Chapter 702: The Archmage's Arrival, Political Death

Seeing that he had already interrupted Niya's "spellcasting," Xia Duo offered some comfort, "Since they have already sent a teleportation request, it means this matter is at least already known to your teacher. I don't think Rodney Lord would be bold enough to toy with a Great Arcanist, right!"

The access key for a teleportation array is not sent out casually; usually, the other side must send a request first, and this side must verify the identity before the access key is issued.

However, Xia Duo's words did not completely eliminate Niya's nervousness; she still said with some hesitation, "I suppose so!"

But in truth, she had the answer in her heart long ago; it was just that because the issue concerned herself, it was difficult for her to fully set aside her own emotions and make a completely rational judgment.

Just as the two were speaking, the teleportation array suddenly "lit up," and immediately following a flash of white light, a figure familiar to both Xia Duo and Niya appeared on the teleportation array—

It was none other than Archmage Greta!

"Welcome, Archmage Greta, to the Tower of Time!" Niya's greeting carried a noticeably upbeat tone.

Seeing this, the corners of Xia Duo's mouth couldn't help but lift slightly. After casting a subtle glance at Niya, he also said, "Welcome, Archmage Greta!"

As an envoy of a Great Arcanist, the necessary etiquette could not be skipped; even if she weren't, an Archmage with profound attainments in the domain of the mind was worthy of being received by two novice Arcanists simultaneously.

Of course, the reality was that Archmage Greta also appeared quite enthusiastic, especially toward Niya; her attitude was as if she were treating her own daughter, and they were only a step away from holding hands and pouring out their feelings of separation.

This was the first time Xia Duo had seen Niya and Greta interacting in private; at this moment, he, the "outsider," seemed somewhat redundant.

It appeared that Niya held quite a high status at Giles Tower, or rather, the Princess held Niya in high regard.

Since Archmage Greta had arrived, Xia Duo felt that there should be no suspense regarding that piece of New Expansion Land Rodney Territory had in Green Pearl Forest.

……

The three, or more accurately, mainly Niya and Archmage Greta, walked into a Reception Room on the Public Level while engaged in cordial conversation.

After taking their seats, Archmage Greta was the first to bring up the main business, "This time, I was originally invited by Rodney Lord to witness the transaction between Savile Territory and Rodney Territory, but now, the situation has had a small change; Rodney Lord cannot come."

"Ah? How could this happen?"

Upon hearing that Rodney Lord could not come, Niya lost her composure, "Lord Greta, what exactly is the change, and why can't Rodney Lord come?"

"What exactly the change is, that is a bit complicated, we shall discuss it later. As for why Rodney Lord is not coming, it is because he has fully entrusted me to handle this matter."

As she spoke, Archmage Greta took out a document that clearly carried a Magic Aura, and with a flick of her finger, the document flew in front of Niya.

Niya immediately took the document and opened it; her expression froze in surprise. She quickly finished reading the document, which consisted of only a few pages, and then handed it to Xia Duo, "Take a look!"

Xia Duo opened the document and saw the contents; he also felt extremely surprised. It turned out that this was not a letter of authorization at all, but something akin to a binding agreement.

Rodney Lord promised to permanently abandon the right to develop Green Pearl Forest, and at the same time, the small piece of New Expansion Land he had already developed would be directly transferred to Savile Territory, on the condition that they provide enough food for his people before he withdrew them.

There were no word games here; Rodney Lord limited the withdrawal time to the year 836 of the Netheril Calendar, which is this year. Once the time was exceeded, he would voluntarily abandon this portion of his people, also gifting them to Savile Territory.

The document was written in both Netheril and Elf languages, and it bore the seals of both Rodney Territory and Giles Tower. All terms were extremely favorable to Savile Territory; they would even automatically take effect without Savile Territory needing to leave a seal.

This greatly exceeded Xia Duo's expectations. He had thought that there would be some haggling when Rodney Lord came today; he never expected the other party to give up almost all initiative so easily.

In an instant, a possibility occurred to Xia Duo: could it be that Rodney Lord had some leverage held by Giles Tower, forcing him to cut off his tail to survive, or was he using this to curry favor with Niya, who was the Princess's student?

……

On the other side, seeing that both had finished reading the document, Greta asked with a smile, "Are you satisfied with this result?"

"Satisfied, yes, but this kind of benefit without any cost makes me feel uneasy. Can Lord Greta explain? Does this have anything to do with the 'change' you mentioned earlier?"

Niya asked directly.

As a Mage, she did not believe in benefits without any cost; the only possibility was that the cost was hidden in a place she could not see.

Regarding this, Greta did not hide anything, "This truly does not require a cost. If one must be named, then Her Highness the Princess needs Lord Xia Duo to do one thing; that is the cost!"

However, before Greta could finish her sentence, Niya let out an exclamation, "Xia Duo?"

Xia Duo also felt a sense of foreboding; surely it wouldn't be some exploration mission to a labyrinth or secret realm where they were looking for cannon fodder! If that were truly the case, it would be quite miserable!

"Lord Greta, what is this all about? Why does Xia Duo need to do something? Why not me?" Niya asked hurriedly.

Her tone even carried a hint of questioning.

To this, Greta did not show the slightest anger, and even joked, "I know you and Lord Xia Duo are close, but next time, wait for me to finish speaking before asking!"

Hearing this, Niya couldn't help but feel a bit shy and annoyed. She quickly stole a glance at Xia Duo, and seeing that he was not looking at her, she calmed down slightly.

"Lord Greta, please continue; this time I definitely won't interrupt you!"

Greta smiled and turned to the main topic:

"Since that is the case, then I will speak—

"In short, Rodney Lord offended a Great Arcanist and had to seek refuge under the Seven Towers Group. This document truly does not require you to pay any cost, because it is the cost paid by Rodney Lord, which Her Highness the Princess has gifted to Savile Territory.

"As for what I just said about Her Highness the Princess needing Lord Xia Duo to do one thing, this is not mandatory either. Lord Xia Duo can refuse, and it will not affect the validity of this document at all!"

After finishing, Greta cast her gaze toward Xia Duo, who was still thinking about what task the Princess might assign.

Xia Duo reacted immediately and hurriedly pledged his loyalty, "I agree. Regardless of whether this matter with Rodney Territory exists or not, as long as it is an order from Her Highness the Princess, Xia Duo will never refuse."

In fact, he couldn't refuse even if he wanted to. A Great Arcanist would not command a subordinate casually, but once an intention was expressed, one could not refuse.

Although it was said that he could refuse, the consequences of refusing would be hard to predict. There might not be any direct punishment, but Xia Duo's path within the Seven Towers Group would certainly narrow from then on.

This was probably similar to political death on Earth!