Chapter 1382: Checking Holy Power, Helping to Cover Up

Regarding this, Iolum's answer was—

"I don't know!"

Facing Xia Duo's clearly skeptical gaze, Iolum did not get angry, but instead explained patiently:

"To be honest, even now I still don't quite believe that the concept of 【Natural Will】 exists as an entity; I would rather believe that it is just another manifestation of the Elven main god!

"As for the difference between a conceptual entity and a god, since I am not even sure if a conceptual entity exists, how could I possibly know how they differ from gods?"

In his words, Iolum fully expressed his anticipation for the upcoming meeting with Yatewude. Seeing this, Xia Duo found it difficult to continue pressing for answers.

Soon, a figure flashed inside the Reception Room; as soon as Yatewude entered the Tower of Time, Xia Duo had ordered the tower spirit to teleport him over.

"My Lord, My Lady, this is—"

A look of surprise and suspicion appeared on Yatewude's face; he seemed to recognize him, but was not entirely sure. At this moment, Xia Duo introduced him at the right time:

"Elder Yatewude, this is my teacher—Great Arcanist Iolum!"

"Ah?!"

Yatewude was startled, and he hurriedly bowed; he already understood why the Lord had summoned him.

"Teacher wants to see the new Natural Holy Power. Elder Yatewude, please demonstrate it for us!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

As he spoke, Yatewude extended his left hand, palm upward, and then a bright, clear radiance appeared in his hand; this was the tangible Holy Light form of Holy Power.

Although Xia Duo had never seen what an Elven Druid's Holy Power looked like, Yatewude had once said that it was a lush, verdant color filled with the aura of life.

But the Holy Power Yatewude was demonstrating now was filled with a sense of vastness, ruthlessness, and eternal stillness; clearly, this was not the Elven Natural Holy Power.

Niya had only heard Xia Duo mention the New Natural Philosophy before, but had never seen what the new Natural Holy Power looked like; this could be considered an eye-opener for her as well.

As for Iolum—

Xia Duo had been observing the other's expression; from the initial suspicion, to the later shock, and now to the mixed feelings of joy and worry, Xia Duo knew that this matter should be settled.

"That will do, Yatewude. You may return for now; I will find you if there is anything else later!"

After sending Yatewude away, Xia Duo asked Iolum: "Teacher, what do you think of that Holy Power just now?"

"I have personally seen the Holy Power of Elven Druids and have perceived the will of the Elven main god within it; it is completely different from what I perceived in this mass of Holy Power just now!"

Iolum took a deep breath and said with a very serious expression:

"This is indeed a brand-new Holy Power! Perhaps conceptual entities generated by theories, doctrines, and ideologies, like Natural Will, truly do exist!

"This is an extremely important discovery, and its importance is almost on par with the Ascension Ritual! Do you know what this means?

"It means we can almost create any kind of Quasi-God existence at will! If we can understand the mechanism behind it, perhaps it could be a brand-new way to achieve Ascension to Godhood!"

Xia Duo was silent for a moment, as if he had thought of something, but before he could think it through, he heard Iolum continue: "Yatewude's existence must be kept strictly confidential. I see he seems to be carrying an Avoid Detection Amulet, but that is far from enough. I will use the resources of the Arcane Union to cover for him; for a considerable time in the future, do not let him leave Nan Jing!"

"Why?" Xia Duo asked.

"If you ask why it must be kept secret, I can only tell you that the Elves' research into gods is far deeper than that of humans. If Yatewude's existence is discovered by them, perhaps a large number of new Elven gods will emerge in a short period of time.

"As for why he shouldn't leave Nan Jing, that is because for a Misleading Detection ritual of his scale, if only he alone is shielded, it can still be inferred from his influence on the surroundings.

"You were there at the emergency Council of Great Arcanists meeting convened due to the death of Kelifu, right? At that time, when the Seven Towers went to Leisen Territory to investigate, although both of you had spells cast to avoid direct Scrying, the sounds that were not shielded still left traces on the walls, which could be investigated indirectly!

"Scrying spells are not omnipotent; that is the case for us, and for the Elves, it is no exception! I know the Elves have an Omniscience Ritual, which claims to be all-knowing, and one can imagine how powerful it is, but as long as one wipes away the traces one leaves as much as possible, no matter how 'all-knowing' they are, they cannot know every secret!"

It seemed his nature of being fond of teaching had flared up, or perhaps it was to make it easier for Xia Duo to hide Yatewude, but Iolum began to explain the techniques of Scrying and anti-Scrying to Xia Duo.

This knowledge did not exceed Xia Duo's general learning, but it was insightful, experiential advice! It could be considered the part most lacking for Xia Duo, a Great Arcanist with severe lopsided expertise!

Although he had also obtained the high-level Mage knowledge and experience from the 【Sword of Ruling】 of Cormanthor in the Projection Plane, they were, after all, different Magic systems, and there were still some barriers to converting them to each other.

Additionally, whether those Elven high-level Mages had withheld anything when injecting the knowledge and experience was also an unknown.

Just like that, in the Reception Room, one was willing to learn, one was willing to teach, and there was another willing to listen; the atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious.

But the end was inevitable after all. Before long, Iolum stood up, preparing to leave. Before departing, he told Xia Duo:

"This matter is of great importance. To avoid being caught off guard in the future, I must notify the Seven Towers in advance and discuss countermeasures. You should stay in Nan Jing for these two days; once I have prepared things on my end, I will notify you to proceed with the experiment."

"Very well, then I will wait for Teacher's news in Nan Jing."

……

After sending Iolum away, Xia Duo and Niya came to the Study on the top floor of the Tower of Time. The two sat down in front of the Projection Window, and Niya could not help but speak:

"There is actually another solution to this matter, one that is much simpler than what you are doing now!"

"No need to say it; I know the method you are thinking of. It is indeed very simple, and Teacher Iolum probably wouldn't have failed to think of it either, but he didn't even mention it. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because he is also a Lord!"

Xia Duo sighed, "I know you are worried about me, but if I cannot even protect my own territory's people, what kind of Lord am I? And how can I lead the people to create a new era of Magic civilization?"

Niya was lost in thought and said nothing more, only hugging Xia Duo's arm and blankly watching the scene of the Daxia Territory people working vigorously and orderly on the Projection Window.

Xia Duo patted Niya's forearm. He did not blame Niya; after all, Niya was not the Lord of Daxia Territory. Sacrificing a few insignificant people in exchange for her husband's safety did not count as any sin in her eyes.

But Xia Duo himself could not accept it; perhaps this was also the reason why Iolum did not adopt that measure.