Chapter 1388: Seven Towers' Support, Faluo's Worries

I do not know how much time had passed, but news had already arrived from Aoruipusi that the cooperation negotiations with the Moon Crown Family had been completed, and Lord Collins had finally come to an understanding as well. With an excited expression, he said to Xia Duo:

"Lord Xia Duo, you are right. As humans, as lords of a faction within Netheril, we truly should clarify our own stance and draw a clear line with the elves."

With things said to this point, the relationship between the two could be considered to have advanced a step further; at the very least, at this moment, their positions were aligned.

However, Xia Duo did not speak in depth about how to deal with the potential implicit competition or even war that Cormanthor or other Elf Kingdoms might wage against Netheril's Magic Artifacts in the future.

On one hand, he himself was not yet fully prepared for war and had no need to reveal his strategic intentions in advance; on the other hand, he also needed to observe Lord Collins a bit more.

The two's discussion stopped at their worries for the future and their affirmation of subsequent cooperation matters.

……

After Lord Collins left, Xia Duo returned to the study on the top floor of the Tower of Time. Niya was still not there. He sat quietly in front of the Projection Window, lost in thought for a long time.

Whether it was his speculations on the nature of the world or his worries about the future of the environment he was currently in, both placed considerable pressure on Xia Duo.

But at this moment, looking at the busy Daxia Territory citizens in the image on the Projection Window, his mood seemed to become much lighter.

At dusk, Iolum sent a message saying that he had finished talking with the Seven Towers, but Badijiaer wanted to see Xia Duo. Additionally, the experiment that should have started yesterday needed to continue, and he invited Xia Duo to go to Seventon tomorrow morning.

Xia Duo had not blocked his own communication. Receiving Iolum's Sending meant that Iolum was currently free, so he immediately "called back" and asked the other party:

"Teacher, what is the attitude of the Seven Towers?"

"Regarding the New Natural Philosophy, the Seven Towers hold an affirmative attitude. They are also willing to use their own resources to provide cover for Yatewude, but at the same time, they require all the details regarding the New Natural Philosophy and how Yatewude obtained the Holy Power."

"That is no problem."

Xia Duo agreed immediately. There was nothing to hide about this in the first place. Strictly speaking, the New Natural Philosophy only provided a feasible line of thought; if the Seven Towers were willing, they could completely use other ideological theories to conduct experiments.

By trying a few more times, they would eventually find the knack. Xia Duo did not believe that the New Natural Philosophy was the only ideological theory capable of obtaining Holy Power.

However, it was true that the New Natural Philosophy countered the extreme ideology of the Elf Druids, but it was a pity that it could not be widely publicized at the moment.

"By the way, Teacher, do you know what Lord Badijiaer wants with me?"

If he only wanted to obtain the details of the New Natural Philosophy and how Yatewude obtained the Holy Power, there was no need to meet in person; there must be other matters.

To this, Iolum's answer was—

"The Seven Towers want to demand Yatewude from you. Regardless of whether you refuse or not, the Seven Towers will still provide cover for Yatewude according to the agreement. How you choose is entirely up to you."

Although that was how it was said, Xia Duo heard the hidden meaning in Iolum's words: he wanted him to hand over Yatewude, the source of the trouble.

The exposure of the New Natural Philosophy was a minor issue; it was just a theory aimed at elves, and at most, it could expand the Domain for the Elf Main God.

But once the existence of the new Natural Holy Power was exposed, the elves might stick to him like leeches smelling blood. After all, Holy Power born without relying on a god was simply too special and could even change the landscape of Divine Power.

"Thank you, Teacher, for maneuvering for me. I still need to consider this matter further."

In reality, this was a polite refusal. Of course, the gratitude was genuine; if not for Iolum's maneuvering, it was easy to imagine that Xia Duo would certainly not be able to sit here so leisurely watching the scenery.

The Seven Towers would have come to make an arrest long ago. It might not necessarily be to arrest Xia Duo, but Yatewude would certainly not have been able to escape. How could such an unstable factor not be kept under one's own control!

Even if Xia Duo eventually revealed his identity as a Great Arcanist, the best result would be nothing more than changing from the Seven Towers' control to mutual supervision by both sides; it was more likely that he would still be forced by the Seven Towers to hand over Yatewude.

Of course, if that were the situation, Xia Duo could also have Niya ask the Princess for help, or find Zhenna or Bailun to join the negotiations. However, in that case, the situation would become even more complicated, and no one could guarantee what it would eventually evolve into.

Fortunately, with Iolum coming forward to maneuver, it did not end up in an unmanageable state. Xia Duo was very satisfied with this current result, and his expression of gratitude was entirely from the heart.

……

Meanwhile, far away in Cormanthor.

In the village where the Elf Court was located, Faluo finally gathered the thirteen High Mages for the Omniscience Ritual again. Moreover, compared to last time, this time he had the support of the Cormanthor Crown King, with four more Gold Elf High Mages who had not participated in the Omniscience Ritual before.

It was just that what made Faluo feel worried was that his level of control over the organization was becoming lower and lower. Correspondingly, after repeatedly announcing the principle of "Five Races Equality and Prosperity," Yilisier Mianwang, who had the support of a group of Moon Elf High Mages, was gaining more and more influence within the organization.

In time, it would really be hard to say whether this organization belonged to Yilisier Mianwang, the Main God, or him.

Thinking of the Main God, Faluo made up his mind that he must prioritize finding out the truth of the destiny shown by the Oracle. Only in this way could he continue to control the organization and prevent it from becoming a private tool for the Crown King to achieve his ambitions.

And in the process of achieving this goal, he needed to introduce more High Mages from other countries. As far as the current situation was concerned, the proportion of Illefarn elves in the organization was simply too high.

If it were in the past, Faluo would not have minded this situation. But now, he minded it very much—he minded it extremely—and wished he could immediately introduce more High Mages from outside Cormanthor to dilute the influence of Yilisier Mianwang within the organization.

"Faluo, are you ready? The materials for this ritual are all provided by the Tower of Governance. You must not forget the Crown King's request!"

Perhaps because more colleagues had come, Jielinisi's tone when speaking to Faluo had completely lost its previous deference and had become very ostentatious and rude.

To this, Faluo could only pretend not to see it, but his heart became even more determined to introduce more foreign High Mages.

As for the Crown King's request, compared to the huge material consumption of the Omniscience Ritual and its powerful Scrying effect, it was nothing at all.

It was just a matter of finding the potential mastermind behind the Wuweilun survivor Hande Yisita while exploring the destiny shown by the Oracle.

This was nothing at all. In fact, every single High Mage willing to participate in the Omniscience Ritual had their own Scrying needs; if they had no needs, they would not be willing to participate!

After all, the Omniscience Ritual was not without a price.

In addition to the Magic Array materials that complemented the ritual, all ritual participants had to contribute a certain amount of Magic Web Compatibility. Compared to the former, the latter was valued more by High Mages.