Chapter 275: Running Away Entirely

Early the next morning, Xia Duo stepped onto the "Water Element Path" once again; this time, he walked this path with his heart in his mouth.

The concepts of "Moist" and "Flow" related to the water element were already in a near-eruptive state, surging continuously from the location of the Mythallar toward the Wolfburg River in the west.

Walking amidst it, Xia Duo could clearly feel his bloodline cheering and leaping; he felt that if he stayed here for a while longer, he could even make his bloodline ability 【Water Control】 more powerful.

But he would rather not have such power; heaven knows if the Mythallar would collapse the next second, and he truly could not predict the consequences resulting from a Mythallar collapse.

He only knew from some books in the Tower of Time that some Mythallar ruins within the Nether Territory had almost become dead zones.

If it were just the disaster caused at the moment of the Mythallar collapse, that would be secondary; the key is that it would likely produce long-term and profound effects, causing fundamental changes to the Magic Net environment nearby.

Xia Duo walked with his head down, already considering the issue of "reconstruction" after the disaster in his heart, but the premise for all of this was—that he was still alive.

Calculating the time, the "Lucky Owen" should be arriving soon; there were only two or three days left until the Midsummer Festival, and Xia Duo had specifically instructed Owen beforehand that he must not let him miss this year's Midsummer Festival.

The festival itself was secondary; after all, Xia Duo was an outsider and had no special attachment to local festivals. What he was truly thinking about was whether Mu Yan would come to Savile Town for this year's Midsummer Festival.

If he came, then he must thank Mu Yan in person.

If it weren't for Mu Yan, perhaps he would have already been captured by Lao Nier and turned into a slave; even if he could successfully join the Mage Tower, he would be the same as those Ordinary Apprentices, struggling between endless labor and tasks.

To become an Intermediate Mage, who knows how many years he would have to endure!

Furthermore, Mu Yan's Ancestor Blessing Ritual was perhaps an important factor in his Bloodline Awakening.

Of course, going back for the Midsummer Festival was also an excuse for running away that Xia Duo had thought of long ago; now it all depended on the situation with Lord Aipusi.

At the thought of this, Xia Duo's expression darkened significantly.

……

Entering the Mythallar, Xia Duo went straight to the center of the ruins. A few days ago, Lord Aipusi had cleared a large area here and set up a complex and mysterious Magic Array.

Every time he came here, Xia Duo would break into a cold sweat. Now, he not only had to worry about Lord Aipusi losing control of his emotions, but also about these obviously unstable Magic Arrays losing control.

At this moment, as Xia Duo arrived, Lord Aipusi was squinting his eyes, leaning on a chair beside the Magic Array, his hair disheveled, his brows tightly locked, and his fingers continuously tapping his forehead.

A staff half a person's height was lying on the ground to the side, keeping company with the scattered dirt and humus around it, occasionally emitting a spiritual light as if it were a living creature breathing.

Xia Duo had seen this scene more than once; he stepped forward and called out softly, "Lord Aipusi!"

"Hmm? Xia Duo?" Aipusi opened his bloodshot eyes, his right hand gestured, and the Magic Array returned to his hand; he then stood up, leaning on the staff as if it were a crutch.

His body swayed slightly, but Aipusi did not care; instead, he went to the side of the Magic Array, checking the structure of the array while making fine adjustments, and at the same time asked Xia Duo:

"Tell me, what is the situation today?"

"My Lord, the water element environment outside is already approaching a critical point; there may be unexpected changes next."

"Hmm, I know."

Lord Aipusi replied as usual, but Xia Duo noticed that the movements of his hands seemed a bit faster, and he immediately took out a diamond-shaped crystal-like Magic Artifact, gesturing with it in the surroundings.

At this point, Xia Duo should have left, but he wanted to get away, so he said:

"My Lord, the Midsummer Festival is approaching, and I am preparing to return to Savile Town. Additionally, Mentor Niya once asked me about your situation; she is very worried."

When he said this, Xia Duo's heart was in his throat, but in order to run away successfully, even if Niya hadn't asked him, he would have thought of another way to mention Niya.

"Midsummer Festival?" Aipusi's hand movements paused; if it weren't for Xia Duo's reminder, he would have almost forgotten the existence of the Midsummer Festival.

He didn't remember how many days ago it was that he had already told Niya he would not be returning for the Midsummer Festival, but at the same time, the words he had spoken before departing echoed in his mind—Niya, this time when I go, regardless of whether I can find the Plane Crystal, I will return before the Midsummer Festival!

"Heh!" Aipusi revealed a miserable smile; he had already paid countless efforts to search for the Plane Crystal, how could he give up so easily!

Especially in the situation where he had already been able to confirm that the Plane Crystal truly existed!

Once he left this time, it could almost be declared that the Plane Crystal existing here had nothing to do with him!

Every time a Mythallar erupted within the Empire, it would inevitably attract Clerics of the Magic Goddess; in order to repair the Magic Net and obtain Divine Grace, that group of people stared at any possible damaged place in the Magic Net like jackals looking for food.

Besides the believers of the Magic Net, there were also the mysterious Elf Mages in the Green Pearl Forest. Aipusi could not be sure of the true purpose of that Elf Mage or those Elf Mages; perhaps it was related to the Mythallar here, or perhaps not, but he dared not gamble.

The temptation of the Plane Crystal was too great, so much so that once the news leaked, even Great Arcanists would swarm in like mad dogs!

But if he gave up just like that, he was truly unwilling. Aipusi glanced at the nervous-looking Xia Duo and sighed deeply in his heart:

"Tell Niya I will return soon. Until then, everything remains as it was. You may go!"

Although Xia Duo did not understand why Lord Aipusi did not contact Niya himself, his goal had been achieved; he could go back!

Suppressing the joy in his heart to avoid stimulating Lord Aipusi, Xia Duo bowed and then left quickly.

……

When he returned to the camp, the "Lucky Owen" had already arrived. Xia Duo immediately ordered Priest Laidun to gather everyone and then announced:

"In a few days, it will be the Midsummer Festival. The Daxia Territory currently does not have the conditions to hold celebration activities, so I have decided to give you a period of vacation to follow me to Savile Town to participate in the celebration activities, including the slaves!"

Even the Lord of Radiance could grant slaves a day of freedom on the Midsummer Festival; Xia Duo was even more generous—he was prepared to have a seven-day Midsummer joy!

Additionally, depending on the situation of the Mythallar collapse, it might even be extended for a period of time.

In short, the Mythallar was about to collapse, and he would not let the territory's only precious manpower stay in this place of trouble.

Hearing Xia Duo's order, the territory residents could not hide the joy in their hearts; many of them still had families, and even if most were bachelors, they were certainly happy about the vacation.

After a burst of cheers, everyone moved all the metal tools onto the ship; these things were bought at a high price and could not be left here casually.

As for the food, they dismantled a tent and piled it near the Altar; with the protection of the Altar, it would not be dragged away by wild beasts.

As for other things, it didn't matter; these losses were controllable. They had come with nothing in the first place, so it was nothing more than a bit of time. The current Xia Duo was very calm!