Among mages on the Sains Continent, prying into another mage's private magic research was a serious taboo. Such research was regarded as that mage's precious private property, and asking about it without permission could almost be considered a provocation.
But that also depended on the circumstances.
When an archmage like Arista asked a mere Level Seven Mage like Akali about magic, the mages of the Sains Continent would not consider it provocative or offensive. On the contrary, they would certainly find it a great honor.
After all, archmages stood at the very pinnacle of the Sains Continent's magical community. For low-rank mages, even meeting one was an honor, let alone being consulted by one on questions of magic.
Thus, when Archmage Arista said he hoped to seek Akali's advice, he was fully confident that she would be delighted to agree.
Yet he had never imagined that Akali would refuse him outright!
Archmage Arista froze for a moment, then looked somewhat embarrassed. He could only give a dry chuckle and wave his hand. "All right, that was presumptuous of me. Miss Akali, please pretend I never asked."
Akali also paused, then realized what had happened. She hurriedly waved both hands and said with a smile, "Your Excellency Arista, please don't misunderstand. It isn't that I'm unwilling to discuss these questions with you. These things are currently confidential information belonging to the Xinfei Merchant Guild. Without the president's approval, I can't disclose them to anyone. Please understand."
"Confidential information belonging to the Xinfei Merchant Guild?" Archmage Arista was somewhat surprised. "But isn't this a magic array you developed yourself? Then it ought to belong to you."
"No, this magic array was developed by me..." Akali gestured at the researchers from the Magic Research Institute around her. "And the members of my team