Chapter 919: Chapter 287 Aleister: Beat Them All Up!_2

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Only a flash in the mirror, and Miss Aleister had changed back into Lady Bayard.

That youthful voice suddenly became hoarse and magnetic: “Is this a common ailment among you Alchemists, or is it the destiny of Balancers…

“I have a sister, who had the same issue–Balancers tend to rationalize the world, and in turn, their thinking is prone to becoming rigid.”

“…Rigid?”

Prince Xiyaldo murmured in repetition.

But he clearly cared about Alchemy, hence he subconsciously retorted: “Assuming we decipher the world and eventually arrive at the ‘Greater Formula’ that explains everything, then there shouldn’t be any problem.”

“…So you’re an Alchemist of the ‘Greater Formula’ faction, a rare breed indeed.”

Miss Aleister said with a laugh.

The “Greater Formula” faction, also known as “Balancers closest to the Path of Wisdom.” Their balancing acts are also meant for deciphering, and deciphering is for application, but they seek a “universal solution,” an “ultimate answer that can explain any problem.” And this can often be understood as the “truth” sought by the Path of Wisdom.

Even not compared with Stannic Path Alchemists… even among other Alchemists, it is a rare faction.

“I also studied Stibium-style Alchemy for a period,”

Prince Xiyaldo countered: “At least I still believe in the Way of Stibium.”

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“Really? The Way of Stibium is the Path of Transcendence… if you truly understood the Way of Stibium, you wouldn’t be confused at all right now.” Miss Aleister leaned back in her seat, pulled Selene to her, and buried her head into her chest.

“…What?”

Prince Xiyaldo turned his head back from the front seat, a complete question mark over his head.

At this moment, he only felt that Miss Aleister was purely a riddle person, speaking in enigmas, not human language.

However, what he didn’t know was… in Miss Aleister’s view, every word she said could actually be understood literally.

“It’s simple,” Miss Aleister said offhandedly, “you don’t have to worry whether it’s a Curse or a ritual, nor try to break it–they are in the Darkness, you are in the light; they set traps, you dismantle traps, where does it end?”

“Your meaning is…”

“–Just go straight to their door.”

Miss Aleister replied: “Rituals belong to the Path of Transcendence, Stannic Path Transcenders are mostly Demon Scholars. Curses are half belonging to the Path of Transcendence, generally belonging to the Path of Love… The former are Demon Scholars and Curse Ritual Magicians, while the latter are Witches and Sons of the Moon.”

“…So who should we look for?”

Unwittingly, Prince Xiyaldo had already fallen into a subordinate position.

But there was no helping it…

Because Miss Aleister’s thought process was progressing much too fast.

He was still pondering the current trouble, what form it was and how it was established, while Miss Aleister was already looking as if she was ready to engage in a brawl.

–And he didn’t even know who Miss Aleister intended to punch.

“Do you even need to ask? Or are you aware of the answer but pretending not to say?”

Miss Aleister smiled cheerfully: “Of course, it is the Demon Scholars.”

“Why them?”

“Of course, it could not be. Because I am not sure either.”

“…What if it’s not them? As you said, miss, there could be other forces involved… right?”

“–Then we just hit them all.”

“`

Miss Aleister simply replied: “Arrange them in order of the highest threat level and most suspicious, then beat them down from the top. If lucky, we might finish in the first round; if not, that means the real culprit is wicked and cunning, but what does it have to do with you?”

“But…”

“Think about it carefully, my dear His Royal Highness the Prince.”

Miss Aleister, with blood-red eyes narrowed in pleasure, spoke as if she were a Succubus full of seductive power: “For example… In Leipzig, a cunning suspect made sufficient misdirection, thereby leading the police to suspect someone else… Ultimately, the suspect was discovered a step too late by the police, who then successfully apprehended or killed him. In this case, would the police be primarily responsible for the earlier wrongful arrest due to their rash actions?”

“Err, I am not that familiar with the law. But they would probably still bear some responsibility…”

Prince Xiyaldo broke into a sweat.

“However,” Miss Aleister added, “what if the one carrying out this deed is not an ordinary policeman but an official from the Police Station? Or say… I remember there is a department within the Leipzig Police Station specifically responsible for Transcendent incidents, right? So if this was not due to the suspect’s cunning but their use of extraordinary abilities–and the person misled was a big shot, would people demand him to be responsible for this?”

“Um, I’m afraid there might just be some denunciations.”

After seriously considering for a while, Prince Xiyaldo provided an answer: “But in the long run, people would probably be grateful to this big shot for his resolute action. By helping them end the crisis swiftly. I get it now, you mean to say…”

“–that you just want to save Leipzig, at the most your methods may have been a bit too excessive… But the ultimate purpose is also to resolve the incident as soon as possible. Then who could blame you? As His Royal Highness the Prince, aren’t you greater than any official?”

Miss Aleister chuckled softly, whispering seductively like one who revels in the troubles of others: “If you were a qualified Transcender, you should have thought of this approach right from the beginning.

“All the laws, treaties, morals, and customs of the Material Realm are nothing but shackles upon the free spirits of the Transcenders.

“To achieve your own purpose–whatever that purpose may be–one must have the resolve to ignore, sever, and transcend them.

“Without such resolve, how can one’s mortal soul be sublimated into ‘Star Antimony’? Think about it, those true Stibium Alchemists… willing to do whatever it takes to climb higher, preferring to appear ugly if they can progress further. Do you truly possess such desire and determination? Being a ‘Valentine’, you should hardly understand this principle, after all, the moment you show the will to move forward, the Royal Family naturally provides you with the corresponding resources…”

Miss Aleister’s voice was low and gentle, accompanied by a faint fragrance, filling the confined space of the carriage.

Like a pink spider web, it deeply ensnared Prince Xiyaldo’s heart.

…Indeed.

He couldn’t help but doubt himself.

–He had thought that his arrival at this point was all due to his hard work and determination.

But if his last name wasn’t “Valentine”… Even with the same hard work and determination, could he have so easily reached the Fourth Level? Would his mentor still be the President of the Royal Alchemy Association? Would he still have the chance to access the inexhaustible Alchemy books?

The answer was obviously no.

He believed he understood Stibium-style Alchemy — yet, Stibium-style Alchemy is an ultimate discipline where mortals shed their mortal shells step by step, ascending to divinity. To transcend one’s race, the limits of matter, the soul, and destiny… That truly is an act of transcendence.

But he merely followed the commands of his father and mentor to learn, to master the techniques. Could this really be considered understanding the Way of Stibium?

“… What should we do then?”

Lost in confusion, Prince Xiyaldo sought guidance from Miss Aleister.

Miss Aleister laughed lightly: “Let’s first see if there’s trouble at the opera house, if there is… then let’s see which Demon Scholars are there.

“If there’s no trouble… then we’ll just go in directly.

“My intuition tells me, within the gathering place of the Demon Scholars, there must be someone connected to this scheme.”

“What if there isn’t?”

Prince Xiyaldo asked subconsciously, but he immediately understood: “Then we hit the next one!”

“Very well, you’re a quick learner.”

The corners of Miss Aleister’s mouth curved upward.