Chapter 639: Grievances and Bad Luck

Although Netheril has all sorts of communication spells, meeting in person remains the primary way Netherese Mages communicate; even 【Magic Net Background Communication】 only lowers the threshold for remote communication slightly.

Xia Duo guessed wildly at what Niya might want with him, but after thinking it over, it was either related to the notice he had just sent to the Apprentice Management Office via the Tower Spirit, or it had to do with the Arcane Union's monthly publication.

As for which one it was, he was prepared for either.

……

He summoned the Tower Spirit to teleport him outside Niya's Study; the door was wide open, so Xia Duo walked straight in and went to the window, where Niya had already prepared tea and was waiting for him.

Glancing at the projection on the window, Xia Duo discovered it was actually a scene of the reclamation at Linshui Village: logging, pruning, sawing, and transporting—orderly and brisk.

Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but feel a bit curious about when Niya had started paying attention to the situation over there, and he couldn't help but have some new guesses about this meeting.

But just as he sat down, before he could even take a sip of tea, Niya asked abruptly, "Does the Arcane Union's monthly publication have anything to do with you?"

Although it was a question, it revealed a tone of certainty. Regarding this, Xia Duo naturally had nothing to hide and told her about his transaction with Giles Tower, specifically the matter of the patent transfer for 【Magic Net Background Communication】.

Looking at it now, it was a transaction, but originally Xia Duo had been prepared to give it to Giles Tower directly; however, the Princess did not let him suffer a loss, and it was still calculated according to the high standards of spell transfers.

Speaking to the end, Xia Duo smiled, "You deduced it from that Communication Magic Tool, didn't you?"

"Mm."

Niya nodded. Back then, Xia Duo had given her a crystal-ball-shaped Communication Magic Tool; although she didn't use it much, it had already been confirmed that she could contact the Nan Jing directly from Seventon. Now, having received the Arcane Union's monthly publication, she immediately made the corresponding association.

However, Niya was still somewhat dissatisfied with Xia Duo transferring the spell to Giles Tower, and her tone was a bit resentful, "Why didn't you register the patent in the name of the Tower of Time? Are you still worried that I would withhold your patent earnings?"

"Uh—"

Niya's aggrieved words caught Xia Duo off guard. He had originally prepared to deal with Niya's accountability, and now that it had changed to this, he really wasn't used to it.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Duo explained, "Communication spells aren't that simple. If the Tower of Time were to register the patent now, but one or even more Great Arcanists came knocking to tell you to give up the registration, would you agree?"

"Of course—I would agree!"

Niya was not stupid; on the contrary, she was very smart. It was just that her intelligence was more concentrated in the Domain of Magic, and her judgment of interpersonal relationships and social situations was not as seasoned as Xia Duo's, who had been influenced by his time on Earth to the point of being almost blackened.

Of course, Xia Duo was also more of a theorist, but knowing to be cautious was enough for him. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down; one shouldn't seek the limelight when one shouldn't. "Besides, don't you find communication spells familiar?"

Niya tilted her head, "Familiar how?"

"Wasn't the Arcane Union just negotiating with Lord Huo Ke to introduce his new type of communication spell? If the Tower of Time cut in, what do you think he would think?"

Once he said this, Niya reacted immediately. Lord Huo Ke had almost written "I am an Elf traitor" on his face; if it weren't for the fact that some people still had a need for his communication spells, he would probably have been dealt with long ago.

If he knew that the Tower of Time was also working on communication spells and seeking to register a patent, with new grudges added to old ones, it wouldn't be impossible for him to kill his way to the Savile Territory.

"So you mean Lord Huo Ke is going to be unlucky?" Niya said with some doubt.

"Of course. It just so happens that Keman is currently still in need of Netheril. If his Elf masters behind the scenes don't bleed heavily, perhaps there won't be a person named Duolaisen Huo Ke next year."

Of course, this was only Xia Duo's most optimistic guess. After all, killing a Senior Arcanist who is close to being a Great Arcanist is not that easy—not because of a lack of power, but because the general environment does not allow it.

If a Senior Arcanist could be killed just like that, would other Mages have any sense of security at all?

Netheril has a rule that applies to all Territories: Spellcasters can pay gold to avoid punishment, and most crimes can be resolved through fines.

Back then, if the Huo Ke Territory hadn't insisted that Aquilain was innocent and instead had been willing to admit guilt and accept punishment, Xia Duo would never have been able to detain Aquilain for so long.

Aquilain himself was certainly willing to admit guilt, pay the fine, and leave, but in that situation, while he was willing to leave, Xia Duo was not willing to let him go.

To kill a Spellcaster in Netheril, the best method is still assassination. As long as it succeeds on the spot, there are plenty of opportunities to quibble afterward.

Whether it's faking a scene with spells, forging one's own identity, or even tampering with the inspection and Judgment results, this is much like on Earth; the key still depends on the wrestling of the supporters behind the scenes.

The Huo Ke Territory and the August Territory have been assassinating each other's Spellcasters back and forth, killing so many people that no assassin has ever been convicted.

It is conceivable that this is the correct solution.

If one wants Lord Huo Ke to die, one can basically only use assassination methods, but for a Senior Arcanist who is very close to being a Great Arcanist, does one have to ask a Great Arcanist to lower their status and act as an assassin?

Xia Duo estimated it was unlikely.

……

After finishing the talk about the monthly publication and communication spells, Niya talked to Xia Duo about the situation of the apprentices in the Tower of Time, "The Tower of Time has never had so many apprentices before, I'm a bit worried—"

"Don't worry!"

Xia Duo hurriedly interrupted Niya's words. He knew what Niya was worried about—nothing more than problems like chaotic management or fiscal deficits, but these were actually not problems at all.

He drank the last bit of tea in his cup, stood up, walked behind Niya, and placed his hands on her shoulders, pressing gently. However, Xia Duo's gaze at this moment passed through the window's projection and landed on the Daxia Territory people who were working, his voice gradually becoming ethereal:

"Have you heard the call of the new era? It is urging us, advising us; only by having more Spellcasters can we have a greater say in the future."

Magic is not something with a high threshold; it was only the artificial monopoly of the past, coupled with inconvenient communication, that formed the relatively conservative environment of today. However, conservatism has its limits, and openness possesses a more long-standing tradition.

Once the resistance is broken through, it will be an open new era.

Xia Duo softly depicted a future magical world where everyone has books to read and everyone has schooling. Mages, through spells, combat, travel, reclamation, or games, will have their footprints all over the Main Plane, and even every Habitable Plane.

And in the field of Magic Creation, magic facilities that originally only existed in a few areas like the Tower of Time will also enter the homes of thousands of ordinary people. Running water, magic stoves, voice-controlled lights, teleportation arrays, Mage Robes, Amulets, and so on will become very popular, common commodities.

Of course, by then, perhaps the concept of a purely ordinary person will no longer exist; it is not impossible for everyone to be a Mage.

By then, even Elves, if they want to come to the human world, will have to go through layers of applications and approval processes. Most importantly, even if they come to the human world, they will no longer possess any privileges.