Chapter 449: Seat Requirements

Having received the Princess's affirmative reply, the Yierlan Ambassador Ifuyalisi breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, while the Keman ambassador beside him revealed obvious joy and impatiently said, "I ask that Her Highness the Princess issue a passage permit for our personnel!"

Once these words were spoken, not only did the representatives of the Seven Towers and the various lords and lord representatives in the hall frown, but even Ifuyalisi, who was also an Elf, felt somewhat displeased.

Although Yierlan was also dissatisfied with the rise of Netheril, humans were short-lived beings after all; who could guarantee that a Great Arcanist would appear in every generation?

On the contrary, long-lived beings like Elves had no such concerns; any Elf, if properly nurtured, was almost a seed for a high-level Mage. As long as they recovered from the decline following the Crown War, the masters of this world would still be the Elves.

If the time meant for recovery were used to fight with humans, trading the lives of long-lived beings for the lives of short-lived ones, that would be extremely unwise.

Ifuyalisi had always disapproved of having too many conflicts with Netheril, preferring to cut off relations entirely and blockade them completely within the former site of the Alabaster Tower, but he was, after all, only a small figure. Although he was heartbroken by his country's choices, he was helpless.

Looking at the Keman ambassador again, Ifuyalisi almost saw the image of those in power back home; could it be that the humans of today were still as they were in the past, letting them take whatever they wanted?

From the moment the first Nether Great Arcanist was born and they chose not to suppress them, the situation had changed, to the point where humans now possessed more than a dozen such existences.

"Your Highness the Princess, later on, there will be specialized personnel from our country to liaise with your side regarding the Melting Snow Moon Arcane Competition."

Ifuyalisi said this to the Seven Towers representatives, but more so to the Keman ambassador; if one wanted to join the two countries' competition, one had to follow the rules.

Regardless of what the country based its decision on, Ifuyalisi still had his own principles; perhaps after this time, he should return home to recuperate.

The Keman ambassador clearly heard the implication in Ifuyalisi's words, but he did not take it to heart. How could Ifuyalisi, who came from a small Yierlan family, convince him! Even, if it were in the past, an ordinary 【Se-Tai'Quesser】 would never have had the chance to be in the same hall as a noble 【Aier-Tai'Quesser】 like him.

But now, he still had to use the other party, so he stepped back slightly, signaling for Ifuyalisi to continue. Although Ifuyalisi was dissatisfied, he could not refuse the order from his country: "Your Highness the Princess, please provide a seat for our side!"

The Princess did not move in the slightest; she reached out and pointed, and an independent seat appeared beside the seats of the Seven Towers representatives. If it were in the past, this would have been the seat for the Nether King and the Elf ambassador.

But from ancient times to the present, even when Netheril abandoned Elf Magic and turned to study the new magic system researched from the 【Nether Scroll】, and the two countries even once broke off diplomatic relations, Yierlan had never truly requested a seat on the Seventon Council; this was the first time.

Regardless of the historical origins, having an Elf sit in a high position did not sit well with most of the lords below; they were Spellcasters and rulers, not the lowest-level Commoners.

In their eyes, the Elf was not some "messenger of the gods," "embodiment of goodness and beauty," or "symbol of noble spirit," but another kind of "human" wearing a different "skin."

However, there were also some who turned their heads from time to time to look at others, revealing tacit, subtle smiles.

The council meeting continued, only this time there were two more Elves, one sitting in a high position and one mixed into the crowd.

The Seven Towers representative, the Great Arcanist Badijiaer, continued to question Lord Huo Ke; this was already the third time. If there was still no answer, he would have to bear the charge of false accusation. Although the punishment was painless, losing face was certain.

And to lose face in front of all the lords—it could almost be said that from now on, Lord Huo Ke Duolaisen was thoroughly famous in Netheril.

"I—" Duolaisen glanced at the Keman ambassador sitting not far from him, "I have evidence!"

In terms of power, the Keman ambassador was far inferior to him, but for some reason, seeing the Elf, Duolaisen almost immediately calmed down, and the points of his narrative became increasingly clear.

"Your Highness the Princess, my student was carrying a Death Curse Amulet made by an Elf Mage, which leaves a mark on the killer. One only needs to check Lord Auguste or his younger brother Weierde to know everything!"

After speaking, Duolaisen stared fixedly at Lord Auguste, as if saying, "Do you dare let me verify it?"

Lord Auguste was also present in person. Facing Duolaisen's accusation, he did not care at all; instead, he laughed out loud twice, "The Elven Magic System has long been proven unsuitable for the Netherese, and nowadays no one goes to learn Elf Magic anymore. Yet you want to use Elf Magic to verify a Netheril Arcanist—isn't that ridiculous! Who doesn't know about your relationship with the Elves!"

In any case, admitting it was impossible, and accepting verification was also impossible. Lord Auguste knew very well that once he admitted it, or was proven guilty, he would have violated everyone's taboos. Not to mention being abandoned by Gustav Tower, he himself would not survive.

As long as he did not admit it and was not proven guilty, he could still use "accident" as a cover; after all, it wasn't as if the person who died was a good person, so it wouldn't cause public outrage.

So he simply tore off the mask, putting the relationship between Huo Ke Territory and the Elves out in the open. It was both a reminder to the lords that an outsider had mixed in among them, and a way to avoid being checked by Elf Magic.

Furthermore, thinking of this, Lord Auguste bowed to the Seven Towers representative and then added, "My August Territory has never targeted Huo Ke Territory, and it is even more impossible that I assassinated their Spellcaster. To prove my innocence, I am willing to personally fund Archbishop Benniditas to cast 【Domain of Honesty】!"

Archbishop Benniditas was the oldest member of the clergy at the Seventon Temple and the most respected elder. Hearing Lord Auguste mention Archbishop Benniditas, many lords instinctively believed him.

But there were also many who expressed disdain in their hearts; 【Domain of Honesty】 could indeed verify whether one was lying, but it was not without ways to muddle through, even if the Archbishop presided over it himself.

The mainstream Faith of Netheril was the Lord of Radiance. In a sense, the Lord of Radiance was even more popular than the Magic Goddess; after all, the Magic Goddess might be an obstacle on an Arcanist's path of advancement, while the Lord of Radiance was not.

Duolaisen also believed in the Lord of Radiance, of course, that was on the surface; in private, he had long since offered his loyalty to the Elf main god, but he could not question the authority of a respected Archbishop in front of everyone.

Even now, it was difficult for him to even open his mouth to question Lord Auguste's lie; after all, the other party was willing to let the Archbishop verify it, while he himself could not accept such verification.

Who didn't know that the Temple had always been in cahoots with the Seven Towers? Duolaisen's mind was in a state of confusion. What should he do now? Almost subconsciously, he looked at the Keman ambassador again, but he did not know that the Keman ambassador was also glaring at the Yierlan Ambassador Ifuyalisi, who had remained silent until now. Was he brought here just to be a Statue? For a moment, the council hall fell into silence.

(End of chapter)