The train rumbled through the wilderness covered with weeds and drove along the railway tracks towards the other end of the country. Time gradually passed in Liu Mengchao's dream along with the footsteps of this train.

When Liu Mengchao yawned and opened his eyes, the starting point of his journey reappeared before his eyes.

The familiar platform and the slightly plainly dressed people are the most distinctive attire of the people in the eastern part of the country.

After picking up his luggage, Liu Mengchao stepped out of the carriage and saw the person waiting for him at the train station.

"Colonel Roy Mustang, long time no see."

Liu Mengchao looked at the person who ran directly into his field of vision and couldn't help but smile. He saw the man in dark blue military uniform glanced at Liu Mengchao with an expression full of unhappiness.

"The Alchemist of Deception...this title is really terrible."

As soon as he saw Liu Mengchao, Roy Mustang said depressedly. Liu Mengchao ignored the colonel who was constantly complaining. His eyes passed directly over the man's shoulders and landed on the woman who stayed beside the colonel like a shadow. On the body.

Short blond hair, neat military uniform.

Lisa Hawkeye. This is the name of the colonel's personal assistant. But Liu Mengchao could see the affection hidden under her eyes just when he saw this woman for the first time. Of course, this was not affection for him. , but her affection for the man standing in front of her, wearing a dark blue military uniform.

"You really have a good assistant, Colonel Roy Mustang."

As Liu Mengchao said this, he casually dropped his salute.

"Wait... Do you want Lisa to take you with your luggage?" Roy Mustang stood directly in front of his assistant and looked at Liu Mengchao sideways and said.

"I am now..." Liu Mengchao did not answer directly, but took out the silver pocket watch from his pocket and shook it gently in his hand, "I should be barely considered a national alchemist, right?"

"Well, if your research report this year had not been scrapped, you should still be the national alchemist now." Looking at Liu Mengchao's lazy expression, Colonel Roy Mustang almost made his nose pick up. Already.

"Then let the assistant behind you take the luggage, isn't it a matter of course?"

Liu Mengchao said, and walked directly to Roy Mustang. His smiling eyes kept waving back and forth on Roy Mustang and Lisa Hawkeye, and the meaning contained in them was It's a joke, you can smell it even if you cover your nose.

"you!"

Roy Mustang almost shouted with Liu Mengchao, but Liu Mengchao unexpectedly stretched out his hand to stop Roy Mustang. Liu Mengchao raised the corner of his mouth and took a few steps forward. He replied. He looked over at Roy Mustang and said, "I heard that your research diary was written with a woman's name."

"Um?"

When Roy Mustang heard Liu Mengchao's words, he frowned instantly. His research notes should be said to be secrets that no one but himself can know. As an alchemist, if If the password for your research notes is known to others, in some ways, it is the same as saying that all your secrets have been seen through.

"Who told you!?"

Roy Mustang asked with a frown. He remembered clearly that he studied his notes. He only told Brother Edward because these two brothers were simple enough. Simple enough people, in some respects,

He is also someone who is friendly enough and able to keep secrets.

"Edward." Liu Mengchao smiled and said Edward's name, betraying his friend without hesitation, "I also know that Edward's research notes are written in travel notes. In comparison, I think Edward is still

The research notes are more confidential."

Edward's notes? Hearing Liu Mengchao's words, Roy Mustang, who had been delaying, suddenly realized something was wrong. If Liu Mengchao was just joking with himself by saying some insignificant words, there was no need to mention anything related to Edward.

.

"But we did see different research notes in Central City."

Liu Mengchao suddenly stopped, turned around and said to Roy Mustang. Liu Mengchao's eyes were slightly narrowed. The black eyes seemed to be filled with the emotion of waiting. No, not so much waiting, but Liu Mengchao's eyes.

It is full of playful flavor.

Research Notes!?

Roy Mustang paused for a moment, but his mind was already running at high speed. The things Liu Mengchao and Edward were looking for, if they remembered correctly, should be research information on the Philosopher's Stone.

.Although the Philosopher's Stone is said to only appear in legends, in the final analysis, it is still a product of alchemy.

So……

"Have you discovered the research data on the Philosopher's Stone?" Roy Mustang asked in a hurry. Although Liu Mengchao had not given an answer yet, Roy Mustang had already thought clearly in his mind.

After all, Liu Mengchao doesn't seem to have the slightest interest in alchemy, and he doesn't seem like someone who would contact others to research information. If Liu Mengchao and Edward saw a piece of information at the same time, it would most likely be the Philosopher's Stone.

research information?

Thinking of this, Roy Mustang's pace quickened instantly and he rushed directly to Liu Mengchao. Lieutenant Lisa Hawkeye, who was still confused at first, seemed to realize the seriousness of the problem and quietly mentioned

He picked up Liu Mengchao's suitcase, took a step back, and became alert to the surrounding situation.

Obviously, Liu Mengchao just asked her to get her luggage, not to show off her country's alchemist privileges, but to create an environment where Roy Mustang and Liu Mengchao could talk alone.

"I'm sorry, I was given a gag order and I can't speak yet."

Looking at Roy Mustang who had already walked to his side, Liu Mengchao smiled and shook his head.

"In the name of Colonel, I order you to tell me the truth." Roy Mustang said without hesitation into Liu Mengchao's half-smiling eyes.

"Sorry, your identity is not enough."

not enough?

Hearing Liu Mengchao's words, Roy Mustang's voice couldn't help but pause. He rolled his eyes, looked at Liu Mengchao, nodded, and said to himself, "So my identity is not enough?"

"Yes." Liu Mengchao smiled and nodded, "The research information written in recipes cannot tell you the details yet. Please understand."

Sure enough! What I guessed was right!

As soon as he heard Liu Mengchao's reply, the corners of Roy Mustang's mouth turned up.

"What about other things?"

"Anything else?" Liu Mengchao met Roy Mustang's gaze, paused slowly, and reorganized his words, "Edward and I seem to have something in common. We unexpectedly

I found that we have the same approach in areas that are inaccessible."

Made from human body?!

"Right?" Looking at the understanding look in Roy Mustang's eyes, Liu Mengchao's lips raised even higher. Liu Mengchao blinked his eyes towards Roy Mustang, "Speaking of which, Ma Stan

Lieutenant Colonel S. Schulz cannot leave the Central Committee due to work, which sounds really frustrating."

"Is that so?" Roy Mustang looked into Liu Mengchao's eyes and nodded slowly, "What about Edward?"

"Going to find his master." Liu Mengchao said, spreading his hands, "I heard that his master is also an extremely skilled alchemist. He can directly complete alchemy without using the alchemy formation."

Refined!?

Is it possible to complete alchemy without using hands?

Isn't this the common ability of those who have completed the refinement of the human body and seen the door of truth?

Roy Mustang nodded slowly and walked beside Liu Mengchao without saying a word, waiting for Liu Mengchao's next words. He now understood something. There was only one question left.

"I thought you were going to travel with the Edward brothers. Why did you come to the east?"

"Because there is no difference, are they all? Speaking of which, I envy your working environment, Colonel Roy Mustang." As he said that, Liu Mengchao suddenly stopped and turned around to look at the people following him.

The cautious Lieutenant Lisa Hawkeye came, "If you are someone who doesn't know the truth, you might even think that she is your girlfriend, Colonel!"

At this point, before Colonel Roy Mustang could reply, Liu Mengchao had already waved his hand and said goodbye to Colonel Roy Mustang.

Liu Mengchao moved very quickly, and in just a few ups and downs, he had already disappeared into the crowd.

"By the way, don't forget to take your luggage to the hotel, Colonel Roy Mustang."

Liu Mengchao's words before leaving slowly floated in Colonel Roy Mustang's ears.

————————————————————————————————

Liu Mengchao had already gone away. Lieutenant Lisa Hawkeye, who was carrying the luggage with one hand, slowly walked to Roy Mustang. She frowned slightly and looked at Liu Mengchao who had disappeared.

"Aren't you curious?"

Looking into Lisa Hawkeye's eyes, Roy Mustang asked softly.

They are now some distance away from the Eastern Station. The car show that was originally full of people has gradually faded away, and the number of pedestrians on the street has also become sparse.

After turning a few corners, Lisa Hawkeye finally realized that there were no more people around, so she slowly asked, "When you were at the station just now... there were people around you who were paying attention to your conversation.

"

"Oh? Is that really true?"

Colonel Roy Mustang stopped, but a contemptuous smile appeared on his lips, as if everything that had just happened was what he had expected.

"But fortunately, you must have noticed it, so I was very careful when talking. Liu Mengchao didn't reveal anything to you."

"Is this really the case?" Roy Mustang, who was standing in the shadows, looked at his lieutenant and shook his head gently. "It's not so much that Liu Mengchao hasn't revealed anything to me. It's better to say that Liu Mengchao has revealed everything to me.

Everything was explained clearly to me."

"What!?"

Lisa Hawkeye's eyes widened with an incredible look. She never expected that Liu Mengchao and Roy Mustang would explain everything clearly in the crowd.

"That's true." Roy Mustang narrowed his eyes slightly, recalled his conversation with Liu Mengchao, and said slowly, "He first told me the password for my research notes, and then told him the password for Edward.

"

"This...is this a secret belonging to the alchemist?"

"Yes," Roy Mustang nodded, with a look of admiration inadvertently showing in his eyes, "Liu Mengchao told me before that he lost his memory due to the refining of the human body. In other words,

He has not seen other people's research materials, and among the people he knows well, only Brother Edward and I are alchemists."
To be continued...