Chapter 1341: Iolum Seeks, Preparing to Upgrade

"Don't do this next time."

"Mm."

Xia Duo and Niya were on such good terms that it wasn't easy for them to fall into a cold war; she was simply worried that Xia Duo might encounter danger by entering the Ether Plane on such short notice.

Now that Xia Duo had returned safely and had taken the initiative to lower his pride to coax her, Niya naturally wouldn't keep dwelling on the matter, and after some playful banter, the two soon began discussing serious business.

"Did the Halan Territory lord contact the Tower of Time this afternoon?"

"No, but the Tower of Time received a message from Lord Iolum. He couldn't reach you, so he turned to contact the Tower of Time instead."

"Iolum?"

Xia Duo was immediately puzzled. If the person contacting him had been the Halan Territory lord, he might have believed it more, but Niya had clearly stated that the person contacting him was Iolum.

This was a situation Xia Duo had almost never encountered in the past.

Previously, it was always he who took the initiative to contact Iolum, while the other party rarely contacted him first; if they did, it was generally to answer his questions.

Yet, it was impossible for Niya to tell such an easily debunked lie, so what was going on with this situation?

Xia Duo immediately pressed, "What did he say?"

"Nothing special, just that you should go to Seventon as soon as possible," Niya replied.

Since the Tower of Time's Sending magic array could save messages, Niya played back the previously saved voice of Iolum while she spoke; it was indeed as she said, asking Xia Duo to go to Seventon as soon as possible.

Or, more accurately—to go to the Arcane Union.

With such an abrupt invitation and no reason given, Xia Duo was even more curious. What exactly had happened that made Iolum unable to reach him, yet still contact the Tower of Time just to have him go to Seventon?

"Could it be that there are some follow-ups to the previous Kelifu incident?"

This thought flashed through Xia Duo's mind, but he immediately dismissed it. Kelifu was alive and well after his resurrection, and he had even met with the other party before leaving Seventon.

If Giles Tower wanted to pick a fight, it should have been with Kelifu; surely they wouldn't want to pick on a soft target?

Besides, even if they wanted to find him, it wouldn't reach the point of having Iolum notify him, and notify him without saying anything at all—how could that be possible?

Xia Duo was very certain that if someone in Seventon wanted to contact him, they would never go through Iolum as an intermediary.

Then there was only one possibility: Iolum himself had something to discuss with him.

Thinking of this, Xia Duo's breathing became a bit rapid. The matters he could think of that Iolum might want him for were, first, the Mythallar, or more accurately, the data on the new Energy-Conducting Material he had provided.

The other was the situation regarding the academy-style training here at the Tower of Time.

But the latter was, after all, a long-term plan; whenever the two met, it would be perfectly fine to ask about it then, with no need to contact him specifically, and if he couldn't be reached, to have someone else relay the message.

"Could it be that the Mythallar research has succeeded?"

As soon as he thought of this possibility, Xia Duo could barely sit still, and Niya also noticed his abnormal mood at this time, asking with concern:

"What's wrong? Did you figure out what Lord Iolum wants with you?"

"I've guessed a bit. If nothing goes wrong, it should be good news, don't worry."

Xia Duo did not reveal the existence of the Mythallar to Niya; this thing involved too much, and one careless move could potentially trigger a "world war."

Before obtaining Iolum's consent, he would not mention it to anyone—of course, this "anyone" included Niya.

"Then, shouldn't you reply to him?" Niya asked softly.

"I do need to reply."

But immediately after, Xia Duo changed the subject and said apologetically, "I only just returned from Seventon, and now I have to go back. I don't know how long I'll have to stay there this time. Why don't you come with me?"

"No," Niya shook her head, placed her hand in Xia Duo's palm, held it gently, and said with a firm tone, "Don't worry about me. I think it's more appropriate for me to stay in Nan Jing. Just remember to come back early after you finish your business."

Xia Duo nodded without saying anything more, only gripping the hands Niya had extended to him tightly.

Romantic attachments might erode one's will, but they could also be a source of Courage and conviction. Xia Duo felt that he had been changed a lot by Niya, but he did not reject such a change.

If a person couldn't even maintain their seven emotions and six desires, could they still be considered a person?

Xia Duo did not wish to be a pure, extreme avatar of some goal-executor; he wanted to be a truly complete, real person.

After spending some time with Niya in front of the Study's Projection Window, the sky had turned completely dark, and the last batch of Daxia Territory Development Department Working Group members in the window's Projection had already returned to Linshui Village one after another.

"It's getting late. You go to Linshui Village to order food first; I'll go over after I contact Iolum."

"Mm."

Niya responded, then withdrew her small hand from Xia Duo's, stood up, and teleported away.

"Teacher Iolum, I just received your message from the Tower of Time. Is there some urgent matter in Seventon?"

After sending the message via the Communication Magic Tool, Xia Duo held the Magic Artifact Crystal Ball and waited quietly for Iolum's reply.

But to his surprise, just a few seconds after he sent the message, Iolum's reply came—"There is indeed an urgent matter that requires your help. If possible, come as soon as possible!"

Hm? Need help?

It wasn't that the Mythallar research had succeeded?

Xia Duo couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, but then he thought, could it be that Iolum wanted to invite him to join the Mythallar research?

Compared to just receiving the finished product, he preferred to participate in the research process; this would not only help him deepen his personal relationship with Iolum but also allow him to better understand the Principles and structure of the Mythallar.

The finished product might only be first-generation technology, but actually participating in the research could yield the most cutting-edge version!

How to choose was self-evident.

"Teacher, is it the project related to the Energy-Conducting Material?"

"Yes."

After receiving the accurate information from Iolum, Xia Duo was filled with excitement. He immediately replied—"There are still some things to handle here in Nan Jing. I will definitely arrive by the day after tomorrow at the latest!"

Of course, if Iolum had said it wasn't that project, Xia Duo would still have agreed to go and help, though he would inevitably have been a bit disappointed.

Afterward, Xia Duo went to Linshui Village to have dinner with Niya, which need not be mentioned further.

……

The next day, Xia Duo got up early. He told Iolum that there were still some matters in Nan Jing that needed to be handled. This was not some excuse feigned for show, but a genuine matter—

Counting the Projection Plane, he had already been transmigrated for a full fifteen years; it was time to become a Great Arcanist!

Even without Iolum's invitation, according to the plan Xia Duo had set for himself, he would have upgraded to a Great Arcanist by the end of the year.

As for now, it was merely a few months early, and it would not interfere in any way with the inevitable success!