Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  Greem didn't walk down the stairs. Instead, he stood at the railings of the second floor and looked down upon the crowd. His eyes had a terrifying and intimidating quality to them.

  "I need a small adventurer's group of around five to seven men. It would be best if it's made up of veterans with experience in the woods." Greem slowly explained his requirements, "You won't need to capture any ferocious creature on this trip. All you need to do is accompany me in exploring an area. You will deal with the ordinary beasts, and I'll deal with the powerful magical creatures. Everything that we get along the journey will belong to you, provided my exploration mission proves successful. That is all!"

  Murmuring started to spread through the hall.

  Everyone seemed exceptionally excited and agitated. No one expected this adept to promise such rich rewards. However, Greem still noticed a few abnormalities in the room. Some of the more powerful adventurers were not rejoicing like the rest. Instead, they seemed to be rooted in thought.

  "Sir, could you perhaps tell us a bit of where we are supposed to explore?" A veteran adept who was much more experienced placed his hand on his chest and bowed respectfully, "I have no intention of peering into your secrets, Sir. I only wish to assess the risk involved in this mission!"

  The murmuring crowd silenced all of a sudden. Their gazes fell upon the mysterious adept once again.

  "The area I wish to explore is near Plaguewood!" Greem calmly answered the question.

  Gasps rang out from the crowd when Greem uttered the name Plaguewood.

  Shock and fear betrayed most people's faces.

  As expected, an adept's money wasn't that easily earned.

  Adepts were generous in giving out money, often paying out five to ten times more than the usual rate. However, the tasks they assigned were often ten to a hundred times more dangerous.

  Plaguewood?

  As adventurers that made their living in the Black Forest, they had all heard of this place. It was located one hundred and fifty kilometers to the northeast of Pinecone Town. That meant that the adventurers had to make their way a hundred and forty-five kilometers into the Black Forest.

  This…this was already a deadly territory!

  Perhaps because he saw the fear in their eyes, Greem immediately announced more news.

  "I understand the difficulty of this mission. For that reason, I'll be offering two hundred magical crystals as part of the payment as well!"

  Greem's words started yet another storm in the crowd. All the adventurers began discussing it in loud voices and passionate gestures. Chaos fell upon the hall once again.

  Greem could see very clearly what was happening from his vantage point. Some of the younger and less experienced rookie mercenaries shook their heads and left the hall. The veteran mercenaries also went after a period of deliberation.

  Soon, less than ten people remained in the hall.

  "Sir, I am Love, a Second Class shield-bearing swordsmen. I am willing to join your party," Love was a tall and young swordsman. He pointed at the two people behind him, "This is my sister, Fila. She is a Third Class archer. And this is Rhodes, a Third Class rogue."

  As Greem took a look at them, the chip instantly projected their attributes into his mind.

  In a world dominated by adepts, all other professions were severely limited in their abilities and potential.

  The Second Class and Third Class that Love spoke of was only a standard title used by fighters in the human world. They corresponded to the different levels of an adept apprentice.

  First Class was equal to a pseudo-adept, Second Class was equivalent to an advanced apprentice. Third Class was similar to an intermediate apprentice, and Fourth Class was like a Beginner Apprentice. Almost all of the fighter professions were divided in this manner.

  What about fighters that could compare to adepts? Sincerest apologies, but such a person had never appeared in the Continent of Adepts!

  Love was approximately twenty-eight years of age. The fact that he was able to reach Second Class without any elementium talent placed him in the ranks of geniuses. After all, he was a person that had to rely solely on the training of his body and his combat skills to reach a level comparable to an advanced apprentice.

  The other two people behind him also had exceptional Physique. Greem couldn't help but nod in approval.

  They were obviously a mature group of adventurers. It would be very convenient to rely on a group like this!

  The other apprentices that dared to stay here were extremely confident as well. They also reported their professions and abilities to Greem. In the end, Greem only picked a Fourth Class hunter known as Neil, and an intermediate potions apprentice called Anthony from the remaining candidates to add to the team.

  The reason he picked a Fourth Class hunter was purely due to Jack's recommendation.

  Neil wasn't all that good at combat, but he was a decent cook. His skill at roasting meat was widely known and praised in town.

  Love and the other two shrugged at Sir Adept's choice.

  As they expected of the noble and spoiled Sir Adept; even when they went adventuring in the Black Forest, his priority was still his stomach!

  Apart from the five adventurers that Greem had chosen, there was still a mysterious figure sitting in the corner of the hall. Their face was hidden underneath their cloak.

  When Greem's eyes looked towards this mysterious person, they stood up and took off their hood. The person bowed respectfully and spoke, "Sir Adept, we meet again!"

  It was her!

  Chapter 389 Trouble

  A silver half-mask obscured the left side of her face. The left eye beneath the mask glowed with a bright red light. When her eyes turned, it emitted an odd mechanical sound.

  Greem's elementium sight allowed him to see into her body. He was shocked to find that she had replaced one-third of her organs with special mechanical constructs.

  "So it's you! Sabrina," Greem was quickly able to match the person in front of him with a face from the past, "I recall that you're from the Tracy Clan in the Woodrow region. Why are you here in Ailovis?"

  This pseudo-adept level mechanical girl bitterly smiled. It seemed she didn't want to go into detail. She said, "Sir, I wish to join your party!"

  Sabrina didn't mention Greem's name, as she wasn't sure whether he intended to hide his identity.

  A pseudo-adept wanted to join?

  Greem took out a small pouch and tossed it to Love, the swordsman.

  "This is a fifty magical crystal deposit. Buy everything you need tonight. We will be setting off tomorrow!" Greem turned to look at Sabrina, "Come with me!"

  The adventurers smiled and quickly left the inn.

  Greem had just sat down on a chair in his room when Sabrina walked in, still wrapped in her traveler's cloak.

  Her body weighed a lot. The wooden floorboards creaked when she stepped on them.

  "Tell me! Did you get into some serious trouble? Why else would you have such wounds on your body that you would leave untreated!?" Greem casually laid the Blaze of Destruction by the table and stretched his body.

  "Since you've already seen through me, I won't be hiding it any longer." Compared to Sabrina's dominance and confidence in the Underground Cave, she appeared to be extremely dejected now.

  In Greem's elementium sight, Sabrina's life force appeared to be weak and in disorder. Her Spirit also seemed to be wilting. It was clear that she had been grievously injured.

  "Sir Greem, I am now being hunted by the people from my clan!"

  "Hunted by the people of your own clan?" An amused expression appeared on Greem's face, "Now, that is something I want to listen more about!"

  The right side of Sabrina's face was beautiful, but the smile on her face right now was just so bitter.

  "The Tracy Clan specializes in training mechanical adepts. Those who want to advance have to grow and construct a mechanical heart that only belongs to themselves. Four years ago, after much difficulty, I manage
d to modify and create a mechanical heart of Excellent quality. I had intended to use it to complete my advancement ceremony. However, someone took it from me."

  "Excellent?"

  "That's our clan's internal quality classification of mechanical hearts. You have Inferior, Low-Grade, Medium-Grade, High-Grade, Excellent, and Perfect hearts. The Inferiors are the worst, while a mechanical heart of Perfect quality has only appeared once. Excellent quality is already the best we can achieve."

  "Didn't you say that the mechanical heart was supposed to belong to you alone? How did it get taken away by someone else?" Greem asked, confused.

  Even he didn't know much about the mysterious profession of mechanical adepts. He was quite curious.

  "We have to activate the mechanical heart and connect it to our artificial organs to successfully advance to a mechanical adept. However, before our advancement is complete, the unactivated mechanical heart can still be stolen away from us."

  "Who took away your mechanical heart?" Greem asked curiously.

  "Locard, the blood descendant of Second Grade Adept Franco of our Tracy Clan!" Sabrina gritted her teeth as she spat out loud.

  "Why's that Locard person still pursuing you? He's already got your mechanical heart after all."

  "That's because he's afraid that I have some hidden means by which I can control that mechanical heart. That's why."

  Greem understood the basics of what was happening even without any additional explanation from Sabrina. It seemed this was one of the internal struggles that often happened within adept clans!

  Sabrina was talented, but she didn't have any status within her clan. She was likely just a member of a side branch of the clan. If someone like her managed to develop their powers, they were very likely to threaten the ruling position of the main branch. These sort of incidents were likely to happen, especially when her abilities overshadowed even those of the main branch's pseudo-adepts.

  However, the fact that things had grown so dangerous only pointed to the shady and unfair nature of the Tracy Clan! Taking away someone's mechanical heart, then exiling and pursuing them? That was far too bold and obvious of an internal struggle!

  "Did you think I would accept you with all the mess and trouble you are in?" Greem coldly laughed.

  This matter was one of the things that Greem was confused about!

  Sabrina would never obtain help from any adepts with the situation she was in. Helping her meant provoking a small adept clan. Moreover, it was the Tracy Clan, who were well-known as decent fighters. The fact that they were able to establish themselves as a small clan meant that they had a Third Grade adept acting as the backbone of their organization.

  No adept would ever be foolish enough to offend a Third Grade adept for the sake of one pseudo-adept!

  "Don't worry. The Third Grade adept of the clan doesn't know of this incident at all. Neither will they act because of this. I would never have landed in such a terrible situation if it wasn't because of Franco's interference and his abuse of his status," Sabrina explained worriedly.

  Greem still shook his head in silence.

  Even if there wasn't a Third Grade adept mixed in the equation, a Second Grade adept was still someone beyond his abilities to deal with! What difference were a Second Grade and Third Grade to him? The outcome was the same! He would experience death in a single strike.

  "Sir Greem, If you are willing to shelter me, I…I'll be willing to provide you with information about an ancient ruin!" Finally, Sabrina steeled her resolve and put out the only leverage she had.

  "Ancient ruins?" Greem straightened his body.

  "Aren't you curious?" Sabrina didn't intend to hide anything now that she had already revealed her secret, "I was only a branch clan member. I didn't have access to any rare resources. Why was I able to obtain an Excellent mechanical heart?"

  "You mean to say that you tapped into power from the ancient ruins?" Greem narrowed his eyes.

  "Yes!" Sabrina said confidently, "I only explored the outer rim of the ruins, and yet I managed to get such bountiful yields. If you went there, with your ability, you would be able to get much more than I was able to!"

  Greem looked at Sabrina's pale face. Blue light flashed in the depths of his eyes.

  "Chip, can you determine if she is lying?"

  "Beep. Judging by the electrocardiographic feedback, there is a 98% chance of the ancient ruins existing, and a 2% chance of her lying.

  "Addendum. Based on the opponent's brain waves, her words contain false or misleading components."

  "Which is to say that the news about the ancient ruins is true, but the fact that she found the mechanical heart inside is false?"

  "Beep. Agree with the host's perspective!"

  Greem subtly and quickly communicated with the chip. They exchanged countless pieces of information in the blink of an eye. It was unfortunate that Alice wasn't here with him. Otherwise, it would have been an easy matter to determine the truth of Sabrina's words!

  Greem narrowed his eyes and brooded in silence as he tapped the table with his right hand. That was the only sound in the entire room.

  Sabrina held her breath and anxiously watched every change of Greem's expression.

  Until she saw the cold smile that crossed Greem's face.

  "I can temporarily allow you to follow by my side!" Greem said slowly, "But if I find any part of what you have said to be a lie, I won't send you back to the Tracy Clan. I'll kill you on the spot!"

  Sabrina was relieved. A joyful smile finally appeared on her face as she hastily bowed towards Greem.

  "Go and rest first! Remember to treat your wounds as much as possible. We will be leaving tomorrow."

  "Understood!"

  Sabrina raised her head to take another look at Greem. She quickly lowered her head when her eyes clashed with his intimidating gaze. She then slowly exited the room and closed the door.

  The room regained its peace. Just then, Greem tilted his head and said calmly, "Sir, sneaking into my room in this manner isn't quite friendly, is it?"

  A blurred silhouette slowly emerged from thin air in the corner of the room. It was the corner Greem was staring at.

  "I had heard that an adept arrived in town, so I hurried to take a look. Who would have known? You, sir, aren't just powerful. You are extremely bold as well! I, Gargamel, am impressed."

  It was an adept with a sinister face. All of Gargamel's hair had fallen out of his head, except for a few patches of white hair. He wore a gray adept's robe and held a glowing staff in his left hand. The hand holding onto the staff was thin and withered. Greem practically saw the outlines of his bones. It was more like the claw of a ghost than the hand of a human.

  "Gargamel. An unfamiliar name. I have never heard of it! Are you here to catch that little girl?" Greem looked at the other adept in confusion.

  Greem would have prepared his magical defenses if it wasn't for the absolute lack of hostility that he was picking up from the opponent. After all, an adept hiding themselves and sneaking around another adept didn't seem like a friendly act no matter how you looked at it!

  "There's no need for wild guesses, good sir!" Yellowed and blackened teeth showed when Adept Gargamel spoke, "I have nothing to do with the girl. I am only a wandering adept that happened to be staying in Pinecone Town for the past six months. For the moment, I'm here to do my magical experiments, as well as to purchase some of the materials that come from the Black Forest."

  "Then you are here to...?"

  "I heard you wanted to go to Plaguewood? Are you interested in joining me on a big venture?" Gargamel's eyes shone when he explained his purpose here. He appeared almost impatient to start on this venture of his.

  "A big venture?" Greem asked doubtfully.

  "Indeed. Indeed. I want you to help me kill an adept-level magical creature."

  Chapter 390 Magic Forest

  The Black Forest.

  It was a terrifying name on the Continent of Adepts, feared by many and
dreaded by most.

  To the ordinary man, the Black Forest was a name that represented death and chaos. If you flipped through the history pages of the Continent of Adepts, you would find countless bloody examples of why this was the case.

  Year 13179 of the Era of Adepts. All one hundred and twenty-three individuals in a human village by the western border of the Zhentarim area vanished without a trace. Investigations conducted by adepts discovered the tracks of Mind Flayers.

  Year 17281 of the Era of Adepts. A stampede of magical beasts ravaged a newly constructed human settlement in the Nalan region of the Northern Lands. In a matter of three days, the number of deaths reached twenty thousand, while the missing and the wounded were too many to count.

  Year 22765 of the Era of Adepts. After the formation of the Seventeenth Construct Army, the Silver Union started to expand their territory into the depths of the Black Forest. The magical creatures initiated a horrifying backlash, and countless casualties ensued.

  ……

  ……

  Just a single look through history told you that all of humanity had a naturally instinctive fear and respect for the Black Forest.

  The forest was both a treasury full of resources and the source of chaos where monsters gathered.

  Living next to these magical creatures was walking on a knife's edge. Every day and every night people worried about a sudden stampede or an unexpected attack by wandering monsters. Those who had never experienced it for themselves would never understand what it meant to lead such a life.

  The people of Pinecone Town huddled within their walls. No one dared to take a step beyond the only thing that kept them safe. The townsmen even formed groups when they went to gather firewood during the day. Not a single one of them had stayed in Pinecone Town for more than five years.

  The pioneers of Pinecone Town, those that had first arrived here, had all been devoured by the Black Forest, one after another.

  The largest population among the outsiders gathered in Pinecone Town were the mercenaries and adventurers seeking a living. Of course, there were also the apprentice adepts that were here to search for materials.