Chapter 592: Thucydides Trap, Opponents

Even if Xia Duo were an ordinary person, he might see these situations occur within his lifetime; this is also the war crisis he has always worried about. The scene of destruction he experienced in the 【Projection Plane: Arcane Empire】 still surfaces in his mind from time to time.

Although the primary cause of that total annihilation was likely the Elves manipulating the Arcane Empire's Border Barrier, it cannot be denied that the Elves indeed possess immense power.

At the very least, the Keman in the Projection Plane, under the pressure of more than forty Great Arcanists of the Arcane Empire, while gradually falling into a disadvantageous position, was still able to maintain its existence, and in the end, even seized a loophole in the Arcane Empire's Border Barrier to turn the tables.

From this, it can be inferred that the Keman of the Main Plane likely possesses similar strength.

For a developing nation to rise, it will inevitably touch upon the interests of existing great powers; sometimes, merely its own existence is enough to provoke hostility, or even murderous intent, from the other side.

How difficult it is to rise peacefully.

……

Xia Duo let out a long sigh and reached out to take the Fireball Ring currently suspended above the Alchemy Bench. He kept fiddling with this small ring, observing it closely.

Looking at it from the outside alone, the main body of the ring is silver—after all, the encapsulation material is silver—and because a little Adamantine was added to support the ring's strength, one can faintly see a glimmer of blue light emerge on the band when held against a light source.

As for the ring face, it is just a seemingly plain red Gemstone. This main Energy Core could indeed have been sealed with the encapsulation material, but because the red Gemstone was too large and that would not look very aesthetic, Xia Duo chose to leave it exposed, forming a ring face.

The other Energy Cores are completely hidden within the main body of the ring, as are the Mithril Components.

In terms of appearance, Xia Duo did not design too much; on one hand, he really did not want to make it too flashy, and on the other, it was also due to his lack of skill in plastic arts.

Therefore, this is just a simple, unadorned Gemstone ring.

And in Magic Vision, this ring is continuously emitting a faint blue light; within a certain range, any Spellcaster can easily discover it.

Of course, it is possible to hide the Magic Aura, but very few people do so because it increases the complexity of the Magic Item itself, significantly raising the manufacturing difficulty, and yet it does not serve much purpose beyond merely hiding the Magic Aura.

Of all the Magic Items Xia Duo currently possesses, not one has its Magic Aura hidden, and since this Fireball Ring is only for collection, there is even less need to hide the Magic Aura.

After fiddling with it for a while, Xia Duo put the ring away without attempting to use it. He felt he would never use this thing in his life; perhaps in the future, he could use it as a prize for some Arcane Competition.

Thinking this, Xia Duo shut down the Alchemy Array, then left this workshop and followed the circular corridor of the Public Level to another room.

This is a small Reception Room; just as he was checking the Fireball Ring, he received a message from Saixili, and the appointed time had arrived.

Only then did Xia Duo realize that it was already afternoon and that Saixili had been waiting for a while. When he entered the Reception Room, Saixili was holding a thick volume, flipping through it repeatedly.

*Cough*—

Xia Duo gave a light cough, startling Saixili. Saixili hurriedly closed the volume, set it aside, and stood up to salute. Xia Duo waved his hand, signaling her to sit and talk, then said:

"I asked you to come here this time mainly for tomorrow's Tower of Time collective meeting. What is your take on the transformation of the Tower of Time? Has Niya talked to you about this topic?"

He knew that Saixili and Niya had a good relationship and that she was Niya's housekeeper, so there was no need to beat around the bush for many things, and he asked directly.

Hearing this question, Saixili's expression turned serious. "Master Xia Duo, Niya spoke with me not long ago, but I feel this plan is somewhat too radical, and the consumption of materials is also extremely huge. The Tower of Time has just escaped a raw material crisis; I do not believe this is the best time for a transformation. Additionally, there is resistance from tradition; I think it would be more appropriate to delay this matter."

Hearing opposition with his own ears for the first time, Xia Duo felt quite uncomfortable. If even Saixili opposed him, then it went without saying for others; probably only the members of the Progress Society and other Mages who could benefit from it would support him.

Xia Duo believed that if he were to act arbitrarily, while Saixili might obey and execute his orders, he would lose the hearts of the people, and other Mages might not necessarily refrain from running away.

After all, one of the most significant aspects of the transformation is changing the contracts. If Xia Duo unilaterally wants to change the contracts, others can completely leave if they do not agree.

This is the tradition of Mage Towers.

And in Xia Duo's hometown, there is also the saying, "If the ruler has faults, remonstrate; if repeated and not listened to, then leave," which carries the meaning of parting on good terms.

Of course, on the other hand, once a contract is reached, if one party cannot fulfill the agreement, the other party can initiate countermeasures, but due to the disparity in strength between a Mage Tower and an individual.

Usually, it is the individual Mage who breaches the contract and the Mage Tower that pursues it; when the Mage Tower truly breaches the contract, about all an individual Mage can do is leave.

Currently, the Tower of Time cannot do without these existing Mages. Although Xia Duo has a plan to gradually cultivate reserve forces, this requires time, and time happens to be the thing Xia Duo lacks the most.

Looking at the determined look in Saixili's eyes, Xia Duo knew it would be very difficult to convince her. If he forced it into tomorrow's collective meeting, it might well be the beginning of the Tower of Time's division and decline.

After thinking about it, people must eventually yield to reality. Even a Great Arcanist cannot do as they please, let alone a small, newly promoted Mage like him!

However, this does not mean Xia Duo has abandoned his plan; the plan must still be implemented, only it needs to be slightly more tactful, the resource consumption needs to be lower, and the part of the original plan targeting Official Mages, especially Intermediate Rank Mages, can be delayed.

Next, Xia Duo discussed the specific implementation plan with Saixili. With such a Material Supervisor of the Tower of Time providing real-time feedback, Xia Duo quickly adjusted a new plan.

At least in Saixili's view, it was barely acceptable.

Looking at the somewhat unrecognizable transformation plan, Xia Duo sighed in his heart, but he knew that if he didn't do this, he might not even have the chance to transform.

Saving the nation through a roundabout path or something similar is not unacceptable.

He believed that as long as the first step is taken, the power of progress will be continuous, and any obstacles will eventually only be like a castle built of sand, collapsing at the first wash of the tide.

……

Having settled the plan, Xia Duo had a general idea in his mind and felt fully confident about the upcoming interviews. He asked the Tower Spirit about the current time; there was still some time before his appointment with the next person, so he took the opportunity to ask about Sanduer's situation:

"Saixili, what kind of person do you think Sanduer is?"