Chapter 1906: True Southern Mage

The next day.

In front of Elder Anti's wooden hut, Xia Duo met Sulis again. Besides Elder Anti, there were two other Elders present, whom Xia Duo had visited before; all of them hailed from Jielunsita.

"Mage Laier, besides Elder Anti and the other two, I have also invited Elder Heng and Elder Kamaer. Those two are currently preparing the ritual. If there are other Elders you trust more, you may suggest them, and I will invite them to participate."

"No need. I trust all the Elf Court Elders."

This was not because Xia Duo had lost his mind, but because the cost to bribe an Elf Court Elder was extremely high. If they were from his own country, there might be a chance, but foreign Elders were basically impossible for Jielunsita to bribe.

Furthermore, Xia Duo's current identity was entirely fabricated and could not withstand scrutiny, so he had no choice but to trust these Elf Court Elders.

If Elf Court Elders participated, the transaction would become a one-sided deal between him and Jielunsita. If the other party played any tricks, he might not necessarily be able to resolve them.

Even if he could escape unscathed, the failure to complete the transaction itself would be the greatest failure.

Next, Xia Duo remained in front of Elder Anti's wooden hut to discuss the final terms of the transaction with Sulis. It was simple and fair: one original exchanged for one original; neither side took advantage of the other, at least on the surface.

The contract was primarily to ensure the process of the transaction remained undisturbed. It did not stipulate the authenticity of the originals, nor was it easy to do so. Unless the Crown King of Jielunsita came to sign the contract with Xia Duo in person, it would be too easy to push forward a scapegoat.

It was not even certain whether the Crown King of Jielunsita who came would be real or fake; tracing it to the end would only result in a nesting doll situation.

Therefore, neither side made a fuss about the authenticity of the secret scroll originals. With the contract ritual as a guarantee, they could inspect them with peace of mind. If one really misjudged, one could only blame one's own poor eyesight, not anyone else.

……

Soon, a young Gold Elf Mage came to deliver a message: "Elder Heng's side is ready, and the ritual can begin at any time."

This Gold Elf Mage was an attendant to Elder Heng, who hailed from Wuweilun, or as Xia Duo would put it, a "closed-door disciple."

He had met the other party when he visited Elder Heng before. The other party was asking the Elder about Magic questions, and the Elder was answering them patiently. Xia Duo had even taken the opportunity to sit in on half the lesson.

Seeing this Gold Elf Mage again now, Xia Duo was quite pleased. Of course, he was even more pleased that the contract ritual was ready.

This was somewhat unexpected. Normally, these Elf Court Elders, who only had the strength for one final strike left, could cast spells, but to avoid losing control of their power, they would artificially impose many restrictions on themselves.

Now that they were ready so quickly, Xia Duo did not believe Jielunsita could convince these Elders to "risk their lives"! There must have been some unexpected development.

Sure enough, Sulis, as the representative of the Jielunsita side for this transaction, was even more sensitive to such surprises. Without needing a reminder from Xia Duo, he took the initiative to ask:

"Meta, Elder Heng's side is ready so quickly; did someone help?"

"Yes, a High Mage traveling from the Setier Forest heard about this transaction and volunteered to preside over the ritual for both parties."

"From the Setier Forest?" Sulis frowned, seemingly wanting to confirm this news.

Elder Heng's Apprentice gave an affirmative reply, "Elder Heng and Elder Kamaer confirmed the other party's identity and agreed to the other party's request."

"Since Elder Heng and Elder Kamaer have both agreed, I have no objections. Mage Laier, what about you?"

"Me? I have no objections either."

In reality, Xia Duo was more worried that the "True Southern Mage," whose identity had already been confirmed by the two Elders, would expose his fake identity on the spot; that would be too embarrassing.

Since the other party was willing to preside over the ritual, it saved him from having to search for one from the Northland. A true Southern Mage was likely not someone Jielunsita could easily bribe.

Not to mention that as the two parties to the transaction, Xia Duo and Sulis would also be participants in the ritual. If that Southern Mage had any issues, he could just cancel the transaction.

Under normal circumstances, as long as the other party had not lost their mind, they would not think of causing trouble in the Elf Court. One might not respect it in their heart, but before the Elf Court Elder system completely collapsed, causing trouble here was a slap in the face to all Elf Spellcasters.

Even Kaitemier would not dare to bear such consequences; otherwise, it might be the next Aryvandaar.

In the history of the Main Plane, even by the era Xia Duo was in, the Elf Court existed in name only, yet Kaitemier still maintained a certain level of respect for it. This respect even extended to Cormanthor.

And in the current Projection Plane, it had been less than two hundred years since Kaitemier announced the abolition of (its internal) Elf Court Elder system. What courage would it have to cause trouble here!

Not to mention that the Southern Mage claimed to come from the Setier Forest, further south than Kaitemier. That place had also been devastated during the Crown War, and its current state might not even be as good as the Northland, so how would they dare to stir up trouble at will!

……

Soon, Xia Duo and his party followed Elder Heng's Apprentice to the foot of the Elf Court's Elder Oak.

This was where the Elf Court Elders used to deliberate in the past; now, it was mostly borrowed by various countries to conduct important rituals.

Looking at the tall, flourishing Elder Oak before him, which was extremely similar to the one in 【Projection Plane: Cormanthor Birth】, Xia Duo could not help but think of the Divine Sword Trial; he had also been at the foot of this Elder Oak back then.

Now that he had returned, he felt quite a sense of revisiting an old haunt, and his mood became somewhat complicated.

At this moment, Xia Duo finally saw the Southern Mage mentioned by Elder Heng's Apprentice. He was somewhat different from what he had imagined, or rather, different from the image of most High Mages.

With Xia Duo's keen eyes, he noticed the wear on the cuffs of the other party's Mage Robe almost immediately. If this situation appeared on an ordinary Elf, it could be understood; after all, not all Elves were wealthy.

But for such a situation to appear on a High Mage, it inevitably led to speculation.

Was this person an outlier among Elves, or were they truly this destitute?

Xia Duo suddenly felt a trace of interest in this High Mage who claimed to be from the South. If he could have a conversation, it would be an extra gain for this trip to the Projection Plane.

……

"Mage Laier, Mage Sulis, let me introduce you to Mage Dali from the Southern Setier Forest. He will preside over this ritual."

After Elder Heng finished introducing Xia Duo and Sulis, he began to explain the ritual process. Xia Duo was no longer a stranger to contract spells, but he still pricked up his ears to listen carefully.

If he missed a single piece of key information, that was not what he wanted.