Chapter 988: Not at the Core, Teacher-Student Dialogue

On the western viewing platform.

Atelan stared at Iolum beside him, his eyes practically spitting fire; the unusual disturbance to the Magic Net had just been triggered as the Netherese Commendation Ceremony reached its middle-to-latter stages.

Even though he could not understand the details or Principles involved, he quickly linked it to a high-level classified message that had arrived from his home country not long ago—

The Netherese were conducting an Ascension Ritual!

The negotiations he had previously held with the Netherese regarding the repatriation of prisoners of war from the Green Field Plane had been completely misdirected.

Looking back now, Atelan only felt that he had been like a clown being toyed with at the time, but that was not the most important thing; the most important thing was that he had to transmit the news back.

Here in Netheril, only he knew of the existence of the Ascension Ritual; if he did not provide a warning, his colleagues would inevitably make another misjudgment.

"Lord Iolum, do you know what you are doing?" Atelan threatened indignantly.

"I am very clear about what I am doing! But what about you?"

Iolum suddenly turned and looked at Atelan sternly, his eyes full of warning, "Ambassador Atelan! Do you know what your behavior just now implies? It is war! It is the source of countless lives heading toward destruction!"

Upon hearing this, Atelan was startled; he could not bear the blame for triggering a war. The Drow invaders in his home country had not yet been fully purged, and if Netheril were dragged into it as well, the consequences would be almost unimaginable.

So he immediately changed his tone, "Apologies, I apologize for my previous rudeness, but now that you have confined me here, are you not worried about triggering a war?"

"Worried, very worried, but it is precisely because I am worried about triggering a war that I am doing this. You will thank me afterward!"

Iolum said these perfunctory words with a straight face, and Atelan was instantly furious, "You—"

He endured and endured, before finally squeezing out, "I know what you are doing, you will not succeed!"

"Heh! It seems Ambassador Atelan, your knowledge is limited! If you could truly enter the core of the Tower of Governance, you would not say such things. Rest assured and wait!"

After saying this, Iolum stopped paying attention to Atelan.

This attitude of his also made Atelan's inner thoughts very complex; he was both brooding over the remark about "not yet entering the core of the Tower of Governance" and feeling uneasy about the layers of secrets behind this matter.

"Your Majesty Yilisaier, if you do not trust me, why place me in such a position?"

For a time, Atelan no longer had the heart to care about what was happening or about to happen on the field, his mind entirely consumed by thoughts of himself, the Crown King, and everything related to this matter.

In any case, for now, he could do nothing else but use his brain.

At the same time, Kangjienio had also successfully pacified the Ambassador of Illefarn; as far as the current situation went, Illefarn could be considered Netheril's closest ally.

Unless necessary, he would not use non-verbal means as he did with the Ambassador of Cormanthyr.

As for the envoys from Yierlan, Danzo, and other small surrounding countries, Kangjienio had also pacified them all; wasn't that exactly why Princess Xiya had arranged for him to be here?

Once everything on the western viewing platform calmed down, he quietly reminded the junior beside him, his tone quite tactful, "The Arcane Union is an exchange platform that everyone built and maintains together. Everything can be talked out by sitting down; we are all family, so one must maintain a sense of proportion."

"Yes, Teacher Aien!"

Iolum first respectfully replied in the affirmative, but then added, "But the current era has changed; Netheril has become strong. This is not necessarily something the Elves are willing to see, and regarding the Elves, we no longer need to look up to them as we did in the past."

"Everything you say is correct. I am already old, and the future of Netheril depends on you young people. But I still want to remind you of one thing: except for the Narrow Sea in the north, Nether Territory is surrounded by various Elven nations in all other directions. I hope you can consider these things more and not make impulsive decisions."

Kangjienio's sincere words deeply moved Iolum; he had indeed been somewhat impulsive in the past, which was reflected when he achieved his most glorious accomplishments.

Back then, the Orc Tide in Netheril was constant; those evil Orcs did not attack human Territory because they lacked food, but rather treated such constant slaughter as a kind of glory.

Iolum was determined to clear the Orc threat for Netheril, and he succeeded, but in the process, a large number of Netherese Mages lost their lives because of his impulsiveness.

He gained the glory, but the dead would not return to life; this was also the main reason he had remained in seclusion after clearing the main Orc tribes within the Nether Territory.

It was not until his teacher sent word that he intended for him to take over his position that he stepped back into the public eye. He still remembered that detailed conversation between teacher and student—

The teacher said that the position of President of the Arcane Union must be held by someone outside the Seven Towers who possessed high prestige; if entrusted to the wrong person, it would inevitably cause huge turmoil within the country.

Therefore, Iolum was very grateful for his teacher's trust, and he also took his teacher's entrustment as a Jiusu for his past self.

Now, hearing his teacher's exhortations again, he could not even control his emotions, and said solemnly: "Teacher Aien, I will!"

"No need to be so serious, this is just some nagging from an old man like me; just keep it in your heart." Kangjienio smiled, then added:

"What is the probability of success for this Ascension Ritual in your opinion?"

"Is Teacher also interested in Ascension?" Iolum asked in surprise.

"Of course I am interested; isn't it those unknown things that keep me in this world! However, I would not complete an Ascension through such a method. I believe there must be a way to understand it through pure Arcane Magic!"

Speaking of this, Kangjienio rarely dropped his smile and said seriously: "If Princess Xiya fails this time, then so be it; it is nothing more than Netheril losing a Great Arcanist. We will treat it as a heavy loss and find a way to make up for it later.

"But if she succeeds, you must consider whether others will have similar ideas. Netheril cannot withstand the tossing of an 'Ascension Race'; you must be careful and take precautions!"

After finishing, Kangjienio sighed long again, "Looking at it now, the Elves' intentions are truly vicious! Whether it succeeds or fails, it falls into their trap!"

"Teacher, don't be so pessimistic. If Princess Xiya succeeds, perhaps it will bring additional opportunities for development!"

"It's difficult!"

Kangjienio shook his head and did not continue speaking.

Iolum did not agree with his teacher's view on this aspect, but he did not continue to say anything either, waiting quietly for the final result.