Chapter 2748: Mirror Forest Wonders, Increasing Demands

"It doesn't matter. I am very interested in the restaurant concept you just mentioned. Regardless of whether we can cooperate on this project, I can be certain that we will definitely have opportunities to continue cooperating on other projects."

Xia Duo gave affirmation to Yikejita's restaurant design, but remained noncommittal about other aspects of the design. Upon hearing Xia Duo's evaluation, Yikejita's complexion instantly turned somewhat pale.

"Lord Xia Duo, then this time—"

"If Designer Yikejita does not mind cooperating with other designers, then we can sign the contract now."

Suddenly encountering such a reversal, Yikejita was overjoyed and hurriedly said: "I don't mind, I don't mind. I am very happy to cooperate with other designers; everyone can learn from each other and progress together!"

To be honest, from the moment he accepted the interview invitation, Yikejita already had this realization. If he had insisted on leading the design proposal himself, he would never have accepted Aoruipusi's invitation.

As for Xia Duo, upon receiving Yikejita's affirmative answer, he immediately beckoned Aoruipusi over to take Yikejita to sign the commission contract, while also calling the next interviewee in.

……

Just like that, Xia Duo interviewed a total of fourteen designers. Only one designer local to Evereska flatly refused because they could not accept that their design needed to completely obey the guidance of a human.

The other thirteen designers all signed commission contracts with Aoruipusi. This, of course, does not mean that these thirteen Elves all met Xia Duo's requirements, but rather that one less is one less, and one more is one more.

That is actually quite sensitive. The concept of equality and common prosperity among the five races is a saying from the side of Cormanthor; other Elf nations have their own ways of speaking about the unity of different Elf groups.

But in reality, Gold Elves still have more advantages.

Furthermore, there is the design named 【Mirror Forest】, which creates a forest made entirely of mirrors for the landmark building. Visitors traveling through it can break through the limitations of time and space to go to different spaces.

Xia Duo is, of course, not satisfied with such a status quo. It is not that he has much hope for equality among Elves, but rather that this equality itself also concerns the equality between humans and Elves.

Despite this, Xia Duo still purchased this design proposal from the designer named "Kuluo," deciding that if there is an opportunity in the future, he must complete this wonder in his own Territory.

In other words, Xia Duo promoting Elf equality wins twice in the short and long term; it can be called a win-win.

Others are the themes mentioned during Aoruipusi's previous public recruitment—"cooperation" and "future." Of course, as the party of the first part, Xia Duo's landmark building design proposal also has a potential prerequisite: promoting Daxia Culture.

After signing all thirteen designers, Xia Duo could further clarify his requirements. He needed elements of the five Elf races; this requirement had not been mentioned before.

……

But to be honest, Xia Duo is actually quite pessimistic about such a prospect, because he deeply knows that, very often, discrimination within a race is often more severe and harder to eliminate than external discrimination.

They had waited for more than a month, after all; as long as it wasn't too outrageous, Xia Duo would not refuse. Moreover, when construction actually begins later, having one more supervisor is not bad either.

Besides adding iconic elements of the five Elf races, Xia Duo also required the proposal to have pragmatic considerations. In the future, even if this building doesn't make a lot of money, it at least shouldn't lose money too outrageously!

……

However, many things must be done no matter how difficult they are. At this moment, Xia Duo is not considering this matter as a human, but as the future leader of the Northland Alliance.

He wants to build this landmark building into a forward-positioned output base for Daxia Culture. He allows Elf colors within it, but absolutely does not allow it to lack Daxia characteristics.

Moreover, this is designed specifically for exhibitions and is difficult to use as a regular business venue. Once built, the best fate for this building in the future is merely to become a wonder of Evereska.

And here in Evereska, it is also a matter of brotherhood, only it depends on who is the eldest son and who is the second son, because Evereska has all kinds of Elves; if one were to distinguish them, the internal situation would become chaotic.

The future is very long. Humans and Elves are indeed in a competitive relationship, but competition does not mean that cooperation is impossible, and it even less means that one must be hostile. Healthy competition within the framework of the Northland Alliance is a win-win solution that is beneficial to both sides.

……

But even so, after a long time, the brand of Great Xia Territory on it will fade away very quickly, becoming a completely Elf building, which is something Xia Duo cannot accept.

Based on this, Xia Duo is willing to make a little effort to promote equality within the Elves; after all, in the future, no matter what kind of Elf they are, they can be "soldiers" for his use.

For example, Illefarn: the entire citizenry is almost all Gold Elves. If one were to shout "equality and common prosperity for the five races" in that situation, it would be somewhat hypocritical.

Just like that, Xia Duo left a one-month deadline for submission, then contacted the Yierlan embassy, and accompanied by their protocol staff, walked through the Portal directly to the Yierlan capital, Taiweimansa.

Of course, from a selfish perspective, macro-narratives are ultimately too far away for him at this moment, but for a human to actively promote Elf equality, it is inevitable that this topic will be pushed to the forefront.

If the five Elf races could truly achieve equality, then in that process, humans and Elves would surely have already achieved equality.

In Illefarn, the correct way of speaking is that Gold Elves are the eldest sons in the big family of the Taiquese Yizu, needing to shoulder heavier responsibilities, which naturally requires possessing more power and a higher status.

This line of thought itself is very interesting, not to mention that the design itself is also very brilliant. Mirrors of different shapes and forms compose a forest of light and shadow; just looking at the rendering makes one feel it is beautiful and magnificent.

A design like Mirror Forest is too avant-garde and difficult to be accommodated by Daxia Culture in its current state. In other words, what it represents will not be Daxia Culture, but the designer's personal characteristics; in reality, it is Elf culture.

From a long-term perspective, it is indeed beneficial to solving the racial problems within the Elves, but in the short term, it will also cause a relatively large impact.

Of course, these thirteen Elf designers are not all mediocre; there are still some designs that make one's eyes light up, such as Yikejita's restaurant design concept (not the design itself).

It is just a pity that the magic building level allowed by Evereska is not high enough; a complete Mirror Forest simply cannot be built. Furthermore, even if it were complete, the subsequent maintenance costs would be sky-high.

Although he did not state this point clearly, he had hinted at it many times, and if the proposal could not achieve this point, there is no need for many words before sending it back for rework.

If it were another human designer, Xia Duo might have just made the decision to build it out of joy, but an Elf designer won't do.