Chapter 1428: Temptation of Home, The Eerie Cormanthor

Iolum's grand scale truly shocked Xia Duo; not to mention the cost of renovating the Laboratory, having multiple experiments running simultaneously meant that a massive amount of resources would inevitably be wasted!

For instance, if Experiment 1 discovered a problem, that same problem would likely exist in Experiment 2, but since the apparatus for Experiment 2 was already built, even if it could be modified on the fly, it would be extremely troublesome.

In reality, it might be impossible to modify at all, especially with full-scale experiments; a large ship is hard to turn around, so one can only grit their teeth and push forward, and the significance of Experiment 2 might not even be one-tenth of Experiment 1.

This is just like on Earth, where multiple laboratories carry out a single research project simultaneously; it is inevitable that many resources will be wasted, but the laboratories on Earth might not belong to the same entity, instead having multiple organizations bearing the costs separately.

Yet here, all the costs likely have to be borne by Iolum alone; even if he has a mine at home, it is estimated that he cannot hold out for long.

And what is more critical is—

Such a large-scale operation might attract the attention of Cormanthor, potentially causing a threat that might not have amounted to much in the future to suddenly descend upon the present!

Xia Duo believes Iolum must have weighed the risks involved, yet he still chose to do this; perhaps that threat is already truly and tangibly right before their eyes!

Thinking of how Cormanthor still has so many tricks up its sleeve after the establishment of the Northland Alliance, Xia Duo feels truly restless, but that is how reality is.

Even a sage would not watch idly as a potential competitor grows stronger day by day without being moved.

So-called win-win, perhaps, is just a helpless compromise when one cannot completely eliminate their opponent!

"Teacher, I understand. I will return as soon as possible!"

After leaving the Laboratory, Xia Duo did not delay and returned to the Tower of Time overnight.

The Tower of Time.

Upon receiving the news of Xia Duo's return, Niya, who had already gone to sleep, practically jumped out of bed, wrapping herself in only a cloak before teleporting to the entrance of the Teleportation Room.

"Xia Duo, why did you return so suddenly?"

Xia Duo, who had just stepped off the Teleportation Array, was also startled by the suddenly appearing Niya; he had originally thought Niya was long asleep, and even if the Tower Spirit gave a reminder, her Subconscious would automatically judge it as no threat and not require her to wake up.

He did not expect Niya to come anyway; perhaps in her Subconscious, she was longing for this very moment.

In an instant, a warm current surged into Xia Duo's heart; he no longer suppressed his feelings of longing, stepping forward to pull Niya tightly into his embrace.

The soft, warm Touch made him deeply realize the Reality of the two concepts: "home" and "loved ones."

"Niya, I missed you!"

Xia Duo whispered his most simple and direct desire into Niya's ear, his scorching breath brushing against Niya's smooth neck, instantly staining it with a blush.

In their interactions in the past, Xia Duo rarely displayed such intense emotions; restraint had long been a characteristic of his hometown engraved in his genes and his Subconscious.

But at this moment, he did not hide his emotions at all, and Niya's response was extremely fervent as well; she pressed her body forcefully against Xia Duo's chest.

"Xia Duo, I missed you too!"

"Mm."

In this scene, mere physical contact through clothing could no longer console the desires and emotions of two people who missed each other.

The clouds dispersed and the rain ceased.

The husband and wife leaned against the head of the bed, embracing and chatting; after the passion, it was inevitable to talk about the problems of reality.

"I am only staying for two days, then I must return to Seventon."

Upon hearing this, Niya immediately pushed Xia Duo away in anger, "Why? What exactly does Master Iolum need you for? It's been several months, is he still not finished?"

Her resentful emotions were plain to see; even if Niya was reasonable, when it came to emotional issues, she could never escape the word "selfish."

Niya had her selfishness, and Xia Duo had his own as well, only his selfishness was greater—it was not just about the fleeting pleasure of the moment, but also about planning for the endless years of the future.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to reveal some inside information about the Arcane Fire Device to Niya, though of course, the specific technical details could not be disclosed:

"The project that Teacher Iolum is currently researching is of great significance. More importantly, this project now seems to have been targeted by Cormanthor. If we cannot complete it before the other side truly confirms it, perhaps war will be unavoidable!"

"War?!"

Niya widened her eyes, her gaze full of shock.

In fact, for some time now, the word "war" had not been unfamiliar to her; the Arcane Union received the latest intelligence on the Drow War in the Underdark every month.

However, watching others have a war and being dragged into a war oneself—especially when one's own side is highly likely to be the one being attacked—is a completely different feeling.

The former might be lighthearted, while the latter is a solid, tangible threat!

"Will it be that serious? What exactly are you researching? A Mythallar? Impossible, it's no secret that Netheril obtained Mythallar technology from Illefarn long ago; if a war were to happen, it would have happened already."

Niya could not understand it at all; although there was still a gap between the two nations' powers, Netheril was not without the power to fight back or retaliate.

Even Cormanthor would not be able to make up its mind about such a worst-case scenario, right?

"No need to guess. If you don't want to be trapped inside the Tower of Time from now on, it's best not to know too much; just knowing the general idea is enough."

The war and such were naturally Xia Duo's own speculations, but even if a full-scale war did not occur, a struggle with an intensity comparable to war would likely be hard to avoid.

Could one really expect the Cormanthor Elf to resolve this peacefully through negotiations at the table?

And what would the conditions be?

They would certainly be extremely harsh.

Even if the Elves were willing, the Arcanists would not be.

After all, the Independent Arcane Fire Device could greatly enhance the combat and even the war potential of Arcanists; no Arcanist would choose to give it up once they knew such a device existed.

It was just that there was one point Xia Duo still could not figure out: even if the Independent Arcane Fire Device was of extraordinary significance, it was not the Elves' own technology.

Even when the highest magical achievement of Elven Magic—the relevant technology for the Mythallar—was introduced to Netheril, there was no major reaction; why were they so interested in this Independent Arcane Fire Device?

Even if Netheril were strong, could it really destroy Cormanthor in a single day?

Not to mention whether it could be done, even if it could, was the Northland Alliance really just for show? If they could destroy Cormanthor today, they might not necessarily refrain from destroying other member states tomorrow.

And there were the Southern Four Kingdoms; it was almost a case of pulling one hair and moving the whole body.

One thing was obvious: even if Netheril possessed a mature Independent Arcane Fire Device, it could not dominate alone, let alone eliminate Cormanthor.

For it to pursue this so relentlessly was truly too abnormal.

Xia Duo found it truly hard to understand.

Could it be that the Arcane Fire Device has some inside information he does not understand?

Or perhaps Iolum's crisis intuition is mistaken? And consequently, the divine revelation he received from the Lady of Mysteries is also mistaken?

As for the former, does he not know whether there is inside information! And as for the latter, even if Iolum's intuition is mistaken, since the divine revelation also concurred, it cannot be treated as completely non-existent.

The problem should lie with Keman.

But what exactly is the reason?