Chapter 1918: The Demeanor of a Sage

Inside the Clear Sky Hall.

Crown King Yintewa personally introduced several Omniscient Elders to Xia Duo; the so-called "Omniscient Elders" were a special title in Wuweilun, representing both erudition and power.

Xia Duo had a fairly good impression of those Elders who looked to be of some age; at the very least, each of them had clear eyes and a thick scholarly air about them.

"Laier greets the Elders, and wishes the Elders' path of arcane arts long-lasting," Xia Duo said, bowing in greeting.

The Elders returned the greeting one after another, and one of them, not even waiting for the pleasantries to end, asked impatiently, "Mage Laier, have you come to Sa Li Si this time to trade the Dragon Madness Secret Scroll?"

Although news of Xia Duo trading the Dragon Madness Secret Scroll with Jielunsita not long ago had spread very little in the outside world, and the details were even less known, the Omniscient Elders, as the de facto rulers of the nation, were not among those kept in the dark.

Xia Duo did not mind the other party's bluntness; on the contrary, he appreciated their straightforwardness. Beating around the bush was only a last resort used by those lacking self-confidence; if one had sufficient confidence in their own strength, the grand and righteous path was the best choice.

To a certain extent, this was a manifestation of the so-called "Matthew Effect"—the strong get stronger, and at the same time, the strong do not wish to leave behind any negatives, even if those negatives cause them not a shred of harm.

Thus, Xia Duo also replied frankly without hesitation:

"Crown King Yintewa, Elders, I have come here precisely to trade the Dragon Madness Secret Scroll. I wonder if Wuweilun has made the necessary preparations."

The Omniscient Elders exchanged glances and swapped opinions with Crown King Yintewa, and finally, the Crown King spoke: "Mage Laier, Wuweilun has long been looking forward to this day!"

At the end of his speech, Crown King Yintewa even stepped down from his throne, came before Xia Duo, and said with deep emotion: "The threat of the Dragon Madness Mythallar grows with each passing day, but it is a pity that the various nations are too selfish. If not for your sudden appearance, Mage Laier, perhaps we would have to wait until the day disaster arrives to gather all the Dragon Madness Secret Scrolls! Not for anything else, but for this alone, I must express my heartfelt gratitude to you on behalf of Wuweilun!"

"The Crown King is too serious; I have only done what every Spellcaster should actively do."

This was not Xia Duo posturing; he truly believed that in the face of such a plane-level disaster, all nations and factions possessing the Dragon Madness Mythallar should actively seek cooperation and even establish a broad Alliance.

Even limited cooperation would be better than the constant internal friction akin to a dark forest.

At this moment, inside the Clear Sky Hall, the fact that Crown King Yintewa was able to build this library—which the (Envoy) claimed held all of Wuweilun's knowledge—without being killed or his clan wiped out, showed the brilliance of his methods.

As for the other Omniscient Elders, while they certainly displayed more of a scholarly air, it would be a huge mistake to truly treat them as scholars ignorant of worldly affairs.

Even if it were just through the grinding of time, the age of these Elders was enough to make them well-versed in worldly wisdom.

Xia Duo's heartfelt words naturally moved them; they could judge whether his words stemmed from sincerity, and they knew all too well just how selfish a high-level Mage could be.

But someone like Xia Duo—they had not necessarily never seen one in their entire lives, but it was at least rare to see.

To a certain extent, those in high positions are actually easier to move, because their material needs are long since met, and all they lack is a bit of idealistic pursuit.

Whereas those at the bottom are often so oppressed by life that they cannot straighten their backs; how could they empathize with those ethereal, distant ideals?

To make those at the bottom empathize, the simplest way is to provide immediate or at least short-term tangible benefits; otherwise, it is just empty talk.

Without a doubt, even though Xia Duo did not deliberately show it, this group of High Elves led by Yintewa was very susceptible to the sentiment of idealism!

Just as Xia Duo was waiting for them to decide how to trade, Crown King Yintewa suddenly changed the subject: "Mage Laier, I wonder what your view is on the current situation in the Elf World?"

Asking about the world situation?

With such a familiar tactic, Xia Duo immediately realized that the other party wanted to recruit him, but unfortunately, his intention to leave was firm, and it was impossible for him to agree to stay.

If it were when he had just entered the Projection Plane, he might have considered staying in Wuweilun.

But now, he could only express his refusal. As for agreeing openly and then patting his backside and leaving later, that would be fine, but Wuweilun was not like Evereska; they would not let him off so easily.

Rather than dealing with that trouble, it was better to refuse from the start.

"Crown King, I have no particular insights into the current situation of the Elf World. The only thing I hope for is world peace, to allow me to live a stable life and quietly study Magic, rather than being disturbed by some sudden disaster."

Once Xia Duo said this, how could Crown King Yintewa not understand his intentions? He still did not want to give up on such a rare high-level Mage, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by an Omniscient Elder:

"Mage Laier has the demeanor of a Sage; Crown King, you should not force him further."

"Indeed! I believe that if another crisis arises in the Elf World in the future, Mage Laier will surely stand up again. As for now, let us respect his own choice!"

The other Elders also chimed in one after another.

Seeing that all the Elders did not support his idea, Crown King Yintewa could not help but feel a little disappointed, but thinking that these Elders were his staunch supporters, he realized that if it were other Elders, they would likely be even less inclined to let him have his way.

Furthermore, the placement of a high-level Mage was not something that could be arranged casually; it involved the interests of many parties. Thinking of this, Yintewa could not help but regret his own rash thoughts.

If he had waited until the trade was completed to bring these things up, it might have been more appropriate.

"Since that is the case, let us trade the Secret Scroll first; we can discuss the rest after the trade is complete," Yintewa said in a deep voice.

"Right here?" Xia Duo asked in return.

Involving the Dragon Madness Secret Scroll, even if Yintewa himself had no other thoughts, he would still consider the other party's concerns. "If Mage Laier wishes, we can also go to the Elf Court to trade."

"No need, here is fine."

Since it was the final trade before his departure, Xia Duo actually did not care too much about those details. However, he did not immediately take out the Secret Scroll; instead, he took out a Golden Page of a Nether Scroll and displayed it to Yintewa and the Elders:

"I wonder if Crown King Yintewa has heard of the Betis Secret Scroll?"

"The Betis Secret Scroll?"

Upon hearing this name, Yintewa immediately became excited, and the other Elders were also eager to try, seemingly wanting to snatch the Golden Page used for display directly from the Crown King's hands.

It was only because Xia Duo, an outsider, was present that they did not do so, but their burning gazes could not be hidden.

Yintewa examined it briefly, then, unable to withstand the burning gazes from the side, hurriedly handed the Golden Page to an Elder beside him.

Then he whispered to Xia Duo: "The Betis Secret Scroll is rumored to have been left behind by an ancient civilization even older than the Dawn Era. It is said that it was once possessed by Aryvandaar, but very few Mages in history have truly seen this scroll."

"Has the Crown King seen it?"

"How could that be possible! The Betis Secret Scroll was already lost before I was born. I wonder where Mage Laier obtained it? Does it have any connection to Aryvandaar?"

At this moment, Yintewa not only had many associations regarding Xia Duo's origins—if he were from the south, it would be almost impossible to obtain the Betis Secret Scroll, but if he were a descendant of Aryvandaar, he would not have hidden it so deeply.