Chapter 1836: Diplomatic Dilemma, Apology

Cloudtop Tower.

Time returns to a quarter of an hour ago; Elder Ougesi had just finished an all-night banquet. With the founding of Evereska imminent, there were always endless social obligations.

What he did not expect, however, was that before he could find a chance to rest, Elder Katunidede, who was in charge of diplomatic affairs, sent word—the official envoys of the Five Kingdoms had arrived.

Currently, the attitude of the various kingdoms toward Evereska's pursuit of independence and statehood was mostly neither supportive nor opposed, at least on the surface, with one exception—

Siluwende.

As early as when the eleven High Mages of the Evereska Council of Elders concluded their covenant to prepare for the founding of the nation, Siluwende had clearly expressed its opposition, and their attitude had not softened much even now.

Since the official envoys of the Five Kingdoms were mentioned, it meant the Siluwende envoy was included, which made Ougesi feel very troubled, because not long ago, fanatical Siluwende Mages had caused trouble in Evereska.

Was the Siluwende envoy here this time to hold them accountable? Or to hold them accountable?

Especially since Elder Katunidede mentioned that the official envoys of the Five Kingdoms arrived simultaneously, Ougesi could not help but have some bad associations; could it be that the Five Kingdoms had already agreed on some kind of decision?

With Siluwende participating, it was conceivable that if there really were some kind of joint decision, it would definitely be unfavorable to the founding of Evereska!

Thinking this, Ougesi's mind raced, and then, as if he had made up his mind, he called out toward the outside of the great hall:

"Lakelaisi!"

In less than half a minute, a tall Gold Elf Warrior walked in from outside and bowed respectfully, "My Lord, what are your orders?"

"You said last night during the banquet that the Mage Asuosi had already returned to the manor?"

"Yes, that one did not conceal their form when returning; my Patrol saw it."

"Very well, invite them to Cloudtop Tower on my behalf; tell them I am hosting a banquet for them. Prepare the full ceremonial guard, and be polite."

"Yes, My Lord."

……

Lakelaisi left to carry out the order. Watching the other's figure, Ougesi could not help but feel a bit anxious. He wanted to invite them personally, but he could not let go of his dignity as an Elder, so he could only pace back and forth in the great hall.

Before long, the fluctuations of a Teleportation Spell suddenly came from outside the great hall. There were not many Elves with the Permission Level for the Cloudtop Tower teleportation, but there were not few either; at first, Ougesi did not associate it with Lakelaisi.

But when Lakelaisi hurried in, Ougesi's expression changed abruptly. Before Lakelaisi could speak, he hurriedly asked: "What happened? Why are you back so soon?"

"Mage Asuosi said they had no time, and compared to yesterday, their attitude seemed different. I did not dare to delay and immediately returned to tell you, My Lord."

"Attitude is different?"

Upon hearing this, Ougesi immediately associated it with the official envoys of the Five Kingdoms who had just arrived. Could it be—

No, no, no, the other party clearly expressed their willingness to support the founding of Evereska yesterday. If it really had to do with the official envoys of the Five Kingdoms, they would have known the news then and would not have had that attitude.

"Lakelaisi, how did you invite Mage Asuosi? Did you slight them?"

"My Lord, I followed your instructions and prepared the ceremonial guard before going to invite them. Perhaps my attitude at the time made Mage Asuosi dissatisfied. Please punish me, My Lord."

Lakelaisi knelt on one knee quite readily. By now, even if he were slow-witted, he could see that the Elder attached great importance to that Mage Asuosi, perhaps even intending to use him, a long-time subordinate, to win the other party back.

However, Lakelaisi also knew the current situation of Evereska. If they could win over a powerful High Mage, what would it matter if he sacrificed his personal life or even his dignity!

"Lakelaisi, rise first. I believe you; it is my problem."

At this moment, Ougesi also realized it. The all-night banquet had made his thinking somewhat sluggish. Only now did he realize that inviting a High Mage to a banquet at this hour was truly too impolite.

If it were him, not getting angry on the spot would be considered good. Now that the other party had merely declined with the excuse of being busy, it showed that the other party harbored good intentions.

Thinking this, Ougesi immediately knew what he had to do. After dispelling the smell of alcohol from his body, he took Lakelaisi and arrived outside Athos Manor again.

……

At this time, Athos Manor, inside the Study.

Xia Duo was just lamenting that the Floating City project was vast and complex, when the ornament on the table rang again. Xia Duo silenced it without a second thought.

As for any Projection, naturally, there was none.

But the visitor seemed unwilling to give up and "pressed" the doorbell again. Although somewhat displeased, Xia Duo was still curious about what tricks Lakelaisi would have this time.

He then clicked on the Projection, and his Perception Field immediately covered the area. A real-time image appeared on the desk again. Xia Duo had guessed correctly; it was indeed Lakelaisi who came this time.

However, this time, there was another Elf beside Lakelaisi, and based on their positioning, Lakelaisi was not the main one this time, but rather that strange Elf was.

Just as Xia Duo felt puzzled, the Elf in the real-time image spoke: "Respected Mage Asuosi, my subordinate was rude before. Ougesi apologizes to you."

Ougesi? An Elder of Evereska? And apologizing?

Xia Duo was stunned for a moment. Although he did not know what the other party was aiming for by doing this, at the level of a High Mage, one's words and actions could be considered sincere.

That is to say, even if the other party might have a conspiracy and was performing an apology, in the eyes of outsiders, it was a real apology.

Correspondingly, in this situation, if Xia Duo did not respond, it would basically be equivalent to offending the other party to death. Even if the two sides really had a grudge, he should stand out and say a few polite words at this time.

Thinking this, Xia Duo also made his decision.

……

On the other side, when Ougesi spoke the words of apology, his heart could be said to be incomparably tormented. On one hand, it was indeed his own negligence just now.

On the other hand, he wondered if his public apology would add another variable to Evereska's path to statehood.

Ougesi knew that Asuosi was watching him at this moment, and he also wanted to trace back through the Perception Field to see the other party's expression and attitude. The Perception Field derived from the Manor Barrier was, after all, just a dead object and could not stop a High Mage.

But he was already apologizing for his previous rudeness; if he were rude again, he might provoke a powerful enemy for Evereska.

Time passed bit by bit. Ougesi was tormented inside, but his expression remained calm.

Behind him, Lakelaisi looked at his Elder's still-straight back, and for some reason, he felt a bit sour in his heart.

"Elder?"

Lakelaisi asked in a low voice, but Ougesi's reply was only one word: "Wait!"

Just as he finished speaking, the Athos Manor Jieti suddenly underwent some changes. To Lakelaisi, it might be somewhat difficult to understand, but in Ougesi's eyes, it was already the other party's positive response.

The next moment, just as he expected, the manor gate opened wide, and an Elf Mage, strange yet carrying a familiar aura, walked out to greet them with a smile.