What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

Helenbergh, a villa in the mountains.

Count Frye sat upright behind the table, while Johnny leaned lazily against the wall behind him with his arms crossed.

Leon and Bishop Beckett stood side by side on the other side of the table, watching the apothecary brought by the count carefully assess the purity of the magic essence and weigh it.

The apothecary divided the magic crystals brought by Leon into three purity levels: 80% to 82%, 83% to 85%, and above 85%. The total weight was exactly 120 grams.

"Excellent!" Upon seeing the result, Count Frey smiled elegantly and looked up at Leon. "When Bishop Beckett contacted me, I had my doubts. In just one quarter, you have met our expectations... no, you have far exceeded our expectations!"

"It's all thanks to your support," Leon replied.

"At this rate, your annual output should reach three to four hundred grams. Your output alone is enough to satisfy the high-end market in the surrounding five counties. After that, I might even expect your scale to expand further," the Earl said.

“This kid’s production model is pretty good. Do we still need to deal with those witches in the east?” Johnny suddenly spoke up. “Should I cancel our voyage in the second half of the year?”

“No, the relationship with the Witches’ Gathering must be maintained for now,” the Count replied after a moment’s thought.

"Alright then," Johnny said, ending the conversation decisively.

Upon hearing this, Leon realized that the witch gathering that the Earl had mentioned, which had been supplying the Earl, must be located on the Moiland Islands on the other side of the sea. Joey was in charge of transportation, and they probably used the Earl's cross-sea import and export business to hide magic essence and potions in the goods and then distribute them in various places in the east through the territories managed by various officials.

After the pharmacist finished weighing, another middle-aged woman quickly calculated the bill on a piece of paper and handed it to the count for verification. The count glanced at it and then gestured for it to be handed to Leon.

The other party then handed the note to Leon, who, after seeing the final amount, confirmed with the count: "Six million five hundred thousand?"

“Different purities will naturally have different purchase prices. You’ve produced magic essence with 88% purity, such a rare raw material is of strategic value to our business. As I said, the excess will be settled separately. What do you think of this purchase price?” The Earl sought Leon’s opinion.

“I am very satisfied,” Leon replied.

“Then we’ll buy at this price from now on.” The count smiled slightly and beckoned with his finger.

The middle-aged woman who had been in charge of the accounts took out a locked box and retrieved gold vouchers of different denominations from it.

Leon noticed that some of the gold notes were not printed with the church's four-pointed star, but with the emblem of a merchant bank. The issuer of these gold notes was the Fleur Merchant Bank.

"Is this the bank you opened?" Leon asked.

“Yes, it’s an Imperial-certified bank. These gold certificates can be used directly in the seven eastern counties. If you want to exchange them for cash or other equivalents, there’s a branch of ours in Helenburg,” Earl Frey replied casually.

Leon had also learned about Count Frey through other channels. Count Frey had only been a nobleman for fifteen years. Before becoming a count, he was a novice knight. The previous Count Frey was a distant relative of his, and it seemed that the count had legally transferred the inheritance rights to him through some kind of transaction.

After receiving his title, he quickly became a regular knight and at one point reached the rank of Knight Commander, serving as the vice-commander of a knightly order of the Church of War.

Ten years ago, he was wounded and retired from the war. He then focused on managing his territory and quickly turned Foley into the commercial center of the East. He had many businesses in the eastern counties, including plantations, factories, real estate, and shops. He also owned an armed fleet capable of cross-sea transport and was engaged in large-scale cross-sea import and export business.

It is not surprising that such a person would have the power to establish a private bank and the authority to issue gold certificates that could replace paper money in circulation in the eastern part of the empire.

Leon took the gold voucher points, intending to settle the remaining balance with Johnny on the spot. However, he discovered that there were exactly six million pfennigs here, so he looked at the Earl in surprise: "Your Excellency, isn't the amount a bit wrong? You have already prepaid two million."

After deducting the two million, the count only needs to pay four and a half million for this batch of goods.

“I’ve heard about the deal you made with Johnny. Johnny asked you for three million to kill that earth dragon. You took over the labyrinth production to supply us, so the cost of killing the earth dragon should be covered by me. I’ll give you back the 1.5 million you prepaid to Johnny, and I’ve already paid Johnny the balance, so you don’t need to pay anymore,” the count replied.

Leon looked at Johnny, who didn't say anything but raised an eyebrow and nodded, indicating that the Earl had settled all the accounts.

"Thank you for your generosity." Since the count had already settled the matter, Leon didn't stand on ceremony and simply thanked the count.

“Besides me, you’re the second person who can get Johnny to do something,” the Earl said with a smile.

"If this kid gets things sorted out and takes over Riverdale sooner, I can get back to my ship sooner, that's all." Johnny shrugged. "Can Beckett handle the handover? Can I go now? My ship is already waiting for me down the mountain."

"So eager? Aren't you going to have a meal before you leave?" The count turned to look at Johnny.

"Forget it, Southern food doesn't really suit my taste," Johnny replied.

“At least have a drink to celebrate our success,” the count urged, then picked up the bell and shook it.

The butler, who was waiting outside, opened the door, followed by a maid carrying an ice bucket with a bottle of fine wine inside. Another maid brought in a glass and placed it on the table.

As the amber-colored liquid was poured into the glass, Johnny, who had always been serious, finally smiled and said, "It's rare that you'd be willing to bring out this treasured item."

"You deserve some credit for this, so of course we have to offer something that will satisfy you." The count smiled and raised his glass first. "By the way, what was your toast again?"

Johnny raised his glass and, deliberately adopting a heroic tone, sang: "Only comrades and fine wine should not be wasted!"

Those present chuckled softly. The Earl raised his glass to Leon and said, "A toast to the new officials of Southport County and River Valley County, and to our success!"

Leon and Bishop Beckett raised their glasses together, and then Leon also raised his glass to the Count, saying, "To our success!"

Then, everyone present downed their drinks in one gulp. The spicy liquor seemed to turn into a ball of fire rolling into their stomachs, leaving a lingering aftertaste of flowers mixed with yeast.

“This stuff is really good. Can I have another one before I leave?” Johnny asked, pointing to the bottle in the maid’s hand.

"Take it if you like," the count said decisively.

"Haha, Mustang, I love that about you, so generous!" Johnny laughed heartily, snatching the wine bottle from the maid's hand. "Then until we meet again, everyone."

“Thank you, Mr. Johnny,” Leon said to Johnny.

"Do your job well, kid." Johnny raised an eyebrow, picked up the wine, and went down the mountain by himself, passing through the courtyard and the gate.

"Now that the business is over, let's begin our meal." The count sat down again.

“Mr. Johnny just said he’s handing over the handover to me. I reckon he hasn’t even informed the local officials. I’ll go check on things first,” Bishop Beckett asked the Earl.

“Johnny is indeed very likely to do things this way… Alright, go ahead.” The Earl nodded.

“You may eat first,” Bishop Beckett said to Leon, then bowed respectfully to the Count and withdrew.

Leon had no choice but to sit at the same table with the Count again. The Count looked at the butler, who immediately understood and turned to instruct the maid to serve the dishes.

“Recruiting you was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I never expected even Johnny would appreciate you; that’s truly remarkable,” the Earl said with a smile.

“You flatter me,” Leon replied.

"How does it feel to have your career finally on track for the first time?" the count asked, glancing at the gold certificates beside Leon.

“I don’t know how to say it…” Leon thought for a moment and replied, “I was really excited when I first started making money. My goal at that time was to earn three million. Now that I have suddenly reached that goal, I feel surprisingly… not so excited.”

With this money, plus what they earned from running the potion business during this time, even if they split the profits 50/50 with Lena, Leon's assets far exceeded the goal of three million pfennigs.

The injuries that had plagued him were instantly healed after he gained the power of werewolf transformation.

He possesses a healthy body, a great fortune, and even special powers, but Leon finds himself not particularly happy about it.

He's been through so much this past year to get to this point, and now his goal is to save Sally and Melissa; money doesn't seem so important anymore.

“In this world, I’m probably the only one who can truly understand your feelings,” the count chuckled softly. “The most exciting time for me was when I sold the first batch of magic essence and made 100,000. Back then, the price was about the same as 200,000 now. After that, I had millions, tens of millions, even hundreds of millions in my hands, but I could never find that feeling again.”

“When people are hungry, everything tastes good.” Leon nodded.

“That makes sense. People’s desires are always different at different stages, and being easily satisfied is not necessarily a bad thing. Did you think about what would happen after you earned three million?” the count asked, looking at him.

“Stop it, and live a life where you don’t have to worry about money,” Leon replied.

Even now, he still harbors the idea of ​​stopping as soon as possible after achieving his goal and living with Lena.

The count's smile became subtle.

"In your opinion, this must seem a bit unambitious, right?" Leon chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He wanted to test the count's attitude on this matter, since if he had truly become valuable, the count might not agree if he wanted to withdraw in the future.

“No, it’s rare. It’s important to control your desires at the appropriate stage.” The count’s smile faded. “Back then, I made my first fortune and started wanting a lot of money, a piece of territory, to revive the family, and so much more… My desires swelled to the point where I couldn’t control them, and as a result, I failed.”

“Haven’t you accomplished all of that?” Leon said.

“But I sacrificed the love of my life for it; in that respect, you are more fortunate than me,” the Count said, looking at Leon.

"Thanks to your kindness," Leon replied.

“If I hadn’t shared the same experience as you, I would never have guessed what you did. My failure is different from yours. I was too eager for quick success and made some foolish decisions that led to her death. Some things are irreversible. No matter how much money I make or how much power I gain afterward, the ending will be the same,” the count said with some melancholy.

Leon listened silently, when he suddenly heard the count say in a low voice, "But even if the outcome is irreversible, at least some things can still be reclaimed."

Chapter 116 Icarus with Broken Wings

"Get it back?" Leon didn't understand the question at first and asked instinctively.

But this time the count just smiled and didn't explain. He simply continued, "Knowing what you want is more important than what you possess. Desire is like a pair of fragile wings that can break at any moment. The higher you fly, the harder you fall. That's a lesson I've learned."

Upon hearing this metaphor, Leon suddenly recalled a famous myth he had heard in his previous life, nodded in agreement, and said, "The sun will destroy those wings."

"What?" This time, it was the count's turn to be puzzled.

"It's a fable I stumbled upon in an old book. It tells the story of a master craftsman who, in order to help his son escape from a deserted island, forged two pairs of wings that could fly. The two used the wings to fly across the sea. The father warned his son not to fly too low, otherwise the seawater would wet his feathers, but not to fly too high, otherwise the sun would destroy his wings."

But the son, young and impetuous, flew high into the sky, only to have the scorching sun melt the sealing wax, burn the feathers on his wings, and he fell into the sea,” Leon explained simply.

This is the story of Daedalus, the master craftsman who built the labyrinth of the Minotaur, and his son Icarus, who escaped Crete in Greek mythology. It coincides with the Count's metaphor, so Leon naturally made the connection.

“Excellent, I like this story.” The count’s eyes lit up. “Just as Bishop Beckett said, you are very knowledgeable. It seems that the church’s test really can’t stump you.”

"Please stop putting pressure on me," Leon said with a helpless smile.

The maid began serving the two appetizers and wine, but the count did not start eating immediately. Instead, he glanced at the river view outside the window and continued, "At this stage, there are some things I should let you know. Do you know why I talked to you about the witches' gathering before?"

Leon shook his head slightly upon hearing this.

When the count talked about his previous sources of goods, he revealed to him that his source had always been an organization called the Witches' Gathering across the sea. At the time, he felt that the count had revealed a little too much to him.

“Because this matter is somewhat related to you, especially now. I believe you should have noticed that the Witches’ Gathering in Moilland is actually the core organization of the cult built by the Great Witches. The state religion of Moilland is the Abyss Cult, which worships Moilai alone. The Witches’ Gathering’s position in the Abyss Cult is similar to that of the Cardinals in the Four Gods Church, only the system is slightly different.” The Count said, looking at Leon.

Leon nodded. Moiland, an archipelago nation on the other side of the Sea of ​​Giants, was said to have been founded by Isis, the princess of Eland who fled after the empire was destroyed. As an inquisitor, he knew this information.

"How much do you know about the war with Moiland ten years ago?" the count continued.

“I heard that Moirand secretly supported the restoration forces of the Elander race in the eastern coastal region of the Empire, launching a joint rebellion and harassing the Empire’s colonies in the eastern continent. The royal family and the church jointly sent troops to suppress the rebellion and also launched an expedition against Moirand to deter them. Because the war took place along the eastern and western coasts of the Sea of ​​Giants, it was also known as the Conquest of the Sea,” Leon replied.

The war did not have a significant impact on the western part of the empire, but in Leon's memory, it seemed to have caused turmoil in many parts of the east for about two years, and many people's fates were changed as a result.

Hannah Wesland's sons were killed in battle and wounded; Caron Esso earned military merit in the war and became a mid-level Inquisitor; Baron Turner's son also died in battle; Johnny participated in the naval battle, was declared dead, and then defected from the church; even the Earl participated in the war as a regular knight, and then retired due to injury...

"Apart from the fact that it successfully intimidated you, it's mostly correct," the count smiled.

"Is your cooperation with the Witches' Gathering related to this war?" Leon tried to ask.

The count nodded: "Moyland has always been smuggling magic essence and potions into the Empire, which is a major source of their income. Initially, they relied on the restoration faction cultivated among the Elanders within the Empire. During that war, I got involved with a great witch. At that time, I was already engaged in the smuggling business, just not on this scale."

At that time, the war situation was basically settled. The Empire had almost wiped out the resistance forces among the Eastern Elanders. However, the Empire didn't really have a way to deal with the Moyland Islands. The Moyland Islands were easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the Imperial Navy suffered a lot of losses.

However, correspondingly, with the loss of the Eland Restoration Party cultivated in the Empire, Moyland also lost its large-scale smuggling channels. At that time, through that Great Witch, I extended an invitation to the Witches' Gathering to cooperate, and I established an entry and exit channel with the Eastern Continent, thereby purchasing large quantities of magic essence, magic potions, and monster materials from them and smuggling them into the Empire.

"Through this unique channel, I've defeated numerous competitors over the past decade who could only smuggle magic essence on a small scale from scattered heretical forces in the south and west, achieving my current success."

"Then why are you starting to consider new sources of supply again? You mentioned before that there were some problems with your cooperation with them?" Leon asked tentatively.

The count had brought up the topic before but hadn't explained it in detail. Now that he's brought it up again, he must be explaining the reason to him.

"The Witches' Gathering is the core of the Abyss Cult of Moyland. Queen Alice, who currently rules Moyland, is the leader of the Witches' Gathering and is known as the Queen of the Witches. It is they who have been plotting revenge against the Empire and to restore Moyland," the Earl said.

"But they didn't succeed, did they? They did the same thing during the war ten years ago, and as a result, they lost the power they had cultivated in the eastern part of the empire," Leon asked, somewhat puzzled.

Count Frye clearly didn't care about his treason and apostasy; otherwise, he shouldn't have gotten involved with the witches' gathering in the first place. He should have been worried about his own situation.

"It's too early to call it a defeat. The war ten years ago was just a prelude for them," Earl Frey said, shaking his head slightly.

"Setting the stage? What else are they planning?" Leon pressed.

It sounds like these witches are playing a much bigger game? Do they want to stir up an even bigger storm than the war ten years ago on the land that was originally part of Eland in the eastern part of the empire?

"I don't know yet, but they did try to persuade me to join them, saying that with their help, I would have a chance to become the emperor of the empire, haha." The count suddenly laughed as he said this, seemingly finding the witches' trickery ridiculous.

"In any case, these madmen will eventually overturn the table on the Empire again, and we must not get involved in this chaotic vortex. Our interests must be based on the balance of the Empire's survival, and that is unshakable. Cooperation with them is destined to be unsustainable, but we must have new sources of goods before severing ties with them."

"So that's why you supported my attempt to establish production facilities within the labyrinths of the Empire." Leon, realizing this, suddenly thought, "Wait, what if they find out about this situation over there..."

The Witches' Gathering is currently profiting from the Empire through the Earl's smuggling operations. Wouldn't they feel threatened if they learned that the Earl had established a new source of goods in the Empire?

That means that he, who is managing the new sources of goods for the count, may also be targeted by the witches' gathering.

A sense of crisis suddenly surged up, and Leon realized that this was the true meaning of what the count meant by "it's related to him".

"Don't worry, at this stage, I will maintain contact with them. My forces are currently preparing to expand westward and need a lot of goods. They won't find out. Right now, we just need to manage our domestic supply sources well. When they decide to take some action, we will completely sever ties with them. At that point, there will be no possibility of cooperation between us. If they want to deal with the Empire, they won't have much spare capacity to deal with us anymore," the Earl said.

"I hope so." Hearing the count say that, Leon still felt uneasy.

The Witches' Gathering wants to profit from the Empire by smuggling magic essence. Whether or not there is a count is irrelevant; as long as the enormous profits remain, a second count can be hired to smuggle for them.

However, other sources of production within the empire will eventually compete with them, which is a fundamental conflict of interest.

“I am actually quite satisfied with the current situation, and the most important thing to maintain the status quo is to maintain a balance in all aspects.” The Count raised his glass to Leon. “Your parable is very well told. One cannot fly too low, nor can one fly too high. It is important to you, to me, and to everyone.”

Leon also raised his glass to the Count, and the two of them took a sip of the wine.