuclear weapons, getting one close to it wouldn't be too difficult. This method had a high chance of killing the Homunculus, making it easier to obtain the Philosopher's Stones buried beneath the country.
However, he didn't choose this method for two reasons. First, the destructive power of a nuclear bomb was too great. Detonating one in Central City would likely kill everyone there.
The second reason was that Daniel wanted to see the National Transmutation Circle, which could bring down a god. Such a grand scene was rare and worth witnessing. He even considered using the transmutation circle himself.
The Philosopher's Stone, also known as the Sorcerer's Stone, the Elixir of Life, the Red Tincture, and the Fifth Element, had many names, all indicating its immense power.
Of course, Daniel was tempted by such an object. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically sought out the transmutation circle for making Philosopher's Stones.
He wasn't as crazy as the king of Xerxes, who destroyed his country for it. But some people deserved to die, and whether they were killed directly or turned into Philosopher's Stones, the result was the same.
"Lior, huh?" Daniel decided to go to Lior first, a place destined for bloodshed in the future.
Daniel wanted the Philosopher's Stone held by the priest there. He had almost forgotten about it but remembered it while planning his trip to the East.
Previously, at the Fifth Laboratory, he hadn't tried to take the Philosopher's Stones to avoid being discovered. But after being discovered anyway, he left without taking any.
While there were many Philosopher's Stones underground in Central, they were controlled by the Homunculus. To avoid alerting them, Daniel didn't touch them.
"The Church of the Sun God Leto." In the town of Lior, the priest's speech was being broadcast, with some people listening devoutly and others indifferent. From their conversations, Daniel heard about the miracles.
In the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, despite having newspapers and trains, communication was still quite closed. While alchemists were common in some cities, few people in this small town had seen one.
Lior was not large or wealthy, which was why Cornello had chosen it as the church's base.
"Haha, just a few more believers and my plan will be complete." Cornello, the priest of Lior, was sitting in his office, looking pleased as he stroked the red gem on his ring.
Cornello was originally a third-rate alchemist, the kind who struggled to complete transmutations and failed nine out of ten times. Such alchemists were the most despised in the field.
But Cornello's luck changed when he stumbled upon a Philosopher's Stone. Realizing its power, he became immensely ambitious, aiming to use the stone's power to become the ruler of Amestris and overthrow the President.
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to charge into Central and assassinate the President. Instead, he planned to use the church and the Philosopher's Stone to build an army of believers, seize power, and eventually unify the country.
With the Philosopher's Stone, Cornello was seen as a divine emissary in Lior, quickly gathering a group of fanatical followers. Even in a world as advanced as Marvel, cults could easily attract followers, especially with the aid of the Philosopher's Stone. Cornello's plan was progressing smoothly.
"Ah!" Suddenly, Cornello let out a shrill scream in his office. Moments later, he screamed again, this time in horror as he saw the red gem missing from his ring.
The Philosopher's Stone, his lifeline, was gone.
Cornello clutched his left hand, glaring at the figure who had appeared silently. It was Daniel. Cornello's initial scream was due to Daniel forcibly taking the stone from his ring, breaking his finger in the process. The pain was excruciating, but losing the stone was even worse.
"Priest, what's going on?" Four guards burst into the room, alerted by Cornello's screams. These guards were not believers but were loyal to Cornello because of the Philosopher's Stone.
Seeing Daniel standing there, the guards raised their guns, but in the next moment, several gunshots rang out. The four guards fell, blood pouring from their chests.
"What a waste. This isn't good," Daniel thought, feeling a pang of regret. Since learning about the Philosopher's Stone transmutation array, anyone he killed was a potential Philosopher's Stone in his eyes.
Shaking off this thought, Daniel refocused.
"Who are you?" Cornello asked, his face pale. Without the Philosopher's Stone, he had no chance of resisting.
"Who I am doesn't matter," Daniel replied, pointing his gun at Cornello. Unlike the Elric brothers, he had no qualms about killing.
"Before I kill you, there's something I need you to do." Daniel put away his gun and took out his wand, using the Imperius Curse to control Cornello. He then had Cornello broadcast the truth about the church, including that the so-called miracles were just alchemy.
Daniel did this to wake up some of the people in Lior, though he doubted it would have much effect. The Homunculi wouldn't allow their plans to be disrupted. With Envy's shapeshifting abilities, they could easily manipulate the believers.
With this done, Daniel shot Cornello and threw his body out the window.
"What a twisted soul," Daniel muttered. Normally,
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