Chapter 771: Cloud Qi Growth

Seventon, Giles Tower. Having returned to Seventon after half a year, Xia Duo felt as if a lifetime had passed, though he wasn't sure if it was because so much had happened during that time.

Emerging from the Teleportation Room, accompanied by Niya, the two prepared to first visit Greta; this Archmage could be called the true steward of Giles Tower.

Moving forward, whether Xia Duo wanted to browse books in the Library or inquire about the situation regarding Giles Tower's Plane Exploration, he couldn't hide it from this steward of Giles Tower, so rather than being sought out later, it was better to go and greet her now.

Besides, this was also part of etiquette; if it weren't so difficult to see the Princess, Xia Duo really should have gone to visit her directly.

Furthermore, Archmage Greta could be considered one of the few "friends" Niya had in Giles Tower, so it was only natural to visit her upon returning.

……

Unless one deliberately tries to be unconventional, the internal layout of most Mage Towers is much the same; the level where the Teleportation Room of Giles Tower is located is similar to the Public Level of the Tower of Time, consisting of a large circular corridor and countless doorways on both sides of the corridor.

As for what kind of rooms were behind the doors, that depended on how the owner of the Mage Tower set them up; Teleportation Rooms, workshops, and even offices or residences could be set up inside.

In addition to her private residence in the private area, Archmage Greta also had an office here that was open to the public; just as they teleported over, Niya had contacted Greta to confirm she was there at that moment.

Along the way, Xia Duo kept organizing his words in his mind, but he always felt they weren't quite appropriate; information related to Plane Exploration was, after all, core confidential material of Giles Tower.

He couldn't just get the detection data or new signal characteristics he wanted based on a few casual words! After thinking it over, Xia Duo still felt it was better to let Niya inquire first, so as to avoid causing any disputes! ……

As they were about to arrive at Greta's office, Xia Duo suddenly said, "It seems your popularity in Giles Tower is quite high!"

"Hmm?" Niya subconsciously slowed her pace, turned her head, and looked at Xia Duo in confusion. "Isn't this normal? The teacher only has me as a formal student right now, so even if I do nothing, there will still be many people paying attention."

Xia Duo chuckled twice and didn't reply; what he actually wanted to say was that after entering Giles Tower, the "Cloud Qi" on Niya's body began to become active.

On the way from the Teleportation Room to here, they encountered many Mages of Giles Tower; most of them recognized Niya, and only a few passed by the two of them completely unaware.

And those Mages who greeted Niya also had Cloud Qi of varying density on them; when they greeted Niya, the Cloud Qi on Niya's side would increase slightly.

Although the amount was very small, it was definitely there!

This phenomenon surprised Xia Duo greatly; he hadn't observed this in the Tower of Time. This might be related to Niya not appearing often when she was at the Tower of Time, or perhaps those who knew Niya had already caused her Cloud Qi to grow and reach a state of equilibrium.

But Niya hadn't come to Giles Tower for a period of time, which could trigger the mental fluctuations of others.

Xia Duo had previously guessed that Cloud Qi might be Faith or Belief Power, and now it seemed that was really possible, as there were no other possibilities for the time being.

If it wasn't Faith or Belief Power, then why would the Cloud Qi on Niya increase after those people greeted her?

Perhaps it was because they involuntarily offered a portion of their Belief Power.

That was why Xia Duo said Niya's popularity was high, and as the de facto steward of Giles Tower, what was the state of the Cloud Qi on Greta?

For a moment, Xia Duo added a new task to this trip to Seventon: observing the Cloud Qi on other people.

……

The brand-new Soul State, in addition to giving Xia Duo the ability of Memory Retrospection, also allowed him to see a layer of "Cloud Qi" enveloping people, including himself.

And in that place where his soul resided—that place suspected to be the Spirit Platform, Purple Mansion, Divine Palace, Sea of Consciousness, or Mental Space—Xia Duo could even "see" formless power impacting the soul, stimulating a glow, and thereby illuminating a small space.

Was that formless power the "Cloud Qi" visible to the naked eye?

Invisible to the soul's perspective, but visible to the naked eye? What kind of Principle was this? Various doubts flashed through his mind, but this was not the right time to think about these questions; Archmage Greta's office had arrived!

……

Seeing the Archmage again, the Archmage was as enthusiastic toward Niya as ever; if not exactly doting, she was at least very caring.

But when it came to Xia Duo, she was much colder, which actually suited Xia Duo's wishes; to be honest, seeing Greta again, he still felt somewhat awkward inside.

The last time he received a mission to head to the Rodney Territory, he was actually acting as bait to lure out the people of Wide Grand Arcanist, so that the Seven Towers would have an excuse to intervene.

Of course, it was hard for a marginal minor character like Xia Duo to see the full picture of the specific reasons and calculations behind this, but from his own perspective, Greta and even the Princess were somewhat unfair to him.

At the very least, they should have made things clear beforehand; even if he still would have had to go to the Rodney Territory, it would have been a decision he made after weighing it repeatedly, rather than being tricked into it while confused.

This time, as soon as he saw Archmage Greta, the words he had been calculating in his mind couldn't be spoken; in the end, he could only watch Niya and the other party exchange pleasantries, and before leaving, he could only say: "Archmage Greta, please convey my greetings to Her Highness the Princess. I am now preparing to head to the Giles Tower Library to find some materials, so I won't disturb your official duties!"

Greta did not ask him to stay, nor was there any need to, but after Xia Duo and Niya left, she sent several messages in succession.

……

After leaving Greta's office, Niya asked belatedly, "You seem to have some opinion about Archmage Greta?"

"No, it's just that the Archmage feels too distant from me, and we aren't familiar with each other, so I didn't know what to say."

"Oh."

Niya did not dwell on this, and quickly changed the subject, asking Xia Duo, "Are you planning to go to the Arcane Union to register your new book, or go to the Library first?"

"Let's go to the Library first; I've been impatient for it!"

Excitement was revealed in Xia Duo's eyes; he had long been coveting the Library of Giles Tower.

Previously, when he handed over that series of communication schemes for 【Magic Net Background Communication】 to Giles Tower, in addition to the normal patent royalties, the Princess had also given him reading Permission Level for the Giles Tower Library.

Thanks to 【Book Friend 140621142602361】 for the 100 reward!! Thanks for everyone's support!!

(End of chapter)