Chapter 409: Actually, It Is Her

Everything was as usual, which was also a way to show the Princess that all his current thoughts, concepts, displays, and plans were a continuation of the past and would continue into the future. Xia Duo attached great importance to this inspection by the Princess and tried his best to showcase himself and the Territory in every detail.

Of course, the premise for all of this was based on his speculation that the Princess indeed possessed some grand pioneering strategy, and Xia Duo was very confident in this.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Portal.

Seventon, Old City District.

Beneath the tower, in the center of a silver-white complex of buildings, an elegant and understated Elf-style palace sat quietly, subtly blending into the surrounding architecture.

The Magic Aura that occasionally flashed upon it connected all the Mage Towers in this area, especially the Giles Tower, which was adjacent to the Narrow Sea in the far north.

On the plaza in front of the palace, a team was about to pass through the Portal, but was stopped by the heroic woman at the lead, "You all stay here; Greta, you come with me."

"Yes, Your Highness Princess!"

But even though the candidates had been decided, the Princess did not move, and Greta naturally could not act on her own, so she could only wait quietly until a familiar figure flew over from the north.

"Teacher, aren't you—" Niya looked at the Portal on the plaza, which was clearly different from the Teleportation Array in the public teleportation area, feeling somewhat puzzled, but she had a vague guess in her heart.

"I am going to Daxia Territory now; you come along as well."

Niya was somewhat surprised. Her teacher had clearly told her to stay in Seventon to properly make up for her lacking foundations, so why was she now being asked to accompany the inspection?

Although she was very confused, the teacher's request was something Niya could not refuse. Plus, she was very curious about what exactly was happening on Xia Duo's side, so she quickly replied, "Yes, Teacher."

The person the Princess was waiting for had arrived, so she did not hesitate any longer and immediately ordered, "Greta, let's go!"

"Yes!"

Soon, the three of them passed through the Portal one by one.

Afterwards, the Portal disappeared, and among the remaining team, two people immediately sent this news out.

……

And on the other side.

Daxia Territory.

Watching Archmage Greta walk out of the Portal first, Xia Duo was now truly certain that it was the Princess who had come, but the fact that Niya was the next to emerge from the Portal caught Xia Duo somewhat by surprise.

After the two arrived on this side of the Portal, they naturally stopped in mid-air and did not descend to the ground.

The next moment, a tall woman wearing a purple Mage Robe and holding a silver Scepter stepped out of the Portal. Her temperament was heroic and extraordinary, and her expression revealed majesty. At the first sight of her, Xia Duo was greatly shocked, "Why is it her?!"

Without a doubt, this was Princess Xiya, who had come to inspect Daxia Territory.

Before today, Xia Duo had never met the Princess, but that familiar temperament made his memory fresh. He had once obtained a Small Wood Carving in Lao Nier's secret room, which had a female face carved on it.

Although the features were somewhat blurry, it conveyed a unique heroic temperament. At the time, Xia Duo even praised the carver's extraordinary skill!

Of course, this Small Wood Carving was later sold by Xia Duo, who was relatively short on money at the time.

It was only later, during the mission to investigate the cause of death of the president of the Liyadun Chamber of Commerce, that Xia Duo discovered a similar Small Wood Carving in a hidden compartment in the villa's Study.

After that, there was no more news about the Small Wood Carving. Xia Duo was not a person with intense curiosity, and since that kind of Small Wood Carving was not a Magic Item, he did not pay any more attention to it later.

Perhaps the Small Wood Carving from the villa's hidden compartment was still being kept by Lady Patti!

It was just that he hadn't expected the person carved on the Small Wood Carving to be Princess Xiya. This was quite interesting. Temperament was a magical thing; Xia Duo had even seen conceptual "bloody," "moist," and "flow" before.

Distinguishing temperament was the simplest thing.

As for whether the wood carving possessed some kind of conceptual existence, Xia Duo could not judge. He couldn't discover it at the time, and now he didn't have the Small Wood Carving in hand.

Perhaps after this inspection ended, he could go ask Lady Patti, but Xia Duo speculated that it should, could, and might exist.

Otherwise, how could a conceptual thing like temperament be transmitted? Relying solely on carving skills might be possible, but judging from the fact that at least two Small Wood Carvings had appeared in Savile Territory, the quantity of these things should be quite large, and carving skill might not be the point.

Of course, it could also be a combination of carving skill and some mysterious Magic; Xia Duo was more inclined toward this.

As for the purpose of the wood carving, a thought flashed through Xia Duo's mind, but it was immediately dismissed. Regardless, the current situation still needed to be dealt with.

Xia Duo suppressed the shock in his heart and focused on watching the Great Arcanist slowly descend. As for the Portal behind her that closed quickly, and the fact that only three people came including Niya, Xia Duo threw all of that to the back of his mind and stepped forward to salute neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"Xia Duo of Daxia Territory greets Your Highness Princess."

"Xia Duo of the Yong Zhe Kai Tuo Zhi Di, you truly deserve the name of 'brave one'!"

The Princess's voice was soft and rhythmic. Her praise made Xia Duo feel like he was bathed in a spring breeze, and the tension he originally felt in his heart dissipated significantly.

"Your Highness Princess, you are too kind."

After that, he didn't know what to do. To introduce himself directly would seem a bit boastful, and to wait for the Princess to ask questions didn't seem quite right.

For a moment, Xia Duo was actually stunned.

Seeing this, Archmage Greta was about to speak up to remind him, but was stopped by Xiya with a look. According to custom, she should have brought an entourage when inspecting, and someone would have introduced to Xia Duo how to respond to her.

However, at the moment the Portal opened, Xiya saw some interesting situations, and she immediately decided that this inspection would take another form.

Bringing Greta and Niya along naturally made it appear more private.

"Xia Duo, take me to see your Territory."

"Oh, okay!"

Xia Duo reacted immediately, gestured with his hand, and led the Princess toward the "Demonstration Field," with Laidun, Niya, and Greta following closely behind.

The first stop was the "Demonstration Field." Of course, this was definitely not Xia Duo's deliberate arrangement, but rather a principle of proximity. The Princess and her party descended from the Portal in mid-air, right outside the fence at the east entrance of Linshui Village.

A few more steps to the east was the "Demonstration Field," and further away, dozens or hundreds of territory residents were clearing tree roots, stones, and other debris that did not belong in farmland, just as they did every day.

Further away was the logging team on the front line near the forest. They used axes and saws to fell a large tree, cut off the branches, and then headed to the next large tree.

The remaining trunks and branches were handled by other rough-processing and transport teams. The logs were sent to the log processing area and finally processed into wooden houses or firewood.

The branches were dragged away and placed in the drying yard, and after they dried, they were processed into firewood to supply the Canteen or brick kilns.

Everything was so orderly.

The few who could move around freely were the children. They boiled water in the village Canteen, let it cool, put it in water bags, and delivered it to the members of the various working groups. The work was not heavy, but they felt very involved.

When Xia Duo and his party headed to the "Demonstration Field," they happened to see a few children walking from the southeast with a pile of empty water bags hanging on them.

When passing by Xia Duo and the others, these children were very polite, saluting and greeting them, then silently walked away. Only a very few who were too curious wanted to look back, but were pulled away by their companions.

(End of chapter)