Chapter 1703: Neutrality Principle

Xia Duo knows that Cormanthor harbors malicious intent; this step can be said to be a dilemma. Even if, as Saide said, they send someone in the name of the Ming Shui Chamber of Commerce, in the end, it would only be letting the Ming Shui Chamber of Commerce bear the cost on their behalf.

The most critical point is that he is currently riding a tiger and can't get off; if he gives up the procurement, wouldn't it look to outsiders like he is afraid of Cormanthor?

But if he wants to continue the procurement, should he still send someone to that meeting tomorrow?

At this moment, the more difficult Xia Duo feels, the deeper his dissatisfaction with Cormanthor grows. Cormanthor's desire to destroy him never dies, and he feels it is necessary to find something for Cormanthor to do, so they don't focus all their attention on Netheril day after day.

As for the present, Xia Duo thought for a moment and said to Saide: "Regarding sending someone, I don't think it's necessary to be led by the nose by the other party. I will handle this matter personally. Sorry for the disturbance today; I will head to Seventon after the Midsummer Festival, and we can talk then."

"Mm, alright."

Saide saw that Xia Duo already had the intention to end the communication, but asked one more question out of concern, "I wonder how Lord Xia Duo intends to handle this matter?"

"I plan to make a trip to Evereska myself to meet that Elder Laruian."

Xia Duo knew from Depake's recent conversation that the influential figure the Ming Shui Chamber of Commerce contacted was Elder Laruian's second son, but these words sounded a bit more unsettling to Saide:

"Lord Xia Duo, you—"

"No need to worry, I will handle this matter well; it will not affect the commercial image of the Ming Shui Chamber of Commerce in the Elf Kingdom."

After finishing, Xia Duo directly cut off the communication.

……

When the light in the study returned to normal, the expression on Depake's face became increasingly complex, "My Lord, you don't have to do this; it's just letting me go to Evereska, it's nothing."

"This is no longer just your own affair now; you don't need to worry about what happens next. Tomorrow is the Midsummer Festival; go tell them at the No. 1 Spire to rest. Only when they are well-rested can they have a joyous holiday."

Watching Depake leave the study, Xia Duo let out a long sigh, then immediately rose to head to the Teleportation Room. Before teleporting, he sent a message to Iolum and Bulundesi respectively.

……

Seventon.

Just after stepping out of the Arcane Union Teleportation Room, Xia Duo suddenly received a teleportation request conveyed by the Tower Spirit. He did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately expressed his consent.

The next moment, space-time shifted, and Xia Duo was already in Iolum's study. Iolum was rising from behind his desk at this time, coming before him, handing over a familiar cyan Gemstone, and asking with concern:

"How do you plan to handle this matter?"

Regarding Iolum, Xia Duo could not just casually brush him off as he did with Saide just now. He first took the Evereska Mythallar Permission Credential handed over by Iolum, and only then spoke slowly:

"Whether I am willing or not, Cormanthor is already targeting me, so I certainly won't let them have an easy time. Does Teacher think that with the Cormanthor Ambassador being so arrogant and domineering in Evereska, the Evereska Elves can really accept it in their hearts?

"In my hometown, there is a very famous proverb called 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Netheril and Evereska do not have conflicts in an absolute sense. The previous Mythallar repair incident was more about following the general trend; the source was still the great Elf nations like Yierlan and Cormanthor."

The "Mythallar repair incident" that Xia Duo mentioned was actually the five great nations of the Northland Alliance forcibly participating under the pretext that the Evereska Mythallar was damaged and needed repair, and demanding Mythallar Permission.

But in reality, Netheril and Danzo's research in the Mythallar Domain was far inferior to the other three nations, and this matter was not even proposed by Netheril initially.

If Yierlan and Cormanthor hadn't been fanning the flames in front, Netheril could have completely avoided participating.

Of course, this is the version told to Evereska, but in actual state-to-state interactions, the Elders of Evereska cannot fail to see that Cormanthor, being Elves themselves, treats them much more ruthlessly than humans do!

By the same logic, it is not difficult to infer that the possibility of Evereska being controlled or even occupied by Cormanthor and other nations, who are also Elves, is much higher than the possibility of being controlled by Netheril!

"And then?"

Iolum glanced to the west and voiced his own doubt: "The Elder Council of Evereska isn't stupid; how could they openly resist Cormanthor? Unless you can drag Yierlan and Danzo along to give them support."

"Why couldn't I?" Xia Duo asked back.

In reality, given the current international situation, the best way for Evereska to survive is not to lean completely toward Cormanthor, but to wander between various forces by utilizing its own special status.

Like this time, Elder Laruian being forced into a bet by the Cormanthor Ambassador is already openly leaning toward Cormanthor, which is targeting the Ming Shui Chamber of Commerce and the Daxia Territory behind them that has yet to appear.

If it were the Seven Towers, would Elder Laruian still dare to be so presumptuous?

Xia Duo does not ask for Evereska to lean completely toward Netheril or Daxia Territory; as long as they strictly maintain neutrality, out of respect for the location of the Northland Alliance Headquarters, no party will do anything to Evereska.

Perhaps some power will disappear, but the nation itself will have far more vitality than other small nations.

Thinking of this, Xia Duo further explained his intention: "Not long ago, I filed an appeal regarding a Supermagic Record on the Northland Alliance Mythallar. That Supermagic Record was indeed from my hand, and the appeal was just an attempt.

"But from this, I thought of a loophole in the Magic Restriction Treaty. If someone impersonates a Mage from another country and deliberately triggers a supermagic activity within that country's borders, Teacher, who do you say the resulting record counts toward?

"Even if the Northland Alliance has an appeal investigation mechanism, when such records are generated in large numbers, the investigation requires time, manpower, materials, and various other costs. Who will pay for these costs?"

"Of course, make Cormanthor pay; who told them to be the ones who proposed this motion initially!" Iolum said without hesitation.

"Teacher's words are too biased. It is true that the proposal for the Magic Restriction Treaty was made by Cormanthor, but the resolution to agree was made by all the nations of the Northland Alliance together. If they are dissatisfied now, they shouldn't have agreed in the first place!"

Speaking of this, Xia Duo is actually quite annoyed with the Seven Towers in his heart.

The theories and techniques of Elven Magic are relatively mature; what Elf Mages have to do is more about excavating ancient achievements, which is much simpler than what Netherese Mages have to do in breaking through the unknown.

The Magic Restriction Treaty was proposed simply to restrict Netheril; the Seven Towers couldn't have failed to see that, yet they still agreed.

Although Xia Duo also knows that the Seven Towers is in a difficult position, and even if it were him, he might not be able to handle it better, he just can't help but feel annoyed.