Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  In all seriousness, this resembled a fair trade!

  Greem obtained a mighty Heart that could sustain his Flame Fiend transformation. In exchange, he lost the humanity in his soul.

  The process was slow and gradual, and the effects weren't immediate.

  Greem might not be able to avoid the corruption caused by the aura, but resisting its effects allowed him to train his will.

  As an adept with vast knowledge and a wise mind, he wanted to ensure that everything was within his control. Thus, he had never taken a single step out of the elementium fire pool ever since he returned to Feidnan City. He tried his best to purify and lessen the effects of the abyssal aura.

  The adepts were powerful because of their knowledge and wisdom. Greem would be crippled if he became corrupted and turned into a murderous madman!

  As long as he was not a fool, he would never allow himself to fall to the level of a demonic creature.

  Greem completed his meditation. His Spirit had just exited the state of meditation when he received a message. He reached out and conjured a red rune before sending it into the controls at the center of the room. The doors opened immediately.

  A red barrier of light prevented the hot air from spilling out of the room.

  The advanced apprentice who walked in was Am.

  He held a metallic tray forged from a magical alloy in his hands. Jars and bottles of various colors, shapes, and sizes were arranged on the platter.

  Am also had a Physique with a fire affinity. Am was like a fish in water here. Every single pore in his skin wanted to open wide and take in the thick fire elementium in the room. However, he had no choice but to maintain a barrier around his body to avoid his clothes from being ignited by the heat. In doing so, he cut himself off from the fire elementium.

  Even with the powers of an advanced apprentice, Am didn't dare walk within ten steps of the elementium fire pool.

  He could see, very clearly, the distortion in the air that the heat caused. Several odd strands of crimson light floated in the air. They seemed harmless, but the temperature at their cores reached a shocking three thousand degrees.

  Am would probably be turned into ash at this temperature, even if he wore enchanted armor!

  The sound of splashing water rang out in the room. Greem continuously splashed lava onto his body. The temperature in the room continued to rise to unbelievable heights with every movement he made. A blazing barrier of fire had naturally formed around the elementium fire pool, even without Greem activating his Ring of Fire.

  Am snuck an envious peek at Greem, who was playing with the pool's fire. He gulped.

  He might have a fire affinity, but the pool would instantly vaporize him if he were tossed into the pool. Only adepts who had elementiumized their bodies could enjoy the pleasure of bathing in flame.

  It was no different than a torturous death for everyone else!

  "Sir, these are the potions that Adept Ferrier sent for you."

  Greem had asked for help from the potions master to get rid of the abyssal aura remnants on a more fundamental level. He had to endure another fifteen days of this painful struggle against the abyssal aura.

  "How is Alice? Who is taking care of her?" Greem asked.

  "Lena is. According to her, they've expelled almost all of the petrification energies from Alice's body. She is now recovering at Adept Ferrier's place. She should be able to start walking again in five day's time." Am replied respectfully.

  Greem acknowledged him with a silent 'mmm', but didn't say anything more than that. He had also received a telepathic message from Keoghan.

  The two talked over the mental connection for several minutes.

  Once they finished, Greem rested his arms on the edge of the pool and laid down on his back. He couldn't help but muse to himself, "Counterattack? Splitting the benefits? It seems Lady Sanazar has permitted me to gain something out of this! Well, I was going to build a tower and form a personal clan eventually. I suppose I'll take this chance."

  …………

  Fandear City.

  Fandear was a small and prosperous city in the Laxia area that belonged to the Ximan Clan.

  Wylick Castle, constructed one and a half kilometers into the western outskirts of the city, was the private property of Adept Sak.

  In the past, this was the favorite place for the nobles and ladies of Fandear City. The entire castle would be brightly lit when night fell. Numerous extravagant carriages would be seen in the square before the building. Nobles with any influence would take pride in receiving an invitation from the respected adept and gather here for a night of drinking and feasting.

  However, the entire place had become silent and vacant after the news of Sak's death.

  The gates of the castle were shut tight. A hundred servants, waiters, butlers, and guards hid in their rooms, nervously awaiting their unknown fate.

  Two youths, one male and one female, nervously talked in a bedroom on the third floor of the castle.

  "Celia, you must leave now…" The young man wore noble attire. His face betrayed an expression of worry and concern as he paced around the room, "We cannot wait until the people of the clan arrive. Grandpa is dead now. We will be affected by this event as direct descendants of his bloodline."

  The young man stopped before the girl and grabbed her shoulders. He shook them as he spoke, "Wake up! I've heard that the clan doesn't intend to take revenge for Grandpa Sak. In fact, they want to hand us over to resolve this conflict. If you don't want to become a slave, you have to leave her as soon as possible."

  "I won't…I won't…" The delicate and pretty girl spoke. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she was evidently lost.

  If someone looked, they would see light grey patches near the parotid glands on her face.

  If a Ximan adept had been here to see this, they would have been able to recognize this as an indication that the girl was awakening to her serpentine bloodline. When she started to mature, and her bloodline thickened to the extent that her innate talents could manifest, her head would gradually take on the traits of a snake, much like Sak.

  However, the fact that only a trace of bloodline awakening was manifesting when she was already almost sixteen meant that she had limited potential. Even so, the initial rousing of her bloodline powers had given her strength rivaling advanced apprentices.

  Of course, she was still unable to properly use the power within her when compared to the more weathered and experienced apprentice adepts!

  Her bloodline talent was extremely limited for a descendant of Adept Sak. Her elder brother didn't even have any signs of bloodline awakening. He was a thoroughly ordinary man.

  Chapter 307

  Having a weakened bloodline was a difficulty shared by most clans!

  The massive change in genetic makeup due to adept advancement made it impossibly hard for them to continue breeding like ordinary mortals. Even the occasional fortunate adept often gave birth to mundane humans or deformed infants.

  However, if the parents were sufficiently powerful or had adequately concentrated bloodline powers, their offspring would most likely inherit their powerful bloodline talents. Still, powerful adepts often found it harder to conceive.

  Most adept clans, mainly bloodline clans, would try and keep their bloodline free of impurities. They forbade marriage with individuals who did not belong to the clan.

  The disparity of treatment between clan members who had awakened their bloodline powers and those who hadn't was shockingly large in the Ximan Clan.

  The clan would cultivate bloodline descendants like Celia. If she was fortunate, there was still a chance for her to advance to First Grade. However, if they judged her bloodline powers insufficient for advancement, her fate would be sealed. She would become a breeding tool for the other high-grade bloodline adepts of the clan.

  Celia had the luck of being born from a strong grandfather. She was able to live out her childhood in Wylick Castle peacefully.

  Now that
the tree sheltering her had fallen, their fates were unknown!

  Her rational mind told her to leave this castle immediately, but the sheltered Celia couldn't find the courage to abandon this safe haven.

  She had gone to the forest to train after awakening her bloodline powers. However, she had completed her training under the escort of large groups of mercenaries and apprentices. She hadn't obtained any combat experience or survival skills in the process!

  Her inexperience was why Celia hesitated even when her brother was telling her to run.

  Perhaps the clan would not be as indifferent as they thought. Maybe there was still a chance for things to turn around. Possibly, Grandpa Sak was only grievously wounded and was in hiding to recover from the fight.

  A feminine voice hissed from outside the door as the two continued their discussion.

  "Hide? Run? Kehkehkeh. Don't even think about it! You might have forgotten the blood coursing through your veins. That is the blood of the Ximan Clan. It is way too easy to track you down…"

  The door opened, and a male adept with a grey snake's head walked in.

  It was Exar!

  He was the adept that the clan had appointed to deal with the aftermath of Grandpa Sak's death.

  The two people in the room looked at each other. Their eyes betrayed the fear they felt.

  They knew very well who Adept Exar was. He had always maintained a rocky and hostile relationship with their grandfather. The clan's choice to send him over told of the elders' decision!

  Celia stuttered as she spoke when she looked into Exar's wicked eyes, "What is the clan's position on Grandpa Sak's death?"

  "Of course." Exar laughed coldly, "They won't pursue the issue! After all, Sak was the one who initiated the hostilities. His killer has already submitted all the evidence to the Zhentarim Association. The old goats of the Association have been pressuring the clan to hand over the individuals responsible for breaking the peace of the Zhentarim area. Kehkehkeh. But Sak is already dead. What can the clan give to the Association now? You unfortunate scapegoats, of course!"

  "But Grandpa Sak is the most influential elite adept in the clan. There's even a clause in his contract with the clan that guarantees protection for his descendants. Is the clan going against the contract?" Celia was losing her voice.

  "Hmph! There was indeed such a clause in Sak's contract. But don't you forget, Sak didn't die in service of the clan. He secretly took on an assassination mission and got himself killed in the process. Because of his actions, the clan is in an extremely disadvantageous situation!"

  "What did the clan elders say?"

  "This problem resulted from Sak's actions. The clan has no obligation to help him deal with the consequences. The clan and the Association have agreed to hand over all of Sak's properties and assets to that Sarubo brat. And you guys. The descendant's of Sak's bloodline have to be handed over as well."

  Exar paused and glared at the two at this point, "The clan sent me over to retrieve the serpentine bloodline of the Sak branch and avoid leaking it to the outside!"

  The youths' faces instantly went pale.

  All bloodline adepts would split off from their main branch and bestow their bloodline to outsiders to form sub-branches of the clan. Branching like this enriched the diversity of their bloodline powers and took in fresh blood to serve the clan. These offshoot branches might have obtained the clan's bloodline, but they were robbed of it the instant they did something that violated the clan's rules.

  The process of retrieving the bloodline was a ruthless and terrifying one!

  The Ximan Clan had been forced to hand over the members of the Sak branch to placate their opponent's rage. Both the Sarubo Clan and the Zhentarim Association has been applying pressure on them over this issue. However, the clan was unwilling to see their bloodline in the hands of outsiders. Thus, they sent Exar out to Wylick Castle to conduct the retrieval ceremony.

  Nightfall.

  He dragged Celia into a hidden room in the castle. Her terrified screams lasted the entire night.

  Twelve days later.

  They sent all thirty-seven members of Sak's household to Feidnan City. The leases for Wylick Castle, Fandear City, and five kilometers of land around the city had been signed over to the Sarubo Clan as well.

  They split the assets according to the agreement. Fandear City went to the Sarubo Clan, while Greem got Wylick Castle and 1.5 kilometers of land around it. Five members of Sak's household had been given to Greem as well. There was one direct descendant that had awakened the clan's bloodline and four clan apprentices.

  The other people had already been dealt with by the Sarubo Clan, including Sak's grandson himself. He had no extraordinary abilities and looked just like an ordinary person to everyone. They executed him before he was even presented to Greem.

  Greem personally inspected these five slaves in his dwelling on the seventh floor.

  He had been excited when he heard that one of the five slaves once possessed bloodline powers. However, his mood instantly soured when he saw the five people brought before him.

  The list said that the girl in front of him was fifteen years old. That said, her grey and listless eyes, along with her aged and wrinkled face, could only appear on an old hag. Greem couldn't feel a trace of bloodline power in her body. Neither could he feel any trace of elementium abilities.

  She seemed to be an ordinary person. No, she was more tragic when compared to one!

  Dammit! The Ximan Clan was heartless indeed. They had completely drained her of all her bloodline powers. Not a single strand remained for him.

  He had no choice but to kill off a Sak descendant like this one. No one was willing to leave a potential enemy alive and allow them to seek their vengeance in a couple of decades. Not to mention the fact that she had completely lost her value as a research subject to Greem.

  Greem shook his head and moved on.

  The Sarubo clan had investigated the other four apprentice adepts. They had no bloodline relations with Sak. They had only gone to Sak for knowledge and resources. There was no need to kill them off.

  Greem forced them to sign a new contract of servitude and left them with the recovered Alice. He had her bring them back to Wylick Castle to settle the assets and servants there.

  Greem could grit his teeth and live with the fact that the Ximan Clan had taken back Sak's bloodline. If even Sak's resources and personal collections in the castle had been 'retrieved', Greem would have no choice but to go and 'speak' with the Ximan Clan.

  The next concern Greem had, now that Sak was dead, was the escaped female illusionist.

  He had a feeling that she was the key to unraveling this mystery!

  After thinking it through, Greem felt like this issue wasn't as simple as he had first thought. Bloodhand Butcher might be associated with the Black Glove Association, but there was no way they could have hired someone like Sak.

  Greem had a vague feeling that there was another mastermind behind this attack. Their plan didn't seem to include him alone but included Alice as well.

  That was obvious from how they sent the Bloodhand Butcher after him while dispatching two of the more powerful adepts after Alice and Snorlax.

  Snorlax survived because of his unparalleled mastery of Invisibility and Partial Transformation. Alice had survived only because of her luck.

  Honestly, Greem would never believe that a pseudo-adept would be able to survive the naturally talented attack of an elite adept. If Greem hadn't given her the spacestone, the only thing he would have seen was an entirely petrified statue of Alice.

  All these signs point towards a truth. It seemed that the enemy's priority was Alice, but not himself.

  These were incredibly suspicious on their own!

  The investigation into the female illusionist hadn't yielded any results, despite scouring the entire Zhentarim area. It was as if no one had heard of someone of her appearance. Greem couldn't help but start thinking. Her looks that night might not h
ave been her actual appearance.

  Why was it that they went to such lengths to hide their own identity?

  Chapter 308

  Thirteen days later.

  Alice arrived at Wylick Castle under a torrential downpour.

  A black carriage passed through the broad, arched gates and drove onto the stone-paved road. Numerous servants, including the gardeners, kitchen staff, maids, guards, and the butlers were already waiting for their new master when the carriage finally circled past a mermaid fountain and stopped before the three-story castle.

  Their expressions were awkward and fawning. The unconcealed panic in their eyes was easy to see.

  The ones that stayed were those that had signed contracts with the previous owner of the castle. That was why the castle's assets included them.

  Everyone couldn't help but be relieved when they saw the few people that walked down the carriage.

  It was Kerr, Warren, and the other two apprentice adepts. They were familiar faces that had served in the castle for the past five to six years as well. All the servants finally relaxed when they saw them.

  However, they were all confused and stunned for a second when Alice walked down in her pale yellow dress. It wasn't until the four apprentices introduced her that the staff immediately bowed and greeted her.

  "Alright, you can all get back to your work now!” Alice waved her hand impatiently, "Make sure to do my room first. Whoever is in charge of this place needs to come and report to me. Everyone else can get back to work!"

  Everyone obeyed frantically.

  One hour later, after enjoying a simple bath, Alice met the head butler of the castle in a bedroom on the second floor.

  He was an old man with white hair, neat clothes, with a pair of gold-framed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He was an elderly butler that had been in the service of Wylick Castle for over fifty years. Of course, the fact that he had the honor of serving a respected adept meant that he carried a noble title.