Chapter 411: Main Contradictions, Appreciation

In the future.

An ordinary person might, due to innate defects, be forever unable to cast magic, but they could still be respected by a Great Arcanist for their outstanding research in the field of magic, and it is even possible that multiple Great Arcanists might serve in a research group led by them.

Of course, the prerequisite for all of this is still the support of a powerful magical community in the background, as well as a relatively enlightened social environment.

Otherwise, a Great Arcanist might respect an ordinary person, but it would be absolutely impossible for them to work under the leadership of an ordinary person.

While introducing the workflow of the Woodworking Workshop, these thoughts flashed through Xia Duo's mind, but he did not speak them aloud; this was merely a vision of the future, and saying it directly would be too foolish.

At the Woodworking Workshop, Princess Xiya did not ask anything about this method of division of labor and modular production, so Xia Duo speculated that the transformation of the Mage Towers in the Inner Land was undoubtedly confirmed.

Moreover, those Mage Tower transformations should only be a transformation of production methods and had not gone any deeper; this could also be indirectly confirmed by the fact that not much news regarding the transformation had come through.

After seeing the Woodworking Workshop, Xia Duo took Princess Xiya to visit the five brick kilns that were currently firing bricks; five might seem like a lot, but in reality, these brick kilns were all very small.

The shape was roughly a hemisphere, one person tall, and the bottom diameter was only three to four meters; each batch could only fire a few dozen bricks, less than one hundred.

Firing for one day and letting them sit for one day, it took two days to obtain less than one hundred bricks; one can imagine how low the efficiency was.

Of course, compared to quarrying, it was unknown how much higher it was.

And at the moment, here in Linshui Village, new brick kilns were still being built constantly; this was not just for production, but also to facilitate future research, equivalent to individual brick-making laboratories.

From the residential area of Linshui Village to the north, along the east bank of the Wolfburg River, all the way to the bend, and then to the south bank of the Linshui River—Xia Duo planned to designate this "factory" zone for brick kilns.

Conservatively estimated, at least a dozen brick kilns could be built, and if more were desired, one could continue to extend eastward along the south bank of the Linshui River.

Regarding the brick kilns, Xia Duo did not explain too many technical details; after all, he himself did not know much.

Here, he focused on introducing the story of the slave Black improving the brick-making method and receiving a reward for it, as well as some incentive policies that had already been established and implemented, highlighting Daxia Territory's philosophy of encouraging and supporting innovation.

However, after Princess Xiya had seen and heard this, she did not express an opinion, only suggesting that they go to see other places.

There was nothing else to see; after all, the current Daxia Territory only consisted of Linshui Village, and Linshui Village was only so small—there was truly very little to see.

……

Afterward, Xia Duo took Princess Xiya to the Canteen, the warehouse, and even to the front line deep in the forest where the logging team was located, to see how they worked.

In the end, except for the Elemental Fountain at the source of the Linshui River, they had visited everything in Linshui Village.

And the Elemental Fountain was not built by Daxia Territory itself and did not count as a display of development achievements, so Xia Duo had never thought about taking Princess Xiya there.

"Your Highness, this is everything Daxia Territory currently has!"

Following this, Xia Duo took the *Standard Development Manual of Daxia Territory* from his Dimensional Bag, handed it to Princess Xiya, and explained: "This is a little bit of experience I summarized during the development process; I hope it can be of some use to the development of other Pioneers."

After finishing, he looked at Princess Xiya expectantly, hoping she would accept it; if he could borrow her hand to disseminate it, that would be even better.

Xia Duo's Pioneer Handbook might increase the competitiveness of other Pioneer Territories, but he did not fear it; instead, he was somewhat eager to try—competition would bring a sense of pressure, but it would also inspire his ideas and strengthen his power.

Moreover, at this time, the main contradiction of Netheril was not internal, but external—the contradictions with the environment, with the Dwarves, and with the various Elf nations.

The environment refers to the situation where the territory actually available for production and life is insufficient; as for the contradictions with the Dwarves and Elves, it is very easy to understand—what race is born purely kind? At the very least, Dwarves and Elves do not fall into the category of being born purely kind.

As for the internal competition within Netheril, it was generally benign, and there was not even a very obvious split in social strata.

Xia Duo did not worry about these internal competitions; instead, he was somewhat worried that Netheril's overall competitiveness was insufficient, and that it would be played to death by Elves and Dwarves during external competition.

Especially the Elves, who are, like humans, a surface-dwelling race; now that the land is vast and sparsely populated, it is not yet apparent, but when the population increases in the future, it will be the most direct competition, and it is possible they could even fight until they break each other's heads.

"Those who do not plan for all time are not fit to plan for the moment"; Xia Duo, seeing that longevity was within reach, naturally considered things more long-term, and he believed that those Great Arcanists above, if they had any brains at all, would also consider these things.

Even the Elves could foresee this point, but they had been a bit careless and overplayed their hand; now, if they wanted to destroy Netheril, the Elves would also have to pay a huge price, which made those long-lived species hesitate.

Having already enjoyed longevity, how could they be willing to scheme for others with their own lives!

From this perspective, future competition might be intense, but the two sides should not erupt into large-scale conflict; it should be more about suppression, guidance, and assimilation from an intangible perspective.

At the moment he handed over the *Pioneer Handbook*, Xia Duo thought of many things, but his expression remained calm until Princess Xiya took the manual, at which point he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In a focused state, Xia Duo saw a faint azure glow flash across Princess Xiya's hand as she took the manual, and the next moment, he heard the Princess say: "A very practical Pioneer Handbook, and it is rigorously structured with substantial content; it seems you have indeed put a lot of effort into it."

Everything seen in Linshui Village, as well as this more direct manual, gave Xiya a deeper understanding of Xia Duo, beyond just the identity of an Apprentice's husband and one of the Pioneers.

A brand-new philosophy distinct from the current mainstream thought of Netheril—similar sprouts had already existed in various parts of Netheril, but no one had ever summarized and applied them so comprehensively.

In the gaze Xiya cast toward Xia Duo, for the first time, there was a clear expression of appreciation and affirmation; this was also the reason why, after seeing the scene at the Portal, she immediately decided to come in a private capacity.

Just from seeing the scene at the Portal, she already believed that Xia Duo had the possibility of becoming one of them in the future, and after further conversation and seeing the *Pioneer Handbook*, Xiya was even more certain of this.

Of course, to become one of them, besides having similar philosophies, one also needed a certain level of personal strength, but in this regard, Xiya had also made inquiries, and currently, it seemed Xia Duo had this potential.

……

Being able to receive praise from a Great Arcanist, Xia Duo was certainly happy in his heart, but if it were only praise, he was naturally not satisfied; he needed to obtain more support.

For example, disseminating the *Pioneer Handbook*, or personnel and supplies for territory development, or perhaps some policy-related support.

Even magical Knowledge—he would not turn any of it away.

But seeing the Princess put away the *Pioneer Handbook* and prepare to leave, it seemed she was not prepared to say anything more, which made Xia Duo somewhat anxious; having spent so much effort and energy on this, wasn't it precisely because he hoped to get more support?

But in front of a Great Arcanist, he certainly did not dare to directly raise questions, so he only gave Niya a look without leaving a trace, hoping that she, as the Princess's student and his wife, would give some hint.

But Niya acted as if she had seen nothing, following Archmage Greta closely, and after Princess Xiya summoned the Portal to leave, the two of them quickly followed inside.

Then, the Portal disappeared.

"Is this satisfaction? Or dissatisfaction?" Long after the Portal disappeared, Xia Duo had not moved.

If nothing unexpected happened, he should have successfully passed the inspection this time, but whether he had truly caught the eye of a Great Arcanist was hard to say; Xia Duo prepared to contact Niya in two days to ask.