I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 222 Mage Tower

This was probably the most comfortable sleep DuPont had had recently.

Before he even opened his eyes, he felt a warm, energetic feeling emanating from his whole body, and the soft bed made him reluctant to get up.

No, I need to get up and pee... It's so uncomfortable from the swelling...
When DuPont opened his eyes, he was met with a ceiling he had never seen before, leaving him completely bewildered.

Where am I now?
He managed to stop a riot, but was suddenly attacked. He fought hard to win because his magic was restricted, and it seems his mentor arrived in the end.
As his fragmented memories gradually pieced together, DuPont began to understand roughly where he was, and the faint breathing sounds beside him drew his attention.

Yes, he really is my mentor.
Ugh, how did I end up sleeping with my advisor??
DuPont was somewhat surprised. He glanced at himself and found that although he was only wearing his underwear, he was still relatively neat.

However, after calming down, they realized that the two were not particularly intimate. Each had their own blanket, and nothing inappropriate had happened. At most, they had simply put the bed together.

Perhaps I was seriously injured back then, which is why I brought myself here?

DuPont scratched his head, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over there.

It has to be said that Veronica was the woman with the best figure he had ever seen. She had a curvaceous figure, big wavy hair, and was very feminine. Her wine-red hair was probably dyed, but it suited her perfectly. At this moment, she was sleeping on her side, hugging a pillow. Her brows were slightly furrowed and her breathing was uneven, as if she hadn't had any good dreams.

Is this sleeping or meditating?

No, I can't watch it now, otherwise I'll have to wait forever for the water to come out.
DuPont didn't make a sound and quietly got out of bed. Fortunately, although the bedroom was large, the bathroom was relatively easy to find. While taking care of his personal hygiene, DuPont also subconsciously glanced at his current panel.

DuPont
Level 5 Battle Mage / Level 4 Arcane Warrior / Level 3 Barbarian / Level 1 Bard

Experience points 317855/8000
Personal Equipment: +3 Dawnbreaker, +3 Living One's Fierce Enemy's Flame-Shaped Greatsword, +3 Demon-Slaying Silver Sword, +4 Strength and Constitution Belt, Swordsman's Gloves, Negotiation Necklace, Ring of Heart, Ring of Darkvision, +6 White Deer Agility Boots, Resistance Vest, Phoenix Circlet
装备后属性：力量19（+4），敏捷21（+6），体质21（+4），智力25（+4），感知11，魅力21（+4）

Special bonus:
The Essence of the World Tree: All attributes +1. This is a natural bonus and can stack with special bonuses such as Alchemy Blessing.

Assets: 10,000 gold coins

Event: As a key figure in the July storm in Harua, although the matter has gradually subsided, your reputation has become well-known in Harua, and even other city-states in Faerûn have heard of your name.

Your legend level increases by 2 points.

Your current Legendary rating: 13 points

Healed by the essence of the World Tree, the curse you suffered has been completely removed, and you have fully recovered.

Did I really accumulate so much experience?

DuPont was somewhat surprised, but also secretly pleased. It seemed he had made the right decision to postpone leveling up. Reaching level 20 now should be no problem at all. The question was, could a level 20 mage achieve that?

A quick calculation suggests that these accumulated reserves are still quite far from sufficient, but DuPont isn't in a hurry.

Although his mentor had previously devised a plan for him to recast spells, which would require some time to change his spellcasting system, advancing to level 6 mage was not difficult and he estimated he could do it next month.

Then we can start researching fourth-circle magic.

The first fourth-circle spell to learn is undoubtedly the renowned Advanced Invisibility. Although this spell lasts for a much shorter time than normal spells, it does not break the invisibility effect once cast, whether attacking or casting spells. Only those with high perception will have a chance to detect the location of the caster.

It can be described as an essential skill for murderers, arsonists, and runaways. Any fourth-ring mage who doesn't have this skill can be considered to have a lack of intelligence.

After learning Advanced Invisibility, Dimensional Anchor, Anywhere Door, and Lesser Spell Nullification Barrier are also powerful spells. If you have the time, you can also use your expertise to learn the fifth-circle spells Fossilize Mud and Mud Turn to Stone.

Although these two spells are not lethal, spells that alter terrain have unique strategic significance. The maid sisters were tricked by this spell and almost died on the spot. It can be said to be the best choice for ambushing people.

Secondly, I can also work on my own golem when I have time. However, my swordsmanship seems to need time to improve. This time, I used the Nine Swords Technique to catch that cursed swordsman off guard. But if I can surpass my opponent in swordsmanship, then why would I need to use these messy moves?

Wow, when I think about it, my days are incredibly busy.
After washing up, DuPont quietly returned to his room and found his mentor still asleep, so he didn't disturb him. However, he felt a little uncomfortable lying in bed. Just as he was about to open the door to go out and find a place to read, he heard a piercing alarm sound as soon as he grasped the doorknob.

"An intruder has broken in. The security traps have been activated. Ms. Veronica, please prepare for immediate action!"

"Intruders have broken in"

This sudden event made DuPont break out in a sweat. Just as he was hesitating whether to leave, he suddenly felt a chill behind him. He subconsciously activated his shield spell, and several streaks of fire directly hit the semi-transparent shell, extinguishing the shield spell before even intercepting half of it.

Fortunately, DuPont was prepared, and the remaining flame rays hit the adjacent wall directly. Before he could react, he heard Veronica's slightly grumpy voice from the large bed behind him: "Stop!"

The alarm stopped abruptly, and Veronica got up impatiently. Seeing DuPont's embarrassed expression, she relaxed, but still wore a slightly annoyed look: "What time is it? How come you woke up so quickly..."

"Perhaps it's the benefit of that potion?" DuPont pulled up his robe and shook his arm. "My injuries have fully healed, and I'm planning to go out for a walk."

"This is so annoying. I'll set some permissions for you." Veronica said, scratching her slightly messy hair. After a few seconds, she collapsed back onto the bed, complaining weakly, "You won't trigger the alarm anymore, but don't go up to the roof or bother me unless it's absolutely necessary. I'm exhausted."

I tiptoed away and walked through the corridor into the living room. There, I saw a star map carpet on the floor and a large skylight on the ivory-white wall. The constellations on the ground moved slowly with the real night sky, and the various stars emitted a warm light like fireflies.

Ten faceless stone statues stood on either side, each holding an inextinguishable blue flame. On the shoulder of one of the statues, a fat black cat curled up, its paws pouncing as if to lick the arcane energy dissipating in mid-air.

Looking up, the suspended crystal chandelier embedded in the arched dome suddenly shone brightly, its light refracting into countless tiny rainbow spots that flowed slowly across the stone wall. As one gazed upon it, seemingly real clouds appeared on the ceiling. The next second, it detached itself from the mirror-like ceiling and slowly descended in front of DuPont, greeting him in a low voice: "Welcome, distinguished guest."

"Nice to meet you." DuPont asked, somewhat uncertainly, "And you are?"

"An activated liquid cloud, you're like Ms. Veronica's little housekeeper," the cloud said, a bright flash of lightning crossing its surface. "Ms. Veronica has already granted you most of the privileges. May I ask, guest, which area would you like to visit?"

“A training ground,” DuPont replied without hesitation, “the kind where we can move around.”

“Training ground? Is it a laboratory? You have the authority to go to the second laboratory on the fifth floor, which is more spacious.” Yun Duo said, floating three meters in front of DuPont and leading him to a spiral staircase made of bronze: “If you have difficulty walking, you can also take the suspended staircase next to you. Since you are a distinguished guest, you can also apply to use the flight scroll.”

"Alright, let's just go like this." DuPont looked around curiously, and had to admit that his mentor's mage tower was somewhat different from the ones he had seen in the academy, with its flamboyant and mysterious decorations. "Did the mentor design all of these himself?" "Some were designed by the ladies, some were custom-made by a designer, and some were chosen by Miss Deva." The cloud spoke slowly and deliberately, the faint rumble of thunder seemingly indicating its good mood. "However, please don't touch the items inside the laboratory when you arrive, as it might bother the ladies."

“That’s natural.” DuPont nodded, and soon saw an ordinary wooden door. However, the door opened automatically after the cloud touched it: “Many of the devices here are equipped with magical traps, which only the lady can open. Some of them are the lady’s experimental subjects. You can look at them but do not touch them, because even the lady does not know if some of them have unknown side effects.”

This piqued DuPont's curiosity. Upon entering, he discovered a large number of utensils and materials, as well as numerous bottles and jars. Fortunately, there was a corner with nearly 30 square meters of open space, enough to stretch one's muscles after moving some boxes aside.

DuPont clearly doesn't intend to touch the raw materials, since these things, though valuable, don't belong to them; however, some of the experimental samples are indeed quite interesting.

For example, this large mushroom, about half a meter tall, is placed in a glass case, and there is a detailed description on the label next to it.

Talking Magic Mushroom
Challenge level: Approximately level 1

Note 1: A completely accidental creation, a magical mushroom that can talk and possesses considerable wisdom. It was previously silenced by a silencing spell because it was too talkative and liked to swear. Recently, after the spell was lifted, it may be in a depressed mood and still does not speak.

Note 2: It is poisonous and has a bad temper. It is not suitable to be let out as a pet. It can survive in captivity as long as it is fed some arcane energy or wood chips. It is quite rare.

Next to it was a mature body that looked somewhat like Veronica, but was naked and soaking in a glass jar filled with an unknown liquid.

Cloning failures
Note 1: Although the spell was successful, it may have been a nail or hair that was inserted, resulting in a large cloning error. It is not as perfect as one's own body and is not suitable as a soul vessel unless necessary.

Note 2: I may need to improve my spell skills. When I asked Lavoisier, he said I could choose a piece of small intestine or a wart as the casting material. However, I don't have the wart trait on me right now. Can you cut out small intestine? I feel like this guy is bluffing me.

Note 3: I asked other mages and they told me that there is also a way to make clones using extra skin from male organs, and only a little bit is needed each time... Isn't the person who developed this spell a bit perverted? Why didn't they consider the difficulties that female mages would encounter?
Note 4: It is said that the best soul materials require not only flesh but also bones. For example, toes and fingers are perfect materials. You can consider using regeneration to restore severed limbs, but regeneration costs several thousand gold and is very painful. It seems that you don't need to make this kind of preparation unless it is a necessary task.

Note 5: There are 25 days left before this body loses its vitality.

Is this the eighth-circle necromancy spell, Cloning?
DuPont looked at the body with an academic eye and found that it really couldn't compare to his mentor's current condition, which explained why the mentor was dissatisfied.

However, cloning is incredibly powerful. If the original user dies unexpectedly after its use, the cloning technique can be activated to revive the user in a special container in the laboratory, making it almost like having a cheat code.

However, the cost is not small. When a spellcaster is resurrected in this way, due to the instability of the soul and the rejection reaction with the new body, it is almost inevitable that the level will drop by 1 level. In severe cases, the level may drop more or even the innate physique may be directly lost.

However, the ability to die and be resurrected is still powerful, but the eighth-circle necromancy makes this spell less relevant to widespread use.

The souls that can be resurrected by cloning do not include those that die naturally from birth, aging, sickness, and death. It is generally something that can be considered when preparing to use an eighth-ring spell for resurrection. If you want to research this spell for advancement at the seventh ring, the cost would probably be too much for most mages to bear.

Thinking of this, DuPont felt embarrassed to practice his sword on the fifth floor, so he went downstairs to prepare to leave the tower and stretch his body.

Although this living body is not exactly the same as the mentor's body, it is about 80% similar overall, so what's the big deal about me looking at it?

I hope my supervisor won't check my activity log after I wake up, otherwise it would be quite embarrassing.

Yun Duo was clearly not as complicated as DuPont had imagined; he simply followed orders and obeyed authority. DuPont breathed a sigh of relief as the heavy door closed.

Upon arriving on the first floor, DuPont was guided to the study and library, where he also saw the newspaper about himself.

Yes, it was from yesterday, and it came out today as well.

Almost every section of the article was filled with self-praise, not only praising his own abilities and the DuPont bank's tactful lending practices, but also calling it a groundbreaking invention. He practically lauded himself as if he had been reborn as Conrad, and the entertainment section even investigated whether he was Lavoisier's illegitimate son.

As for the Security Bureau and the Inspection Department, they were all downplayed, and the responsible persons were brought out to publicly apologize, as if the problem had been completely resolved for a time.

However, this praise is not a good thing; it's definitely making you the target of hatred and using yourself to divert public attention.

Most mages are proud and arrogant, not to mention that there are many geniuses in Yarakh. If he does this, he will probably have a hard time making friends.

But this was not unexpected for DuPont. He was prepared to take the blame when he took that bottle of World Tree Essence, and the fact that no one died despite the effective control of the situation was beyond his expectations.

It can only be said that these mage apprentices were quite restrained; they knew who the big bosses were, they were just pushed to the limit.

After carefully flipping through both sides of the newspaper, it turned out that the main culprits behind this matter—the parliament and the eight great families—were completely hidden, not mentioned at all in the newspaper.

Thinking about it this way, the fact that several families in Harua have been able to pass down their magic traditions for over a thousand years shows they are indeed quite capable.

After all, while a mage's child may possess the talent of a mage, intelligence is only a possibility and not 100% hereditary. Moreover, the competition for resources among mages is already intense. If they make mistakes on issues such as succession, a century-old foundation could easily be destroyed in an instant.

However, Harua is generally considered politically stable. After all, the mage king held the position of speaker for over 800 years. With such a stable upper echelon, there is basically no need to consider complex issues of choosing sides, and the probability of an unexpected death is greatly reduced.

With the existence of attribute detectors, families only need to select the most talented young people, and even if there are no qualified heirs, these large families can increase the probability by having more children.

Now, its influence is so deep that even newspapers dare not mention it, which speaks volumes about its power.

However, there are some problems with the bank.

Although I had consulted my advisor beforehand and invested most of my money in it, and my advisor assured me that there would be no problem, I still don't know the specifics now.

Could you ask your advisor?

The other person hasn't had it any easier than me these past few days, so I'll wait and see.
Just then, the door on the first floor suddenly opened, and a girl in silver armor with a somewhat familiar face, her ponytail swinging, pushed the door open and entered. Her eyes lit up when she saw DuPont.

"Hey, DuPont said you were seriously injured, but you seem fine."

“Deva?” DuPont was genuinely surprised. “What are you doing here?”

"Uh..." The paladin then realized that he seemed to be hiding quite a few things from DuPont, and felt a little embarrassed. He lowered his head, avoiding DuPont's gaze: "Um, this is my house."

(End of this chapter)