I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 195 Night Walk (Two chapters, 6000 words)
Today's welcoming feast is rather meager for the elves.

Baron Dupont was clearly not wealthy; his household had neither a pretty cook nor a young maid.

The people working here are all elderly women, or retired soldiers who have difficulty walking and have stern faces. They would be overqualified to be servants, even if they were given 50 points.

The food is simple, mostly consisting of grilled meat and stews.

Although the baron sent servants to buy fresh fish and vegetable salad to please the elves, the elves only took a few bites before putting down their knives and forks.

Fish from the desert couldn't possibly be fresh. Although the fish delivered chilled by the spatial bag still retained most of its flavor, it was still a bit of a torture for the high elves' palates.

However, it wouldn't be right to say there weren't any good things. The grapes here were obviously quite good, and the local wines had a unique fruity and woody aroma with almost no astringency, which made the female elves drink more of them.

The Baron was somewhat nervous about this. According to DuPont, these guests were all quite capable, and revealing their identities could cause trouble.

Since his own monks didn't seem to care, he didn't ask any further questions and simply chatted about family matters.

However, when DuPont took out 3000 gold coins to pay off his tuition debt, the middle-aged man who had been calmly handling the corpse trembled slightly.

Although being a mage is a well-known lucrative profession, and one can earn money by copying scrolls and opening a shop after graduation, my child has only been away for three years. Even if he has the ability to cast spells at the third level, he doesn't have much time. Where would he get so much money to build up his family fortune?

"The dean gave me a portion." DuPont was telling the truth. Lavoisier was using his name to seek revenge, so naturally he also received benefits.

However, it wasn't 100,000, only one-tenth.

But this is still much more than the three to five thousand gold coins DuPont initially envisioned for himself.

Money comes easily, so spending it doesn't hurt. DuPont thought that settling the accounts would also end a period of its own entanglement.

However, after the baron confirmed with several elves that his child was indeed a little rich through his own efforts, he thought for a moment and took half of it: "This is enough. Why would they charge me too much interest when I lend money? You have a long road ahead and many expenses, so you should keep this money for yourself."

DuPont was about to decline when the Baron got up and went to the Bergman barrel, filling DuPont's glass: "Drinking wine is no fun, let's drink this instead."

Upon seeing this, DuPont immediately stood up. This feudal world was naturally not immune to drinking culture; although it didn't have a 2000-year history, there was no reason for a father to pour wine for his son: "This..."

“There aren’t so many rules among family.” The baron said, pouring a glass for his youngest son: “Twelve years old is a man now, have a taste.”

Viktor, the younger brother who will turn 12 in a month, stared at his long-lost older brother, his eyes never leaving him.

The fact that he had just brought out the corpse had surprised many of the servants, but in his eyes, it was undoubtedly a very cool thing to do.

Everyone says that young people are unreliable, but the eldest brother is clearly an exception.

Even his usually strict father spoke to him with great care, clearly not treating his brother, who was only two years older than him, as a child.

This troubled Viktor, who wanted to ask his brother how he had managed to do it.

Is it by killing people?

But everyone says that killing is a very dangerous and terrible thing. Isn't your brother afraid?

When his father poured the beer he had always forbidden him from touching into his glass, Victor forgot to say thank you and took a sip. But after swallowing, he frowned and spat twice, "What? This isn't sweet at all, it's awful!"

"Haha, only little kids like sweet things." The baron laughed heartily, but then, remembering there were several guests nearby, he straightened his face and said, "Eat your food properly, and then go find somewhere to play."

After dinner, the Baron had to leave, and Victor cautiously approached his brother, tugging at his sleeve: "Big brother, do you think I have the talent to become an adventurer? I want to go on adventures too."

DuPont glanced at it and, to his surprise, actually spotted something unusual.

Victor DuPont

Age: 11 years old

Race: human

Attributes: Strength 11, Agility 13, Constitution 14, Intelligence 11, Perception 14, Charisma 16.

Class: Level 0 Warlock, Divine Soul in semi-awakened state. Divine Soul?
What is this stuff.

DuPont checked and found that the system indicated there was a charge, but fortunately it was only 10 gold coins.

Divine Soul: Divine Souls are extremely rare. This special bloodline may originate from a distant and powerful family, or be related to some divine being. It may also correspond to an ancient prophecy, indicating that this sorcerer may be the most loyal servant of the gods, or a vessel chosen to bear divine magic.

DuPont was a little annoyed after reading it: What kind of nonsense is this? It costs me 10 gold coins for this?
After taking a second look, it seems to suggest that their younger brother is a hidden descendant of a god?
But they are both human.

There are some things I don't understand, but DuPont doesn't have a high opinion of sorcerers either.

In this world, even warlocks who want to master super magic skills must learn them through specialized courses; they simply cannot comprehend them on their own.

Although magic was invented by dragons and modified by elves, super magic techniques were developed slowly by archmages; they are not something that can be awakened by bloodline.

His newly acquired dragon-blooded follower with an intelligence level of 9 will probably never learn even one of those skills in his lifetime.

Although gaining spells through bloodline awakening is much simpler than a mage learning spells on their own, which is why warlocks are often called a "high-class" profession, this profession is easier and less stressful than mages in the early and mid-game. However, once you reach a higher level, you may find it difficult to progress due to insufficient bloodline concentration.

It could even be said that regardless of whether they are humans or elves, you can't find many legendary warlocks even if you flip through history books. On the other hand, classes like red dragons and gold dragons, who have powerful bloodlines, can awaken 9th-level spellcasting abilities as long as they enter the ancient stage. They can directly cultivate both magic and martial arts and are practically mobile calamities.

He's just a low-level raider.

However, DuPont did not dampen the enthusiasm of his own people; only he knows how hard he had worked along the way.

Despite having a system, he deliberately chose some strong early-game professions to transition through the beginner period, but he still encountered many dangers and faced numerous difficulties. This path is not one that everyone can take: "You do have the talent of an adventurer, and it's quite unique."

"Oh?" Viktor was overjoyed. "I can be a mage too?"

“That might not be very realistic, but you’d still be a spellcaster.” DuPont thought for a moment but then steered the conversation around a question. This little brother’s perception wasn’t low either, and becoming a priest would be a good choice: “I see you have a lot of talent in both warlock and priest. When you turn 12, go to the church for a test, and see what they recommend you for.”

"Oh." Viktor was a little disappointed to hear he couldn't be a mage, but the boy was more interested in something else: "Will I be as awesome as you, big brother, when the time comes?"

"Perhaps? But that depends on how hard you try." DuPont said, taking out his old physique belt and revolver: "This belt isn't cheap. Wearing it well will benefit your growth. Remember, don't give it to anyone else."

"You can practice with this pistol, but you must train under your father's watchful eye and you can't use it on your own people. If you accidentally hurt someone, you'll go to jail and be locked up eating stinky, mushy porridge every day."

Viktor shrank back slightly upon hearing this, but he was pleasantly surprised when he saw the pistol.

Although he had never seen this thing before, just one glance made him feel that this iron contraption was very cool and must be worth a lot of money.

Viktor excitedly took the empty pistol outside to play, while DuPont smiled and shook his head. He yawned and returned to his room to rest, but before he could even take off his clothes, there was a knock on the door.

Jona was wearing a light nightgown and holding a wooden tub. She looked at DuPont, her pretty face slightly flushed, and said softly to him, who looked puzzled, "Your Highness, I noticed you don't have any young maids here, so I've asked you to come and help me with your bath and rest."

"Huh?" DuPont was completely bewildered by this. Looking at Jona's semi-transparent clothes, he couldn't help but scratch his head. Even though it was summer, this was a bit too revealing. "...This isn't quite right. You're Jasmine's maid, not mine, and besides, you're a silver-ranked magic swordsman."

“This has nothing to do with strength. You are His Highness’s fiancé, so it is only right that I serve you.” Jona looked into DuPont’s eyes and smiled slightly. “Of course, if you feel uncomfortable, it is best to refuse His Highness directly. Otherwise, it would be difficult for me to go back like this.”

Just as Dupont was about to nod, Jona spoke up again: "By the way, His Highness said that since they are engaged, it is normal for them to rest in the same room, otherwise it would be bad if others noticed anything amiss. However, you should bathe and change clothes before going to see His Highness to keep clean."

"Huh??" DuPont was a little confused by this corrupt feudal practice: "There was no such saying before."

"Normally, I wouldn't need to do this, but since you don't have a suitable candidate in your family, are you planning to do these things yourself from now on?"

"This is quite disgraceful among nobles. It is usually only men who are ill, inconvenient to see people, and unable to display their masculinity who do such things. Please cherish your reputation."

DuPont was immediately displeased upon hearing this: "What do you mean by being unable to display male virility? I'm only 14 years old, how could I be impotent?"

"Although there aren't many people with disabilities, there aren't a few either. No nobleman would want his daughter to marry such a man."

Jona's gaze was somewhat mocking: "Of course, if it is indeed inconvenient for Your Highness, then it would be best to speak to His Highness in person. Please do not make things difficult for me, a dutiful maid. I am merely following orders."

"."

(End of this chapter)