Star Rail: Can't I Just Peacefully Do Commissions? Chapter 48

"What do you mean?!"

Hughes's brow furrowed deeply. He'd heard of the Philosopher's Stone, a panacea revered by many alchemists. How could this person speak of it with such disdain?

"Equivalent exchange, the principle alchemists follow. This thing... is just a 'gold coin' that replaces all costs. But do you know what raw materials are used to create such 'gold coins'?"

"It wouldn't be precious metals. Based on what you're saying, I'm starting to guess the category you're referring to."

"Blood and souls. In other words, this damn thing's body is stuffed with the remains and vengeful spirits of thousands of people."

Upon hearing this, the Vice Captain's expression turned extremely grim. He looked at the black-haired youth in disbelief, watching him bare his teeth menacingly. Instinctively, he felt an urge to vomit.

Thousands of people's remains and souls?!

Why would such a monster appear near the Central Intelligence Department?

He keenly sensed something... many pieces of intelligence began to connect rapidly, his expression growing more and more distressed.

"The Ishvalan civil war..."

"The Battle of Guenther..."

"I've been wondering why this country has been plagued by large-scale riots, civil unrest, and inexplicable cult rituals since its inception."

"Did the military high command create these Homunculi?"

The Vice Captain stared intently at Shirou Emiya, seeking an answer.

"Find out for yourselves, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. You won't believe me unless you witness these things firsthand. When you fully believe my intelligence, contact me using that thing, and I'll officially take commissions to answer your questions... and I can also offer some small assistance."

"As for the price, that incompetent Colonel should understand."

With that, he opened the Aurora Curtain again and left this world with Envy. After Shirou and Envy disappeared from the office, Hughes's expression was quite grim.

Everything that had suddenly transpired had thrown his thoughts into utter chaos. It took him a good ten minutes before he could slowly calm down, his expression becoming grave once more.

"The disappearance of that Homunculus might cause some trouble. However, if my suspicions are correct and the Homunculus is indeed connected to the military high command, they will immediately investigate the intelligence department."

"In the worst-case scenario, the military will imprison all of us and interrogate us about the Homunculus's whereabouts."

"...That person is forcing me to make a choice: cooperate with him, surrender meekly, or completely side with the military high command."

The extremely sharp-minded Vice Captain analyzed various possibilities in a short time and began to rapidly consider solutions in his mind.

Side with the military high command and enjoy the so-called Philosopher's Stone like them?

He couldn't accept it.

Surrendering meekly was even more impossible.

Then...

"He's only given me one path."

"I must leave the capital as soon as possible, and I must cause a huge stir, making everyone realize that I was the one who dealt with the Homunculus while covering my tracks."

"Right, I must leave some clues for the military high command to notice that I know their secret!"

A fierce glint appeared in the Vice Captain's pupils. He had a precious wife and daughter, so he absolutely couldn't...

"Oh, right, right, I almost forgot. If you feel your wife and daughter's safety is threatened, why not entrust them to me first? After you leave, I will raise your wife and daughter."

Suddenly, the voice that had made him grit his teeth reappeared out of nowhere in the office. Hughes turned his head and saw Shirou Emiya standing in his office once more, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

"This is my token of goodwill to a future ally, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes."

"Get lost! You definitely have ill intentions towards my lovely Elysia!"

"Lieutenant Colonel, you wouldn't want to see Madam wearing a black veil, weeping in church with your daughter, would you?"

"...I'll cooperate with you. I'm willing to cooperate with you, so I beg you to tell me all the secrets of this country, tell me how to protect my family and save my country!"

[You have received a new commission!!]

Good!

Chapter 98: Starting the Speedrun! Starting the Speedrun! (5/5)

"I was too lenient with the Elric brothers. Those two brats are in their rebellious phase and don't listen to reason."

"Reliable adults are indeed easier to negotiate with."

Sitting in the Vice Captain's office, eating his snacks and drinking his afternoon tea, Shirou Emiya looked quite relaxed.

"Homunculus."

"Dwarf in the Flask."

"Is the reason for our country's very beginning so laughable?"

The overall plot of Fullmetal Alchemist is actually quite simple and straightforward, much like the JOJO series. Although there are many twists and turns in the events, the main storyline does not deviate from its core. The entire progression of the story is not decisively linked to the Elric brothers; their identities are merely coincidental sacrifices. The main body of the story is actually the Dwarf in the Flask.

It lurks behind the scenes, founded this country, and created seven Homunculi to help it complete its "godhood" plan. The entire populace is actually material prepared by it for its Philosopher's Stone. Its ultimate goal is to devour the "Gate of Truth" and become the "God" of this world. It still lacks taboo-breakers who have contacted "God," that is, "alchemists" who have performed Human Transmutation, paid the price, and have not died.

The protagonists of the story, the Elric brothers, and the Vice Captain's close friend, Roy Mustang, are all part of the sacrifices in the future.

After he briefly outlined the background of the Fullmetal Alchemist world to the Vice Captain, the latter fell into an emo state. He never imagined that the very founding of this country was a huge trap, and all of them were treated as materials for the Philosopher's Stone from the very beginning.

"Unforgivable."

The middle-aged man's pupils began to gleam with a chilling light.

"We are absolutely not born into this world to become food for that so-called Dwarf in the Flask."

"Humans... life, what do these arrogant demons think of life?"

"Alchemy should never be such a twisted art! It shouldn't be used to destroy humans, oppress humans, or as a force for war!"

"Lord Emiya, after you've studied that Homunculus, can you hand it over to me as evidence?"

"You want to use it to convince someone?"

"My dear friends, Roy Mustang and Alex Louis Armstrong, and our former superior, Olivia Mira Armstrong."

"If we gain the trust of these two, we will have a chance to save the country."

"Actually, there's a faster solution."

"What solution?"

Shirou chuckled, then pointed to a building somewhere to the south.

"It's simple, I'll just capture that Dwarf in the Flask. Solving the root cause from the beginning is undoubtedly the easiest method."

"...You can do that?!"

Vice Captain stood up excitedly. He had initially only considered that Shirou would provide them with some intelligence. They still needed to rely on their own strength to win over the principled officers in the military. Before the high command of the central military could react, they would seize military power, and only then would they deal with these dregs of the military and the Dwarf in the Flask.

"I'll put this afternoon tea aside for now. I'll be back shortly."

Shirou had no interest in following the plot of the Fullmetal Alchemist world for a second playthrough. Since he had the ability to resolve the final boss, there was no need to waste time on minor details.

He was now equivalent to a player on their second playthrough, rushing through the game, only caring about efficiency and results.

As for the plot?

Skip————!

There was still a lot to do on the Xianzhou side, and there was no need to waste too much time here. So, he stood up directly and summoned Moody Blues' Stand. Standing in the position where Envy had been, he began to rewind time.

Moody Blues' ability could directly lock onto an area or a person, capture their actions in past time, and then re-enact them by changing into that target.

As long as the time rewound was sufficient, locking onto the Dwarf in the Flask's location was merely a matter of time.

With Moody Blues set to a rewind playback at a hundred times the normal speed, Shirou quickly followed his Stand to the various locations Envy had been before, eventually delving underground...

"The efficiency is decent."

With a leap, he entered the underground tunnel. Under the cover of the Faceless King, Shirou stealthily infiltrated the underground facility. After passing through numerous obstacles, he arrived in a spacious secret chamber.

A middle-aged man with golden hair was lying on a chair, with many needles inserted into his limbs, constantly injecting something resembling blood into his body.

It was the Philosopher's Stone.

Shirou had no intention of wasting words with this pure villain. He directly chose to seal the entire person using a restraint device. It instinctively began to struggle, subconsciously attempting to resist using Alchemy.

But...

It was of little consequence.

This restraint device was copied from the Herta Space Station. It could even restrain the energy burst of a Stellaron, let alone this mere Dwarf in the Flask?

"Who are you?!"

The restrained golden-haired middle-aged man seemed to belatedly realize that he could not break free from the device's limitations, and his expression immediately turned ferocious.

"You actually put me back in this place?!"

[Emotional value from Homunculus +99]

"The little guy is dropping quite a bit of gold. You say you split the Seven Deadly Sins, but your self-esteem is so sensitive?"

Shirou's eyes lit up slightly. He had a peculiar new idea about this little thing.

When it was first created and brought into this world, it was contained within a small vessel. Even then, it hated things that confined it so tightly.

It desperately craved freedom, desperately craved to be above everyone else, to obtain everything...

"'To grant appropriate despair to the arrogant and ignorant, isn't that the philosophy you endorse? Dwarf in the Flask, Homunculus.'"

"That's for you lowly humans!"

"In my opinion, you pathetic little thing seems much more lowly than humans."

[Emotional value from Homunculus +99]

Alright!

Another piece of electronic snack!

Carrying the restraint device, Shirou directly raised his hand and opened the Aurora Curtain again, returning to Vice Captain Hughes' office.

The Vice Captain seemed to have just finished tidying up the tea set. Seeing Shirou return again, he couldn't help but be stunned.

"...Did you forget to give me any instructions?"

"The matter is resolved."

He threw the restrained (Nono Zhao) directly into the center of the office.

"This is the boss of those Homunculi, who calls himself the father of those Homunculi, the first Homunculus, the Dwarf in the Flask... If you think that title is too long, you can also call it the Founding Emperor or the Founding Father. In fact, it really is the founder and angel investor of this country."

"..."

Mr. Vice Captain was speechless for a moment. He was supposed to call this monster, which regarded them, the citizens, as materials for the Philosopher's Stone, the Founding Father?

"Please throw this thing far away. If you put it in my office, I'll probably be disgusted for months and won't be able to drink my afternoon tea."

"I won't allow you to speak about the pet I'm about to raise like that!"

"You're going to raise it? With human flesh, blood, and souls?"

"What kind of pet eats that well? Besides, it's eaten a bit too much over the past few hundred years. We'll have to arrange for it to go on the operating table to lose some weight and get some liposuction."

"Operating table?!"

"Yes."

"Then it really should be liposuctioned more. Your pet is indeed a bit too fat."

Chapter 99: You Kid Are Hiding So Much Stuff?!

Speedrun Fullmetal Alchemist in three hours.

[Your commission "Saving the Country · Part Three" is complete (Resolved the ultimate threat of Homunculi in this country).]

[You have obtained 240 points + Fullmetal Alchemist rate-up banner is now open.]

[The Fullmetal Alchemist collaboration banner is open for a limited time. SSR "Gate of Truth Entrance Ticket (This World Exclusive)", SR "Seven Deadly Sins (Homunculus)", SR "Unarranged Transmutation (Edward Elric)", Sr "Sloane's Notes (Sloane)" guaranteed rewards will be directly obtained after fifty, one hundred, and three hundred draws.]

"Of the three mission commissions, only the Homunculus one was a bit easier to deal with."