Chapter 131: Alchemy (Part 2)

Lashubaré, the holy land for mechanics in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist. Nearly seventy percent of the people in this city are mechanics, while the remaining thirty percent work in related industries. Thanks to these mechanics, those with physical disabilities can stand once again.

The reason there are so many disabled people is that this country is surrounded by chaotic order on all sides. The aftermath of war has made Lashubaré's business very prosperous, but for most mechanics here, except for a few, they do not want business to be this booming.

These mechanical prosthetics can give mobility back to the disabled, but they come with intense pain. The process of connecting the prosthetics to nerves is extremely painful. During his stay, Daniel Davis heard the screams of people undergoing this procedure more than once.

Daniel Davis stayed here to communicate with the dimensional space, and also out of curiosity about these mechanical prosthetics, wanting to learn about them in the process.

After observing, Daniel found that although these people are mechanics, they are almost half doctors. Since the prosthetics need to connect with the human body, handling issues related to infection requires some medical knowledge. This is one of the unique aspects of this world.

With his knowledge base, Daniel quickly grasped the principles of the mechanical prosthetics after a few days of observation. He understood why anesthetics weren't used during the installation of prosthetics, as nerve connection needed to be confirmed. Using anesthetics would make this difficult, especially since there are no advanced instruments in this world.

Of course, there are cases where prosthetics don't need to connect with nerves.

These are normal mechanical prosthetics. There are also non-standard ones that have weapons installed, such as those used by the active thief Pania in Lashubaré. Her leg prosthetics contain weapons, one being a blade and the other a single-shot Galba cannon.

Daniel knew Pania because she once tried to steal from him but failed. He captured her but didn't make things difficult for her and let her go. After that, Pania frequently appeared in Daniel's sight, and they got to know each other. Daniel didn't blame her for stealing; a girl who lost her legs and had no family could only be expected to survive by any means.

Regarding Pania's legs, Daniel currently had no solution. Although he had many potions, none could regenerate limbs without side effects.

Daniel could only hope for the Extremis Virus or Dr. Zhao's nano-medical technology in the future.

The Extremis Virus was powerful, but Daniel only remembered it, not the name of the woman who had a fling with Stark. Without her name, he couldn't find her and could only wait for her to appear.

If he knew her name, he would have sought her out to make her work for him. This way, he would have both the Extremis Virus and nanotechnology, both capable of regenerating limbs. It was interesting that the developers of these products were both beautiful women.

With the level of nanotechnology, bodies could be manufactured like products in the future. If soul transfer technology were available, humans could achieve immortality as long as their souls hadn't decayed. This would surely drive wealthy old men crazy, and such technology could be sold at astronomical prices.

Others might not have the ability to transfer souls, but Daniel did. Kamar-Taj's magic could eject the soul from the body. Combining this with nanomedical technology to create a body could allow soul transfer.

Different souls are incompatible, and forcing them together would cause both the body and soul to collapse. However, if the body were created using nanotechnology, this problem might not exist.

This is why possession often occurs in infants, as their souls haven't fully formed.

As technology advances, it becomes more frightening.

Daniel didn't care much about this. If he really wanted to do such things, the powers of the Op-Op Fruit were simpler and didn't seem to have soul compatibility issues.

"I have to go. Goodbye," Daniel said, waving to Pania before boarding a train to Central City. Although the train's speed was not as fast as the Quinjet or his own flying broom, it was worth exploring this world.

The city names in Amestris are very straightforward. Central City is in the middle of the country, and the cities and military bases in the four directions are named accordingly.

The country is ruled by the military, with only a small number of officials handling political matters. To ordinary people, this might seem necessary due to the constant unrest, but Daniel knew the truth. The country was established for the National Transmutation Circle. The simplistic naming reflected this purpose.

The dwarf in the flask had grand ambitions, wanting to pull God from the heavens and become one himself.

"Is the God of this world the Gate of Truth?" Daniel pondered, sitting by the train window.

"The dimensional space of this world feels strange. Even with the Space Stone, my progress is slow. Could it be...?" Daniel had some guesses but couldn't confirm them without evidence.

"The Führer is very powerful, combining the Philosopher's Stone with a human body to enhance physical strength, similar to Kamar-Taj's magic." Strengthening the body with soul power, using the Philosopher's Stone, explained why the Führer's body aged.

"Luckily, the Führer doesn't have regenerative abilities; otherwise, no one in this world could defeat him." The dwarf in the flask and Hohenheim relied on their Philosopher's Stones for strength, using sheer power to overwhelm.

They were like characters in a game with infinite mana.

"So this is Central City. Who should I learn alchemy from first?" There were two places in Amestris with many alchemists: Central City, where most alchemists gathered for the annual State Alchemist exam, and the City of Alchemists, home to mostly freelance alchemists.

The State Alchemist exam wasn't open to the public, but this didn't hinder Daniel. Using the Disillusionment Charm, he snuck into the practical exam site. The exam had two parts: a written test to assess knowledge, as a powerful alchemist required extensive knowledge, and a practical test.

The principle of alchemy is understanding, deconstruction, and reconstruction. Understanding means knowledge. Because of different understandings, the same transmutation circle can yield varying results, like students scoring differently on the same test.

"Impressive," Daniel thought, watching an alchemist create a stone tower with just a transmutation circle. He had read some introductory alchemy books and, despite his vast knowledge, was amazed by the alchemy in this world.

Understanding, deconstruction, and reconstruction were clear to him, but the process was like putting an elephant in a refrigerator. Open the door, put the elephant in, and close the door. This was alchemy.

The omitted process was actually carried out by the power of the earth or ley lines.

So, for an alchemist, extensive knowledge was the first step, along with the ability to harness this power.

"The Führer has arrived." The exam progressed quickly. Many displayed impressive alchemy but didn't pass because speed was crucial. A State Alchemist needed to be combat-ready, and slow alchemy wouldn't suffice.

When someone reported the Führer's arrival, a middle-aged man with an eyepatch and imposing aura soon walked over.

"Seen enough. Time to find an alchemist to learn from," Daniel thought, glancing at one of the examinees before leaving quietly.

The person Daniel looked at was Edward Elric, the protagonist of Fullmetal Alchemist. From his presence at the State Alchemist exam, Daniel knew the timeline.

"So this is alchemy. Without good drawing skills, it seems one can't become an alchemist," Daniel mused. He found an alchemist who hadn't taken the State Alchemist exam and hypnotized him into teaching him.

Daniel chose this approach because normal learning would be too slow. His knowledge wasn't the issue; it was the transmutation circles.

Each symbol in a transmutation circle had meaning, representing earth, wood, fire, water, steel, metal, etc.

Alchemists who hadn't seen the Gate of Truth could only use transmutation circles to perform alchemy.

"This alchemy is fascinating. The concept of understanding can even be abstract, not just based on extensive knowledge," Daniel thought, further understanding alchemy through his studies.

Abstract concepts meant you didn't need to know the specific composition of the earth. Just drawing the symbol could activate alchemy.

For broken items like radios or tables, you didn't need to know their structure. Drawing the necessary elements' symbols and having a mental concept of the items was enough.

"Skipping all processes and getting the result directly, this alchemy is hard to describe."

Boom.

A massive fireball appeared in front of Daniel as he used a lighter to ignite it. "So this is the Flame Alchemist's power. I need to find Mustang's transmutation circle."

Switching to another transmutation circle, Daniel produced a large water ball.

"Who would have thought the Op-Op Fruit and alchemy would be such a good match," Daniel marveled.

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