Chapter 359: The Vortex and Diplomacy

"Gulp!"

Sinuoli drained the tea in his cup in one go; it was fortunate that Teclis did not possess telepathy, or he would have known the wild thoughts Sinuoli had just been harboring.

However, he doubted whether Teclis actually knew about his brother's messy affairs; if he did, perhaps he wouldn't have sold Alithara to Manfred as the Eternal Child, a sacrifice for the resurrection of Nagash.

Sinuoli lowered his hood, his stone-like face staring intently at Teclis; he believed that when one did not know the other party's intentions or what to say, it was best to remain silent.

"I originally came here to maintain the Waystone, and after hearing of your arrival, I intended to pay a visit last night under the cover of darkness, but unexpectedly, you were not on the ship." A somewhat formulaic smile, typical of those with pointed ears, hung on Teclis's face.

"What a coincidence, I also received news and rushed into the inner city to pay you a visit. I've been sitting by the window all morning just to see if I could catch you passing by."

Sinuoli blinked and seized the opportunity, following Teclis's lead. He recalled vaguely hearing his kin mention something the day before, but the rumors had long since strayed far from the truth, and he hadn't taken them to heart.

"What else would it be? I am busy with a thousand tasks; do you think I would spend so much time here just to look at noblewomen?" Finding that Teclis seemed somewhat skeptical, Sinuoli squeezed out a smile and countered with a question.

The Archmage frowned slightly; he had been observing Sinuoli from the shadows for a long time before coming over to greet him, and the Dwarf had been looking around constantly, as if he were truly searching for someone.

Teclis ultimately chose to believe him; in their attitudes toward the outside world, both were outliers within their respective races. The attention brought by their high status made it inconvenient for them to meet through normal channels, and the previous night, Teclis had also snuck onto the Dreadnought in secret.

"Very well, what I wish to tell you is that the power of the Great Vortex is waning."

"Is that all? I already knew that." Sinuoli watched Teclis's solemn expression and nearly spat out his tea; in his understanding, didn't the rise of Chaos imply the weakening of the Great Vortex?

"You already knew?"

Teclis frowned again; Ulthuan was isolated overseas, and the Great Vortex was located on the Isle of the Dead within the inner sea of the island. This Isle of the Dead was not formed naturally but was composed of countless Waystones imbued with mysterious power.

Including Caledor the Dragon Tamer, the lingering souls of the High Elf Archmages who sacrificed themselves in ancient times to create the Great Vortex guarded it. Outsiders did not even know its specific location, let alone approach it to investigate, and the number of mortals who knew this information could be counted on two hands.

"You also have a deity on your side instructing you to collect Waystone fragments to repair the Great Vortex, right? I suspect that is the real reason you are here." Sinuoli continued.

"This, this, do you have any suggestions? Regarding the repairs."

"My suggestion is not to spend too much energy on this matter."

Teclis was stunned; he had tried to seek guidance from the Dwarf, but Sinuoli interrupted him again.

"The Great Vortex can drain the Winds of Magic necessary for Daemons to appear in the Mortal World."

"It treats the symptoms but not the root cause! Even if you can repair it once, then what? How many fellows in this world covet its power—can you really guard it forever? There is no such thing as a thousand days of being a thief, let alone a thousand days of guarding against one." The Dwarf waved his hand, signaling the Archmage to say no more.

"Skaven, Undead, those fallen cousins of yours, and even the Greenskins—none of them are easy to deal with. Even if you, Teclis, were made of iron, how many nails could you possibly strike?"

"Hiss!"

Teclis thought of the recent assaults on Ulthuan by Grom the Paunch and the rat-men; among them, the Skaven, with the help of their engineer-sorcerers, had even breached the inner sea, but no Elf knew—or thought it necessary to know—the underlying purpose of their attacks.

"Then, according to you, what would count as treating the root cause?"

"Simple. The Great Vortex can reduce the energy they use to manifest, but how do they manifest? It is through that portal in the Chaos Wastes. If you could destroy it, that would be a permanent solution."

"By Lilisi's grace! Isn't that a bit impractical?" Teclis was dumbfounded; it sounded like he was suggesting a counter-offensive against the Chaos Wastes.

"Pfft!"

Sinuoli polished the Chenshi Bili in his arms; he didn't want the powers of the Warp to hear the rest of what he had to say.

"You and my father were both participants in the Great Holy War; Chaos is not invincible. The third Everchosen was slain at the gates of Kislev by the joint efforts of the late King Orikson, yourself, and Magnus the Pious."

"But you have never been to the Chaos Wastes; the deeper you go, the weaker the influence of the Great Vortex becomes."

"Yes, I know; the dark powers will not sit idly by while we destroy the portal. But think, how much effort did the forces of Order put into that great war? If we can integrate all our strength, closing the portal is not impossible." Sinuoli continued his analysis.

"It is very difficult; even the Phoenix Court cannot reach a consensus."

Teclis thought of when he set out on his expedition; apart from the forces of the Kingdom of Saphery and the White Tower that were directly under his command, the rest of the troops were gathered bit by bit, relying on the face of his brother, the Phoenix King Tyrion.

"It is difficult, but compared to repairing the Great Vortex? You know better than anyone whether the Waystone fragments are enough, not to mention the maintenance required after the repair. If they can give birth to an Everchosen to unite Chaos, can we, the defenders of Order, not do the same?"

Sinuoli recalled the High Elf campaign cinematics from the game; Teclis would later have to collect fragments to reforge the Star Crown of Lilisi. By comparison, maneuvering through diplomatic means was far more attractive.

"Hmm, this does not conflict with what I have on hand; perhaps I can give it a try. Where do you suggest I start? My kin in the woods? King Finubar once entered Aisuoluolun Senlin, but he was not welcomed."

Teclis thought about it and felt it was a good idea; his first reaction was the Wood Elves. They also worshipped the goddess of the moon, mist, and the maiden, Lilisi, and as her primary chosen, perhaps he would have some sway.

"That bunch won't get anxious until the fire reaches the woods. At this juncture, I suggest you seek out races that are equally far-sighted, for instance, the Slann of Lustria. As powerful spellcasters, you might have a common language with them."

"Then, once I am finished here, I will go to the City of the Sun to request an audience with Lord Mazdamundi; he is the most active and powerful of the remaining Slann." The High Elves' spellcasting abilities were passed down from the Slann, so naturally, they had knowledge of these powerful beings who were modeled after the Old Ones themselves.

"Good! My long journey to Zhendan is also to see the attitudes of the Dragon of the Sky and the Dragon of the Moon, two powerful beings who existed in the world before the arrival of the Old Ones."