Chapter 1959: No Handles Left, Refugees Pouring In

Of course, the so-called "seeking assistance" is merely the public justification; it sounds pleasant, but the essence is still to invite various nations to station forces in Siluwende to achieve a strategic balance against Yierlan.

After making this decision, the 【Ekrix Contract】 immediately gathered its members to begin taking action; although the decision had been made, it was still too early to let the forces of various nations enter now.

At the very least, one must wait until the power of the War Magic Artifact has been demonstrated; otherwise, one is simply unqualified to handle such a balancing act. If you want others to believe you have a trump card, you had better truly have one, and possess the determination to use it.

Of course, before demonstrating the power of the War Magic Artifact, it is also necessary to issue a diplomatic note to the Northland Alliance, demanding that the Yierlan Army withdraw from within Siluwende's borders and compensate for the losses caused by the invasion.

Although it is just a pretext, the difference between having one and not having one is significant. Kelusi, who has already discerned the rules of the game of the Northland Alliance, naturally will not leave any handle for his opponents on this matter.

In reality, this is also one of the few things Siluwende can do. After all, being in a weak position, if one does not pay attention to the details of conduct, total defeat is almost inevitable.

And if one were in a strong position, one could still perform the superficial formalities to appear legitimate. Kelusi, having traveled over a thousand years into the future, is now reflecting on how the situation of Siluwende being nearly an enemy to the whole world was created back then.

It is not just Siluwende, but also Siluwende's ancestral land, Aryvandaar, which once had the opportunity to truly unify the Elf World, yet collapsed in an instant due to arrogance and conceit.

Gentle rules of the game can mask the cruel essence of conquest. Today, this Northland Alliance has taught him a lot, but in his view, the five major nations like Yierlan still do not quite know how to use this super tool.

Perhaps it is because the five nations check and balance each other that this current situation is maintained, and this is precisely the only opportunity for Siluwende to revive in the future.

If this is missed, unless the Northland Alliance disappears, it will forever be reduced to a toy for the great powers.

……

Netheril, Seventon.

Xia Duo walked out of the Teleportation Room at the Arcane Union Headquarters and immediately felt an atmosphere different from before. He knew that perhaps the news of Siluwende inviting various nations to jointly develop the Ancient Fortress had arrived, stirring unrest among the Netherese Mages.

But what he saw more of was not joy, but worry—perhaps concern that the war might affect Netheril, or perhaps just about the exploration of the Ancient Fortress.

Just like the last time he came, Xia Duo quickly passed through the Teleportation Area and the Trade District, crossed the Library, and entered the administrative area of the Arcane Union Headquarters; Iolum's office was at the very end.

But as he walked, Xia Duo suddenly felt something was wrong. He slowed his pace slightly while tracing the source of this feeling in his memory, never expecting that it was because—

Elves!

As he passed the intersection in front of the Library, he glanced toward the dining and lodging area and saw out of the corner of his eye a group of dejected-looking elves arguing with a Deacon of the Union.

Recalling it now, Xia Duo noticed that those elves were of all ages and had brought their families along. Although their clothing style was closer to that of Cormanthor, their manners and movements were more like those of Yierlan Elves.

If it were only this, Xia Duo would not be able to judge easily, but that family of five clearly had the appearance of Gold Elves, yet they behaved more like Commoner Moon Elves, and it did not look like they were acting.

"Siluwende Elves?"

This was the most likely explanation Xia Duo could think of. But had fighting already started over in Siluwende? Or were these just the first few waves that had caught wind of the situation and relocated in advance?

Thinking of this, Xia Duo could not help but feel heavy-hearted. Regardless of the reason, the appearance of this phenomenon largely meant that the hearts of the people in Siluwende had scattered.

A family of five had appeared here at the Arcane Union Headquarters; there might be more in other places.

Of course, one could say this was just Xia Duo's own speculation, but verifying this was not complicated; it could even be said to be surprisingly simple!

While continuing toward Iolum's office, Xia Duo cast a spell to project his Perception. Although he was discovered and stopped by the Mythallar that the Seven Towers had set up in Seventon after just one look, that one look was enough!

He saw elves using spells to build dwellings in the Nan Cheng Qu of Seventon; judging by the construction style, it should be prepared for concentrated living!

And near the construction site, it was already crowded with Gold Elves, their expressions just like the family of five he saw at the Arcane Union Headquarters—all equally dejected, worried, and lost.

And this was not all he saw. Besides the construction site, a group had also gathered at the Arcane Plaza in front of the Arcane Union Headquarters, and there were even some in the square in front of the Nether Palace in the Old City District.

Seeing this scene, Xia Duo's mood became even heavier. Although it was not he who was currently experiencing displacement, the emotions of intelligent beings are interconnected.

Or to use a term from his hometown—"things grieve for their own kind!"

……

Soon, Xia Duo arrived at Iolum's office. As expected, there was no one there, but he had already sent a message to Iolum before coming, and Iolum's reply was that he was free.

Then, he would just wait here for a while.

Of course, waiting did not mean doing nothing. During this time, Xia Duo contacted Councilor Haichenisi to ask about the situation of the elves in the Nan Cheng Qu.

To this, Haichenisi's reply was—

"Those are from Siluwende. Some are true refugees, while others heard the wind and ran out early. The ones building temporary shelters for them are Cormanthor Elves.

"Those Siluwende Elves initially sought help from the Seven Cities Council, but the Council's reply was that they could stay in Seventon temporarily, but the Council would not proactively provide living conditions.

"It was the Cormanthor Ambassador who heard of this and rented a piece of wasteland in the Nan Cheng Qu that was being developed and had no actual use yet from the Seven Towers to temporarily house them.

"The Spellcasters helping them build houses are also construction Masters personally invited from Cormanthor by the Cormanthor Ambassador. Just a bunch of refugees, the Cormanthor side is really quite attentive!

"Come to think of it, if it weren't for too many pouring in at once, the Seven Towers could have arranged it privately, but now, it is inconvenient for the Seven Towers to come forward, and the Seven Cities Council cannot make decisions at will.

"As for arranging them elsewhere, it might trigger some unnecessary trouble."

If Haichenisi hadn't said that last sentence, Xia Duo would have wanted to take some Siluwende Elves back to Nan Jing. Of course, he wasn't so kind-hearted as to proactively invite elves to live in his home.

Feelings were feelings, but he needed to care about his own subjects, not some unrelated elves. The reason he wanted to do this, besides coveting the treasures the Siluwende refugees brought out,

was more importantly to let his own subjects see what real elves are like!