From Prisoner to Si Chen

The "Philosopher's Stone" turned into an amorphous form, and with pure, scarlet, perfect energy, it merged into Jilan's body and intertwined with his spirituality.

Jilan raised his hands.

He looked down at his palms.

The pair of complex alchemical marks were faintly emitting scarlet light, as if they could breathe, flickering.

"Teacher, I feel it..."

Jilan spoke in a deep voice.

"The huge power of the 'Philosopher's Stone' is surging in my body and can be used by me at any time."

"This is the beauty of the 'Sage's Secret Mark'."

Pala smiled.

"You can also say that the 'Sage's Secret Mark' is designed by me specifically for the 'Philosopher's Stone'. The two complement each other and are indispensable."

Jilan nodded, secretly admiring.

Originally, in this world, both the "Philosopher's Stone" and the "Sage's Secret Mark" did not exist.

However, Para Celsus relied on his profound knowledge and experience to materialize both theories and fantasies step by step into reality.

This move can be regarded as a feat of the entire alchemy world... no, it should be said that it is a feat of the entire mysterious field.

But few people know about it in this era.

Perhaps Para Celsus is the most outstanding master of mysticism and alchemist in the last century and even in the present.

But it is absolutely unimaginable that his real ability and research results are far beyond the imagination of the world.

"Gilan."

At this time, Para said again.

But his voice was lowered a little, becoming more serious.

"The war has begun..."

"Huh?" Gilan was startled.

He realized something and frowned.

"Have Bremen and Owena officially started fighting?"

"Yes." Para nodded, leaned back and leaned back on the back of the chair.

He held the cup in both hands, looking far away at the bright and brilliant sky. The clouds in the Chessboard Manor were white and drifting leisurely. The breeze blew, rustling the lawn around the master and apprentice.

"The first wave of confrontation began yesterday morning... The Federation sent nine legions, totaling more than 100,000 troops, to attack the northeast and southeast borders in two directions."

"The 'Steel Wall Fortress' led by General Reggie Mesa finally played a role, hindering the opponent's actions and forcing them to divert."

"The Empire has also made strategic deployments one after another, blocking the Federation at the border..."

Pala said, shaking his head.

"But this is just the beginning, both sides are still in the trial stage."

"Aircraft, artillery, tanks and other new equipment will be sent to the battlefield, gradually intensifying the intensity... Fortunately, with the help of the 'Mechanical Union', the Empire's weapons are no longer inferior to those of the Federation, and even surpass them."

Jilan listened silently, thinking that the impact of this unprecedented battle might be greater than he imagined.

The two overlords have both made real moves, and if they can't decide the winner, they will never give up.

"The fight between Bu and Austria is actually a confrontation between Sichen, a manifestation in the material world..."

Pala shook his head and sighed.

"There is only one thing we can do, and that is to win!"

Then, he whispered to Gillan:

"Gillan, the head of state has given you a new mission."

"Teacher, please speak."

"The war has begun, and the empire needs you to serve as a foreign minister again as an envoy to other countries."

Pala said.

Hearing this, Gillan was not too surprised, because looking at the situation, he was mentally prepared.

Owena is a big enemy.

Bremen wants to win this war. Its own strength is one aspect, but on the other hand, if it can win allies, the chances of winning will naturally be greater.

"Do you need me to go to Stuttgart as an envoy?"

Gillan thought about it and asked.

Pala nodded and said frankly:

"That's right. Among the three hegemons, only the Stuttgart Empire, which is still in a neutral attitude, has enough power to be the biggest weight to overwhelm the scales."

"Even if we can't win them over, at least we can't let them stand on the side of the Federation."

"I know, teacher."

Gilan nodded with a thoughtful look on his face.

"When will we leave?"

"In the next few days." Pala said. "I have issued a document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and asked them to prepare."

"In addition, this mission to Stuttgart is different from Fosaka. After all, the national strength of the two is completely not at the same level... You need to be careful."

Pala's face was solemn.

"It just so happens that the Buao war has begun. The Stuttgart royal family must be aware of the purpose of your mission."

"The storm is coming, and the undercurrent is surging. There is no guarantee that there will be no third-party forces intervening and obstructing it."

"I understand, teacher." Gilan said.

...

...

As the Buao war officially started and the real fight began, major media in the empire rushed to report.

Almost every newspaper headline has been publishing the latest war situation for several days in a row.

"…The situation on the border suddenly changed. The Alliance tried to break through the defense line and attack alone, but was hit by a fierce counterattack from the Empire! Heavy casualties!"

"On the evening of March 9, 1927, the Alliance launched an unprecedented offensive and successfully broke through the first line of defense in Kawozhou. The situation in the southeast took a sharp turn for the worse. Fortunately, the Imperial Army was well prepared and learned from the lessons of the last bombing raid. It set a trap in advance and caught the Alliance Army off guard."

"According to frontline reporters, the Allied forces used brand-new tactics to bypass the defense line with rapid assaults by armored divisions and motorized infantry. However, these were just traps pretending to be strong walls. In fact, a large number of minefields had been set up."

"In the Great Forest area, the Alliance's airship troops quickly penetrated the 'Steel Wall Fortress' as if they were in uninhabited territory, trying to recreate the original bombing. The Imperial Army, under the leadership of General Lech Mesa, had already made arrangements.' Aerial net locks' and 'floating torpedoes' caused great damage to the Union airships."

"With the Imperial Army's superior position and artillery support, the Alliance Army suffered repeated setbacks..."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sifang Palace has issued speeches one after another, calling on the entire empire to unite as one to fight against the eastern invaders. At the same time, other allies, including Fosaka, have also stated that they will provide necessary military assistance to support the empire in defeating the Alliance. "

"As the war spreads, the lives of the people in the empire will be seriously affected. Many border towns have been severely damaged, and thousands of residents have been forced to leave their homes and seek safety."

"This is a warning, but also a blood feud!"

"This newspaper will continue to pay attention to the progress of the war and provide the public with the latest information in a timely manner. At this difficult time, let us pray for the soldiers on the front line and hope that peace will come soon."

Wow.

Gillan closed the Valerian Times in his hand.

He rubbed his temples gently.

Bang bang, bang bang...

The rhythmic sound of the train moving was heard in my ears. The warm wind blew in through the open glass window, raising his long and gradual hair.

Three days have passed since the "Philosopher's Stone" was refined.

Gillan has already led the envoys on their journey to Stuttgart.

Currently, everyone is taking a specific outbound train heading to Bickburg, the central commercial town in the western region.

As it was his second time to lead a mission, Gilan already had experience and everything went very smoothly.

It is worth mentioning that there are many familiar faces among the members of this mission. Among them, the female secretary Lenis and the assistant Moody are still following Gillan.

Because of his last successful visit, Moody was promoted after returning to China and is now the chief counselor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, second only to the deputy minister.

But facing Gilan, his attitude remained humble and respectful. In addition, this person can observe people's emotions and is very efficient in doing things, so Jilan is willing to continue to lead him in action.

"Lenis." Gillan turned around and called.

With a brisk pace, the woman in black stockings wearing glasses quickly crossed the aisle and came to his seat from the back.

"Sir, what are your orders?" Lenis lowered her head and said.

"Bring me the documents related to the Stuttgart Empire."

Ji Lan picked up the coffee cup, took a sip and said.

"Yes, sir." Lenis responded quickly and turned to leave.

Soon, she brought three thick cowhide file bags and gently stacked them in front of Gilan.

Ji Lan nodded and asked him to sit aside.

Immediately, he opened the document bag and started reading.

The Stuttgart Empire was founded by Texel Eugene, and he knew about it... and had personally experienced it in the secret history recorded on real film.

But Stuttgart today has undergone many changes compared to a thousand years ago.

The documents contain some intelligence information in detail.

Contemporary Stuttgart is ruled by the "Iron Palace", similar to Bremen's "Quarter Palace".

There are two supreme leaders.

Known as the "Double Kings of the West", "Sky King" Russell Eugene, and "Ocean King" Amul Eugene.

As descendants of Texel, these two kings inherited the heroic blood and spirit of their ancestors and kept Stuttgart in order.

Stuttgart implemented an aristocratic oligarchy, concentrating power among the royal family and the nobility. At the top of the power pyramid are the twin kings, and at the second level are the aristocratic forces, which divide the power flowing from the twin kings.

Therefore, in the "Iron-Blooded Royal Court", excluding the two kings, the 28 elders and 10 chief prosecutors all represent the major noble forces and hold real power.

Ji Lan looked through the documents and his eyes quickly froze.

Because he discovered that the church that is the state religion is called "Scar Church". This reminded him of the Doro Kingdom a thousand years ago, whose state religion was named "Scar Cathedral".

Obviously, the belief in the old god "Scar Father" has not been cut off in the west and still continues to this day.

Moreover, what surprised Gillan was that among the creeds of the "Scar Church", there were actually "Seven Commandments".

That is, the core dogma within the "Ascetic Sect".

This made Jilan look strange and had a strange idea...

He wouldn't believe it if "Scar's father" and "Mrs. Ya" had nothing to do with each other.

However, there have been no records or statements that can prove the close relationship between these two gods.

'In other words, no one dares to make rumors about these two...'

Anyone who dares to do this is probably tired of life.

But Gillan had a guess.

‘Perhaps, the birthplace of the “Heavenly Evil Cult” and the “Ascetic Cult” is in the west... right in Stuttgart. ’

Looking through the documents, Gillan thought about how to persuade the "Iron-Blooded Royal Court" to move closer to Bremen after arriving.

Time passed quietly.

After half a day's journey.

The train arrived at Bickburg.

But this time, the envoys did not get off the bus because their destination, Stuttgart, was still further west.

The train will take another four days to reach its border.

After a short stop of more than 20 minutes, a bell rang outside the train. It was the signal from the attendant to remind passengers that the train was about to depart.

However, at this moment.

Swish.

The wooden door of the VIP carriage was opened from the outside.

The members of the envoys who were sitting upright all turned their heads to look.

A young woman in a lavender dress, a wide-brimmed straw hat, and a leather handbag walked in slowly.

"Sorry, miss."

Moody stood up and walked over.

"The VIP carriage was booked by us long before departure. You must have gone to the wrong place."

"Wrong place?" The woman looked surprised.

She quickly picked up the ticket stub that she had checked and cut and looked at it, and tilted her head and said, "No... I bought a seat in the VIP carriage, and the time and flight are all right."

Seeing this, Moody frowned.

It is clearly the train company's responsibility for this kind of thing. It is highly likely that there was an oversight in their work, which led to the VIP carriage continuing to sell tickets when it was fully booked.

"Sir." Moody turned his head and looked at his superior Gillan, asking for his opinion with his eyes.

Gillan did not raise his head, continued to look at the documents, and made a gesture.

The female secretary sitting next to him, Lenis, observed his expression, nodded, and stood up.

"Miss, please sit over there."

Lenis walked to Moody's side and smiled at the woman in the purple dress. As she spoke, she stretched out her hand to guide her behind her.

"Thank you." The woman smiled and thanked him, carrying her handbag, and walked straight into the aisle.

However, when she passed Gillan, she stopped and sat down on the leather seat opposite him.

"Hey, Miss, you are sitting in the wrong seat!"

Lenis and Moody were both shocked.

They were afraid that this ignorant stranger would disturb the officer's thinking and work, so they spoke up quickly.

At the same time, several bodyguards stood up and put their hands on the bulge on their waists, ready to draw their guns and shoot the woman at any time.

At this moment, Jilan retracted his thoughts.

He raised his hand to signal everyone not to overreact.

Then he looked up at the woman in front of him.

Under the wide-brimmed straw hat, black hair was scattered casually, and the ends of the hair were slightly curled up. The skin was fair, the eyebrows were long, and a pair of purple eyes flashed slightly, as if they could speak.

Looking at this beautiful face, Jilan was stunned.

Soon, he frowned.

"Miss, have we met somewhere before?"

"Is this a flirt, sir?"

The woman smiled, took off her straw hat, and put it beside her with her handbag.

Jilan shook his head, but did not ask again.

It was just that very familiar sense of déjà vu, still lingering in his heart, with an indescribable weirdness.

"Menis." The woman stretched out her fair and smooth hand, handed it to Gilan, and said with an elegant smile, "A mystery lover and traveler."