Chapter 118: Elf Hot Dance

Xia Duo did not believe this; the news had already spread to the Apprentices in the Mage Tower. Even if Aideliqi had a somewhat special background, being able to say it so bluntly suggested that this was very likely just an advertisement.

"Aideliqi, has there been an 'Elf Hot Dance' there in the past?"

"This—"

Aideliqi stammered, but under the pressure of the gazes from Xia Duo and the others, he still told the truth, "Fine, I admit it, it happens every year!"

"It happens every year?" Dien and the others widened their eyes; looking at Aideliqi now was like looking at a liar!

If it happened every year, how could only a few people have seen it? If many people had seen it, how had they never heard of it?

"Believe me, everything I said is true!"

Seeing that his companions did not believe him, Aideliqi became so anxious he grew incoherent, "My brother saw it last year; he said there really were Elves performing inside. I believe my brother wouldn't lie to me!"

"Your brother is—"

"His brother is the Lord's student—Mage Aidelian," Xia Duo added.

"Aideliqi's brother is Lord's student?!"

Dien and the other two were quite shocked. They knew Aideliqi might have a background, but they hadn't expected this kind of background. Of course, being the Lord's student didn't count for much; Aideliqi's true background was actually his father, who was the Lord's purse.

However, in the eyes of Dien and the other two, having the endorsement of the Lord's student was enough. They stopped reading their books and stared intently at Aideliqi, hoping he would reveal more about the Elf Hot Dance.

Xia Duo also felt that this Elf Hot Dance was quite interesting and wanted to see it; he had already seen cold and aloof Elves, so he wanted to see what passionate Elves were like!

"Aideliqi, when can we see the Elves' performance?"

"Tomorrow noon, for less than 1 hour."

"It costs money, right?" Xia Duo said with certainty. Being able to spread the news to the Mage Tower must be for the purpose of making money, and it probably wasn't a small amount, so he asked, "Is the Study Group's budget enough?"

After more than half a month of answering questions, and after deducting the costs for borrowing books and renting the Mage Laboratory, their Study Group had a surplus of over 200 Gold Coins.

If that wasn't enough, then Xia Duo would definitely not go to see any Elf Hot Dance; he wouldn't go even if it were a whole group of Elves.

Hearing Xia Duo's inquiry, Aideliqi immediately understood that Xia Duo actually wanted to go, so he hurriedly replied, "It's enough! It's enough! If it's just for a moment, it's only 10 Gold Coins per person, but if you want to stay there and watch the whole thing, you need some wine. I've asked around; the five of us can just order one bottle of Blue Dream for 50 Gold Coins together, totaling only 100 Gold Coins."

"Only—?!"

Dien drew out his tone. Coming from an ordinary farming family, he knew the concept of 100 Gold Coins well; his family, including farming and doing odd jobs, could only earn 100 Gold Coins after working hard for a year, and that didn't even include expenses.

Although their Study Group had earned several hundred Gold Coins in less than a month, this money relied heavily on Xia Duo. If it weren't for Xia Duo, he would never have been able to earn that much money himself.

As someone who would haggle over every Copper, he really didn't want to waste 100 Gold Coins on entertainment. Dien couldn't help but look at Xia Duo; at this moment, the only one who could stop it was Xia Duo.

"Xia Duo, what do you think? 100 Gold Coins is too much, isn't it!"

Actually, upon hearing it was only 100 Gold Coins, Xia Duo was tempted. It wasn't that 100 Gold Coins weren't precious, but this "extracurricular activity" could just happen to serve as a team-building activity for the Study Group.

Plus, it could satisfy his own curiosity. Holding over 2000 Gold Coins, Xia Duo felt it was quite worth it.

"I think we can go take a look; after all, it only happens once a year. Besides, we aren't that short on money right now; if it should be spent, it must be spent. That's decided!"

Xia Duo finalized the itinerary for tomorrow. Aideliqi, Sami, and Dewan immediately showed joy, while Dien could only nod with a pained expression.

"Alright, go eat. Dien, stay behind."

Regarding this, although Aideliqi and the others were a bit puzzled and didn't know what Xia Duo wanted with Dien, they all knew that Xia Duo was always fair and impartial, so they assumed there was some private matter to discuss and left first.

Left behind, Dien felt a bit uneasy, fearing that Xia Duo would blame him for his previous behavior, so his tone became cautious, "Xia Duo, is there something you need me for?"

"Nothing major, just want you to do me a favor."

Dien breathed a sigh of relief and immediately agreed, "What favor? As long as I can do it, I won't refuse."

"Hehe, don't be so nervous. We are all companions in the same Study Group, and I won't let you work for nothing. I will pay you for it. As for what the favor is—"

After a slight pause, Xia Duo continued, "I would like to ask you to help me transcribe a few books. For every book you finish transcribing, I will pay you 20 Gold Coins, and I will cover the cost of materials."

"I—"

Dien understood that Xia Duo was helping him out; otherwise, how could transcribing books for someone have such a high reward!

But he couldn't accept it. He had already received the greatest benefit by joining the Study Group; how could he be so greedy? Just as he was about to refuse, Xia Duo said:

"Think about how difficult things are for your family outside before you become a full member. The Study Group's income cannot be used casually; I imagine things are probably not easy for you usually."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dien's eyes turned red. It wasn't just "not easy"; after the Orc War, he had once left the Mage Tower and given all the money he had to his family.

Others came to the Mage Tower and needed their families to subsidize them, but he was the one subsidizing his family. If it weren't for the Study Group, he might really not have been able to hold on.

"I will not give up on any member of the Study Group, so accept it with peace of mind. If you feel bad about it, just perform well in the group!"

"Xia Duo, I—"

"No need to say more, it's decided." Xia Duo took two 100 Gold Coin Exchange Vouchers from his personal purse and stuffed them into Dien's hand, "This is the advance payment for your reward. As for the transcription materials, I will have them ready after the Moon Festival."

After saying this, he ignored Dien's teary-eyed appearance and left on his own.

In fact, Xia Duo had been somewhat negligent regarding the state of the Study Group members. If an organization wants to develop and grow, besides core interests, a little warmth from small favors is also a lubricant for organizational relationships.

It is just a pity that his current status and position are insufficient, so he can only do this much.

If he were the Lord today, Dien would likely have knelt down and offered his loyalty. Xia Duo never avoided his own dark psychology, but he was not a heartless person either. After a long time together, even plants and trees have feelings, let alone people.

Helping Dien cannot be called very dark, nor can it be called very sentimental; it can only be said that, naturally, he made a choice that was beneficial to both parties and the organization.