Chapter 2111: The Taier Aishi Ritual

At the invitation of the Pegasus knights, Xia Duo also mounted a Pegasus and then dove rapidly toward the ground; because he raised two Pegasi at home, he handled it with ease.

Of course, going downward did not mean actually landing on the ground.

The Golden Autumn Courtyard is located in the XC district of Taiweimansa, and in reality, it is on a massive oak tree, occupying the base of an entire branch high up on that oak.

Together with a nearby branch, it is woven into a bird's nest-like structure resembling a crown; it is just slightly shallower than a real bird's nest, but its size is absolutely countless times that of a real one.

From afar, Xia Duo saw the various flowers, plants, and trees in the Golden Autumn Courtyard, bathed in lamplight and dominated by golden hues, with a large terrace in the center.

On the periphery were musicians, instruments, and attendants; slightly further in were seats arranged in a roughly circular pattern, where many guests were already seated; the space further inside was left empty for performances during the banquet.

Xia Duo arrived neither early nor late, but as a human, he still attracted the gazes of the vast majority of those present; Xia Duo met the eyes of the Elves already in attendance one by one without flinching.

Subsequently, under the guidance of an attendant, he found his seat and sat down generously, then casually picked up a bunch of fruit nearby and began to eat.

It was not that he lacked manners, but that the original intent of an Elf banquet was to allow the upper classes to indulge, so naturally, there were few rules; those who arrived first started the banquet, and those who arrived later did not mind such things—even uninvited guests could come and go freely.

However, Xia Duo was currently in his Saint Form Avatar and could not taste anything at all, so he only took a small taste, which counted as showing his understanding of Elf culture.

Afterward, he rested his head on his hand and began to watch two Elves on the opposite side of the seating area flirting; before long, Crown King Helien arrived with a group of Consultants.

Adhering to the principle of mutual respect, Xia Duo stood up to welcome them; some of the other Elves who had arrived earlier also stood up, while others continued to drink, eat meat, or horse around with their companions, seemingly not taking the Crown King seriously at all.

Even with the tradition of indulgence at banquets, Helien felt inexplicably angry seeing that group of new Elders ignoring him, but upon seeing Xia Duo, his mood improved significantly, and a smile could not help but appear at the corners of his mouth:

"Lord Xia Duo, this should be our first formal meeting. It is truly a pleasure!"

"I also feel very honored to meet Crown King Helien."

After exchanging a few pleasantries to push the atmosphere to its peak, the banquet officially began once the Crown King, as the host, took his seat; then, a Moon Elf with her face veiled in thin gauze, revealing only two bright eyes, drifted down from the air and began to dance gracefully among the seats.

At the same time, the music played by the surrounding musicians changed, becoming somewhat ambiguous and lingering, making one unable to help but be lost in it.

Xia Duo had come as an avatar, and he remained unmoved as the Moon Elf dancer, who embodied both charm and purity, leaped and wove around him or swayed her body gently.

The other guests at the banquet, however, including the Consultants who had come with the Crown King, were all beaming with joy, nearly pointing and gesturing; even though this was not the first time he had encountered such a situation, it still made Xia Duo feel truly uncomfortable.

This was merely an appetizer; as the atmosphere gradually grew lively, some Elves began to act dissolute, and Xia Duo, the protagonist of the banquet, instead became an out-of-place outsider.

Seeming to notice Xia Duo's indifference to his surroundings, Helien intentionally sought topics to liven up the atmosphere, or perhaps it was one of his goals all along; when a song ended, he suddenly asked Xia Duo:

"How does Lord Xia Duo find Taiweimansa?"

"The Crown King refers to—"

"The environment, the residents, you can talk about any aspect that comes to mind, Lord Xia Duo."

"If that is the case, then I would like to talk about the different impressions Taiweimansa and Kemansuoer have left on me."

Xia Duo pretended to ponder for a while before continuing: "Looking at Kemansuoer, it seems to me like a newborn infant, boisterous yet full of vitality; while Taiweimansa, seemingly peaceful, gives one a sense of twilight."

Before going to Kemansuoer, Xia Duo had felt that Cormanthor might have long since fallen into decay, but after experiencing it, he realized his previous judgment had been wrong.

Although it was not quite like the newborn infant he had just described, it was at least more vibrant than the lifeless Taiweimansa.

Of course, all of this might also be because Crown King Helien's reforms were compromised and only achieved half the results; compared to Crown King Yilier, who was practically scraping the bone to remove poison, it was not just a little bit worse!

Correspondingly, the impressions the capitals of the two countries left on him were vastly different.

To this day, Xia Duo could not fathom Crown King Yilier's true thoughts—did he value power, or did he not care for it? And was the "Co-prosperity of the Five Races" that was brought up again just a facade, or was it sincere?

As for Crown King Helien, almost the first time he saw him, he saw the desire for power in his eyes, as well as self-assurance, and of course, a hint of well-hidden disdain for humans.

If Xia Duo had to choose an object to deal with frequently, he would rather choose Helien, who displayed everything, than Yilier, who had been on the throne for a thousand years and whose mind might have long since become twisted.

Xia Duo's honest evaluation left Helien stunned for a full two or three seconds before he jokingly said, "Humans can always bring me surprises when I least expect it. Lord Xia Duo, drink this cup to the bottom!"

Watching Helien, who took the wine bottle and poured it directly into his mouth with movements that had nothing to do with elegance, Xia Duo sneered in his heart and picked up the wine glass he had already set aside.

Afterward, both sides exchanged views on the new situation in the Northland, especially regarding the Demon Descendants; it was also the first time Xia Duo learned that not long ago, one of Helien's High Mage followers had died at the hands of a Demon Descendant assassin.

Judging from the timing of the attack and the traces left behind, Xia Duo speculated that it might have been the work of the undiscovered Midian, though he did not rule out the possibility that the Illuminati had done it themselves.

Moreover, he guessed that it was perhaps because of the death of that High Mage follower that Crown King Helien had to compromise with the opposition, resulting in the current situation where winning half might be equal to losing half.

Now, in front of him, an outsider, Crown King Helien expressed his hatred for the Demon Descendants and the actions Yierlan was about to take against them with almost no concealment.

"Lord Xia Duo should be able to hear the news before long. I hope we can find some key clues this time and completely clear out the Demon Descendants."

"I hope so!"

Xia Duo was actually not optimistic about Yierlan using large-scale screening methods to find clues about the Demon Descendants, but since they were willing, it was not his place to comment much; he figured that even if he raised objections, the other party would not listen to him.

Just as Xia Duo wanted to chat with Helien about the future positioning and goals of the Northland Alliance, a young Elf who had just been acting dissolute suddenly smashed the wine glass in his hand onto the ground, making a harsh clattering sound.

And when almost everyone present had their attention drawn to him, that young Elf stood up from the seating area, walked straight to Xia Duo, stared at him with burning eyes, and said through gritted teeth:

"Human, I heard you defeated Master Furuisi in Aifuruisi. I want to challenge you, upholding the ancient Taier Aishi tradition. Do you dare to accept?"