Chapter 1477: Regret and Threats

Next, Crown King Akaola and Consultant Aisibilan tried to inquire about the details of the 【Extreme Longevity Technique】 from Xia Duo, but Xia Duo brushed them off, citing his teacher's secrets as the reason.

Since the decision had already been made, the matter of life extension was naturally urgent; when the conversation between the two sides was drawing to a close, the elf lady-in-waiting who had brought Xia Duo in earlier appeared once more.

This time, however, she brought an elf child with her, who looked soft, weak, and ignorant; seeing this, Xia Duo could not help but frown inwardly.

Could this be Consultant Aisibilan's own child?

Xia Duo cast a suspicious glance at the three elves in the Reception Room; this time, it was Prince Fusi who stepped forward to explain, "He is Consultant Aisibilan's youngest child—Dai Er! The rest is left to Lord Xia Duo!"

What does "left to me" mean?

Xia Duo was very dissatisfied with Prince Fusi's phrasing; did he expect him to personally cut the heart out of the chest and abdomen of this child named Dai Er?

Is this the image Netherese Mages have in the hearts of elves?

Just as Xia Duo was about to question them, the elf lady-in-waiting had already slowly retreated, followed by Prince Fusi and Consultant Aisibilan, who also withdrew one after another.

At the same time, behind the throne where Crown King Akaola sat, a portal suddenly appeared, revealing a dim and gloomy passage within.

Crown King Akaola stepped down from the throne, picked up the blank-eyed Dai Er, and even affectionately rubbed the child's head before saying to Xia Duo:

"Lord Xia Duo, please come this way; I will give you an explanation in a moment."

Hearing the Crown King say this, Xia Duo let the matter drop and followed behind him, stepping into the dark passage behind the throne.

After a brief moment of darkness, there was light.

This was a Secret Ritual Chamber somewhat similar to the one where Xia Duo had first arrived; it was generally a place for elf mages to conduct spell research, similar to a Netherese Mage's Spell Laboratory.

Inside, there were facilities for protection, concealment, and confinement.

After entering, Crown King Akaola first sealed the passage they had come through, then cast several spells on Dai Er, and finally placed the now completely unconscious little elf onto an experimental table in the corner of the Secret Ritual Chamber.

Seeing this scene, Xia Duo felt a faint sense of discomfort, and it was only then that Crown King Akaola finally spoke—

"Lord Xia Duo, if I were to say right now that I no longer wish to extend my life, would you believe me?"

"You don't want to extend your life anymore? Why?"

Xia Duo's first thought was that the other party was probably acting again, but to be honest, with the king-level acting skills of the other party, he really couldn't distinguish the truth from the falsehood for a moment.

Regarding Xia Duo's confusion, Crown King Akaola did not answer directly, but instead brought up another matter—

"Not long ago, the Komansuo Mianwang Special Envoy came to Akaola and relayed the vision of Yilisier Mianwang regarding the final unification of the Listar Forest.

"Yilisier Mianwang proposed that his youngest grandson should unite with one of my children, and their descendants would be the indisputable rulers of the Listar Forest. To be honest, I was tempted!"

"This—"

For a moment, Xia Duo was speechless, but he also knew that since Crown King Akaola said this, it meant he must have rejected Komansuo before.

Otherwise, he would have really wanted to turn and run.

At the same time, Crown King Akaola's words continued, "But this matter is not something I can decide just because I am tempted. There is widespread opposition within the country. Do you know who is the most resolute in their attitude?"

"Consultant Aisibilan?" Xia Duo tentatively said a name.

He had even sacrificed his own child; was that not resolute enough? Sure enough, Crown King Akaola confirmed Xia Duo's guess and said: "Uncle Aisibilan raised three points of opposition.

"One is that the foundation of Komansuo's existence is the Divine Sword Trial; even the descendants of a Crown King are not guaranteed to pass it. Moreover, the first Crown King has existed for a thousand years, and it is unknown how much longer he will exist in the future. Once merged, perhaps no trace of Akaola will remain in the future.

"Second, Yilisier's change in attitude was too easy. Even if he has truly changed, will his original supporters continue to support him? If he cannot obtain broad support, then the so-called 'Five Races Equality and Prosperity' is merely a slogan. If Akaola joins, it will ultimately just be lost in the crowd.

"Finally, there is the view of the Northland Alliance. Of course, this mainly concerns Netheril and Illefarn. It is foreseeable that these two parties will never let the Listar Forest achieve unification easily.

"In the end, I was persuaded by Uncle Aisibilan and rejected Komansuo. But in truth, what Uncle Aisibilan has always been obsessed with is the inheritance and strengthening of our Upper Families. How much benefit does that bring to the people of Akaola?

"Perhaps there are various shortcomings within Komansuo, but how much better is Akaola? Joining Komansuo might be a good way out for the people!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Duo felt his scalp tingle. Looking at the glowing Secret Ritual Chamber around him, he instantly lost his previous calm and detached attitude.

"Could it be that I am to become the 'pledge of allegiance' for Akaola to join Komansuo?"

Alarm bells rang in Xia Duo's heart. His gaze toward Crown King Akaola shifted from confusion to vigilance; he was already prepared to retreat at any moment.

Of course, the situation had not yet developed to the worst degree. He still wanted to hear what the other party really wanted to say. If they were truly going to be hostile, could it be that villains are really born talkative?

"So, is the Crown King planning to join Komansuo?" Xia Duo asked tentatively.

"Of course not, I was just speaking my mind. As the head of the Pure Gold Sun Crown family, how could I not consider the future generations of my family! But—"

Speaking to this point, Crown King Akaola changed his tone, and his eyes became sharp, "Dai Er is also my descendant; it is impossible for me to trade his life for my own survival.

"I believe Master Iolum must have a more brilliant Life Extension Spell that can extend my life before next year. If not, I believe Komansuo should not treat my family too harshly."

Hmm?

Xia Duo narrowed his eyes slightly, but dangerous light still shot out from them. At this moment, he did not just represent himself, but also the Seven Cities Council, Netheril, and one of the five permanent members of the Northland.

Akaola was merely a tiny, insignificant country; where did they get the confidence to threaten him?

"Does the Crown King know what he is saying?"

"Yes, I am very clear. I know this will anger the Envoy and cause your country to be dissatisfied, but this is already my only choice."

Crown King Akaola's look of resignation left Xia Duo with nowhere to vent his anger. What else could he do? The other party was going to die, and they were only maneuvering among the surrounding great powers for the sake of their descendants.

Who isn't a choice to rely on? Not to mention that Komansuo had the natural advantage of being the same race.