Chapter 643: Collecting Tea Seeds, Hinting at Opportunities

After the main meal, Xia Duo did not treat Aoruipusi with fruit, but instead served him with the "Bonu Original Leaf" that came from Aoruipusi himself.

After three cups, Xia Duo finally brought up the main topic. He held the teacup with three fingers, slowly rotating it before his eyes, while his gaze passed through the cup and landed on the Elf opposite him:

"Patriarch Aoruipusi, although this Bonu Original Leaf is good tea, having only this much is inevitably a pity!"

Aoruipusi's expression froze slightly. He did not know if Lord Xia Duo wanted more tea leaves or something else, but regardless of which it was, the risk to him was immense. Thus, he could only pretend not to understand and said vaguely:

"The Bonu Original Leaf is indeed quite good, but even in Cormanthor, not every Elf can drink it. Come to think of it, this kind of tea leaf actually has something to do with you, Lord Xia Duo!"

"Oh?"

Although he knew clearly that the other party was changing the subject, Xia Duo was still attracted by the "has something to do with you" in Aoruipusi's words, so he followed up and asked, "Patriarch Aoruipusi, could you explain in detail?"

"Of course I can!"

Aoruipusi put down his teacup and explained earnestly, "Speaking of tea, Elves have actually had the habit of drinking tea for a very long time; the origin can no longer be verified. However, this Bonu Tea only became popular in the last ten thousand years. Before Nuode went to the Eastern Kingdom and the Eastern legends spread, there were often Easterners appearing in the Northland, and Bonu Tea was brought by them."

Speaking up to this point, Aoruipusi paused, then continued: "The history of the word 'Bonu' is very ancient. Its original meaning has long been lost, and now it is just used to specifically refer to 'Bonu Tea'."

"Bonu? Eastern?"

In Xia Duo's mind, various Elvish vocabulary words flew up and down, colliding intensely, until finally a long string of characters emerged. He used a tone distinct from modern Elvish to quickly recite: "bo-susi-art-enus!"

Afterward, he repeated it several times until it was completely converted into modern Elvish.

Hearing this, Aoruipusi's eyes widened immediately, and his long ears twitched, clearly very surprised, "Lord Xia Duo, I didn't expect you to be proficient in Ancient Elven Language?"

And what surprised him even more was that he had just understood the origin and meaning of the word "Bonu"!

Looking at Aoruipusi's surprised and excited appearance, Xia Duo himself did not feel any excitement. He knew that he had merely taken advantage of having once had a Projection of the ancient Elven Kingdom; in reality, he did not have much research into Elvish.

He was merely able to speak and write it.

The so-called "Bonu" is actually the modern abbreviation of the phrase "a guest from the East at dawn" in the language of the ancient Elven Kingdom of Maiyelita. (There is only one mainstream set of Elvish script, but the pronunciation varies by country, and there are also differences between ancient and modern times.)

If he did not understand the Maiyelita language, and if Aoruipusi had not told him that Bonu Tea came from Easterners, he would not have thought of this.

In fact, his interpretation might not necessarily be the true historical origin, but placed in this context, it just happened to suffice.

And since "Bonu" was interpreted as "a guest from the East at dawn," then regardless of whether Aoruipusi's claim that "Bonu Tea originated from Easterners" was commercial flattery or a true fact, it was only natural for Xia Duo, this "Easterner," to ask for seeds of the Bonu Tea Tree or even search for them directly.

Thus, Xia Duo stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point, "Patriarch Aoruipusi, I am very fond of this Bonu Tea from my hometown, er—and I also miss it very much, cough—I hope Patriarch Aoruipusi can collect a few Bonu Tea Trees for me."

"..."

Aoruipusi was somewhat dumbfounded. After going around in such a big circle, he had ended up trapping himself, "Lord Xia Duo, this—"

"Patriarch Aoruipusi, is this very difficult?" Xia Duo feigned ignorance and said casually.

Of course it was difficult!

Not to mention that Cormanthor was currently suffering from the Drow War, even if it weren't, the outflow of Bonu Tea Trees was an extremely serious crime. Once exposed, let alone returning to Cormanthor, whether the Silver Leaf Family could even survive would be a problem!

Almost, but Aoruipusi did not say these words directly. He looked left and right, wanting to brush it off, but Xia Duo had already locked onto this point; how could he let him get away with it easily?

However, Xia Duo also knew that inciting others to betray was somewhat difficult, so he provided Aoruipusi with a convenient path, "Patriarch Aoruipusi, do you think those Elves who came into Netheril territory might carry tea tree seeds with them? This is already outside of Cormanthor; as long as it is secret enough, how could your country know?"

Scrying spells were not omnipotent and had many preventive measures. Furthermore, it was not certain that there would be Elves specifically watching this area; otherwise, they wouldn't have so easily allowed a large number of Elves to enter Netheril without having already excluded controlled items in advance.

Upon hearing this, Aoruipusi felt it made some sense. Obtaining them through other Elves would greatly reduce the risk, but he was still somewhat hesitant, "This isn't good, is it—"

"Why isn't it good? It's just a normal trade, not forced buying or selling. Besides, Patriarch Aoruipusi also knows that I am someone who likes to study ancient Elven society—Ancient Elven Language, ancient books, Ancient Magic Artifacts, and the like. I ask that Patriarch Aoruipusi also keep an eye out for these for me."

"Hmm—"

Aoruipusi was a bit coy at first, but when he heard about ancient books and Ancient Magic Artifacts, he immediately understood Xia Duo's intention, and at the same time, a spark of greed ignited in his heart.

The so-called "ancient books and Ancient Magic Artifacts" were just human terms; in the Elven concept, these could actually be renamed—"Inheritance Classics, Heirloom Treasure"!

Aoruipusi knew that the Silver Leaf Family's heritage was shallow. Without some special opportunity, the family would not produce even a single high-level Mage in ten thousand years.

And now, perhaps this was a special opportunity!

As far as he clearly knew, the Yueshilan Family that also came to Savile Town possessed a Zhigaochengcheng, or at least a part of it. Possessing the name "Yue," they had a deeper foundation than the Silver Leaf Family.

And now, it just so happened to be the weakest time for families like the Yueshilan; they didn't even have a single Elite Mage, yet the Silver Leaf Family did.

If they could "trade" some of that foundation from them, the Silver Leaf Family might have greater development in the future.

However, Aoruipusi was not blinded by the illusion of the family growing stronger. He knew very well the risks involved; who knew if those families might have one or two powerful heirlooms in their hands!

If they could trade peacefully, it would be best to trade peacefully. If not, his desire having been stirred, he was willing to gamble on the probability of the family's rise.

Only, he would have to be careful, and then be even more careful.

Thinking of this, the look Aoruipusi gave Xia Duo became incomparably complex. If it weren't for this Lord Xia Duo, and if it were just something he had thought of himself, known only within his own family, how good that would be!

Unfortunately—

"Lord Xia Duo, I am willing to find Bonu tea seeds for you, but I also hope Lord Xia Duo can provide some convenience."

"Good!"

Xia Duo clapped his hands and stood up. Afterward, the human and the Elf moved to the Study to continue discussing the specific details of the trade.