Kieran got out of the car and walked up to the figure. {<
The other party was an old man who wasn't very tall, but he was extremely strong. He had a full white beard, and if he were to hold a battle axe in his hand, he would be a classic dwarf.
Even though the old man did not have a battle axe in his hand and only had a short sword at his waist, he was still not to be underestimated.
The short sword gave Kieran a dangerous feeling.
It was faint and faint.
It seemed to disappear, but at the next moment, it became clear.
As his Intuition level increased, Kieran trusted his own Intuition.
That was why he was more cautious than ever.
While Kieran was sizing up the old man, the old man was also sizing up Kieran.
Then he grinned.
“2567？”
The old man asked.
"Who are you?"
Kieran wasn't surprised at all when his nickname was called out.
If the old man had malicious intentions, he must have come prepared. Knowing his nickname was the first step.
"Charles.
Your armor tinkerer, Simones's good friend. "
The old man introduced himself and extended his right hand.
Kieran raised a brow.
Simones had said that he would find him a leather armor tinkerer and a master alchemist, but Simones had not described the person in detail.
Therefore, Kieran could not be sure whether the old man was the real deal or not.
That was why Kieran did not extend his hand.
"What a cautious young man!
You have Raul with you, don't you?
Raul? Raul? "
The old man commented on Kieran before he asked. Before Kieran could answer, the old man called out to him.
Raul's response was immediate.
"Master Charles?"
Raul asked before she walked up to Kieran. When she saw the short old man, she gave him a hug.
"Master Charles, it's been a while.
"Why are you in Johnny Town?"
I thought I would have to return to the West Coast to see you again! "
Raul asked curiously after greeting him.
"Of course it was Simones who called me and urged me to find you guys as soon as possible. He was worried that 2567 did not have a single piece of equipment that was up to standard. He also thought that I could be of help to you guys, so I came here earlier to wait for you guys."
"However, it seems like you guys are late because you've run into big trouble!"
The old man glanced at the car, which was full of scars and was about to fall apart, and laughed.
"Yeah!"
"At that time, it was extremely thrilling!"
Raul immediately nodded and told him about the ambush that had taken place.
Kieran looked at Raul in surprise.
Perhaps it was because of her experience and the scars on her body, Raul had always been quiet. Most of the time, she relied on her husband, Cidney, to communicate with others.
Only when he met someone he knew or when it was necessary would he say a few more words.
But that was all.
It was Kieran's first time seeing such a cordial interaction with Charles.
"Are you all curious?"
"Actually, I was surprised at first, but that's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Although Master Charles doesn't want to admit it, Raul has always treated him as her teacher."
Cidney walked over and explained in a soft voice.
Kieran and Schmidt nodded in realization.
Raul's explanation was very detailed, and it lasted for around ten minutes. Charles would ask for more details from time to time, and Raul would fill in the gaps.
"It really is ancient alchemy!"
In the end, Charles sighed like this.
"Ancient alchemy?"
It was not the first time Schmidt had heard of the term.
"You must be Schmidt, the chief officer of the West Coast, right?"
The old man did not answer. Instead, he smiled and tried to guess Schmidt's identity.
"Yes, it's an honor to meet you, Master Charles."
Schmidt nodded and greeted the old man.
"Now?"
The old man turned to Kieran and extended his hand again, his eyes full of mockery.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Charles."
Kieran looked calm, even smiling as he shook the old man's hand. Charles was surprised.
"Aren't you embarrassed?"
Charles asked.
"I didn't know who you were before, so I had to be vigilant. Now that I know who you are, it proves that I didn't have to be vigilant. Why would I be embarrassed?"
Kieran asked.
Kieran had grown up in an orphanage and started working to survive at the age of 14.
He had experienced too many things that made him feel embarrassed and embarrassed.
Compared to that, what was happening before him was nothing.
"As expected of Rei's prophecy … Are you embarrassed?"
Charles exclaimed. He then noticed the unnatural expression on Kieran's face.
"2567, you still can't accept your identity. You're always acting shy like a little girl … Hahaha! 2567, I'm not laughing at you, but I can't help it every time I see that expression on your face!"
With a carefree laugh, Schmidt kept slapping the hood of the pickup truck.
The Picard, which was on the verge of falling apart, was completely destroyed by Schmidt's continuous hitting.
Screech!
Not only did the engine die, but a black shadow came out from under the hood.
Kieran rolled his eyes at Schmidt.
This time, it was Schmidt's turn to be embarrassed.
"There will be a repair shop in town!"
Schmidt emphasized, trying to cover up his embarrassment.
"Don't bother. Come with me!
Thank you for this progressive era. I remember when I was young, I used to ride horses, and I had to bring a few horses with me to carry everything I wanted. But now?
One car is all I need! "
Charles said as he led the group into town.
An RV towed by a pickup truck was parked there.
The RV was light blue in color, and the roof and corners were arc-shaped. One side of the RV was painted with white clouds, and the back of the RV was a sun that looked like a child's doodle, the kind that wore sunglasses and smoked a cigar.
Anyone who saw this limousine couldn't help but speculate whether the owner of the limousine was a joking person without any sense of seriousness.
"If there's no problem, why don't we leave tonight?"
Charles suggested.
"Of course!"
No one objected. Everyone was eager to get to Forende Town.
Raul and Cidney were looking for their friend, Lucy.
Kieran wanted to confirm Nikorei's whereabouts.
As for Schmidt?
He was just accompanying the group.
After transferring the items from the Picard trailer to Charles's, the group set off again.
Kieran was invited to the limo by Charles because he needed to repair his leather armor.
"It's not a big problem. It can be repaired before we reach Forende Town."
Charles's words made Kieran heave a sigh of relief.
Although [Paul's Camouflage]'s defensive capabilities were not that great, it could not be replaced before Kieran had a more suitable armor.
Against a large number of enemies, having a layer of defense on one's body and relying on one's own muscles were two different concepts.
Especially when the enemies were in groups.
Kieran unconsciously thought of the Black Knight again.
"Master Charles, were the Black Knight created by ancient alchemy?"
Kieran asked.
"Yes, it was based on ancient alchemy, but it was mixed with some other secret knowledge. I never thought that this knowledge would be preserved."
Charles corrected Kieran.
"What knowledge?"
Kieran asked.
Charles just smiled and did not answer.
The short old man took out a smoking pipe from a drawer and stuffed some tobacco into it. He did not look for a lighter.
A spark flashed on his finger, and the tobacco was lit up.
Kieran squinted his eyes at the scene.
It was not a magical item, but magic itself?
There was no incantation or gesture. All Charles did was wave his finger and a flame appeared.
Even though the flame was similar to a lighter's, it was still a shock to Kieran, who had a certain level of [Mystical Knowledge] as a foundation.
This was because, according to his understanding, this was impossible.
Charles took a deep puff from his pipe and blew out a few smoke rings when he saw the confused Kieran. He then put his hand through the smoke rings and before they could dissipate, he smashed them.
This childish behavior really made people not know whether to laugh or cry.
However, Kieran was still recalling the scene from before.
"So this is the secret knowledge?"
Kieran asked after a while.
"Kind of, but also not."
Charles said ambiguously.
The Master Alchemist didn't wait for Kieran's question and answered.
"Simones hopes that I can teach you alchemy, and I also hope that I can teach the king in Rei's prophecy, but …"
"You have to answer a question of mine.
What do you think alchemy is? "
"Think carefully before you answer. I treat everyone equally!"
"You only have one chance. If I'm not satisfied with your answer, I won't teach you anything, even if Simones begged me!"
A test had appeared.
Kieran's heart skipped a beat.
He did not know whether Raul had gone through such a test to be taught by Charles.
However, he knew Charles was not joking.
If Kieran's answer did not satisfy Charles, he would lose this chance.
Charles thought for a while.
Kieran started to answer.
"Alchemy is …"
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, Kieran stopped abruptly.
He swallowed the high-sounding words back into his stomach and looked at Charles in front of him with a scrutinizing gaze. Charles, who was smiling, had set a trap for him since the beginning of the conversation with him.
A verbal trap!
Whether it was the ancient alchemy or the secret knowledge, it was all to mess up Kieran's emotions and make him worry about his gains and losses.
No doubt, Charles had succeeded.
Charles did not use any incantations or gestures, but it had broken Kieran's calm.
It made him even more curious.
He almost lost his previous judgment.
If it wasn't for the ridicule in Charles's eyes, he might have succeeded.
Charles did not look like he was waiting for an answer.
It was …
Watching a joke!
Huu!
Kieran took a deep breath and tossed the previous answer to the back of his mind. Then, he gave his answer.
"Alchemy is …"
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