I was an apprentice in Ferren

Preparations before Chapter 175
"What could I possibly have done? I have nothing to hide." DuPont deftly defused the situation, directly changing the subject: "Don't talk about me. Why are you back? Weren't you officially accepted as an apprentice by Instructor Ruru?"

Charles did undergo an apprenticeship ceremony. Although there are no traditional feudal rituals like kowtowing, kneeling, serving tea to express loyalty between mages, the ceremony is completed by acknowledging the master-apprentice relationship in front of everyone and receiving a special medal. But this does not mean that the lineage between mages is not guaranteed.

In a world where a true god exists, both parties can simply sign a contract.

This thing is far more ruthless than those symbols of hierarchy and order. Apprentices absolutely cannot afford the losses from unilaterally defaulting on their debts, and even grand masters have to grit their teeth and comply.

People can't see into your heart? Well, let's put you through a test of lies first. If you can fool them, that's a skill.

DuPont and his mentor only have a verbal agreement, which offers no protection whatsoever. Furthermore, their apprenticeship contract is rather unusual. Could it be that Charles, the mentor he found at the academy, is also involved in something shady?

Could it be that these female mentors are all just trying to get freebies?

Upon hearing DuPont's question, Charlie was immediately embarrassed. However, the others joined in the teasing, clearly very curious about DuPont's question. Safis even chuckled and said, "No wonder you couldn't even last half a month. That thing stopped working and you got dumped?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? I eat oysters every day!" Hearing this, Charles's face flushed slightly. He patted his chest and said, "I still have a full-on erection in the morning. See this 5000 gold coin physique amulet? Wearing it will give you physique level 19. That's awesome!"

DuPont was somewhat surprised to hear this. How could a 15-year-old boy like Charles normally be aware of morning erections?
This should be a habit for young people, and the problem is usually only discovered around the age of 25 or after excessive exertion. By then, if you've already noticed it, there's probably something wrong with your body.

Holy crap, in just half a month, how did this once energetic chubby boy become so worn out?
Upon closer inspection of the necklace he was wearing, DuPont almost burst out laughing.

Isn't this the one I sold on the black market? It's being used for this kind of thing. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing for Charles.

The others didn't think as much as DuPont did; they just jeered, "Then how did you get kicked out?"

“Hey, isn’t this Midsummer’s Day?” Charles lowered his voice. “Our mentors’ families have all returned. We apprentices may be close, but we’re still outsiders. What are we doing in their mage tower? Aren’t we just getting in the way?”

"Oh~" Safis said with a look of sudden realization: "Your husband came back and just kicked you out, right?"

Upon hearing Safis's words, the others burst into laughter. Charles clenched his fists, his face flushed, and he stammered, "What? What do you mean by being kicked out? It's only a few major holidays a year, so people should get together with their families. Besides, we apprentices are supposed to obey our mentors' arrangements. Would you dare to object if Benjamin arranged the courses for you?"

Charles then went on to say things like, "My necklace was a gift from my tutor," and "You guys are just jealous of my happiness."

However, since everyone was just there for the fun of it, they weren't really listening to what he was saying, and the atmosphere suddenly became cheerful.

DuPont breathed a sigh of relief, since his mentor seemed quite serious; otherwise, getting involved in such a family dispute would have been a real headache.

Although there are always those apprentices who manage to woo their mentors, the pressure to actually achieve that is immense.

Putting aside everything else, Charles alone has at least a dozen fellow apprentices. Every day he has to compete with a group of men for her affections, and the scene is truly unbearable to watch.

After all, when a man really makes up his mind, his methods can be much more ruthless than a woman's.

Fortunately, the instructor arrived after a while, and the apprentices immediately calmed down. When school ended in the afternoon, Charles was still clamoring to find some acquaintances to go to Whitestone City with him. He was even willing to pay out of his own pocket to invite those bastards, Safis, to find some professionals at the most cost-effective tavern so that everyone could have a fair competition on a big bed and see who was the toughest.

None of the apprentices responded to Charles's blatant act of retaliation.

Although they were laughing happily before, not all of them have practical experience. If they actually went there, they might expose their secrets.

Not to mention, this kid also has a rare magical item like the Health Amulet. If he hadn't learned Bear's Resilience yet, his basic stats would be significantly lacking. His innate stamina is already a major weakness, so how could they possibly compete? However, Safis also had something to say: "Forget it, I'm busy copying scrolls. Go find DuPont. And what's this 'bedroom competition' thing? Several people doing it together in bed? That's way too extreme!"

"Hmph, you're making a fuss over nothing." Charles said arrogantly, as if to say, "Fine, I won't argue with you. By the way, DuPont, wanna go for a stroll?"

"Never mind, I have something to do at Shuni's church tonight." DuPont shook his head: "You should be more restrained, otherwise you'll really burn out early. Even if you're not dumped, you'll probably fall out of favor. Then you'll have to wait in line to rent a lab, which is so boring."

Upon hearing this, Charles looked dejected. He stood at the academy exit, pondered for a while, sighed, and returned to his now-empty dormitory.

DuPont can pick up girls and live off women just by his looks, yet he has to spend money to prove his abilities. It's truly infuriating to compare oneself to others.

Forget it, I'd better go back and conserve my energy, lest I end up like those predecessors he's already trampled underfoot. That wouldn't be good.

Charles went back to sleep, while DuPont was warmly received by the novice pastors who remained at the Shuni Church.

When Lilith came back this morning, she was beaming, clearly having had a great night. But the little girl wasn't being honest; she obviously wanted to eat alone.

Normally, staying in the Northwest is not a good job, since the south of Harua is more prosperous, has a larger population and more opportunities. In previous years, only three or four people stayed, and most of them were men.

However, this year's registration numbers have exceeded double digits, and some scheming bitches even pretended to be unwell due to the change in environment and strongly requested to stay, clearly with ulterior motives.

Fortunately, the pastor was very understanding and sent the girl to the south, giving the sisters who stayed behind a chance.

DuPont smiled shyly, but he was there on business. He took out a land deed and smiled gently: "I have something I'd like to discuss with Pastor Jona. I wonder if you could introduce me?"

This was the intelligence he gathered last night during his break, and he worked up a good sweat.

However, to DuPont's surprise, the remaining cultivators became even more envious when they saw him produce the land deed.

This guy named DuPont is not only a promising magic apprentice and a handsome young man with a lot of charm, but also a wealthy nobleman.

What are we waiting for? If we miss this opportunity, we'll regret it for a whole year.
Even if you only have it once, you'll still have something to brag about to your girlfriends!

"Hey, isn't this the land deed for Deepwater City? DuPont, what are you planning to do with it? Rent or sell? If you have any business, just come to me."

"Don't listen to her nonsense. How would a girl from Neverwinter know the market in Waterdeep? I'm the local. Let's talk things over tonight, and I'll definitely give you a satisfactory price."

"Hey Lisa, why are you undermining your own people? I'm not from Waterdeep, but I'm not broke either. What does it matter where he's from when he sells things?"

"You're from out of town, of course you don't know the prices. What if you give too little?" The female pastor retorted, hands on her hips. "Do you want this young man to suffer a loss? I won't allow that!"

Just as the two were arguing, a beautiful woman in a tight red robe arrived at the tent. She coughed lightly, and the girls who had been arguing immediately turned pale and lowered their heads. The female pastor looked at DuPont and greeted him with a smile: "Are you Mr. DuPont? I heard you wanted to see me?"

“Yes, I have a few small matters I’d like to consult the priest about.” Dupont straightened his clothes, which had been slightly distorted from being pulled, and said humbly, “I acquired a few land deeds by chance, but I’ve never left Harua and don’t know their specific value. I wonder if the priest could give me some advice.”

"No need to be so polite, it's just a small matter." Shana nodded gently and pointed to the tent next to her: "Come over and let's talk in detail."

(End of this chapter)