Chapter 3476: Key Elements of Awakening

————It will be later~~

————

Xia Duo naturally preferred the safer approach; just like now, after careful consideration, he decided to go to Beilunuo first to secure the Time Gem.

As for the Moonshadow Family, since he already knew they were hiding in the Linna Nie'esi Chengqu of Taiweimansa, and even the true identity of the Illuminati sage, that could be treated as a trump card.

If prepared properly, he might truly be able to capture Dafuni in one fell swoop, and in this way, the Alliance could win all subsequent local battlefields—

Judging from the scale of the final battle the Illuminati launched in the previous Time Line, it was likely already mostly set up at this moment, just waiting for an opportunity to erupt completely.

Therefore, Xia Duo would not consider going to the Underdark to set an ambush; the Underdark, as the core ritual site of the Illuminati, was likely already under their control at this moment, and the ritual might even be in progress.

Thinking of this, the sense of urgency in Xia Duo's heart grew heavier. Since he had made his decision, he would not have any hesitation. He did not notify anyone and immediately left Taiweimansa quietly.

Afterward, he sped along the way and soon left the territory of Yierlan. He paused while passing the border of Yierfalang. If possible, Xia Duo still hoped to enter Beilunuo through normal entry methods rather than sneaking in, as this might change the relationship between Beilunuo and the Northland Alliance.

In the previous Time Line, the Tide Queen Taisi of Beilunuo was hesitant about whether to join the Alliance, and Xia Duo also learned of Beilunuo's plan to develop the Southern Continent when he interrogated Dali in a previous Time Line.

While the Alliance could certainly be called a powerful force on the Main Plane, it was not the only one, and it would be difficult for it to radiate its influence outside the Northland for a considerable period. Once Beilunuo succeeded in its development of the Southern Continent, there might be different developments in the future.

And for the Alliance, wanting to expand its influence outside the Northland, constantly accepting new allies was almost an inevitable choice. Beilunuo possessed a maritime advantage, and there would be other benefits once it joined the Alliance.

This was not only beneficial to the Alliance but also extremely beneficial to Xia Duo himself; for example, he could let Beilunuo act as a "catfish" within the Alliance to promote the popularization of Magic among various countries.

As for winning them over as allies for Netheril, that was secondary.

If Xia Duo were to sneak in this time and even kidnap the Consultant to the Queen of Beilunuo, it would simply be an act of pushing Beilunuo away from the Alliance; even with many explanations afterward, a rift might still exist.

It would be better to visit openly and clarify the pros and cons. While doing so certainly carried a hint of coercion, it was undoubtedly much more sincere and generous than sneaking in.

Thus, Xia Duo contacted Saiputalisi again, attempting one last effort. After the Sending was sent, Xia Duo suppressed the urgency in his heart, adjusted his emotions, and waited patiently.

Soon, he received a reply from Saiputalisi, the content of which exceeded his expectations. He had originally thought that there might not be any results from Yierfalang in the short term, but Saiputalisi said—

"After receiving the news, the Executive Advisory Group attached great importance to it. They immediately held an emergency meeting to discuss it and finally decided to trust Consultant Xia Duo. After all, it concerns the entire Northland Alliance and even the entire Main Plane; it cannot be concealed for the sake of the interests of Yierfalang alone. The Chief Executive invites you, Excellency, to Ailintar to meet and discuss this matter."

Upon receiving such news, the heart that Xia Duo had been holding finally settled. After all, there were more rational people in this world, and he was fortunate that this world was in the hands of rational people.

Since Yierfalang had issued an invitation, Xia Duo did not delay any longer and immediately sent a Sending to inform Saiputalisi about his entry itinerary.

Soon, he met Saiputalisi, who had been waiting there, and the Mage Tailun, who had dealt with Netheril many times, at the Ailintar Teleportation Hall.

"Welcome, Consultant Xia Duo." *2

"I have troubled you both to wait here. Time is pressing, please take me to see Excellency Wazele immediately."

"The Chief Executive and the Crown King are both in the Sun Courtyard. Please follow me."

After receiving Xia Duo, Saiputalisi left on his own. It was Tailun who led Xia Duo toward the Sun Courtyard. Along the way, Xia Duo could not help but feel a bit dazed; such a scene had appeared in his memory more than once.

It was just that in the several Time Lines he had experienced before, he only received news about Beilunuo from Yierfalang after the action at Tanzan Peak, and it was also Tailun who led him to the Sun Courtyard to meet with the Chief Executive and the Crown King of Yierfalang.

But now, all of this was happening before the action at Tanzan Peak, even before Xia Duo's first meeting with Dafuni, and even before the final battle between the Illuminati and the Alliance began.

Of course, the war had long since begun, but it was only after Xia Duo personally reshaped the Time Line that he had a sufficiently profound understanding of this war. Before that, he even thought that as long as he could find and eliminate the Illuminati members, it would be a victory.

In reality, it was not. Now, rather than a war between the Alliance and the Illuminati, it was more of a war between him, relying on the collected Time Force, and Dafuni, who possessed the Time Force Source.

And this war had long since transcended the general meaning of local or total, and even transcended time itself. Without making changes at the Time Line level to achieve results, even a temporary battlefield victory on the Main Plane could not be counted as a true victory.

……

On the way to the Sun Courtyard, Xia Duo carefully combed through his plan and thought out his rhetoric for meeting the high-level officials of Yierfalang, but before he could step into the area of the Sun Courtyard, he received a large amount of news from the Alliance Headquarters.

Some were even contacted through emergency contact methods. All the messages were saying the same thing—the Alliance Monitoring Center had detected a large number of Time-Involving Signals suddenly appearing within the Northland.

Now the Alliance Headquarters was in chaos and needed Xia Duo to preside over the big picture. Of course, this was a polished way of saying it; in reality, it meant they needed him to go back to establish a Command Network specifically for handling this matter and to act as an information coordinator.

Upon receiving such news, Xia Duo's hurried footsteps could not help but pause, which was enough to show his inner unrest. In the previous Time Line, the Illuminati did not unreservedly create a large number of Time-Involving Signals at this time.

It was only after he tracked the Moonshadow Family to Taiweimansa and fought Dafuni there that the Illuminati stopped hiding and chose to seize every second to push forward the ritual process.

But now, although he had been to Taiweimansa, he had not fought Dafuni!

Upon receiving such news, Xia Duo's hurried footsteps could not help but pause, which was enough to show his inner unrest. In the previous Time Line, the Illuminati did not unreservedly create a large number of Time-Involving Signals at this time.