Chapter 2857: Inquiring About Candidates, Choosing a Path

Among the Elves Xia Duo currently knows, there are likely no more than four or five who might know the diviner—Mage Tailun of Illefarn, Xierdalanna of Yierlan, the Crown King of Akaola, and Elder Laruian of Evereska.

There is also Feilifa of Yierlan, with whom Xia Duo has also dealt; as a consultant to the Crown King, Feilifa should also know of the diviner's existence, or perhaps even know some diviners.

As for Cormanthor, Xia Duo certainly knows many Elves there, but those Elves have limited status and standing; even if they could hear some rumors, it would be difficult for them to provide an accurate answer based on the information Xia Duo provided.

As for Shaerwen, Xia Duo has not yet been to Shaerwen on the Main Plane; in fact, after the rise of Yierlan, Shaerwen became increasingly conservative and closed off, and one can hardly see many Shaerwen Elves outside.

Even if there were any, they might not necessarily reveal their identities; the Shaerwen Elves Xia Duo knows have only been met in public settings, and he has not actually spoken more than a few words to them.

Among all the Elves who might know the diviner, Tailun is not being considered for now; the reason is the same as with Feilifa—there is not much personal friendship, and Xia Duo's understanding of them is limited. Since the relationship is shallow, how could he easily reveal such an important matter?

If they happen to be involved with the Demon Descendants, or simply do not take it seriously, or even blurt it out, wouldn't that be a waste?

If one really speaks of closeness, whether counting the relations between Elves or the relationship between high-ranking Elves and diviners, they are all closer than the relationship between Elves and Xia Duo, a human.

So, after some scrutiny, Xia Duo feels that perhaps only Ruier Ye'erlan and Elder Laruian are more trustworthy.

Originally, Akao Shaerwen should also have been included in his considerations, but Akao Shaerwen's lifespan is nearing its end; whether he would collude with the Demon Descendants to seek an opportunity for longevity remains an unknown!

It is better to just consider the others; it is only after obtaining the diviner's identity from Ruier Ye'erlan and Elder Laruian that considering Akao Shaerwen would be timely.

That can guarantee the news will not leak out from Laruian.

However, Xia Shao's influence in Naise Ximei is becoming greater and greater; he believes that one day he will be able to lead this country well, and in turn, lead the entire Northland Alliance well.

"It's not a matter of being critical, but I do know some news that may not have reached the Elder's ears yet. Naise Ximei's attitude toward this Mithril Mine incident is—joint development, fair distribution, internal unity, and vigilance against the Demon Descendants!"

Laruian did not react for a moment, but after reacting, he was immediately overjoyed; yet such good news was inevitably hard to believe. After calming down, he asked with some hesitation:

As for Elder Laruian, Xia Shao having had some dealings with him is only one aspect; more importantly, he has undergone the most rigorous checks to confirm he is not a Demon Descendant, and his family is also unrelated to the Demon Descendants.

"Does Naise Ximei really intend to jointly develop that Mithril Mine with all nations and distribute it fairly?"

Xia Shao previously extended Akao Shaerwen's life, and the price the other party paid was signing an agreement with Naise Ximei that was called an alliance but was closer to vassalage. If he could do even that, what wouldn't he do for longevity?

Besides that, there is the issue of trust. Xia Shao considers himself to have a decent positive reputation in the Northland, but this does not mean Ruier Ye'erlan will necessarily believe his claim that the diviner is actually a Demon Descendant mole.

Once a piece of news is known by more than two people, it is not far from becoming public news.

As for why Ruier Ye'erlan and Laruian are worth trusting, it is actually very simple: Xia Shao has fought side-by-side with Ruier Ye'erlan, and Ruier Ye'erlan's first love died at the hands of the Demon Descendants.

Therefore, the priority of Xierdalanna still needs to be ranked after Laruian.

"Of course it is true. Has Elder Laruian not noticed the changes in Naise Ximei since the signing of the New Covenant? Domineering expansion is not the path we choose, and we oppose any country taking such a path."

"Lord Xia Shao, I have truly been neglectful. Too many outsiders have come to the city recently, and many things require me to step in and coordinate. I really don't know when this incident will finally be completely quelled!"

Or rather, the high-ranking families of Evereska have almost all voluntarily or involuntarily accepted the Northland Alliance's checks; the result, of course, was that nothing was found, otherwise Evereska would be in constant turmoil.

After making the decision, Xia Shao immediately took action. In fact, it was only yesterday morning that he had just gone to see Laruian, but he did not expect that on this second day, he would have to visit again.

That is a hatred that is difficult to resolve; plus, Ruier Ye'erlan is young enough that he does not need to consider longevity, and he is not easily tempted by the Demon Descendants.

The most critical thing is that the other party's status is special; even if they are effectively a vassal, in name they are still a high-ranking existence placed on the same level as the Seven Cities Council, and Xia Shao is only a councilor, unable to make them accept checks, and it is even difficult to speak words of suspicion.

In the end, Xia Shao decided to go ask Elder Laruian first. On one hand, his avatar is currently in Evereska, following the principle of proximity; on the other hand, Naise Ximei and Evereska have many common interests, he has personal friendship with Laruian, and he can also provide countermeasures.

But he had only sat in the Reception Room for a moment when Laruian hurried back from outside, his face still showing a trace of fatigue, as if he had exhausted too much energy these past few days and had not been able to recover.

"Ah—"

"It will. I believe it will be properly handled before long. By then, Evereska, which is adjacent to the Grey Peak Mountains, will likely become the most prosperous city in the Northland!"

Xia Shao's visit after a short interval did not cause the well-tested Golden Maple Manor to produce a trace of chaos, but he came at a somewhat inconvenient time; Laruian was not at home.

Hearing Xia Shao say this, Laruian's heart stirred, "Does Lord Xia Shao already know some critical news that has not yet been made public? How does Naise Ximei view this Mithril Mine incident?"

Xia Shao himself is of course uninterested in hegemony, but the other people in Naise Ximei currently may not necessarily accept such a philosophy. It is just that the current Naise Ximei lacks the strength for hegemony, so taking the path of a king for the time being is not an unreliable choice.

……

But if he doesn't say the diviner is a mole, what reason is there to make the other party reveal information about a diviner who has an extraordinary status in the Elf World? Not to mention making the other party not reveal to the outside that he was inquiring about the diviner's identity.

Aside from longevity, power, status, wealth, and so on—as a high-level Mage, Ruier Ye'erlan already has enough; even the Demon Descendants cannot give him any more.

If it were Ruier Ye'erlan, it is indeed not very likely that he is involved with the Demon Descendants, but Xia Shao is worried that he would tell the other party, and the other party would turn around and tell others.

Evereska, on the mountainside of Yunding Mountain.