I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 214 Jointly Punish the Traitors
After hanging up the call, DuPont got up and picked up a newspaper that had just been delivered, still smelling of ink, and began to read it carefully.

Robert, a human apprentice from Nas City, opposed the pointless tax increase, arguing that the tax burden on apprentices was baseless and unreasonable. He believed that mage apprentices already had heavy tasks and had to hand in scrolls, and were already under a lot of pressure.

“Continuing to forcibly collect money from apprentices under these circumstances is a vicious way to delay their graduation and exploit them. He strongly demands the abolition of this new policy and severe punishment for the proposers. Now, no fewer than 2000 apprentices in Yalah have participated in this proposal and have held demonstrations in the streets.”

“The Yarakh Academy district is now under martial law. The deputy director of the Yarakh Magic Academy has tried to dissuade them, but the demonstrators still refuse to return to the campus. The academy district has been greatly disrupted, and a large number of arcane guards have been deployed.”

“This is going to be quite a mess in Yarakh. DuPont, I don’t think you should go. It’s definitely a murky place.”

“If I can avoid going, I definitely won’t go.” DuPont began checking his equipment: “To be honest, this is quite unexpected. Normally, I’m just doing my job in my assigned position. I’ve already paid for it, so what does all the fuss have to do with me?”

"But there's a saying that goes, 'When you're in the game, you're not in control of your own destiny.' Have you ever wondered why your mentor would contact me at this time?"

The moon elf was incredibly intelligent: "You mean, the council has already made a decision?"

"Probably. After all, my mentor is relatively young and doesn't belong to any faction, so she just wanders around all day. Without a powerful backer, she can only be discarded. To be honest, I was quite surprised that she was able to get into the council. I can only say that High Ring Mage is really amazing."

Hearing this, the Moon Elf knew that DuPont had something to say, but she still couldn't help but dissuade him, saying, "Things have already escalated to this point, the council must have made a decision. I think the average age of the members of the Mage Council is probably sixty or seventy. These people are more cunning than foxes in the forest. How could they not think of a solution? But contacting you under these circumstances is clearly digging a pit for you to fall into."

"Wrong, I am not worthy of the attention of these councilors who would deliberately dig a pit for me."

DuPont shook his head in denial: "My mentor is qualified, but we have too little information to analyze whether my mentor was framed or this was just a fair vote."

DuPont touched his ribs as he spoke: "I'm young, which means I'm energetic and impulsive. Even if I do something wrong, others can blame my age for the outcome. So even if I make a big mistake, I think it will just mean I won't be able to be promoted for a few years, which is not a problem for me at all."

“But my mentor is different. If the parliament really decides that she should do it, it would be a violation of the parliament's decision if she didn't accept it. No matter how powerful her backing is, it's not good for someone who takes the lead in going against the organization.”

“If I do it, given the current complex situation, it is highly unlikely that I can resolve it satisfactorily no matter what I do. If things go wrong, it could cause upheaval in the government and the public. In that case, even to protect her, I might have to strip her of her parliamentary status and hold a sinecure for many years. That would be a huge loss. Even for the sake of my own future development, I have to support her and take the responsibility for this matter upon myself.”

"As long as she doesn't fall from power, I'll naturally be able to do what I'm supposed to do in a few years, and it might even be more successful than it is now."

The Moon Elf fell silent upon hearing this. It seemed that DuPont was not entirely unaware of the situation, but this made it even harder for her to accept: "If my inside information is correct, your mentor's mentor is the current Mage King, known as the legendary hero of Harua and the Mage King Kammadir with 800 years of ruling experience. With him as your backer, your mentor will definitely not have any problems."

"That's true in the short term, but have you considered that since your supervisor has contacted me, the situation must be very bad? And putting yourself in her shoes, she should also share the burden for her supervisor?"

DuPont said slowly, "Not to mention that my advisor is over 800 years old. Even among you clever people, not many are that old. I remember that your suicide rate was frighteningly high after you turned 500. Is that true?"

"Yes, after living for so long, nothing is new anymore. Plus, my body is past its peak, and my career can't go any further. It's normal to want to die."

"So the Speaker probably lost interest in this situation a long time ago. There's even another possibility: the Speaker is no longer able to control the parliament. After all, he's too old. The stories of the past have become myths and legends. Besides, how could he possibly jump out and slaughter these people who are more than ten generations younger than him?"

DuPont shook his head: "Think about your mother. Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do, but sometimes even if you want to do nothing, you can't."

"Don't be too hard on yourself." Moonflower got up to help DuPont tidy up his clothes: "Don't wear the mage robe anymore, it might cause some conflict, and it won't be very convenient to wear it later."

“No, the stance I’m trying to express here is different; this languid apprentice robe is much more endearing.” DuPont chuckled, flashing the ring on his hand with a showy air. “Besides, if I wanted to run away, how many people could stop me?”

Looking at DuPont's bright little face, Yuehua's lips curled up slightly: "Look at you, wait a minute, your mentor asked you to do some troublesome things, can't you find someone to help you share these things?"

"This is a tricky situation. In such a critical matter that has already stirred up public outrage, sometimes saying the wrong thing could backfire. Asking someone else might actually backfire on me, which seems quite possible. But I need to know this person well. Who should I ask?"

Seeing DuPont deep in thought, the Moon Elf didn't disturb him. Only after he stood up excitedly did she say, "By the way, be careful not to use violence, otherwise you might get criticized in the newspapers."

“Normally, it would be best not to use it, since bloodshed would make the situation serious. But who knows if someone is behind this?” DuPont said with a sneer. “This purchase of national taxes is not just about apprentices being exploited. If it is strictly enforced, no ordinary mage or noble family will escape. There are too many people who are dissatisfied with the council’s decision.”

Upon hearing this, Yuehua paused, saying incredulously, "You mean that something this big could possibly be related to the local nobles??"

"It's hard to say, but the probability is not low. After all, most mage apprentices are usually smart people, and smart people are generally more inclined to protect themselves." At this point, DuPont recalled his impoverished days.

"Of course, if you're really so poor you can barely afford food and then this happens, you should definitely make a scene. Otherwise, even if you pay the money, you'll likely be expelled anyway, so you might as well make a fuss. The council can't possibly lock everyone up in jail to work on sewing machines."

Thinking about this, DuPont realized that his mentality was really abnormal: "I don't care that I only spent 500 gold, but even in the academy, some instructors have sold their belongings for this kind of thing. Who would believe that they have no resentment? And as long as these students successfully cause trouble, they will eventually compromise and refund the money."

"If the apprentices' money is refunded, what about the several thousand gold coins for formal mages? What about the tens of thousands of gold coins for high-level instructors? What about Lavoisier's ten million gold coins? Tsk tsk, it's a pity I don't have the dean's contact information, otherwise I would ask him if he is the mastermind behind this."

Moon Elf knew it was just a joke, but DuPont's expression suddenly changed: "If this matter is not handled properly, it could really shake the foundations of the country. But even under these circumstances, you only contacted me at 3 a.m. now. I think the efficiency of this council is already terribly slow."

The moon elf wanted to offer some words of comfort, but then suddenly thought of something: "Looking at it this way, our elven council has been discussing how to punish those ferocious monkeys that disturb the peace for over a decade without reaching a conclusion. This efficiency is already terrifyingly high."

"Oh?" DuPont took the cloak handed to him by the moon elf. "So, was this matter finally resolved?"

"It's resolved. The first group of ferocious monkeys was driven away by another group. Now our council is discussing how to deal with the second group of ferocious monkeys, who will send people, who will provide supplies, whether to use poison or arrows, and we also need to negotiate with the druids."

The moon elf's voice was low and menacing: "It's all a mess. Tell me about yourself, how do you plan to handle this?"

"The carrot and stick approach, anyway, there's no way we'll give them a refund. We'd rather arrest them all than give them a refund." As DuPont was speaking, he noticed a strong arcane energy emanating from the mansion. Soon after, a stable portal appeared in the middle, and a red high-heeled shoe passed through it first.

It's Veronica.

"Ready?" The female mage was now fully armed, though her face was covered. She took out a luxurious necklace inlaid with a dazzling purple gemstone and a small green bottle: "Take this with you, and drink this potion directly." After glancing at it, DuPont drank it all without hesitation.

The essence of the World Tree
Quality: God-tier

Attribute 1: Increases all innate attributes by one after drinking it.

Attribute 2: After drinking it, your body will fully recover from all injuries except for fatal ones.

Note 1: The World Tree is not visible to mortals, but its branches are spread throughout the universe. Only those who possess a natural domain or have made outstanding contributions to the protection of nature can ride the World Tree's veins to obtain this natural treasure. The price of each bottle is immeasurable.

Explanation 2: Powerful natural energy circulates within the bottle.

After drinking it, DuPont only felt that this bottle of World Tree essence had a faint vanilla aroma, and the taste was quite refreshing.

He glanced at the system panel, which showed that the condition of his injury was fading rapidly, but his attributes remained unchanged, with only a 24-hour countdown beginning.

Does this mean my attributes will only increase after a day?
"Don't rush, this kind of miraculous medicine needs enough time to be absorbed by the body." Veronica naturally knew what DuPont was thinking. In fact, she had the same doubts on the day she became an archmage and received her mentor's reward.

“Normally, it’s best to hide after drinking this stuff and wait for the effects to wear off before coming out. Otherwise, if the information is leaked, some evil people might try to cut you open and extract this natural essence, which can easily sell for hundreds of thousands of gold coins on the black market.”

"Tsk, I didn't know that happened." DuPont patted his stomach. "To be honest, I have a feeling that going to Yarakh is more likely to be dangerous."

“What are you afraid of? I’ll be by your side. If anyone dares to make a move on you, then things will get interesting.” Veronica’s eyes were still filled with anger as she put the necklace on DuPont: “This necklace adds 4 points to Charisma, 4 points to Eloquence, and 4 points to Intimidation. This ring also has Amplification and Lie Detection.”

"Whether you wear the ring or not is up to you. It's an item that will increase your chances of success in this operation. If you can successfully resolve this matter, then consider it a gift from the council."

"Tsk tsk, these two things together must be worth tens of thousands of gold coins, right?" DuPont picked up the ring with some curiosity: "This council is really generous."

Detecting lies is a fourth-circle spell, and this ring can carry two spells and can be used freely three times a day, making it much more powerful than the ring the paladin used to have.

“As long as things can be done, none of this is a problem.” As she spoke, the female mage looked at DuPont’s ring and was somewhat surprised to see the Heart Ring on his middle finger. She looked up at the moon elf and sure enough, she found an identical ring.

This discovery made the female mage grit her teeth. She didn't know if this little rascal was too fickle or if the moon elf princess was too cunning, but she didn't have time to care about such trivial matters at the moment. "Let me see if you have any room. Oh, right, earrings, put these on."

As DuPont cried out in pain, the female mage pinned a silver earring without any gemstones onto his earlobe: "If you encounter danger, this earring will trigger a spell, allowing you to come directly to my mage tower and ensuring your absolute safety."

The female mage then beckoned DuPont to cross the teleportation array together. However, DuPont had something to tell her: "Mentor, it's not impossible to resolve this matter satisfactorily, but there's a problem you need to solve for me."

"what is the problem?"

“I want a plot of land in Yarach to open a shop,” DuPont said, licking his lips. “It doesn’t matter if it’s remote, as long as it’s big enough.”
-
At this time, in the college district of Yarach.

The afternoon sun was no longer so scorching, but the apprentices on the street were even more enthusiastic, their shouts deafening.

"We oppose this unreasonable oppression!"

"We oppose this unethical forced purchase!"

"We oppose this malicious rule that treats apprentices like dirt!"

"Even the cattle and horses in the countryside can rest when they're tired, and their owners still take care of them. But what about us? We pay exorbitant tuition fees, have to submit scrolls every week, and in the end, the council still sets its sights on us for money!"

Robert's voice was already somewhat hoarse, and many of his apprentices beside him looked on with indignation.

"Who doesn't know that the eight great families are incredibly wealthy? They have accumulated wealth over thousands of years, and even ancient dragons probably couldn't compare to them."

"Who doesn't know that the lords of the council are incredibly generous? They can spend thousands or even tens of thousands of gold coins on a foreign dancer. Just one night of pleasure is worth the thousands of scrolls we painstakingly copied!"

"Who doesn't know that shops that export magical items make the most money? A magical ship made of special wood and enchanted can sell for hundreds of thousands of gold. The scrolls that the academy collects from us also end up in the hands of these shameless merchants, but they only do the most basic tax payment business. Getting them to pay money is a pipe dream!"

"In the end, all the blame fell on us innocent apprentices. The academy assigned us heavy tasks, and the instructors made harsh demands on us. We were already struggling to survive with all our might, but the council, knowing that those people were the truly wealthy, still extended its money-grabbing hand to us, the poorest and hardest-working apprentices."

"I just want to say one thing: Why should I!"

“We are clearly proud citizens of Harua. Every year at the start of the school year, the dean and mentors say that we are the future of Harua, the cornerstone of Harua’s future. But now some people are rotten to the core. They want to destroy the cornerstone of Harua and squeeze the future of Harua dry, just for that little bit of profit that the nobles don’t even look at.”

“My fellow students and other apprentices, tell me, can we allow those wanton and greedy insects to continue to destroy Harua’s future and prosperity?”

Many apprentices, their eyes already brimming with tears, shouted hoarsely, "Absolutely not!"

"Let's head to the council now, so that our words can be heard by those 'fathers'!" Robert raised his hand and pointed to the council area not far away: "We will get our opinions straight to the ears of the Mage King, make those insects panic, and give Harua a bright tomorrow!"

The other apprentices also shouted slogans in unison: "Heaven will punish these traitors! Let us all condemn the national villains!"

(End of this chapter)