Briggs Fortress.
This steel barrier standing at the northernmost end of Amestris is like a giant beast lying among the mountains, resisting threats from Drachma and extremely cold snowstorms all year round.
Within Citadel Hospital Wing.
"If you don't want this arm to turn into scrap metal outdoors at minus 30 degrees Celsius, leading to nerve necrosis, you must replace it with a cold-resistant model specially designed for the north."
A female mechanical armor technician was roaring at Edward·Elric, and the wrench in her hand made a clanging sound on the workbench.
"I know, I know..."
Edward put on his clothes with a look of displeasure on his face, and was still muttering, "It's just a replacement part, the prices here are simply robbery. A cup of mud-like coffee actually dares to charge me 100 cents, why don't you rob a bank?"
At this moment, Hospital Wing's heavy metal door was pushed open.
Three figures walked in.
Edward turned around subconsciously, and then his eyes widened. "Mr. Ian? Why are you here too?"
"Hey, isn't this Edward?"
Ian was wearing a well-cut black coat. He looked out of place among a group of soldiers wearing blue military uniforms around him, but he was also extremely conspicuous. "It seems that your trip went smoothly?"
"Do you know this suspicious person?"
A female voice as cold as ice interrupted the greetings.
The person who spoke was a tall female officer. She had long golden hair like a waterfall, plump but cold lips, and her eyes were as sharp as Blade. She just stood there, and the sense of battlefield-experienced oppression made the temperature of the entire Hospital Wing seem to drop a few degrees.
The supreme commander of Briggs Fortress - Major General Olivia·Mira·Armstrong.
Known as "Northern Queen".
"Your Excellency, Major General!" The military doctor on the side immediately stood at attention and saluted.
"Take a break." Olivia waved his hand, his eyes locked on Elric Brothers, "Answer my question."
"Uh... we have met before." Edward was a little afraid of this powerful woman and answered honestly, "He once rescued our friend. But Major General, how do you know him?"
"How did we meet?"
Olivia sneered and glanced at Ian, with a trace of fear and anger flashing in his eyes.
"Just a few days ago, this man appeared sneakily in my defense area. I thought he was a spy of Drachma, so I ordered his arrest."
She paused and gritted her teeth and said, "As a result, with his bare hands, he single-handedly knocked down all my patrol members in less than a minute. He didn't even... even take a breath."
Edward and Alphonse looked at each other, although they were a little surprised, but thinking of Ian's unfathomable Alchemy attainments, they felt that this was completely logical.
"Mr. Ian, I remember you said before that you were going to Xing?" Alphonse asked curiously.
"Plans cannot keep up with changes."
Ian shrugged and lied without changing his expression, "Before going to the east, I decided to come to the north to see the snow scene first. After all, reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles."
In fact, he had been to Xing a long time ago. The reason why he hid it was because he didn't want these two boys to know that he had mastered Alkahestry. If they knew, these two guys who were thirsty for knowledge would definitely pester him to teach, thus disrupting the original rhythm of the plot.
Although Ian has the habit of "teaching others", he is more like a shrewd observer of scripts and only takes action at critical moments.
After chatting for a few words, Olivia did not show any warmth.
Just like in the original work, she coldly interrogated the brothers about their purpose of coming here, and did not give them any preferential treatment because they were children. After confirming that there was no threat to them for the time being, she ordered her subordinates to assign the brothers to work as handymen, and then turned and left.
"Ian, you also come with me."
When Olivia passed by Ian, he coldly dropped a word.
Ian I don't know when a bag of fruit appeared in my hand. I ate it leisurely and followed it.
In the corridor.
Captain Buchanan, who had a huge mechanical arm, followed behind, staring at Ian's back with vigilance. His eyes were complicated, showing both awe of the strong and fear of unknown dangers.
"Major General, those two children have something wrong with their eyes." Buchanan reported in a low voice, "Although they tried to hide it, I can tell that they have experienced Hell. And... they are hiding secrets."
"Everyone has a secret, Captain. As long as it doesn't harm Citadel, I don't care."
Olivia said without looking back. Her intuition told her that compared to the two brats, the man eating fruit behind her was the real threat.
A few minutes later, the major general's office.
Olivia retreated to the left and right, even leaving Buchanan outside the door.
The heavy door closed, and only two people were left in the room.
Olivia was sitting behind a large desk, with his hands crossed and resting on his chin, looking at Ian who was sitting on the sofa opposite.
"So, how are you thinking about it?"
Ian took a bite of the apple and said in a relaxed tone, as if he was talking about the weather, "About my proposal."
"Proposal?"
Olivia snorted coldly, with a mocking arc at the corner of his mouth.
"You suddenly appeared on my territory, showed inhuman force, and then told me that you were a wizard from another world and a huge Empire Archon."
"Then, you brazenly invited me to be your... imperial concubine? And promised to give me an invincible fleet that I couldn't imagine?"
Olivia slammed the table and leaned forward, feeling full of pressure:
"Tell me, if it were you, would you believe the ravings of such a madman?"
"Well... Logically speaking, it's really hard to convince."
Ian nodded, not angry. He swallowed the pulp in his mouth and wiped his hands.
"Since language is pale, let's speak with facts."
Ian stood up slowly, raised his right hand, and made a downward motion in the air.
[Dimension Gate·Open]
There is no light from any alchemical reaction, and there is no material medium for Equivalent Exchange.
The space seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand, and a dark and deep space crack appeared out of thin air in the center of the office. The crack expanded rapidly, and finally stabilized into a Blink portal with a faint blue light.
Olivia's pupils shrank violently. Her hand under the table had already touched the hilt of her sword, but her reason told her that there was no point in drawing the sword.
"Ladies first." Ian made a gentleman's "please" gesture.
Olivia stared at the door for a few seconds, then took a deep breath, adjusted her military uniform, and walked in with her head held high. As the eldest daughter of Armstrong family, she never knew what it meant to retreat.
The moment she passed through the light door, the intense white light pierced her eyes.
When his vision returned, Olivia was completely stunned.
She found herself standing in a huge, seemingly boundless white space.
In front of her, there were countless huge metal Creation arranged neatly.
They were steel behemoths she had never seen before. They had streamlined shells and complex blue light paths flowing on their surfaces. Even the smallest one was more than three kilometers long by visual inspection. In comparison, the tank that Briggs Fortress was proud of was as small as a toy.
"What... are these?" Olivia's voice trembled for the first time.
"Star Battleship."
Ian walked to her side and looked at the sleeping giant beasts with a hint of pride in his tone.
"Or use a concept you can understand - flying super tanks. But their battlefield is not the earth, but the stars and the sea."
"Flying... tank?" Olivia felt that his world view was collapsing.
"Come and experience it."
Ian hit the Snap.
[Spatial Displacement]
The scene changed instantly. The two people appeared directly in the bridge command room of one of the medium-sized battleships.
A holographic screen full of science fiction lights up, and countless data streams are flying in the sky.
"Morgana, take over control of the battleship."
"As you command, Master."
Accompanied by soft electronic synthesized sounds, the giant ship underfoot made a low hum. The anti-gravity engine started, and the huge ship slowly levitated.
Olivia gripped the handrail tightly, trying to maintain the surface calmness. But the shock in her eyes had betrayed her. This technology that transcended the times, Creation, was simply a miracle for a civilization that still used bolt-action rifles and steam trains.
Ian secretly observed the reaction of "Ice Queen" and nodded secretly in his heart.
The reason why he likes Olivia is not just because of beauty. In the future Arcane Empire territory, the interstellar fleet will be the core force. He needs a commander with iron will, excellent command skills and absolute ruthlessness to take charge of this force.
And Olivia·Armstrong is the most perfect candidate he found in this world.
"Morgana, enter the simulated shooting range. Perform a minimum-yield strike demonstration."
"Target locked. Main gun charged. Fire."
The holographic screen in the command room instantly switched perspectives, showing a deserted simulated plain below.
A dazzling white beam shot out from the battleship's main gun port.
Boom--!!!
There is no deafening sound, only the ultimate visual destruction.
The moment the beam hit the ground, a huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky. The shock wave spread dozens of kilometers in a radius of Cleansweep with devastating force. The earth was instantly vitrified and the mountains were flattened.
When the smoke and dust dissipated, only a bottomless giant crater was left on the ground.
Olivia looked at the scene of destruction on the screen and was speechless for a long time.
"You mean..." She turned her head and her voice was dry, "This is just... the lowest level of attack?"
"Yes."
Ian replied calmly, "This attack is a wide-area coverage mode. If we switch to the 'sniper mode', we can accurately vaporize a person on the ground from outside the atmosphere without harming the flowers and plants around him."
"..."
Olivia took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
As a soldier, she knew exactly what this meant.
This ship - no, just this cannon on this ship is enough to wipe out the entire Amestris in an instant. In the face of such power, the so-called army, Alchemy division, and even Homunculus are nothing but a joke.
And in this man's warehouse, there are hundreds or even thousands of such battleships.
"This is... what you call Empire?"
"This is just the tip of the iceberg."
Ian turned around, facing away from the projection of the stars and the sea, and stretched out her hand to the queen:
"On a technological level, this is crushing. But in my world, this is just the foundation."
"Olivia, your talents should not be limited to guarding that ridiculous northern wall in this backward, small country full of conspiracies."
"The stage I want to give you is the stars, the dimensions, and the endless conquests."
Olivia looked at the man in front of her. At this moment, in her eyes, he was no longer a suspicious Alchemy master, but a king who controlled destruction and Creation Authority.
Although her reason told her that this was crazy, the Armstrong family blood in her body, the desire for power and conquest, was boiling crazily.
"Can you tell me more about it?"
Olivia raised his head, the vigilance in his eyes had dissipated, replaced by the flame of ambition.
"About... your Empire."
"Of course, it's a great honor."
Ian raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a well-planned smile.