It was only when Greem locked the door and sealed the room with a simple magical array that he betrayed his true feelings. His face fell, and the smile was replaced with a frown. He sat on the crude wooden chair as he recalled the fight earlier.
If he had been slightly weaker, or even without his preparations in advance, all of his ambitions would have gone down the drain. He would be reduced to the terrible state of being a mating tool of the harpy witches!
A massive kingdom of over a thousand harpy witches. There didn't need to be too many adolescent witches amongst their ranks. One tenth of them would mean a hundred harpy witches waiting to mate with you. Moreover, the rate of pregnancy with adepts was never high. They were beings with extremely low rates of birth. Thus, if once wasn't enough, then twice, and thrice…
Just thinking of the nightmarish hell of being a prisoner and mating slave was enough to make Greem cringe in fear. He could feel the muscles on his face start to twitch uncontrollably. An unrestrained anger filled his heart. He was so frustrated that he just wanted to go out on a killing spree.
Greem instantly identified this as a side effect of the corruption from the abyssal aura. He didn't dare to delay. He quickly took out several vials from his belt and swallowed their contents.
These were all potions that could calm the nerves and suppress his emotions. Even though drinking them in large doses would cause certain side effects, Greem knew his emotions were running out of control, and was not going to fret over some insignificant consequences.
Perhaps the accident in the harpy's territory hadn't been an accident, but a premeditated attack. This was why the battleship's journey was unusually smooth and unobstructed after the harpies had succeeded in their abduction. The adepts quickly and successfully left from the harpy kingdom.
Fifteen days later, the floating battleship passed by the territory of the Forest Spirits.
Both parties clashed in a tremendous fight, and the battleship managed to charge through the place, suffering some damage in the process.…
One month later, the floating battleship passed through the Frost Giant's territory.
Once more, they were able to forcefully make their way across using the resilient defenses of the ship…
Two months later, the battleship was attacked by a large flock of thunder rocs at the final danger zone along their flight path.
The defensive barrier had even been breached twice.
Two adepts died before they managed to drive away the enemies…
Finally, on the seventy second day since the adepts boarded the floating battleship, they passed through the Black Forest. They had finally arrived in the territory controlled by the Silver Union.
The floating battleship dragged its broken body across the sky, slowly cruising out of the Black Forest.
Greem stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the plains in the distance. The everlasting stretch of black was slowly fading away, replaced by the long-awaited green plains and brown earth.
A tall adept’s tower stood silently in the horizon. The striking brilliance of magical arrays flowed along the length of its structure. Several magical ripples scanned the entire area. A small watchtower had been placed every few kilometers along the edge of the Black Forest. A weak magical flux could be felt emanating from them.
The massive adept’s tower and the smaller watchtowers worked together, forming a defensive web to protect this land that humans so desperately needed to survive.
Several black shadows appeared in the distant skies, as if they had discovered the ship.
A group of adepts riding on gigantic eagles were hurrying over!
The Silver Union adept appeared in front of everyone once again. He announced loudly and excitedly, "My friends that have come from faraway places, and journeyed over such long distances, welcome to the territories of the Silver Union.
"The Silver Union welcomes your arrival!"
Chapter 278
The adepts flew for another seventy kilometers before arriving at the first city under the rule of the Silver Union– Sigma City.
As one of only two entrances into the Silver Union's territory, the magnificence and liveliness of Sigma City was beyond compare. Even adepts from prestigious clans in the central area would drop all their arrogance and pride and use their utmost effort to learn of all the rules and regulations within the Silver Union's territory.
Greem had gained a basic understanding of the situation on the way here.
The Silver Union's territory stood at the west coast of the continent, and there was one group of individuals you should never offend while you were here. The silver-robed Union adepts.
Of course, if you were confident in your ability to kill a silver-robed adept without being discovered... Greem saw plenty of those small watchtowers along the way. There were also numerous mysterious spherical constructs patrolling in the air.
All of these appeared to be part of a massive security system.
It was pure fantasy to even dream of killing a silver-robed adept without being discovered.
With the help of divination magic and image replaying magic, the murderer would easily be identified as long as a single clue was left behind!
The best way to ensure your own safety and prosperity here was to avoid conflict with the silver robes.
The second group of individuals that one shouldn't provoke were the esoteric adepts. It didn't matter how broke or how bad they appeared to be faring.
The Silver Union was an organization formed from a group of esoteric adepts. The silver-robed adepts were the executors of the Union, while the esoteric adepts were the very foundation of the Union. This was why the esoteric adepts had incomparable status within the territories of the Silver Union. There was already obvious oppression and bias against adepts of other branches.
Fortunately the authorities of the Silver Union weren't short-sighted fools. They would often take the side of the esoteric adepts in cases of conflicts and tensions between adepts. However, they would always ensure that the talented adepts of other branches were still well-treated and given due respect.
The floating ship finally ended its journey at Sigma City.
Travel within the safe territories was usually carried out using the smaller flying ships. The flying battleship was reserved solely for the journey through the Black Forest.
The adepts quickly went their own ways after they got off the ship.
Everyone had their own distinct reason for coming to the west coast. Even though they all had to visit the Castle in the Sky eventually, it was still a twenty day trip from Sigma City. Thus everyone went on their own ways, on their own errands as they headed towards the Castle in the Sky.
The Byron Clan also had an outpost here in Sigma City. However, the outpost was located in the west side of the city. Greem and Angus would have to walk through half of the city to make their way there.
Greem could see that Adept Angus was in a hurry. It seemed he was desperate to reach the outpost for an update on the situation. Greem, on the other hand, wanted to observe the local culture. After all, this was his first time in a territory controlled by one of the massive adept organizations.
The two had a quick discussion. Adept Angus settled on a meeting spot before hurrying to the outpost with the few clan members he had brought with him.
Greem, Alice, and Snorlax were left alone.
This was a completely different city. A unique city.
There were no towering walls around the city, or massive watchtowers built around its perimeters. Its streets were neat and orderly and its buildings were tall, large, and made of marble. Apprentice adepts wearing short grey robes were everywhere in the streets, along with muscular mercenaries and adventures.
However the loaded carts and carriages were even more numerous. There were also merchants, warriors, wanderers and civilians in the crowd.
Perhaps due to the humid and warm weather, most of the locals wore clothes made of thin and light cloth.
They dressed in an extremely colorful fashion. All of their clothes were dyed in bright colors: white, red, blue, yellow, and so many more. The ordinary humans were wearing long sleeved tunics, loose pants, and leather boots. Their expressions were relaxed and joyful, unlike the dull and depressed expressions that the citizens of other human settlements so often wore on their faces.
Every so often, Greem would see some adepts walking through the streets, their massive stone golems and steel statues rumbling behind them. The crowd made way for them as they passed, but none of them seemed especially fearful of the adepts.
The adepts here seemed to have integrated with the civilians. There wasn't much mystery or obvious difference in class between the two parties.
If Greem was to give an evaluation of his own, Zhentarim was extremely large and rich in resources. However, there were too many clans within Zhentarim, causing countless conflicts and battles throughout the years. Even after the formation of a loose alliance of the clans, the ability of the Zhentarim Association was still limited. They could not restrain the clans or execute any of their laws in an efficient manner. There wasn't much they could do.
It was much different here.
This was a territory ruled and owned solely by the Silver Union. This was why law and order was very well upheld here. No outsiders dared to challenge to authority of the Silver Union here!
Moreover, the Silver Union's policy of welcoming travellers and encouraging trade resulted in a huge influx of outside adepts and elites. The arrival of these talents undoubtedly accelerated the speed at which knowledge and resources gathered about the Silver Union.
This place was clearly much more lively and much more peaceful when compared to the Zhentarim area!
Greem's tall figure of two meters in height was a curious sight when compared to two tiny fellows who were only one meter in height. They drew plenty of gazes as they walked down the street. However anyone that dared to come close to Greem would instantly feel an aura pressing upon them. This was the calm, wise and ruthless aura unique to adepts, as well as mental suppression from a being above them on the food chain.
Greem looked silently at the crowd as they panicked and hurriedly made way for him. The apprentice adepts were also looking over with expressions of shock. He was a little speechless at their reaction. In the end, he silently retracted his aura and tried his best to suppress his mental flux.
He was far too used to living in the Zhentarim area. He didn't need to consider the effect of his mental suppression when he went out in public. Greem still retained his beliefs from his previous life, and believed that all life was equal. He wouldn't ever treat the ordinary mortals as livestock and servants. However, the arrogant and prideful attitude of the adepts had subtly shifted his attitude as well.
In comparison, the Silver Union had intentionally created a much more equal societal atmosphere. This was a superior decision when compared to the Zhentarim Association, as so many more elite and talented individuals were still able to demonstrate their abilities, even though they weren't adepts. If Greem had the freedom of choice, he genuinely believed the environment in the Silver Union would be far more suited for him!
"Are we just going to stand here all day?" Alice tiptoed and tried her best to see over the crowd. She appeared to be extremely excited to go touring around the city, "That place seems really lively!"
Snorlax also spotted some creatures of other races mixed within the crowd. These were either the servants of adepts, or humanoid creatures that had obtained proper citizenship. They mingled with the apprentices, warriors, and the mercenaries, chatting happily as they carried the corpses of several magical creatures on their backs. They walked into store after store and arcane shop after arcane shop, trying their best to sell their spoils of war from hunting.
Greem cautiously removed Snorlax’s Spell of Concealment and he went back to his appearance of a goblin.
He stood in the crowd and looked at the people's reaction to him. It was only when he saw that no one was disgusted or shocked that Snorlax was able to let out a sigh of relief. For the first time in his life, he would be able to puff his chest and stand up straight. He was finally able to show his true appearance in a human city ruled by an adept with no fear for how he was treated.
"I love this place!" Snorlax screamed frantically at the bottom of his heart.
Greem felt the passion and joy from his two followers and couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he shook his head. The three of them quickly made their way into the crowd once more.
Having retracted and suppressed his mental flux, Greem looked just like a young noble with an extraordinary temperament. He was handsome and charming. Even without the suppression from his Spirit, his two-meter tall body was still an intimidating sight. All the pedestrians would naturally make way wherever he walked. No one dared to stand in his way.
Greem's gaze wandered about the shops by the side of the road as he walked.
A florist, tailor, grocery store, leather dealer, pharmacist, a pet store…
Greem even saw an interesting shop on the way. Tolson's Lost and Found. It was a small business that helped citizens find their lost possessions using divination magic. The owner of the store was an advanced apprentice. Clearly he was looking to use his magical talents to earn a little pocket money!
The florist shops, on the other hand, didn't sell ordinary flowers. It wasn't roses, tulips, or blue lilies that they sold. Rather, the products they offered were adept resources. These were things like Glowmoon Flowers, Solar Flowers, Golden Ginseng, and Dragonbone Grass. These plants were either useful for apprentices' meditation, cultivating and improving bloodline powers, or were just common materials used by potions apprentices…
The tailor’s also sold apprentice and adept robes with special magical enhancements. They even sold some adept storage tools within their shops.
The leather dealers bought the corpses and skins of magical creatures from the adventurers or apprentices. They also paid for the blood, bones, and flesh of these magical creatures.
The flesh of magical creatures was imbued with elementium. As long as the poison could be extracted from their flesh, the meat would be a perfect magic-infused material for cooking. The bones could be carved into simple decorative ornaments and accessories with the proper work put in. These accessories would have certain magical powers.
While adepts would never need such weak items, they were considered precious and valuable objects by apprentices and the nobles.
Greem finally understood, after a walk through the streets with Alice and Snorlax. As the eastern entrance into the Black Forest, Sigma City only sold resources targeted at the middle class. Ordinary citizens would never be able to afford these items.
Greem shook his head in pity after a quick tour.
These resources might be useful for Alice, but they were too ordinary and common for a true adept. It seemed there was probably a particular place where adepts went to trade when they were looking for resources.
Greem turned and looked at the massive adept's tower standing at the center of the city. He turned to leave some simple instructions with Alice and tossed a magic crystal card her way. Greem then left Alice and Snorlax to their own devices as he headed in another direction.
Chapter 279
It was a necessity to gather local knowledge wherever you went.
This was almost an instinct engraved into the souls of each and every adept!
Even though it might not be possible to get his hands on any rare or unique knowledge, Greem would be happy to collect any knowledge on the west coast and its cities.
The flying ship going onwards to the Castle in the Sky arrived on their second day in Sigma City.
Having experienced the local culture within the Silver Union, Greem and the others set out towards the holy city of the esoteric adepts– the Castle in the Sky.
Night.
Greem was draped in a black robe. He sat by his table, continuously writing
on a scroll with a white quill in his hand. It seemed he was calculating something. Countless symbols, formulas, and numbers filled the parchment. Blue light gleamed within his black eyes as his quill continued to scratch against the parchment. It was clear that the chip was also calculating something at a very high speed.
In honesty, most of the calculations and deductions were completed by the chip. Greem's job was organizing and writing out the numbers that the chip output. He then used these numbers as a foundation and started considering his future development.
His sense and control over the other elementium particles had gradually weakened after he chose fire mastery. Yet at the same time this allowed his fire spells to have more room for improvement.
It didn't matter whether it was the range of the Fire Teleportation, or the splash damage of the Magma Fireball, or the core damage of Fire Core Explosion. All of his spells had reached the very limits that his Spirit could allow. The one hundred and fifteen points of fire damage that the Fire Core Explosion could output was already at the very limits of what First Grade adepts could usually do. Most ordinary adepts could only do between eighty to a hundred damage with their spells. Those who could do above a hundred were so few they could almost be counted with two hands.
A system of fire spells quickly built up within the data library as the chip continued to expand the amount of knowledge it had. Greem vaguely saw the path forward, and the path to self improvement, with the gradual deciphering and inclusion of the otherworldly runes to his powers.
According to the chip's calculations, Greem's use of his powers in past combat had been extremely inefficient. It was almost the most inefficient way he could have used them. Regardless of whether it was his spells, or the exponential increase in Physique brought about by his Flame Fiend Transformation, Greem had never been able to bring out their might to its fullest.
Rather, they existed in a state of extreme waste and inefficiency!
Greem would always choose a different style of combat depending on his enemy. The long-ranged elementium adept style, the magic-enhanced melee combat style, or using both together.
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