After arriving at Xing, Edward did not just enter the country like it was his home; he visited the embassy and showed his visa. Although this country received few visitors because they were all the way east and separated by a vast desert, they still had an embassy.
Additionally, after showing that he was an Alchemist, the reception he received became quite welcoming; too welcoming one might say.
"Wow, I did not know that the people of Xing were so welcoming to outsiders; truly remarkable people," said Hughes after attending a banquet held by the Ambassador of Xing.
"They are not," replied Edward calmly.
"What do you mean?"
"The Emperor of Xing is dying. So, he is currently searching for a way to achieve immortality. The only reason that they are so welcoming to us is because of the possibility that I might know a way as a foreign Alchemist."
"Immortality, Huh? That sounds like a recipe for disaster," said Hughes with a frown on his face.
"Be prepared. In a few days, we should be summoned by the Emperor."
Just like Edward predicted, a few days later, the Ambassador came to see them with the news that the Emperor wanted to see them.
The next day, Edward and Hughes attended a large banquet held by the Xing Emperor himself; the banquet was full of food, people playing the zither, dancing. In general, the atmosphere was jovial.
As for the Emperor, he was a middle-aged man with long hair and beard wearing a long yellow dress with dragons embroidered on them. His complexion was a little pale as he sat on a golden chair also decorated with dragons on it.
With only a glance, Edward could tell that this man was close to death due to illness. Most likely, he spent a lot of effort and energy to get out of bed and attend this banquet.
"Mr. Edward. Is 'Mr' the appropriate word used in the west?" said the Emperor.
"That's fine, your majesty."
"Well, I have a question. Are you a member of royalty?"
"Huh? No, I'm just an Alchemist."
"I'm only asking because the way you conduct yourself seems like a person of high power."
In fact, it was not just the Emperor who felt that way. Even Hughes sometimes has the same feeling he had when meeting with Fuhrer Bradley when dealing with Edward.
"No, I'm just an Alchemist."
"I see. So, to what I owe the honor of this visit?"
"I have traveled the world to learn about different country's Alchemy. In my voyage, I have heard about Xing's Alkahestry and its wonderful healing abilities, so I cam to learn," replied Edward. "Of course, I know that Alchemist follows the Laws of Equivalent Exchange. So, I will also exchange my knowledge of Alchemy."
After saying this, he clapped his hands together before placing them in the air. Electric light flashed from them, then the space in the banquet trembled and a rift opened up. Beyond the rift, the people saw a vast library beyond anything they have ever seen.
"This is my library. In exchange for knowledge about Xing's Alkahestry, your majesty can choose people to enter and learn from it."
The Xing Emperor looked at the magical sight in front of him, then a look of greed flashed from his eyes before returning to normal. With a calm look on his face, he said:
"It would be my honor to have an exchange with a powerful Alchemist like you. Give me a few days, I will summon all the Alkahestrist of the Empire and the exchange can begin."
"In that case, I will gladly await that day," replied Edward. The banquet continued with everyone having a peaceful and enjoyable time. Then, Edward and Hughes returned to the house that they were assigned to by the Emperor.
"Hey, are you sure you should show that Emperor all the knowledge you have?" asked Hughes. "This guy does not look like a good person."
"You are right about that. However, if I did not do something to lure him in, he would probably not show us the Empire real knowledge about Alkahestry; he would probably show us some basic knowledge while trying to get everything from us."
"Why do I feel like you're playing with fire?"
"You think too much. I could easily take down this entire country by myself," replied Edward with an arrogant tone. Of course, Hughes did not believe him.
Soon, three days passed by. Edward thought that the process would take at least a week or more, but the Xing Emperor was ruthless and ordered all these Alchemists to rush to the capital as soon as possible.
So, Edward had a comprehensive exchange with these Alchemists inside his library that he placed inside a dimension that he created after analyzing Gluttony.
Inside a circle, a little bunny who had a deep cut on his back laid motionless, looking at its surroundings with fear. Edward activated the circle and soon afterward, the fresh wound on the bunny's back was instantly cured.
'My theory was correct. Alkahestry used life energy from the planet to heal living creatures. The Dragon Pulse is essentially the life force that connects all living things as one. By using this connection or through the flow of energy, they can project their transmutation circle over long distance.
'Izumi Curtis's theory of All For One, One For All is the western version of the Dragon Pulse.'
Of course, Alkahestry was not only used for medicinal purposes but could also be used the same way as Amestris' Alchemy. The only difference is the energy used in the process.
'Whether it is Alchemy or Alkahestry, they both use some form of energy that is underground or underneath the earth. In my world, mana exists underneath the earth. So, logically speaking, Alchemists should be able to extract mana from the leyline nodes to perform magic.
'And since all people have a Gate of Truth and are capable of performing Alchemy, they should also be able to perform magic. However, if these people were on a planet that did not have leyline nodes, they would immediately lose the ability to perform magic.
'Well, I'll have to check if that is feasible when I return.'
After waking up from his thinking, Edward took a bunch of herbs and placed them on a separate circle. After activating it, all the herbs were decomposed and recombined into a pill. He took the pill and swallowed it.
Immediately afterward, he felt a powerful life force from the pill traveling to his lungs trying to heal it. Of course, since he was healthy, the pill just dissolved itself without much result. However, if his lungs had any problems, this pill would be greatly beneficial.
While Edward was doing his little test, all these Alchemists from Xing looked at with shock. Pill refining was one of the highest levels of Alkahestry and only one person in Xing currently had that ability: the Imperial Doctor.
The Imperial Doctor was the only reason that the current Emperor was still alive. However, this foreign alchemist only took three days to reach such a level.
Edward did not care about these people's looks. To him, Amestris' Alchemy was very similar to the Empire's Transmutation Magic--except more organized, with a better system, and easier to use.
As for Xing's Alkahestry, it was basically a form of Potion since they mostly deal with herbs and stuff. Adding to that the fact that some Eastern Wizards in the Empire tried making pills instead of potions, he has sufficient knowledge regarding the subject.
So, learning and mastering Alkahestry was quite easy for him. As such, after digesting the knowledge about the subject, he focused on studying their understanding of Qi.
He had an idea that might create a completely new system for the Empire, and if he succeeds, he will deal with a major issue that wizards faced.
Title: Aura Master
