Chapter 1805: Ansai Mountains, Upper Path

The next day.

Xia Duo arrived at Seventon early. After meeting with Badijiaer, he set off with a Great Arcanist named "Puman" toward the location agreed upon with Xierdalanna.

In a primeval forest on the eastern border of Yierlan, a spark of spiritual light first appeared, followed by a Perception Field that spread out in all directions like spilled mercury.

Upon discovering a familiar figure, the Perception Field immediately vanished. Then, a Portal opened not far from that figure, and Xia Duo and Puman stepped out from within.

Seeing the two, Xierdalanna frowned slightly before asking, "Is it just the two of you? Did Badijiaer not come?"

"It is just us two; is that not enough?" Xia Duo said with a smile.

As for Badijiaer, back in Asikeer, the situation had been like an arrow on a bowstring that had to be released, but now that there was room for maneuver, how could Badijiaer possibly take action personally!

This was not a question of danger, but a question of status. A head of state would not charge to the front in every matter; otherwise, what would be the use of having subordinates?

"Two people it is, then. I hope the two of you will cooperate as much as possible."

Xierdalanna quickly accepted the reality. In fact, having more people was not necessarily better; the key was the strength of their power. If one brought a group of weaklings, it would be better to simply abandon the operation!

"No problem."

Next, Xia Duo briefly introduced Puman to Xierdalanna. This was all that could be said; after all, Badijiaer's introduction regarding Puman was not extensive, and Xia Duo even had some doubts about how much truth there was to the name Puman itself.

"Is the target for this time nearby?" Xia Duo asked.

"Of course not. If it were nearby, the commotion you made when you arrived just now would have already alerted the other party."

Xierdalanna shook her head, then pointed a finger to create a Phantom map between the two parties, with the location in the bottom right corner highlighted.

"I wonder how much the two of you know about the Ansai Mountains in the southeast of Yierlan?"

"The Ansai Mountains?"

Xia Duo quickly searched his memory and then gave his answer, "I only know that the Ansai Mountains are the actual dividing line between Yierlan and Shaerwen; I don't know much else."

"First of all, the Ansai Mountains are Yierlan territory. It was only because the first Crown King wanted to show the friendship and historical ties between the two countries that he gifted the actual control of the region south of Fulandesi Peak to Shaerwen."

Xierdalanna explained with an expressionless face, soon mentioning the key point, "Due to various factors, neither country chose to exercise actual control over the Ansai Mountains, only setting up a few observation posts nearby. Therefore, it is also one of the few areas within Yierlan that is almost completely free from the supervision of a Mythallar."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, Xia Duo felt a sudden sense of relief. At first, he had thought they would be operating deep within Yierlan territory, but if that were the case, he would have had to deal with a Mythallar. If Xierdalanna really had any ulterior motives, it would be easy for her to trap him in a desperate situation.

Even if both sides had signed a Spell contract beforehand, it might not be insurance. Xia Duo had personally experienced the entire process of Badijiaer and Xierdalanna signing the contract. He knew very well that while the breach-of-contract penalty spell attached to that contract, jointly reinforced by both sides, was indeed powerful and had a strong deterrent effect, it was not lethal.

This point alone was enough for Xia Duo to fully consider the possibility of the other party breaking the contract.

Now that he heard the target was located in the Ansai Mountains, a buffer zone between the two countries, although he still could not rule out the possibility of Xierdalanna breaking her word, without the supervision and control of a Mythallar, Xia Duo believed he did not fear any traps.

Not to mention, he had Buluode and even Iolum behind him who could provide support at any time.

Next, Xierdalanna continued to introduce the target of this operation, "Because there is no Mythallar supervision in the Ansai Mountains, many smugglers and wanted criminals hide there, and some have even built secret strongholds. Of course, there are also many spies from both countries, ordinary merchants, or reclusive Spellcasters there, so we still need to be careful and cautious on this trip."

"Is the target completely hidden, or do they have a fake identity?"

"They are using the identity of the Lier Chamber of Commerce and have built a supply depot."

"Lier Chamber of Commerce?"

Xia Duo carefully recalled and confirmed that he had not heard this name before.

Regarding this, Xierdalanna explained, "The Lier Chamber of Commerce is a small chamber of commerce in the southeast of Yierlan, mainly engaged in grain trade toward Shaerwen."

"Teleportation Arrays or Portals might not be a problem for large chambers of commerce, but for small ones, they are an unbearable burden, not to mention that grain trade mainly relies on volume and has extremely low profit margins."

"They chose to use pack animals to transport across the Ansai Mountains. In the last few years, they have saved up enough funds and will soon be able to build multi-point storage warehouses. Large chambers of commerce are usually developed this way, but that is a digression."

"Is there a problem with this Lier Chamber of Commerce?" Xia Duo asked again.

"There is no problem with the Lier Chamber of Commerce itself, at least according to the results of my investigation, that is indeed the case."

Xierdalanna had initially thought that the Lier Chamber of Commerce was backed by a mysterious organization, but after her (and her subordinates') careful investigation, the Lier Chamber of Commerce was just an ordinary chamber of commerce.

If there really were a mysterious organization behind them, they wouldn't be unable to even build multi-point storage warehouses.

But regardless of whether the Lier Chamber of Commerce has any connection to a mysterious organization, after this incident, their momentum of rise will likely suffer a blow.

However, Xierdalanna felt not a shred of sympathy. For an Upper Family, the small families and small chambers of commerce below are completely objects to be harvested periodically.

If they haven't been harvested yet, there is only one reason—the other party is too weak.

Generally, Upper Families will accept the affiliation of many small families and small chambers of commerce, but they usually don't manage them at all, nor will they order them to do anything; they don't even require tribute.

Only when they develop to a certain scale are they qualified to be harvested. Of course, harvesting does not mean annihilation; what is harvested is the other party's potential for development, such as local specialties, technology, treasures, talent, channels, and so on.

In Yierlan, if a small family wants to develop into a large family, or even an Upper Family that truly rules Yierlan, there is basically only one path to choose, and that is to work for an Upper Family.

Only after making enough contributions to obtain a complete set of Supreme Magic inheritance is there a prerequisite for becoming an Upper Family. Afterward, they must be able to cultivate high-level Mages generation after generation to be considered as having the foundation of an Upper Family.

After that, it is about gaining the recognition of other Upper Families. If they cannot gain recognition, even if they possess the strength of an Upper Family, could they possibly withstand the sum of all other Upper Families?

Of course, in reality, the step of possessing the strength of an Upper Family takes nearly thousands of years, and a family that can survive for so many years without perishing is generally an Upper Family already.

Even if not, they can to a certain extent gain the recognition of the Upper Families.