I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 212 The Blame (Part 1)

When Veronica arrived at the parliament, many members were already seated; she was one of the later arrivals.

Veronica didn't care about this. She came as soon as she was notified, and besides, nearly half of the people present were emulation users. Her presence in person was enough to show her sincerity.

However, judging from the empty seat, the old man probably still doesn't plan to come to the meeting today.

According to some elderly people, the old man has rarely been involved in official business in the last 50 years, and has devoted himself to grooming his senior brother Zarason to succeed him as speaker. Now it seems that this may indeed be true.

However, being the speaker of the council is not an easy job.

The female mage thought about it with great interest.

After the two members of parliament, dressed in white robes, arrived, Deputy Speaker Harua, who was seated first on the right side of the stage and was also the first living disciple of Master McCondir, Zarason, rose to speak.

"Sixty percent of the council members on Planet Toril have arrived, and the meeting is in accordance with council protocol. We will now begin the meeting regarding the protest by Robert, a third-year apprentice in the Conjuration Department of Yarah Magic Academy."

"Gentlemen, please speak freely."

Although the vice-speaker spoke, none of the others spoke. The simulacra simply stared blankly with their eyes open. Veronica, who was always restless, even summoned a few balls of arcane flames from her fingers and played with them under the table.

It can also be seen as a way to hone one's magical skills during the break.

Looking at the deserted council, Zarason remained calm. He glanced at the head of the security detail standing beside him, the representative of the Vilast family, known for its energy manipulation, whose chest was emblazoned with lightning and a golden lion: "Soraka, the Investigation Department and the Security Department seem to be under your jurisdiction?"

Soraka's expression was somewhat unpleasant. As the strongest storm mage in Harua and the most talented granddaughter of Soram Velast, she hadn't heard anyone hold her accountable in a long time: "Indeed, the Investigation Department bears an unshirkable responsibility for this matter."

"So this is true?" Simon, a councilor known for his magical abilities and wearing a silver key and chain badge on his chest, picked up a simple newspaper with ink that had just dried and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Wow, the Inspection Department really has a lot of authority. They arrest people directly and take them to the anti-magic prison without interrogation first. They might be released if they meet the conditions for bribery on the way. In addition to imprisoning and torturing people in the anti-magic prison, they also send ordinary people to humiliate mages both mentally and physically. They also sell unguaranteed goods without paying market prices. Finally, they treat people differently because of their race and background."

Simon became increasingly amused as he spoke, while the Storm Girl's face darkened: "Luckily, I bought government bonds in advance, otherwise some guys in black coats would have arrested me and locked me in a small house. I would have been helpless, unable to even find a priest for psychological counseling. That would have been a truly desperate experience."

"After investigation, it was found that some of the undercover agents in the inspection department may have acted illegally or improperly. I have ordered all of these people to be detained and will be subjected to polygraph tests. If they are found to have committed crimes, they will be dealt with according to the law, regardless of their surnames."

Soraka's voice was neither humble nor arrogant, and then she changed the subject: "However, I cannot agree with some of Congressman Simon's remarks. Prices in places like the inspection office and prisons certainly cannot be compared with normal markets, after all, these arrested suspects have not yet been cleared of suspicion."

Even if we followed the apprentice's account exactly, he did violate the rules of the sorcerer's code. Our handling of him and the dwarf was legal and compliant, and we even provided some assistance considering their financial difficulties. Overall, this was just a small group of spies making mistakes in handling some minor details during the execution of their duties. How can this be used to attack the entire investigation department?

“I understand now. Our Miss Soraka’s intentions were good, but these black-coated officials messed things up. Oh dear, how could these people be so wicked?” Simon clapped his hands, looking at her with pity. “It’s really pitiful for Lady Soraka.”

Soraka gritted her teeth as she listened. How could she not hear that this bastard was implying that she was incapable of managing her subordinates?

But she was in the wrong from the start, and the whole meeting was even caused by her department, so arguing here would only make things worse.

However, the position of the head of the audit department was not high enough, and he did not even have enough status or position to take the blame, so she had no choice but to lower her head: "I will definitely handle the relevant issues of the audit department and the security bureau strictly and ensure that no trouble is caused to the council."

Finally, someone stepped forward to take responsibility, and the councilors present, who had been half asleep, were somewhat relieved. Veronica, however, looked at the young lady with some surprise.

Those with a strong energy system are not known for their good temper. Even the quietest nature will change under the long-term influence of such turbulent energy. This young lady, on the other hand, was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and is notoriously difficult and willful. Yet, she was actually willing to lower her head and admit her mistake.
I haven't participated much in the last few years, has it changed that much?

Just then, Speaker Zara spoke up: "Let bygones be bygones. Now we should discuss how to deal with the apprentices' demands."

Soraka breathed a sigh of relief and sat down, at which point a man wearing a silver tower medal surrounded by green vines stood up. As his fingers moved, the scene of the Academy District streets appeared on the black screen to the side of the council.

However, many young apprentices were seen holding up signs that read "Oppose Exploitation," "Oppose Discrimination," "Oppose Differential Treatment," and "We Need Rest." They completely ignored the guards with shields, wandering around with their wooden signs and shouting slogans that were deafening.

The councilor representing the Fellin family, the school of illusion, spoke up: "This is the scene in the Academy District right now, absolutely real and with an error of no more than three seconds. The apprentices have now walked halfway around the Academy District. Whether it is the guards or the secret agents, the East Road has a demonstration group of more than 1000 people, and this group is constantly growing."

Zarason nodded: "We've all heard their demands. What do you all think we should do next?"

Upon hearing this, everyone lowered their heads again. Even Veronica stopped secretly playing with the fire and tilted her head as if she had fallen asleep.

When such a serious riot occurs, there are generally only two options: appeasement or suppression.

However, it is clear that in this tense period, no matter which path is chosen, it will inevitably backfire in the future, and turning a blind eye is the best option.

In fact, Veronica was also puzzled, considering that even the members of parliament present had to pay taxes, and not everyone was putting up cash to buy so-called national bonds.

Even she is like that.

Appeasement is absolutely out of the question.

Appeasement implies compromise. Although compromise may resolve the situation in the short term and is a benevolent policy, in this dog-eat-dog world, compromise is more often seen as weakness, and only the incompetent would do such a thing.

Once someone carries this symbol, no matter who they are, they'll likely never be able to advance further in this faction-ridden parliament.

Not to mention, there is another reason why there is no choice but to compromise: this purchase of national debt is a responsibility that all mages in the entire country must bear, and even members of parliament do not have any special preferential policies.

Furthermore, the money paid by the archmages was based on a percentage of their personal wealth, and they only accepted cash or equivalent precious metals.

This move directly caused the local metals market to become extremely expensive, and even the price of ore in several of Faron's major allied cities soared.

Although some high-ranking mages suspected that these families were colluding with the councilors to put on a show and find a way to split the profits 30/70, according to the information Veronica and the old man had gathered, everyone would indeed have to pay money this time.

Furthermore, all the heads of the eight great families had signed that law. Their only advantage was that if they couldn't pay temporarily, they could find a way before the end of the year; but if they dared to try anything, they would be thoroughly investigated, and the arrogant and unyielding Lavoisier would personally oversee the investigation.

This kid took the lead and donated 1000 million gold coins. The amount was so exaggerated that even Simon, who was known as the noble son of Yarakh, was taken aback and publicly stated that he was far inferior to the other party in both magic and business talent.

If this matter were to fall into Lavoisier's hands, he would not only be unable to protect his entire family, but he would also likely face a thorough investigation and be held jointly liable.

Even the Grand Masters are struggling to raise money, so how can these junior apprentices refuse to pay if they want to?
That doesn't make sense; it definitely won't work.

That suppression?
That's also unlikely.

Harua has a population of less than two million, and many people live on other planets or in other countries. It can be said that the fact that 30% of the population has magical talent is the deepest foundation of this country.

Although a third of the population can only perform a magic trick, and there are only 180,000 officially registered sorcerers and their apprentices, they form the backbone of the country. It can be said that the peace and prosperity of Harua are inseparable from the dedication of these apprentices.

Even if they don't copy the scrolls and just lie in bed giving birth every day, it would still be a good thing for Harua, since it's cultivating the remaining potential mages.

The life of an apprentice was indeed very hard. Even though the young scions of wealthy families could use their family's money and didn't need to copy the scrolls, there weren't many noble scions who did this every week.

The family's monthly allowance for the younger generation is limited. Buying scrolls would reduce their expenses significantly, but it would also bring another problem: a lack of experience in copying scrolls.

The biggest problem for mages is the limited number of spell slots, which is especially evident in the new system. It can be said that whenever they go on adventures and need to participate in battles, every mage will have at least a dozen scrolls in their bag, just in case.

Without experience in copying basic scrolls, how could one dare to copy those high-level scrolls that are worth a fortune in the future?

Not only would failing to copy it be a headache, but a single parchment would cost over a hundred gold pieces. Even noble children couldn't afford such a wasteful method.

It can be said that without the ability to copy scrolls, a mage's career is definitely half a failure, unless he is rich enough to tear up scrolls worth thousands or even tens of thousands of gold coins at will.

But in Veronica's memory, there were probably very few people that were that wealthy; only those female voters who had lived for hundreds of years and whose accumulated wealth could probably fill their space bags could achieve that.

Although there are only a little over 1000 people protesting now, the total number of apprentices in the country is as high as 14. Who among these people has not been exploited and oppressed? Even if they gain freedom after graduation, if they choose to stay in Harua and sign contracts with magic shops, they can only sign worthless contracts worth 7 gold each at most.

Without the cheap parchment provided by the academy, they would have to pay two gold coins per sheet to buy it from the magic shop, and it would only be cheaper if they bought in bulk.

It could be said that if these people were also awakened and started making trouble, then the prosperity that Harua had maintained for hundreds of years would be shattered in an instant.

From this perspective, suppressing them as soon as possible is definitely the best course of action, and even arresting all 1000-plus people is not an impossible strategy.

You know, sometimes people get into their comfort zone and can't get out. They get used to their lives, even if it's tough and tiring, because they've adapted to it. They still won't complain, at most they'll secretly curse a few times to vent their anger when there are few people around.

Once someone breaks their comfort zone and lets them know that resistance is really effective, how many more good days will the council officials have?
It would be better to arrest all of them, whether by exile or imprisonment for reform, since the council absolutely cannot afford the potential rebellion of hundreds of thousands of apprentices.

But then another problem arises: who will do something that is destined to be recorded in history and may be condemned for a thousand years?

Veronica didn't know who was so brave, but she definitely couldn't do something so despicable that she would be condemned for life.

Even if it means losing her position as a legislator, she won't do it.

Not everyone has the courage to be infamous for eternity. Even disregarding the issue of reputation, curses can be truly effective in this world.

If any of the apprentices choose to remain silent and wait until they are released to seek revenge, whether they join the evil god's sect or choose to use blood sacrifice to summon demons, she will be in deep trouble.

Compromise won't work, suppression won't work, so what should we do?
Veronica didn't know, and since it wasn't her business, she just went to sleep.

Zarason was well aware of the difficulty of the situation, but with more and more people joining the riot in the footage, the matter could no longer be delayed.

“Miss Soraka, although the people of the world who are shapers are known for their brutality and wildness, I know you are an intelligent person. Do you have any good options?”

Soraka was utterly bewildered by the title. Zarason was old enough to be her grandfather. She stood up with a long face, but kept her head down and remained silent.

Simon was overjoyed to see Soraka get humiliated again, but he didn't expect that a few seconds later, Zarason would look at him and say, "Congressman Simon, would you like to give your opinion?"

Simon stood up. After thinking it over carefully, he realized that playing dead was really the only option.

Two of the top-ranked councilors from the eight major families were named, so the remaining six naturally wouldn't be spared. Veronica, sitting in the second row, couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Seeing these arrogant guys get their comeuppance was truly a testament to her cunning senior brother.

However, after the first person on the right side of the second row was called out, the female mage's expression changed.
"Does Representative Veronica have any good ideas?"

Standing there blankly, the female mage couldn't help but recall her apprenticeship.

She was very young and mischievous back then. Once, she directly damaged several expensive pieces of equipment in the old man's laboratory, causing several of her senior colleagues to be punished along with her.

Something worth thousands of dollars could break so easily, so it couldn't be resolved with just standing in the corner as punishment. The old man took out his wand and lashed their calves hard, even Lavoisier was whipped until he grimaced.

She thought that being a girl would mean she would be punished less severely, but because she was in charge, she was punished ten more times. Moreover, the old man saw through her little trick of standing against the wall, making it difficult for him to exert force with his wand.

He called her directly to the center of the room, and when he slapped her, he swung his wand around with all his might, hitting her even harder than his senior brothers.

That seemed to be the most serious injury she had ever suffered. Even after being healed by divine magic, the bruises remained for several days. However, the old man's words that day were still fresh in her memory.

"Never try to outsmart someone older than you; your tricks may have been something they've already done a long time ago."

(End of this chapter)