I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 230 Taking on More Female Apprentices

“The students are making a fuss, the mages are protesting, and now even ordinary people are dissatisfied.” Inside the mage tower, Veronica, who had just returned, was curled up on the sofa looking exhausted. She looked at DuPont, who had just returned, and asked, “Where’s Deva? Why didn’t she come back with you?”

“We could have come back together, but she noticed that the guards were on high alert at the city gate, so she chose to stay behind.” DuPont said with some helplessness, “I originally wanted to stay behind with her, but the guards at the guard station became wary of me as soon as they saw my apprentice badge, so I had to come back.”

"These black-clad bastards even dared to use my daughter! If she gets even a scratch, I'll throw that section chief into the abyss. And Deva, why doesn't she learn some of that pointy-eared princess's cunning?"

Veronica grumbled somewhat discontentedly, clearly feeling a bit tired this month. She cast a spell with her fingertips, and soon an aerial view of the old capital appeared on the wall. In the bustling square, people were throwing torn vegetable leaves at the city hall staff. Seeing this scene, the female mage couldn't help but smile knowingly.

"Looks like the Evocation and Conjuration factions have really fallen out. The army under Wenxing's command is directly under the Council. Without the Council's orders, who would dare say anything if he remained inactive? But even with this situation, the Guard Bureau is still standing still. They'll definitely be reported after this riot ends. By the way, come here and give me a shoulder massage. And what do you think of this situation?"

Dupont dared not disobey his mentor's orders. He walked behind the sofa with a serious expression. The archmage's robes were exceptionally soft, obviously made of an extremely expensive fabric that could maintain powerful magic while also providing comfort. The skin beneath the robes was as smooth as silk, but after applying a little pressure with his thumb, he could feel that the muscles underneath were somewhat tense.

I guess he's been exhausted these past few days.

However, DuPont didn't want to talk about things in the city. It was clearly a huge whirlpool, and it would be difficult for anyone who went in to come out unscathed. There was really nothing to talk about: "Mentor, it seems that these past two months have been quite tough?"

"There's no other way. I owe the council money and have to pay the Grand Mage tax. I need to scrape together 250,000 gold coins by the end of the year, and the same amount next year because the council is chasing up all the debts. I don't know what they're going to do with all this money all of a sudden."

Veronica closed her eyes, somewhat displeased: "Could the old man really be getting senile? Harua has been stable for so long, why bother with all this fuss? Any reform could bring new risks and changes. Some changes might be more troublesome than finding a place to establish a country in Faerun. It's still in its rising phase, why are you making such a fuss? Isn't this just messing around?"

DuPont knew that the female mage was just venting her frustration because of the constant pressure to collect debts, and probably not because she was really dissatisfied with the mage king. He chuckled softly, "Perhaps the problem is too big and has been dragging on for too long, and the chairman doesn't want to leave it to future generations?"

The female mage frowned and said, "Even if he really wanted to do something, he should have waited until he came down and let Zarasong do it. He's so old, he's said he wanted to retire a long time ago, but the council wouldn't let him. Now that it's not going to work, he should just force himself to retire. Why leave behind a bad reputation? And you, kid, can't you put in a little more effort? Did you skip lunch today?"

These words made Yuehua, who had brought out fruit slices intending to invite DuPont to afternoon tea, quickly retreat back to her room.

This damned mentor-apprentice system—you can't really say anything when you're under someone else's roof.
DuPont's lips twitched, and he slightly increased the pressure in his hand, softening the hard trapezius muscles: "Although Harua's recent policies may indeed be detrimental to stability, I think Harua is known for his prophecies. Perhaps the elders foresaw some difficulties in the future and felt compelled to do so?"

“What you said might actually make sense.” Thinking of the mysterious Lavoisier, Veronica nodded.

What good things hasn't an 800-year-old sorcerer king seen? It's almost impossible that he would suddenly become so senile as to cause chaos in government.

As a top-tier nation in Faerûn, power, money, and women were all readily available to Commadir, but he had long since transcended such base desires, and one could even say that there was nothing in this world worth pursuing.

Of course, not everything is unmovable, for example...
"To become a god?"

"What?" DuPont was a little confused by the female mage's train of thought. Veronica, realizing her slip of the tongue, shook her head and changed the subject: "How's the matter with that mermaid going?"

"The effect wasn't great. I don't know if it was bad luck or what. I fished for a month and used the scale once, but the mermaid I encountered before didn't show up, so I didn't dare to try again." DuPont was a little frustrated when he talked about this: "I looked through the library and it seems that the worldview and philosophy of life of the underwater races are quite different from ours. Many of their habits are different, so it should be quite troublesome to get along with them."

“That’s true. After all, even mermaids are cold-blooded. I forgot about that. Wait a minute,” Veronica said, casting the spell again. Soon, her black eyes emitted a pale blue arcane halo, which lasted for a minute before fading.

"Hmm, I used magic to check. Mermaids are a race with strong senses. If you deliberately have a certain mindset, they will notice and won't show themselves for their own safety. Next time, try to be more innocent and think less, and they might appear."

"Is that so?" DuPont was somewhat surprised. No wonder he hadn't been able to attract these guys despite hanging sausages and cucumbers these past few days. He was practically ready to jump into the sea and do a striptease. "But I thought of something else."

"Hmm?" Veronica opened her eyes and saw DuPont staring intently at the new celebration on the wall, a smirk playing on his lips. "What does this mean?"

“We’ve contacted the fish-men, so how should we trade? What can we offer, and what can we receive?” DuPont said, taking out the pearl from before. “I don’t see anything valuable on that little guy; his most treasured possession is a glass ball.”

Could you really trade glass marbles for pearls? That young girl might seem a bit naive and foolish, but if she wanted to do trade, it must be a big business. The older mermaids wouldn't be that stupid.

"Because seawater is highly corrosive, most existing metals cannot withstand the corrosive effects of seawater. The only metal that is easy to mine is gold, but it is a luxury item here, and you can't make much money from it. Most glass products also cannot withstand water pressure, and only some crystals can be traded. But what did I do outside this month?"

Veronica took out a semi-transparent longsword: "This weapon is made of fiberglass, a common weapon used by elves on other planets. It is heavier than mithril but one-third lighter than steel, and its hardness and sharpness are quite good."

"Furthermore, unenchanted regular weapons are half the price of refined ones, making them perfect for trading with these mermaids."

She took the pearl, which was round but not flat: "As for this grade of pearl, the mermaids naturally know it's not a good thing. Once you get something good, they naturally won't use this quality item for trade."

"Oh, I've seen this kind of thing in books but never encountered it." DuPont took the longsword, his wrist twisting with surprising agility. "Does your mentor have any?"

"I'm buying mostly unenchanted weapons because I want to make a lot of purchases. Keep one of the swords or spears you like, and you can enchant them yourself later to practice." Veronica didn't care; these things, worth a hundred or so gold, weren't really worth giving as gifts.

"For the next few days, remember to keep your mind pure before going to sea. If you really have distracting thoughts, go find that elf princess to discuss life. Don't delay our business."

DuPont opened and closed his mouth: "Oh, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"What, are you still thinking about Deva?" The female mage poked DuPont's forehead hard. "You little brat, you're not even a high mage yet, and you're already thinking about all sorts of things. You might get killed in the end." "Ah, no." DuPont asked with a puzzled look, "Master, what does 'pure mind' mean? I don't understand."

"Get lost." Veronica laughed and cursed, but then thought that it was normal for this guy to be so old: "Never mind, just remember to clear your mind when the time comes, or meditate if you can't. Just catch these mermaids as soon as possible, otherwise you won't be able to pay off your debts or even get your share of the profits from that batch of materials."

DuPont was shocked upon hearing this: "Mentor, could it be those magical items?"

"After I finished, I traded with those elves. Otherwise, where would I get the money to buy two space bags of goods?" Veronica said, then chuckled at DuPont's wide-open mouth. "Don't worry, I owe the council hundreds of thousands and it's fine. What's this to you? Once the money comes in, we'll definitely settle your debt first. Are you afraid of losing everything?"

DuPont blinked and managed to utter two words: "Hard to say."

"Ah, are you doubting my earning ability!" Veronica raised her eyebrows: "I am one of the most talented mages in the council. Although I am not a complete ninth-ring mage yet, how could I possibly make a mistake on such a small matter?"

"According to my review of your records in the Mage Tower these past few days, you've been an Archmage for 10 years, and during those 10 years, your debts have increased every year, never decreasing." DuPont remained expressionless, while Veronica's face grew increasingly red as she spoke: "If it weren't for the Council's leniency, and the fact that you're a good teacher and those in the Finance Department can't easily investigate you, you seem to be close to being placed on the low-credit list."

"Who said that? I've earned tens of thousands of gold this year!" Veronica retorted defiantly, though her voice betrayed a hint of weakness. "If it weren't for this sudden taxation, my accounts wouldn't be in such a mess."

“If I remember correctly, that income was from when you came to the Northwest to extort money from the casinos. That doesn’t count as legal property.”

Veronica's face flushed slightly: "...As long as I have the money, it doesn't matter what's legal or illegal. Mining gold is legal and makes money quickly, but he won't let me mine it!"

"Hey, mentor, if I remember correctly, your income consists of the Harua stipend, the salary of the vice dean of the magic academy, and the administration of a small principality on another planet. You also receive some additional research grants every year. In theory, you should have a net profit of at least 70,000 gold coins every year. How did you manage to spend all of that money and even owe the council money?"

“What are you saying? Doesn’t everything a mage does cost money?” Veronica counted on her fingers. “When I first became an archmage, didn’t I have to buy a set of clothes befitting an archmage? Can you call yourself an archmage if you don’t even have a legendary staff and an archmage’s robe? Besides, I only spent less than 300,000, and I made most of it myself. I was already quite frugal.”

"Secondly, does conducting spell experiments cost money? If not, how can you quickly master the basic model of high-level spells? There's also this beautiful and multifunctional mage tower, the communication runestone, and the surveillance magic eye you can see here. When you go to other worlds, shouldn't you prepare more spare equipment and spell scrolls? Don't all of these cost money?"

Veronica counted on her fingers, patted her chest, and created a dizzying wave of excitement: "Which archmage doesn't owe the council money? I'm already considered very frugal!"

"..." Hearing his mentor say that, DuPont couldn't help but look at the equipment he was wearing.

If he hadn't taken advantage of this elven princess, he probably wouldn't have been able to acquire these two pieces of equipment even after three years of hard work, and the price he would have paid in the battle against the blue dragon would have been much higher. He wouldn't be here chatting and laughing like this.

"So you're relying entirely on the mermaid trade?" DuPont felt this was a bit unreliable. Although the endless sea below Harua was vast, he had never heard of any mermaid empire: "The books say that mermaids mostly live in tribes. A region with a few hundred mermaids is considered quite large. I'm afraid they can't handle all of this."

“We can also trade with other mermaids or marine civilizations,” Veronica said defiantly, though for some reason her forehead was sweating. “This fiberglass trade was something I negotiated with great difficulty; they wouldn’t have sold it to me if I hadn’t used threats and inducements!”

"So, mentor, when you signed that deal, you didn't consider the mermaid's consumption capacity at all?"

"Are you worried about not being able to sell good stuff?" Veronica replied, seemingly ignoring the question, and even avoided looking at DuPont. "Of course, you have to put in some effort too. Remember, the pearls should be big and round. Enchanted pearls would be even better. They make excellent mediums for storing spells when made into jewelry. You can record spells in them and cast them once a day. After enchanting, it's almost like having an extra permanent spell slot. It'll be worth more than a spell-storage ring!"

“Alright.” DuPont sighed. “I’ll try to be as quick as possible, but mentor, please remember to craft me an underwater breathing magic item, preferably a permanent one, otherwise it might be difficult to negotiate business later.”

“That’s easy, I’ve already prepared it.” Hearing this, Veronica finally breathed a sigh of relief and handed DuPont a bronze scale: “This thing isn’t expensive, but it’s quite rare. Be careful not to lose it. As for the business deal, I’ll give you an extra half percent when it goes through.”

At this point, the female mage finally raised her head again and tapped DuPont's chin: "Don't think about those things anymore. Do you think you'll be at a disadvantage following me? You know, I'm too lazy to even take on so many people who want to be my apprentice!"

"By the way, mentor, do you think it's possible to make some money by taking on disciples?" DuPont's eyes flashed: "For example, some rich young ladies, noble ladies, their families are all wealthy, I think they would definitely agree to take on disciples and charge a fee."

"Huh?" Veronica was taken aback by the question: "Many of them are mediocre. The proportion of priests produced is much higher than that of mages. What's the point of having them?"

“Mentor, you’re wrong. For those people, they don’t care whether they can become an excellent mage or not; they just want to become the disciple of a famous archmage.” DuPont laughed. “Being able to have such fame by spending some money is definitely a good deal for those rich young ladies. Their families will also value your resources, Mentor. This business is definitely worth negotiating.”

"Of course, to ensure rarity, we can't recruit too many. Two or three will suffice, with the highest bidder winning. Of course, this is already a bumper month, and in a few months it will be next year, when we'll have another cash inflow."

"Hey, this seems interesting." Veronica's fingers twitched slightly, and her eyes lit up, but she raised an eyebrow with a hint of mockery: "Hey, why do they all want female apprentices? Rich young masters would be fine too, they're all great suckers?"

“That won’t do.” DuPont rejected the idea without even thinking. “I don’t have that kind of magnanimity. I’d be unhappy if I saw that you had other male apprentices.”

"Look at you, why do you have to interfere when I find a man?" Veronica smiled brightly, the faint worry between her brows completely gone after she returned: "Alright, I'll get back to work now. Keep these two spatial bags safe, I've put the approximate prices of the items inside."

"By the way, you should also keep an eye on Deva. She's rather stubborn, but I think she listens to you more. It doesn't matter if things get out of hand in the old capital, but she can't be allowed to get into trouble."

"I understand that," DuPont said, then suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right, school starts soon, I probably won't be able to stay for more than a few days..."

“You’re already a third-ring mage, what’s the point of studying there? You’ll just be doing an internship arranged by the school.” Veronica shook her head: “Just go and register, that’s all. Lavoisier doesn’t have time for such trivial matters. Just registering is fine.”

(End of this chapter)