Chapter 1467: Not Meeting a Good End, Recommended Candidate

Not knowing how much time had passed, Xia Duo suddenly sensed that the light within the Study had changed slightly; sensitive as he was, he immediately realized that Iolum had returned.

Looking up, Iolum had indeed appeared at the doorway, his face somewhat weary, as if the recent meeting had consumed a great deal of his energy.

"Teacher, you've returned!"

"Hmm, feel free to ask whatever you wish to know; I actually have something to discuss with you as well!"

At Iolum's words, Xia Duo's heart couldn't help but skip a beat; his intuition told him that the matter Iolum wanted to discuss with him also concerned Akaola.

After a moment of thought, he asked the question he had planned earlier: "I heard that the Akaola Crown King has been unwell recently and that an accident might occur. Is this true?"

"It is true!"

Iolum gave an affirmative answer without any evasion, then continued: "This matter is quite thorny. The arrival of the Akaola Envoy is ostensibly to sign a Common Defense Agreement with Netheril, but in reality, they hope we will take action to treat his father. Yes, the envoy they sent this time is the Crown King's own child!"

"Then what exactly is wrong with the Akaola Crown King's health? Although Akaola has declined, they should still possess some basic foundation, shouldn't they? Can they not resolve it themselves?"

Akaola was among the first batch of emerging nations after the end of the Crown War, established quite a bit earlier than Jielunsita, which was one of the components of Cormanthyr. Of course, Uweilun and Siluwende were also nations of the same period.

Among them, Uweilun had long since been destroyed, while Siluwende was now a vassal state of Yierlan.

Siluwende had once been able to fight tooth and nail against Yierlan, and it was only after being besieged by both Yierlan and Shaerwen simultaneously that it suffered defeat; yet, it was not completely defeated, otherwise, its name would have vanished by now.

This is somewhat like Germany on Earth; after being defeated, it was not completely dismantled or digested by the victors, but instead remained feared and constantly suppressed by them.

That Akaola was able to "forcibly occupy" a corner of the Listar Forest without being wiped out by Cormanthyr during its rise suggests they possess some foundation.

Xia Duo felt that it was possible for Akaola to seek external allies, but for them to have humans directly treat their Crown King seemed unlikely.

Not to mention the question of whether it could be cured, the very fact of being saved by humans—surely the Akaola Crown King would understand the implications of that.

It couldn't possibly be that the so-called Crown King came privately, could it?

Regarding Xia Duo's many questions, Iolum let out a long sigh, "Do you know what kind of reputation the Kaiersaike family—that is, the Akaola Crown King family—has in Akaola?"

Regarding this, Xia Duo was indeed not very clear; after all, Akaola had previously been in a state of self-imposed isolation, and it was only after the Northland Alliance was established that exchanges with the outside world increased.

Thus, he asked curiously: "What reputation?"

"The ill-fated Pure Gold Sun Crown!"

Then, Iolum explained further, "Ever since the Kaiersaike family monopolized the position of Crown King, almost every subsequent heir has met a bad end.

"Of the generations above the current Akaola Crown King, only his mother was able to meet a good end; all other past Crown Kings died either in High Magic Rituals, by the hands of political rivals, or in the Drow War.

"And for the current Akaola Crown King, misfortune does not seem to have left him. When he was young, he nearly lost his life in a spellcasting accident, and that accident had a very serious consequence—accelerated aging!

"Strictly speaking, the Akaola Crown King's body has no damage; he is simply dying—dying of old age!"

Once put this way, Xia Duo understood. Death is the ultimate fate that no life can avoid; if nothing else, the Akaola Crown King must have already used various methods of Longevity.

But even so, he could not live beyond the normal lifespan of an average Elf.

Thinking about it, it really is pathetic. Xia Duo does not yet need Longevity, but this is a problem he will also face one day in the future.

But at that time, would he be as "desperate" as the Akaola Crown King, or would he face his own death with composure?

Or perhaps, with the continuous progress of technology, will one eventually be able to reach the point of immortality?

Of course, the Akaola Crown King might not necessarily be desperate; perhaps he just does not want to watch his family legacy be occupied by Cormanthyr and wants to provide a relatively secure environment for his descendants before he dies.

Thinking this, Xia Duo almost understood the true intention of the Akaola Envoy's visit this time, "So the Akaola Elves have set their sights on Teacher's Life Extension Spell? And perhaps Master Kangjienio's as well?"

"Yes."

Iolum nodded and shared another piece of news, "Just now, while discussing matters at Gustav Tower, Teacher Aien was actually there as well, and he did not refuse the Elf Envoy's request."

Aien is Kangjienio. Iolum had once followed him to study for a period of time, and even later, when he had achieved success and even surpassed Kangjienio, he would still address him as Teacher on most occasions.

With Iolum saying this, Xia Duo had a premonition about the matter Iolum had mentioned earlier.

Sure enough, Iolum then brought up that matter, "If nothing goes wrong, we will agree to Akaola's request. At that time, a trusted Great Arcanist will need to go to Akaola to cast a Life Extension Spell for their Crown King.

"But among those I trust, almost everyone's itinerary is widely watched by the outside world. Before the matter is completely clear, we need to act secretly, so I intend to recommend you to the Seven Towers."

Just as expected!

Although it deviated slightly from what Xia Duo had guessed, it wasn't far off; it all required him to make a trip to Akaola. Xia Duo did not feel any resistance to this; instead, he felt a faint sense of anticipation.

After all, after this matter, he would appear in Netheril as a Great Arcanist, leaping to become one of the "Fifteen Standing" on the surface of Netheril, becoming a heavyweight figure.

However, this is currently a critical moment for the research of the Independent Arcane Fire Device. Leaving for a trip, not to mention the time wasted—which could be made up for by working overtime—

But if this allowed Cormanthyr to catch some clues, it would be a case of the loss outweighing the gain.

Xia Duo told Iolum his concerns. Iolum also frowned, looking somewhat hesitant, and only after a long while did he say:

"Now is indeed not a good time to go out. I will have the Seven Towers provide support in terms of anti-Scrying."

After saying this, he added a few words of explanation as if he regretted it:

"Actually, I do not wish for you to be the one to step forward in this matter. Akaola's contact with us has been almost non-existent before, and even now, we cannot be entirely certain that there is no conspiracy involved. You must understand the risks hidden within this!"