What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

“Mr. Fenrir, you are quite right.” Potter said, removing his mask to reveal his true face. “Now, please allow me to once again sincerely invite you to sit down and talk to me again!”

Leon finally nodded and turned around.

Potter waved to his bodyguards to remove the body from the room, change the tablecloth, and then ordered that only Father Auden should remain.

When Leon and he sat down again on either side of the long table, which had been covered with a clean white tablecloth, the two bodyguards, as ordered, withdrew and closed the hall door behind them.

Chapter 52 If you want to launder money, come to me.

An hour later, Leon boarded the carriage for his return journey, accompanied by several bodyguards who were extremely respectful, even apprehensive.

He glanced outside, and the bodyguards instinctively lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact with him.

This Fenrir, by threatening his own life, blackmailed everyone on the plantation, poisoned old Roddy in front of everyone, and then, with a few words, persuaded their boss to execute Garcia, who had followed him for many years.

Even though they were all ruthless gangsters who lived on the edge, they dared not get involved with this terrifying madman.

Even the coachman who was responsible for taking him back looked nervous, as if he was afraid that if he made a mistake on the way, he would be killed on the spot by this man.

But just as the door was about to close, a deep, aged voice suddenly rang out: "Could I get a ride? I need to get back to Hamel Town too."

Leon looked in the direction of the sound with some surprise and saw Father Raymond Auden, dressed in a friar's robe, standing at the carriage door.

The coachman looked at Leon and then at Father Auden, unsure how to react.

Leon looked at the priest with a mixture of doubt and curiosity, but said nothing.

The priest glanced back for a moment, then boarded the carriage: "Since you didn't say no, I'll take that as your agreement."

After speaking, he sat down directly opposite Leon and then gestured for the coachman to close the door.

Once the carriage door was closed, only the light of the oil lamp remained inside, making the enclosed space dimly lit.

The carriage started moving and left the winery. Leon and Father Auden looked at each other in the swaying carriage, like two caged beasts wary of each other.

Finally, Leon broke the silence: "What exactly do you want?"

“I told you, I just wanted a ride,” Father Auden replied calmly.

"Mr. Potter shouldn't be so stingy as to refuse to arrange a car for you. Is it really necessary to squeeze into a car with a gas canister?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll seize the opportunity to kill you on the way? You were the one who encouraged Potter to kill me, I remember that." Leon asked, staring into Father Oden's eyes.

He was so curious about Father Auden's reason for deliberately squeezing into the same carriage as him.

“If you wanted me dead, you should have put me on your list when you talked to Potter, or just killed me outright. You didn’t do that because you knew Potter wouldn’t agree and would ruin your business. You may look crazy, but you know the boundaries better than anyone else.” Father Auden stared intently at Leon.

"So you hitched a ride just to show off that you saw through me? Get to the point," Leon asked.

The priest's words were quite accurate, but he still didn't mention why he got on the bus.

“Fifty thousand pfennigs per gram, you’ve negotiated a very good price with Potter. I don’t think even the Earl would offer such a price. If nothing unexpected happens, you should be able to earn enough within a few years to buy a mansion, a plantation, and even a ship that can go out to sea…” the priest said.

“Hmm, that sounds pretty good,” Leon casually agreed.

But then the priest suddenly changed his tone: "But the reality is that you can't buy anything; you can only bury your money in the cellar."

Leon frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"If you're just quietly enjoying yourself, eating well, and playing around with women, there's probably no problem. But if you make any large expenditures or purchase any property, you'll quickly attract the attention of the tax officials, and then the police department will come running after you."

"Given your status, the Inquisition will also be watching you. How will you explain this huge sum of money from an unknown source then?" Father Auden asked persuasively.

After saying that, he took out a small voucher from his pocket and handed it over: "You sold those samples for 100,000. I think you might be interested in this."

Leon took it, examined it, and asked, "What is this?"

“This is a prize-winning donation ticket issued by the church. It was won last week and is still within the redemption period. The prize is 100,000 pfennigs. After paying 20,000 pfennigs in taxes, you can redeem the prize at the church. The church will then have a record of your 80,000 pfennigs income, and you can spend that 80,000 pfennigs as you please,” Father Auden said.

Leon chuckled softly. This thing was actually a lottery. In the empire, only the church could issue it. It was one of the church's main means of raising money, while the government profited from it by collecting taxes.

The lottery jackpot in this world isn't that huge, but there are still big prizes in the hundreds of thousands.

"How much does it cost?" Leon asked, waving the lottery ticket in his hand.

"One hundred thousand."

"Just because I earned 100,000, you're asking me for 100,000?"

"I bought this lottery ticket for 90,000 pfennigs, with a cost of 10,000. Then, with my 15% handling fee, it should have been 102,000. Considering this is our first time doing business, I can give you a discount and round it down."

"Of course, this is just the simplest solution for small amounts. If your amount is larger, there will be no additional costs besides the handling fee," Father Oden explained.

"So you want to help me launder money?" Leon finally understood Father Auden's purpose, and then handed the lottery ticket back. "An hour ago you were urging your boss to kill me, and now you're offering to help me launder money? Are you out of your mind?"

The priest calmly took back the lottery ticket: "Well, I think I'm pretty normal compared to your business tactics. Think about it, there's no one more suitable for you in Hamel than me."

I not only happen to know you're doing business with Potter, but I also handle Potter's assets. You can find me at the East End Church anytime you need me. You can also come to me if you or your people are under investigation or appear in court.”

Leon sized him up for a moment before commenting, "Just as rumored, you are indeed the most profit-driven litigator in Hamel Town."

“As far as I remember, the rumors were much harsher,” Father Auden replied nonchalantly. “But it doesn’t matter; compared to the truth, these rumors are already quite embellished.”

Leon agreed with this statement. After all, the public only knew that he helped the rich oppress the poor for money, and did not know that Father Auden was actually a resident advisor to the underworld leader, and might have been involved in some even more inhumane crimes.

"So, Father Auden, what does conscience mean to you?" Leon asked casually.

“It’s probably the most precious thing I have,” Father Auden replied without hesitation.

Leon was taken aback, feeling that the old man was blatantly lying.

But then Father Auden continued, "So I sold it."

Leon smiled politely at the joke, and seeing how shameless the other person was, he decided not to make any further sarcastic remarks, as it was pointless.

Money laundering would probably be necessary for him in the future, but he doesn't want to consider it right now because he can't trust Father Auden.

After a long silence, Leon spoke again, asking, "Father Auden, do you remember the Hershey family?"

Chapter 53 Mom's met a pervert

“Hershey?” Father Auden thought carefully and quickly remembered. “Oh, the Hersheys, the theater owners? You know them?”

“Yes, I know Mrs. Hershey and her daughter. I remember they have some debts with you,” Leon said.

Sally and Melissa's main debtor is Potter, and it was because of this that he had a falling out with Garcia at the tavern.

Although Porter had the upper hand during the business negotiations, he would definitely try to investigate him afterwards.

Although Garcia is dead, he still has several men who have seen Leon stand up for Melissa. In fact, it would be easy for them to find out that he is related to Melissa's family.

At this stage of the investigation, it's possible that these gangsters might use Sally and Melissa as leverage to control him, which actually poses a risk to Sally and Melissa.

In that case, it would be better if he brought it up himself.

But the timing of the mention is very important. The other party needs to realize that the mother and daughter are not that important to him, and that taking action would cause them trouble.

He had thought of this when he was talking to Porter earlier, but after much consideration, he didn't bring it up immediately. At that time, they were discussing important details of the deal, and suddenly mentioning Hershey and her daughter might attract their attention.

Now that he suddenly had the opportunity to chat with Father Auden, Leon felt that the timing was perfect, and he could also take the opportunity to find out the specifics.

“Yes, and quite a lot. With late fees, it should be over six hundred thousand.” Father Oden scrutinized Leon with keen eyes. “What’s wrong? What’s your relationship with them?”

“I’m their tenant,” Leon replied casually.

"You earn so much money a year and live in a dilapidated house that's about to be repossessed? You're quite cautious, aren't you? But you sound like you care a lot about that mother and daughter?" Father Auden suddenly asked.

“Because…” Realizing the priest’s deliberate probing, Leon carefully chose his words, “I am very interested in that mother and daughter.”

If he showed concern for Melissa and the others when dealing with these gangsters, it might make them targets. However, if he showed possessive greed, it would make them realize that taking advantage of someone else's prey would come at an unnecessary cost.

“What?” Father Auden was puzzled. “Selly Hershey? A dying widow, what could possibly interest you?”

Leon had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue, pretending to be enthusiastic in the discussion:

"It's because she's dying. Only someone who can't live can exude that kind of despair and pain. And a dying woman, if given even a little hope, will do anything. Blooming flowers are beautiful, but withered flowers also have their own unique charm."

“Uh… to be honest, I don’t really understand.” Father Oden’s expression turned a little awkward. He thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something was wrong. “Wait a minute, is this why you and Garcia have a grudge? But Garcia is that kind of person…”

There's no way someone like Garcia would be interested in a dying woman like Selena; the only possibility is...

Father Auden's eyes widened slightly: "Could it be that you're also interested in that kid from the Hersh family?"

Leon didn't really want to admit it, but he could only play along until the very end: "Aren't you asking a bit too many questions?"

"...It's nothing, I respect everyone's hobbies."

Father Auden finally gave up on getting to the bottom of things.

He realized he had encountered a real monster today, and his gaze toward Leon clearly carried a hint of fear.

But Leon didn't end the conversation there: "I've actually been considering whether you could sell me their debts as a package."

“Spending 600,000 to buy two women… no, strictly speaking, just a little girl, I don’t think it’s very worthwhile,” Father Auden shook his head.

"Do the math yourself, is that debt really worth 600,000? After taking that house, that little girl has no way of paying it off. Do you really want to resell it to me at the original price? You need my goods, so you can give them to me as a freebie, no problem, right?" Leon retorted.

Now that he had established a connection with Porter and Father Oden, he felt he could use this connection to negotiate the debt, squeeze out the exorbitant amounts, and transfer the claim to himself.

Father Auden calmly replied, “You’re asking for too much of a freebie. Potter is a businessman; he won’t do business at a loss. There might be a small discount, but it’s impossible for him to give it to you for free. Besides, giving you a discount is only possible if our business can continue to operate stably. You should focus on doing your job well first. Also, if you need an explanation of where the money came from, I’m always available.”

Leon realized that he would need to deliver goods at least once or twice before he could discuss the debt deal with Melissa's family.

“Alright.” Leon thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, “I remember the theater run by the Hershey family was burned down. Was that related to you?”

The small theater that the Hersheys bought with a loan suddenly burned down, and then Father Auden, on behalf of Potter, took back the land, essentially saddled the family with a huge debt at a relatively low cost, leaving them penniless. However, Mr. Hershey's unexpected death and Mrs. Hershey's illness made the debt even more difficult to repay.

Considering that Potter is Mr. Griffin and Father Auden is his advisor, and that these people are actually gangsters, then the fire seems even more suspicious—in fact, Melissa and her family have always suspected that someone set the fire, but the police department couldn't find any results.

“At least it has nothing to do with me. I know nothing about it. I’m only responsible for handling the aftermath,” Father Auden answered the question with a very subtle attitude.

"Is that so?" Leon had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

He wanted to help Selena and Melissa, but the reality was that he was now associating with the villains who had persecuted their family and pretending to be one of them—it was quite ironic.

But in any case, the business still needs to continue, and only when enough money is made can the conditions for breaking the deadlock be met, both for Melissa and the others, and for his own situation.

Another silence fell, and then lane markings began to appear on the ground; they seemed to have arrived in Hamel.

“You’d better sell as much as possible as soon as possible, don’t hold back too much,” Father Auden suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Leon responded.

“As I said before, you killed Caron Esso, and the Church will soon send a troublesome figure. The Earl will also make his next move. With Potter’s abilities and the cards he has, I think it will be difficult for him to last until the end. As for you, now that you’re in the game, you’ll probably be busy too,” Father Auden said.

"Is it appropriate to talk about your boss like that? Why don't you care about yourself?" Leon retorted.

“My job is to exonerate you people. I have my own way out,” Father Auden replied calmly. “Here’s a piece of advice: no matter who comes to the Inquisition, don’t think that killing them will solve everything. It will only make things more complicated. But I guess… you might not have that opportunity.”

Before Leon could respond, Father Auden knocked on the carriage and spoke into the gap at the front: "Let me out when we get to town, anywhere is fine."

The driver whistled in response, then slowly pulled the carriage to the side of the road and came over to open the door.

"Goodbye, come find me if you need anything," Father Auden said before getting out of the car.

Chapter 54 My Personality: Male-Female Preference

Inside the labyrinth's workshop, Leon and Lena were each busy at their own workstations.

After finishing a batch of medication preparations, Lena breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to take a short rest.

She looked at Leon and found that he wasn't dealing with monsters; he was fiddling with several test tubes containing different liquids, seemingly conducting some kind of experiment by himself.

"Do you want to try making magic essence again?" Lena asked.

After receiving Moira's blessing, Leon actually tried to learn from Lena and use Moira's altar to make magic essence.

He did successfully extract magic essence, but whether it was due to his magic power level or his skill level, after several attempts, the quality of the magic essence he produced could never compare to Lena's product.

Using the same raw materials, Leon's magic essence production was on average about five percent lower than Lena's, leading Lena to believe that he had given up on producing it himself.

“No, I’m conducting other experiments,” Leon replied.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously, leaning closer and picking up two test tubes from the rack to examine them.

"Don't move..." Leon was about to speak up to stop him when he realized the other person had already picked it up. He sighed softly, "Sigh."