Central Control Magic Matrix
Within the control magic matrix Landen had built for Redbird, Klein brought up Landen's construction of Magic Furnaces for the various city-states of Hindukush. The Legends and Demigods at the very top of the Imperial Capital all knew perfectly well that these Magic Furnaces had been ordered by the Temple of Wealth and entrusted to Landen for installation.
Just as Cromwell Jingji, guardian of the Imperial Capital, had said back then, building Magic Furnaces was part of Landen's divine office. Since it was a divine office, it could not possibly be guided solely by the Empire's wishes; it had to balance numerous factors, including the region, the Magic Web, and the Temple of Wealth.
Yet understanding Landen did not prevent them from putting the matter on the table as leverage to keep him in check. After all, Landen now possessed a divine office approaching that of an Ancient God. Conventional methods such as subsidies and war were utterly useless against him. On the contrary, a dubious accusation like colluding with the enemy was perfectly suited to serve as a bargaining chip.
Faced with Klein's question, Landen was very candid. "I installed Magic Furnaces in temple districts under the Church of Wealth, not for the Beastmen."
"Yet those Magic Furnaces cannot possibly serve only a few temples. They will supply magic power to entire cities, and that magic power can support the construction of new workshops and raise more High-Ranks—"
Before Klein could refute him, Ben Kaul pointed it out. "All of that will increase the Beastmen's overall strength. This is concrete assistance to the enemy. You can't wriggle out of it with word games."
Landen nodded, making a helpless gesture. His eyes shifted, and he said with a smile, "Ben is right. With so many additional