Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  "Then, Cheryl, will Granny Sharon help the Witches of Deceit against Alice?" Alice betrayed a pitiful expression on her face.

  "Cough…" An awkward expression appeared on Cheryl's face, "Given our relationship with Endor and you, I won't lay a single finger on either of you. However, if you want to survive in the Battle of Fate, then you will have to stop relying on the strength of an outsider. Greem going on the wanted list is a ludicrous thing to have been done. Yet not a single witch objected to the act. Why was it? All because they do not wish for any external force to interfere with the selection of the Witch of Fate."

  "Then what should we do now?"

  "You can stay here for now. The Tower of Fate will activate in another four months. The two of you can wait until the last moment before showing yourselves again. By then there would be no point to the enemy's tricks and schemes, regardless of how many they have prepared."

  "But we definitely won't be able to hide from their investigations if we stayed here. Even Granny Sharon will be implicated." Alice hesitated.

  "Here might not be safe, but there are some places where your safety will be guaranteed. Moreover, you will have a good training experience there!"

  "Where is this place you are talking about?" Alice asked, completely confused as to what Cheryl was referring to.

  "A lesser plane!"

  Greem and Alice looked at each other. They finally got it.

  Indeed! A lesser plane!

  The Death Witches had lesser planes that belonged to the branch themselves, especially with how powerful they were. If they hid there, Alice and Greem no longer needed to worry about a diviner finding their location, regardless of how powerful that diviner was. That said, all lesser planes were considered to be core secrets of their respective organizations. Would the Death Witches allow two outsiders to step foot on such forbidden land?

  Cheryl showed a slight smile as if she saw through their concerns, "Sharon has the right to nominate the two of you as members of the Death Witches. However, the price you would have to pay to get the Death Witches to agree would be a hefty one. It's now up to you two and whether you have the wealth to move them. Even I can't help you on this issue!"

  "I agree with this!"

  "Indeed. As long as this brat can pay the ticket fee, I don't mind letting Greem and Alice have a tour around Greenwood World."

  "Two little fellows that haven't even advanced for ten years. Are you sure they can come up with resources enough to move us?"

  "Brat, you had best not be lying to us. If I find out I was dragged out from my lab for a pile of useless trash, you can be sure that someone will pay for it. Also, Cheryl, don't casually represent Sharon in calling for an assembly the next time."

  "Yeah, all of us are busy people. If he can't give us anything, I suggest we tie him up and send him to the Witches of Deceit."

  No one knew when or how Cheryl had cast her spells.

  A dozen strange witches of varying appearances suddenly crowded the small living room. Judging by their translucent bodies, these weren't their actual bodies that had transported over. Instead, these were their spiritual projections.

  A dozen witch projections floated about in the air. Greem's breath almost stopped completely.

  Every single one of these witches had the power of a First Grade elite adept!

  Being witches, they might not be too harsh on Alice, but they surely wouldn't hold back against a male adept like Greem.

  "Sir Greem, the dozen other witches present here are all executors of the Death Witches. As long as two of them agree to my suggestion, then you will be allowed to hide in a lesser plane and wait until the activation of the Tower of Fate. Of course, we will take good care of Alice in the meantime. Thus, let us see what your fate shall be!" An expression of helplessness appeared on Cheryl's elegant face.

  This was a classic case of buying his own life with money!

  Greem couldn't help but smile bitterly. He lowered his head and started to think about what item in his possession he could use to impress these greedy hags.

  While he did hold quite a lot of good stuff in his private stash, most of these were things that were important for his plans and development. Greem's heart would profusely bleed if he had to use them to exchange for his life.

  The spacestone was out of the question!

  Of the three spacestones, one had been taken away in the Castle in the Sky, and the other and been assimilated by Alice. He only had one more spacestone in his possession. It was an essential item for Greem's plans for planar invasions. This spacestone was most definitely not something he could hand over.

  Rejected!

  Golden Apple?

  While the conditions for its usage were stringent, it was a top-tier resource that could be used to revive a Fourth Grade being.

  Rejected!

  Orb of Deception?

  No, the survival of Alice in the Tower of Fate could hang upon this orb.

  Rejected!

  Emblem of Fire?

  The emblem was a critical item that he could use to sneak into the fire elementium plane. He couldn't trade this away.

  Rejected!

  Shandera's Sheepstick?

  It was a powerful crowd-control magic wand that could bypass most magical protection. If Greem gave this away, he would be hard-pressed to find a magic wand of similar power in a short time frame.

  Rejected!

  Greem was frustrated.

  Firstly, the item he offered had to be of sufficient value. Otherwise, it would not be able to move these cold and heartless Death Witches.

  Secondly, the item had to be something Greem couldn't use. Otherwise, he couldn't bear to part with it.

  Greem's Spirit wandered around the storage belt as he thought.

  All of a sudden, his Spirit came into contact with a couple of things. His eyes instantly brightened.

  Of course! How could he have forgotten them!

  Chapter 357 Murder of Cackling Crows

  What did the Death Witches like best?

  Corpses, souls, and any items that were soaked full of death energy!

  And Greem had quite a few of such items in his collection.

  The first thing Greem took out was a massive block of ice. One could see the frozen corpse of a human knight through the crystalline ice.

  "The corpse of a powerful human? Not bad, I like it," One of the semi-translucent projections floated past the block of ice and cackled, "But at our level, these ordinary things aren't enough to move us. Let me first see what Grade this corpse is!"

  A string of strange and awkward-sounding syllables rang out in the air as a magical gray light arced towards the corpse.

  The knight's body instantly glowed with a blinding red radiance!

  However, there were clusters of dark spots mixed with the red light, causing it to appear impure.

  "The body of a Second Grade knight? It's the body of a Second Grade knight…" The projection's voice suddenly became excited and loud.

  The other projections also became lively when they heard her exclamation. Several probing spells penetrated towards the block of ice.

  "It's Second Grade."

  "Indeed, a Second Grade knight from another plane."

  "Sadly, the refinement of the body is far from perfect."

  "It is certain that this is the corpse of a knight native to some lesser plane. What could you expect from a world weaker than ours."

  The entire room was filled with the chattering voices of the witches as they discussed the corpse in front of their eyes. It was clear that they were interested in this thing.

  Every clan and organization would have some lesser planes under their control. While the native individuals of other planes were much easier to deal with, even if they were of the same Grade, it was still not within a witch's ability to kill a Second-grade native.

  The Death Witches had some corpses of Second Grade plane natives in their inventory, but the higher Grade witches often claimed these.
The occasional body that fell into the hands of theses First Grade witches would either be incomplete or had to be exchanged for with a high amount of contribution points. That was why the green light of greed glowed brightly in all the witches' eyes when they saw the Second Grade Radiant Knight corpse.

  Even though the body wasn't of the best quality, it was still a complete corpse preserved in reasonable condition.

  There would necessarily be a decrease to its powers if it were turned it into an undead. However, using a Second Grade corpse that was in excellent condition would undoubtedly at least yield an undead at the level of a First Grade elite. An undead like this was a huge help for these Death Witches, who were still at First Grade!

  In fact, an undead of this level could undoubtedly obtain the position of a commander in the army of the witches' undead.

  "Sisters, I have been thinking of raising a top-tier Skeleton General. Why don't you all let me have it first!" One of the slightly younger witches couldn't wait to put out her request.

  "A Skeleton General? Give up, Namu. Your undead craft still needs more practice. Don't waste it on such good material." A witch who had her face obscured mocked her colleague.

  "Yeah, yeah. Namu, your craftsmanship is the worst among us. Don't embarrass yourself now. This corpse even had his flesh and blood preserved. While it's been a while since he died, and the flesh is a little withered, it's still most ideal to turn him into a zombie."

  "Yes. That way, we won't waste the flesh."

  Greem interrupted as he listened to the ongoing discussion, "If everyone is satisfied, then have we come to an agreement?"

  "Little handsome boy, who knew you had good stuff like this, eh?" A sweet voice that could soften the bones of any male whispered near his ears, and a pair of white and smooth hands brushed his face. An unreasonably beautiful face appeared before Greem.

  Alice instantly started pouting in anger, despite having watched the entire spectacle in silence the whole time.

  "Hahaha, little Alice is getting angry!" The young witch with the seductive voice leaned into Greem's ears and whispered, "You are right, your item is a very satisfying offer!"

  "Then…"

  “But, I will have to remind you. Given that Cheryl actively called for us sisters, it is clear that she will support sending you to the lesser plane. And your gift would be more than enough to bring you another supporter, regardless of which of us sisters you give it. However, you need at least three Death Witches to support you if you want to go into our lesser plane. So…"

  "So I'll have to win over another witch!" Greem sighed.

  "Bingo, you are right! Unfortunately, you don't get a prize for that." The seductive witch chuckled as she floated away.

  However, the very next second, her cheerful chuckling was utterly interrupted by Greem's 'tycoon' moves.

  Dong! A muffled boom rang out.

  Greem threw another golden and shiny human knight corpse, glowing with the radiance of power, to the ground.

  The first corpse had been Fügen's gift to him. This one was a spoil of war he had obtained through his strength alone. It was the true-blue body of a Second Grade radiant knight.

  "It's Second Grade."

  "Yet another Second Grade."

  "Did this brat wander to some plane of corpses? Why does he have so many Second Grade corpses?"

  "I want this for sure. No one fight with me over it." It was obviously Namu again.

  "Hmph! What do you think is yours?! Everyone here as executor rights. Now we let that brat decide who gets the corpses!"

  The Death Witch that was too beautiful to be a Death Witch once again floated back.

  "Yeesh. I didn't expect to misjudge a person! Very well kid, you win. Your offering is sufficient to win the support of two of us sisters. Now, of we twelve sisters, pick any two of us to be your guarantors, and you can enter the clan's lesser plane."

  The beautiful witch's voice had just left her mouth when the whole room filled with the wailing and swooshing of ghosts.

  "Brat, pick me, or I'll release my ghosts to haunt you." This one tried to use threats of violence.

  "Kid, if you pick me, I can give you…" This one tried to win Greem over with benefits. She sent the latter half of her sentence over the more private mental connection.

  "Kid, do you want to enjoy a blissful night with your elder sister over here?! I can make sure you are entirely satisfied." This one was just straight-up trying to seduce him.

  For a moment, the room felt like it had been taken over by a murder of cackling crows. Countless sharp, or hoarse, or excited, or seductive voices and mental messages were sent Greem's way. Greem felt like his mind had been crammed full of demonic chantings. He couldn't even think.

  "Stop for a moment. Please, stop." Greem instantly ordered the chip to cut off all the mental connections the witches had established with him. He rubbed his forehand as he smiled bitterly, "It is thanks to Lady Cheryl that I have this opportunity in the first place. So, I will have Lady Cheryl decide in my place."

  The floating projections fell silent. Then, all of them turned to look at Cheryl.

  The dignified Cheryl was cheerfully looking on at the entertaining drama that was happening. The smile on her face instantly collapsed now that Greem had thrown the whole mess to her.

  "Sisters, calm down!" Cheryl knew what was about to happen and immediately stopped the witches before they could erupt into chaos once more, "We are the proud and noble Death Witches! We can't let outsiders see us as jokes. I suggest we go through with Sir Greem's request for shelter before we slowly discuss the ownership of these items."

  "Seconded!"

  "Seconded!"

  "Seconded!"

  ……

  It was clear that the Death Witches were remarkably cohesive on the inside. Cheryl's simple suggestion immediately gained the agreement of the witches. Thus, Greem's safety was guaranteed. At least, within the Death Witches' territory, the warrant for arrest issued by the Witch Council only existed in name now!

  Moreover, Greem couldn't help but start thinking about the future, with these many Death Witches standing before him.

  "O respected Death Witches, other than the previous agreement, I also wish to purchase some items to guard against spirits, curses, and illusions. It doesn't matter whether it's a spell, an item, or a potion. As long as they work effectively, I will be willing to purchase them with items that you will be interested in!"

  "Oh, do you have anything else that can satisfy us other than those two Second-Grade corpses?" One of the more veteran Death Witches let out an ear-piercing cackle.

  "Take a look at this. Will this work?" Greem smiled.

  He took out a gray, spiral-shaped crystal from his pouch.

  The light from outside the window allowed the witches to see the object contained within the crystal. A faint gray mist furiously crashed against the gem, as if it wanted to break free of its prison.

  Every time it crashed against the crystal walls, the gray mist would turn into the ferocious face of a human male. The face cursed and roared in anger.

  "The soul of a Second Grade Knight."

  The eyes of the Death Witches once again shone with greed.

  If the Second Grade knight's corpse could be used to create a high-quality undead subordinate, then this Second Grade soul could most definitely bring about tremendous growth to the Spirit of their accompanying spirits.

  That was indirectly increasing their own powers!

  Cheryl was finally unable to hold in her sigh.

  If she had known Greem had so much 'good stuff,' she would never have called these greedy sisters over.

  For the first time, she felt genuine regret!

  "I have a Voodoo Puppet."

  "I can help you make a Wraith Doll."

  "Revenant Herb. I have a Revenant Herb here."

  "All those things they mentioned are consumables. I can teach you how to cast Soul Barrier."

  An old voice suddenly rang
out amidst the wave of noise.

  "Little brat, ever heard of the Dead Soul Array?"

  Chapter 358 The Chaos of Fate

  All the witches fell silent when they heard the name of the Dead Soul Array.

  Everyone turned and looked at the old witch.

  "Silvia!"

  "Her?"

  Some of the witches were already gossiping.

  Greem was surprised for a moment.

  He had heard of this name from Alice. She was an old veteran First Grade Death Witch, undoubtedly the eldest of the Witches currently present. However, this wasn't what made her so remarkable. Instead, it was her choice of advancement that drew Greem's attention. She was an array master; a profession he had been searching for quite a while.

  Greem had never been able to forget the temporary array he had seen when they'd traveled with the Dark Witches.

  There was no need for any preparations or understanding the profound knowledge of runic arrays. All the user needed to do was plant the array seed into the ground, and a convenient, portable array sprung up. An array like this could empower its user by thirty to fifty percent. This power was enough to turn the tables in an even fight!

  Unfortunately, such array seeds had limited uses. They were a kind of exhaustible array. Moreover, they were exceptionally expensive. Most adepts would not use them in small skirmishes.

  Silvia had a reputation among the witches. No one came out and argued with her for the Second Grade soul, even though they all still wanted it.

  Her spiritual projection floated before Greem, and the two of them started to negotiate.

  No one else knew the contents of their discussion or what sort of agreement they came to. Seven minutes later, when Greem passed the gray crystal over to Cheryl, all the witches knew that they had come to an agreement!

  All the witches present today had projected their spirit through the use of the cottage's magic array; their actual bodies weren't here. Thus, they needed to rely on Cheryl as the intermediary to complete the trade with Greem.

  Greem would pass the two corpses and the crystal to Cheryl, and the goods the witches had promised him would arrive within three days.