Chapter 2664: Lost Contact Again

After leaving Golden Maple Manor, Xia Duo and Aoruipusi returned directly to Meilong Market. Shop No. 18 was not just a street-front store; it also had a considerable interior area, and Xia Duo used one of the Xiu Xi Shi separately.

The process of meeting with Laruian went more smoothly than Xia Duo had anticipated. Although the two sides did not discuss topics like urban planning or Street Lamp Advertisement in depth, when he and Aoruipusi were leaving, Laierlesi told him privately—

Laruian would persuade the Council of Elders to pass the street lamp renovation project within the city of Evereska and would invite Aoruipusi to serve as the Chief Advisor for the renovation project.

The implication was that they could start preparing in advance; a series of questions, such as how exactly to renovate and whether new ones were needed, could all be discussed.

Xia Duo handed this matter over to Aoruipusi. Regarding the street lamp renovation plan, he did not have many requirements; as long as they could hang advertising boards or perform Spell Projection without affecting information delivery, it would be fine.

……

Soon, the time arrived at the next day.

Most of Xia Duo's consciousness transferred from his main body to his avatar once again. Inside the Xiu Xi Shi of Shop No. 18, Xia Duo's avatar suddenly opened his eyes. The surrounding Protection Magic remained as it was, and Aoruipusi had left no messages.

He stood up, stretched his body, and walked out of the Xiu Xi Shi. Once outside, the soundproofing was not as effective; separated by a corridor, he could hear the sounds from the outermost storefront.

It was not just one or two voices, but many voices mixed together, appearing somewhat noisy.

Upon listening closely, Xia Duo understood what was going on. It turned out that Aoruipusi had already released the news—the free strategy he had proposed—and now quite a few heads of merchant guilds were gathering outside to consult.

It was not even just merchant guilds; even some ordinary merchants had come to inquire.

Xia Duo could even hear an Elf asking if it was possible to add a few more trial quotas. Aoruipusi had received authorization from Xia Duo beforehand and answered them one by one at this moment.

Trial quotas could certainly be granted, but quotas outside the plan required the recipient to pay a certain price, such as recommending two new clients.

It did not necessarily require the new clients to make a purchase or sign a contract; as long as they arrived at the scene, it counted. After all, no matter how low the price of the Tower of Time's Void Warehouse was, it could not be as cheap as cabbage. The bottom line Xia Duo gave Aoruipusi was one thousand Gold Coins per month.

But it had to be rented for at least five years, with renewals at will; the threshold for this purchase was still not low.

Some small merchants might be able to afford it if they gritted their teeth, but there was no need; at the current stage, this thing was simply not for them. Later on, Xia Duo could launch a version more suitable for ordinary people, which would be much cheaper then.

As for exactly when the new version would be launched, it would have to wait until the Void Warehouse Mythallar design and construction were completed. Otherwise, with too many ordinary users, it would be impossible to manage, and maintenance costs would increase geometrically.

At the current stage, rather than launching a personal version of the Void Warehouse, it would be better to just sell Dimensional Bags!

……

Since there was no news from Dumu yet, Xia Duo decided to stay at the shop for now. Although he had just reached a cooperation agreement with Evereska and did not need to worry about anyone causing trouble here, such a heated scene itself contained risks.

Outside, the Elves' inquiries continued. Some things Aoruipusi had already said more than once, and there was even corresponding projection information displayed inside the shop, but he still repeated it over and over—

"The Tower of Time's Void Warehouse has been certified by the Evereska Council of Elders; it is safe and reliable. During the promotional period, new users can subscribe for one year and enjoy a 20% discount. The more you subscribe, the more cost-effective it is!"

"Regarding trial quotas, for every two new clients recommended to the site, you can receive one month of free trial experience. The more new people you bring, the more experience you get. Quotas are limited, so act quickly."

"……"

Aoruipusi's passionate promotional slogans, repeated over and over, once made Xia Duo suspect that he was a dummy. But after repeated confirmation, he had to admit that Aoruipusi was indeed the one with the most Merchant traits in the Silver Leaf Family.

……

At the moment, the atmosphere inside Shop No. 18 was very heated, and some clients even placed orders on the spot, but the vast majority were still in a wait-and-see state, or had just come to get a free trial quota.

But in any case, the bustle itself meant influence. Seeing this scene, Xia Duo did not need to worry too much about the subsequent development of the merchant guild.

……

Quietly leaving the shop through the back door, Xia Duo strolled around Meilong Market several times but still could not wait for news from Dumu, which made him unable to help but feel a bad premonition in his heart.

So he sent a Sending directly to the other party, asking what was going on and whether the Arrow Wind Squad had encountered any accidents.

Dumu's reply came a bit slowly and brought some not-so-good news—

"The Arrow Wind Squad and the newly dispatched squad completed the handover smoothly, but they encountered an accident on the way back to Evereska and lost contact!"

"This matter has caused quite a stir. Ambassador Tili'ao is already convening an Alliance meeting, preparing to launch an inquiry against Yierlan. This matter is 100% inseparable from Yierlan!"

Ambassador Tili'ao was the Netheril resident representative to the Northland Alliance and was also from the Seven Towers. Originally, after the New Covenant was signed, the candidate for the resident representative to the Northland Alliance needed to be re-appointed.

And before the appointment, it needed to be authorized by the Council, which was not a simple process. But because of Tili'ao's own outstanding diplomatic resume, before the Diplomatic Affairs Department under the Council was fully established, the appointment of Tili'ao as the resident representative to the Northland Alliance was passed in advance.

The representatives of the five major countries of the Northland Alliance all had the Permission Level to convene an Alliance meeting, and they must be responded to. It seemed that in the eyes of Ambassador Tili'ao, the loss of contact with the Arrow Wind Squad was no longer an ordinary event.

After all, when the squad of Misailaitiao lost contact before, it did not convene an Alliance meeting, and that was the first time the Alliance had a reconnaissance squad lose contact completely without any news sent back!

Now, upon learning this news, Xia Duo's expression could not help but become a bit dazed. This matter now confirmed his previous guess: that squad of Misailaitiao might have discovered something and been silenced by Yierlan.

And the Arrow Wind Squad had survived for various reasons, but now that someone was investigating this matter, those who should have died were still dead.

Thinking of this, Xia Duo could not help but ask Dumu, "Is the mission the Arrow Wind Squad is currently executing also in Yierlan?"

"Yes, most of the recent field missions are concentrated in Yierlan and Siluwende. There are many Eaerlann Elves among the members of the Arrow Wind Squad, so they were assigned to Yierlan to execute the mission."

So that was it!

However, there was still a question in Xia Duo's heart: with so many squads going to Yierlan to execute missions, could it be that only these two squads accidentally discovered something?

Would there be other squads that also made discoveries?

Thinking of this, Xia Duo requested to view the relevant archives and materials again. Dumu agreed, but because the Alliance meeting was imminent and Dumu had other things to attend to, he could not personally accompany Xia Duo.

So he arranged for a Demon Descendant Research Lab officer, also from the Seven Towers, to assist Xia Duo in searching for information with Dumu's authorization.