Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The Tower of Fate's twelfth floor.

  Alice and Snowlotus stood in front of a massive water mirror and silently observed the feasting apprentices.

  "This one… and this one." Snowlotus pointed with her thin, white finger. She pointed out two distinctive apprentices in the mirror, "They are different from the others! Their talent is a little too good. Are you sure this isn't the goodwill of the Dark Witches?"

  "I am sure!" Alice lifted her eyelids and the fine eyelashes on them. She revealed her beautiful blue eyes. Only this time, there was none of the warmth and cheekiness she usually displayed. There were only cold apathy and thinly-veiled anger, "If the Dark Witches wanted to express their goodwill, they only needed to send Granny Endor to our place. No need for such complicated tricks!"

  "They launched a spy over to us and went about it in such an obvious manner. So what will it be, do we bite?" Snowlotus nodded her head in agreement.

  She was also a second generation witch that came from a large clan. Naturally, she was acquainted with the complicated politics of large clans. The larger the clan, the better they were at putting up facades and hiding their true intentions.

  Alice might once have had much to do with the Dark Witches, but their past ties were poisoned by schemes and concerns now that she had become the leader of the Witch of Fate.

  Alice's grandmother Endor was, at best, a First Grade witch. She had absolutely no authority or influence within the Moya Clan, the most prominent clan within the Dark Witches. Thus, Endor could not affect any of the crucial decisions the Moya Clan made. The only reason why this uncomfortable situation had developed was due to some significant but unknown shift in the Moya Clan's attitudes towards Alice!

  If one were to assume the worst, Alice's grandmother would have been put under house arrest if she didn't respect the decision of the Dark Witches.

  It was precisely because Alice thought of this that her mood soured!

  "Snowlotus, are the resources left in the tower enough to host one divination ceremony? I want the answer tonight!" Alice turned to look at Snowlotus.

  The accounting of the treasuries and storerooms had all been done by Snowlotus over the past few days.

  "Of course the resources are enough," Snowlotus took out an inventory list, "A thousand years might have caused most of the materials to lose their effects, but the remaining materials are more than enough to host two large-scale divinations."

  "Good!" Alice nodded and said, "Helen, please help me clear out the astrology platform at the top level. I'll be using it in a moment! Take any materials you need from Snowlotus!"

  The magic fairy Helen, who had been crouching on Alice's shoulders, immediately took to the air. She beat her wings as she shouted her reply, "Got it. I'm going now."

  The magic fairy then disappeared in a trail of stardust.

  Chapter 384 Astrology

  The astrology ceremonies were usually held at the top of the tower.

  One's vision was unobscured by anything when they looked out from atop of the Tower of Fate. That was because the walls of the tower would turn transparent during astrology ceremonies. This place would become exceptionally calming and vast when night fell, and the curtain of stars settled over the sky. It made the astrologer feel as if they had dropped into the infinite galaxy.

  Surprisingly, there were no magical facilities or astrology tools in this massive space. The only things here were the complex runic circuits and celestial symbols drawn all over the walls, ceiling, and the floor.

  Astrology has always been regarded as the most accurate and useful divination spell in the eyes of diviners. However, astrology ceremonies required the use of an astrology platform and had to be conducted in a specific, fixed manner. These restrictions meant that the resources exhausted in these ceremonies were far more than usual. No one willingly used astrology ceremonies if it wasn't necessary. Instead, they preferred to use the simpler and more common ways such as shell-reading and tarot cards.

  Astrology was akin to sketching out a map of the long river of fate.

  It was only a short stretch of fate, but it was clear and encompassing. No detail would escape the eyes of the caster.

  The map of fate could tell the diviner where their potential lied, where problems would arise, and the path forward. However, the choice remained in the hands of the diviner. It was up to them to decide what was best.

  On the other hand, other means such as tarot cards and the like could only provide the diviner with mere glimpses and pieces of the future. It allowed them to see through the fortunes and misfortunes of one particular moment, but that was all. These visions of the future lacked any explanation for the cause and effect of all the events happening in them. It was extremely easy to misinterpret them and, consequently, walk away from the correct path and against the tide of fate.

  Naturally, Alice had to use astrology. She needed to get a complete picture of what was happening behind the scenes with the Dark Witches to ensure that her reckless actions wouldn't bring disaster upon Granny Endor.

  Fifteen minutes later, Alice had taken a bath and changed into her ceremonial clothes. She hurried towards the astrology platform.

  Once inside, she stood at the center of the massive and complex magic array, directly below the dome-shaped ceiling. This place was the core of the mysterious array. Alice then raised her palms into the air. Cerulean light suddenly shone forth from the array beneath her, dyeing the entire hall blue.

  Alice cleared her mind and performed a short meditation to affix her mind and spirit to the vast and boundless space. A few of the brightest major stars suddenly started to flash in the skies above. Traces of thin yet pure star energy began to feedback to Alice. They passed through the seemingly non-existent roof and entered her body.

  The formation beneath Alice's feet slowly started to rise. The bright blue light colored the entire hall and turned it into a giant glowing sapphire. Alice immersed herself in this ocean of blue. She drew upon the power of the major stars of the Deer's Bane constellation to conduct her divination. The bloodline of fate within her body guided her mind and slowly extended it into the infinite galaxy.

  It was almost as if her soul had suddenly been freed from the shackles of her physical flesh. Alice had never felt so relaxed and free than at this moment. Her soul was no longer bound to anything. The star energies immediately enveloped it, and, guided by that trace of bloodline, ventured deep into the star of seas. Suddenly, she had arrived in a mysterious place.

  …………

  Neo Valley.

  This area was located to the east of Kesari River, near Rélien Mountain.

  A tall, black adept's tower quietly stood within this quiet valley surrounded by mountain ranges.

  Even if you had looked all over the entire continent, this would be the only adept's tower colored a pure black!

  Its appearance wasn't all that bizarre, apart from its color, but a layer of shadow surrounded the structure. Even though it was daytime, you would only see black and white when you looked at the tower in this valley. Its shape also appeared to be distorted at times.

  It was almost as if this black tower didn't exist within the World of Adepts, but lived as a projection from the shadow plane.

  All flora and fauna in this valley also appeared to lack any liveliness, not to mention the fact that they were all gray. There weren't any other bright colors on their bodies. Only black, white, and that ubiquitous gray stained the entire valley.

  This was the origin tower of the Dark Witches– the Black Mystery.

  Under the protection of the star energies, Alice's spirit consciousness crashed into the Black Mystery. All of a sudden, she found herself in prison in the third underground level of the tower.

  It was called a prison, but it was no more than a stone room three square meters in size.

  Countless chains enhanced with runes were attached to the walls. They kept an old and frail witch bound right to the tiny room. An old lantern sat on a w
ooden rack affixed to the moss-filled stone wall. The small glint of flame was not even sufficient to illuminate the room. In fact, it caused the shadows to flicker and dance about.

  All the runic lights and the color of the fires in this strange dark tower were gray. It was a thick and dense shade of gray that struck despair into the hearts of all that looked at it!

  'Alice' opened her eyes and looked upon this world of gray. She couldn't help but extend her shivering, intangible hands to caress Granny Endor's bone-thin face. She couldn't suppress the rage within her heart. It surged out like an apocalyptic flood.

  Several sparks came from the lantern as if it had detected an unusual flux that didn't belong here.

  The next second, two strange silhouettes emerged from the shadows of the stone room.

  The shadows moved about, and the mist-like substance formed into two witches made of darkness.

  Their entire bodies were obscured and hidden behind the thick gloom. Only slight differences in the shades of their body parts allowed Alice to distinguish the outlines of their bodies. Their faces appeared to have been hidden by a thick black veil. Everything was unclear and blurred. Alice couldn't see any of their facial features.

  "What's going on?" The leading Dark Witch stopped to inspect the stone room, but didn't find anything out of the usual, "Why is there the aura of an unfamiliar soul? Did someone actually sneak in here earlier?"

  "I think you're acting overly sensitive!" The other Dark Witch dismissed her claims and spoke, "Something might have happened in the Realm of Shadows and caused a change over here in this world. This was the period where the Black Mystery overlapped with the Realm of Shadows. It was not out of the ordinary for some issues to crop up."

  "Best to be a little careful! Leader Circe personally ordered the arrest of Endor. I don't know what crime she committed, but it is a fact that the arrest of a First Grade witch warranted a direct command from the leader, and it is a fact that this witch was specified to be locked up in the Black Mystery. We have to be careful going about this!"

  "Fine, fine, fine! I'll contact our sisters over at the Realm of Shadows to check for any anomalies. We should be able to find out where the problem occurred!"

  "Mm, go! I'll keep guard here and ensure no one sneaks into this place."

  One of the Dark Witches' bodies disassembled and mysteriously vanished from the room.

  Circe?

  It was a direct order from Circe?!

  Alice was like a phantom without a body. She wandered around the stone room and observed everything that had just transpired. Her spirit consciousness had finally settled from the sudden shift in location. She now went utterly unnoticed with the star energies hiding her existence. The Dark Witch didn't notice even when Alice moved right through her.

  When Circe's name, soaked in the powers of Fate, rumbled through Alice's mind, her body trembled. A mysterious force once again guided her body through the black tower. The next instant, she found herself hovering in a strange secret room.

  This was a magical altar!

  A tall black figure and a strange mirror composed of flames stood atop the gray altar.

  In the darkness, one could only vaguely make out the existence of delicate patterns that extended out of the smooth flame mirror. These patterns formed a massive and complicated magical array. It wasn't a common pentagon or hexagon. Instead, it was a ring-shaped array made of elaborate pictures and runes that overlayed and connected with each other in various ways. They held up a cluster of dark shadow in the middle of the array.

  The shadow cluster circled in the array as if it was alive. A rhombus-shaped crystal had developed in the middle of the formation. It appeared to be crimson, with a single purple line running through the center of the crystal. When the lights pulsed, the shadow cluster looked like a large eye scanning everything in the room.

  Alice had appeared right at the moment when the black figure was communicating with the giant eyes!

  Black shadows enveloped the tall figure. Striking black stripes crawled across their body. Alice couldn't make out the face. Still, judging by their slim figure, the person appeared to be a woman. When her vision fell upon the unknown woman, a pair of bright eyes immediately cast their gaze upon Alice's location. A rumble that sent tremors through the tower rang out.

  "Who is it? Who's there?"

  Alice's head was knocked back as if a heavy hammer had hit her. Blood started to drip out of her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Her spirit consciousness hummed and the vision before her shattered.

  At that moment, Alice felt like she had run into an unmoving wall while running at extreme speeds. Her spirit consciousness throbbed from the pain. She could hardly even control her Spirit now. What was even more terrifying was the unbelievable speed at which the layer of starlight shielding her spirit consciousness was being stripped away.

  Everything in front of her started to fade. Everything turned into indistinguishable blends of colors and lines. Her vision began to spin frantically, causing her to feel nausea and sickness.

  A distant but familiar voice called to her.

  Alice sat up on the floor all of a sudden. Her unfocused gaze slowly started to gather.

  "You finally woke up," Helen's voice rang out beside her ear, "What exactly did you see during your astrology ceremony? Why did you suddenly collapse?"

  Alice wiped away the blood from the corners of her mouth. She held her aching head, throbbing from the severe exhaustion of her Spirit, and put on a smile.

  "I'm fine! Very fine! This astrology has been extremely successful!"

  "It succeeded? Then why did backlash still hit you?" The fairy clearly didn't understand.

  "Because I didn't act within the limit of my powers and tried to interfere in the plotting games of some high-grade existences!"

  "How high are we talking?"

  "At least Fourth Grade!"

  "Gasp!"

  Alice held her head in her hands and stood up with some difficulty. She then sent the curious fairy away and slowly made her way towards the exit of the hall.

  She suddenly turned her head when she came close to the doors. She silently looked at the blue radiance that had yet to disperse entirely.

  I won't let you get away with your schemes! Hmph! Let's see how this plays out, shall we?

  Chapter 385 Teleporting Away

  "You're making me leave the Tower of Fate?!" Greem shouted in disbelief.

  "I am not making you leave. I am asking you to leave!" Alice let out a helpless sigh.

  "Is there a difference between the two?"

  "Of course there is!" Alice laughed bitterly, "The former would be the action of the owner of the Tower of Fate, while the latter is the request of an ally!"

  "If you treat me as an ally, then why, at this moment where you most need help, would you… "

  "Because you are a male adept, and this is the territory of the Northern Witches!" Alice gave a direct and straightforward answer.

  "You mean, my existence has brought you trouble?" Greem narrowed his eyes. It was the first time he had come into contact with this group of individuals that hailed witches as their absolute leaders. He hadn't gotten used to it.

  "Yes!" Alice once again sighed resentfully, "If this had been an ordinary advancement, and I possessed Third Grade or even Fourth Grade strength, no one would ever dare to trouble me over this minor issue. But now… "

  "What happened?"

  "I have already told you everything about my advancement. As you would know, the First Witch of Fate should have been able to sense it when I destroyed her soul projection. Even though she can't enter the World of Adepts, she can apply pressure on me through more discreet means."

  "For instance?"

  "For example, raising doubts about my legitimacy in the Witch Council through one of the witch leaders. I passed the Battle of Fate to become the Witch of Fate. I have also obtained the approval of the laws of fate. They cannot deny this. However, they can accuse me of having
betrayed the traditions of the Northern Witches and bowed before a male adept!"

  "What kind of shitty tradition is this? Aren't there plenty of male adepts in the adept's towers of the Northern Lands?"

  "Those are all male adepts that are subordinate to witches!" Alice held her forehead with her hand as her seductive eyes looked straight at Greem, "Or would you rather I go before the Witch Council and tell them that you are my concubine?!"

  Greem's towering figure couldn't help but tremble at the suggestion.

  He felt a shiver run down his spine when he thought of the sight of that happening. He could see Alice pointing her finger at him before hundreds and thousands of witches while shouting, "He's my concubine!"

  "Can't we just say that we are allies?" Greem feebly suggested.

  "What do you think?" Alice rolled her eyes and said, "The tradition of the Northern Witches maintains that females possess the ultimate authority. In fact, some of the more extreme witches even insist that their subordinates managing the human lands have to be female. They deeply hate those that try to go against the traditions!"

  "This is what you saw in your astrology ceremony yesterday?"

  "This is just a part of it. Not everything," Alice expression turned solemn, "I cannot tell you the specifics due to the laws of fate. This information involves the secrets of the leaders of the Northern Witches. The laws will be triggered if I ever speak of them, and unforeseen changes will occur. So… "

  "I understand!" Greem also let out a deep sigh, "Then, I'll be taking my leave."

  "Come with me!"

  The two of them quickly entered a secret room on the fifteenth floor under Alice's lead.

  There was nothing in the room except for a sizeable, mysterious array carved into the ground.

  "A teleportation array?" Greem gasped.

  He had seen arrays like this before. The Sarubo Clan had used similar arrays in their ultra-long range teleportations. The one before him was a teleportation array as well.

  "This is a teleportation array within the Tower of Fate. It can send you directly to the Zhentarim area and spare you from the pain of having to walk through the Black Forest. I'll give you the activation authority and coordinates of the array. That way, you can come here at any time if the need arises."