What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

These are the results of the tests on Renavis's medicine; the purity is something they can only dream of.

"Ninety-six point seven percent. According to my experimental results, to reverse the saltification disease, the purity of the magic element used must be at least ninety-five percent. It cannot be produced here; it must be obtained deep within an active labyrinth," Weiss said.

"So how did you make it when you were at church?" Leon asked, puzzled.

“Our lab has many methods to simulate the environment of a maze, and the church also controls some mazes as research material. Is your maze alive?” Weiss asked Leon.

“It’s a living maze, but I need to think about that a bit,” Leon replied after a moment’s thought.

To get Weiss into the depths of the labyrinth, he first needs to inform Rena, as Weiss is unaware that another witch exists there.

"In addition, I need materials from level four monsters," Weiss added.

"A level four monster?" Leon was taken aback.

“Yes, you need materials from level four monsters to achieve that level of purity. With my skills, I can only refine level three monsters to 90% to 93%,” Weiss said.

Leon thought to himself that the purity of this substance was quite remarkable.

However, it would be difficult for him to produce materials from a level four monster now. So much time has passed that all the materials from that earth dragon have already been refined, and even if they hadn't been refined, they wouldn't have been preserved until now.

He thought for a while before asking, "Would an earth dragon's egg work?"

He had previously considered trying to create an earth dragon in the labyrinth, since he had tried to extract magic essence from earth dragons and, as the master of the labyrinth, could theoretically create an earth dragon using the labyrinth's magic power.

Of course, considering his previous process of creating petrified lizards, even if he successfully created an individual earth dragon, it should have started from the egg process.

“Oviparous monsters hatch very quickly from birth, and it’s very difficult to get their eggs without raising them. A level four monster requires a level three witch to control. How are you going to get the earth dragon’s egg?” Viss looked at Leon in surprise.

“I didn’t say I could definitely get it, I was just asking if you could use it,” Leon replied.

“I haven’t tried it, but I can say you could give it a shot,” Weiss replied.

“What else do you need to buy? Give me a list, and I’ll get it for you when I get out,” Leon said.

"Are you leaving now?" Weiss blinked.

“I’ll come back and check on things later. I have a lot of things to take care of, so I’ll leave this place to you for now. I’ll come back to get the list later. This is my territory. I can guarantee your safety to a certain extent while you’re here, but it’s hard to say once you leave. I hope you understand,” Leon instructed.

"I understand. You need to be careful too." Weiss nodded, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. "Now that you've helped me, won't people suspect you?"

"That's hard to say, but it's best not to be too optimistic. They're not people who are easily fooled. It's best to be prepared to confront them head-on," Leon replied in a low voice.

An opponent who has defeated you once is the one you should never underestimate.

He was not only driven to the brink of despair by Bishop Beckett and the Earl, but also served under Bishop Beckett for a period of time.

According to Leon's assessment, although Bishop Beckett's combat skills are not as good as Johnny Willman's, and he might not even be his match in a direct confrontation, Bishop Beckett is meticulous and has a high level of investigative ability.

In order to rescue Weiss, he used the blessing of time acceleration when breaking away from Bishop Beckett. With Bishop Beckett's experience and intellect, he should have been able to see through it.

Most people wouldn't imagine that someone could use both Moirai and the blessing of the Supreme God at the same time, but they could also imagine the possibility of someone who had received the blessings of the four gods taking the beast-transforming drug at the cost of huge side effects.

Once the exact clues are pinpointed to the blessing of "time acceleration," given Bishop Beckett's meticulousness, he will surely dig out all possible people and put them on his investigation list. And he will probably not be left out of it. Bishop Beckett is unlikely to be so easily fooled as to overlook him just because he is considered one of his own, not to mention that in Beckett's view, he and Weiss had at least two contacts.

Although at the moment, Leon estimated that he was probably just among the "possible people" rather than being seriously suspected.

But given Bishop Beckett's ability to delve deeper, it's hard to guarantee that his suspicions won't only grow stronger.

For them, a certain level of suspicion is enough; they are not a court of law and do not need to present evidence.

Leon handed the laboratory over to Weiss and left to venture deeper into the labyrinth.

After passing through the breeding grounds, Leon headed towards the temple guarded by the dire wolves. The two dire wolves approached him and sniffed him around. Leon patted their heads and went inside the temple.

Then, he finally saw Lena washing her hands at the sink.

Because of the sound of the water, Lena didn't seem to notice his footsteps. Leon thought for a moment, then quietly approached Lena from behind, and then gently blew a breath behind her ear like blowing out a candle: "Whoosh!"

"Ah!" Lena was startled by this.

Leon quickly took two steps back, and Lena turned around in a panic to look at the intruder, only to find that it was Leon with a smile on his face.

“I’m back,” Leon said with a smile.

Lena puffed up her cheeks angrily, her hands already clenched into fists.

When she worked in the temple, she always had the demon wolves guard the temple gates so that no one could enter directly, except for Leon, who, as the master of the labyrinth and its tamer, was also considered the master of these demon wolves.

"You can't fool around in the lab," Leon immediately raised his hand to stop Lena, speaking earnestly.

"Then why did you scare me!" Lena said angrily.

“I just saw you washing your hands, not doing an experiment,” Leon said.

"Then I'll wash your face for you while I'm at it. Watch out!"

Lena raised her wet hand and wiped it on Leon's face. Then, seeing Leon's pained expression because of the water on his face, she grinned.

She dried her hands with a towel, then tossed the towel to Leon to wipe his face.

"You're back a little later than expected this time. Did you go to the office to handle some work first?" Lena asked Leon, hands on her hips.

Leon's trip to the Grand Parish, including the time he spent there, should have taken about three days round trip, but this time it was a day later than the time he took the exam.

“Ah…” Leon’s smile faded as the topic came up. “Something unexpected happened. Sit down and let me tell you.”

After Lena sat down, Leon explained the whole incident to her, including how Weiss was framed by the Earl, how he managed to rescue her, and how he brought her to Arend Island after many twists and turns.

Lena grew increasingly surprised as she listened. When she heard Leon mention bringing Vivi to Arend Island, her eyes widened: "You...brought her back!?"

Chapter 162 Preparations to Kill the Earl

Lena's strong reaction was entirely within Leon's expectations. After all, bringing Vivi back was no small matter, and under those circumstances, Leon couldn't consult anyone and had to make the decision himself.

The decision to rescue Weiss not only concerns himself, but also Lena's future.

Choosing to oppose the Earl means that if he is purged by the Earl, Leon and those around him will face annihilation; it's not just his problem.

“I’m sorry, Lena, I made this decision on my own. But to cure Mrs. Hersh’s illness and create a medicine that can cure salification, this is the only way I can do it. Only she can concoct that medicine now, and if she dies, the medicine will be discontinued.” Leon patiently persuaded Lena.

Lena seemed to come to her senses after a moment of thought, and muttered softly, "Of course I know that. Since it's necessary, I understand. But understanding is one thing, I'm still worried. What if you don't come back after suddenly doing something so risky?"

After hearing Leon's account, she was actually a little scared.

Leon's act of rescuing Viss was far too risky; it wouldn't be surprising if he was caught red-handed by the church. If anything had happened to her, she wouldn't have been able to wait for Leon to return.

Besides, Leon bringing Violet back is itself a huge hidden danger, since both the church and the count are looking for her.

“Yes, we do have insufficient contingency plans in this regard. In the future, we need to make arrangements for escaping at any time, escaping outside the Earl’s territory… preferably leaving the Empire. Even if something happens to me outside, at least you need to be able to escape,” Leon said thoughtfully.

"Are you planning to do anything adventurous again?" Lena's eyes widened slightly.

"Lena, we're already taking a risk, and we still are. The Earl is targeting Weiss for revenge; he's been preparing for this for years and will never let it go easily. He might even do anything to achieve it! And then there's Bishop Beckett; whether he was investigating Potter or us, he always hit the nail on the head!"

"Given his abilities, if he gradually expands his investigation, it wouldn't be surprising if suspicion fell on me at some point. We'd better not be too optimistic. They are elephants, and we are ants. If they step on us unprepared, we're doomed," Leon said earnestly.

The Earl's side should never suspect him until the Earl gives up using Weiss to take revenge on Archbishop Rogers, which would naturally be the best and most ideal outcome.

But when facing those two people, Leon dared not harbor any illusions.

“But when that happens, can we really escape? And others might be implicated! What if Ms. Selene and Melissa face retaliation? Would everything we’ve done be worthwhile?” Lena said worriedly.

“Indeed, it’s difficult to get everyone out of danger unharmed, and there’s no guarantee for the future. That’s the kind of retreat we should consider when there’s absolutely no other way. So, Lena, the preparations I’m talking about aren’t like that.” Leon stared into Lena’s eyes.

"So you mean..." Lena still didn't immediately understand.

“If necessary, we may have to find a way to kill the Earl,” Leon said, revealing a thought he had already considered. “Once things get to that point, no matter how we try to escape, we will never have a peaceful day if the Earl doesn’t die.”

"Kill the Count?" Lena's eyes widened; she truly hadn't even considered that possibility. "Could we possibly do that?"

Leon's analogy was not an exaggeration at all. They were now facing the Earl like ants against an elephant. The Earl's army, the assassins and mercenaries from the underworld, and the local officials and thugs could easily overwhelm them if they deployed any one of them.

Putting aside everything else, Johnny Wellman, one of the Earl's men, could easily conquer this maze that they couldn't, and if the Earl wanted to, he could easily crush them.

"It's not a question of whether we can do it or not, but that when we get to that point, we have to do it. Preparing in advance at least gives us a glimmer of hope. If we don't think of a solution early, we'll really just be waiting to die!" Leon said with unusual seriousness.

"So what do you plan to do now?" Lena asked.

“From now on, we need to increase our fighting strength here. I will create more demon wolves and petrified lizards, and you will control the demon wolf pack to reproduce more. With the power of the Labyrinth Lord and your abilities, we can build a demon army,” Leon said.

A single adult level 3 monster can surpass the combat power of an ordinary armed soldier and contend with a level 1 superhuman. If a large group of controllable level 3 monsters could be prepared, their combat power would be considerable.

“Leon, the monsters can only move around the perimeter of the maze. If it’s just one or two, it’s not a big deal, but with so many of them, they won’t be able to leave this island,” Lena reminded her.

Monsters cannot survive long outside of the labyrinth, but supplying them with magic energy can somewhat solve this problem.

However, too many level-three monsters are difficult to hide, and they may be seen during the transfer, attracting the church's encirclement and suppression.

Therefore, even if a demon army were trained, the foreseeable outcome would be that they could only defend this small island, or even just the fortress surrounding the labyrinth.

Once a conflict arises with the Earl, the initiative in the war will essentially be out of their hands, and they won't be able to choose the location. They might not have the opportunity to hold their ground on the island and wait for the Earl to attack, and the Earl might not necessarily have to fight their way in. Even if they did have the opportunity to hold their ground and wait for the Earl to come, the Earl could besiege them until they run out of ammunition and supplies.

“We have no chance outside this island. Only here do we have a sliver of hope. So our strategy should be to focus on one key point and maximize that chance of winning. The rest is about creating the situation we want. Do as I say for now,” Leon said.

"Alright, since you put it that way, let's increase the number of level three monsters first." Lena ultimately supported Leon's approach.

"I will try to expand our manpower and equipment, but not too much. If it arouses suspicion, we won't have time to prepare. It would be best if we could hold out until Melissa leaves the reformatory, and then we can rescue Mrs. Hershey from prison."

Leon had already started thinking quickly along this line of thought: "Vision is a key member of the St. Rosalia Research Institute. Besides drug preparation, she may have some technology that can be useful."

"Hmm, are you going to put her in the outside pharmacy lab?" Lena asked.

She guessed that Leon probably wouldn't let Weiss freely enter the depths of the maze, and the most suitable place for Weiss to work would be the outside medicine room, where the equipment was quite complete.

“Yes, she’s taken over the outside dispensing room. Those two pharmacists were scolded for their lack of skill,” Leon replied.

Lena breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Since Vice is key to saving Celie, Lena won't object to Leon's decision to save Vice, especially since Celie went to prison in her place.

Saving Weiss offended the Earl, so we must be prepared to confront him, and we will also need to utilize Weiss's own strength.

When Leon said he was bringing Vivian back, besides being surprised by the risky nature of his actions, she also had a little bit of additional worry.

She had been very uneasy about the private connection between Leon and Weiss. Although she had never met Weiss, she thought that since Weiss was chosen as a saint of the Church of the Creator, she must at least be a very attractive person.

Anyone would have their own thoughts if their lover had a long-term, private relationship with a young and beautiful woman.

However, such a trivial idea is insignificant compared to the current grim situation, and it seems that Leon brought Vivian back entirely out of rational consideration.

"Hmm, I shouldn't scare myself like that," Lena thought to herself.

Then she heard Leon continue, "Yes, but she still wants to use this temple at the deepest part of the labyrinth. She said she wants to make magic essence here."

"What!?" Lena exclaimed instinctively.

“Do you remember the 96% pure magic element in that special medicine? She did indeed refine it. She said it could only be refined in the depths of an active labyrinth. We need to prepare materials for a level four monster for her, so I'm planning to use the labyrinth's magic to create an earth dragon egg to try. If the conditions are right, should we let her try it?” Leon explained.

Lena stared blankly at Leon.

Bishop Weiss had surpassed her in concocting a cure for salt disease, which had bothered her for a while.

It has now been confirmed that Weiss is a witch, and her skill in refining magic essence surpasses even Weiss's... It should be said that the purity she can achieve is unheard of, and Lena simply cannot imagine that she could surpass her.

Now, this Weiss, who surpasses her in every way, is going to make the medicine to save Selene for Leon and refine higher purity magic essence for Leon. What about her? If this continues, won't she be completely replaced by this saintess?

A sense of crisis immediately welled up inside me.

“By the way, Weiss doesn’t know you exist yet. Shouldn’t we keep her in the dark? I can arrange for someone to keep an eye on her, and we can avoid each other.” Leon looked at Lena for her opinion, then suddenly noticed a hint of resentment in her eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”

"Let me see her!" Lena said earnestly.

"You want to see her? Now?" Leon was a little surprised.

“Since you’re going to keep using her and let her into this temple, you’ll find out about me sooner or later, right? I also want to learn about the special medicine she developed from her, is that not allowed?” Lena said firmly, looking at Leon.

After thinking about it carefully for a moment, Leon agreed: "Yes, indeed."

Although it's possible that Weiss might not be entirely willing, it would be best for them if she could teach her techniques to Reina.

Chapter 163 Declaring Sovereignty

When Leon brought Lena back to the lab, Weiss had already rearranged most of it.

The two apothecaries were still working hard on the remaining cleanup, while Weiss had already begun trying to make potions using the equipment here.

"You two, stop for a moment and go out to rest," Leon called out to the two apothecaries.

"Okay, boss." Upon hearing this, the pharmacist put down his work and left the laboratory.