Chapter 1399: Questioning, Warning

Savile Town.

From the Portal next to the old site of the Tower of Time to the Central Plaza, there is a path about a hundred meters long. Xia Duo emerged from the Portal, but instead of going to find Tuofu immediately, he walked slowly along this path toward the Central Plaza.

Just moments ago, he and Niya had seen Tuofu walking toward the Trade District with a member of the Tower of Time at the Tower of Time; of course, that was two hours before the Elimination and Disinfection Procedure.

Xia Duo walking over so slowly was, to a certain extent, also testing whether the other party was monitoring this area. Judging solely from the traces of spells already present along this path, Xia Duo did not discover any surveillance.

However, for something like Magic, it is actually not difficult to hide. If one does not conduct a detailed inspection and only takes such a rough look, it is indeed very easy to overlook many things.

Nevertheless, Xia Duo did not want to make too big a move. Currently, the most important thing is to figure out the true purpose of Tuofu coming to the Savile Territory again.

……

Just as he walked out of the alley and entered the Central Plaza, Xia Duo discovered a slender figure appearing in the northeast corner of the plaza. Looking closely, it was Tuofu!

She was even waving at him!

Xia Duo's brow tightened; he knew the other party was indeed monitoring this place. After adjusting his mood slightly, he walked straight toward her.

Before he could even get close, he heard her voice, "Lord Xia Duo, you have finally appeared!"

"You were waiting for me? Why didn't you contact the Tower of Time? Or tell Patriarch Aoruipusi?"

Facing this female Elf Mage he had just seen in the Scrying image at the Tower of Time, Xia Duo's attitude remained very cautious; of course, he also did not give the other party any pleasant look.

Before she could answer, he continued to question her: "And how do you explain secretly casting spells on members of the Tower of Time! Ms. Tuofu?"

Hearing these successive questions, the face of Tuofu, which had previously held a hint of a smile, instantly turned gloomy. It seemed she had not expected Xia Duo to question her as soon as he came up. After her expression returned to normal, she said coldly:

"Lord Xia Duo, if you are still going to have this attitude, then there is no need for me to say what follows. Any consequences that arise later will be borne entirely by yourself."

Upon hearing this, Xia Duo was immediately somewhat surprised. Could it be that this was his fault? But he also wanted to hear how Tuofu would explain it, so he invited her to the nearby Town Hall to talk in detail.

After all, with one human and one Elf standing in this plaza, it was somewhat conspicuous.

……

Regarding Xia Duo's invitation, Tuofu did not refuse, and her attitude seemed to soften a little, looking as if she had been wronged and then comforted.

Seeing this, Xia Duo had a rough idea in his heart, guessing that her previous anger might just be a disguise, a strategy; however, he did not care.

From the very beginning, his goal was to figure out the other party's purpose. The more the other party performed, the more information would be revealed.

After entering the Town Hall, Xia Duo specifically asked Town Mayor Saier for an ordinary Reception Room. Apart from being somewhat spacious, it was almost crude.

But Tuofu did not seem to show it at all. Xia Duo had no doubt that if he hadn't questioned her head-on right from the start, she might have been as enthusiastic as she was with those previous Tower of Time members!

"Ms. Tuofu, what is your business with me? Additionally, you also need to give me an explanation regarding the secret spellcasting on members of the Tower of Time."

Xia Duo seemed certain that the other party would not flip out, and he repeated the previous question again, though his tone was much gentler than before.

After all, even though he was prepared to fall out with her, he still hoped not to reach that final step.

Facing Xia Duo's more friendly inquiry this time, Tuofu also appeared quite cooperative and stated her purpose directly—

"A big shot in Cormanthor has their eye on you. I came here this time specifically to warn you!"

"Someone has their eye on me?"

To this explanation, Xia Duo's first reaction was disbelief, and then—it was nothing special; any Elite Mage in Netheril could potentially end up on Cormanthor's blacklist.

Being targeted by some big shot was perfectly normal.

Furthermore, he possessed multiple identities—the husband of the Princess's only student, a student of Iolum, and a Senior Arcanist; each one was worth some attention from those big shots in Cormanthor.

This explanation from Tuofu was somewhat hollow, but it could not be completely ignored. If what Tuofu said was true, and judging by the situation of her making a special trip to warn him, that Cormanthor big shot might have some major action planned.

Acting on the idea of letting the other party perform more and expose more, Xia Duo pretended to be nervous and very curious, asking Tuofu: "Who has their eye on me? Do you know why?"

"It is the High Mage Jielinisi. He is a close minister to Yilisier Mianwang, and also a confidant. Just a few days ago at an Upper Family banquet, he inadvertently let this news slip after drinking. Although he quickly covered it up, I had already taken note. Afterward, I inquired about it, and it might be related to Evereska!"

After Tuofu finished speaking, she looked at Xia Duo curiously, as if wanting to ask what Xia Duo had done in Evereska to attract the attention of Jielinisi.

To this, Xia Duo shook his head very firmly, "I did go to Evereska not long ago, but to say I did something that could attract the attention of a High Mage, I can say for certain that I did not!"

Actually, there was, but on one hand, Xia Duo himself was not sure, and on the other hand, even if he were sure, he couldn't possibly tell Tuofu!

This kind of thing certainly could not be admitted, and there couldn't even be any hints. Regardless of whether the other party believed it or not, this was a matter of his own stance.

Stance determines attitude, and attitude determines the specific way of doing things.

First, state the stance; next, no matter what tricks the other party has, he would just take them on.

However, this matter still needed to be held in doubt for now, because it came from Tuofu's mouth. Xia Duo could not trust Tuofu; even now, he was not sure if she was actually a member of the Moon Crown Family.

But what was certain was that her background must be an Upper Family.

Her speech, temperament, and even her linguistic style were things an ordinary Elf could not fake.

Thinking of this, Xia Duo asked Tuofu again: "Does the Moon Crown Family have further information regarding that Mage Jielinisi?"

"How could information about a High Mage be something I could easily obtain! However, the family does preserve some, but this cannot be without a price."

"What do you want?"

"It is not what I need, but what my family needs. For myself, I am more inclined to invest in a human collaborator with a bright future, but the family needs to see actual benefits."

"Speak! What exactly do you want?" A trace of impatience was already mixed into Xia Duo's tone.

But this was also faked.

Although he was not sure if this was a scheme designed by Tuofu, it did not prevent him from continuing to act according to the script he perceived.