CHAPTER 417: CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINETY-TWO: CHOICE

Watching this somewhat magical scene, Leia slightly widened her eyes, wanting to ask questions but not daring to make a sound.

"That was a Magic Contract I had with others; the time was right, so I just dissolved it,"

Smiling, Anvis simply explained the event that had just happened, then glanced at the herbs the girl was holding.

"However, this is not what you should be concerned about; replace it with a new Dragon Breath Grass, and reprocess it until you can ensure successful completion while being distracted."

Watching the girl continue to process the alchemical plant in her hand, Anvis sat back in his seat, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, beginning to ponder slightly.

He also had a certain understanding of the character of Her Majesty Veronica of the Space-Time Ring.

The shattered crystal stone in that pendant indicated that Orbins had made contact with Veronica. And, just like in his previous life, Veronica was very satisfied with him and even went so far as to help him dissolve his Contract.

Due to his previous agreement with Orbins, the latter’s current Identity was as a Guest Elder of the Olivendi Family, albeit nominally, which caused Veronica to reconsider repeatedly.

Veronica herself might not care, but because she represents not only herself but also the Continent Magic Council behind her due to her Identity as Council Chair.

If Orbins retains this Identity while becoming her Direct Disciple, it would be akin to sending a signal to the outside world.

The Continent Magic Council showing goodwill towards the Olivendi Family.

Veronica cannot, due to personal wishes, affect the Magic Council she represents.

Moreover, when Anvis formed the Contract with Orbins, he used his personal Identity, not that of the Olivendi Family.

Therefore, the Space-Time Ring will likely send him a letter. As for the specifics of the letter... Anvis doesn’t even need a Prophecy, he could guess the content just by speculating.

It’s nothing more than hoping he would agree to dissolve the Guest Elder Contract, and perhaps even promising some generous compensation.

But unfortunately, what he wants now is not these.

.........

Elsewhere, within the pure white tower of Sky City Orarian, a black-haired, silver-eyed girl sat on the throne at the top of the tower, quietly reading a letter in her hand.

After a while, she released the letter, letting the paper float down from between her fingers.

As it fell to the ground, the color of the paper quickly darkened, and it became fragile, as if it had crossed countless years.

Finally, the moment the letter touched the ground, it completely turned into dust and merged with the rock.

There was nothing wrong with the letter itself; indeed, it had been recently handwritten by Anvis.

However, the content of the letter was somewhat unexpected to her.

In her letter to Anvis, just as Anvis had guessed, she proposed to dissolve Orbins’ Contract. And the compensation wasn’t anything else, but her offer of an opportunity.

Her proposition wasn’t just considering her Identity.

Most importantly, before she closed off to heal from serious injuries, the Stargazer Brents had already cautioned her and the Mystic Seeker: do not engage with any of the Four Great Families of the Gloria Empire!

Additionally, she also mentioned in the letter the favor Orbins owed Anvis, hoping it could be written off.

As compensation, she could also grant him a feasible request that wouldn’t harm the interests of the Magic Council.

Her offering an opportunity and a request, as a Peak Ninth Rank, all just to exchange for another Fourth Rank or below student from Pamir. Even for the descendants of the Olivendi Family, this condition was already quite sincere.

Regarding her request, Anvis did not refuse. On the contrary, he expressed immense gratitude and apprehension for the kindness of the Space-Time Ring in his reply.

Furthermore, Anvis promised that he would take the initiative to terminate the contract with Orbins, and he would do so without any compensation, as a congratulatory gift for his friend’s soaring success.

Standing up silently, Veronica’s gaze drifted into the distance.

The content of the letter indicates that although he agrees to one of her requests, he does not intend to accept her goodwill.

In other words, this behavior means that the reason Anvis terminated the contract was not for her benefit, but genuinely for the sake of Orbins’ future.

He didn’t even mention her second request in his reply, clearly indicating his reluctance to agree.

In the mind of this youngster from the Olivendi Family, has his importance reached such an extent? Even surpassing my own favor?

Although she hit a soft nail, Veronica wasn’t angry but felt it somewhat absurd.

To reject the favor of a Ninth Rank Peak powerhouse just for a mere Third Rank Spellcaster?

"Well then, let me see whether your choice is indeed correct."

Muttering to herself, Veronica took out a crystal ball and recorded the entire process of this matter before casually sending it to Orbins.

No matter what Anvis is thinking, it is ultimately a good thing for her student to have such a friend.

.........

In the days that followed, some Council members could no longer stand the turmoil in the Federation. Thus, they intervened, bringing temporary peace to the major kingdoms of the Federation.

However, this approach merely suppressed the problems temporarily without addressing the root causes.

Because Anvis was selling Mechanical at almost a loss, many kingdoms thought there were bargains to be snagged. They invested significant capital to purchase Mechanical, hoping to recoup costs through warfare.

If a small kingdom bought a large amount of Mechanical, its neighboring countries, even if they had not planned to buy Mechanical before, would now be forced to purchase reluctantly. Otherwise, if a war occurred, they would be at a disadvantage.

But now, due to the Council’s intervention, the warfare suddenly paused, making these Mechanical a hot potato.

Unlike magic weapons made through Alchemy, the complex Magic-guided Mechanical requires maintenance.

Because cheap materials are used, even if stored immobile in warehouses, they require regular checks and maintenance each year to replace worn and rusted parts.

Although the sale price of finished Mechanical has dropped under the influence of Anvis, there has been no reduction in maintenance costs. Moreover, due to many small Mechanical factories going bankrupt and converting their business, the prices of vulnerable parts have increased.

The many small kingdoms that had previously gritted their teeth to buy Mechanical were suddenly dumbfounded. They not only failed to recoup their initial investments in time but also faced substantial, painful annual maintenance costs.

Some kingdoms, thinking of selling off Mechanical cheaply, pushed the price down to an extremely low level under mutual price suppression.

Even if some kingdoms could not bear it and sought to collude to jack up the prices, there were always some people in the black market selling various types of Mechanical in virtually unlimited quantities at the price of Romaine lettuce.

In mutual suspicion that the other party pretended to stabilize prices while they planned to drop prices and make a run for it, such alliances broke down soon after their establishment, plunging back into a cycle of mutual price undercutting.

Eventually, some kingdoms gritted their teeth and decided not to sell, planning to endure for a few years. They waited until the Council no longer focused on this issue before planning to restart the wars.

Meanwhile, to scrape together the maintenance costs for these years, these small kingdoms could only start seeking ways to mine high-value magic minerals, hunt high-value magic beasts, gather rare alchemy plants, etc., before selling them for gold coins.

Of course, besides this, there is another simpler method – raising taxes.