Chapter 902: Ten-Year Agreement, Cognitive Experiment

Xia Duo was actually being clever with this timeframe; at the current rate of development of the Tower of Time, it would certainly become a pivotal force in Netheril in ten years.

And before that, he himself would surely have become a Great Arcanist, and it was highly likely that Niya would also have become a Great Arcanist.

At the same time, Niya's great-grandfather would have returned to the Main Plane by then, not to mention the master-disciple relationships between Niya and the Princess, and Saville and Iolum.

Ten years later, his influence would be unprecedentedly vast, sufficient to provide a safety net for the existence of the New Natural Philosophy, let alone the significance of the New Natural Philosophy to Netheril.

As long as the Elves did not want a full-scale war, they would have to grit their teeth and accept it.

As for a full-scale war, that was almost impossible; the status of Druids in Elven society was not high, and even if they could not monopolize it, it would not trigger a full-scale war.

Taking a step back, even if a full-scale war did occur, Xia Duo was not worried about ten years from now.

Or rather, he was more worried about a full-scale war occurring within ten years, with the Elves unable to stand the rapid development of Netheril and actively provoking a war with the intent to destroy it.

Of course, this possibility was also very small.

A full-scale war was no small matter; the ancient Crown War of the Elves was a full-scale war.

After several full-scale wars, spanning thousands of years, countless nations were destroyed and casualties were heavy, causing the Elves to fall from the hegemons of the Main Plane to their current state of barely hanging on.

It could be said that all Elves today suffered from full-scale war phobia, and anti-war sentiment was very strong.

Xia Duo believed that as long as humans did not actively provoke them, it would be difficult for the Elves to initiate a war; even the more bellicose Keman, they would have to consider the possibility of opposition and intervention from other Elven Nations.

……

When Xia Duo said the number "ten years," although he was being clever, it was also after careful consideration; ten years was not just enough for him to grow and for the Tower of Time to grow, but more importantly, it allowed the New Natural Philosophy to grow.

The so-called "build high walls, store grain widely, and claim the throne slowly"—the experience of predecessors told Xia Duo that being low-key when one's strength was insufficient was not a bad thing.

Perhaps there would be no need to wait ten years; the New Natural Philosophy would spread naturally, and it would be too late for the Elves to stop it.

However, "ten years," this clear and long number made it emotionally difficult for Yatewude to accept, and he lowered his head without speaking.

Xia Duo did not pay him any mind and continued to flip through the copies of the Territory Document on the desk; he had already given his answer, and it was up to Yatewude to choose—to accept or to refuse.

If he accepted, then all was well; if he refused, then things would be somewhat unpleasant.

It was impossible for Xia Duo to place such a ticking time bomb in Seventon, at least not for now.

If Yatewude truly made a decision that disappointed him, then it could only be said that the other party had failed to live up to his expectations.

As a superior, Xia Duo had already shown his greatest sincerity; he provided explanations when needed and gave a clear date when asked.

If Yatewude was ungrateful, then he would no longer concern himself with the so-called "propriety between lord and subject."

Thinking this, Xia Duo raised his head and looked at Yatewude once more, and at this moment, Yatewude also raised his head; having calmed down, he already understood that this was the final deadline the Lord had given him.

Within ten years did not necessarily mean ten years; it could be three years, or even one year. This understanding made Yatewude feel much more at ease.

Of course, the premise for all of this was—that he could perceive the Natural Holy Power; otherwise, what would be the point even if he reached Seventon?

In the eyes of those people, it would be nothing more than the wailing of a loser.

"My Lord, Yatewude is willing to follow your arrangements!"

"Good!"

Xia Duo put down the documents and files in his hand, stood up and walked in front of Yatewude, examined him carefully, and seeing that he had no dissatisfaction, he then said:

"Elder Yatewude, you shoulder the important mission of Daxia Territory, Netheril, and even all of humanity. I am truly worried about your safety, which is why I had to make such a cautious decision. I hope you can understand. In the future, the work regarding the New Natural Philosophy in the Territory will still require much of your effort!"

Xia Duo's near-heartfelt words moved Yatewude deeply; for a moment, he felt as if some kind of sacred mission had truly descended upon him.

And this, indeed, gave him the greatest expectation outside of revenge after leaving the Golden Oak Branch Order. He suppressed the intense palpitation brought about by this sense of mission and replied loudly:

"Yes, my Lord!"

……

Looking at the inexplicably excited Yatewude, Xia Duo could not help but suspect whether his judgment just now had been wrong, but this thought only flashed through his mind for a moment.

"My Lord, if there are no other instructions, then I shall take my leave. I am prepared to go back and reorganize the materials for lecturing to the territory residents."

Very well!

Xia Duo was just about to answer when he suddenly thought of a previous question, so he stopped Yatewude again, "Wait a moment, I have something else to say."

"My Lord, please instruct me!"

"I have a book I wrote here; take it back and read it, and come find me after you finish."

As he spoke, Xia Duo took a copy of the "Principles" book from his Personal Space and handed it directly to Yatewude.

"《Principles—Some Thoughts on the Netheril Arcane Magic System》?"

Yatewude respectfully took the book with both hands. He initially thought this book was related to the New Natural Philosophy, but when he saw the title, he was stunned. However, he could not question it directly, so he had to ask tentatively:

"My Lord, is this a Magic Book?"

"Yes!"

Xia Duo knew Yatewude was confused, but he was not prepared to explain anything—at least not now, and it couldn't be explained anyway—so he simply said:

"This is indeed a Magic Book. I guarantee in the name of an Arcanist that the content inside has been verified! Take it back and read it!"

This answer made Yatewude even more confused, but he had confirmed that the book the Lord wanted him to read was indeed a Magic Book and that there had been no mistake.

……

Soon, Yatewude left with the Magic Book and a head full of question marks, while Xia Duo continued to flip through the copies of the Territory Document in the Study.

Although the recent situation of the territory known through the meeting minutes of the routine meetings of the various department heads was clear in its general outline, the details were not sufficiently thorough.

Only these specific documents involving every aspect of the territory could reflect the most detailed state of a territory.

Such as specific population numbers, grain consumption, plans for various tasks in the territory, processes, personnel arrangements, progress, summaries, and so on.

Through these specific pieces of data, Xia Duo established a relatively clear perception of his territory in his mind.

Even though he had been away for a month, it was as if he had been in the territory the whole time, constantly paying attention to everything in the territory, recording everything, and organizing everything.

His powerful memory gave him a tremendous advantage over ordinary people when it came to processing vast amounts of data.