Chapter 1218: Inquiry and Dispute

Giles Tower, Projection Hall.

Just as Xia Duo was weighing his options and making a secret decision, the teleportation was already complete, and eight familiar figures appeared in the Projection Hall out of thin air.

As soon as these people appeared, they restricted the surrounding Magic Net environment; Xia Duo noticed this, frowned, but said nothing.

"Xia Duo, introduce the situation you know to the several leaders of the Seven Towers."

The person who spoke first was none other than Iolum, the first person Xia Duo had contacted.

He first swept a glance around the Projection Hall, then walked up to Xia Duo, intentionally or unintentionally separating Xia Duo from the other seven, and his opening words held no intent to hold him accountable, his tone carrying much protection.

Seeing this scene, thoughts surged in Xia Duo's mind; he had just been suspicious of this teacher, but now, was he wrong, or was the other party just too good at acting?

Looking at the other Great Arcanists, except for Sikumu, who was clearly somewhat shocked and angry, Xia Duo did not see much outward emotion on the faces of the others.

For a moment, he truly could not distinguish what these people were thinking, so he followed Iolum's lead and began to explain: "It happened like this—"

"This morning, I went to visit Leisen Territory. Because we discussed a secret matter, Lord Kelifu was summoned. After some exchange, we decided to explore a Midi in the Astral Plane together. This was around dusk."

"Afterward, we each came to Seventon. I first went to the Arcane Union to see my teacher to ask about some Astral Plane exploration matters, and immediately after, I came here."

"The Astral Plane exploration was initiated by Lord Kelifu, and the participants also included Lord Suo En, the Eternal Holy Spirit. The three of us set out from here together for the Astral Plane. Later, we encountered an attack by indigenous hunters. According to our agreement, I returned first."

"As soon as I returned, I saw Lord Kelifu turn into dust before my eyes. I was also very shocked that such a major event occurred, so I immediately notified my teacher. As for what happened afterward, you all probably know."

Except for the Dream Ruins and the resurrection spell, which Xia Duo did not mention, he said everything else he could. As for whether these Great Arcanists of the Seven Towers believed him, he was not quite sure.

After Xia Duo finished speaking, he lowered his head and remained silent. The others, including Iolum, did not continue to ask questions, but each used their own methods to examine Kelifu's remains.

A moment later, Lander was the first to state his opinion: "He is not lying, and Kelifu is indeed dead!"

"How is this possible? A Great Arcanist just died like this during an Astral Plane exploration?"

"Could it be that even an Astral Projection Avatar did not have time to escape back to the Main Plane?"

"With Suo En there, such a thing still happened, heh!"

As soon as the Great Arcanists spoke, they steered the topic toward conspiracy theories, especially Haruisi of Fenwick Tower, who almost explicitly stated that this matter could not be separated from Suo En.

This instead made the only survivor of this incident suddenly become an outsider.

Hearing Haruisi's baseless accusation, the newly appointed leader of Giles Tower, Sikumu, suddenly changed color and angrily rebuked: "Haruisi, in the past I have always respected you as a wise elder, but I never expected you to say such unwise words!"

"What kind of existence Suo En is, you and I both know very well. Back then, he did not choose Fenwick Tower, but chose Giles Tower—was it really because of his background!"

"Cough—"

Xia Duo was finding it interesting to listen, but unexpectedly, Badijiaer suddenly spoke up to interrupt Sikumu, and the others also blocked the space between the two, offering no shortage of persuasive words.

"The two of you, in the current situation, what we should consider most is how to handle the aftermath, not arguing here over some baseless things!"

"The death of a Great Arcanist is no small matter, let alone one with such a special status as Kelifu, and he died at Giles Tower. This matter must have an explanation!"

After the Princess left, Badijiaer had considerable prestige, and his words quickly made Sikumu and Haruisi calm down a little, but Haruisi still had many questions:

"Is investigating the cause of death not handling the aftermath? In the current situation, we need a clear result that can withstand the scrutiny of others! Hmph, I think Sikumu is still too young; why not go ask Master Bailun how to handle this!"

"You—"

Sikumu snorted coldly but did not continue to say anything. However, he finally glanced at Xia Duo without a trace. This look made Xia Duo feel that something was wrong; if this also meant venting anger on him, that would be too petty!

"Alright, both of you say less!"

Badijiaer's face was clearly somewhat displeased. What time was it, and what kind of occasion was this, yet they were still playing these petty tricks? He glared fiercely at Haruisi, then asked Lander:

"Lander, what do you think of this matter?"

"Although what Lord Xia Duo said is not false, it may not necessarily reflect the full truth of the facts. Whether it is a conspiracy theory or an accident theory, a Great Arcanist cannot die so easily. I think it is necessary to investigate further."

Speaking to the end, Lander turned the topic back to Xia Duo again. He walked slowly to Xia Duo, nodded slightly to Iolum, and then asked:

"Lord Xia Duo, you just said that you and Kelifu went to explore an Astral Plane Midi. What kind of Midi is it? Can you say it? Also, you said you encountered Astral indigenous hunters. What kind of hunters were they? Could it be that with the abilities of Suo En and Kelifu, they could not deal with them?"

"This—"

Xia Duo looked at Iolum, and seeing the other party nod slightly, he continued to explain: "To the first question, the Midi we were going to, Lord Kelifu called it the 'Dream Ruins'. As for where it specifically is and what the situation is, I hadn't arrived there yet when I encountered an accident and returned to the Main Plane. I cannot answer this point."

"As for the situation of the hunters, Lord Suo En seemed to have some understanding of those hunters, but he did not explain it to me. Lord Kelifu might have known, but he is now..."

"I only know that those hunters hunt in the Astral Plane in small teams, and they are good at tracking and melee combat. As for the hunters we encountered, I don't believe they could harm Lord Suo En or Lord Kelifu, but I am not sure about their later reinforcements, and—"

"And what?" Lander immediately pressed, and the others also immediately cast their gazes toward Xia Duo.

Xia Duo was not panicked by this, but there were some things he could not figure out, and he did not know how to bring them up. After thinking for a moment, he first asked the group a question:

"Suppose—I mean suppose—if Lord Kelifu stayed there for two more days after I left the Astral Plane, would we have returned to the Main Plane together?"

This question was actually terrifying to think about. Xia Duo had not even been willing to think about such a question in the past, but now that something had happened, and the matter had fallen on him, he had to think about it.