What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

He had been gathering and funding people from all over the country to study steam engines for a long time, and it was only about four months ago that he finally developed a finished product that could be used in factory production.

Limited by smelting technology and the types of materials, the inadequacy of material performance had troubled them for a long time. In the end, Leon came up with a simple and brutal method—to use a sacred object whose performance far exceeded the technological level of this world in the machine, and to use the power of magic to make up for the lack of science.

These two machines alone have consumed a considerable amount of mithril for upgrades. The value of that mithril alone could buy two factories. If it were only used to improve the production efficiency of a textile mill, it wouldn't be worthwhile. However, considering their current demand for weapons, this investment is still worthwhile.

Arend Island could become a target at any time, so Leon set up a rudimentary mechanized factory there, while the factory on Arend Island was preserved to produce some less critical parts, and was prepared to be abandoned at any time.

“If you could mass-produce these machines and use them on textile machines, you could produce enough cloth to keep every citizen of the Empire warm. But now they’re only being used to produce weapons to kill.” Bishop Auden suddenly felt a pang of irony.

"The products produced by this thing will only become the assets of the rich and will not be distributed to the poor. If it affects market prices, the surplus means of production will be disposed of. Simply increasing productivity cannot change the fact that the poor are suffering from hunger and cold."

However, to change all this, increasing productivity is the only way forward. I also hope to see machines mass-produced and used on ships and vehicles. Unfortunately, they didn't give me time; I had to make sure I survived first, so it's not my fault," Leon said with some regret.

Although steam engines have improved industrial production efficiency to a minimum, it is probably not so easy to make the leap to practical steamships and trains.

Leon knew very well that this technology could lead to a revolution in productivity if it were developed, but he didn't have the luxury of that right now. He could only use it to produce weapons of mass destruction and arm his entire army.

Now Aaron is using his power as emperor to call on the entire empire to attack him. He has won the support of the western noble groups by using Freyd as a bargaining chip, but he is in the east and is surrounded by enemies. The territories of the Marquis of Veronia and the Marquis of Lorraine are not far from him, and he also has to take into account the Church of the God of War in the north.

The disparity in troop strength can only be made up for with equipment and tactics. At least while he is carrying out his plan, he has to find a way to prevent Arend Island and Southport County from falling too quickly.

Crates of rifles, pistols, and paper bullets are manufactured here and then delivered through their transportation network to Leon's army and to underworld mercenaries across the country.

"Has Miss Adele already run far away?" Bishop Auden asked.

“She crossed the border by boat and went to a manor in Augran in the south. She settled down there to observe the situation and organize a backup plan and the next escape route. If things go badly, you can escape over there along the route she has prepared,” Leon said.

“It sounds like you’re not included,” Bishop Oden said.

“If something happens to me, I probably won’t have a chance to escape. And even if it doesn’t end with my life, they probably won’t let it go,” Leon said.

“There’s no need to think about losing the moment you open your mouth. If you dare to take such a big gamble, you have to win big. I don’t want to be at this age, wandering around abroad,” Bishop Oden said.

He is now on the royal wanted list, and even the church is trying to summon him to cooperate with the investigation, but as long as he stays in the area controlled by Leon, he can still guarantee his safety.

If Leon wins in the end, his being wanted by the police will naturally be resolved.

“I’ll try my best.” Leon smiled. “It seems there’s nothing to worry about here. I should get going.”

"What are you going to do next? First, control the surrounding counties to keep those big lords in the east in check, and then take over the capital with the support of the princess's people?" Bishop Auden asked curiously, unaware of Leon's strategic direction.

“I plan to go to Santa Rosalia Prison first,” Leon said.

“What are you thinking? You’ll be arrested if you go there!” Bishop Oden’s expression changed.

"Provided that someone there can arrest me," Leon replied calmly.

Chapter 670 The number of women has increased again.

Two days later, in the area surrounding St. Rosalia Prison, the manticore flapped its wings and slowly landed. Leon was the first to jump off the monster's back, and then reached out to help Princess Fred down.

At that moment, Dorothy also descended from the sky, flapping her black wings, and folded them up beside them.

The journey from Southport County to the Saint Rosalia Prison in the central part of the Empire would normally take a considerable amount of time, given that Leon could not use the teleportation array of the Southeastern Archdiocese.

But with Dorothy's help, they were able to travel day and night across mountains and rivers to get here directly.

Dorothy used her abilities to attach a pair of broad wings to both herself and the manticore, allowing them to glide through the air without any obstacles and reach the vicinity of Santa Rosalia Prison within two days.

Near the high ground where they landed, there was already a camp set up. It was a reinforcement that Leon had sent from the labyrinth base in advance. Redwood County was much closer to here, and he had long ago studied the transportation route from the base to Santa Rosalia Prison.

As soon as Dorothy, Leon, and the others landed, people came out of the camp to greet them.

"Leon!" Lena stepped forward quickly, followed closely by Weiss and Melissa.

Lena and Weiss came together from the Labyrinth Base and the Redwood County mercenary force to meet up. Simon and other officers also accompanied them as guards. Melissa had been transferred to the outside of the prison by Leon under the guise of field work a long time ago. In reality, Melissa had been lying in wait in the town closest to the prison, monitoring the movements of Santa Rosalia Prison.

"Hmm, it seems everyone's here." Leon looked at Lena and the others, then glanced at Simon, Luke, and other executives waiting in the distance, and nodded in satisfaction.

Those gathered here are the people who will later be responsible for suppressing the Santa Rosalia prison.

He then noticed that the three people with Rena had stopped, and that Dolucy and Princess Fred, who were on his left and right, began to silently examine each other, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

The number of women has increased again! Melissa looked back and forth between Dorothy and Fred, whom she had never seen before, and curled her lips, unable to hide her displeasure.

"Should I introduce them?" Leon looked around at everyone. "You've all met Dorothy, and this one..."

"Your Highness Fred, it's been a while," Reina greeted.

"Hmm?" Freyde scrutinized Lena. "You're the succubus witch who interrogated me... So, you're the Red Witch Lena Lothark?"

Among the people waiting here, only Lena has directly met Princess Fred. When she captured Princess Fred and Alicia, Lena interrogated them using her abilities. However, strictly speaking, Princess Fred has never directly met Lena, because Lena was usually masked during the interrogations.

"So you knew who I was?" Lena asked expressionlessly.

“Yes, I also know that the one over there is Bishop Weiss Rogers, and this must be Miss Melissa Hershey, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you all here.” Fred smiled elegantly and bowed to everyone as if attending a ball.

"You know so much detail!" Lena said, somewhat surprised.

“We did investigate Viscount Arendt very thoroughly, and we know his associates very well. Do you remember Knight Commander Alicia, who broke into the labyrinth and met the two of you? I guess you know she used to be my subordinate; she helped me investigate you,” Fred explained.

“That time really gave us quite a scare,” Lena said.

"I'm sorry, back then I was an enemy of all of you, but this time we're all allies, so let's get along amicably," Fred said with a smile.

“More than just companions, we’re like-minded people,” Dorothy suddenly interjected in a teasing tone, reaching out to link her arm with Leon’s. “Right?”

Weiss's eyes widened slightly, looking somewhat caught off guard. She didn't know when Dorothy had gotten involved.

Melissa immediately showed her displeasure, but said nothing. She did know, for she knew, that Dolucy, like Lamia, was a very powerful witch.

"You're here again?" Lena frowned at Leon.

“Sorry, Lena, to be honest, I’m not sure how much of Dorothy is serious, but putting everything else aside, her stance is quite important to us,” Leon explained.

"I'm practically an acquaintance of yours, so it shouldn't be a problem for you to give me a little space," Dorothy said with a smile.

Weiss hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to Lena's ear and whispered, "Lena, did you notice that the princess didn't deny it? That's not a good sign."

When Dorothy said that, Freyd just glanced at Dorothy without offering any opinion, which seemed like a bad omen to Weiss.

“Compared to Dorothy, Her Highness isn’t the most serious problem.” Lena sighed, then said to Leon, “You, just don’t accidentally die at the hands of some wicked woman one day.”

"If things go wrong in the next operation, it wouldn't be surprising if I died somewhere," Leon said with a self-deprecating tone.

"Brother Leon, don't say such unlucky things!" Melissa reminded him in an unhappy tone.

"It's just suppressing the Saint Rosalia prison. Cardinal Warden Malor is already tied up by the Church of the Mystic God. It won't be difficult for you," Princess Frederick analyzed.

Just two days ago, Pope Zeon carried out the plan previously laid out by Leon, using the pretext of reviewing procedures to bring Valerie Malor to the Western Diocese, and then found a way to stall her.

Warden Malor is currently unable to return to the prison in time because the Western Diocese is basically under the control of the Church of the Mystic God, and she cannot directly use the teleportation array there to return to St. Rosalia Prison.

At Santa Rosalia Prison, without the warden's authorization, no one can directly use the teleportation array to summon a large number of people from outside.

This means that if they were to capture Santa Rosalia Prison at this time, the prison authorities would be unable to call in reinforcements from other parishes to suppress them.

“Melissa and I will go back to the prison and take control of an area. I will open a direct passage into the prison for you, and this place will soon become our fortress,” Leon said.

Leon had previously considered running for cardinal and becoming warden to take control of the prison, but circumstances forced him to accept direct charges from the royal family. Although he managed to delay the investigation by threatening the court, he was not yet convicted or listed as a suspect by the church, but his actions were still restricted.

Within the Santa Rosalia prison, the Church of the Creator holds more power, while the Church of the Creator and the Church of the Prophets remain neutral in most matters.

He shouldn't be immediately arrested as a criminal upon returning to prison, but he will certainly face considerable restrictions. If Warden Malor were here, he would definitely control him and make him undergo investigation first. But now that the warden is not here, he can let everyone here know who the real master of this place is.

Chapter 671 The Warden's Dilemma

At the east gate of Santa Rosalia Prison, Leon and Melissa, each on horseback, approached the inspection passage on one side of the gate and showed their credentials to the guarding knight.

In the past, the guards wouldn't even need him to show his credentials before bowing to him and welcoming him, the deputy warden, into the room. Of course, most of the time Leon wouldn't use this door, but would use his authority to teleport back and forth directly through the magic circle.

Upon his return, Leon immediately sensed that something was amiss. The knights guarding him remained cautious, yet still tried to request that he produce his credentials according to the rules.

"Excuse me for being so bold, sir..." the guarding knight asked cautiously, "Why didn't you use the teleportation channel this time? Did you carry out some mission nearby before returning?"

"Do I really need to answer this question to get in?" Leon countered.

"No, no..." The guarding knight was flustered by the question.

Leon immediately understood that he was simply following orders from above, probably from Warden Malor or some other deputy warden, who instructed him to be closely monitored upon his return.

After all, he is now being personally accused by His Majesty the Emperor. Although they have also accused Aaron in return, the only one in the Church who can truly consider him a suspect is the Tribunal. However, since the Tribunal has not made any statement, he remains the Grand Inquisitor and Deputy Warden of St. Rosalia Prison in the Church. Even those who are neutral in the Church will be wary of him because of this matter.

Just then, a higher-ranking knight captain stepped forward and loudly rebuked, "Does it give you the right to question your superior's mission? Don't you know the rules? Just let them pass, why all the nonsense?"

The guard knight dared not say another word and could only bow his head to Leon.

Then the captain, with a forced smile, tried to smooth things over: "I'm so sorry, Deputy Warden, our new recruits aren't very familiar with the rules. Please don't mind."

Leon nodded, exchanged a glance with the captain, and then led Melissa into the prison.

The captain turned to his team members and whispered, "The troubles left behind by the higher-ups will be handled by others. Don't take on idiots. Go back to the break room. I'll handle things here."

"Yes, sir!" The guard knight glanced gratefully at his captain and went through the side passage to the guardhouse's rest room.

Then the captain turned to another subordinate beside him and whispered, "Gather those people in the lounge, and then proceed according to plan."

"Yes," the other party replied softly and went to carry out the order.

Then the captain followed Leon, watching him walk into the prison.

However, as soon as Leon passed through the gates of the prison walls and entered the prison, another group of knights on horseback came up and surrounded him in the direction he was going.

"Is there something you need?" Leon could tell from looking at these knights that they were up to no good. The leader was a wardens who also served as knight commanders.

“I’m very sorry, Deputy Warden. I’m acting on Warden Malor’s orders because of the recent events that have happened to you. The Warden wants to speak with you in person. Until then, I hope you can take a break from your duties,” the warden said in a businesslike tone.

Melissa tensed up upon hearing this. Having worked here for so long, she had a general understanding of some of the church's internal rules.

The so-called "rest" is actually a suspension, which means losing most of the authority of the position, and the original subordinates will not obey orders.

"So, Warden Malor is here?" Leon already knew the answer, but he still wanted to confirm it anyway.

"The warden has gone out to handle some minor matters. Before she left, she instructed us to ask you to wait in the lounge in the central tower," the warden said.

"Are they going to put me under house arrest until the warden returns?" Leon bluntly exposed the other party's intentions.

"The warden only hopes to clarify some misunderstandings. After all, some things have happened around you recently, and the warden doesn't want these external political issues to affect the work inside the prison. This is also necessary for you, so please don't make things difficult for me." The warden remained as businesslike as ever.

“If you don’t want any repercussions, you should follow the rules. I retain my position and rank until the court issues an investigation order. The warden is now treating me as a suspect, which is really necessary for me,” Leon replied sarcastically.

Warden Malor's reaction was somewhat expected. Currently, within the Church of War, the Church of the God of War supports Aaron's accusations, while the Church of the Mystic Gods supports Leon's accusations. The Tribunal and the Cardinals have not yet expressed their opinions. According to the law, the prison should remain neutral, at most placing some surveillance and restrictions on Leon. Suspension is already a way of stating their position, and they even want to control Leon first.

Leon knew that this was not mainly because he was suspected of being the potion tycoon Fenrir. Aaron's initial evidence in this regard actually came from the witches' gathering, which lacked concrete proof. On the contrary, in the accusations he brought up, Princess Frederick, who had once disappeared, was at least alive. Aaron's accusations were still somewhat inexplicable to most of the neutral forces in the church.

Strictly speaking, Warden Malor is not neutral. Santa Rosalia Prison is located closer to the east, where there are more members of the eastern faction, including Warden Malor himself.

The warden had been polite to him before because of his relationship with Prince Aaron, but now that Aaron had openly broken with Leon and Leon had become entangled with the powerful nobles of the west, he was seen as an outright traitor by the eastern noble class.

The warden naturally didn't need to be polite to him. Within her authority, she would definitely cause Leon some trouble. Controlling him and waiting for the investigation to begin until the results were in was a reasonable approach.

But the order only has sufficient force if the warden is present.

“What if I refuse?” Leon countered.

“I sincerely hope you won’t do that!” the warden immediately pleaded, but at the same time his hand was already on his weapon. The knights behind him were ready, and the warden also ordered the gatekeepers behind Leon, “You must also carry out the warden’s orders!”

Upon hearing this, the captain who had been following Leon immediately saluted, then waved his hand, and several guard knights on duty at the east gate came out and stood in a row with him, blocking Leon and Melissa from the front and back, along with the men brought by the warden.

“I sincerely hope you won’t do this, Your Excellency Knight Commander. Since the Warden is not here, please follow the Church’s rules. It’s necessary for you. Don’t shed unnecessary blood,” Leon replied calmly.

Upon hearing this veiled threat, the warden's face darkened, and he drew his gun from his waist: "You shouldn't have said that!"

At the same time, the knights in front and behind drew their lances, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Chapter 672 The Beginning of Apostasy

"You're going to draw your gun already? Have you considered the consequences of shooting the deputy warden?" Leon questioned.

Out of professional ethics, the warden maintained a stern expression, but his brows were already furrowed.

"Please don't make things difficult for me, please cooperate, I beg you," the warden pleaded in a deep voice.

He certainly didn't want things to escalate to the point of shooting at Leon. He himself didn't have a clear idea of ​​which side was right in the political struggle outside, but he knew that if what His Majesty Aaron II said was true, and Leon Set, the deputy warden, and Viscount Arend were Fenrir, then if the other side really did self-destruct and launch a forced attack here, he himself would probably be in grave danger.

If Leon's accusations are true, then the consequences of him shooting a church superior who has been framed will certainly be severe.