I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 197 Night Visit
The baron's mansion was bustling with activity, a welcome change from its usual state. The mansion's owner, dressed in a black trench coat and escorted by several guards, arrived at the lively alleyway of Huangsha Town, a place usually bustling only at night.

However, due to the season, there weren't many guests or staff here. The pretty girls who stayed behind were smiling and dressed in revealing professional clothes, while the unrestrained male dancers were even more enthusiastic and unrestrained, able to dance around a steel pole for 2 hours even in the height of summer.

This is Paradise Park, a large chain of entertainment businesses in Fayens, and it is said that similar businesses exist even in other bustling parts of the world.

Here, as long as you have money, you can find any type of man or woman. All sorts of bizarre and wonderful gambling games are available here. It can be said that there is nothing they cannot do if you have no idea how to ask for it.

Wherever the Paradise is, the town will never fall into poverty. However, their close relationship with the Church of Woking, coupled with their powerful personnel system, means they almost never have to pay taxes to the local lord.

Such a lucrative business could only be looked at but not touched, which drew criticism from many lords. However, the owner of Wanleyuan, the one with the Woking Church emblem on his chest, was notoriously unyielding to either soft or hard tactics.

"I can attract countless adventurers to spend money in this little-known town, and I can also provide many poor locals with well-paid jobs. If the local tax bureau insists on doing something unnecessary, then we might as well move away."

"Of course, if the security here is bad, we can help you manage it. Those lowlifes and dim-witted guys are fine to die, Lord. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

"As for the law... isn't the law enforced by people? I see that you, Lord, seem to have the power to enforce the law and even the power to amend local laws. Now you're using the law to demand that we obey it, doesn't that mean you're not very friendly to Wanleyuan?"

"You know, a local lord can't be made by one person alone. I think Wanleyuan has many customers and friends who are willing to help us solve our problems and even offer more favorable terms."

Every time the Baron came to this alley, he couldn't help but recall his conversation with that alluring half-elf 10 years ago when he first took office, which ended with the mediation of the Magic Church and his compromise.

In his understanding, even if Wanleyuan were to leave, other brothels and casinos would take its place, and a new one willing to pay taxes would certainly be better for both him personally and the city hall than the current situation.

However, the wages offered to the locals at Wanleyuan were indeed very generous. If this money pit really left, it would inevitably affect the livelihoods of many people. In this town with no industry and barren land, everyone would have to go back to the hard life of having to depend on the adventurers for their livelihood. He, as the lord, would probably be out of a job.

Twenty years ago, he could have simply followed his own whims and enforced the rules forcefully, knowing he could always just walk away if necessary.

Anyway, she will definitely support him.

But as a father raising two children alone, he can no longer afford to travel.

After the Baron produced a token, the staff at the entrance discreetly led the group to the back door: there, they could directly access the VIP rooms without having to go through the bustling lobby, thus better protecting the privacy of their distinguished guests.

Although he couldn't see the guest's face, the familiar figure and the similar guards confirmed who the visitor was, and his eyes showed some surprise.

Didn't they say this baron owed the boss a lot of money? How come he still has time to come and play?
The attendant's questioning gaze did not escape the notice of a wandering knight, but the baron did not care much and simply closed his eyes to rest in the private room.

Once you become a nobleman, you can forget about having a good reputation. Even if you stay at home all day and don't go out, people will still think you're secretly having lewd parties. He's long been used to this.

The same type of people are the young administrative officers. As errand boys in the city hall, they have status but no real power. However, once they are in there for a day, they are almost like corrupt officials in the eyes of ordinary people. They can squeeze out streams of silver coins from their hands.

Of course, everyone thinks this way because there are many role models. There are always a lot of officials who have been reported, dismissed, and imprisoned for their improper conduct. But if the superiors can't make any money, how can the subordinates dare to live a good life?
If you calculate it this way, many nobles are not as well off as those mages, since they can directly produce and sell their own goods. They can sit there with a table and a set of copying tools and make money by copying scrolls.

Even the highly profitable practice of minting gold coins requires 30% lead, which still necessitates 70% gold ingots. This sorcerer, with a flick of his pen, is essentially engaging in a risk-free business; he truly has no conscience.

Fortunately, after years of hard work, Huangsha Town was able to barely break even after spending military funds, but when DuPont entered the magic academy, the Baron was practically bankrupt.

As a renowned land of mages, while a talent with an intelligence of 14 isn't exactly common, he's still a rare find, one in ten. To secure this spot for DuPont, besides the fixed tuition of 3000 gold coins, the kickbacks from pulling strings far exceeded the cost.

Yes, although Baron Dubon, as the head of the thousands of residents of Yellow Sand Town, could only be considered a backbone of the kingdom in the whole of Harua, he was far inferior to the mages of his level in the council in terms of both status and ability.

In terms of productivity, intelligence, ability, and administration, they are far inferior. The reason he was able to become a baron, besides his achievements, is that powerful mages almost never serve as local lords. At most, they serve as advisors and strategists, holding the power to interpret magic.

Even their salaries were paid by the council, and local lords had no right to command mages even when enemies attacked; everything had to be discussed.

This distorted system is very rare in other countries, but it is commonplace here.

This is Harua, the land of mages. Those who are not mages only have the right to be ruled and obey orders; as for anything else...
"Given your intelligence, it's highly likely that what I say will be pointless and a waste of both of our precious time. Just do as I say."

"This is not my idea, but the Council's idea. The Grand Mages of the Council have lived for hundreds of years and seen everything. Their intelligence is probably only slightly lower than that of the gods. You and I don't understand this, which only means that our wisdom cannot comprehend their actions. But Harua is the country with the longest peace in the world. Our system is certainly superior to that of other countries, so we should just follow the orders of the lords."

Peace?

Thinking of those bandits he had nailed to crosses and left to bask in the sun on both sides of the road after dinner.

Is Harua truly at peace?

The Baron scoffed at this.

Indeed, there has been no war here for several hundred years. Even though the Dragon Chaos a few years ago killed hundreds of adventurers and more than a dozen dragons, it had nothing to do with the common people, did it?
Although everyone has their own hardships, overall they can still make a living and have a place to settle down.

There's still some hope for the future.

But what about those jackals?

Although these bandits generally don't rob locals, and rarely cause death as long as the victims cooperate, it can be said that they only seek wealth and not lives. The soldiers also lack enthusiasm for going into the desert to capture these villagers, and on several occasions when they led expeditions, someone tipped them off, rendering the bandit suppression efforts futile.

But now these guys are obviously much bolder. They're even willing to fight to the death with their own sons to rob a fat sheep. If it weren't for the superior strength of those elves, Irene would probably be in serious trouble by now.

He was completely unaware of this.
Thinking of this, the baron looked down at the wine glass the servant had brought him. Although his mage advisor always reminded him that harmony brings wealth, it was time to clean up this mess.

This could allow other smaller bandit groups to rise to power, but the infighting among these scum would also prolong the peace in the region.

"Oh my, isn't this the Baron? This is quite a rare guest."

As I pondered, a beautiful woman holding a feather fan entered. Her skin was like a pearl under the moonlight, with a faint rose gold hue. A small silver scar on the side of her neck and her ears, which were much longer than human ears but slightly rounded, revealed her identity.

“Miss Muge, I have good news.” The baron took out four money bags: “Didn’t I still owe you 1900 gold coins? Here are two thousand gold coins. Please count them. The extra can be considered interest.”

"You've raised enough?" The half-elf was somewhat surprised. As the owner of the Paradise, she was naturally very sensitive to numbers. The Baron's financial income was not a secret among the officials who came to enjoy themselves. It could be said that she might even know more about the DuPont family's finances than the Baron himself.

Even though he acquired a noble estate in Nas City two months ago, it still takes time to sell his crops and grapes and turn them into cash. How did he manage to raise the money?
However, she suddenly remembered the rumors from last month and the news she received this afternoon, and she realized, "Three years ago, the Baron went against everyone's wishes and wanted to send that handsome little guy to become a mage. I was heartbroken for a long time because of this. After all, I promised you that I would definitely train him to become a bard who would charm countless girls, which would be much better than inheriting a country title here."

"But Baron, your wisdom clearly surpasses all of ours. You've already reaped the rewards even before he's graduated?"

“Boys always grow up eventually.” Mentioning his outstanding son, the baron, who was usually known for his aloofness, smiled slightly: “So give me a nod, I have things to do later.”

"What's the point of buying something nice with this little bit of money?" The half-elf listlessly patted his money pouch, but the pouch containing four hundred gold coins made a strange noise.

Upon opening it, one finds a mixture of silver and gold coins, and even some gold coins from other countries.

Seeing this, the half-elf understood something. She said helplessly, "I told you long ago that if you were willing to marry me, our debts would be wiped clean, and I could even send Irene to Yarakh for further studies. But now it seems... you've won again?"

"Madam, please don't joke around. What could an old man like me with two children possibly be worth your attention?" The baron shook his head, then took out an enchanted longsword, a gift from DuPont to the captain of the city gate: "Could you please take a look and see if this is a weapon belonging to a member of the Jackal?"

"Those guys who rely on numbers and ambushes to win, what standard weapons would they have?" The half-elf seemed a little uninterested, but still glanced at the weapon: "Hmm, look at the marks of wind and sand erosion on this weapon. It's been deliberately maintained, but the damage is due to not being able to afford good oil. Plus, the weight definitely makes it a weapon commonly used by sand bandits... I heard that the handsome young man was attacked on his return. Could it be them?"

“That’s right, but these guys obviously didn’t expect my son to have so many friends.” The Baron said, gathering the swords on the table. The gift DuPont had given him naturally had to be returned to its owner. “Do you have any intelligence on the Jackal organization?”

"What, you want to go and kill them all?" The half-elf was somewhat surprised, but clapped his hands with delight: "I've been here for 10 years, but the famous Demon Hunter has only ever fired his arrows while hunting. Today, I can finally see that legendary figure who can hunt down a berserker demon all by himself?"

"I am just a country lord, so poor that I can barely afford to maintain my bowstrings," the baron sighed.

To be honest, he really didn't know what he had done to catch the eye of this wealthy woman who was definitely among the top in Nas City: "Right now, I just want to know roughly where their camp is located, so I can use it to intimidate them and let them know that I'm not made of clay. Otherwise, if these guys keep coming over, how will we live?"

"How would a weak woman like me know about such things?" The half-elf sat on the table with an indifferent expression, picked up the cigarettes that were offered free to honored guests, and lit a flame on his finger: "He doesn't come to see us even once a year. When he does come, it's either to borrow money or to ask all sorts of questions."

She took a light drag and casually stubbed out her freshly lit cigarette in the tea-scented ashtray: "What 'pure-hearted baron'? Even the male dancers in my shop are better at talking than you. Calling you a scumbag is an understatement."

The baron was a little embarrassed when he heard this. It was true that he had come here because he had something to do, but who would come to a brothel all the time for no reason?

"Who doesn't know that Miss Mu Ge has amazing connections in the Nas region? Even my partner, who is obsessed with succubus summoning experiments, said that you have beauty and professional brokerage skills that are no less than theirs. If I ask someone else for this kind of thing, wouldn't that be looking down on you for going to such lengths?"

"So this is how you won over that paladin back then? Your eloquence is really lacking." The half-elf scoffed, reaching for a local map in his pouch. The detailed map made the baron's pupils shrink in surprise.

Such an exquisite map was something that not only he didn't have, but even his advisor didn't have.

The half-elf didn't seem to care at all. He just left the map on the table for a long time, and after thinking for more than ten seconds, he put his index finger on a spot: "Last month, two ruthless bandits came by. According to the girls under my command, they mentioned the Basil Mountains twice, and the nearest water source is here. I think this is very likely their real hiding place."

The baron frowned upon hearing this: "Didn't they say their base was hidden deep in the desert?"

“That’s definitely fake news. Of course, it could be true, but it’s definitely not where their core members are located.” The half-elf drew a circle on the map with his finger. “There are blue dragons in the desert, and most of the oases that can shelter them from the sandstorms are hiding ferocious monsters. They’re mostly just after money, not looking to die, so they’ll definitely look for a safer place. The Basil Mountains are relatively close to Nas City and easy to resupply, although they are a bit far from us. But isn’t that the most suitable hiding place for them?”

"The Korole Mountains are less than 40 miles from Nas City. Such a short distance couldn't possibly have escaped the notice of the local military leaders." The baron said, slamming his fist on the table. "If that's true, doesn't that mean they have informants in Nas City?"

"Informant? I think it's more like a backer." The half-elf remained seated on the table, his legs crossed and slightly raised. "It's said that the Jackals have nearly a hundred members who roam around committing crimes. Most of them are adventurers, and together they are not a force to be ignored. If they were to unite and decide to take revenge, I'm afraid even your Yellow Sand Town might not be able to stop them."

"Even if the local officials are brainless, most of the bandits are locals. Although they cover their faces, they do nothing and act strangely. If they really want to investigate, even without the divination spells of a sorcerer, they can find traces in a month or two. After all, how can we hide the eating, drinking and defecating of so many people? Supply and disposal of stolen goods are big problems."

The baron understood the half-elf's meaning; he was being advised to let things go.

Offending your direct supervisor under any circumstances is clearly not something a smart person would do.

"Thank you for your help." The baron paused for a few seconds, then put his trench coat back on. "I know what I'm doing."

Looking at the man who stood up straight, the half-elf remained silent until he reached the door, then said, "By the way, instead of going looking for trouble now, why don't you find out who those guests at home are? That way your actions will be more successful."

"Guests in my house?" The baron frowned; this half-elf's intelligence was far more advanced than he had imagined. "Those elves?"

“They are no ordinary elves, even though they are disguised.” The half-elf said, tossing a cigarette case into the baron’s head, which he caught without turning his head.

"Don't do anything foolish, things might change very soon."

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(End of this chapter)