I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 223 The storm breaks out again
In front of the mage tower, the paladin girl awkwardly tiptoed and swayed aimlessly.

Although paladins don't have a strict rule against lying, sincerity is something even normal people understand.
Although she was initially uneasy about hiding the truth, DuPont's reaction was not very strong: "Oh, so that's why my mentor was able to find me so quickly. It turns out you were the one who introduced me."

“Well, my mother doesn’t have many apprentices, so I just asked around. I figured she must teach better than the average tutor.” Seeing that DuPont seemed about to say something, Deva quickly interrupted, “I heard you encountered some serious problems in Yarakh? Anyway, we have nothing to do this afternoon, so let’s talk while we eat?”

"..good."

The midday sun had wilted the roses in front of the mage tower, but it didn't bother the young men and women in the courtyard. The simple pavilion was much more insulated than a half-meter-wide wall.

Deva skillfully transformed the half-basket of fruit into a sumptuous fruit platter, and while brewing fruit tea, she listened to DuPont recount the turmoil in Yarach.

"So you don't know who ordered the beating? And your mother also feels that the council is the root cause?" The paladin felt a headache coming on; these questions were far beyond her comprehension, given that she had only recently graduated.

"I told you those black markets needed to be thoroughly investigated and shut down. The reason things have gotten to this point is because the council is short of money. If we didn't need money, wouldn't all the problems be solved?"

"Not short of money? That's definitely an unattainable condition." DuPont shook his head and said, "Dragons are always trying to accumulate their wealth, and even for ordinary people, it would be a very happy thing if their family could support a mage."

Ordinary mages aspire to higher ranks, while archmages dream of becoming councilors. Human desires are virtually limitless, but resources are finite; it's impossible to satisfy everyone's needs.

As he spoke, he took the berries mixed with sugar from the girl's hand, took the silver pot and gently shook it. After a few seconds, he poured shaved ice into the porcelain plate engraved with a holy sword and a bright moon, mixed it with the berries, and scooped up a mouthful to soothe his brow.

"This is also why many archmages leave Harua and even go to other planets. Harua's territory is ultimately too small and its resources are too limited. Without plundering resources from other worlds, it is impossible for ordinary people in this tiny place to maintain the level of wealth they have today. Struggling to make ends meet, like other countries in Faerûn, is the norm."

"The existence of a black market must be due to demand. Many local magic shops know about it but haven't reported it, which must be a tacit understanding. And based on what I've learned these past few days, magic shops don't actually make money from the sporadic buying and selling of scrolls."

DuPont pushed the tray towards the girl: "Since you are my mother, do you know how the magic shop makes its profit?"

"Huh?" The paladin, who was stuffing shaved ice into his mouth, looked up in confusion, his bright eyes revealing a childlike innocence: "I don't ask about these things. My magical equipment was all a gift from my mother."

“It’s all about the rebates, you idiot.” DuPont said, taking out a piece of parchment and scribbling on it as he spoke. “The council has a fixed tax rate on magic shops. The 2% tax rate is not as high as that of casinos and brothels, but it’s definitely not low either.”

“Those archmages who can produce large quantities of scrolls and high-level magical items have spontaneously formed a merchant group. Magic shops, in order to maintain stability, will never and dare not lower their prices. They buy at almost 80% of the market price, and only small purchases will have some price difference.”

"The council wants to collect taxes, the magic shops want to make money, and the archmage can't be offended. The contributions of scattered apprentices are simply not enough for Harua's exports to meet the high-end requirements. So how do we protect the interests of all parties and keep the magic shops enthusiastic? That is tax refund."

"The Magic Shop receives a tax refund every quarter. The rebate is 7% of the total sales. That is, for every million gold coins sold, the Council will compensate the Magic Shop 70,000. This method balances interests and indirectly allows the Magic Shop to use its own funds and personnel for management."

"If problems arise, they should each take the blame, apologize or compensate as appropriate, but this has nothing to do with the parliament. The parliament only needs to help connect them with merchants from other countries who need to import goods."

"Under these circumstances, the council easily obtained a 13% net profit, and even the cheapest magical items start at gold coins. This profit is unbelievably huge, and merchants dare not falsify this part, since you paladins are there to audit the accounts. Normally, even though mages enjoy high welfare, Harua is not short of money."

Deva nodded, somewhat understanding what DuPont meant: "Is there a problem with the management, or has someone stolen money from the national treasury? Is that why Parliament has resorted to this drastic measure?"

"It shouldn't be like that. Although there are various factions in parliament, it is precisely under these circumstances that it is most stable. You know, the speaker doesn't usually do anything. Parliament has to vote on everything. Because everyone is dissatisfied with each other and will seize on the enemy's faults to attack in order to gain more resources and status, it is almost impossible for one person to control everything under these circumstances. This is also the advantage of the parliamentary system over the dictatorship system."

DuPont said, taking the tea that was handed to him, "Not to mention that the Harua Elder Council is famous for its prophetic abilities, and any changes to the national treasury's accounts would require the signatures of many people, so it's unlikely that a big rat would steal money."

“But I heard that Lavoisier spent a lot of money fighting the Drow. Each steel golem costs more than 10,000 gold, and some people estimate that the direct losses and repairs amounted to more than 2 million gold. Not to mention the losses we didn’t see, such as the severely damaged mage tower and how many magical items he used.” Deva said, looking at DuPont: “I’m saying, you shouldn’t mind if I say that, Dean.”

“Oh, that’s true, as you said. Some people say that even if Lavoisier is a genius, he couldn’t have produced these golems by himself. He must have used the Council’s military reserves.” DuPont nodded. There was no point in hiding it. “To be fair, that’s really unlikely. But the Dean donated ten million gold coins before, so there’s no point in arguing about him not having money.”

"Ten million gold!!" Deva, who lived in a cheap little town, was greatly surprised when she heard the news. She looked around, lowered her head, waved to Dupont, and said when he leaned close, "My mother is already more than 30 gold in debt because of the construction of the mage tower. Her entire fortune, including the mage tower, is probably only a little over one million gold. Although my mother is indeed not as good as Lavoisier, donating ten million is probably not just a bluff."

DuPont was immediately taken aback, not realizing: "Is the lady so short of money?"

"Uh, my mother's mage tower is quite advanced; it even has a flight function. Forging a levitation ring is very expensive; it requires mithril with a purity of 99% or higher." The paladin scratched his head, somewhat unable to explain.

"Anyway, it's expensive, but because she was on track to break through to the eighth ring and advance to the ninth ring, plus the speaker's connections, the parliamentary funding went smoothly and there was no interest charge. She only needs to pay back 30,000 every year."

DuPont's forehead was slightly sweaty: "How many people in Parliament are willing to borrow this money?"

Deva felt a little guilty; how did catching mice end up in her own home? "I don't know, but it seems that as long as you master eighth-ring magic, you can apply for this money. Seventh-ring magic is also possible, but the amount will be much smaller. But why not lend money without interest? I think that's what Mother said back then."

"..." DuPont took several bites of ice before his expression calmed down. It was really hard to keep up when the gossip came from his own backyard: "In other words, the worst outcome is that the national treasury will be emptied. But since this is a tradition of Harua and has been implemented for so many years, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

Not to mention, if the national treasury were truly in dire straits, how could it possibly lend money? The 1000 million donated by the dean alone would have been enough to repair countless mage towers; there's no need for the current financial strain.

“You’re right,” Deva thought about it and agreed. The debt her mother owed, amounting to tens of millions, was indeed a small sum. “But I heard the Archmage also wants to donate.”

"Then we shouldn't only consider the annual profit of the mage tower, otherwise Harua would probably have been disbanded long ago. However, if we calculate it that way, it's a bit exaggerated for the dean to donate 1000 million. Even if the dean's position is very profitable, it shouldn't be that much. Hmm, there was a rumor before that the dean donated the money he robbed from the Drow City. It seems that this news might be true."

"Ah, the incident that was triggered by your attack on the Drow?" Deva seemed a little embarrassed upon hearing this, as DuPont was only attacked because she stood him up. "But it must have been an accident."

Dupont shook his head. How could an apprentice like him be worth a million soldiers? Not to mention that the council had already started collecting money before that. It seemed that the Drow had walked right into a trap: "It seems that this tax policy cannot be stopped, and Harua is likely to start a new war to make money."

"A new war?" The paladin girl frowned at the mention of the word. Peace seemed insignificant when possessed, but losing it meant loss of control and the deaths of countless innocent people. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

"The situation is relatively calm for now, but we must remember that so many great mages' money has not yet been received, not to mention that DuPont Bank's loans are only given to students, and there are plenty of people who are short of money."

DuPont rubbed his hands together, a hint of excitement in his eyes: "Instead of letting these people cause trouble at home, it's better to let them go abroad to fight. Of course, it's also possible to go to other countries on a smaller scale to make money."

"As long as they're not in the country, they won't receive the allowance even if they can't pay the money. This is definitely a benefit to the parliament. They might even be shameless enough to cut the allowance directly. In short, we need to get through this difficult time first." Thinking of this, DuPont couldn't help but slap his thigh.

Damn, even though he's already a third-ring mage, he can't get his mage certificate because he hasn't graduated yet. He hasn't received a single stipend. Could it be that his good days are over before he even gets a taste of the benefits?

Before DuPont could figure out a way to graduate early, the ring on Deva's hand suddenly lit up: "Hey, a new newspaper has been delivered."

The girl rushed off to get bail after speaking, then turned pale with shock a moment later: "DuPont, something big has happened again, and it's related to you!!"

"Huh?" DuPont quickly took the newspaper. The headline on the front page read: "Apprentices Protest at Desert Academy; Fierce Standoff Erupts, Situation Out of Control; Guards and Spellcasters' Spells Ineffective Against Barrier; Bloodshed Occurs; Blazing Glue Now a Contraband."

"Hey, what does this have to do with me?" DuPont lay back in his chair, covering his chest with a newspaper as if he were half-dead. "I was ambushed by cultists a couple of days ago and was badly injured. I can barely breathe. I don't have time to care about them. Besides, if the local city council does something decent and provides a loan program, this matter can be easily dismissed."

"That's not what I meant, page two."

"Oh?" DuPont picked up the newspaper, turned the page, and his pupils widened in shock.

A massive corruption case has unfolded: Deputy Finance Minister Morty absconds with 30 million gold coins from the Mage's stipend treasury, suspected of fleeing to another planet.

The head of the finance department bowed in apology and resigned, but the council has temporarily suspended his resignation.

The Harua Council will reward 10 gold coins with accurate information about Archmage Morti; the reward will be doubled.

"My God, thirty million in gold coins!" DuPont nearly popped his eyes out. "How big of a vault would that be to hold?"

"I don't know, how big of a space bag would it take to move him?" Deva also felt a bit incredulous: "Hey, why isn't there any information about arresting his family? Did they already arrange an escape in advance?"

"Hiss!" DuPont suddenly thought of a possibility: "Where is your teleportation array?"

"It's next to the reception room, what's wrong?"

"Turn it off right away." DuPont said, no longer caring about the gossip. He had already gotten involved in enough messy things, and neither he nor his mentor should touch this kind of mess. "Oh, and if the communication device is on, just pretend you don't see it. Don't answer it no matter who calls."

"Oh, oh." Although Deva didn't understand what had happened, she knew from DuPont's appearance that the situation was urgent. She hurriedly went inside and came out more than a minute later: "Hey DuPont, you guessed right, someone was indeed looking for us."

"I don't care, I won't answer anyone's calls." DuPont breathed a sigh of relief. Yarakh was indeed worthy of being the capital city; the waters here were so deep that even he couldn't see them clearly. "By the way, do you paladins have any techniques for training endurance?"

Perhaps because of the essence of the World Tree, he felt that he had inexhaustible strength, and it would be a pity not to exercise his body.

“Yes, for example, you can practice swordsmanship at least a thousand times a day, whether it’s horizontal or vertical slashes. The movements must be standardized to develop body memory, so that you can react without thinking when you are attacked.” Deva said, taking out her two-handed greatsword and taking a step back to assume a defensive stance. “If you feel that your breath is not lasting enough during combat, it means that your body is not yet adapted to this combat method. This is the simplest and most practical method, but it is a bit boring.”

DuPont nodded after hearing this. This was indeed a righteous cultivation method with no disadvantages. The only drawback was that it was tedious and arduous: "How about we practice with the training weapons later? Otherwise, repairing these magical weapons is quite expensive."

His silver sword had already been severely damaged twice and was now in dire need of repair, which would likely cost thousands of gold.

"That's possible, but it would be best if the swords were the same weight and style, for the best effect."

"By the way, is there anything that can also be used for strength or agility training?" DuPont thought for a moment and asked again, as killing multiple birds with one stone would naturally be the best.

“That won’t work. Strength training and agility training are inherently conflicting, not to mention that a person’s physical strength is limited.” Deva shook her head.

“Normally, strength training is relatively simple. Logging, mining, turning soil, and forging are all ways to do strength training. Even some chefs are quite strong. As for more professional training, it involves kettlebells and such. But after training, you need to rest, eat more, sleep more, and take more medicine to recover your strength.”

"If you're talking about agility, I feel you need to train your footwork more. You know those sailors, right? Walking on a sampan is a game that trains agility quite well. Skilled rogues and pirates can even duel on ropes. If you're interested, we can test it by building a log bridge for fencing. Whoever falls off first loses. It trains not only footwork but also reaction time. However, you'll need to switch your weapon to a rapier or a rapier."

"Fencing?" DuPont grinned mischievously, pulling out the rapier the Cursed Swordsman had used earlier. "Something like this?"

"Hmm, but I should have some training swords in my room. I'll go get you two."

The paladin girl left in a hurry, and when she returned after rummaging through the chests, she brought back two pieces of leather armor: "Although you mages don't wear armor, it's still good to have this for extra protection, and it can also be used to enhance mental strength."

"Don't I have mage armor?"

"The mage's armor makes me feel uncomfortable when I'm attacking, it affects my feel for the game. This training can't just be based on your own ideas, I have my own requirements too!"

Deva shook her head, picking up the leather armor still inlaid with the emblem of the Suren Church: "And look, this is a paladin's training uniform. Don't you want to become a paladin?"

"Alright, this is hot enough. I'll just use a thermostat." DuPont reluctantly agreed. As he was changing his clothes, the communication rune on his waist suddenly lit up. When he saw the emblem it represented, his expression became quite interesting.

Deva had a bad feeling. DuPont usually seemed so confident and in control, which was...
"What's wrong? Is the council going to give you another difficult problem?"

“Ah, no, that’s not it. I didn’t add their communication methods on purpose. They can’t find me unless they come directly.” DuPont took the paladin’s leather armor, put it on and sniffed it. It still had the fragrance of roses on it. He pretended to be calm and said, “It’s just that Moonflower and her attendants have already arrived in the old capital. They asked me for the exact coordinates and plan to come by carriage.”

"Huh? That moon elf??" The paladin girl instinctively gripped her sword tighter. "What's she doing here?"

“We’ve known each other for a while, so we can be considered friends. It’s good that she’s here, she can keep an eye on you.” DuPont looked at the girl’s puffed-up cheeks, his eyes flickered with a decision, and he teased, “What, you don’t welcome her?”

"Why wouldn't I welcome her? She doesn't owe me any money, and her presence can boost spending. Let her come if she wants." The girl glared at DuPont, her anger rising at his wicked grin: "You little thief, take this!"

(End of this chapter)