I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 9 The Mentor's Private Apprentice

These apprentices may not know that copying scrolls will slow down their learning and promotion speed, but copying scrolls not only consumes time and physical strength, but also has a chance of failure.

There are quite a few wealthy people in the college, and many are unwilling to waste their precious time on it.

Scroll trading among apprentices has therefore remained popular.

Faerûn is a world where a true god exists. As children of the goddess of magic, they must attend church services on Sundays. The school stipulates that everyone must hand in their spell scrolls by 18 PM on Saturday at the latest, and many apprentices are currently buying them.

Although the school's rule was that a scroll was worth three gold coins, which was the price of three parchment scrolls, for most apprentices, the value of a ready-made scroll could not be calculated in that way.

Few are willing to copy the scrolls, while many are unwilling. As a result, the price of ready-made scrolls skyrockets due to their scarcity. In addition to wasting time, another loss is that parchment that is copied incorrectly loses all its magic and becomes non-renewable waste in the hands of apprentices, which can basically only be exchanged for 1 silver coin at the logistics department.

But very few apprentices actually do this; for the vast majority, they would rather use this stuff to wipe their butts than choose to recycle it.

Even the once impoverished DuPont wouldn't have done that.

Because this would expose one's true skill level.

The school curriculum was already intensive, and everyone had to use their breaks to copy scrolls. For level 1 and 2 apprentices, copying 10 scrolls was already considered a heavy workload.

In this situation, returning the scroll would prove two things: first, that one lacks financial resources, and second, that one's skill level is insufficient and the success rate of copying is terribly low. It would then be very difficult to regain the teacher's favor.

If one could become a mentor's private apprentice, one would no longer need to complete the academy's tasks but only the mentor's. Furthermore, one could access the mentor's private notes and precious collections, which would greatly increase the speed at which one mastered magic.

Every year, the academy has such lucky individuals. These apprentices are either exceptionally intelligent or handsome and beautiful enough, provided they are of average intelligence. Of course, if they come from a wealthy or influential family and can bribe their mentors, that is also an option.

While it may not be considered an instant path to enlightenment, the mentor's connections and network will accelerate the learning process. If one's own physical abilities are up to par, becoming a formal mage is definitely not a problem, and the probability of becoming a high-level mage in the future will be greatly increased.

Even if they don't reach that level, a mage who has mastered fourth or fifth-circle spells is enough to be recruited by some nobles or even kings, allowing them to transcend class and live a leisurely, non-competitive life.

Thinking about this, DuPont couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Logically speaking, although his intelligence was mediocre among apprentices, his appearance was definitely outstanding, so why didn't any mentors take a liking to him?

After a moment's thought, DuPont had his answer.

High-level mages are rare to begin with, and there are only a handful in my academy. It seems there is only one female instructor.

Most mentors are level 6-10, like the half-elf doctor in the infirmary.

There are nearly three hundred students in the academy. To receive such treatment, one must be a genius among geniuses or a handsome man or beautiful woman with extremely high talent. There are almost no examples like him who are all show and no substance.

To become a mentor's private apprentice, one would likely need to further enhance their intelligence to even have a chance to sell themselves.
Thinking about this, DuPont felt a chill.

Well, there's still plenty of time, and it's not that time yet.

It's a bit of a waste of his outstanding talent.
As the first lesson ended, DuPont looked at the panel displaying the message: "[Gained 20 experience points] [Spell: Mechanized Mind Proficiency increased by 4%]", and his face showed pain.

Damn, even daydreaming affects the experience points I gain. I need to pay more attention next class.
[You have gained 24 experience points] [Your comprehension of the spell: Fox's Wisdom has reached 70%. You can practice on your own to accelerate spell comprehension.]

DuPont breathed a sigh of relief; even without slacking off, progress would still be made.

It was this [experience points 424/2000] that gave him a bit of a headache.

All of this can only be achieved gradually.

However, just as DuPont was about to go out to dinner with Charles, he saw a familiar figure.

It was a pure white skeleton, holding a sign that read DuPont's name.

Are the doctors here really that dedicated?
Thinking about the true nature of this academy, DuPont felt somewhat uneasy, but since the other party was acting out of kindness by helping him submit a week's worth of scrolls less, he obediently went along.

It was the same half-elf doctor named Sophie from yesterday, but this time there was a mature woman with fair skin, wearing a set of silver chainmail, and with a halo above her head.

Her appearance was somewhat like an angel from a previous life, but instead of white wings, she had a halo above her head that shone brightly like a light bulb. She was a descendant of a god, also known colloquially as Asmo.

It is rumored that the descendants of the gods possess the bloodline of gods/demigods or mythical creatures. However, unlike their ancestors, the descendants of the gods, apart from having a longer lifespan and generally better appearance than mortals, are not significantly different from the mainstream humanoid races in terms of talent and physical qualities.

However, it is said that their noble bloodline often makes them targets of evil spirits. Some cultists who believe in demons will capture the offspring of the gods and offer them to the demons in exchange for more blessings. Therefore, most Asmos usually hide the halo above their heads, and when this feature is exposed, it is usually quite prominent.

This is not to boast about having a good ancestor, but rather because all Asmos share a common characteristic.

They are all on the good side.

It can be said to be even purer than the paladins under the current new system.

However, DuPont's doubts deepened.

Although Asmo has a broad mind and the good camp will not do anything heinous, it does not mean that they will necessarily abide by the law.

For example, those chaotic yet kind-hearted rangers, when they strike at evil and defend their homes, show no mercy with their scimitars and bows and arrows.

“Please sit down. DuPont, this is Reverend Dorothy.” The doctor’s face remained expressionless. After observing the man’s expression, he took out a small wand about two feet long, touched the man’s wrist, and said after a few seconds, “Your aura is stronger than yesterday, but your body is still very weak.”

DuPont nodded in agreement, looking bewildered: "It seems I bumped my head accidentally before. I feel dizzy whether I'm in class or copying scrolls."

Sophie looked at the priest beside her, and Dorothy nodded. She picked up the seven-star holy symbol around her neck, about to cast a spell, when DuPont quickly said, "Wait...does this cost money?"

Sophie remained silent, while Dorothy smiled and raised a finger. A gentle light emanated from her, and even her long robes shimmered with a golden halo. Her long, flowing golden hair turned silver-white, and her already captivating eyes shone with a mesmerizing luster, like molten gold, with twinkling starlight flowing from them.

"Although the Magic Lady asks for nothing in return, we cannot take her blessings for granted. Only with gratitude in our hearts can the Lady bestow blessings and forgiveness again."

Originally, DuPont wanted to negotiate a lower price, but upon seeing this scene, he felt his brain was completely foggy, like a lump of mush, and he couldn't even think straight.

The pastor's divine aura made him feel as if a lady had truly descended to earth, causing his knees to buckle and his only desire to prostrate himself in worship.

But a voice in DuPont's mind was reminding him that something was wrong.

"The charm has worked, right? Let him come over."

"It worked, but this handsome young man doesn't really follow orders." Dorothy was a little surprised, and Sophie was also a little puzzled after hearing this.

Mages are generally not physically outstanding, but their intellectual prowess makes them quite resilient, giving them considerable expertise in resisting mental spells. It's rather interesting that this young apprentice, despite being physically weak and mentally exhausted, was able to resist a full-fledged priest's divine magic.

It's important to know that this divine spell has no failures. As long as it's active, it can bewitch even a mortal enemy into becoming a close friend, rendering them harmless, as long as they don't harm themselves or go against their will. They can be controlled until the spell's duration expires, making it a very useful bewitching spell.

DuPont harbored no hostility towards the two. Dorothy was a descendant of a god, and DuPont was a follower of the goddess of magic. Normally, he should have been obedient to him at this moment, clinging to his leg and confessing his sins. But the young apprentice resisted.

Even a level 5 mage might not have this ability.

The two exchanged a glance. Sophie shrugged, while Dorothy pouted slightly in dissatisfaction. After giving a few orders, she was relieved to find that the apprentice was fairly obedient and then cast her second divine spell.

Second Ring Divine Art: Detect Thoughts.

The apprentice's weakness could be attributed to a long-term lack of proper nutrition; eating more nutritious food would have helped. However, his head injury was not as simple as he claimed—just a bump.

"look at me."

A blue light flowed from the priest's eyes, and DuPont's bewildered eyes met it. However, after a few minutes, Dorothy stopped the spell and rubbed her dry eyes wearily.

"This guy's life hasn't been unusual for the past month... wait, this kid seems to be a hidden exhibitionist. Sophie, what's going on at your academy? Whether it's the instructors or the students, they're all a bit eccentric."

“What kind of good people can come to this academy? Any truly capable normal people would have been picked up by the capital long ago, not to mention there aren’t many normal people among mages to begin with.” Sophie shrugged, then put on a pair of thin leather gloves: “Come on, help me take off this kid’s clothes.”

"what?"

(End of this chapter)