I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 109 Accident
Lacking experience, DuPont didn't even know what the communication rune stone meant when it lit up. However, the dwarf next to him glanced at it and said thoughtfully, "Looks like we have someone you know here today, young man. They're all quite close by. But it's best to block the signal."

DuPont wondered if he knew anyone with this communication stone. He had never used it since he got it, and at most, he only had one way to contact them.

etc??
DuPont casually stuffed the rune into his spatial bag, planning to place it in an opaque location next time so no one would notice it: "Have you had a female mage with considerable strength here?"

“Sir, we cannot reveal other people’s information here. If you are willing to search, you will naturally be able to find someone you know.” The dwarf subconsciously used official language to be polite, but suddenly remembered something, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes: “Wait, a great mage has come here. She is currently playing dice in the casino. If you know her, you can go and meet her. Of course, it would be even better if you could take her away.”

"Playing dice at a casino?" DuPont was somewhat surprised. The only person who could take him on as an apprentice was at least a high-level mage. How could he have such a low-level hobby? He shook his head: "Perhaps you've mistaken me for someone else."

“That should be right. I’ve only had one female archmage here these past few days, and that’s her.” The dwarf lowered his voice and gave him a wink: “If you really know her and can take her away, in addition to the 1800 gold coins you received before, I’ll personally give you 1000 gold coins.”

DuPont was a little confused by this, but how could he possibly go along with the dwarf's wishes? He waved his hand repeatedly and said, "What you're saying is ridiculous. Putting aside whether I know her or not, even if I did, how could I, as a junior, persuade her to leave? If she's happy, she'll naturally leave."

Upon hearing this, the dwarf panicked and, as if grasping at a last straw, revealed the truth: "Brother, this great mage is taking 3 gold coins from us every day, and she doesn't leave but stays in the private room. She's been here for three days already!"

DuPont glanced at it: "Hey, didn't you say you were closed for a few days before?"

"Sigh, it's all because of a bizarre murder case." The dwarf's heart was practically bleeding when he talked about it: "Six people died at the time. Originally, it had nothing to do with us, but two days later, this Archmage Veronica suddenly came to us."

She said her daughter was fired because of what we did and was in a bad mood, so she had to come and comfort her. She also said she had to win 10,000 gold coins at the casino every day before resting, even if it was closed, the casino needed dedicated maids to serve her, otherwise she would investigate who our backer was and have a heart-to-heart talk with him.

Upon hearing this, DuPont's heart skipped a beat, and his brain, with its high intelligence of 18, began to spin rapidly, quickly connecting the dots.

Who suffered the most losses in that murder case?
Aside from a few petty thieves who lost their lives, there was also that foolish paladin. If I hadn't helped him out when he went to Whitestone City, he probably would have been completely ripped off.

Now look what's happened. After beating up the younger one, the older one is coming to their door. They're obviously trying to get revenge for their daughter and treating this black market like a pig to be slaughtered.

And the Grand Master truly had the confidence to back it up.

Archmage is an advanced class with incredibly high prerequisites. At the very least, one must know seventh-circle spells and be able to cast five different schools of fifth-level or higher spells. Their mastery of spells is unparalleled. For them, as long as they don't enter the magic-suppressing zone, there are basically no dire situations. If they can't win, they can always run away.

Besides their personal strength, archmages are also known for their abundant wealth and long lifespan. With their combined strength, even if they don't care about social issues, they can still cultivate a vast network of relationships by taking on one apprentice a year. If you offend such a powerful figure, as long as you don't completely crush them, they have plenty of time to use their friends and six-figure fortunes to destroy their opponents, making them veritable human dragons.

And this is referring to the Grand Mage of Harua. Because the number of Grand Mages in this Mage Kingdom is so abundant, they have become much more low-key. Grand Mages from other countries can establish sects and receive huge subsidies wherever they go. They can completely disregard the king's opinion and mood. If they are willing to take a prince or princess as an apprentice, they are considered easygoing. Let alone collecting money on the black market, even if they open their own duty-free shop, the king will turn a blind eye.

The foundation of the Red Robe Mage Kingdom is its eight archmages. This infamous evil kingdom and Shinb, the chosen one and daughter of the Goddess of Magic, known as the Storm Queen, wage war every few years, and the outcome remains undecided.

Thinking about this, DuPont suddenly understood. No wonder Deva had such luxurious equipment; she could even use a lie detector ring worth thousands of gold coins to torture petty thieves. And despite offending civilians, colleagues, and superiors, she was still promoted to vice-captain of Beer Town. Having a mother like that certainly gave her the means to live a life where she could treat the grassroots like a vacation.

However, someone as strong as Deva would be a good candidate for a traditional paladin in any church. Given her connections and willingness to train, there would likely be plenty of paladin mentors willing to provide one-on-one guidance. Her willingness to come to such a remote area as a low-level guard is quite a unique way of thinking.

At the very least, DuPont couldn't understand her thinking.

But it's clear that even if the daughter doesn't care about being mistreated, the mother still does. Staying there for a day results in a loss of 10,000 gold coins. With a 5% tax rate, that's a net loss of 200,000. After deducting shareholder dividends and the underlings' salaries, the net profit of 10,000 would probably require a turnover of 300,000. According to what the dwarf just said, the market is bad and it might take a week or two.

Monica only needs to come to this casino to play and she can take away those glittering gold coins. No wonder this dwarf is willing to give her a thousand gold coins.

Having figured out the key point, DuPont was no longer in a hurry and said slowly, "Oh dear, it's a great honor that the Archmage is willing to come to your little place. You should be happy. Besides, if you really don't want her to come, you can just close the door."

The dwarf almost cried when he heard this: "I would like to, but this lady is a high-ranking inspector of the Federation. According to her, it would be a good mood if she didn't arrest us all. Besides, she didn't cheat. How can we drive her away if she doesn't want us to?"

"Oh, is that so?" DuPont asked with some curiosity, "If she doesn't cheat, how can she outsmart you?"

“She’s the dealer here, we can’t refuse to play.” The dwarf felt heartbroken when he mentioned it: “She rolls the dice and makes us guess. If we guess right, she gives us an IOU. If we guess wrong, we have to pay real money. And the IOU doesn’t need to be signed. We can’t find anyone to claim that 9 gold coin IOU. Isn’t it practically worthless?”

DuPont almost burst out laughing after hearing this, but he still kept a straight face: "Oh, I didn't expect this lord to have such a hobby. It's alright, you've memorized her appearance and official title. If it doesn't work out, you can always go to Yarakh to report her."

"Oh, sir, you must be joking. These days, who sues an official? If you can get her out of here, I'll give you 2000 gold coins, and you can pay only 3% tax on anything you sell here. What do you think?"

"Only two thousand?" DuPont stroked his chin. "If she hadn't left today, it would probably have cost around forty thousand gold coins, right? I don't think you take me seriously at all."

Hearing this, the dwarf gritted his teeth and stomped his foot: "I'll give you 4000! The tax rate will still be 3%, this is top-notch treatment. I just hope that this gentleman will never come again, otherwise our shop might as well close down completely."

“That’s more like it.” DuPont nodded and casually asked, “Okay, I’ll take this job, but you have to pay me first.”

"what?"

Upon hearing that the money would be paid first, the dwarf was clearly reluctant, but DuPont sneered: "Don't worry, my strength is definitely not as good as this gentleman's. If you can't get things done, you can send a few thugs to take it back from me."

(End of this chapter)