Chapter 1414: Opposing Factions Meet, Too Young

After explaining the complex relationship between Saville and Buluode, Iolum began speaking to Xia Duo about the Arcane Fire Device experiment:

"In the few days you were away, I have already completed part of the device's construction. The Davy String Preparation Machine you redesigned is very easy to use and highly efficient. I hope you can take on more work in the upcoming experiments."

"No problem." Xia Duo readily agreed.

In fact, after the automatic Davy String preparation equipment came out, the role he, the original Magic Technician, could play had become minimal.

If Iolum did not want him to withdraw from the project at this point, he should assign him some new work, and this was exactly what Xia Duo had been looking forward to.

Due to the unexpected incident involving Saville, the originally scheduled experiment time was postponed by Iolum for a few days.

As for exactly how long, he would have to wait for Iolum's notification. Thus, Xia Duo temporarily settled down in Seventon, taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with the configuration design of the multi-composite Independent Arcane Fire Device to lay a good foundation for further experiments.

Meanwhile, in Yierlan.

Xierdalanna weighed the matter for several days and ultimately decided it was necessary to probe Haidelei.

After the last Omniscience Ritual of the Faro Organization, when a group of High Mages were deliberating, Haidelei had clearly shown closeness, or even sycophancy, toward Keman.

Upon returning to Yierlan, Xierdalanna had questioned him, but he had evaded her questioning by saying, "Time will prove everything."

Currently, within Yierlan, the Crown King is pushing for centralized reform and has already won the support of most High Mages, but a small number of High Mages have clearly expressed their opposition.

This group includes Xierdalanna and Haidelei.

However, although Xierdalanna opposes the Crown King's centralization of power, it does not mean she is willing to abandon the greater foundation of Yierlan for it. To struggle without breaking and to remain united against outsiders—this is her bottom line.

It is also the bottom line that the vast majority of Upper Families in Yierlan hold fast to.

But Haidelei seems to have violated this bottom line, maintaining constant ties with Keman, which makes Xierdalanna feel dissatisfied while also sensing the existence of a crisis.

Once Haidelei ultimately becomes a traitor, their faction of opponents might be completely suppressed by the Crown King using the momentum of the situation, which is something Xierdalanna cannot accept.

She considers herself the master of Yierlan, or at least one of the masters; if she were to eventually submit to the Crown King, then why would she have persisted until now?

On a suspended terrace that ostensibly does not belong to the Moonhorn Family or the Stardust Family, Xierdalanna finally waited for the low-profile Haidelei to arrive.

"You're late!" Xierdalanna said coldly.

But in truth, from the moment she saw Haidelei appear, she knew her guess might have been slightly off. She just did not want to admit she had misjudged, still facing him with a relatively arrogant posture.

Haidelei did not take this to heart at all, and spoke on his own about what he felt was necessary to say: "Not late. The Crown King just summoned me to discuss matters, wanting us to abandon our demands."

"The Crown King summoned you?"

Xierdalanna was shocked; before Haidelei mentioned it today, she had never received any news related to this.

Subconsciously, her attitude toward Haidelei softened significantly. "Besides you, who else did the Crown King summon? What conditions did he propose? Did you agree?"

"When I went to see the Crown King, I was the only one there. I don't know who else there might have been, but it looks like you didn't receive an invitation from the Crown King!" Haidelei said pointedly.

"As long as you didn't compromise with the Crown King, does it matter whether I was invited or not?"

"It truly doesn't matter, because the condition the Crown King proposed was for each family to maintain the status quo for one hundred years, and to gradually release the Permission Level after one hundred years. I did not agree."

"Why didn't you agree? Dragging it out for a hundred years wouldn't be bad, would it?" Xierdalanna asked.

"If I agree now, will I still have a chance to speak in a hundred years?" Haidelei countered.

Actually, strictly speaking, he does not oppose reform; he only opposes reform without visible results, and reform that cannot guarantee the long-term interests of the family.

If the outcome could be foreseen, and if the long-term interests of the family could be guaranteed, then what reason would he have not to support it!

It is just that Xierdalanna is a bit different from him—

"The Crown King is too overbearing. If he were willing to reserve a permanent seat for us Upper Families in the Advisory Group, we wouldn't be so opposed to him!"

Xierdalanna rarely spoke her true thoughts. Of course, this could also be considered the beginning of her probing of Haidelei. The Crown King's centralization reform would greatly enhance the authority of the Advisory Group, which naturally includes the integrated Mythallar Permission.

If each Upper Family could occupy a permanent seat in the Advisory Group, then it would actually not be much different from the present; united, they could still hollow out or even impeach the Crown King.

Xierdalanna hopes for this, but this is something the reform-minded Crown King cannot accept. Xierdalanna truly cannot figure out how the Crown King managed to convince so many supporters.

"No wonder the Crown King didn't summon you!"

Haidelei shook his head. In his view, Xierdalanna is still too young, placing too much importance on interests within reach, and lacking the self-awareness of a long-term ruler.

For a moment, he even regretted coming to the appointment, but since he was already here, and he was also very interested in the matter Xierdalanna mentioned that could change the national destiny of Yierlan, he asked:

"Xierdalanna, speak. What is this really about, bringing me here this time?"

"Can I trust you?" When it came to the moment, Xierdalanna hesitated instead.

Seeing this, Haidelei immediately stood up, preparing to leave. Faced with this situation, Xierdalanna suddenly let go and hurriedly said:

"I might know the true meaning of the Oracle!"

"The true meaning of the Oracle?!"

Hearing such a sensitive topic, Haidelei immediately stopped in his tracks. His deep gaze looked straight at Xierdalanna, and he asked with a very serious expression:

"Do you know what you are saying?"

Main God Oracle Revelation—a change that will affect the destiny of the Elves will occur at the former site of the Alabaster Tower. Once such a matter is confirmed, at best it will cause the Elven Nations to tremble, and at worst, a Northland war will break out instantly.

The most critical point in this is—determining whether that change is beneficial to the Elves or detrimental to the Elves.

If it is beneficial to the Elves, the nations will inevitably compete to seize the crucial Fate Messenger.

And if it is detrimental to the Elves, destruction is almost the only choice; perhaps war is already close at hand.

The Northland Alliance, which has just been established, might instantly collapse on its own!

Haidelei's expression was serious. Whatever the result, this is not a good thing for Yierlan, which is currently in a critical period of reform.

"What do you know? Besides you, does anyone else know?"