I raise elves in Florian

"The sun has set, it's almost time. I'll continue telling you about Mahat's memories after I finish my business."

Looking out at the darkness of the night, Duncan spoke to Shi Yichen and the others.

What do you need me to do?

Frilian looked at Duncan with a puzzled expression.

"You're going to meet with Mahat, right?"

Shi Yichen looked at Mahat, who was standing in front of the lord's mansion inside the barrier, as if he was waiting for someone. There was no one else in this place except Duncan; they had only arrived here today.

“That’s right, every day at this time, I negotiate with that guy who lives in Golden Country.”

Duncan nodded and said.

"Negotiation with the demons?"

Frillie looked at Duncan as if he were an idiot. A mage who had dealt with demons for decades was actually thinking of negotiating with them. She really didn't know what he was thinking.

"Indeed, negotiating with the demons is simply a waste of time."

Duncan certainly knew what Frillian meant. Doing such a thing was indeed foolish; demons were beasts that could not be communicated with.

"Since you know that, you should also understand that it's impossible to succeed."

Frillie looked at Duncan speechlessly. Had he become senile?

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’ll try even the smallest possibility.”

Duncan stated very firmly that he had to do this in order to restore the golden city and for the land his late wife loved so dearly.

"What a great love story!"

Shi Yichen sighed.

"So, what was your purpose in negotiating with Mahat?"

Frillian asked Duncan, "It can't just be a casual chat over tea, can it?"

"My goal is to restore the Golden City to its former state. Defeating Mahat is certainly important, but if doing so cannot restore the Golden City, then it is meaningless."

Duncan walked to the window and looked at the Golden City shrouded in a barrier not far away. There were many things to consider before defeating Mahat.

"I see, this is really troublesome."

Shi Yichen, Frilian, and Philen all understood the meaning behind Duncan's words: if they killed Mahat but the Golden City was not restored, then everything they had done would have been in vain.

Only one person doesn't understand...

"What do you mean? Isn't it true that the Golden City will be restored as long as we defeat Mahat?"

Shutar looked at Shi Yichen and the others with a puzzled expression. In his understanding, as long as Mahat was killed, the Golden City would automatically recover.

It's understandable that Shutark, being just a warrior who doesn't understand magic, would have such thoughts.

"After a spellcaster dies, the form in which their magic exists depends on the characteristics of that magic. Some magic is dispelled after the spellcaster dies, while some magic continues to exist."

Barrier magic is a good example; the barrier magic set up by the great mage Flame still remains effective to this day.

It seems the magic that turns everything into gold exists even after the caster dies.

Frillie quickly understood why Duncan wanted to negotiate with Mahat. Mahat was to be killed, but only if Duncan could remove the spell that turned everything into gold in the Golden Land.

"That's right. Even if the method to restore the Golden City really exists, only Mahat himself knows it."

That guy understood this perfectly well; Mahat would never undo the gold-ification here, so I wouldn't just kill him like that. Mahat knew exactly how valuable his life was.

Duncan was also helpless about this. Mahat was right in front of him, but he couldn't attack him and could only keep negotiating with Mahat.

"It's almost like having someone as a hostage in our hands."

This was the first time Philen had encountered something like this. Even though he had enough strength to defeat Mahat, he couldn't attack it.

"So, all this time you've been insisting on meaningless conversations in order to achieve the almost impossible ideal of restoring the Golden City."

In Frilian's view, Duncan's actions were meaningless. If he could really be restored, he would have been restored decades ago. Moreover, talking to the demons was pointless in the first place.

"That's the situation. I'll be right back."

Duncan knew this, of course, but he didn't want to give up any opportunity, no matter how small it was.

"Yichen, is that alright?"

Frilian looked at Shi Yichen beside her and asked in a low voice.

"It's a bit troublesome, but it'll do."

Shi Yichen smiled and nodded. Although the gold here had been there for decades, Mahat's magic of turning everything into gold had frozen everyone here at the moment when Mahat activated the magic.

In other words, those who were turned to gold by Mahat are still alive, they've just been turned to gold, and they can all come back to life once the magic is removed.

"Ah That's good."

Frillie nodded silently. If Mahat didn't take the initiative to use magic, Shi Yichen would have to make the move. Once Shi Yichen did, Mahat wouldn't be needed anymore.

"Duncan, can we also participate in today's conversation with Mahathir?"

Having received Shi Yichen's affirmative answer, Frilian looked at Duncan and said, "If possible, we can deal with Mahat tonight."

Is it safe to do this?

Shutark asked worriedly from the side, after all, that was a demon even stronger than Frilian, and there was no magic to counter it.

“If I just tell Mahat that you are my friends, he probably won’t do anything, but that’s just my guess.”

Duncan looked at Shi Yichen and the others and said that Mahat would not attack him, but he didn't know whether he would attack Shi Yichen and the others.

"We'd like to meet with Mahathir to confirm some things."

Shi Yichen and Frilian looked at Duncan and said that they just wanted to go in and take a look, and also meet with Mahat while they were at it.

"I understand, let's go together then."

Duncan glanced at Shi Yichen and nodded. If she went, Mahat might voluntarily undo the magic that turns everything into gold.

"You two can stay here."

Frilian looked at Philon and Shutark and said, "It's not good if too many people go."

"We want to go too!"

Philon and Shutark stood up together and said.

"Are you sure? Shutark is shaking."

Frilian looked at Hugh Tarek's frantically trembling hands and said, "It's clear that Hugh Tarek is terrified."

"Frilian, you know I've always been particularly good at running away, right? If anything really happens, I'll carry all of you and run away together."

Shutark said very firmly that it would be even more perfect if his hands didn't shake.

"That's making a mountain out of a molehill. We have no intention of causing trouble for it. Nothing will happen; it's just a simple conversation."

Frilian smiled and said to Hugh Tarker, "We're here to offer some kind words of advice; it's up to Mahat to see if he knows what's good for him."