Chapter 1394: Drow Crisis, Considering Recruitment

At this moment, Xia Duo held a box containing over a hundred thousand Arcane Crystals in his hands, as if he were holding over a hundred thousand standard 10th-Ring Spells for measurement.

If even an imperfect Mythallar could have such productivity, then what kind of immense power would a fully perfected Mythallar possess!

At this moment, Xia Duo wished he could immediately start setting up the production workshop and let Iolum experiment to his heart's content, but for now, there were some minor matters he needed to handle first—

Iolum had already decided to use his proposal and had handed the entire laboratory over to him, but before that, he needed to dismantle the partially constructed Arcane Fire Device in the laboratory to make room for the upcoming laboratory renovations.

Before leaving Iolum's Study, Xia Duo asked, "How is the situation in the Northland now?"

"After the Northland Alliance was established, the various countries have been at peace for the time being, but the situation underground is not looking good. The news I have received is—the Drow's demon army has already taken shape, and it is extremely powerful! Far beyond what most people imagine. Danzo can only rely on various War Magic Artifacts to defend passively, and the few times they have taken the initiative to strike, the results have not been ideal. If not for the aid from the countries in the Alliance, Danzo might have already fallen."

"Is the situation that bad?"

Xia Duo felt a tightening in his heart. He stopped in his tracks and continued to ask: "Last time in Evereska, didn't the Alliance discuss opening a second front? Is there any news now?"

"The second front has been opened, but currently, all kinds of war supplies and equipment are in short supply and need to be prioritized for Danzo. The second front at Amalinda is mainly focused on harassment for now, and the battle situation is relatively stable."

After saying this, Iolum sighed deeply, pointed at the box in Xia Duo's hands, and said: "The reason I am so anxious to complete the Arcane Fire Device now, besides an intuitive sense of crisis, is mainly because I want to obtain a decisive power before the Drow break through to the Surface."

"Is the teacher so pessimistic? Do you think Danzo cannot hold them off?"

"It is not a question of whether Danzo can hold them off, but a question of when the Drow want to break through to the Surface. Do you remember the Earth Pulse Detector you sent to Saivendun earlier? The Drow have long since sent out Scouts to find weak points in the earth pulses. Do you believe they have found nothing?"

"I don't believe it." Xia Duo shook his head.

If he could discover a Drow Assassin in the Nan Jing, then there must be more assassins elsewhere. He had previously heard that the Arcane Union had also captured several Drow.

Presumably, Iolum knew more detailed information; perhaps he even knew about the weak points in the earth pulses near Saivendun!

"That is exactly it. Once they master the weak points in the earth pulses, they can open a passage connecting to the Surface at any time; breaking through to the Surface is just a matter of time. The current Netheril absolutely cannot withstand the Drow's demon army. Once the Drow appear within the Nether Territory, it will be an unprecedented and terrifying disaster."

Iolum sighed again. In the past, he had been entangled with Orc tribes within the Nether Territory for nearly a hundred years, and only by relying on the high mobility of Mages to constantly bleed those large tribes dry did he finally achieve victory.

But he would rather fight the Orcs for another hundred years than see the shadow of the Drow within the Nether Territory.

It is not a question of fear, but that war will inevitably interrupt the development momentum of Netheril, which is currently in an upward phase. If Cormanthor were to cause trouble on the side, it would not be impossible for the nation to fall.

After leaving Iolum's Study, Xia Duo felt somewhat heavy-hearted. It seemed that with the establishment of the Northland Alliance, all countries were united in supporting Danzo, but in reality, the flames of war could spread to his side at any time.

Who knows when the Drow might decide they don't want to grind against Danzo anymore and start opening Underground Passages everywhere; that would be too troublesome.

Xia Duo remembered that he had previously issued a task at the Tower of Time, having members of the Tower of Time take the Earth Pulse Detector he made to check the geological conditions near Daxia Territory and Savile Territory.

When a weak point in the earth pulses is detected, the Earth Pulse Detector will sound an alarm.

There is still no news from the Task Management Office of the Tower of Time, which seems to be the best news!

"Drow, Drow!"

All along, Xia Duo had regarded the Elf as a future competitor, or even an enemy, yet he had somewhat neglected the Drow who were already right before his eyes.

But it is not too late to be alerted now. Although he will not personally go to the Underdark to fight the Drow, providing some assistance within his power from the rear is also very necessary.

For example, 【Demon-Slaying Arrow】 and 【Demon-Slaying Amulet】!

Xia Duo had just heard Iolum mention that in the underground war, 【Demon-Slaying Amulet】 is the most indispensable consumable. Without 【Demon-Slaying Amulet】, Danzo's defensive line would collapse immediately.

Demons are born with a terrifying aura that stuns the human will. To face demons directly, one must counteract that terrifying aura; otherwise, before the fight even begins, one's own side would be scared witless, and how could they fight then?

As for the Demon-Slaying Arrow, in the current stage of the underground war, it is mainly used to assassinate the Drow's Demon Summoning practitioners. Once the summoner is dead, the demons under their command have no one to restrain them and will almost certainly fight madly with other demons or Drow.

It can be said that no matter how many demons are killed on the front line, as long as the summoner does not die, they can continue to summon more; they are endless.

Only by killing the summoner can one truly reduce the Drow's war potential.

Therefore, 【Demon-Slaying Arrow】 is also a rigid-demand material second only to 【Demon-Slaying Amulet】.

Returning to the Laboratory, Xia Duo did not rush to dismantle the Arcane Fire Device, but instead contacted Niya to ask about the production status of the 【Demon-Slaying Amulet】 line in the Magic Technician Department.

"Everything is being done according to your previous arrangements. What's wrong? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"I received news here that the war situation in the Underdark might not be looking good. Demon-Slaying Amulet is a rigid-demand material for the war, and I think it is necessary to open another production line."

The produced Demon-Slaying Amulets, besides being sold to the Lord of Halan or others, can also be kept for self-use. In case the Drow ever strike the Surface, this would be a solid strategic reserve.

Of course, it is the same now.

Regarding Xia Duo's proposal, Niya naturally would not refuse, but she also raised a very critical question: "The Tower of Time only has a few of us Advanced Arcanists now. If we open another Demon-Slaying Amulet production line, we don't have that much private time!"

A Demon-Slaying Amulet comes with a 5th Circle Spell. Even if the process is broken down, it still requires an Advanced Arcanist to Link Magic Web for the elements involving the Fifth Layer of the Weave.

Currently, the only people in the Tower of Time who can do this work are Xia Duo, Niya, Aiboke, and Depake. Xia Duo is now in Saivendun, Niya needs to research the Communication Mythallar, and Aiboke needs to research Divine Magic conversion; only Depake has a little more time.

But one cannot always keep picking on the same person to fleece. If it delays the other party's advancement to Advanced Arcanist, it is somewhat not worth it.

Xia Duo realized that the Tower of Time is not short of the most basic Apprentices, nor is it short of the Great Arcanists who hold up the pillars, but it is short of the Advanced Arcanists who are in the middle and are the backbone!

With an insufficient number of Advanced Arcanists, too many projects cannot be launched. If one has to wait for the Apprentices to advance, then one would have to wait even longer.

"Perhaps I can scout for some wild Advanced Arcanists in Saivendun?"