What Witch? This Alchemist is Breaking Bad!

“What is this?” Adele looked at the bottle Leon had taken out in confusion.

“A poisonous Magic Potion. Simply drinking it won’t do anything, but as long as the person who made the Magic Potion wills it, anyone who has drunk this medicine will die on the spot. The effect lasts indefinitely.” Leon gave a simple explanation, “There’s only one bottle. Whichever one of you drinks it will have full authority over investment and trade within the territory from now on, and that person will also decide the proportion of my capital invested inside and outside the territory.”

Adele was stunned, then forced the corners of her lips into a smile: “You’re joking, right? There’s no way something that ridiculous exists.”

However, when she looked at the Priest and saw his solemn expression, her face changed slightly, and she cautiously asked: “I-is it real? What happens when the poison takes effect?”

“It turns a person into stone, then they shatter.” Leon replied, “I’m not joking. Father Auden has already seen someone poisoned to death by this stuff.”

Adele stared blankly at the bottle of Magic Potion, no longer quite daring to speak.

Father Auden’s deeply wary reaction only served to confirm that the Magic Potion was real.

So this was……the method Leon used to control people? It turned out she had still underestimated just how terrifying this man was!

“I absolutely won’t drink it, and you, stop thinking that this thing can truly make people loyal.” Father Auden stared at Leon as he spoke.

“If I really thought drinking this stuff could make all of you completely loyal, I would’ve forced it down your throats a long time ago. Is the poison itself really what matters? What matters is voluntarily drinking it. That means you’re willing to mortgage your life into my hands as part of this transaction. In that case, naturally, you can ask me for conditions.” Leon said.

“Birds of a feather flock together. I think a lunatic who likes gambling with his life like you simply wants to find a few of his own kind.” Father Auden said coldly, “Sorry, but I’m not one of them.”

“I actually knew you’d definitely refuse, Priest. In truth, once people enter this line of work, everyone is basically gambling with their lives already. Besides, when I need your participation, even without using this method, I have other ways.” Leon said.

“I’m not handing my life over to a lunatic, and just because you can force me to do something doesn’t mean I’m willing.” Father Auden remained exceptionally stubborn.

Being forced to do something was one thing, but voluntarily accepting Leon’s conditions fundamentally meant voluntarily compromising with Leon by one step, after which came the gradual process of being mentally dominated. Opening such a breach was actually extremely dangerous.

“The Priest insists on his own view. What about you, Adele?” Leon turned toward Adele.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t drink it.” Father Auden suddenly advised Adele expressionlessly, “If neither of us drinks it, he’ll still have to choose between us.”

“But I’ll hold something back either way. Your choice.” Leon added.

“I……”

Adele blinked and stared at the small bottle, suddenly recalling the difference between herself and Leon that she had kept thinking about ever since that ball.

If one wanted to climb up from the bottom of the Abyss, one had to be prepared to slip and fall to death. Either crawl within the Abyss and cling to life, or stake one’s life on climbing upward.

In truth, her life and death had already been in Leon’s hands for a long time. Just as Leon had said, if he wanted to give her this Magic Potion, he could do so at any time.

What Leon wanted was her declaration.

After a long while, she looked directly into Leon’s eyes and slowly said: “If I’m staking my life itself, aren’t the conditions you’re offering a little low?”

“Some people were willing to drink this stuff for a monthly salary of twenty thousand, but considering your abilities, I’ll allow you to renegotiate your terms.” Leon met Adele’s gaze.

“Let’s renegotiate the loan and investment terms. From now on, your investments in this island will be counted as loans to me, and I’ll manage them on your behalf. Every individual investment will have an independently calculated term of one year, with the interest rate calculated according to what we agreed before.

The industries purchased using those loans will, after appraisal, be directly converted into your assets to offset the debt. The remaining portion and the interest will be repaid in cash once the term expires. As for the additional revenue generated by those industries, you receive half the dividends, and the rest belongs to me!” Adele said.

“What this means is……”

Leon was still considering it when Father Auden had already begun explaining it to him: “Basically, it becomes you providing the money while she provides the labor. The two of you jointly operate this territory in that manner, while you own the assets obtained from your investments in the territory as well as the interest.

Then, of the revenue generated by those investments, you, the lord, take half, while she takes the other half. When she eventually wants to buy this island back, she’ll have the portion of the industries belonging to you appraised again, then purchase them back from you.”

Under this proposal, Adele had actually obtained most of a lord’s authority in form, albeit under the title of Agent. To a certain extent, it resembled a genuine noble husband and wife far more closely.

In fact, because many noble couples each had their own families investing in the territory behind them, they would use this kind of division of labor and allocation.

If it had been anyone else, the Priest would have needed to remind Leon that Adele’s proposal could potentially allow her to gradually hollow him out, or slowly transfer the funds away and abscond with them.

But the problem was that he was Fenrir, and the condition he had offered was drinking that bottle of Poisonous Blood. In that case, the person who truly needed to worry was Adele.

Forget Adele harboring any crooked thoughts. If Leon wanted to default on the agreement, he could simply kill her afterward.

“What happens if you lose money?” Leon stared at Adele and asked.

“If it’s a problem caused by my management, I’ll bear it.” Adele said seriously.

“If you suffer a huge loss, you won’t be able to repay it. Do you think I ultimately won’t kill you?” Leon said.

“I’ll……find a way.” Adele said.

That man will probably make you repay it some other way. Father Auden thought from the side.

In his eyes, Adele was merely stepping one foot at a time into a trap woven by Leon.

“At least I can see your resolve.” Leon looked Adele over for a while, then shifted his gaze toward the small bottle on the desk, “Then, please.”

Adele took a deep breath and suppressed her nervousness, stepped forward, and picked up the small bottle. Her hand trembled uncontrollably from tension.

After hesitating for a moment, she steeled herself and simply forced herself not to think about anything. She tightly shut her eyes, held her breath, opened the bottle, and poured it down her throat.

She did not dare carefully taste the medicine, but after swallowing and the flavor rose back up, the bloody taste still made her suddenly start coughing violently.

Leon had already prepared for this. He casually picked up the silver flask on the desk, poured her some water, and handed it over. Adele hurriedly used the water to dilute the taste in her mouth.

“It tastes like blood……” Adele stuck out her tongue with a pained expression.

“You really are different from before, Adele. From now on, we’re one of our own.” Leon looked at Adele and smiled, “I’ll keep my promise. Once we verify the fund’s situation later, we can go to the Notary Office and have both agreements formally notarized.”

“Alright.” Adele let out a long breath.

“You really had the nerve to do it.” Father Auden shook his head at Adele, “I’ve realized that for some inexplicable reason, you actually trust him quite a lot. Haven’t you considered the possibility that he might default now or in the future, or even kill you?”

“What difference does it make if I don’t trust him? He could’ve taken my life at any time to begin with.” Adele replied.

“No, you might hate him and be unable to do anything about him, but you’re still willing to trust him.” Father Auden suddenly shifted his tone here and glanced at Leon, “Though, well, he really is that kind of person.”

Adele froze for a moment. Thinking about it carefully, from Leon’s standpoint, there was actually no necessity for him to keep any promise to her. She had no power to constrain Leon.

Yet she truly had never particularly doubted the possibility that Leon would fail to keep his word. All along, Leon had actually been capable of doing anything he wanted to her, yet had never done anything truly excessive.

Leon had not been born a noble. Although their outlooks on life differed, Adele could sense that deep in his bones, he possessed his own pride and dignity. In that respect, they were similar, and there was faintly this sort of tacit understanding between them.

Perhaps she did not like Leon as a person, and even disliked him somewhat, but when it came to respecting him, she still had no choice but to admit it.

If Leon had to deliberately break his word to her merely to seek profit, then the one who would lose that pride would be Leon.

And the Priest had a similar understanding of Leon. He might be a lunatic, but he kept his promises.

“However, haven’t you thought carefully about who actually concocted that Magic Potion?” Father Auden suddenly remarked, looking at Adele with an expression that actually carried some sympathy and pity.

“Huh?” Adele was dumbfounded.

Thinking about it carefully, Magic Potions……were generally concocted by Witches. Of course, some Apothecaries could also accomplish it, but since Leon could conduct the Magic Essence Trade, there should naturally be a Witch around him.

This medicine could kill someone at any time, which clearly could only be achieved through a Witch’s Curse.

Adele had long since suspected this and had even guessed the Witch’s identity——that masked woman who had claimed to be Leon’s partner. She was the Witch, Leon’s lover.

In that case, by drinking the Magic Potion, she had not merely handed the power over her life and death to Leon, who already controlled her, but had additionally……allowed that girl to kill her at any time too!

An icy fear crept up her back. She suddenly looked toward Leon with trembling apprehension: “Don’t tell me this Magic Potion was concocted by that woman who came to see me last time?”

Leon thought for a moment, then replied with interest: “What if it was?”

Naturally, he would not voluntarily reveal that this Cursed Blood came from his own body, and he also wanted to see Adele’s reaction.

“She won’t……kill me someday just because she’s in a bad mood, will she?” At the thought, Adele began trembling.

Thinking carefully, that girl had always been unhappy that Adele had taken away Leon’s marital relationship.

“Don’t worry, she isn’t someone who casually makes trouble for others either.” Leon replied.

“No matter what, don’t let her see me again in the future, alright?” Adele pleaded seriously.

“Alright, I’ll seriously consider it.” Leon chuckled softly.

After seeing Adele’s somewhat stronger side, he now felt as though he enjoyed seeing this kind of reaction from her even more. There was a certain delicate, pitiable charm to it, and it was rather cute.

Once the transaction with Adele was properly settled next, and it was confirmed that the Charitable Fund could be used, he could contact Johnny and proceed with the next stage of the transaction.