Chapter 309: Seeing Aiwa Again

Xia Duo said nothing and did not move, while the expression on Jibu's face shifted constantly, which only made Xia Duo more interested.

Was it because he had refused before and now felt awkward about taking the initiative to come? Or was it some other reason? Xia Duo guessed secretly in his heart.

However, he did not have any perverse hobby of disciplining or messing with people; his true confidence came from his own strength and... the Tower of Time.

Political maneuvering was optional for him, and he did not need to use clumsy political schemes to rule his subjects; perhaps using Wisdom and strength was more appropriate.

And Wisdom was not political maneuvering; perhaps it included it, but it was primarily a set of stable rules.

The true art of ruling in Xia Duo's heart lay in discovering the will within his subjects, letting them learn to strive and strategize for themselves.

That required creating a relatively positive environment, enticing them with benefits, overawing them with might, and walking the righteous path, rather than simply playing political games.

Utilizing one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses could also be considered a form of Wisdom.

Without causing Jibu excessive embarrassment, Xia Duo pointed to the third warehouse next to them and said to Jibu, "Let's go, let's go see this old friend!"

Even though nearly two years had passed in Xia Duo's Time Line since the events of the Orc War, he still often recalled the various scenes from that time.

The first time he killed a "person," the first time he faced a life-or-death crisis, the first time he killed a Mage, the first time he saw an Undead—although it was only for a short period of less than a month, there was too much to remember.

Among these memories, Aiwa could definitely account for a significant portion.

Taciturn and stern, yet his work was never lacking; whether it was standing guard, scouting, killing, intercepting, or even opening a Dimensional Bag or summoning a magical mount, he had left a very deep impression on Xia Duo.

It was just that after the war, he had never seen Aiwa again.

The Liyadun Chamber of Commerce's warehouses at the port were all connected, and it was only a few steps from the second warehouse to the third; in those few steps, Xia Duo had already recalled various details from the past and decided on his attitude after meeting.

It was also in those few steps that Xia Duo realized his memory seemed to have improved quite a bit; at the very least, when he had just left the Projection Plane at the Arcane Union, he had to think hard to remember Aiboke.

But now, he could recall many things from the past almost as soon as he thought about them; perhaps it was because the memories were deep, but Xia Duo felt it was more due to his Bloodline Awakening.

He had only awakened his bloodline last night and had not had much time to explore it carefully, only knowing roughly that his strength had not increased significantly, but he had gained an ability he named 【Wind Control】.

Now that his memory ability also seemed to have improved, this made Xia Duo look forward to his next Bloodline Awakening even more; no wonder the Netherese viewed possessing a Sorcerer Bloodline as having exceptional talent for Magic.

Not to mention anything else, just the improvement in memory ability could save countless repetitive tasks on the Magic Path, which was equivalent to indirectly extending a Spellcaster's life.

And as far as Xia Duo knew, people with a Sorcerer Bloodline generally lived longer than normal people; even with Magic for enhancing memory or Longevity Magic, having a bloodline was still more advantageous.

The only thing to worry about was—possessing such a great advantage yet not knowing how to utilize it, instead resting on one's laurels.

This phenomenon was not uncommon; in fact, if his bloodline awakening were more stable, Xia Duo himself would want to rest on his laurels!

……

Casting aside distracting thoughts, Xia Duo stepped into the third warehouse, but—

No one?

The warehouse was completely empty; there was not a single person, but Jibu had no reason to lie to him, nor would he dare to, so Xia Duo immediately focused his mind, and the next moment he discovered someone's presence.

Just a few steps to the right of the entrance, under an open window, the sunlight streaming in brought both light and shadows.

When Xia Duo had just entered, only the corner of his eye could sweep that area, and combined with the shadows cast under the light, he had not discovered someone's presence at first.

However, every living creature left traces in the Magic Net, which was obvious to a Spellcaster.

But—

He had already arrived; was Aiwa not coming over?

Did he treat the warehouse as his own home? Or did he have some thoughts about him?

Xia Duo calmly cast 3rd-ring 【Mage Armor】 on himself, and before he could speak, Jibu had already called out impatiently:

"Aiwa, the Lord is here, why don't you come over and pay your respects!"

Perhaps because he heard his name, the figure under the window suddenly moved slightly, but made no further movement.

"My Lord, he is unconscious," Laidun suddenly said.

"Aiwa!"

Hearing Laidun's assessment, Jibu immediately became nervous, rushed forward, supported the person curled up in the shadow under the window, and kept calling out, "Aiwa, Aiwa!"

While shouting, he would look back at Xia Duo from time to time, his eyes filled with pleading.

Xia Duo pondered for a moment and roughly guessed the situation, but now was not the time to dwell on that; he looked at Priest Laidun, gestured toward the window, and said:

"Go take a look!"

"Yes!"

Priest Laidun agreed quite readily and acted quite readily, but looking at his eyes, it seemed he had a lot to say; Xia Duo understood that if it were indeed the situation he suspected, it was normal for Laidun to have this reaction.

Xia Duo also moved closer; at this time, the light coming through the window was no longer enough to hide the shadows below. It was indeed Aiwa, but his face was pale, his lips were tightly shut, and his body trembled occasionally.

"Aiwa, Aiwa, Priest Laidun is saving you!" Jibu supported Aiwa and whispered in his ear.

Seeming to understand these words, Aiwa's expression softened a little, but the slight trembling of his body remained.

And Laidun came to Aiwa's side, squatted down, and reached his hand toward the top of Aiwa's head; a ball of Holy Light, not very bright but giving one a very firm feeling, flashed on his hand.

The hand with the Holy Light moved from the top of Aiwa's head down to his body; although there was no physical contact, the Holy Light permeated Aiwa's body.

After repeating this many times, Laidun stood up and reported to Xia Duo, "My Lord, he is not injured; it looks like he has been cursed."

"Cursed?"

"Yes, my Lord!"

Xia Duo became a bit interested; this was not the first time he had seen a curse, but the Elf curse 【Pleasure Blessing】 he saw last time seemed unsolvable, so what was the situation this time?

He focused his mind and observed Aiwa carefully; sure enough, he discovered the disharmony in his aura, but it was very inconspicuous, and if Laidun hadn't told him beforehand that it was a curse, he would never have thought of it.

However, if he was not injured and remained unconscious, then nine times out of ten it was related to Magic, and a curse was also a type of Magic; it was just that curses were not common, and Xia Duo didn't think it was strange that he hadn't thought of a curse.

"Can it be dispelled?"

"This—" Laidun looked troubled, "My Lord, I cannot dispel it."

Upon hearing that it was a curse and that Priest Laidun could not save Aiwa, Jibu immediately panicked; he looked at Xia Duo, his eyes full of despair, and his whole person was filled with a sense of defeat.

"My Lord……"