Chapter 1357: Cloud-Top Illusion, Elven Challenge

"Five thousand years ago, the remnants of various nations gathered here and swore an oath to be brothers; thus, Evereska was born.

"Today, a more inclusive and powerful Northland Alliance is about to be born here. As a member of the Evereska Council of Elders, I feel sincerely honored.

"Here, I represent all members of the Evereska Council of Elders in paying tribute to you all. May the Northland Alliance flourish forever."

As he spoke, the Elder raised the wine cup in his hand and said to everyone present: "Kings, leaders, and High Mages, please enjoy tonight's feast to your heart's content!"

……

Once the host finished his speech, the banquet officially began—though, to a certain extent, one could also say it ended. Xia Duo glanced around; inside the already very spacious Cloud Crown Palace, wisps of thin mist suddenly began to drift.

Moreover, they showed a trend of becoming denser and denser. Before long, the surrounding scene was gradually shrouded in clouds and mist, but this mist came quickly and went even faster.

Almost at the same time it completely covered the surrounding scene, it became faint and transparent. Xia Duo looked again; at this moment, he felt as if he were placed above the clouds, as if he could stir up wisps of Cloud Qi with a wave of his hand.

It was not just him; everyone else was the same. The Cloud Crown Palace, which was originally considered to be indoors, seemed to have suddenly arrived above the clouds.

Occasionally, a breeze would blow, and strands and wisps of clouds would pass by the guests, resembling a scene from a heavenly palace.

Xia Duo reached out and scooped into the sea of clouds that had covered more than a foot above the ground beside him; it felt like mist, yet also like the Void, and the touch was quite marvelous.

"Is this the Cloud Crown Palace?"

Aside from the wondrous scene, the delivery of food and wine was also very ingenious. Beside almost every guest's seat, a vine still bearing green leaves hung down from the Void, with various fruits, meats, and even wine bottles and tableware growing on it.

If one wanted to eat something, one could simply take it at will. If one did not like any of it, one could also summon new vines to replace the food.

Even in the Projection Plane, Xia Duo had never experienced such a banquet, though he had certainly experienced many similar ones.

Generally, an Elf banquet is mainly divided into two parts: one part is the atmosphere of the banquet, and the other is the wine and food served during the meal.

The banquet prepared by the Evereska Council of Elders for the kings, leaders, and High Mages of the various nations, as well as their entourages, could rank among the top of all the Elf banquets Xia Duo had ever seen in terms of atmosphere.

However, the wine and food provided were relatively average.

Although they did not fall short of the standard of a "state banquet," they were at least somewhat mismatched with the atmosphere of the banquet.

"It's still missing music!"

Thinking this, bursts of string-plucking sounds suddenly appeared from nothingness in Xia Duo's ears, as if coming from the depths of the sea of clouds, ethereal and distant.

In addition to the performance of several instruments, Xia Duo seemed to hear an Elf female voice singing; the singing was melodious yet grand, piercing straight into the heart.

If one could keep listening to such music until the end of the banquet, then this banquet might not be so unbearable.

It was a pity that while Xia Duo wanted peace and quiet, some people just wouldn't give him the chance. Just as he was listening to the tune and sipping wine, waiting peacefully for the banquet to end, a mass of Cloud Qi accompanied by noisy sounds arrived beside the Netheril group.

"Lord Badijiaer, regarding the details of tomorrow's ceremony, the Crown King would like to confirm them with your side again."

The visitor was Suweilisi, a High Mage who had come with the Crown King of Cormanthyr. Badijiaer was no stranger to him. After speaking a few words with Iolum, Badijiaer agreed readily.

Subsequently, the Cloud Qi around both sides surged. Judging purely from a visual perspective, the distance between the two sides seemed to have closed significantly; Badijiaer even entered the other party's Cloud Qi range, and his figure became somewhat blurred.

But Xia Duo knew that Badijiaer's position had actually never changed; it was just that this cloud-top illusion seemed to have the effect of space folding and shifting.

After Badijiaer, Yierlan also sent someone to invite Iolum away. And just at this moment, a Gold Elf Mage with disheveled hair and eyes full of sharpness suddenly appeared in front of Xia Duo and the others.

He first scanned everyone with his gaze several times, as if inspecting and selecting, and finally, as if he had confirmed his target, he thrust a sword in front of Xia Duo and said loudly:

"I want to challenge you!"

As his voice rang out, the surrounding cloud strands and Cloud Qi quickly dispersed, revealing an open space of about 10 by 10 【units】 between him and Xia Duo.

The ground was, of course, the wooden floor of the Cloud Crown Palace itself, and around this open space, the Cloud Qi surged upward. The seats of the kings and leaders of the Northland nations remained seated on the clouds, looking down on everything from above.

Xia Duo had long anticipated what kind of entertainment activities might appear at an Elf banquet, but he hadn't expected someone to come knocking so soon.

Generally, more formal activities like sword duels or Spell duels would only begin in the middle of the banquet; the early stage usually consisted of drinking, chatting, or even singing and dancing.

However, in this kind of setting, as long as someone issued a challenge, no matter whether he could win or not, it was impossible for Xia Duo to refuse, unless he possessed a status not inferior to the kings and leaders.

A mere challenge was not enough to make Xia Duo expose his strength. In fact, even if he were willing to expose his strength, the person coming to challenge him would likely become a High Mage.

It was better to just be like this now; small fry could be brushed off easily.

Xia Duo stood up and came to the other party's sword, also asking loudly: "What do you want to challenge?"

"I know that what you humans are most proud of is your Magic. I want to have a Spell duel with you! Elven Magic versus Netheril Magic, do you accept?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Duo almost couldn't help but laugh. He carefully scrutinized the other party's face and confirmed once again that the other party was an adult, only then did he seriously consider the other party's purpose.

Netheril abandoning Elven Magic—the one most displeased by this was naturally Yierlan, but would the other Elven Nations have no objections?

This Yierlan Mage kept saying "Elven Magic versus Netheril Magic"; how was Xia Duo supposed to win? How was he supposed to lose?

He simply could not win, and he could not lose.

If he won, he himself would be satisfied, but under Yierlan's instigation, the Elven Nations would certainly be dissatisfied, especially Illefarn, which was still an ally; they might even reconsider the long-term relationship between the two countries.

If he lost, there was no need to say; not only would he be unhappy, but it would also implicate Netheril, causing its reputation among the Northland nations to drop. Even if others didn't say it out loud, they would certainly think in their hearts that human Magic was inferior to the Elves'.

This was not Xia Duo overthinking, but something that was highly likely to happen in reality, because his current status was not just a Netheril Lord and Senior Arcanist, but also a student of Iolum.

Being able to appear here already spoke volumes.

Even Beilaila, the most inconspicuous person among those who came this time, was the first heir to the Xibodeng Territory, and she herself was an Arcanist.

Being an Arcanist meant that Netheril Magic had entered the hall of mastery; if they were not inferior to the Elves at the same rank, wouldn't that mean Netheril Magic was inferior to the Elves?