Chapter 1840: Equity Buyback

"Join the Council of Elders?"

Xia Duo's first reaction was that he could, but he immediately dismissed the thought; his current identity could not actually withstand scrutiny, and joining the Council of Elders would be equivalent to placing himself under a spotlight, subject to examination from all sides.

Xia Duo was not too worried about other things, but he was most concerned about the Shaerwen side; the spell for the Xilin avatar came from Shaerwen and was unique to Xilin, so he was very worried about being recognized.

Xilin's true body was still over in Shaerwen and could not easily move; once recognized, it would create many unnecessary variables out of thin air.

Furthermore, the current Evereska Council of Elders had eleven members, and if he were added, it would become twelve; in such a situation, if they encountered some issue where they could not reach a decision and it happened to be 6 to 6, that would also be troublesome.

Of course, in Xia Duo's view, this latter problem was not that serious; Evereska Independent was not a path destined for success, and in a sense, it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as a cutthroat business.

In such a situation, since Ougesi and the others could still conclude a covenant, he imagined their thinking in all aspects must be extremely close, making it difficult for irreconcilable differences that lead to a split to appear.

But this was also a possibility, even if this possibility was much smaller than Xia Duo being recognized by the Shaerwen Elf.

After thinking about it, Xia Duo still refused Ougesi; of course, he did not mention the two problems he was worried about, but instead said:

"Elder Ougesi, I don't really like various daily affairs and would rather invest my time in Magic research. Of course, I know that Evereska is currently at a critical moment, and I am willing to do some more substantive things."

Besides this, Xia Duo also proposed joining the covenant, as he believed this was what Ougesi was more concerned about.

Although at the level of a High Mage, words to a large extent represent an oath, having the restrictions of a covenant would still be more secure, especially in some major events.

"Mage Asuosi, the matter of the covenant is easy to discuss, but please reconsider joining the Council of Elders; I believe other companions will also approve!"

"Hmm, I will consider it."

Saying he would consider it was actually a refusal, and Xia Duo believed Ougesi could understand.

……

Next, Xia Duo did not continue chatting with Ougesi; what had just been discussed had already been covered, and going any deeper would touch upon the actual affairs of Evereska. Since the covenant had not yet been concluded, he still had some sense of propriety.

Of course, Ougesi also had a sense of propriety; upon sensing that the topic was coming to an end, he decisively proposed taking his leave, "Mage Asuosi, there is no news yet from Katunidede's side, so I will go and urge them."

"Additionally, later on, I would like to introduce you to other companions; I believe they will be very happy to have one more companion."

"Hmm, then I will see Elder Ougesi out."

Xia Duo knew that what Ougesi said later was the main point; the so-called introduction would likely be the signing ceremony. He was also looking forward to this, as things had developed to this point much more smoothly than he had expected—what else could he be dissatisfied with!

……

After Ougesi left, Xia Duo continued to organize the Mythallar project, trying his best to convert problems involving the Floating City into conventional problems.

Near noon, the servants mentioned by Ougesi arrived; a Moon Elf who called herself "Lisha" brought a team of Moon Elves and a team of Wood Elves to the entrance of Athos Manor.

Xia Duo let them in and did not pay them any more mind, but the experience of having attendants to pour tea and water and prepare meals at all times was not bad either.

It was just that this avatar of Xia Duo did not need to eat or drink, and he only tasted a little bit of the fresh food; from his current perspective, Ougesi was quite attentive to him, as the skills of the Chef sent over were fully up to the level of a Master.

As for the other Elves in gardening and weaving, although Xia Duo had not yet seen their results, he could infer a thing or two; they were likely also of Master caliber.

……

Near dusk, Xia Duo was still in the Study organizing the Mythallar project; he would very likely have to join Evereska's Mythallar project next, so he had to lay the groundwork for all his ideas as soon as possible.

"Ding-a-ling—"

Xia Duo looked up and saw the ornament on the table making a crisp sound again, but this time it was not a visitor, but a message sent by Ougesi.

Xia Duo clicked it open and immediately fell into deep thought.

In the Sending, Ougesi mentioned that Katunidede, the Elder in charge of diplomatic affairs for Evereska, had already had contact with the official Envoys of the Five Kingdoms, and the other party had come together not for the witnessing and blessings that Xia Duo had mentioned to comfort Ougesi during the day, but to demand compensation.

To Evereska, this was actually a good thing; in Xia Duo's view, the other party proposing conditions was actually an admission of the fact that Evereska was about to become independent.

The only point of contention was just the issue of how much compensation.

Originally, Evereska existed as a refuge for refugees from the Northern Elf Kingdoms, so it naturally accepted investments from the various kingdoms.

This included most of the ancient kingdoms, as well as some current countries, and even included Siluwende; although the other party did not invest during the Crown War, they did invest afterwards.

And even for some ancient kingdoms that had long since disappeared into the river of time, most had descendants left behind.

To use words from Earth, Evereska was a listed company with very dispersed equity; now that the company's executives wanted to privatize the company, or even control the company, they had to buy back the original shares from the various shareholders.

Small shareholders could be ignored, but the major shareholders absolutely could not be bypassed.

Now that the official Envoys of the Five Kingdoms had come together to demand compensation, it was because they wanted to take back all their past investments in Evereska.

Of course, there were many issues worth debating here.

For example, in the past, Evereska also undertook the duty of sheltering refugees from various countries; whether this cost could offset the investment, and how much it could offset.

Or again, over these years, Evereska had also transported many talents to various countries, especially the descendants of Elves whose old countries had perished and who had settled in Evereska; how was this bill to be calculated.

Even the "shares" held by the various countries themselves could be discussed further; the inheritance of original shares could not be decided unilaterally, and with the ability of a Spellcaster, all the lines could be completely clarified.

Of course, Xia Duo did not want to pay too much attention to these bickering issues; when he knew that the official Envoys of the Five Kingdoms had come to demand compensation, he knew that Evereska's independence process had already crossed a key Node and could truly be put on the agenda.

It was just that with the efficiency of the Elves, Xia Duo could not be sure exactly how much time this would take; if calculated strictly according to the independence day of Evereska in the Main Plane, it would still take at least one or two hundred years.

"Perhaps the Mythallar is also an important factor in the delay!"

Thinking this way, Xia Duo felt a bit more confident in his next plan; of course, he respectfully declined the dinner invitation mentioned in Ougesi's Sending.

The official Envoys of the Five Kingdoms would also be present at the dinner, and it would be bad if the Shaerwen Envoy recognized him.

Although he could use an ordinary Force Field or an illusion avatar, using such a crude avatar for that kind of occasion would be too impolite, so it was better not to go.