Chapter 1709: Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: Awakening

Compared to the unreasonable nature of the Cormanthor Ambassador, although Lord Xia Duo's words were not exactly pleasant to hear, they contained a considerable degree of respect.

Laruian might have been startled by Xia Duo's initial questioning, but as one of the seven most powerful Elders of Evereska, once he set aside the elves' prejudices against humans, how could he fail to feel Xia Duo's sincerity?

Consequently, Laruian's attitude softened; he no longer viewed the other party with resistance or even hostility, and he lowered his posture once more, asking in a sincere tone:

"Lord Xia Duo, what do you think Evereska should do to survive the turbulent situation in the future? Also, I am truly sorry about what happened this morning; I will personally travel to Netheril tomorrow to attend the Midsummer Festival."

"That matter this morning was a small thing to me, but its impact on Evereska is by no means small; Elder Laruian should indeed handle it with caution. As for what Evereska should do next—"

Xia Duo glanced unobtrusively at the submissive Laruian and continued:

"I believe that the interactions between nations, especially between the countries of the Northland Alliance, should follow the five basic principles of 'mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,' 'non-aggression,' 'non-interference in internal affairs,' 'equality and mutual benefit,' and 'peaceful coexistence.'"

"Based on this, I will not demand what Evereska should do next or what it must do; I am merely offering a suggestion."

Hearing the mention of the five basic principles, Laruian was instantly shocked; he had never expected humans to possess such breadth of mind. Although he was not optimistic about these principles being widely accepted in the Northland, as a member of a small nation, he hoped for such a day.

At this point, Laruian's trust in what Xia Duo had said earlier increased by a few points, so he said again sincerely and solemnly: "Please, Lord Xia Duo, give me your guidance!"

"Evereska is unfortunate to have become the location of the Northland Alliance Headquarters, but at the same time, precisely because it has become the location of the Northland Alliance Headquarters, it has acquired a special neutral status that ordinary countries do not possess."

Xia Duo reiterated what he had said before, and looking at Laruian's expression, the other party seemed to have no intention of refuting it this time, so he continued:

"On the topic of 'neutrality,' Evereska holds the same position as all other countries in the Northland Alliance; or rather, it is not that Evereska needs to be neutral, but that the Northland Alliance needs Evereska to be neutral."

"Once you understand this point, it is not difficult to know what to do in the future."

"As long as it does not deviate from a neutral stance, all nations need such a ready-made neutral ground. On this basis, if it can maintain relatively close cooperation with all countries, then Evereska will stand in an invincible position."

"Of course, down to the details, the most important thing Evereska needs to do right now is to ensure the existence of the Northland Alliance. If the Northland Alliance no longer exists, then the special status Evereska has obtained through it will also cease to exist."

"This point is actually not easy to achieve. At present, the major powers are fighting openly and secretly; perhaps this morning's incident can also be seen as Cormanthor forcing Evereska to take a side."

"In the end, Cormanthor does not necessarily need the Northland Alliance to exist. As long as they can achieve their goals, they naturally would not mind abandoning the Northland Alliance at any time."

Xia Duo's words immediately reminded Laruian that the significance of the Northland Alliance to major powers and small nations is completely different, just like the current Evereska.

Once the Northland Alliance ceases to exist, it would likely immediately become a battlefield for the games of major powers, and the plight of the people of Evereska at that time can be imagined.

At the same time, Laruian also thought that although Lord Xia Duo had just proposed the five basic principles for interactions between nations, in reality, for a special country like Evereska, one cannot simply hope to stay out of it in many cases; instead, one must fully exert one's own special advantages and strive to maintain the balance, or rather, the peace, between nations.

At this moment, Laruian suddenly realized the true purpose of Lord Xia Duo coming to Evereska as a Nether Envoy this time.

If nothing goes wrong, it is for the Magic Restriction Treaty! The Netherese are dissatisfied with the Magic Restriction Treaty! The incident this morning must have just been an excuse!

After all, anyone with a discerning eye knows that this treaty is almost aimed at Netheril. Once Netheril ultimately no longer accepts the treaty and uses this as an excuse to withdraw from the Northland Alliance—

Perhaps they themselves would be subjected to more severe exclusion and restrictions by the countries of the Northland, but the ones who would suffer more are always the small nations in the Alliance, because that state, which transcends hostility and is closer to war, would force the major powers to compel the small nations to take a side.

Although there is already taking sides now, it is still relatively peaceful, and the major powers' methods are still somewhat subtle. As a country established to avoid war, Evereska knows all too well what a state of war looks like.

Moreover, other small nations already had inclinations, so taking sides later was merely the "suzerain state" incorporating them into its own system to a greater extent, but Evereska is different.

In the past, Evereska had always been reclusive—or one could say neutral—but after experiencing the Northland Alliance, no one would ignore such an important fulcrum located in the western region of the Northland.

Yierlan would not, and Cormanthor even less so. With those two involved, Illefarn and Netheril would also very likely intervene.

And without the Northland Alliance, with all countries tearing off their disguises, for Evereska, it would surely be a disaster.

Thinking of this, Laruian felt exceptionally terrified; he had never imagined that the peaceful life that had lasted for hundreds of years would be broken one after another in these few years.

Turmoil, war—almost every terrifying scene he could imagine appeared in his mind one by one, making him increasingly fearful.

"Lord Xia Duo, Lord Xia Duo, what should I do?"

The expression on Laruian's face at this moment was already somewhat flustered, fearing to hear the Nether Envoy say something like "there is no hope." He looked at Xia Duo expectantly, his eyes filled with longing.

At this moment, he could not distinguish whether he was acting out of instinct or if it was entirely from his heart, but what was certain was that he absolutely did not want Netheril to withdraw from the Northland Alliance, even if it meant paying a certain price.

*Cough—*

Feeling that the timing was about right, Xia Duo finally stated his purpose: "At the upcoming Northland Alliance meeting, Netheril will propose to renegotiate the Magic Restriction Treaty, revise the clearly unreasonable clauses within it, and perfect a series of subsequent processing procedures. I hope Evereska can find a position suitable for itself within this."

Xia Duo did not specifically explain what Evereska needed to do, nor did it need to be parsed; in fact, having reached this point, it no longer mattered what Evereska wanted to do or could do.

It was about what all members of the Northland Alliance, excluding Cormanthor, needed Evereska to do!