Chapter 2844: Tracing the Past, Distribution Schemes

Only after all the Councilors had left did Xia Duo speak up, "There are quite a few new faces today; were they all sent by the Councilors of the Tianshui Three Planes?"

"Yes. In the past, they were under the administration of the Seven Towers, but now that they have become independent, they are demanding power and resources they never had before. It's not just on my end; other institutions under the Council are facing the same situation."

At this, Iolum suppressed a long sigh. When the Great Arcanists from the Tianshui Three Planes first returned, they each appeared humble and polite, but once the structure of the Council was settled, they all became restless again.

It couldn't exactly be called restless; theoretically, this was the power they were entitled to. But demanding to trace the past made things very difficult. The Seven Towers believed they had already provided compensation and would not make any further concessions.

As for the others, they did not owe these Great Arcanists from the Tianshui Three Planes anything, so naturally, they would not make concessions either.

Since resources could not be conjured out of thin air, they ended up bickering all day long, and now every institution under the Seventon Council was in a state of unrest.

Yet, the Councilors of the Tianshui Three Planes relied on the Council's mechanisms to band together. This made the local Councilors very dissatisfied, but they were helpless—they couldn't exactly drag them out for a fight!

Fortunately, Iolum only had to worry about the Arcane Union. As for matters outside the Arcane Union, since the Seven Towers did not want to give up their executive power, they would need to act as the balance. Otherwise, if the New Covenant became a mere scrap of paper, it would not be a good thing for anyone.

Thinking of the Seven Towers members racking their brains, Iolum felt a small sense of relief.

"Let's talk about these people. Xia Duo, you came here this time because of that newly discovered Mithril Mine with an owner, right? You serve in the Northland Alliance; you should know the specific situation better than I do. Is there any conclusion yet as to whether there is a problem with the Mithril Mine?"

Under such circumstances, whether the various countries of the Northland would still consider the Demon Descendants a huge threat was another matter entirely!

"The Northland Alliance can already monitor the Demon Descendants' Time-Related Magic Ritual in real-time. It is not yet certain if the Demon Descendants are aware of this, but we can fully assume they already know. Thus, they released the news of the Mithril Mine, using the huge, real benefits to provoke disputes among the countries, preferably to the point of completely interrupting the Time-Related Magic research."

However, Xia Duo was not entirely without a plan. Since Iolum had asked, he could just as well let him help provide some perspective, or even take it to the Seven Towers to coordinate in advance. Even if they didn't agree with his plan, at the very least, they could not fall into the Demon Descendants' trap.

One must know that the greatest threat from the Demon Descendants was only that magic ritual that could change the Time Line, and now the Northland Alliance could already monitor the Time Line Fluctuation triggered by the ritual in real-time.

Thinking of this, Iolum asked Xia Duo again, "I know you have insights into the Northland situation that surpass others. How do you think the countries should distribute this Mithril Mine so as not to let the Demon Descendants take advantage of the situation?"

Xia Duo now completely viewed this matter as a blatant scheme by the Demon Descendants to stir up the Northern Lands Dispute. This was a conclusion that benefited all countries; if there were no Demon Descendant factor, wouldn't the countries be able to compete boldly and without worry?

Regarding Iolum's confusion, Xia Duo could provide an answer, "That Mithril Mine has a huge reserve, but mining and smelting cannot be completed in a short time, not to mention that the countries might have a fight before actual mining begins."

Moreover, if the possibility of the Demon Descendants overturning the Time Line were truly eliminated, no one could predict what the Demon Descendants might ultimately do. It was precisely this unpredictable unknown that made Iolum's mood exceptionally heavy.

It was so significant that even if there were truly Demon Descendants pushing from behind, it was to a point where Xia Duo did not want to give up.

In his view, the countries of the Northland already had conflicts, and even if they gradually eased, they could never truly become one in the end. But that Mithril Mine was real, enough for a country to use for a thousand years. Did the Demon Descendants really need to pay such a high price?

But the Northland Alliance's projections of mineral reserves were already somewhat conservative; perhaps they would find more as they dug deeper, after all, Amalinda was famous for its Mithril and Adamantine.

Of course, this was only a rough estimate by the Northland Alliance based on the past consumption of Mithril by various countries. Considering the rise of Magic Industry, it was certainly impossible to use it for a thousand years.

"The last smart child thought of a way: let the distributor propose the distribution plan, but he himself is the last one to choose. That way, everyone feels it is fair. Now, this Mithril Mine can certainly be distributed in the same way."

One must know that once that Mithril Mine was exposed, it could not belong to the Demon Descendants. Even if conflicts among the countries intensified, they would eventually reach a consensus to jointly develop that Mithril Mine.

Don't look at the fact that the Northland Alliance has made a breakthrough in Time-Related Magic research now, but who knows how long the Demon Descendants have been researching it? Now that they can monitor it in real-time, if it drags on for a while longer, that might not be the case.

"Just to destroy the current situation, is it worth paying such a huge price?" Iolum was quite puzzled by this.

"The Mithril Mine itself should have no problems. Judging from the preliminary exploration results, it is enough for any country in the Northland to use for a thousand years, and that is a conservative statement."

"But the mine having no problems does not mean there is no problem with this matter. I suspect this may be a situation deliberately guided by the Demon Descendants, just to destroy the current unity of the Northland countries. This is a blatant scheme. Regardless of whether it is the Demon Descendants or not, the gradually easing relations between the countries have become tense again, so it is best to assume there is Demon Descendant interference."

"That is to say, for a considerable time to come, that Mithril Mine will not bring any direct benefits to the Northland countries, but rather endless conflict."

"As long as they can drag it out for a period of time and the Demon Descendants create a new world, won't this mine eventually belong to them?"

And the giant Mithril Mine discovered in the Hui Ying Shan Mai was an open-pit mine. If the vein extended from the Surface to the Underdark, then the room for imagination here was too great.

"Real-time monitoring of the Demon Descendants' magic ritual—that is indeed a very disadvantageous situation for the Demon Descendants." A rare look of gravity appeared on Iolum's face.

"It's difficult. After all, with such huge benefits placed in front of them, no one could give them up. Take you, Teacher, if you were to choose, would you want a little more or a little less?"

In short, this matter was definitely the work of the Demon Descendants, just to ruin the great situation of our Northland unity!

And once the Mithril Mine was developed, no matter how much of a share any country in the Northland received, it would be a huge improvement compared to the past. Once Mithril became abundant, it would inevitably promote the prosperity of Magic Items, which was extremely disadvantageous to the Demon Descendants.

"Teacher, in my hometown, there is a story about children dividing a cake. No matter how the distributor divides it, the recipients are never satisfied because the distributor often gives themselves a larger portion."

At this point, Xia Duo hesitated for a moment before revealing to Iolum the latest results from the Northland Alliance's Time-Related Magic Research Laboratory—