Chapter 2987: Friendly Start, Inquiring About Origins

"Mage Pulitatisi, a pleasure to meet you!"

Xia Duo had not expected this mysterious dragon to have actually become the teacher of the Delake Territory lord; this made his heart sink involuntarily. Being able to become the teacher of a local lord clearly could not have happened just recently.

He had likely been here for a while; thinking deeper, had this guy already transmitted the existence of the Main Plane back to the Holy Golden Dragon Empire?

At this moment, Xia Duo hoped more than anything that this mysterious dragon was a local dragon, not an alien dragon. A local dragon could at least be won over by resolving historical issues, but if it were an alien dragon, things would be difficult.

"Councilor Xia Duo, a pleasure."

Pulitatisi also greeted him calmly, then looked at the noisy streets around them and suggested, "This is not a place for conversation; why not go to the Government Hall to talk?"

He did not suggest going to the Mage Tower, as that was unrealistic, so he chose the nearby Government Hall, a place that could provide a reception area.

Xia Duo naturally had no objections to this; he also did not want to discuss those confidential matters on the street. He gave Huo En a wink and then agreed.

Subsequently, the two of them, led by Delake Territory lord Pake, arrived at the Government Hall just one street away. Upon entering, Pulitatisi gave his student a suggestive look and then said:

"I will receive the two councilors. Pake, didn't you say there was an important experiment that hasn't been finished? Go tidy up the Laboratory first, then come to pay your respects to the two councilors."

As for Pulitatisi, he knew that Xia Duo and Pake were here to find him. Whether out of wishful thinking or a desire to resist, he could not be proactive.

It is unknown how much time passed, but eventually, Xia Duo was the first to break the silence. "I have some understanding of the high-level mages of Netheril, yet I have never heard of the existence of Mage Pulitatisi. I wonder if you are from the south, or from Imaska?"

Xia Duo used his own existence as an example to remind the other party that their origin would not be an obstacle to integrating into Netheril, but at the same time, he pointed out, "Easterners have existed in the Main Plane since ancient times and have already proven themselves. Your origin, however, makes it impossible for us to feel at ease!"

Unlike when they were outside, once they sat down in the Reception Room, for a time, not a single person spoke. Pake did not speak because there had been a prior agreement that this trip would be led by Xia Duo; since Xia Duo did not speak, he naturally would not take the initiative to say anything.

Xia Duo could not easily reveal the existence of the Holy Golden Dragon Empire and could only use the fact that the other party might possess more secrets to soothe Pake's anxious mood, but once he did that, Pake would inevitably urge him to take the other party down directly.

Without waiting for Pake to urge him again, Xia Duo spoke once more, "Since Mage Pulitatisi intends to stay in Netheril, wouldn't it be natural to make a clean break with the past? If you are unwilling to reveal even a little bit of your origin, then we truly must suspect your intentions for coming to Netheril!"

"He is not lying," Pake said in the Mind Link.

Currently, the human nations in the Main Plane capable of cultivating high-level mages are roughly only Netheril in the Northland, Imaska in the east, and Calimshan in the south.

"Don't be impatient. Aren't you curious about where the other party's Bloodline Technology comes from? Do you really think that in your Seven Cities Council, there is only that one technology?"

After these words, the Reception Room fell into silence again. Xia Duo hoped that Pulitatisi would take the initiative to reveal his background, but Pulitatisi, not knowing how much the Netherese side knew about him, dared not take the initiative.

"Since the Delake Territory lord has important matters to attend to first, then go handle them. Mage Pulitatisi can host us here."

Silence seemed to be the theme of this meeting. Pake saw it in his eyes and felt it in his heart; in fact, he did not care at all about the other party's origin. As long as the technology was real and they were willing to share it, that was enough; anything else was superfluous.

Xia Duo hesitated on how to open the conversation. He couldn't just come out and ask if the other party was from the Holy Golden Dragon Empire, or ask if they had mastered the ultimate technology of the Bloodline Domain, could he?

Therefore, the other party's words could be listened to, and one could even believe the surface, but to believe them completely would be too naive. Entrusting the safety of an entire Plane to someone else's sincerity—and verbal sincerity at that—was simply ridiculous.

However, Xia Duo still wanted to try again to avoid making a misjudgment. Whether misjudging the other party's goodwill or malice, or misjudging their origin, both could potentially cause hidden dangers for the future.

Even the fact that the other party was always unwilling to reveal their origin was actually enough to assume the other party had malice.

It was just that it was too late to regret it now. He hesitated for a moment and added, "Everything I said is true. I have no malice toward Netheril."

"I am indeed not Netherese, but I am also not from those two places. I am just a homeless wandering mage. If Netheril does not mind my past, I am willing to become a Netherese."

Constantly being questioned, Pulitatisi could not help but feel a bit annoyed, but thinking of the Forbidden Restriction that had not yet dissipated around them, he forced himself to calm down. If he had known he would encounter this situation, he should not have chosen Netheril to settle down.

He really could not understand why Xia Duo had to obsess over his origin. Even if he asked clearly, what could be done? Could it be changed? That was clearly impossible; it would be better to stay ignorant.

Xia Duo did not point out the other party's dragon identity from the very beginning, but instead questioned and probed as if they were human.

To this, Pulitatisi's answer was—

There is no absolute spear or shield. Knowing that the other party might be from the Holy Golden Dragon Empire, Xia Duo directly assumed that the other party had ways to evade lie-detection Spells.

Seeing that the other party's attitude was acceptable, shouldn't the most important thing to do now be to invite the other party to join the Seven Cities Council?

But Xia Duo was noncommittal. There were indeed many Spells in this world that could distinguish lies, and he himself had just judged that the other party was not lying, but there were also Spells in this world that could evade lie detection.

He knew his own origin, but precisely because he knew it, he was even more cautious.

With Xia Duo speaking, Pake naturally would not insist on staying. After leaving in a hurry, the remaining three then entered the Reception Room.

"Even if I told you my origin, you might not necessarily understand it, so why keep pursuing it! I already said, I am now just a homeless wandering mage."

Although Xia Duo was somewhat surprised that this dragon cared so much about his student, he had no intention of making things difficult for Pake, and with Pake gone, some topics did not need to be deliberately avoided.

"Lord Xia Duo—" Pake could not help but urge in the Mind Link.

"In my hometown, there is an old saying: 'Heroes do not ask their origins.' At the beginning, I was not Netherese either, just arriving here due to an accident, but now I have settled down here and become a true Netherese."

After finishing, he looked at Xia Duo again and asked tentatively, "The two councilors shouldn't mind if Pake comes later, right?"