I Became a Witch and Started an Industrial Revolution

With a loud “bang,” the door to the police chief’s office was kicked open. Deputy Brigade Leader Frank stormed in, seething with anger. “The mass suicide case and the hired murder case—were you the one who intercepted them and merged them for investigation?”

‘What do you mean intercepted? Let me remind you again: there is only a suicide case. There is no such thing as a hired murder. These were never the same case to begin with. Isn’t merging them for investigation just reckless nonsense?’

Frank planted both hands on the wide office desk and lowered his head, staring at Chief Anel, who was seated in the sofa chair.

“I investigate suicide cases, you interfere. I investigate hired murder cases, you interfere. How interesting, Anel. Are you afraid I’ll dig up some evidence?”

Looking at the door still hanging open, the faint crow’s-feet at Anel’s eyes outlined a half-smiling, half-mocking expression.

‘Ridiculous! I have nothing to be afraid of. I am your captain. I am correcting your illegal actions! Get out.’

“Three shots in the back is suicide? Anel! Just keep pretending!”

“If you have nothing to do with this, then all these years I, Frank, have worked for nothing! You dare to cover up a case like this—how do you have the face to sit here, facing the party emblem! Facing Her Majesty the Empress’s portrait! Are you even human?!”

Anel could no longer maintain his expression. A sharp glint flashed through the eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses, and he swung his fist out.

‘I’ll fuck your—!’

‘I’ve already reported you to the Inspectorate. The procedures are on the way. You’ve been suspended. Now! Immediately! Get out!’

‘Someone come in right now and drag him out! What bad luck.’

Frank, knocked to the ground, scrambled back up. He stared fixedly at Anel, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and pushed away the colleagues who stepped forward to grab him, walking out on his own.

“Even if they strip me of this uniform, I won’t give up. We’ll see about that!”

Anel coldly watched Frank’s retreating back. A surge of killing intent rose in his heart, but as if thinking of something, he restrained it again.

The door had already been kicked to pieces. Anel naturally took his work home. In the partitioned room of his study, he connected to a magical communication. After seeing the familiar face, Anel spoke:

“His reaction was exactly as we anticipated. I’ve basically dealt with the hidden risks on my end. The rest is up to you.”

‘Very good! You were the last one. As long as the cases aren’t merged, they won’t go beyond our control. Now the only one left is that stubborn Deputy Governor. Damn it, sometimes I really want to just shoot him dead!’

“Don’t be impulsive! He doesn’t have evidence, nor does he have real authority. There’s no need to go all out with him. It’ll be enough to have sir transfer him away.”

‘A transfer probably won’t work. We’re trying to pry open his family and relatives. As long as we stuff enough in, sir can make a move and send him in, cutting off future trouble.’

‘Once this matter is settled, there will be vacancies above. Sir is rather fond of you. Let me congratulate you in advance.’

“Not at all, not at all. It’s still not certain.”

After ending the communication, Anel sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette, calculating how long it would take to convert the benefits he had obtained into assets overseas.

There was a knock on the study door. A trace of annoyance flashed in Anel’s eyes. “Come in.”

His wife walked in, carrying a bowl of nourishing soup, and spoke softly: ‘Even when handling official business, you need to rest on time. I stewed this soup for you. It can ease your old headaches.’

Anel smiled and took it. “Mm, you’ve worked hard.”

‘What hardship do I have? You’re the one working hard. Remember to rest after drinking it. Don’t tire yourself so much.’

“Alright.”

Only after the woman closed the door did the smile on Anel’s face slowly fade. This wife of his was not beautiful; she could only be said to have a very pleasing appearance. Her temperament was gentle, and she had raised their daughter very well.

But these were not what he wanted.

She was not beautiful enough, and she had not borne him a son. The only thing that could be considered helpful was that she had once been among the first batch of women in the Kingdom to join the military.

The enormous political bonus weakened the negative impact his humble origins had brought him, and at the same time paved a smooth path for his career in politics. And this was precisely what he despised the most—how could a woman born in poverty ever be presentable.

Still, this was enough. Other aspects would naturally be made up for by other women.

In the State Propaganda Department office, Thatcher looked at the propaganda report in his hands, while his thoughts had long since drifted away.

Originally, he had been a deputy mayor in another state. Later, due to meritorious governance, after the merger of the new state he was exceptionally promoted and transferred to New State, leaping across multiple levels in one move to reach the deputy-state level.

This should have been an enormous commendation affirming his achievements, but who would have thought that after the specific appointment came down, he—a man who had been in charge of finance and investment promotion—was assigned to the propaganda department, a classic case of apparent promotion but actual demotion.

This was vastly inconsistent with the tone of the position adjustments his former superior had revealed to him. He had reason to suspect that someone had tampered with things at some stage.

After actually arriving in New State, he felt even more that something was wrong. As someone with a long background in finance, he had a deep understanding of the concrete operational logic of alliance states.

Generally speaking, after specific commercial project planning was finalized, investment promotion and capital attraction proceeded in parallel, with investment promotion as the main focus.

New State needed development funds to support local enterprises. In this, the Alliance’s central finance would provide the bulk, while the local government would handle the smaller portion.

Holding centrally allocated funds, combined with locally invested planned land and preferential policies, then merging existing local workshops and factories to control technology, and finally adding trade unions and the tax bureau—basically, a company’s framework would already be set up.

The next step was how to sell one’s own products to markets in other states, and how to cooperate with chambers of commerce or companies in other regions to smoothly integrate into the Alliance’s large market economic chain.

But the strange point about the New State he was in now was that the main overall direction of the entire leadership group was capital attraction—that is, attracting foreign capital to invest and take shares in new factories and new companies within the state.

This couldn’t be said to be unworkable. Some states simply had no resources at all and could only do contract manufacturing. Mitia had not completely restricted cross-state capital attraction.

However, the degree of this had to be controlled by the state itself, and Ankargas New State had given a one-hundred-percent quota to foreign capital.

The funds allocated by the center were not touched at all, instead being used to continuously discuss investments in various new projects with merchants from Alos, Memlotorh, and the Alliance Capital.

After the specific planning proposals came out, local enterprises had no share at all. All resources were taken up by joint ventures between internal and external capital, yet they were using the large-scale exemption procedures meant to support local enterprises.

Thus, every time project proposals were collectively discussed at state meetings, many officials—including Thatcher—refused to sign them, preventing the plans from being implemented.

When arguments broke out at meetings, Thatcher would say only one thing: “History has given Ankargas this one chance! Miss it, and there will never be another!”

Once this thing was signed, it would be very hard for Ankargas State to ever see a local enterprise rise again. With such a level of tax exemptions combined with mature industrial chains, it was enough to crush all newly emerging small factories and small businesses.

Yet, at some unknown point, most of the old factories had already been basically dismantled, leaving large numbers of workers unemployed, which put them in a passive position.

However, as time went on, he sensed other things that felt off. Apart from himself, a portion of votes would turn in favor every time.

An arm couldn’t twist a thigh.

The allocation of tax teams increased or decreased members according to the specific level of factories, so a clear document on factory and company scale was required. The same went for labor unions—there had to be workers for unions to exert force.

New projects being delayed repeatedly meant construction couldn’t begin, and naturally there was no way to talk about the entry of labor unions or the tax teams dispatched by the center.

By holding out like this, he was effectively blocking everyone’s path, and the pressure he faced was immense.