Chapter 235: The Return of the Great Power

These people have quite simple backgrounds and should have no hidden risks. What Xia Duo worries about most is the two territories going to war and capturing each other's people to sell off. If there happened to be an important figure among them and they were eventually tracked down, that would be troublesome.

The current situation is quite good; later, he can give them a lesson in remembering the bitterness of the past to appreciate the sweetness of the present, and he won't have to worry about them not being wholeheartedly devoted.

Thinking of this, Xia Duo instructed, "Laidun, those slaves are handed over to you to manage. You must ensure they recover as soon as possible. I need territory residents who can labor and produce normally, not a bunch of emaciated, walking corpses."

"Yes, my lord." After a pause, Laidun added another sentence, "My lord, you truly are a benevolent master."

"Alright, that's all. Tomorrow I will return to Savile Town. I will be back in as short as two or three days, or as long as four or five. You and Qiaoqi can discuss the matters here. You may leave."

"Yes."

After Laidun left, Xia Duo couldn't help but laugh. Since when did he become a benevolent person? Laidun has never seen the tricks of various 996 work schedules.

Slave owners, or rather capitalists, for the sake of greater profits, certainly wouldn't mind providing slaves with abundant food, comfortable housing, or even the right to bear offspring.

However, even the most harsh and brutal capitalists on Earth would probably be considered tolerant and benevolent when placed in Netheril!

……

Early the next morning, Xia Duo gave instructions to Qiaoqi and the others regarding the upcoming main tasks, to be coordinated and led by Qiaoqi and Laidun, with Jibu supervising.

The tasks mainly consisted of two points: one was leveling the land, and the other was building long-term housing.

Of course, clearing the forest could not stop either; if one wants to be self-sufficient, one must demand a large amount of land from the forest for planting.

As for the Altar that Laidun prepared to build, because Xia Duo did not know much about this aspect, he did not make many requirements.

After roughly arranging everything in the Territory, Xia Duo stepped onto the "Lucky Owen" and returned to Savile Town together with Yarman and Masa.

On the return journey, Xia Duo stood at the stern of the ship, looking in the direction of Daxia Territory, his heart full of worry.

When he was there, he could set up Magic Alarms himself, and everything was under his control. But when he was away, although Laidun could also use the 【Magic Alarm】 Scroll, Xia Duo always felt uneasy.

And there was another problem: the 【Magic Alarm】 Scrolls might not be enough. This time, Xia Duo had left behind all the 【Magic Alarm】 Scrolls, a total of 30.

It seemed like a lot, but the spells on the scrolls were fixed. One could adjust the placement of the alarm, but the alarm range could not be adjusted, unlike when a Mage casts spells themselves, which is much more convenient.

If he followed his previous level of vigilance, Xia Duo estimated that at least 4 to 6 scrolls would be consumed every day, so 30 would only last about 5 or 6 days.

If he were to be delayed for any reason, it might take more than 5 or 6 days.

Now is the time to test Laidun and the others!

Soon, the "Lucky Owen" turned into the northward river section, and the shadow of Daxia Territory could no longer be seen. Xia Duo returned to Owen's captain's cabin and called for Chairman Masa.

"Chairman Masa, can you tell me about the situation in the Inner Land?"

The so-called Inner Land refers to the core area of the Empire, while Pioneer Territories or trading cities like Savile Territory that are isolated outside are considered the Outer Land.

Regarding the customs of the Empire, Xia Duo mostly saw them in Savile Town and in biographies of Mages. The Library of the Tower of Time did not have books specifically recording local customs.

Now that he was free and had Masa, an old hand from the Inner Land, he naturally wanted to ask clearly, "Chairman Masa, sit down and talk."

Xia Duo did not give him room to refuse.

"Yes, my lord." Masa sat lightly on the corner of the chair, rubbing his hands and asking, "I don't know what aspect you want to ask about, my lord? I can't explain things about Magic."

"I'm not asking about Magic. Just tell me some anecdotes about the Inner Land, the stranger the better."

"Anecdotes?" Masa scratched his middle-aged, balding head, racking his brains. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh, "Got it!"

"My lord, there is a Leisen Territory in the Inner Land. I heard that the Lord of Radiance once performed a Divine Miracle, that was—"

Masa wanted to elaborate, but was interrupted by Xia Duo, "Change to another one. Tell me about some famous Mages in the Empire. There must be some anecdotes about them!"

Xia Duo was not interested in the Divine Miracle and did not want to discuss it. To him, stories about Spellcasters were more interesting.

And there were plenty of stories about Spellcasters. Masa started talking immediately, counting off more than a dozen young Mages who had been quite prominent in the Inner Land recently.

From the conduct of these Spellcasters, and comparing them with the biographies of Mages he had read, Xia Duo gained a deeper understanding of some of the unspoken rules of the Empire.

"By the way, Chairman Masa, you just said that the person named Misqiwu was stripped of his 'Pioneer' title?"

"My lord, after that Mage Misqiwu obtained the 'Pioneer' title, he immediately went to an Other Plane to explore, and then the title was stripped. It is said that Her Highness the Princess was very angry," Masa explained.

"……"

This must be someone with backing, Xia Duo thought. If he didn't have backing, how could he easily escape the Pioneer conscription, and go to an Other Plane at that?

Exploration? It should be tourism!

But on second thought, Xia Duo felt that he could also be considered to have evaded conscription in a disguised way. The Green Pearl Forest is certainly not as dangerous as the Kangqi Plain. Does that mean he also has backing?

Lord Epps of Savile Territory clearly doesn't have that much face, then—

Xia Duo was suddenly shocked, as if he knew something incredible. But wasn't that person said to have died in an Other Plane exploration long ago?

Did he come back from the dead?

For a moment, Xia Duo's thoughts were flying. He had to carefully consider the impact of the reappearance of Archmage Savil on him, whether it was good or bad.

After thinking for a long time, he looked up and saw a pair of small eyes staring at him. Xia Duo felt a sense of irritability for no reason, "Chairman Masa, I am tired. Go talk to Yarman."

"Yes."

Seeing that Xia Duo's expression was not good, Masa responded and walked quickly out of the captain's cabin.

……

After Masa left, in the captain's cabin, Xia Duo thought about a lot and finally decided to do nothing and keep everything as usual. For a figure like an Archmage, it is impossible to change anything specifically because of a low-level Mage like him.

If the Archmage really appears, he is still a direct descendant of the Tower of Time, with a proper and authentic background.

And if he doesn't appear, thinking too much and changing things at will would only disrupt his original plan.

Don't think, don't dwell, just do his own job.

After making the decision, Xia Duo felt much more relaxed. Even just the reputation of such a figure brought him immense pressure.

If possible, he really hoped never to have any intersection with such a figure until he had enough confidence.

……

Two days later, the "Lucky Owen" docked at the port of Savile Town. When he left, there were people to see him off, but when he returned, it was a bit lonely.

However, this was also worry-free. Xia Duo packed his personal belongings, quickly disembarked, and returned to the Mage Tower.