Chapter 993: Internal and External Storms, Returning Home

Perhaps the scene of the divine birth had been too solemn; hearing the signal that the revelry had begun, the crowd was actually stunned for a full ten seconds.

It was unclear who took the lead, but following a high-pitched shout of "Thanks to the Seven Towers, thanks to Her Highness the Princess, thanks to the God of Exploration and Protection," the revelry began.

The entire Arcane Plaza suddenly became like a dance of demons; the various Spellcasters in the viewing area had originally been preparing to leave in order, or to join in the celebrations.

But given the current situation, almost instantly, some teleported away, while the Pioneers, having the advantage of proximity, immediately retreated north into the area where the Seven Cities Council was located.

Yet even in this slightly chaotic situation, everyone subconsciously avoided the position where the Princess had previously been.

Passing through the portico supported by towering stone pillars in front of the Council, and entering the interior, the first thing was a spacious courtyard, and inside that was the grand hall where the Lord Council was held.

On both sides of the courtyard were side halls leading to other functional areas of the Seven Cities Council, such as the Pioneer Hall for processing lord identity verification, the Hall of Wisdom for receiving High Mages, as well as gardens, the Library, and staff residences.

Xia Duo waited for Niya in a secluded little garden, and only then did they return to the Old City District together through the north exit of the Council.

The two did not immediately return to Giles Tower, but instead looked for a quiet, secluded place with few people in the Old City District, chatting while they walked.

At first, both had a tacit understanding not to mention the Princess, until they passed an intersection and could already see the solid base of Giles Tower, when Xia Duo suddenly asked:

"Can you still contact your teacher now?"

Niya shook her head, wanting to speak but stopping, as if she did not know how to answer. Xia Duo could not help but slow his pace and asked again: "Cannot contact her?"

"Yes, and also no!"

Looking at the increasingly close Giles Tower ahead, Niya stated the part that confused her the most, "I can contact Teacher, and Teacher replied, but her reply is very strange!"

"Oh? How is it strange?" Xia Duo asked.

Niya did not answer directly; she reached out and produced a mass of Holy Power glowing with a Mysterious Glow, placing it in front of Xia Duo, "Look! This is Teacher's reply!"

"..."

Looking at this mass of Holy Power, a familiar instructional voice seemed to appear in Xia Duo's mind, "Do not contact me again recently; if you need data related to Magic Web Background Fluctuation, go ask Greta for it!"

Xia Duo shook his head violently, as if wanting to shake out this sound that did not actually exist, but when he looked at the mass of Holy Power in Niya's hand again, the voice changed to—"After the celebration ends, return to Nan Jing as soon as possible!"

This, this—

Xia Duo had never seen such an existence before; almost every time he looked at it, an additional meaning would emerge, though overall, they were all pointers and arrangements for Niya's future.

In the general direction, it was very clear; but in specific details, it appeared somewhat vague.

Could it be that after ascending to godhood, one becomes so cryptic?

Xia Duo could not help but complain in his heart; of course, he only dared to complain in his heart, as who knew if it would be detected by the Princess if he said it out loud.

"Put it away! Let's go see Archmage Greta first!"

"Mm!"

The two only chatted a little longer on the road, and the Old City District became extremely lively, which was completely different from the festive atmosphere forcibly created before the celebration.

Xia Duo could fully feel the genuine, unfeigned joyful mood; of course, it might also be due to the master of ceremonies' previous remark that "today's entertainment consumption is all paid for by the Seven Towers."

Although there were not many entertainment venues in the Old City District, every one of them was a boutique, and usually, not many ordinary people would be willing to spend a lot of money just to listen to a sound or smell a scent.

Now that it was free, who wouldn't want to come and try it!

Not to mention anything else, just drinking as much as one wanted would be enough to brag about for a lifetime.

In fact, even Spellcasters would be attracted by such freebies; when Xia Duo and Niya entered Giles Tower, they were almost going against the flow.

Many Mages who had not gone to the Arcane Plaza to watch the ceremony were running outside with red eyes.

When Xia Duo crossed paths with these people, he could occasionally hear them sharing the merits of the consumption venues they intended to visit next with their companions in suppressed voices.

It left him stunned, and he finally understood the most realistic, secular side of Netherese Mages.

Returning to their residence, Niya prepared to contact Greta, while Xia Duo leaned back in his chair, looking at the intricate patterns on the ceiling, lost in thought.

As far as the current situation was concerned, the Princess's Ascension to Godhood should have been a success, but the subsequent impact was no small matter; from the reply the Princess gave Niya, one could also catch a glimpse of the clues.

A mortal ascending to godhood—whether in the Main Plane or the Projection Plane—Xia Duo had never seen or even heard of such an event.

It was conceivable how crazy any person or other life form that had seen the power of a god, or longed to obtain the power of a god, would be upon hearing such news!

Perhaps Netheril would soon welcome a strange storm that would affect the entire Main Plane and all intelligent life, and Seventon, where the divine birth occurred, was the eye of the storm.

"Exploration and Protection? I wonder if it will eventually evolve into Division and Destruction!" A sinister thought flashed through Xia Duo's mind.

The most critical thing was that the commotion of the Ascension to Godhood was truly too great, so great that it was impossible to ignore; it was not at all like a Mage leveling up or an Advanced Arcanist advancing, which could be done behind closed doors with the outside world feeling almost no abnormality.

However, when the Princess made such a decision, she should have considered the consequences; whether it succeeded or not, she should have countermeasures for the current situation.

But there was one very important question: previously, whether it was the Lord of Radiance, or other gods, or even the Elven main god, there had never been any reports of active intervention in the Mortal Plane.

Was this due to Divine Nature, or was it constrained by some powerful force?

After a mortal ascends to godhood, can they freely take action to kill enemies?

If they cannot, wouldn't that be a wasted Great Arcanist without producing much benefit?

If they can, then all of Xia Duo's worries after this event would be non-issues.

Just as he was pondering, Xia Duo suddenly felt the light in front of him dim; it turned out that Niya had come behind him, blocking half the light in his field of vision.

Xia Duo immediately sat up straight, then turned to look at Niya; seeing that Niya's expression was unusual, he roughly guessed that contacting Greta might not have gone smoothly, so he hurriedly asked:

"How is it? Did you contact Lady Greta? What did she say?"

"I contacted her, and I even asked about Teacher's situation, but the Lady did not have a clear answer; she only suggested that I leave Seventon as soon as possible, or at least leave Giles Tower!"

Upon hearing this, a thick sense of crisis instantly surged in Xia Duo's heart; it seemed that not only was there a storm outside, but the internal storm was likely not small either!

Xia Duo stood up abruptly from his chair and urged, "Pack up, we're leaving now!"

"Ah?! Oh, okay!"

Although Niya still could not quite understand, she still acted quickly.

Before long, the two left Giles Tower and arrived at the plaza in front of the Nether Palace; this was a public area in the Old City District where teleportation was not prohibited.

Once they reached this point, the two could truly be considered to have embarked on the road home.