Mayor Dusti was both surprised and amused. He could see that Amon wanted to pick a fight with Shog. He could not help but wonder how brave the kid was. Amon did have a reason to pick a fight with Shog. Shog almost cut off one of his fingers last time, and Amon had never offended the priest. But thinking was one thing, but the kid actually did it!
Amon claimed to have found a natural ore core that did not need to be mined in the stream from the mountain torrent. This situation was not impossible, but it was very rare. If some townspeople really found one or two of these ores, they would only take them home secretly. There was no way they would report it. Of course, they would keep the ores. As long as they did not say anything, no one would know.
By doing this, Amon clearly wanted Shog to pay the tax for him. Who asked the priest to make such a promise just to apologize?
Shog's face darkened, but he could not say anything in front of the crowd. He asked, "Amon, you're a lucky and honest kid. Can you let me have a look at your ores?"
He thought that Amon had found one or two ores at most. When Amon took out a piece of sheepskin and opened it, everyone around gasped. Shog's eyes darkened and he fainted on the spot. If it were not for the servant next to him who caught him, the back of his head would have hit the stairs!
In the dirty sheepskin, there were not only 20 colorless and transparent standard ores, but also a special ores that glowed with a dark blue luster, like strange and mysterious water rippling in it.
The onlookers were all shocked speechless. At this time, the mayor was the calmest. He was the first to come back to his senses. He took a deep breath and asked, "Amon, did you really find these?"
Amon nodded without changing his expression. "Yes, it must have been a mountain torrent that happened to open up a vein of ore. A bunch of ore cores were exposed in the dry stream. I was very lucky to find them."
Dusti swallowed and felt his lips were a little dry. He looked around and said in a low voice, "Actually, you can … do this … to yourself …"
He only said half of each sentence, but the meaning was obvious. In fact, Amon could have stayed quietly and not told anyone. But doing so would force Master Shog to pay the tax, which would not benefit Amon. Master Shog would definitely take revenge. How could a miner's son offend Master Shog's power and status?
Someone said, "Master Shog has fainted. What should we do?"
Amon also replied, "Mayor, I want to pay taxes. You won't make me violate the law in public, right?"
Mayor Dusti sighed and said helplessly, "Wake Master Shog up. We all know that Amon's family tax for this year will be paid by him!"
Only the mayor knew why Shog fainted. If there were only twenty parangons, Shog would not have lost his composure like this even if it was like a knife cutting through his flesh. The key was the blue parangon. The miners in the town did not know its value. According to the tax, it was equivalent to two hundred standard parangons.
In other words, Shog had to pay a total of one hundred and ninety-eight parangons for Amon. One parangon was equivalent to twenty gold coins, so Shog had to pay close to four thousand gold coins! Such a sum of money could buy a luxurious manor in Syah, with a flock of servants and cattle.
Shog was woken up by someone rubbing his chest. He stood up with the help of two servants and asked in a trembling voice, "Do you really want to pay taxes, Amon?" His eyes looked like they were about to drip blood as he spoke. If looks could kill, Amon would have been dismembered.
Amon met Shog's stare without dodging. He looked into Shog's eyes as if provoking him. He answered calmly and clearly, "Yes. Does the clerk in charge of tax registration want me to evade taxes in public?"
He had to pay the tax even if he didn't want to. Shog avoided Amon's eyes and said to Dusti with a pleading look and a pitiful tone, "Mayor, I'll take the tax and register it as twenty-one parangons."
It seemed that only Dusti understood what he meant. It was a word game. A blue parangon was still a parangon, so there seemed to be nothing wrong with registering it. But it involved a secret of Shog and Dusti, and it was the best way for the two nobles to make money. In the past, they would be overjoyed when a miner found a special parangon.
The townspeople did not know how valuable the special parangon was, because it would be taken away as soon as it was mined. It could not be used as a currency in the market like a standard parangon. All they knew was that it was very rare. Maybe one would be found in hundreds of parangons. If it was mined, the mayor would be happy to reward the miner with an extra parangon.
The rest of the matter was left to the mayor and the clerk's dirty tricks. A special parangon was worth two hundred standard parangons. According to the law, one could keep twenty parangons for himself. The miner who mined it only got one as a reward, and the other nineteen were pocketed by Dusti and Shog. That was not the most profitable situation. If the mayor allowed it to be a word game, and the clerk only registered the parangon instead of the special one, they could get a share of 198 parangons!
But the situation was different now. The more valuable the blue parangon was, the more Shog had to pay for Amon's tax. Shog was hinting to Mayor Dusti not to register it as the Aquaticore, just like he did before. He was even winking at the mayor, hoping to hide the value of the Aquaticore and trick Amon into giving him a normal parangon as a reward. In this way, not only would he not lose anything, but he would also make a fortune.
Mayor Dusti hesitated. He coughed and was about to speak. Unexpectedly, Amon said loudly, "My lord priest, I'm sorry. Don't forget I can read too! Please register it truthfully. Twenty standard parangons and one blue parangon. I can read it. "
This sentence was like an invisible hammer. Shog's body suddenly trembled, and then he leaned softly on his servant's shoulder. He did not dare to look at Amon, but only at Dusti. Dusti's face darkened. He said to Amon in a low voice, "Leave the taxes to the lords. Anyway, they won't make you pay. And your blue … blue parangon, can you give it to me? The town will give you a special reward. "
Amon asked, "If the taxes have been paid in full, then all the parangons can stay in my hands, can't they?"
Dusti's throat was a little dry. He said in a low voice, "If you pay the special parangons, you will get an extra reward. You don't lose anything …"
Before he finished, Amon felt a hand on his shoulder. Crazy 'Ole's voice was unhurried, "My lord, I often see this kind of thing. Some people take things that don't belong to them. Over time, it becomes a habit, but they forget that it doesn't belong to them. If one day they don't get what doesn't belong to them, they will feel that the real owner shouldn't have it. What kind of person is that? "
Looking at Shog's pitiful face begging the mayor, Amon somehow felt a nameless anger rising in his heart. He could hardly suppress it. He wanted to take two steps forward and punch Shog in the face. The thought made Amon's body tremble. Crazy 'Ole appeared at this moment. He put his hand on Amon's shoulder, and an invisible force stopped Amon from moving.
Mayor Dusti did not speak, but Crazy 'Ole continued, "This is the devil! Desire is not necessarily evil. It can encourage people to create and pursue more beauty … But I want to tell a story. … But I want to tell a story. There was once a man who stole a gold coin from me every day, and no one pursued the matter. Later on, I kindly told him that it was not good to do so, but his heart was filled with hatred and curses. He asked me to encourage and praise him to continue this behavior, otherwise it would become my evil deed, but he completely forgot that he had once received so much from me. Tell me, whose evil deed is this? "
Mayor Dusti broke out in a cold sweat under Crazy 'Ole's stare. He unconsciously took a step back and turned to Shog, "Clerk, Amon's request is normal and legal. Since he can read, let him watch you register. Write down twenty standard parangons and one blue parangon. You will pay the tax."
As soon as he said this, Lord Shog's eyes turned white. He straightened his body and spat out a mouthful of blood. Then he fell into the arms of a servant. The servant hurriedly carried him into the shrine for emergency treatment. Most people still did not understand what had happened. It seemed that Lord Shog was sick, very sick.
Crazy 'Ole watched coldly as Shog was carried into the shrine. Then he said to Dusti, "The clerk is not well and can't work. Mayor, please register it yourself."
Dusti wiped the sweat off his forehead and nodded, "Okay, I'll register it. Take the kid away!"
But when he saw Shog vomiting blood and fainting, he calmed down somehow. He felt that this noble priest was just like a lowly and pitiful worm. Shog vomited blood and fainted. But when he saw Shog vomiting blood and fainting, he calmed down somehow. Crazy 'Ole's hand on Amon's shoulder tightened. Amon involuntarily turned half a circle and followed Crazy' Ole.
…
"Kid, Shog deserves it. But you're suffering. Do you understand the desire of two sides? Learning how to face it is like learning how to use power. What you did today was dangerous. You were not calm enough. If you don't learn how to face this test, I won't see your achievements in the future. I'm afraid I'll see your corpse soon. "
They were in Crazy 'Ole's house. Nietzsche drank as he spoke, but he did not pour any for Amon.
Amon asked, "You mean Shog will take revenge on me?"
Crazy 'Ole laughed, "Of course! You know the consequences! Of course he wants to kill you … Do you know the value of the Aquaticore? "
Amon said, "I don't know. You didn't tell me. I think it's worth a lot."
Crazy 'Ole said, "People in Duc have a different concept of money. One Aquaticore is worth two hundred parangons, which is equivalent to four thousand gold parangons. And it's not something you can buy just because you want to. Such a sum of money can cause bloodshed anywhere, let alone in the hands of a kid like you. Duc is safe for now, at least I'm here. But what about you? "
Amon lowered his head, "You seem to know what I'm going to do. You didn't stop me."
Crazy 'Ole shook his head, "Persuasion won't work. I can stop you, but I can't face the rising desire for you. After this incident, you should understand how to control it. Face it with a clear mind and even enjoy it. But don't let it control your thoughts and actions. Besides, I'd like to see you deal with Shog. He deserves it. But you have to watch yourself. "
Amon nodded, "I think I understand."
Crazy 'Ole stood up, "It's good that you understand. Now you can learn the most basic first-level magic. There are many kinds of magic, including elemental magic, spiritual magic, prayer magic, spatial magic, message magic and so on. It's difficult for a sorcerer to master all kinds of magic. Most of them have their own specialties. I don't know what you're good at. Since you have the Aquaticore, you can start with water magic. "
Magic was so mysterious and profound in Amon's mind. But Crazy 'Ole told him that the standard to become a first-level mage was very simple: a sheet of ice!
Summoning the water in the environment, condensing it into ice, and quietly covering the ground with a layer of ice. What Amon didn't know was that this meant three kinds of water magic. Although they were all first-level magic, the combination was not easy, and it had to be done silently.
Crazy 'Ole didn't tell him how difficult it was for a beginner sorcerer. He only said that it was the easiest way to start.
Condensing water into ice was easy. Following Crazy 'Ole's method, Amon did it on his first try. Summoning the water in the environment to form countless tiny ice crystals, gradually covering the ground. It was a bit difficult at first, but he succeeded after a few days. Crazy 'Ole smiled at Amon, "You can practice it again and again, but don't use the Aquaticore when you practice by yourself."
When Amon didn't use the Aquaticore as a medium, he found that it was ten times more difficult to use the same magic. Crazy 'Ole should have given him a staff, but the old man seemed to have forgotten. He wanted Amon to use his own magic power without any tools.
Amon couldn't do it. In fact, many low-level mages couldn't do it, including third-level mages. At least they needed a staff with a common parangon! But Amon already knew what to do. He had mastered the technique. He had succeeded many times with the Aquaticore, so he didn't doubt that his method was wrong. It was just that he didn't have enough power. He didn't have any doubts or frustration. Practice hard!
At this time, Crazy 'Ole explained to Amon the special features of the Aquaticore and how to use it. The Aquaticore not only helped to awaken the power, but also greatly assisted the casting of water magic. If Amon had used his own power from the beginning, he wouldn't have succeeded. Using the Aquaticore was a shortcut.
However, there was a principle to using tricks, and it could only be used in two situations. The first was to better grasp a certain magic, and to understand its methods and techniques in the most thorough way possible. The second was when fighting for life and death, it was impossible to hold back any strength. But after mastering a certain magic, it was best not to use it during practice. Otherwise, it would lead to dependence and complacency, which was not good for one's power.
Crazy 'Ole said so, so Amon did as he said. He couldn't do it without the Aquaticore, but he wasn't in a hurry. Amon kept an eye on it. Every once in a while, he would try it again with the Aquaticore to see how much his power had grown. He was satisfied with the result. The ice was forming faster and faster, and the area was getting bigger and bigger.
Crazy 'Ole, of course, knew that it was too difficult for Amon to form ice with his own power, and to do it without anyone noticing. He would be surprised if he could do it easily. All geniuses had their limits! Except for that, Crazy 'Ole didn't teach Amon anything else, not even body arts.
Until one day, Amon spent the whole afternoon secretly forming an almost imperceptible layer of ice on the doorstep of Crazy 'Ole's house. He wanted to see Crazy' Ole fall, and then he could help him. But when Crazy 'Ole came home, the ice disappeared, and Amon, who was behind the door, slipped and fell.
Crazy 'Ole said to him, "My child, you're already a first-level sorcerer. It's a great achievement for others in such a short time, but for you, I only hope you can make it in time. … Because the disaster is coming soon. … Because disaster is coming soon. At that time, you must be able to protect yourself, and you must learn how to protect yourself. "
Amon asked curiously, "What disaster?"
Crazy 'Ole didn't want to say more. He just asked, "Do you still go to the cold spring to practice magic every night?"
Amon nodded, "Yes, I'm used to it."
The cold spring was no longer piercingly cold, but just a cool pond. But Amon was used to calling it the cold spring, and he also went there to bathe and practice magic every day. It was a secluded place with a peaceful environment. Amon felt a sense of familiarity and intimacy.
Crazy 'Ole didn't say anything more. He just nodded, "Well, go on."
Amon didn't know why Crazy 'Ole said the disaster was coming, but that night, Amon really did encounter a disaster.
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