Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

Most of the books flowed with the brilliance of magical protections. They appeared to be connected to the defense system of the library itself. Numerous odd fairies wove around the shelves. They seemed to be performing maintenance and management on the books.

  Naturally, these fairies weren't living beings either. They were living golems that had been created with the use of some unknown unique material.

  "The master wants a set of generic Second Grade golem knowledge prepared for this person." The golem butler's voice was metallic and mechanical, but the words were clearly pronounced.

  The roomful of fairies instantly started to flutter about upon receiving their orders. They quickly flew from shelf to shelf and picked out books with their slender arms.

  Soon, a two-meter-tall and three-meter-wide mountain of books piled up before Greem.

  Chapter 296

  An entire two hours later, Greem exited Piro's adept tower.

  Adept Nunnally stared at Greem as she calmly spoke to him on the way back to the outpost, "If you still have spacestones in your possession, the Byron Clan will be willing to buy it from you at an extremely high price. We won't disappoint you!"

  Despite how composed he usually was, even Greem almost panicked at how intensely she gazed gazing at him. Still, he was able to keep up the facade. He smiled awkwardly as he said, "My Lady, that spacestone was a spoil of war from the planar war I have just returned from. It's only because I was unfamiliar with its attributes that I conducted such a reckless experiment. You have already seen the outcome… "

  Greem betrayed an expression of regret after saying that.

  Adept Nunnally calmly looked at Greem, only shifting her gaze away after a long period of time. She fell silent.

  The atmosphere became slightly awkward.

  When they finally returned to the outpost, they found that the place had returned to its usual peace.

  The squad of soldiers from the Aerial Guards had already retreated, and the outpost had returned to normal. Even the damaged grounds had been restored by the stationed adepts.

  The resources promised by Piro might have seemed insignificant, but they were enough to stuff the Byron Clan to its fullest. With these riches, they could easily develop the best store in the Twelfth District. This was why Nunnally instantly gathered all the clan adepts upon returning. They had to discuss and make arrangements for their future developments.

  Of course, Nunnally would privately consult Adept Angus. She would grill him for the details on Greem. Some of the intelligence done on Greem would also be spread across the Continent through secretive means.

  Still, this was a futile effort. The speed at which Greem had risen to prominence limited the spread of his fame. Most Zhentarim clans probably had yet to hear his name. Even Greem's infamous title of the Flame Demon had only started spreading through the areas around Feidnan City.

  It was hard for anyone who tried to get more information on Greem.

  After all, with the fall of the swamp tower, all of his apprentice companions from the past had died. Everything that happened there was covered by the dust of time and age.

  Greem, on the other hand, had no additional strength to consider the Byron Clan's attitude towards him.

  He returned to his room the moment he got back to the outpost. He ordered Snorlax into his room and the two had a secret discussion.

  Once the shining magical defenses surrounded his room, Greem turned and glared at Snorlax. He spoke with a severe tone, "Speak! What did you get from putting me into so much trouble this time?"

  However, Greem was immediately shocked by what Snorlax showed him.

  Blueprints for a Magic Mecha!

  A sample of the Magic Cannon and a corresponding blueprint!

  Seven elementium cores of high purity!

  Greem ignored Snorlax as blue light gleamed in his eyes. The chip scanned the blueprints as fast as it could and quickly constructed a model in Greem's mind based on the information.

  Soon, a massive and clumsy mechanical construct appeared. It was a hundred meters tall and radiated a terrifying magical brilliance. The ferocious sounds of an energy motor rumbled in Greem's mind.

  It relied on its tough body and overpowering weight to crush the enemies.

  When such a large machine trampled through an army of mortal men, just the sound of it crushing bones beneath its feet was enough to demoralize the enemy. However, mortal men were the only enemies it could fight. It was hopeless to dream of using such 'trash' to fight against an adept. A simple Swamp spell would be enough to cripple it.

  However, even the Magic Mecha wasn't completely useless. There was value in researching the energy barrier protecting its core as well as its method of utilizing 'magical energies'.

  It was clear that the Goblin Empire had no complete magical system. The goblins themselves were likely a population that had no magical abilities whatsoever. They lacked the ability to utilize elementium energy themselves and thus turned to the merging of elementium energies with mechanical constructs.

  No wonder they called this gigantic mechanical giant a Magic Mecha. This was practically the Gundam of another plane. The difference between this machine and the animated statues of the World of Adepts was the energy used to power it. Contrary to the mysterious arrays and runes used in those statues, this machine relied solely on the usage of elementium energies in a mechanical construct.

  A magical machine!

  Mm! Magical Machine was the name that best suited its properties!

  After comprehending this machine from the Goblin Empire, Greem quickly turned his attention to the books he had just obtained from Piro. He scanned the information from them and quickly constructed a data library from the new knowledge.

  From a fundamental perspective, the magical machine was somewhat related to the animated statue of the World of Adepts.

  Both of these creations used their massive bodies and impenetrable shells to crush their enemies.

  The difference was that a living mechanical heart existed within animated statues. This gave them elementary intelligence. They could function after receiving some simple orders from their creators.

  Magical machines, on the other hand, were only machines. They might possess fantastical magic energies as their power source, but they had no autonomy of intelligence to speak of. They could only function if an intelligent being was controlling them.

  The core of the animated statue was the mechanical heart, while the core of the magical machine was a small control platform.

  This was perhaps the only difference between the two!

  The Magic Cannon was, strictly speaking, a method of utilizing magical energy. It was able to draw out energies stored within magic crystals and fire the purest form of energy.

  After loading the Cannon with a fire elementium crystal, its attacks resembled those of magical fireballs. The goblins called these fireballs 'energy napalms'. If it was loaded with ice elementium crystals, it fired freezing rays. Loaded with electric elementium crystals, it would turn into a taser. Loaded with negative energy crystals, it would fire corrosion rays…

  These goblins might not have had any talent at casting, but they were extremely skilled at the harnessing of energies. Greem did a simple calculation. Even an ordinary Magic Cannon would be able to do shocking single target damage of between 20 to 30 points of damage.

  This was slightly lower when compared to adepts, who could easily fire magical attacks of up to a hundred points of damage.

  However, Magic Cannons were not magical tools. They didn't need to be used by adepts with an elementium affinity. The Cannon was a simplified elementium crystal launcher. Even an ordinary person could instantly possess the strength of an advanced apprentice the moment they obtained this weapon.

  The goblins weren't idiots either. There was no way they sold their most powerful weapons to Snorlax. If this Magic Cannon was just their most basic magic-powered weapon, then they only needed to innovate and create a magic-powered weapon that
could deal a hundred points of damage in a single shot. In doing so, they would be able to instantly equip all their citizens with firepower equivalent to that of adepts.

  The Cannon’s cooldown was fairly short. It fired one shot every five seconds. This allowed them to fire at an incomparable rate when they faced off against adept apprentices.

  Ten ugly goblins equipped with these Magic Cannons could easily crush a group of ten apprentice adepts armed to the teeth. If magic-powered weapons were spread throughout their entire population, the strength of the Goblin Plane would be enough to rival those of mid-sized planes.

  Greem's mad thoughts were quickly dismissed by the chip. The reason provided by the chip was a logical one as well.

  The Goblin Empire could not possibly reach a level envisioned by Greem. The main factor restricting their growth was the lack of elementium crystals.

  Their success and innovation might have come from the limitations of the low-magic world they lived in, but it was the same low-magic world that held them back!

  It was precisely because of the low-magic environment they lived in that they lacked magical talents. This forced them to go down the path of magical-machine technology. However, the magical-machine technology required a massive energy source if it was to rapidly develop!

  The low-magic Goblin Plane couldn't possibly possess large elementium crystal reserves. Thus, the development of their magical-machine technology required an alternate source of energy. Greem actually had high hopes for the Goblin Empire's development when he thought about it from this perspective.

  As long as they were able to solve the problem of an energy source, they could easily rely on their usage of magic-powered weapons and machines to rapidly rise into a powerhouse of the multiverse.

  Honestly, even Greem felt that conquering the world wouldn't be a problem if he was able to gain control of this group of goblins. However, it was nearly impossible for him to suppress these wild goblins before he obtained absolute power. He had to wait in patience.

  Once his own powers increased, and the influence and military strength he held reached a level capable of dealing with a planar war, he would consider invading and conquering this Goblin Empire.

  With this understanding, Greem encouraged and consoled Snorlax. He even set aside a batch of resources and money for Snorlax to use for continued communication with the goblins of the other world. However, Greem made a rule for Snorlax to follow. This was to avoid excessive strengthening of the Goblin Plane.

  He made a list of items that could be traded and items that were forbidden from trade.

  Greem asked Snorlax to attract Gazlowe with continuous trading but to never allow this savage wolf to evolve into a ferocious tiger. Every item involved in the trade had to be vetted by Greem before the actual trade.

  Of course, Snorlax agreed to Greem's requests.

  Trust, pride, dignity, and loyalty to his race were completely irrelevant in Snorlax's eyes. His only priority was getting into the good graces of his master. Selling his race to his master? As long as the price was right, he would gladly do it in the blink of an eye and with a wide grin on his face!

  Moral dilemmas and guilt? My greatest apologies. Snorlax would never possess such unnecessary emotions for even the slightest second.

  Chapter 297

  The moon climbed up the horizon once more. Cold and desolate moonlight pierced through layers of mist and shone into the Mushroom Cottage.

  Alice leaned against the cauldron, which was glowing scarlet from the fire beneath it. Despair, sorrow, and numbness were the only things that filled her bloodshot eyes!

  Crying, begging, cursing, swearing…

  She had already done everything within her abilities over these past few days.

  However, it didn't matter whether she put on a facade or wore her heart on her sleeve. The old witch remained as resolute and stubborn as before and completely ignored Alice's pleas. The only thing that the old witch would do was stand upon her tall stool as she stirred the mixture in the cauldron with a massive wooden spoon. She would mumble and mutter some nonsensical stories under her breath as she did so.

  The accursed python was still waiting above the lid of the cauldron. Every time Alice tried to escape, it would appear in a timely manner and force her back into the cauldron.

  A gloomy swamp, a scary cottage, an ugly witch, and a chilling python…

  All of this sounded like a dark and fantastical fairy tale!

  However, to Alice, these things only meant an intolerable amount of suffering and torture.

  She couldn't sleep, nor did she dare try.

  Every time she fell asleep, the spatial barrier around the surface of her body would vanish and the only thing that awaited her was the boiling brew. The pale, smooth skin on her small body would be scalded. Blisters and wounds would instantly cover her body.

  And when she screamed and writhed inside the cauldron, the old witch would hurry over in excitement, regardless of where she was. The witch would then ladle out a spoonful of the blood-red brew and drink it immediately. In her own words, brew soaked in Alice's blood always had a taste of fate mixed within!

  The only thing Alice could do was stay awake. She used every fiber of strength in her body to resist the weariness she felt. When she felt like she was no longer able to carry on, she would silently dispel the spatial barrier around her left hand and allow the heart-piercing pain to wash over her skin. It was only through such action that she was able to stop the weariness from consuming her.

  After the last couple of days, her left hand had been completely scalded. Not an inch of it was left untouched. Thick purple-black scars and bruises were layered upon her skin. New burns kept being inflicted before old wounds could be healed.

  Alice barely managed to hold out during the last two days by doing so.

  When Greem's tall figure finally appeared at the cottage, her Spirit was already on the verge of breaking! She was nearly unconscious and completely numb to all external stimuli. Surprisingly, even under such circumstances, she still maintained a thin layer of spatial barrier around her to protect her body from the boiling brew.

  Greem's Flame Fiend Heart jumped intensely when he saw the terrible state Alice was in. For a moment, the seal was almost undone as the flames of anger spread across his body.

  "Ten days have passed; I will be leaving with Alice!" Greem coldly spat out these words. He reached into the boiling cauldron and quickly carried Alice out of the water.

  Two clusters of flame burned in Greem's pitch-black eyes when he saw Alice's wounded left hand, and the blisters left all over her body. He used the last vestiges of his rationality to suppress his anger and marched out of the cottage with Alice in his arms.

  Oddly enough, the short old witch only smiled as she looked upon all this. She did not interfere or interrupt Greem's actions.

  It wasn't until Greem's tall figure had been completely obscured by the mist that she put dropped the smile and let out a haunting shriek, reminiscent of a nightingale.

  "Fate! Fate! Fate… "

  …………

  When Alice finally woke up, she found herself in a clean and neat room.

  The decoration was simple and basic.

  A single bed, a chair, a brown desk; this was all the furniture there was.

  A towering figure sat before the wooden desk, silently reading his books.

  Alice turned under the soft sheets. She could feel that she was naked from the smooth feeling of the cloth against her skin. A cooling sensation came from the wounds all over her body. It mixed with the stinging pain and caused unbearable itches on her skin.

  Alice raised her left hand. The several layers of white cloth wrapped around it had practically turned it into a dumpling. She put her hand against her nose and sniffed. She could smell styptic cream and skin regenerating ointment.

  Her tongue was bitter and numb. She opened her mouth and found a Leaf of Life in it.

  Hmph! Throwing me to that old
witch without a second word. Now you want to use these little tricks to gain my favor back? You wish!

  For some reason, Alice's tears streaked down her cheek uncontrollably, even though she was being dismissive of Greem's care.

  With the sharp senses of an adept, not a single bit of commotion, no matter how minor, would escape his notice.

  Greem's tall figure had already appeared at the bedside when Alice started crying. He bent down and looked at her.

  “Do your wounds still hurt?"

  "Mm!"

  "I have already applied ointments for you. You should be able to completely recover in two or three days with your Physique. There won't be any obvious scars!"

  "Mm!"

  An awkward silence fell over the two after the simple conversation.

  They had both been apprentice adepts once. They had both crawled and clawed their way up from the very bottom. They had experienced all manner of fearsome suffering. In comparison, the torture this time wasn't necessarily the worst. It didn't matter which apprentice adept they were. All of them had to shoulder this pain on their own. No one would share the agony with them, even if their blood ran dry and their tears were exhausted.

  This was why all adepts and apprentices developed a cold and uncaring personality.

  This was also why Greem, who tried to be caring, and Alice, who was the one being care for, had no idea how to continue the conversation.

  "Alice, you were there for ten days. Do you know why the old witch treated you like that?" The question popped into Greem's mind, and he couldn't help but ask.

  "What reason could it be for? It must be because she's gone insane! She's a crazy hag… " Alice clenched her teeth in hatred when she recalled the torture she had endured.

  "I have an odd feeling… " Greem frowned and hesitated.

  "What feeling?"

  "It seemed like she was trying to help you!" Greem paused for a moment before confessing his thoughts on the issue.

  "Help me!" Alice's eyes were opened wide. They almost popped out of her skull from the ludicrous suggestion. She waved her dumpling-hand around angrily as she roared, "After everything she did to me, and you say she's trying to help me? Have you gone mad as well?"