Chapter 2736: Accepting Irusk: Pros and Cons

Xia Duo pondered for a moment and told Badijiaer clearly, "If Lord Badijiaer wants me to help probe Eilistraee, then I must refuse."

This matter itself was actually nothing, but Xia Duo did not want to give the Seven Towers the illusion that they could order him around at will, and he did not believe that this matter could not be done without him.

In reality, he did not believe now was the appropriate time to accept Irusk; unlike Akaola, Irusk and Eilistraee had mostly been in a relationship of protection in the past, and suddenly changing masters now would make Eilistraee think.

They certainly would not think it was Irusk's own choice, but would instead think it was Netheril's seduction, and the current Netheril and Eilistraee were still allies; is there any such way to seduce an ally's vassal?

The current Netheril was still far from having the strength to "only talk about cooperation" with various countries; accepting Irusk would inevitably be seen by Eilistraee as a provocation.

Xia Duo felt that the Seven Towers might have been blinded by the benefits or prestige of Akaola's alignment; the importance of Irusk lay in the voting power, which would be needed in the future, but taking it now would not improve Netheril's current situation much, and might even provoke a joint boycott from the various Elf nations, which was truly not worth the attempt.

At present, various countries were working together to solve the Demon Descendant problem, and for Irusk to come knocking at this time was truly too abnormal; this could completely be considered an attempt by them to stir up discord between Netheril and Eilistraee.

If they were seeking aid, why not go through the channels of the Northland Alliance?

As long as the matter of seeking aid was brought to a formal occasion of the Northland Alliance, out of sympathy for a fellow human kingdom, Netheril would have no reason not to provide aid, and Farangruier, out of protection for its vassal, would also have a low probability of providing aid.

Other countries, generally the major powers, in order to be able to receive aid from various countries when encountering similar problems in the future, would also have a low probability of providing a certain amount of aid.

Thinking deeply, Xia Duo could only give Badijiaer an apologetic look, to which Badijiaer could only smile bitterly, "Lord Xia Duo, it seems you still have some misunderstandings about the Seven Towers."

And those councilors from the Ming Shui San Weimian were not very sensitive in that regard; they mostly believed that Netheril had an obligation to help Irusk, which was also a human kingdom, and they did not even mention the point of Irusk bypassing the Northland Alliance to seek help.

Next, Xia Duo asked about the Seven Towers' view on this matter; Badijiaer did not say it explicitly, but hinted that the Seven Towers intended to accept Irusk's alignment.

"I have also notified Zhenna, believing that you two will certainly be able to bring more perspectives for observation and reflection to the councilors."

However, this could not be blamed on them; they had not left the Ming Shui San Weimian for long and had limited understanding of the Northland situation, so it was normal that they did not react immediately; there would be relevant background introductions at the meeting later.

Now his relationship with the Seven Towers was unprecedentedly tense—except for Sikumu, he naturally would not do anything superfluous in this regard; he chose to bypass the Remote Conference System and contact them via private Sending to avoid being detected by the Seven Towers.

As for this behind-the-scenes planner, Xia Duo was more inclined to believe it was the Demon Descendants, because in the current peaceful and stable situation, the space for the Demon Descendants to maneuver had become smaller and smaller; only by stirring up discord or even conflict in the Northland could they profit from it.

Cold-resistant seeds were indeed only available in Netheril at present, but as long as one was willing to pay, all countries could purchase them; there was no restriction issue, and even if Irusk could not afford them, Farangruier was definitely not lacking them; they could just go and ask for them directly.

For the subsequent contact, Xia Duo did not use the Remote Conference channel; although he was certain that the Seven Towers could not spy on the content of his communication with other councilors, the main Permission Level of the Remote Conference Magic Tool was in Badijiaer's hands; the content would not be leaked, but the communication itself would be detected by the other party.

"Notifying you to attend this meeting specifically is actually in the hope that you can provide an additional perspective, introducing the current Northland situation and some conditions within Elf society to other councilors; currently, among Netheril, it is Lord Xia Duo who has the deepest contact with the Elves."

Of course, tension did not mean refusing to aid Irusk; as long as the Northland Alliance channel was used and Farangruier was not bypassed, there would be no problem at all.

Weide studied the Domain of the mind and had sufficient understanding of human nature; he expressed his opposition to this matter without hesitation, specifically mentioning the possible reaction of Farangruier.

"Alright, I understand."

If the Seven Towers were not alert, if it was his reminder that changed the Seven Towers' decision, perhaps it would also alert the behind-the-scenes planner.

Isn't this much stronger than seeking help from Netheril in private?

Xia Duo mainly consulted Weide and those councilors from the Ming Shui San Weimian who shared similar ideas with him, and the two sides exchanged views on Irusk's request for aid.

……

As well as accepting the Magic Apprentice sent by Irusk.

And before this, after the Metier Incident, Xia Duo suspected that the prophets of the Northern Elf Kingdoms were very likely members of the Darkness Society or under the control of the Darkness Society.

He could be hostile to the Demon Descendants and use various means to support any public actions of the Northland Alliance against the Demon Descendants, but once he showed tension toward the Northland prophets, it was very likely to make the Demon Descendants hide deeper, or simply trigger some vicious incident immediately.

Xia Duo did not give an evaluation on this; anyway, he would say it at the meeting later, but he would definitely vote against it. Taking advantage of the time before the meeting started, he also had to hurry to lobby—no, to ask for the views of other councilors.

Therefore, he had to minimize his interference in this aspect as much as possible, so as to avoid the Demon Descendants noticing his suspicion of the Northland prophets.

As for the reaction of the Seven Towers, it went without saying; they did not even consider the reactions of any other forces outside the two countries of Netheril and Irusk.

"Lord Badijiaer is too kind; when it comes to understanding Elf society, President Zhenna may not be inferior to me."

This matter was truly too abnormal; Xia Duo faintly smelled a hint of conspiracy, but he did not remind Badijiaer; if the Seven Towers were alert, it would be fine even without the reminder.

Or more specifically, it was not providing aid to Irusk through the Northland Alliance, including materials such as cold-resistant seeds, winter grain, and warm clothing.

……

In the past, there had actually been Irusk people coming to Netheril to learn Magic, but only a very few, and Farangruier was unaware of it beforehand.

And with Weide there, Xia Duo did not have to worry about no one opposing; the truth becomes clearer with debate. As long as the potential pros and cons were explained clearly, he believed that the majority of the Council would not agree either.

Now, if Farangruier were bypassed, no matter how many people there were, the nature of the matter would be completely different.

This would be equivalent to whispering in front of the other party. If there had not been this private talk, whispering to others would have been fine, but with the private talk, plus the tension at the meeting later, the whispers made at this time would inevitably invite the dissatisfaction of the Seven Towers after the meeting.