I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 216 Phase Two Plan

This sudden conflict was extinguished completely before it had even begun.

Although many were seriously injured in close combat and had to be helped away to seek help from priests and doctors, the apprentices' morale was greatly boosted by their victory over the guards, and their shouts were deafening.

Although most of the guards are low-ranking combatants, and some newcomers may not even be professionals, it is a great achievement that these guys, who have a bad reputation for bullying the good and who now willingly become the council's lackeys and attempt to suppress them by force, have been successfully defeated.

"We're only 8 miles from the council!" the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the dwarves beside him shouted excitedly. This completely new experience had driven the group of dwarves almost crazy with excitement.

Because of their chaotic nature, dwarfs are born with a love of freedom and aspire to spend the rest of their lives doing new and exciting things.

Their actions today have even made this powerful mage kingdom tremble. The noble archmages don't even dare to show their faces directly. If this gets back to their hometowns, those country bumpkins will be green with envy.

"Haha, those underground relatives always brag about outwitting and outfighting the drow elves, but in the end they still got beaten so badly they didn't even dare to leave their homes. They're nothing like us, so powerful!"

The human apprentices drank the light beer offered by the girls. The refreshing, cold liquid made many of them burp comfortably. Still full of passion, they pointed and talked about what had just happened.

A female apprentice named Lillier also expressed her dissatisfaction: "Heh, do these guards even deserve to maintain order? If it weren't for the support of the parliament and the law, I don't think they could control anyone at all."

“That’s right. Back in my hometown, these guards were colluding with the local gangs. What else could they do besides bully ordinary people? If Robert hadn’t called me, I would have beaten them to a pulp!”

"Heh, why would they need to collude with gangsters? I think they're no different from those shameless gang thugs. It's just that normal thugs take orders from gang leaders, while these guards take orders from their 'fathers'!"

Hearing this, many people were startled and quickly tried to dissuade him, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. Aren't you saying that the councilors are ordering the guards to abuse force?"

"Abuse of force? That's an understatement. If Robert hadn't been quick-witted and escaped, he would probably be dead by now. Think about those apprentices who were beaten so badly they needed their classmates to help them walk. What's the difference between this parliament building and a gang's lair!"

Upon hearing these words, the apprentices were filled with righteous indignation. Soon, in addition to their original protest signs against oppression and the demand for rest, they added slogans such as "We want civilization, not violence" and "We want peace, not force."

Robert looked at the passionate apprentices and felt a renewed surge of energy within him, but he also noticed that the procession seemed to have fewer people.

He quickly asked those around him to inquire, and received news that made him frown.

Roughly calculated, their team has dwindled from a peak of 2300 to 1800. The remaining 500-plus were either seriously injured and sent away, or helped the injured apprentices leave.

They probably won't be able to come back anytime soon.

However, more than 1000 spellcasters are still a formidable force, even if they are just apprentices.

If the demon lord didn't know how to cast a shield spell, he would probably be killed on the spot by a round of magic missiles in front of such a large number of apprentices.

However, as the group traveled seven miles, many apprentices suddenly changed their expressions.

"Ouch, my stomach hurts so much!"

"Damn it, me too! It looks like it's about to burst! I can't hold it in anymore! Where's the toilet? Why is it all packed with people?"

"Oh my god, hurry up, I can't hold it in anymore!!"

"Damn it, I can't take it anymore, get out of the way!!"

"I'm a girl, give me a seat!!!"

With a thunderous explosion, countless disciples paled. Sudden abdominal pain made them unable to maintain their formation. They rushed into the streets and alleys, pulled up their robes, and relieved themselves without caring that there were people around.

As the number of people suffering from abdominal pain suddenly surged, not only public toilets but even the alleyways were filled with people squatting in the streets.

Some apprentices who had finally finished relieving themselves had just begun to relax, but before they could take two steps, they clutched their stomachs again and hurriedly looked for a place to relieve themselves, only to find that there was no space even against the wall.

For a moment, Parliament Street was filled with a stench, and the apprentices' painful cries rose and fell. The normal apprentices were just confused, looking at their colleagues with their white buttocks exposed with disgust. Many residents who came to watch the spectacle almost laughed their heads off.

"Haha, you can't even control your own backside, yet you still want to cause trouble for your fathers? You really are a newborn calf that is not afraid of tigers."

"Hey, alright, I've got so many butts for you to have for free, what more do you want? Look at that ass, it's so big and round, it's absolutely gorgeous."

Before they could finish their discussion, a group of masked men in black cloaks suddenly rushed out. Ignoring the apprentices' resistance and dignity, they took out sacks and ropes to bind the apprentices who were relieving themselves and struggling helplessly. Then they carried them away and threw them onto the carriages that had been prepared beforehand.

The sudden turn of events left the apprentices completely bewildered. Many apprentices were arrested by the masked men before they could even cleanse themselves with their dust-removing spells. Many of them could only grab their pants and frantically fight back with magic tricks.

But these masked men were clearly prepared. Their simplest tricks were almost harmless to the multiple shields surrounding them. Instead, they caught the apprentices with deadly accuracy, leaving them with virtually no way to escape.

"What on earth is going on??" Robert was stunned by the sudden turn of events, but he quickly realized a possibility and his expression changed drastically: "Could someone have cast a despicable disease spell on us?"

"I don't know, who are these black-robed, masked people?" Tyrannosaurus Rex, clinging to the horse's neck, was also full of questions. There were probably more than half of these apprentices who had pulled down their pants. Such a large area of ​​spellcasting was not something an ordinary person could do.

"What you said seems to be possible. They might be trying to repel us with this method, but I'm fine. And I didn't feel anyone casting a spell on us."

"It's beer! Those beers were probably laced with laxatives!" Among the apprentices were some clever ones, and one of them quickly realized something was wrong: "I don't drink, but my buddy did. He's probably been arrested now. Robert, what should we do?"

“Yeah, Robert, shouldn’t we rescue these people?” Tyrannosaurus was also eager to try, as this was a new project he had never done before: “It’s just that many of these people have poop on their clothes, they’re so dirty.”

"But how do we save them? With magic? Or with a direct attack?" Large beads of sweat rolled down Robert's forehead. Just now, the guards took the initiative to attack while they were on the defensive. If they took the initiative to attack, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Protesting in the streets to seek one's rights is worlds apart from violently storming parliament.

The former is not without a chance of success, and may even become someone who can influence Harua's future.

As for the latter, even a charge of treason would be too lenient; to be able to spend his entire life treading a sewing machine and smashing stones until he dies would already be considered a mercy from the fathers of Parliament.

"We can't use magic to attack; we have to just grab them by force." Seeing the already chaotic group, Robert didn't hesitate any longer and decisively issued a new order: "We absolutely will not initiate an attack. We'll only attack when they make a move. Tell everyone to strictly follow this order, otherwise those guards who abused their power earlier might come back. We absolutely cannot become such villains!"

Amplified by the sound amplification, Robert's voice could be heard by people on three nearby streets. The apprentices quickly understood his meaning. Those who hadn't been hit or had survived by sheer physical strength rolled up their sleeves and fought with the masked men for their apprentices. Pushing and shouting filled the air. Occasionally, carriages full of apprentices would calmly leave, while others would be rescued amidst the cheers of the apprentices.

"You really know how to come up with a solution." Five miles away from the council, Veronica, using disguise, observed the situation from the rooftop of a three-story building and breathed a sigh of relief.

"These apprentices are indeed afraid to use violence, while most of our people rely on blessing and enhancement spells. Whether it's physical strength or power, they are no match for us. Now the number of apprentices will probably be less than a thousand."

“This is just the first step, but the real crisis is still far off.” DuPont, also wearing a mask, shook his head. “Mentor, although the Inspection Department and the Sixth Airship Airborne Force have agreed to cooperate with us, these arrested apprentices need to be kept under strict guard and treated with dignity. If any of them get carried away and attempt suicide, it would be disastrous if there were casualties.” “Don’t worry, you and I are actually the least affected in this matter. There are many people who really don’t want anything to happen to them.” Veronica smiled, and at that moment, her runestone lit up. After half a minute, she looked at DuPont.

"The second task you gave me has only yielded a little over eighty people so far, which is far from the 200 you wanted. But the council has ordered that these apprentices must not be allowed to get within three miles. Are we going to use the second plan now?"

"Let's get started. It doesn't matter how many people are in Plan Two; the key is the people in Plan Three." DuPont looked at the thinning crowd with a hint of pity in his eyes.

Suppressing them is too easy, so easy that no one wants to dirty their hands.

The lack of force means that this seemingly exciting event, which even shakes the prestige of the legislators, will inevitably end in failure. All these people's efforts will be in vain, and this incident may even be recorded in their future files, becoming a stain on their lives.

They could even be expelled from school or even detained and exiled.

What he had to do was to quell the incident at the lowest possible cost, so that the news in Faerûn wouldn't make headlines tomorrow, and to ensure that as many apprentices as possible could be properly settled.

Sensing DuPont's unusual emotions, Veronica said softly, "This may not be just, but we are doing the right thing. If Harua really falls into chaos, more people will be plunged into disaster, and this is a necessary process."

"Perhaps." DuPont lowered his head and took out a simple cigarette case, a small gift from the sensible head of the inspection department.

Endless Cigarette Box
Grade: Non-ordinary

Note: You can take out 10 cigarettes with premium tobacco from this cigarette box every day. When using cigarettes, your concentration and mental strength will be slightly improved, and will naturally recover at 0:00 each day.

DuPont had just lit his cigarette but hadn't even taken a puff when Veronica stubbed it out: "What are you doing smoking, kid? You're already a scoundrel, you need to play the good guy more often, otherwise everyone will be wary of you in the future."

"What are you saying? Hasn't my information already been pretty much exposed in Parliament?" DuPont shook his head. His position was still too low; having his intelligence information known made him too easy to target. "That's not a good thing."

“I’ve already told the old man to set your file to top secret from now on. Even members of parliament will only be able to get information about you up to today.” Veronica said with considerable regret. Who would have thought that DuPont would be exposed to these guys ahead of time, when they were all prepared to suppress the Blue Dragon matter.

"However, I've also tried to help you. If we handle this matter well today, in addition to the benefits we've already received, there won't be any problem with the baron being promoted to earl. And it won't be an honorary title, but a real one. In the future, you and your father will each have your own page in your family's genealogy."

"Oh, is that so?" Dupont said with some curiosity, "Is there a new earldom that can be given to Harua?"

A baron might have a small town at most, but an earl would at least have a small city governing tens of thousands of people.

“Normally, that wouldn’t exist, but isn’t the Nas Desert empty?” Veronica smiled sheepishly. “Now, nearly ten thousand square miles of desert and wasteland in the southwest of the Nas Desert are all your territory.”

"Damn it, what's the point of this lousy land? Am I supposed to collect taxes from the kobolds and blue dragons?" DuPont rolled his eyes, gaining a new appreciation for how utterly unreliable these bastards in the council were. "Forget it, Plan One is nearing completion. Let's move on to Plan Two."

On Parliament Avenue, as the magical glow emanating from these masked men gradually faded, they could no longer abduct people. These burly men quickly left, and those who were occasionally controlled by bewitching magic would quickly regain their senses and retreat under the cover of others, leaving almost no witnesses behind.

Looking at the team, which probably numbered less than a thousand, Robert couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

They had already tried their best to save people and had the advantage in numbers, so why were so many students still kidnapped? Their counterattacks were as weak as children's.
"I think their magical equipment is much more luxurious than the previous guards'." Tyrannosaurus felt sad looking at the troops whose morale was somewhat low. Not to mention that the already chaotic streets were now full of filth. Even though the apprentices were using magic to clean it up, the stench was hard to dissipate for a while. Everyone covered their noses, and some even used wind magic to try to get some fresh air.

"I feel that these people are probably regular soldiers, but they are afraid of making a bad impression, so they wore masks and changed clothes."

Lillier gritted her teeth in anger at the chaotic scene, yet was also somewhat relieved that she hadn't drunk the light beer those people had brought her: "They're so despicable, resorting to such insidious methods. I wonder where those apprentices who were captured will be taken."

"Should we go and rescue them?" The dwarf tilted his head, offering a suggestion he himself wasn't sure was reliable: "Should we all come out and protest? Now that they've been arrested, it wouldn't be right for us to do nothing?"

“That won’t do. The place they’re holding isn’t a prison, but a secret place. If we rush in, it would be illegal. If we fail, the morale of the whole team will probably collapse.”

Robert thought for a moment and replied, "Not to mention that they are being held captive. If we go to rescue them, we will only harm them. We are now less than 7 miles from the parliament. If we successfully complete our demands, they will be released quickly. On the contrary, if we fail, their fate will only be worse."

"What you're saying makes sense."

After thinking it over, everyone agreed with this view. Robert gave the order again, calling on everyone to continue to gather: "We are only a few miles away. We must make sure that the councilors hear our voices and not let the efforts of those arrested students be in vain!"

However, they hadn't gone far when a group of simply dressed citizens came up to them. A woman saw Lillie and anxiously shouted, "Lillie, what are you doing here? Come out and come home with me!"

"Mother, what brings you here?" Lillier was also startled. Why was her mother, who lived in the lower city, here? Normally, commoners like her would have to go through a complicated registration process when they came to the academy district.

"We're protesting here, Mother. What are you doing here? The guards might come and beat people up. You're just an ordinary person; it's too dangerous for you to be here. Go home!"

"Lily, stop making a scene and come home with me." Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman broke down in tears, grabbing her daughter's sleeve and refusing to let go: "How dare you protest against the council? Those councilors are all highly intelligent and skilled archmages. With a single thought, countless people could die. How can you possibly win against them?"

“How can this be? We came here together.” The parliament building was already in everyone’s sight. Seeing the hope of success, how could the girl give up now, especially since there were many of her classmates around? “Mother, please go back quickly. Our demands are legal. If we succeed, everyone will be released, and everything will be as usual.”

"How did you manage to do that? They have airships and golems. I just saw dwarven chariots billowing black smoke coming this way. Those steel tracks could crush even rocks."

The woman burst into tears: "You're just an apprentice! You yourself said that you struggle even to kill goblins on your own adventures, how can you possibly fight against an archmage!"

“We haven’t broken the law, we’re just fighting for our rights.” Seeing her mother, Lillie, with tears streaming down her face, felt a pang of sadness and resentment. “They’re asking us for hundreds of gold coins out of nowhere. How can we possibly pay that? Will we even survive next semester? If we get expelled, we’ll still have to pay back those thousands of gold coins in student loans. How can we possibly repay that?”

“If you need money, we can help you find a way. You’re a good kid, you’ll definitely be able to pay it back after you graduate. There are people willing to lend us money.”

The woman wiped away her tears and looked at the other apprentices: "Besides, with so many of them, they don't need a girl like you to support them. Come home with me, or you won't be able to run away when those men in black coats come! If you go to jail and lose your future, how are we supposed to live?!"

Tears streamed down Lillie's face. "Mother, we're doing the right thing. Please don't do this."

“What’s the right thing to do?” The woman shook her head anxiously. “Going against the Grand Master is wrong. What you’re doing is just hoping they won’t dare to do anything to you. But what if they really do make a move? You’re gambling your future and your life on someone else’s mercy. Even the most foolish gambler wouldn’t make such a bet.”

“Mother, we’re not gambling, and this is legal.”

“Where is the law? It is in Harua that the great mages are the law!” The woman was frantic and at a loss. She tugged at her daughter’s sleeve but couldn’t budge it. In her desperation, she suddenly knelt down on the ground.

She grabbed her daughter's leg, but looked at the other apprentices: "There are so many of you, you don't need one more girl, just let my daughter go home."

Listening to the heart-wrenching cries, Robert felt a little dizzy.

This same tragic scene wasn't limited to Lillie; the nearly one hundred people in the group each grabbed their own child, trying to dissuade them, saying things very similar to Lillie's mother's.
As a race that loves happiness, dwarves can't bear to see others cry. The Tyrannosaurus Rex looked timidly at his friend: "Robert, what should we do?"

"I"

(End of this chapter)