Chapter 402: Spell Patent

The few people in the study were all shocked, especially Sain. He had poured his entire life into the Savile Territory, and seeing the Orcs on Wolf God Mountain to the south being cleared out and the greatest threat removed, the Green Pearl Forest had almost become the backyard of the Savile Territory.

He truly could not accept these territories being snatched away by others!

"Niya, does Her Highness the Princess completely disregard the efforts the Savile Territory has made in clearing the Green Pearl Forest over these years?"

The others also looked at Niya, hoping that what Niya had just said was a joke, and that Her Highness the Princess would strictly forbid others from coveting the Green Pearl Forest.

But reality is often disappointing; Niya was also very helpless, but the decision of a Great Arcanist is not to be questioned, even if that Great Arcanist is a teacher who is very close to her.

"It is indeed so; Teacher will not stop the Rodney Lord. However—"

"However what?" Sain asked immediately.

"Teacher will also not forget the efforts the Savile Territory has made in developing the Green Pearl Forest over the past years. Although she will not stop others from developing in the Green Pearl Forest, anyone who wants to develop here must pay a certain price to the Savile Territory based on the size of the territory. In addition, Teacher has found a magic material supplier for the Tower of Time."

Hearing Niya finish speaking, everyone fell silent. Although they were unwilling to believe it, the facts were already laid out before them, and they could not help but believe it.

"Then where exactly does the Rodney Lord want to develop?" It was Sain again who broke the silence.

Niya understood Sain's feelings very well, but in this world, there are many things that even a Great Arcanist cannot help but be constrained by. Fortunately, Teacher had already tried her best to provide her with help, so she stated the more detailed plan:

"Teacher has divided the Green Pearl Forest into several areas. No matter who the latecomers are, they must develop within the designated areas. For the time being, only the east and the southeast have been designated as public development areas, with the first supply point from the Savile Territory to Konnifila City as the boundary."

The so-called supply point is actually a relatively independent camp set up for caravans, with fences, houses, and wells, suitable for caravans to rest temporarily. The first supply point is about 20 li east of the current Savile Territory, roughly a day's journey.

If Xia Duo were here, he might think that 20 li is far too close, but in the eyes of Sain and the others, 20 li is not an unacceptable distance.

Thus, everyone seemed to tacitly accept this point; of course, in reality, they were also unable to oppose it.

Next, Niya mentioned the second matter, "Regarding the transformation of the Tower of Time, in principle, I agree, but the specific details remain to be discussed. Additionally, I will say that I did hear in Seventon that some Mage Towers are undergoing changes. What exactly they are is not yet known, but I investigated carefully, and those Mages have all signed fixed-quota raw material supply contracts. Perhaps that is the transformation Xia Duo spoke of."

Because Xia Duo was not present, Niya did not say too much, only clarifying one point: she did not oppose the transformation of the Tower of Time. From another perspective, this was actually another form of support.

……

Early the next morning, Xia Duo woke up from his deep sleep. Flipping through his calendar, he remembered—Niya had returned, and she had something to discuss with him.

Experiencing an Astral Projection is like going through time travel. It was clearly something that happened just yesterday, yet now it felt as if a year had been forcibly inserted in between, and the previous time felt as if it had passed a long time ago.

If he did not frequently make plans and mark goals, he would almost be unable to adapt to this feeling of space-time confusion.

He sent a meeting request to Niya, and Niya quickly gave a reply—now, in the study! This time, Xia Duo did not delay further, but because a year had passed after all, he did not choose to teleport, but instead walked slowly. As he walked, he checked his calendar to confirm what he would say later.

A moment later, he arrived at Niya's study.

Skillfully pushing open the door, Xia Duo saw Niya sitting by the window reading a book. At this moment, the window was projecting a large field; the green wheat had just sprouted, as if staining the earth with grid-like patches of color.

Outside, the Savile Territory had just finished the autumn harvest and was busy with autumn sowing. This early spring scene could perhaps only be seen in the Mage Tower's projection. After he walked closer, Niya closed her book, looked at Xia Duo, and said, "Sit."

Two chairs were placed opposite each other in front of the window, with a small round table in the middle. There were teacups on it; Niya had one, and Xia Duo's was also prepared—steaming Elf Hot Drink.

After Xia Duo sat down, he first took a sip of this tea with its very unique flavor. It was cool at first, then warm, and his brain, which was still a bit groggy from waking up from deep sleep, immediately became much clearer.

Except for the color, which Xia Duo was not quite used to, everything else was perfect. It was truly worthy of being an imported product from the Elves; those long-eared ones really knew how to enjoy themselves.

"Niya, you are looking for me regarding new developments in the Rodney Territory? What is it?"

"There are indeed new developments. Teacher will not stop the Rodney Territory's development. Everything is a foregone conclusion; they will begin developing to the east of the Savile Territory."

"How could this be? Does the Rodney Territory also have a Great Arcanist behind it?"

"I am not clear, but Teacher's decision has its own reasons. In addition, Teacher has contacted a magic material supplier for the Tower of Time. The first batch of materials should arrive before winter. At that time, you will represent the Tower of Time to sign the contract with them."

"The Tower of Time?" Xia Duo immediately caught the keyword in Niya's words.

Previously, the material supply contracts for the Tower of Time were all signed in the name of the Savile Territory. Now that it was changed to the Tower of Time, did it mean Niya had already approved his transformation plan?

"Yes, sign a fixed-quota supply contract in the name of the Tower of Time. As for those chambers of commerce in the territory, if they can sign, then sign; if they cannot, then forget it. I will continue to contact chambers of commerce in Seventon that are willing to come to the Savile Territory to develop."

In fact, the Tower of Time should have sent people to be stationed in Seventon long ago. Relying solely on the little information sent over by the Arcane Union every month was far from enough, but it was also a fact that the Tower of Time lacked people.

Fortunately, Niya was now pursuing advanced studies in Seventon, which allowed for timely communication between the two places and the acquisition of first-hand information. Of course, from another perspective, with Niya not in the Tower of Time, Xia Duo became the de facto master of the Tower of Time, and he was happy to see this.

Then the two talked about the transformation of the Tower of Time. Xia Duo explained in detail the efficiency improvements and cost reductions brought about by division of labor and cooperation. Of course, involving the dissemination of Knowledge, he also briefly mentioned the concept of public Knowledge.

However, he did not expect that Niya's next words would give him an unexpected surprise—

"The Arcane Union has long had an assessment and review system for Spell Patent. Our Tower of Time possesses multiple Spell Patents, but the actual income from them has been getting less and less over the years."

(End of chapter)