I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 60 Bargaining
Upon seeing the group of people dressed in church attire, a thought flashed through DuPont's mind.

Damn it, I got screwed over by that old bastard Lavoisier.

The Perception Manual is something that would be dispensable for a normal mage if he didn't have the ability to find alternative paths to acquire new professions, but it is the most important attribute for a priest.

Besides being related to intuition, observation, and the sixth sense, perception is also directly related to the ability to feel and experience the world during meditation/prayer rituals. In these rituals, one's thoughts can even transcend galaxies and connect with deities in outer planes, gaining a deeper understanding of their intentions and their current thoughts.

Although the doctrines of various churches clearly state what the gods like and dislike, having a sensible and understanding person help you out is obviously much more noticeable than simply following the crowd in chanting scriptures. This greatly increases the chances of gaining the gods' attention, and if you do the right thing, you will receive higher-level divine magic and be promoted to the rank of priest.

Having figured this out, the perception manual in his hand, which could only be considered an added bonus, was practically a necessity for the church. The cooldown time of Lavoisier's manual was obviously also recorded in the church's records, and now he had actually lent this hot potato to himself.

Can a level 3 mage like myself really compete with the Church?

This is complete nonsense. Such a power could crush you with a flick of its finger, without even needing to issue an accident report. It's as if your undead companion has been swindled away.

Wait a minute, if Lavoisier himself knew about this, why would he entrust it to me? Wouldn't it have been better for him to do the church a favor himself? Why take over the process?
"Let me change my clothes first before we talk. I encountered a bit of an accident earlier." DuPont vaguely understood the situation, but then he saw Lavoisier, the simulacrum, cast a spell, instantly removing the bloodstains from his body. He also took out a bottle filled with dragon blood and waved the iced wheat juice in his hand at DuPont: "No need, you can talk slowly. There's nothing else today."

“Since the Church has its own ideas, then as a lady’s subject, I will naturally cooperate.” Lavoisier’s words confirmed DuPont’s suspicions, and he decided to go all out: “Do you have a manual that can increase intelligence? How about we take turns reading it?”

Hearing DuPont's tone, Dorothy and Angie both showed a hint of surprise, but Lavoisier picked up the potato chips next to him and began to eat them with relish.

The old man seemed oblivious to DuPont's rudeness. He nodded to Dorothy, and the pastor produced a magnificent silver robe: "There are over a hundred Archmage Haruas, and the Meditation Manual is simply not enough, let alone any extras. How about we make a deal?"

"A deal?" DuPont nodded. "For example?"

"Authentic Archmage Robe, a legendary garment. It feels like silk but offers protection similar to plate armor. It also gives you an advantage when fighting magic and increases the difficulty of saving spells and the power of spells by at least 20%. It is an item that even a genuine Archmage may not be able to buy with money or connections. The market price is at least 50,000 gold coins and it is extremely rare."

The first item made DuPont a little dizzy, but he still firmly shook his head: "I'm not even a formal mage yet. I wouldn't dare wear this even if it were given to me for free. What if I run into a few masked men and they rob me?"

Hearing this, Anqi couldn't help but puff out her cheeks in anger. The old man chuckled, but his expression remained unchanged, and he said nothing.

"Alright..." Dorothy reluctantly put away her Archmage robe and took out a beautiful treasure box: "The Myriad Manifestations Card is a genuine and incredible artifact. You can try to draw it up to a maximum of 13 times. The rewards include 50,000 gold coins worth of gems, divine blessings, wish spells, and even a direct increase of 2 random attribute points. Of course, there will also be some bad ones. It all depends on your luck."

DuPont shook his head again: "I remember that there are cards in this Myriad Impermanence Cards that can permanently reduce intelligence, and there are also cards that can be directly sealed or even hated by the Great Demon. I can't afford to gamble on this stuff either."

In fact, DuPont didn't say something else: if this thing is so useful, why did you give it to me? Why don't you just draw it yourself and add the attributes?
"A spell resistance belt that directly increases all spell resistance by 15 points, giving you spell resistance comparable to a fully grown dragon. Price: 50,000 gold coins." "No."

"Super Combat Belt, increases Strength, Agility, and Constitution by 4, directly giving you the attributes of a high-level combatant. You can take on five opponents at once, or run faster than your teammates. It works extremely well with combat training. In three years, you will be the new mage star of Northwest Academy." "Priest, didn't I already tell you I wouldn't live long enough to use this thing?"

Dorothy pretended not to hear and announced the next legendary item, while Angie watched the two haggling over the price, feeling somewhat incredulous.

This guy was clearly a bit uneasy before, so how come he suddenly has the courage to challenge a formal priest?

Based on their private affection? This guy shouldn't be that stupid, not to mention how Pastor Dorothy could not understand her place between personal feelings and the church. That's completely impossible.

In fact, Dorothy herself was a little confused, but since the high priest hadn't said anything, she proceeded with her sales pitch according to the script she had prepared beforehand.

However, Dorothy vaguely thought of the answer while rapping.

Harua is the largest faith nation of the Magic Lady, but it is also the nation of mages. Although the two sides dislike each other, they still have to grit their teeth and make do. No matter how arrogant and domineering Lavoisier is, he still has to abide by the tacit understanding between the parliament and the church. After all, the two sides' discord is more about their governing philosophies. When facing a common enemy: Shar and those lackeys of the evil gods, the two sides are still staunch allies and neither can do without the other.

However, an apprentice who is not yet an adult is obviously not included in this category. You can talk to him about tacit understanding, but this kind of kid has not even finished his mage course. He will not know or have any knowledge of those undercurrents.

Instead of trying to reach an understanding with him, it's better to talk about rules directly. If you're shameless, you could just conscript him. A baron's father's background isn't exactly respectable.

But can the church be shameless?
Of course you can, but it depends on who you're shameless to. At least when it comes to Lavoisier, there's no way to deal with him. You can only go for the soft approach. If you're a little tougher, the gentlest way for this notorious shameless man is to just make an excuse and run away, leaving you with no choice but to suffer whatever embarrassing things happen.

Legendary mages have the right to be so willful; even an archbishop has to give them face.

Based on this, it can be inferred that this guy must have been instructed by Lavoisier to come and fight in the ring, otherwise why would that guy's emulation technique be laughing non-stop on the side?

They didn't even try to cover it up.

"Sir, let me be frank with you. If all else fails, do you have any legendary manuals that increase constitution or agility?" DuPont's mouth was dry after saying this for a while: "I want something that can be consumed in one go to gain natural attributes. I wouldn't dare take anything else, whether it's legendary equipment or even artifacts, even if they were given away for free. I see that everyone's time is quite precious, so let's just get it over with."

Dorothy couldn't respond to this. She looked at the old man and saw him deep in thought in his chair, only coming back to his senses after a long while.

Is it a "fitness manual" or a "dexterity manual"?

(End of this chapter)