Chapter 564: Reward

Xia Duo looked down at the Pioneer Scepter he had been holding in his hand the entire time; had he known, he would have put it away, as that might have allowed him to personally experience what "Dragon Fear" felt like. Perhaps, aside from the so-called "Dragon Fear," the illusion created by the Gnome illusionist contained other mind-affecting spell components, but unfortunately, they were all immunized by him.

If "illusion movies" are developed in the future, the viewing guide must include a line: "It is recommended to cancel mind protection spells for a better fully immersive experience!"

However, since it takes ten Advanced Rank Mages just for such a simple scene, "illusion movies" are still a bit long-winded, and it would be best to separate the specific spellcasting from the scene conception to lower the barrier to entry.

For a moment, Xia Duo's thoughts drifted far away.

On the field, the ten Gnome illusionists had already exited, and the rhombic crystal had been put away by Elkamon; the outcome was decided. Although Netheril had used outside help, they had won in the end.

Elkamon wore a faint smile as he announced the end of the competition, "Next, I invite Her Highness the Princess to present the awards to the winners!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a slight commotion occurred in the Cormanthor seating area. Eventually, only one Elf stepped out, walked to the northernmost spectator stand, and Princess Xiya slowly stood up, walked down the steps, and presented the award to the Elf.

"Only one Elf Mage came to participate in the 【Spell Duel】 today?!"

Under Niya's reminder, Xia Duo also discovered what he had previously overlooked. Quite a few Elves had come for this Snow Melting Competition; besides the contestants, there were those who came spontaneously to watch, totaling nearly two or three hundred.

The absence of a few contestants was not noticeable at all.

Meanwhile, the humans seemed to be discussing something as well. When the awards for the 【Arcane Maze】 were presented, only Angelin went up to receive the prize in the end.

Like the Elf before, he took a pile of badges down by himself.

Next were the winners of the 【Grand Illusion】. Would the Princess also present awards to the Gnomes?

This thought suddenly appeared in the minds of the human Mages in the Arena. Although the Gnomes' performance had indeed won, they still could not accept letting a group of Gnomes receive rewards.

But it really was the Gnomes who went up! Princess Xiya personally handed ten badges glowing with Magic Aura to a Gnome representative and solemnly announced: "Habulin, you have won the status of Netheril citizens for your family, friends, and kin. From this day forward, the Yellow Maple Hills shall become your place of survival."

Hum—

The Arena was suddenly filled with discussion, but this could not change the Great Arcanist's decision, and the Gnome Habulin immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

Xia Duo watched this scene from afar. For some reason, he felt a bit uneasy inside. In this world, perhaps only the strong and the powerful can truly stand tall!...

After the awards were finished, Princess Xiya returned to her original seat, summarized this Snow Melting Competition, and touched upon the future. The representatives of Yierlan and Cormanthor also said some polite words, and finally, Elkamon announced that this year's Snow Melting Competition had concluded successfully.

It was indeed quite successful; apart from not winning the 【Spell Duel】 event, they had won the other two, and even in the 【Spell Duel】 event, the score was not lopsided.

The only pity was probably Stuart! As Xia Duo slowly exited with Niya, he kept an eye on the surrounding crowd. Those who had been dissatisfied because of the Gnomes just moments ago now had faces full of smiles, and some were even talking to their companions about the illusion scene they had just witnessed as if no one else were around.

As for Stuart, he had likely been cast to the back of their minds long ago.

Today's competition consisted entirely of illusion scenes, without even showing the details of the spellcasting. Upon returning to the Giles Tower, Xia Duo was preparing to go to Niya's residence to "Identify" Feierde's Spellbook with her, but he did not expect Archmage Greta to appear suddenly and disrupt his plans.

"Lord Xia Duo, come with me for a moment." As she spoke, Greta also gave a slight bow to Niya.

Xia Duo roughly guessed Greta's intention and felt quite expectant. He said a word to Niya and followed Greta away.

On the way, Xia Duo kept calculating how much the Arcane Union's Level 5 Excellent Patent standard was worth. Before long, they arrived at the door of a room with no markings.

Archmage Greta pushed the door open directly, walked in, and beckoned to Xia Duo, "Come in!"

Xia Duo did not hesitate and followed her inside. The interior looked like an office, but it was not the office Xia Duo had visited when he previously looked for Archmage Greta; the furnishings inside were relatively simple.

Reaching the back, Archmage Greta sat directly behind the desk, looked at Xia Duo, and said, "Lord Xia Duo, Her Highness the Princess asked me to settle the patent proceeds from that communication spell with you."

As she spoke, Greta reached under the desk, took out a Dimensional Bag, slapped it onto the desk with a 'thud', and pushed it toward Xia Duo, "Since the patent was registered under the name of Giles Tower, the Arcane Union benefits cannot be transferred to you or the Tower of Time, but those benefits are nothing more than Mithril shares and Library permissions. We at Giles Tower will compensate you for these; check them."

Xia Duo picked up the Dimensional Bag from the table. Using it for the first time, he could not know what was inside, so he simply took them out one by one and placed them on the desk in front of him.

A pile of Mithril Ingots, the quality of which could not be determined for the moment, weighing about ten pounds;

A pile of Five-Colored Gems, of very good quality, also weighing about ten pounds; a bag of Gold Coins, though the quantity was not large, perhaps only a few dozen; besides these, there were some paper Documents. Xia Duo flipped through them roughly; most were Gold Coin Exchange Vouchers issued in the name of Giles Tower, redeemable for 50,000 Gold Coins.

There were also some paper Documents, which were reading permissions for the Giles Tower Library.

After checking, Xia Duo was very satisfied. He had not expected that communication scheme to be worth money, and now these gains completely exceeded his expectations.

But Archmage Greta's next words made Xia Duo even more satisfied.

"This is for this year!"

At the same time, Archmage Greta took out another Dimensional Bag, placed it on the table, and pushed it over, saying, "This is the Princess's reward for your contribution of the 【Arcane Maze】!"

There is one for the 【Arcane Maze】 too?!

Xia Duo was even more pleasantly surprised. However, if it was just a reward, it would not be appropriate to check it on the spot. He put away the Dimensional Bag and placed it together with the previous one.

"Not going to open it and take a look?" Greta said with a smile.

"No need. No matter how much of a reward Her Highness the Princess gives, I will be very pleased."

"Hehe, as you wish!"

Greta did not insist that Xia Duo open and check it there to see his surprised expression. After offering a few words of encouragement, she let Xia Duo leave.

(End of chapter)