Inside the dimly lit prison.
A faint glow of fire seeped through the crack beneath the massive prison gate, casting the shadows of the iron bars.
Roar. Roar.
Beast-like growls faintly echoed throughout the prison.
Clank! The gate opened.
Two figures entered the prison one after the other before stopping in front of a cell.
Two intense golden lights stood out brightly within the darkness.
Stylish clapped his hands, and the lights instantly turned on.
Inside the cell, the petite Dorothea was shackled tightly to a heavy iron chair.
Her eyes were covered with black cloth, and all movement of her body was firmly restrained.
Sensing movement, Dorothea slowly raised her head.
Stylish reached out and tore the black cloth from Dorothea's face.
Resting one hand on his waist, he spoke with slight apology.
"Dorothea-chan, sorry, sorry. I've neglected you a bit."
"Can't be helped. This is the only place in my laboratory capable of holding you."
This was the prison where biological test subjects were kept. Dorothea's own base had similar facilities.
But despite having lived for so many years, this was her first time personally experiencing what it felt like to be imprisoned in one.
After remaining in darkness for so long and suddenly regaining the light, Dorothea showed no discomfort. Her pupils were only slightly unfocused.
Uesugi Ryu held a crimson gemstone about the size of a baby's fist in his hand, shaped like a hexagonal prism.
This was the Philosopher's Stone confiscated from Dorothea.
After carefully examining the gem in his hand, he turned to look at Dorothea after a second.
"This is our first proper meeting, isn't it, Dorothea?"
Dorothea's eyes refocused. Faced with Uesugi Ryu's words, she responded with silence.
The two of them could be said to have long admired each other from afar. Dorothea wanted the knowledge of Human Transmutation in Uesugi Ryu's possession.
And Uesugi Ryu likewise coveted the alchemy and Philosopher's Stone in her hands.
After being invited to the Empire by Syura.
Dorothea's main objective had actually been to meet Stylish and engage in some academic exchange.
Resting one hand against the cold iron chair, Uesugi Ryu slightly bent down and stared at Dorothea.
"I'm very tolerant toward technical talents. Hand over the alchemy and knowledge you possess, and you'll regain your freedom."
As for what exactly that "freedom" meant, that was rather vague.
Stylish unlocked the restraints binding Dorothea to the iron chair.
Then he added afterward.
"To be precise..... become a researcher in the Scientific Research Department."
"I'm currently serving as the minister of the Scientific Research Department. From now on, we'll be colleagues."
Stylish extended a hand toward Dorothea.
"Dorothea-chan, our previous cooperation can continue as well."
It sounded pretty good, but being controlled by others like this still felt rather unpleasant.
Ignoring the hand Stylish extended before her, Dorothea raised her head and looked at Uesugi Ryu.
"I can work for you, but the treatment I deserve personally cannot be lacking."
Faced with Dorothea's final bit of stubborn pride, Uesugi Ryu readily agreed.
"Your work will involve research related to alchemical technology. As long as you produce corresponding results, naturally there won't be any issue."
"You can organize the alchemical techniques later and hand them over to Stylish."
Uesugi Ryu raised the Philosopher's Stone, speaking with visible interest.
"Let's talk about this first."
Dorothea curled her lips slightly and explained calmly.
"The Philosopher's Stone. It's called the ideal tool capable of anything. Even Teigu contain traces of Philosopher's Stone."
"I only possess a single piece of this thing myself."
Avoiding Uesugi Ryu's burning gaze, Dorothea seemed to have guessed what he was thinking.
"The method of creation has already vanished. I don't know it. That's all I know."
Silence. A long silence.
Uesugi Ryu narrowed his eyes slightly as he stared at Dorothea.
The atmosphere around them became stagnant, and an intense pressure spread throughout the cell.
A powerful sense of danger surged from the bottom of her heart, causing Dorothea's teeth to unconsciously clench together.
Stylish stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat and retreated backward. Tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Even though this pressure was not directed at him, simply standing there already made him feel close to suffocating.
Under the oppressive pressure that made even blinking feel difficult, Dorothea's expression showed no change whatsoever.
Uesugi Ryu stored the Philosopher's Stone away and responded with little interest.
"Fine then."
There had been no gains, but that was within expectations anyway.
After all, if Dorothea truly knew the method of creating them, she would not possess only a single Philosopher's Stone herself.
Seeing that Uesugi Ryu seemed extremely interested in the Philosopher's Stone.
A thoughtful look flashed through Dorothea's eyes. Her Teigu was still in Uesugi Ryu's possession after all.
"Some ancient alchemical records vaguely mentioned the existence of something resembling a Philosopher's Stone. It seemed to be related to souls."
Uesugi Ryu raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms before his chest, signaling for Dorothea to continue.
Dorothea stretched her somewhat stiff limbs and spoke casually.
"The related documents are in my old laboratory from before. I'll say this first, though. I can't confirm whether those materials are real or fake."
"You have Shambhala, so you should still have the coordinates. If you want to see them, I can take you there to retrieve the originals."
Knowledge related to Teigu had nearly vanished entirely.
Previously, an emperor of the Empire had imitated the First Emperor and created Shingu, but their power was far inferior to Teigu.
Could the reason be the absence of Philosopher's Stone?
Regarding souls, Uesugi Ryu could already be considered half an expert himself. He truly could sense an intense soul aura from this Philosopher's Stone.
After pondering for a moment, Uesugi Ryu spoke.
"Souls...... no rush. We'll discuss this later."
After speaking, Uesugi Ryu activated Shambhala and instantly vanished from the spot.
The moment Uesugi Ryu disappeared, Dorothea lifted her leg and kicked toward Stylish beside her.
Stylish had long anticipated that she would retaliate.
He shifted half a step sideways and perfectly dodged Dorothea's attack.
"Don't be angry, Dorothea-chan."
"Aren't you interested in Human Transmutation? I happen to have some materials on hand. I'll give them to you as an apology."
Dorothea crossed her arms in front of her chest and reluctantly grunted in response.
"Hmph....."