Chapter 2075: Difficulties and Protection

————About another hour and a half left~~

————

After confirming that Xia Duo had no intention of leaving, Yinaole did not know who he contacted, then called a Sorcerer Deacon of the Arcane Union to take Xia Duo to the venue.

"Lord Xia Duo, please follow me!"

"Mm."

Just as he followed the Sorcerer Deacon out of the main gate of the Arcane Union Headquarters, the deafening, tsunami-like sounds outside unsurprisingly rushed into Xia Duo's ears.

On the road afterward, the two did not communicate at all; one silently led the way, and the other silently followed. Fortunately, there were already many people from the Seven Towers maintaining order on the Arcane Plaza, otherwise, they probably wouldn't have been able to squeeze through.

……

Similar to the scene of the Princess's Ascension Ritual before, this time Master Eriwen's Ascension Ritual was also arranged at the entrance of the Seven Cities Council on the north side of the Arcane Plaza.

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

The one 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 and then took his seat.

Of course, the viewing area here was far from just the three of them; there were also several faces that were not unfamiliar but not well-known either, mainly some Envoys from various countries of the Northland Alliance, as well as Envoys for the several Great Arcanists who did not attend.

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

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

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

I have to say, some people are truly bold.

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

The purpose was to use their most sincere beliefs to act as an "Activator" to guide the primal energy 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 venue fluctuated, and a middle-aged man with a plain appearance suddenly appeared out of thin air.

He bowed to the crowd and then stood motionless.

Xia Duo did not yet know how the other Great Arcanists would enter, but when he came himself, he walked. Now, this unknown middle-aged man had teleported over, 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 because calling him "Great-great-great-great-grandfather" was a bit embarrassing, or perhaps the emotional bond was too weak, Zhenna had always addressed 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 abandoned his natural appearance.

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

Subsequently, Badijiaer said loudly: "I believe everyone knows that Netheril is currently experiencing an extreme cold wave rarely seen in centuries. Just this year, grain harvests in various places 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 weather, but at this moment, the majority of people on the plaza were those ordinary folks who, even if they were not engaged in production, still needed to obtain grain from production.

In fact, starting from last year, ordinary people had already felt the pressure brought by the abnormal weather, but it only reached an almost unbearable level this year.

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

Then how should it be solved from the perspective of Magic?

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

"It is regrettable that for this abnormal weather, the Seven Towers has not yet found the true cause behind it, let alone a solution, but—"

Badijiaer also knew how to stir people's emotions. He pointed a hand toward Eriwen at the ritual venue, "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 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 create wheat that grows in winter. If Badijiaer wasn't lying, then perhaps it would really be possible to ignore abnormal weather in the future. When the abnormal weather turned hot instead, 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 something to say!"

Badijiaer raised his hands above his head and pressed down repeatedly, but the crowd, already over-excited, made him wait for nearly a 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 Seven Cities Council will send Seed Commissioners to various places. Anyone in need can exchange ordinary seeds for cold-resistant seeds at the same weight with the Seed Commissioner, or purchase them directly at the price of ordinary seeds from two years ago."

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

Although the last sentence was a bit redundant, it also expressed Netheril's big-picture view, and the earlier words about 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 miraculous effects of the cold-resistant seeds with their own eyes, the atmosphere of the plaza, which had just calmed down, would probably have exploded again.