All seven Archmages' faces darkened.
What was magic?
That was a question Mages only ever asked when teaching outsiders who had never encountered magic or knew nothing about it. Yet Xu Yi was now asking these seven Archmages, who stood at the very pinnacle of the magical world. It was tantamount to insulting them to their faces.
They had assumed that Xu Yi had appeared and gathered them together because he wanted a ceasefire, intending to discuss concrete measures with them as the Archmages representing all the Mages of the Two Great Empires. They had never expected those to be the first words out of his mouth, and they immediately felt offended.
Had they not been mindful of the current situation on the battlefield, all seven Archmages would probably have stormed off without another word.
"President Xu, what do you mean by that?" an Archmage from the Malo Empire asked coldly, his face grim. "Don't think that mastering a few little tricks gives your Xinfei Merchant Guild the right to be so arrogant."
"Little tricks?" Xu Yi laughed. "If that is still how you see things, then all I can say is that I'm very disappointed."
"Enough, President Xu. If you have something to say, say it. Stop beating around the bush." Another Archmage from the Malo Empire waved impatiently. "I admit that, as things stand, even all of us Archmages together can do nothing to your Xinfei Merchant Guild. But there's no need to humiliate us like this. It serves no purpose."
The Archmages from the Malo Empire all looked extremely displeased. The three from the Candel Empire, however, had only looked grim at first. They now seemed thoughtful and did not join in the rebukes directed at Xu Yi.
"You consider this humiliation?" Xu Yi shrugged. "I don't.