I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 142 Let’s get started

"This purge has had a significant impact; Mithril Hammer has now captured 134 vampire clones."

The paladin carrying the giant hammer stood up to report, while the others quickly ate their food, though it was clear that everyone was listening intently.

"In addition, quite a few mortals have been bewitched. Many of them did not believe they had become servants of vampires before they were arrested, but they quickly realized their mistakes after entering the interrogation room. Most of them have been released by this time, and those who have become henchmen have been imprisoned on other charges and are awaiting the approval of the tribunal."

The high priest nodded after hearing this, and the judge next to Griffin sat down and stood up, saying, "According to the interrogation, many vampire servants were lured by salaries that were higher than the market price. In the face of money, although they found that their employers were a bit strange, they didn't think too much about it. After all, many nobles have strange hobbies."

"The Tribunal believes that the Evangelical Fellowship should take responsibility for this and provide corresponding strategies to encourage more ordinary people to actively report such cases and not be misled by small favors. This will greatly reduce the burden on the church's field departments. There are not many qualified judges and witch hunters to begin with, and many people are exhausted from years of running around. Even those in government offices cannot withstand this."

After he finished speaking, a female pastor standing next to him said, "The Evangelical Fellowship has received the feedback, but changing the mindset and values ​​of its people is a long-term task that cannot be accomplished overnight. And the current social ecology of Harua is dominated by clerics."

It is well known that mages are arrogant and profit-driven. Although they are generally not involved in local politics, the women's subjects are naturally influenced by this environment, and their values ​​are inevitably affected by monetary worth. This is destined to be a slow and difficult task.

Upon hearing this, DuPont immediately felt many eyes on him and cursed inwardly.

Didn't we agree that we were just here to eat?

The pastor looked at him and said, "Master Dupont, you are a young and talented individual at Northwest College. I believe you can represent the opinions of many young monks. Do you agree with this report from the Evangelical Fellowship?"

Dorothy frowned upon hearing this, as no one had told her about this. But Dupont calmly stood up and gave an irrelevant answer: "My family paid 3000 gold coins just for the tuition to get me into this academy. My father is quite capable, but it's still a heavy burden for a low-ranking nobleman in the Nas region."

"If my family hadn't been able to come up with this money, I would probably be a low-level warrior, busy fighting wits and courage against the goblins and gnolls in my clan's territory. I wouldn't have been able to experience the lady's power or enjoy her blessings. Under these circumstances, I think money is a good thing because it changed my destiny."

The crowd remained unfazed, even the high priest nodded in agreement: "Indeed, even clergy cannot do without money; this is an undeniable fact."

The pastor from the Evangelical Fellowship smiled as he listened and continued to ask, "What are your thoughts on this corrupting influence of money?"

“That’s hard to say, since everyone’s bottom line is different.” DuPont showed no fear in his eyes: “Most apprentices don’t live very well. Even I work part-time to guide sinners for the church. It takes about 2-3 hours a day and I can earn about 25 gold coins a week, which is enough for me to live comfortably in the academy.”

"But many apprentices don't have this opportunity. Many of them don't have a good family background, and quite a few even signed agreements to take out loans to attend school. They will have to work for many years after graduation to pay off the loan. Before that, copying scrolls is the only way for them to earn a living in order to avoid being fired. It can be said that they are under a lot of pressure."

“A scroll with one ring circulates within the apprentices for about five gold coins, while a blank parchment in the academy costs only one gold coin. Even with such high profits, most of them still live in dire poverty, because copying scrolls is not something that can be easily converted into money by simply sitting there and moving a quill pen. Many people even risk their lives, which is a terrible probability of 1% death, in an attempt to make a fortune. This is what I am currently doing.”

Hearing DuPont speak so eloquently, the female pastor's expression changed slightly, but he hadn't finished yet: "If professionals work so hard, then it's naturally even harder for ordinary people to earn money. No one doesn't want to eat soft bread and a bowl of meat soup. Even I am deeply fascinated by this Hero's Feast. But looking at the vanished golden cup in the high priest's hand, this meal is probably worth a thousand gold pieces? Normally, it would be enough to buy a rare quality intelligence headband, but for most ordinary people, it's probably an amount they couldn't accumulate from birth to death."

When DuPont roundaboutly shifted the question to the high priest, the female priest's expression stiffened. The old man, however, glanced at the boy and nodded in approval, saying, "Well said, continue."

Upon hearing the High Priest's agreement, Dupont's expression changed slightly, as if he had been greatly encouraged: "There is a considerable gap between ordinary people and professionals. Their lives are already so difficult, it is neither rational nor realistic to impose more tasks on them."

"There is a profession among the guards called informants. Some of them are potential gangsters, some are reformed prisoners, and some are even street thugs. They may not even be professionals, but they have an extraordinary understanding of the local area. And they more or less worship Goddess. I think if the church is willing to spend a sum of money to buy off informants, it is a reliable idea."

The high priest looked at the witch hunter, but the man remained silent. He immediately understood. However, the female pastor of the Evangelistic Division was somewhat anxious. This was not the plan she had originally thought of: "Master, we are discussing the beliefs of ordinary people, not how to exert influence using some deviant techniques."

“But we’re not discussing how to prevent these hidden vampires,” DuPont said, looking shocked. “How do I know anything about making ordinary people’s faith more devout? I’m just a mage.” Hearing DuPont’s words, the expressions of the people around him varied. The female priest looked somewhat embarrassed, but Dorothy noticed something was wrong.

DuPont sometimes likes to play dumb, but he rarely suffers losses. If he dares to speak up, he must know what he's doing. Making the other party lose face like this is probably intentional because he's unhappy.

Or perhaps he is waiting for the right opportunity.

Having figured out the key point, Dorothy said, "This is just a debriefing meeting. DuPont, if you have any ideas, feel free to speak up. Even if they are unreasonable, don't be afraid. You are the youngest here, so it's not a big deal if you say something wrong."

Griffin nodded after hearing this, but suddenly felt a little awkward when he realized that this was not his own knightly order. The old man nodded as well: "Everyone who is here is a close comrade of the church. There are no outsiders here. Moreover, the Magic Church has always been open-minded. You don't need to worry about being punished for your words."

"The teamwork was good," DuPont said. "In that case, I do have some immature ideas."

"According to the Faerûn Wanderer's Guide written by the famous bard Varo, most of the inhabitants of the kingdoms that worship good or neutral gods are of neutral good character, followed by neutral law-abiding and chaotic good. Furthermore, obeying the law is common for them, but sometimes they will choose to do so out of fear of getting into trouble."

“Even if it’s not a vampire, a low-level thief can wipe out an entire family in the dead of night, and even street thugs can threaten their survival. Under these circumstances, it’s already quite devout for ordinary people to attend church every week and pay their taxes; we can’t ask them to do anything more.”

"Comparatively speaking, many rural churches also suffer from a shortage of manpower. For example, I once went to a village to carry out a deed mission. The priest there discovered something unusual about the local cemetery, but he was too weak to handle it. He was also hesitant to report the situation to the church because he was afraid that it would be a troublesome matter if it was a false alarm. He could only hope that the adventurers would solve the problem."

"If church pastors are afraid of trouble, then ordinary people are obviously even more afraid of trouble. Most of them just want to live an ordinary life. If a child in their family has the talent to become a professional, that is their only hope. They are powerless and dare not change their lives and take risks that they should not have to take."

"Then who can take these risks? Of course, it's us." DuPont pointed to himself: "If we want to make changes, then as professionals, we should be the first to step up, not let ordinary people wade into these muddy waters."

“But the church doesn’t have many people.” It was Griffin who spoke. As the Grand Master, he was also quite troubled by these problems: “Some of the apprentice paladins are not strong, and the monks are not much different. After all, not all young people are as strong as you. If they encounter vampires, they might be bewitched.”

"Everyone has to fight in real combat sooner or later. The town environment is actually much safer than the dungeon. At least you can call for help quickly. Those evil people are also worried about their own safety. For example, Deva started as an ordinary guard. How could she become a temporary captain in just six months?"

"The Northwest is barren and has few professionals, but I've heard that many big cities claim you can hit a professional with a brick. We should send professionals from those areas to the grassroots and the countryside, let them take on more work, so they can be trained and become familiar with the grassroots environment. This will prevent them from holding high positions in the future but being ignorant of the lives of ordinary people and only talking empty words. The church can also find some outstanding and promising talents and support them fully. Isn't this a win-win situation?"

Dorothy sighed softly upon hearing this: "But not everyone likes to come."

“It’s all for the ladies. What difference is there between Yarach and White Rock? Doesn’t our Dean Lavoisier deserve respect?” Dupont said righteously. “I would also say that the big cities are too wealthy and not conducive to the growth of young men. A real man should come to barren places to work hard and face unexpected difficulties.”

"If we can't even handle these small problems around us, how can we face truly vicious cultists? We'd probably be so scared that we'd wet ourselves if they pulled out a knife, forgetting all our doctrines and willing to sell anything to survive. That would be our biggest loss."

DuPont's last vulgar word made the female pastor frown, but the high priest nodded happily: "Very good. Young people should have this kind of dedication that is not afraid of hardship or difficulty. Dorothy, summarize the relevant records and send them back to Yarach Cathedral. After dinner, lead them to the treasury to choose the items they like. The church will never neglect those who have made contributions."

Everyone congratulated her, and Deva's eyes were filled with the joy of finding a kindred spirit.

Dorothy, however, frowned slightly, a hint of worry in her eyes.

If this plan is actually approved by the church, this kid will probably offend a lot of people.
(End of this chapter)