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Age of Adepts c1-1513

Page 192

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼


  The cost and time investment of such a teleportation array might have been acceptable if it was used for communications and supply during peaceful times. However, this was far too slow and expensive if it was to be used in planar wars, where time was a crucial resource!

  An additional wave of reinforcements sent one day earlier to the battlefield could drastically alter the outcome of a cruel and bloody planar battle. If the teleportation took too long, the forward base could potentially be toppled by locals using their numerical advantage. All of the previous investments would then have been for nothing.

  A more terrifying possibility was that of the clan adepts being stranded in the other plane.

  This would be a massive blow that no clan would be able to bear!

  Take the Sarubo Clan for example. Even though they obtained the final victory in the war, they lost plenty of adepts in the process. In every plane, this strained the human resources they had to their very limits, resulting in the headquarter’s instability in the World of Adepts.

  Truthfully, if it hadn't been for the timely return of Keoghan, Greem, and the other adepts, the Sarubo Clan might have lost thirty percent of its territories before stabilizing the situation. These losses could have been regained with the gradual strengthening of the clan afterward, but the clan would be weakened by the loss of these lands in the meantime.

  If the Sarubo Clan had owned spacestones at the start of the war, there wouldn't have been a need for a war tower. With a spacestone, they could have constructed an interplanar transportation array anywhere they wanted, and all of their military forces and supply lines could have been constantly transported into the other plane.

  By the time they were discovered, they would already have had a massive army of voodoo beasts and a group of well-prepared adepts.

  A teleportation array constructed using spacestones was able to absorb the spatial energies from the space around it and reduce their reliance on magic crystals. This would save a lot of money for an adept clan.

  On the other hand, it was precisely this quality of the spacestones that made them a necessary strategic resource for any clan with plane-invading ambitions. The appearance of a single spacestone would cause a massive conflict. All of the adept clans would furiously clash with each other as they tried their best to bring the spacestone into their possession. This was why very few of them were owned by individual adepts.

  This precious resource would be grabbed by large clans and organizations the moment it appeared. Small clans had no chance of securing one.

  As such, even the Byron clan adepts were shocked when they heard Randolph's exclamation. All of them looked at the grey stone in Greem's hand.

  This was a spacestone? Didn’t it look a little too unremarkable for how important it was supposed to be?!

  Greem shook the grey stone slightly while everyone was still frozen in surprise and doubt. An odd silver trail appeared where the stone passed by. Slight spatial distortions appeared around the stone as well.

  The adepts were utterly shocked now!

  To so easily distort space without the aid of spells or arrays. As expected of the famous spacestone!

  All the adepts betrayed an expression of greed and pity after getting over their shock.

  An exceptional resource indeed! Extremely exceptional! But why was it exposed in front of everyone in such a manner?! If only… if only they themselves were the only ones who knew about this…

  The three silver-robed executors looked at each other and instantly came to a decision.

  Adept Randolph stepped forward and shouted, "Sir Greem, as you have conducted an extremely dangerous spatial experiment within the Castle in the Sky without permission, the involved items will be confiscated under the name of the Space Committee. You can appeal to the Space Committee within three days, and the Senate will be the judge for your appeal. You can now hand over the items involved in the experiment… "

  "Hang on."

  A voice interrupted Randolph's speech. It was the red-robed Nunnally.

  "Sir Randolph, it is true that dangerous experiments are forbidden within the Castle in the Sky. Punishment is due. However, if my memory serves me right, the punishment can come in the form of a fine as long as the experiment has not harmed the safety of the Castle in the Sky or its civilians. Sir Greem is a valued guest of our clan. We of the Byron Clan are more than willing to help him pay the fine!"

  "You… " Randolph flew into a rage and glared angrily at Nunnally.

  He was an executor of the Castle in the Sky. Of course, he knew the truth of Lady Nunnally's words. If this had been any ordinary situation, he would have been willing to get into the good graces of a Second Grade adept and allow this problem to resolve itself.

  However… the issue this time involved a spacestone!

  Moreover, this particular spacestone was far larger than the standard spacestone used for the construction of an array. He would likely be censured by the Senate members if he returned without this gem.

  "Lady Nunnally, the punishment you have mentioned only applies under ordinary circumstances. The experiment involved this time was an extremely dangerous spatial experiment. This infringement cannot be settled with a fine." Randolph explained firmly. His voice was strong and powerful, betraying his determination in this issue.

  Despite this, Adept Nunnally wasn't about to give up so easily. After all, this was a spacestone hanging right before her eyes. It could bring about tremendous benefits to the clan.

  Offending the executors on the Castle in the Sky was not a very smart move, but it would be worth it if the reward was a spacestone. As long as they didn't do anything illegal in the Castle in the Sky, the executors couldn't go out of their line to strip the Byron Clan of their land either.

  She had a clear perspective on the situation right now.

  Even though these executors claimed that they could get the spacestone back with an appeal to the Silver Union, no one believed them. The spacestone would be as good as gone if it ended up in their hands.

  These dull fellows might not be all that good in a fight, but they were the absolute best at using the words and letters of the 'Sky Codex' against you. Who knew what law they would recite from that three-meter-tall Codex to confiscate this spacestone for eternity?

  Of course, they wouldn't actually rob Greem of the thing. The Senate members would surely offer a generous sum in exchange for the spacestone. That said, could whatever they offered ever measure up against the bounties of an entire lesser plane?

  Honestly, almost every single established clan or organization owned the coordinates to some planes that they had yet to conquer. The reason they hadn't conquered these planes was due to the immense losses they would have had to suffer in a planar war.

  Every single established clan needed a period of accumulation. It was only when they had sufficient supplies and fresh blood that they would consider engaging in a planar war.

  The only reason someone wouldn't eat a delicacy placed in front of them was if they feared choking!

  The existence of a spacestone would allow them to sneak into a plane and secretly construct a transportation array. Large troops of clan adepts and soldiers would pour into the plane before the natives could even react.

  Would a lesser plane have any chance of resisting when that happened?

  The construction of a single array and the construction of a war tower. The difference in difficulty between these two tasks decided the outcome of a planar war!

  Thus, Adept Nunnally had to try her best to obtain this spacestone.

  The benefit involved in this was far too significant for her to ignore!

  These executors might have had plenty of influence while in the Castle in the Sky, but robbery still wasn’t an option for them. Seeing that the Aerial Guards alone weren’t able to make Nunnally back down, Randolph had no option but to make another declaration. They were to bring Greem before the Senate instantly.

  The issue would have to be resolv
ed by the members of the Senate!

  The Senate was the highest authority of the Castle in the Sky. They managed and ruled over the city, with a total of ninety-seven members. Almost all of them were Third Grade adepts. Most of them were also high-grade esoteric adepts cultivated by the Silver Union. Some among their number were famous Third Grade adepts that had been hired from outside of the Union.

  The Senate Hall was one of the most important magical buildings in the Central Circle.

  The area under the Silver Union's control was extremely large. All of the human settlements in the southwest of the Continent were under its patronage. The entire territory was split into fifteen different areas and kingdoms of various sizes. A Senate member would be stationed at each and every one of these areas to manage the land.

  Moreover, the Silver Union had Senate members stationed in the territories of the Zhentarim Association, the Northern Witches, and the Adept's Association to encourage trade and communication. Consequently, ninety-seven Senate members might have sounded like an impressive number, but it wasn't nearly enough for all of the places the Union needed them in.

  Only a total of thirty to forty Senate members worked within the Castle in the Sky. Moreover, these important figures weren't constantly waiting around in the Senate Hall. Most day-to-day matters were dealt with by groups of five Senate members!

  Chapter 295

  "Your name is Greem and you come from the Sarubo Clan in the Zhentarim Association?"

  From the tall bench, a senator with the head of a rat and the body of a human raised his head. He pushed the gold-framed glasses resting on his nose upwards and looked at Greem quizzically.

  "Indeed, sir!" Greem tried to reply as calmly as he could.

  The sight of a rat in a silver robe, flat cap, and gold-framed glasses slowly flipping through the pages of a book was enough to make anyone laugh.

  But Greem didn't dare! He really didn't!

  After all, the guy might have looked ludicrous, but he was actually a Third Grade adept!

  Moreover, Greem was currently being tried as a criminal. He could very well bring more punishment upon himself with an act of disrespect like that.

  "You violated the Space Management laws during your stay in the Castle in the Sky and opened a small spatial wormhole in your attempt to access another plane without prior permission. This act of infringement brought about a certain level of threat and harm to the Castle in the Sky. Do you plead guilty to these claims?" The ratman senator Piro slowly read through the document Randolph had handed over and repeated the crimes written on it.

  "Sir, I do not deny my conducting of a spatial experiment against the rules. However, I plead innocent to the claim of my actions endangering the Castle in the Sky!" Greem couldn't help but laugh at the judicial courts of this world. Still, a lot of benefits were tied up in this trial. He resisted the urge to laugh and use logic to get himself out of this mess.

  "Do you have anything to add to Sir Greem's response?" Piro turned to ask Randolph the Executor.

  "Sir, we of the Space Committee are only acting according to the laws of the city. The defense system detected a spatial wormhole. The strength of the spatial flux is estimated to be around XXX dachs. The radius of the wormhole is one meter wide. The target area is a low-magic lesser material plane. The coordinates of the target area are somewhere between star regions 0713 and 0941. As the target area is an unknown star region, there is a possibility of contaminating the city when accessing said plane. This was why we three executors agree that Sir Greem's irresponsible actions are deserving of a harsh punishment!"

  Silver-Robed Executor Randolph's statement was firmly worded. Greem couldn't help but roll his eyes all the way back into his head when he heard Randolph speak.

  You already detected that the plane on the opposite side of the wormhole was a low-magic plane, yet you worry about an invasion? This was just being illogical!

  However, Greem had no choice but to play along with Randolph's facade. He had to keep the Transportation Tool a secret.

  "Sir, I believe Sir Randolph's accusations are far too assertive. He has no direct evidence to support his claims of…" Greem was still trying to defend himself, but Senator Piro had already banged his gavel against the table.

  "Lady Nunnally, the trial today is meant to examine Greem's act of opening a spatial wormhole without permission. Why are you present here?" Piro turned towards Nunnally.

  "Senator, Greem is a guest of the Byron Clan. He has only just obtained a victory for us in the esoteric duels. He came here in a hurry, and we of the Byron Clan didn't have the time to explain the laws of the city to him. This was why this misunderstanding has occurred. I hope the Union courts can take this into consideration when issuing the punishment. We of the Byron Clan are willing to help him bear the burden of the fine!" Nunnally clearly didn't want to lose the spacestone.

  "But that is a spacestone!" Piro might have looked like an elderly scholar, but he wasn't a stubborn man stuck in traditions. He let out a wicked grin as he brought up the key factor in this disagreement.

  "Sir Greem has committed a crime. If you wish the Silver Union to let this issue slide, you will have to hand over that spacestone. Of course, we won't be taking it or nothing. We will buy it from you at a price acceptable to both parties. On the other hand, you, Nunnally, shouldn't try to interfere with this issue any longer. I can use my authority to provide the Byron Clan with 2% of my personal assets. This will be your reward for staying out of this issue. What will it be?" Piro smiled as he shut off Nunnally's impractical fantasies of getting the spacestone.

  She hesitated for a moment before accepting. She had no other option when confronted by this pushy senator.

  Frankly, Greem's opinion didn't matter all that much now!

  All he could do was request a larger compensation to minimize his losses.

  "Speak, brat!" Pirot also seemed to be extremely satisfied by this unexpected harvest. He was in a very good mood, "What do you want as compensation?"

  Losing the spacestone was well within Greem's expectations. He put up an extremely upset and heartbroken expression as he quickly thought of the compensation.

  "Sir, I am personally interested in magical golems. I came here to the City in the Sky to gather more knowledge regarding magical golems as well as to collect the resources needed to craft such golems. I also happen to be extremely interested in golem talismans…" Greem spoke while keeping a close eye on Piro's expressions.

  Negotiations often depended on the opponent's bottom line. If he asked for too little it would be a great loss of the spacestone. Ask for too much and he might cause Piro to become upset. This was why Greem stopped speaking after mentioning the golem talisman. He could already see Piro's thin whiskers trembling at the very mention of the magical tool.

  "Golem knowledge, resources, and a golem talisman… " The senator frowned as he considered, but he soon gave a reluctant nod, "We cannot provide you with the classified high-class knowledge from the Union, but we can provide you with knowledge on the more common and generic magical golems.

  “Resources, on the other hand! I can provide you with a set of resources from our reserves. It should be enough for you to craft a total of twenty magical golems. You can choose the specific materials you want.

  “Golem talismans… this is the most troublesome request.

  “The Union forbids us from selling this strategic resource to non-Union members. That said, I do have a crude product from earlier times that does not fall within the boundaries of the Union's laws. I can give this talisman to you...

  “Of course, that is if your spacestone is worth this much!"

  Piro stroked his whiskers as he told Greem of his offer, but his eyes were already fixated on the spacestone in Greem's hand.

  Its size, its quality…

  Piro's pointy face quivered as he grabbed the spacestone. He conjured up several clouds of black smoke and struck them into the spacestone to ascertain its attributes. An
expression of surprise and joy appeared on his face after a short inspection.

  It seemed that the quality of the spacestone was far above his expectations!

  "Randolph, bring him to my adept’s tower. Give him the knowledge and resources I mentioned. He can pick what he wants. Also, brat, this is yours now!"

  A crystal talisman shaped into a brooch was thrown to Greem's hands.

  A golem talisman!

  This was a golem talisman!

  Greem suppressed his excitement and quickly put away the golem talisman. He bowed and paid his respects to Piro before following Randolph out of the court. He could tell that Randolph had some sort of special relationship with Piro. Otherwise, Piro wouldn't have specially ordered Randolph to be the one to lead Greem to the tower.

  Moreover, there were over twelve courts surrounding the circular hall, with four other Third Grade senators in the courts. Yet Randolph had specifically brought Greem to Piro's court. Greem wouldn't have believed it if there wasn't some sort of nepotism involved in this.

  …………

  Piro's adept’s tower was located in the Central Circle.

  A golem butler was already waiting on Greem and Nunnally when they arrived at the tower.

  Nunnally was smart enough to wait outside with Randolph. Only Greem went into the tower following the butler's lead.

  Perhaps because Piro didn't want Greem to have any chance of seeing through the secrets in his tower, an electric fence appeared in front of Greem immediately after he entered the tower. The electric fence split the insides of the tower into several different paths. A short-distance transportation array stood at the end of each path.

  The golem butler walked down a path of its own discretion. Greem had no choice but to follow behind.

  When the light of the array finally faded, Greem found himself in a grand and massive private library. Countless books, scrolls, and parchments were arranged on the rows of bookshelves that lined the walls of the circular room.

 

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