章 138: Chapter 138: The Gate of Truth (Part 2)
"By sensing the flow of qi, one can gauge a person's physical state. Even without alchemy, Xing is stronger than Amestris. Unfortunately, this ability requires innate talent or can only be used in this world."
After some time of study, Daniel could now use alchemy. However, he didn't complete the alchemy using the methods of this world but rather combined the techniques of Kamar-Taj and the powers of the Ope Ope no Mi.
Sensing the flow of qi was incredibly powerful in this world. Some strong individuals could even predict weather changes, such as rainstorms, strong winds, and earthquakes, by sensing the flow of qi.
This ability was crucial for a nation, and Xing's prosperity was built on this foundation. It could completely avoid large-scale natural disasters.
In terms of medical skills, although the overall technology was not advanced, the ability to diagnose by sensing qi was, in some respects, not inferior to modern technology. Zhang Mei could detect Doctor Marcoh's physical issues just by sensing the flow of qi, although the problem was just normal aging.
The reason was simple: although the medical skills in this world were impressive, they couldn't combat natural aging. The current emperor of Xing was seriously ill, and despite having many skilled alchemists in the palace, they couldn't cure him.
As a result, the emperor sought immortality, decreeing that whoever found a way to achieve it would become the next emperor.
Thus, Xing's princes and princesses began their quests, aiming for various targets not only within Xing but also in other countries like Amestris.
To the east of Xing were other nations, and to the west of Amestris were others as well.
The vast desert between Xing and Amestris was treacherous, but those who mastered the flow of qi could avoid most dangers. Zhang Mei and her pet panda managed to cross the desert using this ability.
Thinking about Zhang Mei's pet panda made Daniel excited. After all, it was a giant panda, a national treasure, and a pocket-sized one at that. If he brought it to the Marvel world, it would become the ultimate national treasure because it was just too adorable. Cute is justice, after all.
In this world, where the panda was not accepted by its kind, it would be treated like royalty in the Marvel world.
Unfortunately, Zhang Mei and her panda had a deep bond, making it hard for Daniel to intervene. After all, a gentleman does not take what others love. Daniel wasn't interested in magical creatures from the Harry Potter world, but this little panda made him want to keep it.
"Too bad these mutated pandas are rare." While Xing had many normal pandas, they were difficult to care for.
"Maybe I can talk to Zhang Mei later and see if there are more of these mutated pandas."
"Was it Hohenheim that kept the Dwarf in the Flask from targeting Xing, or was it something else? Maybe it was because of the country's vast territory, making it hard to set up a nationwide transmutation circle, or perhaps it came here and failed."
In Amestris, Daniel had researched a lot of history. Amestris had only been established for over a hundred years, but the Dwarf in the Flask had a history of about four hundred years. This meant that for at least two hundred years, it hadn't taken any action.
If a nationwide transmutation circle could be set up in Xing, it would be much more effective than in Amestris, given the higher population, which would yield more Philosopher's Stones.
Daniel suspected the Dwarf in the Flask's plan failed in Xing because many people could sense the flow of qi, allowing them to detect the homunculi's malevolence. Thus, Zhang Mei, Yao Lin, and others immediately sensed something wrong upon arriving in Amestris.
Even if the Dwarf in the Flask could deceive the emperor, since no emperor would ignore the allure of immortality, there would still be people who didn't care. Although the Dwarf was strong, it would face significant resistance, delaying its plan and making it less feasible.
After all, the Dwarf was not human and thought differently. It was extremely rational. Rather than constantly fighting humans in Xing without knowing when its plan would succeed, it would be simpler to find a more suitable place.
Human belief and soul are strange things. The Philosopher's Stone is powerful, but it doesn't truly harness the potential of human souls, as they are filled with resentment.
Hohenheim's method truly harnessed the potential of human souls, which was why his transmutation circle could strip the Dwarf of the souls of all Amestrians, as those souls were all willing.
This is somewhat akin to the power bestowed by the Mind Stone. Wanda Maximoff, who was just an ordinary person, became a top-tier Avenger due to the Mind Stone's power, capable of battling even Thanos when angry, albeit an unarmed Thanos.
This kind of belief-based power gave Daniel a sudden inspiration: what if he used the Mind Stone to enhance Captain America?
The Captain had a strong belief, able to lift Thor's hammer, and with his serum-enhanced physique, there was a good chance of success.
This could potentially turn the Captain into a super version of himself.
Of course, this was just a thought.
"If I were to extend the emperor's life, Yao Lin's plan would fail, and I would certainly be heavily rewarded, perhaps even titled as a national advisor." For Daniel, saving the current emperor was easy, even without using a Philosopher's Stone.
Still, this was just a thought. The best things in the Fullmetal Alchemist world were alchemy, alkahestry, and the Philosopher's Stone. With these already in hand, he didn't need much else.
In terms of comfort, the modern world was far superior to the Fullmetal Alchemist world. If not for some unfinished business, he might have already left, planning to return after Edward and the others defeated the Dwarf.
After mastering everything this world had to offer, the Fullmetal Alchemist world held little appeal for Daniel. As for women, there were few and most were already taken.
Boom.
With a snap of his left fingers, a one-meter-wide fireball appeared ahead, reducing a tree to charred remains. This was Mustang's Flame Alchemy.
After acquiring Mustang's alchemical gloves, Daniel deciphered their secrets. When it came to understanding fire, how could the Fullmetal Alchemist world compare to the Marvel universe?
Modern technology boasted many flame-based weapons. Daniel even had a batch of Iron Man suits primarily equipped with flamethrowers, and some with ice weapons, designed to combat the Inhuman leader Hive on an alien planet.
During his time in Xing, Daniel not only studied Xing's alkahestry but also practiced some martial arts and continued researching Flame and Ice Alchemy.
Most of his time was spent linking this world's dimensional space using the Space Stone.
"Finally opened." Although it took a lot of time, with the Space Stone's help, Daniel managed to link with this world's dimensional space. With the Space Stone, he could now open portals without needing the Sling Ring.
Upon linking with the dimensional space, Daniel found himself in a completely white space, no longer in the real world.
"How interesting, someone arriving here without human transmutation." A white figure squatted not far from Daniel, smiling as it greeted him.
Daniel didn't immediately respond, instead looking around. Ahead was the white figure, while both sides stretched into an endless white void. However, behind him stood an ordinary bronze gate, devoid of any markings.
"The first mirrored space looks like this. No wonder alchemists here can use alchemy with minimal cost." Daniel thought as he activated the power of the Ope Ope no Mi.
The most puzzling thing about alchemy in the Fullmetal Alchemist world was the energy source driving it. His previous guesses were now confirmed.
"Is the Dwarf trying to be like Dormammu?" The dimensional space reminded Daniel of something he had read in a magic book about Dormammu's origins.
Legend has it that Dormammu was once a human sorcerer, though it's unknown from which world or era. This sorcerer somehow merged with the Dark Dimension, becoming its ruler and gaining immense power.
However, this came with a price: it was hard for Dormammu to leave the Dark Dimension. His power was so vast that entering other dimensions became extremely difficult.
As a result, Dormammu spread summoning spells in the dimensional void. While he couldn't easily enter other dimensions, if someone summoned him, it provided coordinates, thus the concept of collaborators.
This was different from Daniel and the Ancient One, who could traverse dimensions with Kamar-Taj's magic. Their power came from themselves, unlike Dormammu, whose power derived from the Dark Dimension. In his domain, Dormammu was nearly invincible, but his strength diminished significantly outside it.
While studying alchemy, Daniel also researched this world's history. Combining what he knew with Kamar-Taj's magical knowledge, he deduced that the Dwarf's plan to pull "God" underground was an attempt to dominate this world's Gate of Truth dimension and become a dimensional god.
This would make him incredibly powerful, but it wouldn't grant the freedom he desired. The Dwarf had always been confined, first in a flask, then in a body identical to Hohenheim's. Even if his plan succeeded, it would only mean a larger container.
Not all dimensional gods could become like Dormammu.
All is one, one is all; this principle underlies alchemy in this world. It signifies that oneself is part of the world and can thus harness the world's power for alchemy.
Daniel interpreted this differently, viewing it as collective consciousness. The Gate of Truth in the Fullmetal Alchemist world was actually the repository of this world's souls, which is why the Philosopher's Stone could bypass all alchemical rules.
"What do you wish
to trade?" the white figure asked again.
"Nothing at all." Daniel smiled as he looked at his own empty Gate of Truth behind him.
Daniel's Gate of Truth was empty, unlike the Dwarf's, which was empty because he lacked his own knowledge, relying entirely on the Gate of Truth.
Edward ultimately used his Gate of Truth to retrieve his brother's body because his gate contained the knowledge the white figure sought.
In this world, knowledge is power. Only humans can create new knowledge, driving technological progress. The Gate of Truth was akin to a supercomputer or divine repository.
The Dwarf's plan to become a god was to become this supercomputer's administrator.
Of course, some of this was beyond Daniel's current understanding. He refused the trade simply because anything he gained in this world would be useless elsewhere. He wasn't foolish enough to trade for something he didn't need.
Once his business was done, he would rarely, if ever, return to this world.
After refusing, Daniel left the dimension of the Gate of Truth.
"A fair amount of time has passed. I wonder how Mustang and the others are doing." With this thought, Daniel packed up his things in Xing and returned to Amestris in a Quinjet.
"The biggest gain is the Philosopher's Stone. But using animals is too inefficient." In Xing, Daniel had also tried creating Philosopher's Stones using animals. Despite significant effort, he only produced a sesame-sized stone, which was nearly useless, even for absorption. Once absorbed, its energy would almost be depleted.
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