novelraw Chapter 79 : Mission: Two Hundred Grams Per Year
Chapter 79 : Mission: Two Hundred Grams Per Year
Chapter 79: Mission: Two Hundred Grams Per Year
“So, the reason you immediately thought that someone was raising magical beasts inside a labyrinth, and that someone was assisting a witch, was because you had personally experienced all of this yourself?” Leon confirmed with the Earl.
“Yes. I suppose you could say it was fate’s guidance.” The Earl chuckled softly.
Leon let out a small breath of relief inwardly.
Bishop Beckett had once mentioned that whether it was the assault on the labyrinth or the suspicion falling on Leon, it had all actually been prompted by the Earl’s hints.
That constant feeling of being seen through had made Leon deeply wary of the Earl.
But now it seemed that the Earl’s accurate deductions were mainly based on his own past experiences, rather than because he was some monstrously omniscient being.
“And you accomplished what I failed to do back then. You actually found a woman on the brink of death who was willing to take the blame and become a witch for your sake. Someone was willing to sacrifice herself for you, and you possessed both the compassion to save others and the decisiveness to make hard choices. All of this gives me a very high opinion of you,” the Earl said with a smile.
From these words, Leon sharply grasped an important piece of information.
The Earl believed that Sally had become a witch in order to take the blame.
This meant that at least one thing had successfully deceived both the Earl and Bishop Beckett—they did not know that Sally was not actually a witch, and that the one who truly possessed the power of that malignant cursed blood was Leon himself.
At that moment, the Earl suddenly changed the subject.
“However, whether you are truly competent still requires a period of observation. I need you to prove your value to me.”
“What do you want me to do?” Leon asked.
“I want to assign you a task first. By this day next year, you are to deliver two hundred grams of mana,” the Earl said.
“Two hundred grams?” Leon was startled.
Even last year, including the mana Rena had initially handed over to Hannah Weisland, their total mana output had only amounted to about a quarter of this requirement.
Raising it all at once to two hundred grams sounded almost unreasonably demanding.
“As for purity, it must reach at least seventy-five percent. Among that, at least fifty grams must be high-grade, reaching eighty percent purity,” the Earl continued, adding further requirements.
“That’s honestly quite difficult,” Leon said truthfully.
They no longer had even a single magical beast on hand, and the labyrinth had now been sealed off.
Just restarting production would be difficult, let alone meeting the purity requirements.
The purity the Earl demanded basically required magical beasts that had consumed human flesh to be reliably achieved.
Moreover, Leon himself found it very hard to refine mana of that level of purity.
Only Rena could do it, which meant he would have to drag Rena into this matter again!
“Don’t worry. I will also provide you with some support,” the Earl said, snapping his fingers.
Immediately, someone carried in a large chest.
When the chest was opened, Leon saw neatly rolled gold vouchers and stacks of gold coins arranged inside.
“There are two million Fenni in here, as my investment in you and also as a deposit for that batch of goods. Take it as start-up capital. Once you meet my required shipment volume, there will be another four million Fenni as the remaining payment. Any surplus beyond that will be purchased separately. In addition, I have some gifts for you. Since we just finished eating, I won’t show them to you now—they are some corpses, all properly processed by me. One of them belonged to someone who had received a blessing,” the Earl explained.
Leon revealed a look of surprise.
He was not surprised by the money, but by the corpses the Earl mentioned.
The Earl clearly knew that feeding corpses to magical beasts could increase the purity of mana.
“I can also prepare Moilai’s altar for you. As for magical beasts, I have channels to help you acquire some, but there will be limits on both quantity and type. Someone will contact you about that,” the Earl continued.
Leon gradually came back to his senses.
With magical beasts, the basic conditions for producing mana were in place, but there were still some difficulties to overcome.
“The labyrinth near Hamel Town has already been sealed off, and the amount you’re asking for requires large-scale breeding. It would be very easy to be investigated by the Church again. Didn’t you say earlier that Aaron doesn’t know you’re involved in these businesses? If he continues serving as Director, the moment he notices anything, he’ll initiate an investigation!” Leon said.
“You don’t need to worry about safety at all. After Aaron resolves this case, he will soon be transferred away. After that, Bishop Beckett will temporarily take over as the local Director for at least a year. During that period, he will manage my businesses in South Harbor County and provide you with many safeguards. At the very least, when you operate in that original labyrinth, there will no longer be anyone from the Church investigating you,” the Earl said calmly.
For a moment, Leon found himself unable to raise any objections.
If Bishop Beckett temporarily served as Director, that meant Leon would essentially not be investigated by the Inquisition at all.
On the contrary, he might even receive protection and assistance from it, allowing him to promptly grasp the Church’s movements.
The risks would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.
Moreover, if his work went smoothly enough, he should be able to secure conditions for Sally to receive treatment while imprisoned.
Funds, magical beasts, location, and even security guarantees—everything was in place.
The basic conditions were already complete.
The only problem he needed to overcome was output.
The conditions provided by the Earl could be said to be extremely comprehensive.
To demand even more, to the point of being spoon-fed, would seem unreasonable.
Two hundred grams of mana, a total payment of six million Fenni—this was his goal for the coming year, and also the first task the Earl had assigned him.
“What happens if I fail to meet the requirements?” Leon asked.
“That depends on the situation. If you can at least supply part of the goods, I am still willing to pay to purchase them. However, in that case, you would only be a supplier. I would withdraw most of my support. The opportunity I’m giving you is merely priority access. If you can’t do it, I’ll switch to someone else. But regardless, there is no option to withdraw from this. I hope you understand,” the Earl said, staring directly into Leon’s eyes.
Leon nodded.
When he came here to meet the Earl, he already understood that he no longer had the option to stop.
“Don’t be nervous. If the production model you test here succeeds, and we expand it, it might allow us to rid ourselves of our reliance on smuggling. The upper limit of the status you can attain is not merely becoming Caron Eso and Henry Potter at the same time,” the Earl said in an encouraging tone.
Hearing this, Leon suddenly felt puzzled.
“You’ve tried this production model before. Now that you have such power, why haven’t you expanded it on a large scale?”
“Ever since I established smuggling routes through the import and export trade of my own territory, I haven’t tried this method again. Compared to setting production sites within the Empire, smuggling carries much lower risk,” the Earl explained.
“Then why suddenly switch back to this method?” Leon asked.
“Our smuggling partners are heretical nations across the sea. A group of great witches established an organization there called the Witch Gathering. They are our primary trading partners. But recently… some problems have arisen between us,” the Earl offered a cursory explanation.
“You’ll have a chance to learn the details later. For now, just focus on the goal of two hundred grams. I’m very much looking forward to your performance.”