Chapter 1592: Last Chance, Tacit Boundaries

And the most critical point is that since Iolum came to ask him about this matter, the Seven Towers must have certainly sensed something as well.

How is he supposed to smuggle in population in the future like this!

Xia Duo couldn't help but suspect whether Buluode had done this on purpose; they had clearly agreed to proceed in batches, and now he pulls this stunt, asking for fifty thousand at once—even a fool would know there is a problem.

Territory residents are not chives that grow back after being harvested; they are living, breathing lives. Even if some people privately hold the lives of residents in low regard, it is unlikely they would openly say things like "residents' lives can be disposed of at will."

Especially after the Princess's Ascension to Godhood, "Pioneering and Protection" has become a very important political correctness. In the past, this was merely a lord's duty; if violated, perhaps no one would step forward.

But now it is different; strictly speaking, violating this is already considered an act of blasphemy. To say nothing else, the Seven Cities Council would certainly not remain indifferent.

After all, supervising lords to ensure they do not violate their duties is also their duty, only now there is the added factor of the Princess.

"Sigh, this situation, how should I put it?"

Xia Duo knew Iolum was currently waiting for his reply, but this kind of behavior of undermining Netheril, while acceptable to do in private, becomes somewhat unpresentable once it is known by others.

After thinking about it, Xia Duo still felt there was no need to hide it. Even if he didn't say it, Buluode wouldn't hide it for him. Perhaps Iolum had asked Buluode first before coming to ask him!

Otherwise, how could the other party be so certain that this matter had to do with him!

"Teacher, I did indeed have Buluode do this. You also know my situation here; for me, population is not a burden, but rather future potential. The more, the better. I hope Teacher can understand. However, we truly did not handle this matter well, and I hope Teacher can help cover it up."

After the message was sent, Xia Duo had no mind to think about the Floating City design. One thought after another kept appearing in his mind, and even though he deliberately chose to ignore them, their presence became stronger and stronger, until they were completely impossible to ignore, occupying almost all of his thoughts—

Was Buluode doing it on purpose?

But Xia Duo ultimately did not lose his reason. Without waiting for Iolum's reply, questioning Buluode was clearly not a good method.

A moment later, Xia Duo finally received Iolum's follow-up Sending. During this time, he felt as if every second was like a year.

On one hand, the thought that Buluode had deliberately ruined things was like a venomous snake gnawing at his heart; on the other, he was worried that after this incident, the Seven Towers would plug the loophole regarding Great Arcanists recruiting residents for their Pioneer Territories.

And Iolum's reply was—

"I know. I will contact Buluode and have him re-apply. Additionally, if you need population, you can also come to my territory to recruit."

"As for covering it up, this matter has already alarmed the Seven Towers, so there is no possibility of covering it up. It is just as well not to."

"For the time being, they have not realized the importance of population, at least not as much as you do. They will not care about this little trick of yours."

"And most importantly, the Nan Jing concerns the determination of the border between Netheril and Keman. As long as you prioritize pioneering toward the east, the Seven Towers will not only not cause you trouble, but will instead block the pressure from Keman for you."

"Seize this opportunity to expand your population as much as possible. Once the negotiations regarding the border division by the Northland Alliance conclude, there will no longer be such a good opportunity as there is now."

Understanding all the information, Xia Duo couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed the situation had not reached the worst-case scenario, and this was actually within his expectations.

If he hadn't been fully mentally prepared for various possible consequences, how could he have so easily plotted the undermining scheme with Buluode.

The only thing in this that caught him off guard and was somewhat difficult to understand or accept was Buluode asking for fifty thousand people at once. Aside from this, the rest was nothing to worry about.

Even if this trick of smuggling in population is restricted by the Seven Towers, it would only mean the subsequent cost of introducing population would become higher, which is not a very serious problem.

At Xia Duo's current status, money has never been a big problem. He is more concerned with the attitudes and actions of various parties toward him, as well as the impact on his future plans.

"What a pity, knowing that Buluode asking for people isn't for himself, but for me, the other Pioneers probably won't let this rest!"

This is actually the price of breaking the rules. If Xia Duo himself had the authority to recruit, then even if others were reluctant, they wouldn't say or do anything.

But now, it doesn't even require those Pioneers to say or do much; as long as the territories supporting them send more people to their pioneer lands, it will inevitably affect the effect of the Seven Cities Council's recruitment of residents for Buluode.

Fortunately, the other Pioneers are not Great Arcanists. Otherwise, if there were just one, the impact on Buluode's recruitment effect might be greater than the sum of all ordinary Pioneers.

If it weren't for the overly urgent need for population growth, Xia Duo really wouldn't want to do this kind of rule-breaking thing. Fortunately, this is just exploiting a loophole; if it were completely breaking the rules, the backlash would likely be more severe.

At the same time, he also knew that the loophole regarding Great Arcanists recruiting residents for their Pioneer Territories would likely not last long; it just depended on how many people the Seven Towers were willing to give him.

So that means pioneering toward the east?

Xia Duo couldn't help but frown secretly. Pioneering toward the east did not align with his plans. In fact, as soon as the news spread that the Northland Alliance was going to define the borders of each country, he had already arranged for people to set up outposts and deploy Magic Alert in the east.

From Maihete in the north to the Wolf God Mountain in the south, Xia Duo had basically deployed Magic Alert as far east as he could reach.

This was enough to allow Netheril to occupy an advantageous position in the Northland Alliance negotiations.

As for actual pioneering, Xia Duo did not want to clash with Keman for the time being. In fact, Keman had also started deploying Warning Magic in this area, and sometimes they would destroy the ones Xia Duo had deployed.

If they destroy them, just replace them; this is a tug-of-war. And in this long tug-of-war, both sides have formed a certain tacit understanding, deliberately leaving a portion of the middle zone where neither side has deployed any magic.

Of course, this aspect was mainly handled by Saville. Xia Duo did not ask how the tacit understanding was specifically formed, but he estimated that it involved quite a few power struggles.

That middle zone is roughly the border. If he were to forcibly pioneer toward the east, it might provoke a strong backlash from the other side, which does not align with Xia Duo's interests.

Even if it were beneficial in the long term, the price to be paid in the short term is too great. At this stage, merely pulling chestnuts from the fire for the Seven Towers is something Xia Duo is unwilling to do.

And if he is unwilling to pioneer toward the east, then the population the Seven Towers can provide might be quite limited.

Even if the Seven Towers were willing to give more, it is unlikely Xia Duo would accept it, as all of this requires consuming his own commercial reputation, or rather, things like prestige and credibility.

Although these things seem intangible, their influence is far-reaching, and Xia Duo does not wish to consume them excessively.