Chapter 16
Father Webster impressed Veris as a diligent man with a deep passion for magic. He spent his entire life as a magic apprentice and thus held great admiration for powerful magicians.
However, this old priest had a strange personality; he only respected the most powerful magicians. If the person standing in front of him was just an ordinary magician, the old priest would treat them all the same.
He made no secret of his attitude. Before Sylvain appeared, he respected the five great mages of the High Priestly Church and was always serious with any other mage.
Until a few years ago, Veris took Sylvain to the Mercury Cathedral to test his magical talent.
To the old priest's astonishment, the magic crystal ball was blasted into dust by Sylvain's formidable magical talent.
The old priest's attitude instantly reversed, and his face showed unprecedented tenderness and love. Veris, who was with Sylvain and was also nominally his adoptive father, also received the highest honors from the old priest.
Father Webster was deeply impressed by Veris, because the impoverished poet had nurtured the greatest magician of his time, which was enough to earn the respect of all who believed in the age of magic.
He just didn't expect that Veris would appear in Albion.
More precisely, he didn't know exactly where in Mercury Sylvain came from. In fact, he had secretly investigated the church's records, but found that all of Sylvain's information had been taken away and sent to the Papacy, so he dared not make any further moves.
He remembered that Veris was a bard, so after his initial surprise, he quickly accepted that the poet would be in Albion, since it was perfectly normal for poets to wander around.
Father Webster was ordered to investigate the Amberley Mountains, but his main purpose was to clean up the mess. He was actually quite busy. After arriving in Albion, he had to talk to the mayor, then look up information, and then communicate with the resident priest in the town.
As one of the core elements of Albion town, the Mercenary Guild is an entity that cannot be ignored, and the old priest felt that it was necessary to check the information about the Mercenary Guild.
It was only before evening when, on his way to the Mercenary Guild, he ran into that group of merchants again. The fat merchant approached him again, and for reasons unknown, asked Webster who the most famous magician in Mercury was.
Mages are a rare profession. Across the entire continent, apart from the Kingdom of Lortheran, you can't find more than ten legitimate mages in any other county.
Although Father Webster hadn't paid attention to the magicians in Mercury City for a while, his priests soon told him that a promising new magician had emerged six months ago, rejecting the Papacy's offer of employment and staying in Mercury, where he was a guest of the Duke.
The church and the Duke's mansion didn't get along very well, but Father Webster didn't take it to heart when he heard this.
But this merchant, James, insisted on coming to him, and Father Webster naturally told him seriously that the most famous magician in Mercury might be the one he was talking about, but the most powerful magician was definitely not the one he was talking about.
James's face darkened, and under the watchful eyes of his attendants, he couldn't help but burst into a tirade, launching into a scathing attack on Father Webster, saying that the old priest was so old and blind from chanting that he had never gone out and had never heard of Lord Keith.
He was immediately apprehended by the priests and taken to Albion's temporary prison.
By the time Veris learned the whole story, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
The news spread throughout Albion by then.
He just felt that this merchant from Amberley must have had his brain kicked all over by the horses of the caravan to dare to reprimand Father Webster in front of several priests.
Father Webster was arguably one of the most senior clergy members at Mercury Cathedral, and he would have been promoted to bishop in a few years. The reason he hadn't been promoted was because he was engrossed in the study of magic, and his achievements were not as good as those of his contemporaries.
But this old priest was highly respected.
The priests may look kind, but they are not people to be bullied. They are just more literate and clever than ordinary people. As for fighting, no one said that priests are not allowed to be warriors.
Veris remembered that Webster had several warrior-type priests around him.
The old man is getting on in years, so of course we need to protect him.
During the day, the priest and his party would leave Albion to settle refugees in the countryside or even further afield. The church's relief supplies would arrive in Albion the next day and then be sent to the countryside from there.
Therefore, a group of mercenaries were hired to prevent aid supplies from being stolen and to deter refugees.
Arnold and Allen also went. The young hero was in dire need of work, while Allen was simply there to keep Arnold company.
Veris finally felt a lot more at peace; heaven knows, the moment he saw that blond hair, his ears started ringing.
A few days later, he remembered Nelson's suspicion of Arnold. Since Nelson hadn't contacted him these past few days, he deliberately set off an hour early for his evening field trip.
Nelson happened to be at the Mercenary Guild when he saw Veris arrive, and knew that he had come because of the doubts he had had a few days ago.
The guild leader, looking somewhat ashamed, said to Veris, "I misunderstood Arnold. The priests found Percy's body further along the road and discovered a potion that attracted magical beasts on his body. If we had captured Percy that night, perhaps this wouldn't have happened..."
Veris raised an eyebrow and said, "But during the battle, those magical beasts also gravitated towards Arnold?"
"Alan told me that residual powder was found on Arnold's clothes, presumably from when he was arresting Percy that night."
Nelson said that the strange child was standing in the corner and couldn't get into their search, so it was normal for him to accidentally touch the powder on the shelf.
The president felt that the truth had come out and was embarrassed for doubting Arnold, so he provided Arnold with free accommodation and food.
The boy, unaware of what had happened, was overjoyed and loudly praised Chairman Nelson as a rare and virtuous man.
Nelson: ...
After dealing with the monster corpses in the city and returning with a large sum of money, Nelson specially gave Arnold a portion of his share.
The young man's merciless laughter echoed throughout the office. Nelson touched his nose and waited for the laughter to stop before continuing, "Stop laughing at me, Veris. Why does Arnold keep coming to see you? Do you two know each other?"
Veris reached for the water on the table, took a sip, and said, "I don't know him. He probably likes listening to stories, but after I told him a story a few days ago, he's been hesitant to come over."
“What did you say?” Nelson didn’t go to the tavern often.
“Of course, it’s about courtly affairs and secrets,” Veris laughed.
The middle-aged guild leader across from him fell silent again. In his youth, he had frequented taverns quite often, so he knew what Veris meant by the so-called courtly romantic escapades. This guy would never bring up such things unless he was a high-ranking official or nobleman.
He changed the subject: "I've been watching Arnold practice swordsmanship these past few days. The kid has a real talent for being a warrior. It's a pity I'm not a proper warrior. At his age, he could go to an academy to train. Maybe he can become a great warrior in the future."
Veris continued, "There's no academy around Mercury, is there? The nearest academy is the Dwarven Warriors Academy in Edenburg. You might as well go to the Royal Academy in Lortheran."
Nelson was completely confused. He only knew that talented teenagers could go to the academy to train, and students from poor families would receive academy subsidies, but the details were all hearsay.
“The Royal Academy of Lortheran doesn’t usually recruit students from other counties, but if you really want to know, who knows where you’re from?” Veris put the cup back on the table and said slowly, “The recent magician selection also leads directly to the Lortheran Royal Academy’s Magic Academy. Why don’t you let him give it a try? If he has talent, then Albion will produce a magician.”
Nelson's eyes lit up; he was clearly swayed by the description in the boy's words. Maybe that boy not only had the talent of a warrior, but also the talent of a mage? Besides, what harm would it do to take the test? He could even get a meal fee.
If Arnold really does have the talent of a mage, then Albion will surely produce a mage!
Speaking of mages, Nelson recalled what happened a few days ago at the entrance of the Mercenary Guild. He was also present at that event, and inevitably developed a different perspective on the existence of mages.
“I’ll talk to Arnold later; there are still about ten days left,” Nelson said thoughtfully. “They’re going to the countryside; it’ll probably take them about ten days.”
As he was speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out outside, which was quite unusual in the Mercenary Guild. Nelson immediately frowned and strode outside.
Since it was just a simple chat, they didn't close the door this time. Veris looked outside and stood up, but he planned to leave. It was almost evening, and he still had to go out to gather inspiration.
As soon as he stepped into the corridor, he smelled something burning.
The sounds of hurried footsteps, splashing water, and Nelson's loud commands could be heard even through a wall.
Is it on fire?
It was broad daylight, and it wasn't even that hot for the season. The Mercenary Guild had done a good job with fire prevention, so there was only one possibility—someone had deliberately set the fire.
Veris raised an eyebrow. In the middle of the Mercenary Guild was an open courtyard. He walked over there and saw the mercenaries busily carrying water to fight the fire. Nelson frowned deeply. When he saw Veris arrive, he said to him, "The house that caught fire was where relief supplies were stored. I've sent someone to inform the mayor."
The pastor of Albion also went to the countryside with them.
These supplies are temporarily stored at the Mercenary Guild in Albion, which is theoretically the safest place in all of Albion.
But someone actually set fire here in broad daylight.
Nelson felt himself enraged, just like the raging flames.
"Guild Master, Guild Master, the fire inside won't go out!!" A mercenary ran over, panting.
“If a fire can’t be extinguished, then it’s not just ordinary arson.” Veris’s eyes darkened slightly. “I’ll go take a look.”
Veris was knowledgeable and experienced, and Nelson trusted him greatly. He immediately nodded in agreement and even went along with him.
The closer they got to the house, the higher the temperature rose. The mercenaries, unable to extinguish the flames, stood helplessly to one side. Veris stood in front of the house with its door wide open, his eyes reflecting the flames inside frantically licking at supplies, the air filled with the smell of burnt food.
He turned to look at Nelson: "It's magic."
Nelson's face grew even uglier.
A note from the author:
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