Chapter 2074: Seed Promotion Conference

After confirming that Xia Duo had no intention of leaving, Yinaole contacted someone, then had a Sorcerer Deacon from the Arcane Union lead Xia Duo to the entrance.

"Lord Xia Duo, please follow me!"

"Hmm."

Just as he followed the Sorcerer Deacon out of the main gate of the Arcane Union Headquarters, the mountain-collapsing and sea-toppling roar from outside unsurprisingly crashed into Xia Duo's ears.

On the road that followed, the two did not communicate at all; one led the way in silence, and the other followed in silence. Fortunately, there were many people from the Seven Towers maintaining order in the Arcane Plaza, otherwise, it would likely have been impossible to squeeze through.

Similar to the scene of the Princess's Ascension Ritual previously, this Ascension Ritual for Master Eriwen was also arranged at the entrance of the Seventon Council on the north side of the Arcane Plaza.

The viewing area was also almost no different from last time, divided into four sections. The platform at the Council entrance was one, and several Great Arcanists from the Seven Towers had already arrived.

The section Xia Duo went to was on the west side below the Council entrance platform. At this time, the only Great Arcanists on this side were Braun and Zhenna. Xia Duo nodded to them one by one in greeting, then took his seat.

Of course, the viewing area here held far more than just the three of them; there were also several faces that were not unfamiliar but not well-known, mainly envoys from various countries of the Northland Alliance, as well as envoys for the several Great Arcanists who had not arrived.

And opposite Xia Duo were Archmages, Senior Arcanists, and the like from all over Netheril; their numbers were not small, totaling twenty or thirty.

Between the east and west viewing areas was the reserved ritual zone, and to the south of the ritual zone were representatives of various lords. The composition there was complex and not limited to Spellcasters.

It could be a soldier who had fought bravely being brought by a lord to open their eyes, or a Merchant who had mixed in through a lord's connections; Xia Duo even saw several womenfolk.

I have to say, some people really have big hearts.

On the periphery of the viewing area were ordinary people watching the excitement. Of course, there were certainly Spellcasters mixed in among them, but Xia Duo was very clear about one point: the onlookers in the plaza at this moment appeared to be there spontaneously to watch the fun, but in reality, many had been summoned by the Seven Towers, either directly or indirectly.

The purpose was to use their most sincere beliefs to serve as the "Activator" to guide the primal force during the Ascension Ritual.

Just as Xia Duo was thinking about what form the upcoming ritual would take, the Magic Net in the center of the reserved ritual site fluctuated, and a plain-looking middle-aged man suddenly appeared out of thin air.

He bowed to the crowd, then stood still.

Xia Duo did not yet know how the other Great Arcanists would enter, but when he came himself, he had walked; now, this unknown middle-aged man had teleported, which almost immediately caused a commotion in the plaza.

Just then, Xia Duo received a Sending from Zhenna: "He is Master Eriwen."

Perhaps it was embarrassing to call him "great-great-great-great-grandfather," or perhaps the emotional bond was too weak, but Zhenna had always referred to Eriwen as "Master."

Upon receiving this news, Xia Duo immediately realized that Master Eriwen's original appearance was almost indistinguishable from a Moon Elf. If he appeared or even ascended in the guise of an Elf, it would likely have an indelible impact on Netheril.

Therefore, he had abandoned his natural appearance.

Almost simultaneously, Badijiaer on the north viewing platform stood up and reached out to press downward. The Arcane Plaza, which had been clamorous, quieted down in an instant.

Subsequently, Badijiaer said loudly: "I believe everyone knows that Netheril is currently experiencing an extreme cold wave rarely seen in a thousand years. Just this year, grain harvests in various regions have already fallen by at least thirty percent compared to previous years, and next year, it is expected to be even more severe!"

Mages might not feel much when hearing about abnormal climate, but at this moment, the majority of people in the plaza were those ordinary folks who, even if they were not engaged in production, still needed to obtain grain from production.

In fact, since last year, ordinary people had already felt the pressure brought by the abnormal climate, it was just that it had reached an almost unbearable degree only this year.

Xia Duo had once sent out the "Agricultural Book" to various lords for this reason, proposing many good strategies to increase yields, but those were based on a normal climate. Once the climate became so abnormal that even grain could not be planted, no amount of good strategies would be of any use.

Then how should this be solved from a magical perspective?

Everyone cast expectant gazes toward Badijiaer on the north viewing platform, occasionally glancing at Eriwen in the middle of the reserved ritual site.

"Regrettably, regarding this abnormal climate, the Seven Towers has not yet found the true cause behind it, let alone a solution, but—"

Badijiaer was also very adept at stirring people's emotions; he stretched out a hand and pointed at Eriwen in the ritual site, "We have a pioneer in the field of agriculture—Master Bernumesis!"

"When all of us were helpless, he geniusly created wheat seeds that adapt to cold weather, as well as a spell that allows ordinary wheat to grow normally even in winter!"

As soon as the words fell, the plaza was silent for a moment, and then the long-suppressed emotions erupted like a volcanic eruption, with almost everyone shouting the name "Bernumesis."

Even Xia Duo was greatly shocked. He had even managed to come up with wheat that grew in winter. If Badijiaer wasn't lying, then perhaps it would truly be possible to ignore the abnormal climate in the future. Even when the abnormal climate turned hot in reverse, it might not be impossible to use drought-resistant wheat. As for the yield—

"The yield is higher than ordinary wheat!"

These words were spoken by Badijiaer using a spell to amplify them, almost drowning out the boiling cheers of the Arcane Plaza, and this caused the cheers, which were already boiling, to explode directly.

"Everyone, quiet down for a moment, I still have more to say!"

Badijiaer raised his hands above his head and pressed down multiple times, but the crowd, already over-excited, made him wait for nearly a full minute before they somewhat reluctantly quieted down.

"Inviting everyone here today is, on one hand, to witness the birth of this divine object with your own eyes, and on the other hand, to announce some news."

"First, the news: starting tomorrow, the Seventon Council will send Seed Commissioners to various regions. Anyone in need can go to a Seed Commissioner to exchange ordinary seeds for cold-resistant seeds at an equal weight, or purchase them directly at the price of ordinary seeds from two years ago."

"In addition, the Seventon Council predicts that this abnormal, severe cold climate will sweep across the entire Northland and even more vast regions. If countries of the Northland Alliance have a need, they can also come to Seventon to purchase seeds."

Although the last sentence was somewhat redundant, it also expressed Netheril's big-picture perspective, and the earlier words regarding the price of the seeds ignited hope in the hearts of all ordinary people.

If it weren't for the anticipation of how they would witness the various divine effects of the cold-resistant seeds with their own eyes, the plaza atmosphere, which had just calmed down, would likely have exploded again.