Chapter 1837: Kindred Spirits, Like a Fish in Water

"Elder Ougesi, please, come in!"

Xia Duo extended a hand in an inviting gesture with a face full of enthusiasm, acting as if he were completely unaware of Ougesi's previous apology; everything remained unspoken, and both parties understood each other without a word.

At Xia Duo's response, the expression on Ougesi's face, which he had been struggling to keep calm, suddenly relaxed, and a smile squeezed onto his lips as he walked over to greet him:

"Mage Asuosi, I heard Lakelaisi's report yesterday and had intended to visit that very day, but there were truly too many trivial matters regarding the founding of the nation; I hope you will forgive me."

"Eh—Elder Ougesi, you are too kind; it should have been me taking the initiative to visit."

As he spoke, Xia Duo fully immersed himself in the Elf perspective, proactively taking hold of one of Ougesi's arms and leading him into the manor, while Lakelaisi remained outside.

Upon reaching the Reception Room, Xia Duo suddenly patted his head and said with regret: "The manor is empty and I haven't had time to recruit servants yet; it is truly a discourtesy to let Elder Ougesi sit here with nothing!"

"Mage Asuosi has also just arrived in Evereska, it is I who have intruded; if Mage Asuosi does not mind, leave the matter of recruiting manor servants to me!"

"How could I trouble you with that!"

"It is no trouble, this is what the Evereska Council of Elders should do."

Ougesi wore an expression of taking it for granted, and naturally, Xia Duo did not refuse again; at the same time, he saw it clearly—as the saying goes, "he who offers gifts must have a request," which coincided perfectly with his own thoughts.

If he were back on Earth, he would probably have recited a poem or two at this moment, then told a story about being like a fish in water.

At this moment, the better Ougesi's attitude was, the happier Xia Duo felt; as long as he was given enough Permission Level to organize Mages to study the Mythallar, he didn't care what the other party wanted.

When the day the Mythallar was completed arrived, when he left the Projection Plane, it wouldn't be impossible to risk his life for the other party once; it would be a waste not to, anyway.

After the pleasantries, Xia Duo took the initiative to start the conversation, asking: "Elder Ougesi, is there some emergency that you are in such a hurry to meet?"

"This—"

It was not because of the visit of the official envoys from the Five Kingdoms that Ougesi hesitated; he hesitated because Asuosi had subtly mentioned the previous discourtesy, which was the point that made him feel somewhat awkward.

Only at this moment did he realize that his understanding of Asuosi was limited to what Lakelaisi had described and what he had seen today; would rashly bringing up the visit of the Five Kingdoms' envoys scare the other party away?

Thinking this way, Ougesi immediately cooled down from the other party's recent enthusiastic performance and tentatively asked: "I wonder what Mage Asuosi thinks of the current Evereska?"

Although Lakelaisi had already reported this answer to him yesterday, Ougesi still wanted to hear it with his own ears; if they could truly become allies, then it wouldn't matter if he apologized afterward.

To this, Xia Duo's face turned solemn, and he said sternly: "Elder Ougesi, regarding this question, I think you know better than anyone.

"The reach of the various kingdoms does not bring order, but chaos, which has caused Evereska to lose its original nature as a sanctuary.

"At this time, for you Elders to stand up and reshape order, Asuosi feels heartfelt admiration; now that I have handled my private affairs, I was just preparing to visit the Elder this afternoon to offer my own strength and contribute to this great undertaking."

As the de facto ruling class of the Elf World, High Mages actually have little desire to change this world; of course, no matter what kind of existence, as long as the number is large enough, there is certainly no lack of idealists.

Just like these eleven Elders of Evereska, they could have completely avoided seeking independence or founding a nation, or even joined any one of the kingdoms—could anyone really have ordered them around?

Of course, Xia Duo could also say that these eleven Elders were ambitious people seeking greater benefits, but regardless, as long as he showed the appearance of an idealist, if the other party were an ambitious person, they would be even happier!

Xia Duo's performance—no, it shouldn't be considered a performance; after understanding some of Evereska's past, Xia Duo was actually expressing his support for the actions of Ougesi and the other Elders from the bottom of his heart.

After all, even the worst order is much better than total chaos.

As Evereska's population continued to increase in the past, as a sanctuary-like existence, its proportion of Spellcasters was actually far higher than that of the Northland kingdoms.

Therefore, none of the Northland kingdoms wanted to let go of such a talent pool, always wanting to stir up trouble here, until Ougesi and the other ten High Mages established the Council of Elders, and the situation improved.

But as long as they did not become independent or found a nation, and did not become an independent entity, Evereska would always remain under the interference of other countries, forever unable to break free.

Although even if they became independent and founded a nation, they might not necessarily be able to break free—much like the Evereska of the Main Plane—but only by taking the first step can one have the hope of what follows; without taking the first step, the future is forever unreachable.

Regarding these heartfelt words from Xia Duo, Ougesi was truly moved; he knew very well that a High Mage no longer needed to demean himself to engage in any conspiracies, and being able to say these words must have come from the heart.

Although there was only one Asuosi for now, for Ougesi, this was already a quite perfect situation!

Ever since he concluded the alliance with ten other High Mages to establish the Council of Elders over a hundred years ago, Ougesi had visited the various kingdoms many times, looking for suitable potential alliances, but the results were very unsatisfactory.

It couldn't be said there were none, but at least until now, only one Asuosi was willing to publicly express support, or even join!

At this moment, Ougesi felt the grievances he had accumulated for over a hundred years instantly released; he didn't even notice that his voice was already trembling:

"Mage Asuosi, you—really think so?"

"Of course it is true, and I believe there are certainly many Elves in the various kingdoms who have the same thoughts!"

In Xia Duo's hometown, there is an old saying: "People desire peace, people desire stability"; the "people" here does not just refer to humans, it can also refer to Elves, especially the Elves who lived in Evereska in the past.

As for the Elves in the various kingdoms, there must be many who empathize, especially the lower-class Elves; even among the upper class, there may not be a lack of idealists, or perhaps opportunists.

It is just that, hindered by the current unclear situation, they are unwilling or afraid to express their stance publicly.

When Xia Duo was in Shaerwen, he had also heard Xize mention the Sharwen Tree Council's attitude toward Evereska Independent, which should be said to be more supportive than opposed.

The only problem is how much benefit Shaerwen can get in this process.

As for why there was still opposition, although Xize did not say, Xia Duo guessed that it might be because Siluwende had not yet actually threatened Shaerwen.