Chapter 629: Long-term Residence, Magic Map

In fact, on the way to Savile Territory, Auripus had already decided to reside in human territory for the long term, rather than just temporarily avoiding the threat of the Drow. This was a decision he made after serious discussion with his two Elder uncles, not just a whim.

Given the current situation of the Silver Leaf Family, even if they were to return to Cormanthor in the future, it is unlikely they would possess the same strength they had in Xifu City; the family abandoned too much during the process of fleeing.

Rather than going to a new city and being suppressed and exploited by local forces, it is better to stay in the human world and accumulate strength slowly. After all, Elves always possess privileges in the human world, and this might allow for a faster rate of growth.

And considering that being blindly aggressive is inevitably too annoying, it is better to set aside some unnecessary high-and-mighty attitudes; in any case, they were only ordinary Elves in Cormanthor.

Just as he said to Lady Patti, Elves are not as rigid as humans imagine, and of course, they are not as arrogant as humans imagine. Sometimes, Auripus even envies humans for being able to advocate pragmatism so unreservedly.

This is truly hard to imagine in the Elf World; sometimes, even if it is a pretense, one must pretend to like all kinds of complex, exquisite, noble, and gorgeous etiquette or items.

Otherwise, the gossip in society would be enough to make it difficult for an Elf family to survive.

Perhaps there could be another opportunity in the human world!

Many thoughts surged in his mind. A moment later, the human and the Elf had arrived at the villa, and after entering the Reception Room, Auripus immediately stepped forward to greet him proactively:

"Lord Xia Duo, your reputation is so illustrious that even Xifu City often hears your name. Auripus Silverleaf finally has the honor of meeting you. Thank you for the shelter Savile Territory has provided for the Silver Leaf Family!"

If not for his handsome Elf face, his performance was almost no different from those human Merchants, and Auripus did not hide the fact that his family had come to take refuge.

Xia Duo was also stunned by the performance of this Elf named Auripus. When have Elves ever spoken such words to humans? He had originally wanted to question why the Elf had set up Magic in Savile Town without permission, but now he could not ask it.

It was clear that the Elf had lowered his posture; if he were to continue harping on this point, it would be somewhat inappropriate. After being stunned for a second, Xia Duo immediately responded:

"Welcome, Elf friends of the Silver Leaf Family, to visit Savile Territory!"

Although he knew the Elves were here to take refuge, Xia Duo did not deliberately mention it, only saying they were visiting, which could at least save the Elves some face.

Sure enough, when Xia Duo said this, Auripus's expression immediately relaxed. Originally, he was worried that humans would ridicule the Elves for this, but now, at least both sides had some tacit understanding.

After some pleasantries, Xia Duo did not want to waste precious time chatting with the Elf, so he went straight to the point, which was also his main purpose for coming here:

"Patriarch Auripus, I heard that Cormanthor is at war with the Drow. You just came from Cormanthor; I wonder if you have any understanding of the situation on the war front?"

Even if he gave them face, Xia Duo would not forget about the threat of the Drow; it would eventually be asked about. Auripus was mentally prepared for this; he was just glad that Lord Xia Duo did not ask him directly why he had to flee to the human side.

"Lord Xia Duo, I don't know much about the Drow. The only thing I can confirm is that the Drow have already appeared on the surface and have approached the Taisha River."

The Taisha River?

Xia Duo muttered the name softly. He was no stranger to the name Taisha River; Konnifila City was located on the north bank not far downstream from the source of the Taisha River, and as the Taisha River continued to flow east, it entered the territory of Cormanthor.

If the Drow had already approached the Taisha River, did that mean the Drow could reach Konnifila City at any time, and then subsequently reach Savile Territory?

Thinking of this, Xia Duo could almost not sit still. What if the Drow attacked before the dragon even arrived? He hurriedly asked Auripus, "Do you know exactly where the Drow appeared?"

Regarding this question, Auripus hesitated at first, but then made a decision. He touched the surface of the ring worn on his right index finger, and a cylindrical Scroll appeared in his hand.

This was a Magic Item treasured by the Silver Leaf Family. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for Auripus to take it out, let alone show it to a human. However, under these special circumstances, he could not care about that much.

He carefully unrolled the Scroll, used a small Spell to make the map float, and pointed to the marks on the map, introducing it to Xia Duo:

"Lord Xia Duo, please look! This is the Taisha River, and not far to the north is the Dragonspine Mountains. The Underground Passage of the Drow is here, but exactly where it is, is not something I can know. However, from the location where the Drow appeared on the surface, one can roughly infer the range of the Underground Passage; it is probably here."

Auripus's slender finger drew a small circle on the map. After his finger moved away, a small red circle appeared on the map.

However, Xia Duo did not look at the possible location of the Drow's Underground Passage immediately; his attention had already been captured by this Magic Item.

The terrain on the Elf side was secondary; there was a constantly flashing red dot on the map, and the terrain around the red dot was very familiar to Xia Duo—it was Savile Territory.

It was just that this map was a bit like an electronic screen; one could drag and mark it at will with a finger. Now, the center of the map was the small area Auripus had circled, while Savile Territory, which was originally in the center of the map, had slid to the edge of the map and was almost invisible.

Looking at this map, Xia Duo's eyes were almost glowing. Even when he looked at Auripus again, his gaze was very intense, "Patriarch Auripus, this map—"

"Ah?"

Auripus was startled by Xia Duo's longing gaze, and a bad premonition immediately arose in his heart. He hurriedly spoke, preparing to dispel Xia Duo's thoughts, "Lord Xia Duo, this is an heirloom of the Silver Leaf Family. For us descendants, seeing this map is like seeing our ancestors from back then."

Auripus did not explain how precious this map was, only implying a refusal from an emotional perspective.

Sigh—

Xia Duo withdrew his gaze with a hint of regret. Since Auripus had said so, could he really take it by force? If they really tore off the mask, no one could be sure what trump cards the Elves had. Furthermore, taking it by force did not align with his own principles.

However, as long as such a map exists, there must be other ways to obtain it.

Moreover, what Xia Duo valued was not the map itself; after all, if he wanted a map, there were too many ways to get one. What he truly valued was that interactive Spell.

This map was undoubtedly a Magic Item, but that interactive method of dragging and marking at will was simply too much like an electronic screen on Earth. Combined with the Magic that might exist within it to store information, isn't this just a type of e-book?

If it could be thoroughly researched and delved into, perhaps a personal computer would not be impossible to realize.