Chapter 1776: A Tactful Refusal

"Xierdalanna may have encountered the same faction that assassinated the Great Elder of Aifuruisi!"

Xia Duo did not use words like "certain" or "positive," but rather "may." Regardless of how many reasons Xierdalanna had for not lying, at least for now, everything came from her own account.

Xia Duo did not want Iolum to trust Xierdalanna just because of him; at the very least, some vigilance had to be maintained.

Of course, Iolum might have his own thoughts, but that did not prevent him from giving such a reminder.

Regarding this, Iolum did not seem to detect the "subtle artifice" in Xia Duo's mind and continued to ask: "Is the target she wants to raid related to the faction where the assassins are located?"

"Yes."

Seeing that Iolum already had an understanding of the situation at hand, Xia Duo stated Xierdalanna's complete conditions: "She said that if I cooperate with her in the raid, she will first provide a thief, and even cooperate to first seize a Golden Page of a Scroll."

"Provide a thief? Be more specific—is she providing information, or handing over the thief?"

"Handing over the thief!" Xia Duo recalled the meeting with Xierdalanna again to confirm he had not misunderstood.

Yet such a condition, for Iolum, almost inevitably pointed to one fact—that Xierdalanna truly possessed intelligence on those original thieves!

She could even bind a participant; clearly, she knew quite a lot!

"If I participate, she will provide all these conditions after the fact, right?"

"Yes."

"..."

Iolum found it hard to understand; could his reputation among the Elves really be inferior to that of his student? This made him harbor some suspicion, wondering if Xierdalanna might be brewing some conspiracy.

But that did not make sense either; as long as Xia Duo agreed first, whether that so-called "thief" existed would be revealed immediately, and even a Golden Page was easy to verify.

Most importantly, the initiative lay with Xia Duo.

Taking a step back, even if he were to cooperate in the raid, the possibility of it being a conspiracy was not high; as long as one was determined to leave, it was not an easy task to detain a Great Arcanist.

The greatest weakness of a conspiracy is that once the involved party becomes suspicious, it is very difficult to execute.

After a moment of silence, Iolum looked at Xia Duo again, "What is your view on this matter?"

Xia Duo did not look into Iolum's eyes; he knew this teacher of his was actually a person who "loved and hated clearly." He vaguely sensed that Iolum actually intended for him to agree first, to get that thief or even a Golden Page before considering anything else.

But he also had his own principles. Currently, Xierdalanna had not shown obvious malice, at most using various benefits (light of aura, Nether Scroll) to tempt him into engaging with the mysterious organization.

But this was harmless; overall, both sides were still in a relatively equal relationship. At the very least, Xierdalanna had not threatened him with the smuggling business in Keman, nor had she even hinted at it.

Agreeing or not agreeing was a matter of mutual consent; if one did not want to get involved, then simply do not agree.

If one agreed, then one must certainly find a way to accomplish it.

Xia Duo thought and worried far ahead; if possible, he did not want to leave a single stain on his record, so even if it were Iolum's request, he did not want to violate his own principles.

The so-called "I love my teacher, but I love Reality more"—that was roughly it.

After a slight hesitation, Xia Duo tactfully said:

"I think it is better to refuse. No matter how the Elves fight among themselves, it has nothing to do with humans. What Netheril needs most right now is time for stable development, not some extra benefits. Those will come naturally once our strength reaches a certain level."

He was not sure if this would leave a shadow on their relationship, but this was indeed his most honest inner thought. If some people were destined not to walk the same path, then they could only go their separate ways.

These people, without exception, naturally included Iolum. At least, the weight of Iolum in Xia Duo's heart was not yet important enough to warrant deliberate accommodation.

How could Iolum not hear the implied resistance in Xia Duo's words? But he had never thought of forcing his student to do anything, especially since his relationship with Xia Duo was more like that of collaborators than teacher and student.

"Do not worry. Although the Nether Scroll is important, it is not enough to make me lose my principles. It is just that you can refuse this matter, but I cannot."

Iolum's expression was incomparably calm, as if the previous words had not come from him. "Additionally, regardless of whether you or I agree, this matter must be notified to the Seven Towers to make corresponding defensive measures. I imagine Xierdalanna was already prepared for this when she mentioned me."

"..."

Xia Duo forgot to say that Xierdalanna did not trust the Seven Towers, but judging by Iolum's intent, unless he agreed with Xierdalanna in private, he would let the Seven Towers know regardless.

Sigh—

Xia Duo sighed silently in his heart; under these circumstances, Xierdalanna's expectations would likely fall through.

Of course, it could not be ruled out that Xierdalanna was testing him and Iolum, testing their relationship with the Seven Towers, while actually having prepared a contingency plan to cooperate with the Seven Towers.

"By the way, Teacher, regarding the assassination incident on the Elf side, does the Seven Towers have any latest news?"

"News is a mix of truth and falsehood. Only one thing has been confirmed: Elder Ankalita went to Siluwende because an Ancient Fortress was discovered there, which may store some powerful War Magic Artifacts, attracting attention from all sides."

"Does the Seven Towers have no thoughts on this?"

"How could they not? But it is difficult, especially now that the Great Elder of Aifuruisi is dead and the situation of the Northland Alliance has changed abruptly. It is truly inappropriate for Netheril to make too many sensitive moves."

"Since that is the case, does Teacher still want to persuade the Seven Towers to participate in Xierdalanna's operation?"

"How is that the same? The Nether Scroll originally belongs to Netheril; isn't it only natural for us to find the thief?"

"Alright."

Some things that needed to be said had already been said by Xia Duo. Thinking that there was still an intelligence project at home that had not been completed, he did not stay long and soon took his leave.

After Xia Duo left, Iolum pondered alone for a while, then headed to the Gustav Tower again.

Nan Jing, Tower of Time.

The feeling of casting aside all outside trivialities was truly wonderful, but there was still a shadow in Xia Duo's heart. Perhaps Iolum would consider things for him, but the Seven Towers might not, especially with Sikumu, who held prejudice and even malice toward him and Niya.

Xia Duo had a faint premonition that this matter was not over, but before the changes arrived, he needed to get the intelligence machine that could be used for practical purposes (the Mythallar project) out as soon as possible.