I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 174 Planning
Putting the letter aside, DuPont couldn't help but close his eyes and rub his temples.

He felt a tightness in his chest, unsure how to respond to the illegible letter.

DuPont is no longer the same DuPont, but he is still alive. As for the figure sleeping in the simple tin shack on the construction site, has he entered a permanent slumber, or is someone willing to carry on his body to deal with those troublesome trivial matters?

Hopefully, someone will still occupy that spot. Even if they never see each other again, at least their parents will have someone to hold onto, preventing them from being too heartbroken.

Of course, it would be even better if there was a chance to return to Earth.

By then, swords and blades will likely be useless, but the magic of spells can change many things.

Seeing DuPont suddenly fall silent, the paladin couldn't help but wonder what was written in the letter.

She glanced at it but then realized it was a bit impolite, so she quickly looked away. However, the paladin's actions were hardly discreet. DuPont sighed and handed the letter to the other party: "Take a look if you want, it's just family stuff."

"About your family?" The paladin took the book without even looking at it. "Is this convenient?"

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it,” DuPont’s voice was a little low. “If you can’t even watch it, then who else can I share it with?”

The paladin nodded silently, and after reading the letter, his mood became somewhat heavy.

100 gold coins. Is this DuPont's allowance for this semester?
That's enough for food and drink, but a monk's life isn't just about eating and drinking.

Putting aside everything else, if DuPont were to maintain those magical weapons, this amount of money would be far from enough.

"It seems the natural environment in Huangsha Town is indeed quite harsh." After thinking for a while, the paladin finally found a starting point: "When you have your vacation, shall we go there and take a look?"

"We'll see when the time comes; you might not even have time off." DuPont said, opening his eyes. "If we encounter a fully grown blue dragon, can the two of us kill it?"

“The juvenile stage should be fine, but adult blue dragons will be more difficult, and killing them will be even more challenging, since they will flap their wings and run away as soon as they sense something is wrong.”

The paladin pointed to the window and said, "If we find some help, it will probably be much easier. Going it alone is not an adventurer's first choice."

Need help?

DuPont thought about it and realized that he didn't know many people who met the criteria.

Hunting trolls and clearing out goblin tribes are risky, let alone hunting dragons.

Of course, if you ask Wildstone for help, he'll most likely be willing to. But druids generally don't like getting involved in these kinds of things, and it wouldn't be good if they ended up arguing.

Not to mention the harsh climate in Huangsha Town. If the Blue Dragon doesn't appear even after a month or two, wouldn't that be a wasted trip?
It's better to do this yourself.

"Let's talk about it later." DuPont thought he'd try it out in the training grounds later. "By the way, what's the plan for dragon hunting?"

“Normally, it’s an adventure team. In towns, they’re usually protected with heavy weapons like crossbows. But the Nas Desert is the territory of the Blue Dragons. They build their nests tens of meters below the surface of the desert. It’s too dangerous to be unprepared in such a place. Not to mention, the Blue Dragons have a habit of sticking together as a family. If one of them gets into a fight, the whole family will be attacked. The situation could be terrible.”

"If they are not completely eradicated, the surviving blue dragons may seek revenge. They can wait for decades or even centuries for revenge. If the town is weak, it is not impossible for it to be massacred. Overall, it is a calamity that is difficult to deal with."

DuPont frowned: "So, if I can't completely wipe out this nest of blue dragons, then a hundred years from now, my territory and my descendants might face retaliation?"

“Yes, that’s the advantage of the immortal species.” Deva nodded, her tone somewhat helpless: “The key is that even if you wipe out this nest, the Nas Desert isn’t without other dragon families. If they are related, they might seek revenge. And once the dragon legion is mobilized, there are at least a dozen of them. How can an ordinary town withstand such a threat?”

“Even archmages need to be prepared to defend against them, and blue dragons are extremely cunning. If they are prepared, they might wait another ten or even a hundred years; for them, that's not a problem at all. But we're not so lucky. Even you mages, without the Goddess's chosen ones, only live for two or three hundred years. For dragons, that's barely reaching adulthood, not a problem at all.” Dupont understood after listening; indeed, there was no reason to be constantly on guard against thieves. “Have the council members considered a complete solution to this problem?”

"It would cost too much money, and the desert terrain is quite unique, making it difficult for the golem legion to be deployed. If we hire people, how long would it take to search such a vast desert? Fighting guerrilla warfare with monsters like the blue dragon, which are good at digging and have strong vitality, in the desert would be a headache even for the council officials."

Deva thought of the books she had seen in the family library: "If you really push a blue dragon, it will use magic to escape. It is said that there is an ancient blue dragon sleeping in the Nas Desert. Although winning is not a big problem if you fight it, it is basically impossible to solve it once and for all."

“This is indeed a bit troublesome.” DuPont rubbed his fingers together, a sharp glint in his eyes. “The cost is high, but the return is negligible. With the wisdom of a mage, such a losing proposition is indeed not advisable. If the blue dragon attacks and kills them, will they also face retaliation?”

"The books I've read seem to say that they can't, since it's considered a lack of skill. In the eyes of evil creatures like blue dragons, the death of such a guy is a relief, since their territory is limited and not everyone is worth their all-out revenge. For example, the blue dragon family in the Nas Desert barely reacted during the previous battle of the dragons."

Upon hearing this, DuPont immediately understood. It seemed that the Blue Dragon was also aware of Harua's strength and would not provoke the mages unless absolutely necessary.

As for the risk of life and death in adventurous hunting, it is entirely the personal behavior of individual blue dragons and does not represent the entire race.

Therefore, the Harua Council tends to ignore these minor incidents, leaving them to the adventurers to handle unless they escalate significantly.

However, it was not very friendly to the local rulers and ordinary people.

The thought that his future territory might be constantly plagued by such troublemakers made DuPont feel somewhat violent.

Although, according to the cheap old man, the blue dragons didn't target anyone and basically just grabbed any livestock they saw, much like thieves, the loss of property by the residents of the territory would inevitably lead to a decrease in tax revenue. In other words, it was practically the same as his money being stolen.
This is absolutely not okay!
Since even the mages specializing in divination in Harua couldn't find a solution, it was clear that this matter needed to be addressed in the long run.

We'll figure out a way to set up a dragon-hunting trap.

Dragons are treasures from head to toe. Their scales, hides, and bones are common magical items, and their blood is a frequently used alchemical ingredient. Even their seemingly worthless meat can fetch the price of bear meat. In short, killing a young dragon can yield thousands of gold coins, even if it's just for the materials.

However, since the dragons are in control, killing them, who are full of vitality, is not an easy task. We should prepare more supplies, and even if we defeat them so badly that they dare not come back, it will still be considered a success.

After hearing the plan, and seeing DuPont's invigorated spirit, the paladin's mood improved considerably.

"Then it's settled. We'll go visit your hometown together during your summer vacation?"

"Well, we'll see. After all, you're going to ask for leave, and I need to ask my future advisor too." DuPont said, putting the letter away. "It's getting late, I'm going to class. Don't be late."

Deva agreed, glanced at the Sunny Church camped outside the academy, thought about it again, and didn't bring up the matter again.

Although most of what Lilith said was crooked and unorthodox, she was right about one thing.

Love is a heavy word; the other person dares not say they understand, and neither does she.

Discussing this with DuPont now will only cause more trouble. I'll ask my mother when I get back and see if the wisdom of the Grand Master can solve this.

The paladin said goodbye and turned to leave. DuPont tidied up his dormitory and went to the classroom, only to unexpectedly see a figure that had disappeared.

Charles, that chubby little guy, is back.

After exchanging greetings, before DuPont could even ask why the other person had returned, he was the one who asked him a question first.

"I heard you ran into a female pastor from the Shuni Church last night, and your girlfriend came knocking on your door as a result?" Charles asked with a gossipy look. "So, did you resolve the problem?"

(End of this chapter)