Chapter 2071: Polite Refusals and Many Objections

————Still about half an hour.

————

After leaving Yinaole, Xia Duo went straight to Jilan Tower. Although he had not given prior notice, Bulundesi, having received the news, quickly met Xia Duo.

"Councilor Bulundesi, I won't trouble you today; I'm here to find Asitusi and the others."

"Then let me contact them for you!"

Bulundesi was as enthusiastic as ever, but because of the Ascension Order, Xia Duo already had strong opinions about the Seven Towers, so he only nodded silently and let the other party handle it.

A moment later, the four of them, Asitusi included, hurried into the corridor of the Public Level of Jilan Tower. Upon seeing it was Xia Duo, they hurriedly saluted:

"Lord." *4

"No need for formalities. I came by mainly to see you all while I was in the area. Today is the Moon Festival; don't you know you should be reuniting with your families?"

"The Laboratory is too busy, we forgot—"

Asitusi, the eldest of the four, scratched his hair and said quite embarrassedly.

However, Xia Duo could understand. Even the youngest, Asitusi, was only in his early twenties. Young people, after all, always hope to achieve something.

Xia Duo was the same when he was young, so he said, "It's fine, it's not too late to know now. The Territory's celebration and the Priest activities are all in the evening. Do you have any urgent work on hand?"

"There is some, but it's not that urgent."

Asitusi understood what Xia Duo meant and hurriedly explained, "I need to tell Mage Kaosite, who is leading us."

"Hmm, you should tell him."

But just as Xia Duo finished speaking, Bulundesi, who was still standing by and hadn't left, followed up, "Lord Xia Duo, I will go tell Mage Kaosite for them!"

"Then I will trouble Councilor Bulundesi."

After Xia Duo agreed, he had the four of them thank Bulundesi, and then prepared to take them away from Jilan Tower.

But Bulundesi spoke again: "Lord Xia Duo, Lord Huo En knows you have come to Jilan Tower and insisted that I keep you here; he will be here shortly."

After saying this, he put on an apologetic expression.

Seeing this, Xia Duo couldn't help but frown inwardly. The timing of his visit to Jilan Tower was already sensitive, let alone having a detailed discussion with Huo En. However, probing the attitude of the Seven Towers through Huo En was one of the purposes of his trip to Seventon.

After thinking for a moment, he let the four of them go to Weilan Manor first and gave them a task: "Tell Niya to give everyone at Weilan Manor a holiday to go home for the festival."

To make Asitusi gain Niya's trust, Xia Duo also left a Magic Mark on Asitusi, which could be activated in front of Niya to prove his identity.

The reason Xia Duo wanted to do this, besides the fact that the Moon Festival in Daxia Territory was indeed shifting toward a reunion nature—though the original customs and activities of sacrificing to ancestors were still retained, and the two did not conflict—

Another consideration was to guard against accidents during the Ascension Ritual. As long as his own people were moved away, he wouldn't have to worry even if he fought until the world was torn apart here.

……

After sending the four of them away, Xia Duo followed Bulundesi into a Reception Room on the Public Level of Jilan Tower. He had barely sat down and his seat hadn't even warmed up when Huo En burst in from outside, looking hurried.

"Lord Xia Duo, it has been a long time! Your glorious deeds of purifying the Shenyuan Zhidi at Longya Haiya have already become the most popular Legendary story in the Northland. Just a few days ago, I heard a Bard in Seventon composing a story about you, and some busybodies even gave you a nickname: 'Demon-Slaying Vanguard'!"

"Is that so? Truly busybodies! The ones who actually purified the Shenyuan Zhidi were the Divine Envoys from the Kingdom of Radiance; I merely summoned them, so it hardly counts as a glorious deed."

"Divine Envoys do not belong to the Mortal Plane. Being able to summon them and effectively purify the Shenyuan Zhidi is your credit. Do not push it away, really! Otherwise, why hasn't anyone else summoned Divine Envoys?"

"……"

Regardless, hearing Huo En say this, Xia Duo felt quite gratified. In fact, it wasn't just "Demon-Slaying Vanguard"; among the Elves, there were even rumors that he was an "Apostle of Radiance."

Although separated by layers of Mythallar, the Mythallar could not protect every Elf. Xia Duo would occasionally transform into a "self-search maniac" to see what the outside world was discussing about him. If he could occasionally catch a conspiracy plot against himself, that would be a huge profit.

But flattery is flattery; Xia Duo wouldn't change his stance just because of a few nice words. In fact, these weren't even nice words. His hometown had an old saying: "The gun hits the bird that sticks its head out." Attributing all the fame to him—wasn't that just asking him to go and face the Demon Descendants head-on?

Although he was indeed preparing to deal with the Demon Descendants, he preferred to do it quietly before things were set in stone, without making a big scene.

Of course, now that he had a super spotlight like the Floating City, every move Xia Duo made was likely under the observation of the Demon Descendants, so he didn't care about adding a little more.

It was just that he didn't stay at Jilan Tower to listen to the other party flatter him. If he really wanted to listen, he could just go to any tavern, and he guaranteed that the Bards there could definitely tell it better than Huo En could sing it.

"I wonder if Lord Huo En has any urgent business for being in such a hurry to meet?"

"There is indeed an urgent matter."

When it came to business, Huo En's expression became serious. "Lord Xia Duo, do you remember the Mairide Family that Jilan Tower asked you to help contact before? Recently, for some reason, they suddenly lost contact, and the projects we were collaborating on have also stalled."

"So you want to ask if I know what happened to the Mairide Family?"

"Yes. If possible, we would also like to reach a further cooperation with the Mairide Family, rather than just remote communication. If it is convenient, Jilan Tower could also go to Calimshan to establish a branch."

After Huo En finished speaking, a trace of anticipation involuntarily appeared in his eyes. Seeing this, Xia Duo's suspicion about the authenticity of this matter decreased a little, but—

"Sorry, my interaction with the Mairide Family was limited to that Northern Alliance Founding Ceremony. The only contact since then was also to help Jilan Tower bridge the connection."

"Is that so? That is a pity!"

Huo En seemed to accept this explanation, but he was still suspicious of Xia Duo. Xia Duo could also see Huo En's suspicion, but he knew absolutely nothing about the cooperation between Jilan Tower and the Mairide Family, and had no further understanding of the Mairide Family, so naturally, he couldn't promise anything on the spot.

So, bypassing this topic, Xia Duo again proposed to leave. Although it was morning, it wouldn't be long before the critical moment of the Ascension Ritual. Everyone would have to attend by then, and before that, he might still need to communicate with some like-minded people!

"Lord Xia Duo, although this is not the first time I have mentioned it, this is definitely the time I am most sincere in inviting you to join Jilan Tower. Spellcasters in Nan Jing are scarce, the communication environment is poor, and there is no support from the many realities of Jilan Tower.

"If Lord Xia Duo can join Jilan Tower, it would be the strongest complementary advantage for both sides. Lord Xia Duo would receive the greatest support from Jilan Tower and even the entire Seven Towers, and Jilan Tower would also welcome what might be the most outstanding researcher, and even leader, in history.

"If Lord Xia Duo joins Jilan Tower, I guarantee that you will become the next Controller after me within five years! I swear in the name of Radiance."

"……"