Chapter 170: Roundup, Elf

On the way back, Xia Duo suddenly discovered that the atmosphere in the town was somewhat strange; the East District had suddenly seen an increase in patrolling soldiers, and all intersections had been blocked off.

Even when they saw someone like Xia Duo, who looked like a Mage, they asked a few questions; others were even less free to move about.

When he had just arrived, there hadn't been such a big commotion; how did it become like this in the blink of an eye? Xia Duo felt it was very odd. After walking half a street, he still felt he should find someone to ask.

And just as he was scouting for a target to ask, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight—it was Jibu, Xia Duo's companion during the Orc War.

Xia Duo's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly called out, "Captain Jibu, I didn't expect to meet you here!"

"Mage Xia Duo?!" Seeing Xia Duo, Jibu was also very surprised, and what surprised him even more was that Xia Duo's attire at this moment already indicated that he was an Official Mage.

How long had it been!

"Mage Xia Duo, some time ago Wuke just told me that he went on a mission with you and even received a reward from above because of it! He is very grateful to you."

"Is that so? That time I just happened to be there." Xia Duo was modest for a moment, then returned to the main topic. He pointed at the soldiers on the street and asked, "What is this for?"

Jibu turned his head, ordered his subordinate soldiers to leave first, and then whispered: "The higher-ups want to make arrests."

"Arrests? Arresting whom, to cause such a big commotion?"

"People from the Golden Lark Chamber of Commerce; it is said they even have Mages!"

Jibu revealed a few words and then hurried away to catch up with his subordinate soldiers, while Xia Duo slowed his pace, walking while thinking.

The name Golden Lark Chamber of Commerce was no longer unfamiliar, and Xia Duo's most intuitive impression of it was the scene of a foreman whipping Orc slaves when he passed by the port a few days ago.

He didn't expect that after only a few days, they would be surrounded and captured. Xia Duo thought of the death of Feierbosi first. If it wasn't for this matter, what else could it be that would make the Territory suddenly take such drastic action against a foreign chamber of commerce?

It was just that Niya's words from the morning were still lingering in his ears, asking him to persuade Lady Patti to give up the investigation; how did it turn into them making arrests themselves in the blink of an eye?

Or could it be that it had nothing to do with Feierbosi?

Xia Duo was a bit confused. It was not strange for the higher-ups to make any decision on a whim, and the biggest connection this matter had to him was probably—that he would clap and cheer when the Golden Lark Chamber of Commerce was dealt with!

However, every foreign chamber of commerce had a force supporting it behind the scenes. Was the Savile Territory not afraid of any backlash for being so aggressive? Xia Duo secretly pondered the impact of this matter on the Territory.

But he was only a New Mage; even if he could barely be linked to the Lord, this was not a matter he needed to worry about.

What he truly cared about was whether this matter would affect him. The current Xia Duo had just increased his Permission Level and was in a state of rapid development, and he was already tied to the Tower of Time and the Savile Territory.

He hoped most of all that no accidents would occur, whether to himself or the surrounding environment.

Carrying a trace of doubt, Xia Duo returned to the Mage Tower. Regarding everything in the outside world, he could only choose to trust the Lord's choices and trust the survival methods of a territory that had existed for nearly a hundred years.

What he could do next was to improve himself as much as possible. Of course, he was not prepared to give up on the Arcane Competition either; the Territory only had four people participating, so as long as his performance was passably decent, there shouldn't be a lack of rewards.

The cost-effectiveness was quite considerable, and spending a little time was nothing.

Xia Duo did not yet know the specific rules of the Arcane Competition, so his so-called preparation was just looking up some books about local customs and practices in the Library.

There were various introductions to the Arcane Competition there; as long as he had a general idea in his mind, it wouldn't be too late to do intensive training once the rules were released.

And after returning to his residence from the Library, Xia Duo dove headfirst into the world of Magic. The production method for the 【Steam Ray】 Scroll was about to be born, and he couldn't wait any longer.

Just as Xia Duo was working hard to research the Application of Spells, Aiboke, who had already become an Arcanist, had led men to control all members of the Golden Lark Chamber of Commerce, including the slaves.

The entire process encountered almost no resistance. The two low-rank Mages hired by the chamber of commerce surrendered the moment they saw Arcane Energy and even helped control several chamber of commerce managers who were preparing to flee.

"Keep the rest temporarily controlled at the chamber of commerce. Oh right, send that one named Hawei to the Mage Tower for me."

Aiboke's previous words made the group from the Golden Lark Chamber of Commerce breathe a sigh of relief, feeling that the Savile Territory shouldn't be pushing things to the extreme, but the latter sentence made them nervous.

Especially Hawei; if he hadn't been controlled by a spell, he would have almost collapsed to the ground. Being sent to the Mage Tower—a phrase that sounded normal in ordinary times—was almost synonymous with tragedy in this situation.

Hawei didn't know what was waiting for him there, but he figured it wouldn't be good treatment. Unable to move his body, he could only desperately beg for mercy with his eyes.

But Aiboke wouldn't care about the eyes of a prisoner. After inspecting the chamber of commerce's station and finding no useful information, Aiboke could only return to the Mage Tower first to wait for the Lord to return.

To see if he had any new information.

The Eastern Forest generally refers to the forest east of Netheril that connects to the Nether Territory, and further east of the Eastern Forest, there is still forest—a forest far more vast and exquisite than the Eastern Forest.

This is the Cormanthor Forest, the location of the Elven Court. Of course, the one ruling this vast territory today is the Cormanthor Empire.

The Elven Court had already become a place for hermits, exiles, and those who failed in struggles to huddle together for warmth. If not for the interference of gods and the strong opposition of some High Mages, the Crown King would have long since ordered the expulsion of the Elven Court.

Beneath a high tower, in a quiet courtyard constructed of intertwined trees, cups and plates were scattered; it seemed a banquet had just been held here, and most of the guests had already left.

A handsome Elf left the main seat and walked toward a pavilion not far from the courtyard; the trees voluntarily moved their branches aside for him, and flowers bloomed beneath his feet.

Upon reaching the pavilion, a temporarily woven wooden chair appeared beside him. When he sat down, the chair swayed slowly, echoing the rhythm of the wind.

Before long, another Elf walked over. Without waiting for the tree branches to part, he took the initiative to wave his hand and push them aside. Compared to the one sitting, the Elf who came later was much ruder.

However, this rudeness was only relative to Elves; for humans, it still possessed great aesthetic appeal.

"Aolando, you are quite leisurely. Our friend just sent news that the humans have confirmed they are going to develop the Green Pearl Forest, but there is still no clue about the Star Dew Scepter. Are you not anxious?"

Although the words of the Elf who came later carried blame, when spoken from the mouth of an Elf, with its cadence and tone, it was as if he were singing a beautiful ballad.

"Feinuoweita, rest easy." Aolando raised his finger and pointed to the seat opposite him. "Sit!"

A wooden chair appeared quietly. After Feinuoweita sat down, a flower bud hung down from the back of the chair, slowly opened, and transformed into a flower-shaped wine cup, which landed in his hand.

The amber-colored wine trembled slightly, emitting a natural fragrance that instantly dispelled Feinuoweita's irritable mood.