Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The dozens of adepts that had witnessed the battle gave a detailed account of what happened. Almost every single apprentice had heard of the might and power of Adept Greem and quickly began idolizing him.

  Three adepts?

  Based on apprentice Hill's description, the Aki Clan had sent a surprising number of adepts!

  Adept Greem had horribly burned one of them. Even now, he was still howling in agony on the second level of the tower, confined to bed. He had already received necessary treatment, but the process of recovering the burnt flesh was an arduously painful one.

  Adept Greem had captured another adept. Greem had imprisoned him in the tower under many layers of magic and arrays, devoid of any freedom. It was rumored that this person was an elite-level combat adept!

  The third one, on the other hand, didn't even show their face. They had been utterly scared away by Adept Greem's dominant show of force.

  The battle of the resource site was an instant morale boost for the clan apprentices. It caused them to have unsurpassed respect and feelings of idolization for the Flame Demon. Even the doubtful ones looked shocked when they returned from the ruined resource site.

  According to them, the entire place was a horrifying zone of magma. Lava flowed everywhere, the earth was scorched, pungent sulfur filled the air, and black and red magma remained on the surface of the ground alongside the damaged flowerbeds and gardens.

  If it weren't for the coordinates indicating they were right, these apprentices wouldn't even have believed that this was the resource site they knew; the resource site they had guarded for seven or eight years.

  The Sarubo Clan might have lost quite a lot of resources in this battle, but with the two enemy adepts in hand, the Aki Clan would have to pay a tremendous amount of compensation to settle this matter!

  …………

  While the apprentices were busy with work, Greem casually appreciated his spoils of war in his room.

  He had captured two enemy adepts at once. According to the Adept's Handbook, everything they had on them became spoils of war. Even if they were ransomed, he need not return the items. The enemy would have to offer a high price to repurchase their items.

  Greem took the golden circlet and golden claws off of the badly burnt Sicha. Sadly, Greem's fiery onslaught had severely damaged Sicha's golden armor and boots. They had lost all possibility of being repaired.

  Apart from this, Greem also found a charred storage belt and a cracked fire talisman on Sicha's person.

  It was clear that the opponent had performed a lot of preparations before seeking him out. However, Greem's exponential increase in power upon transforming into the Flame Fiend had exceeded Sicha's expectations. Consequently, the elementary-level fire talisman had shattered in the battle.

  The golden circlet was an intermediate magical item. Its owner would possess the ability to walk in the air freely.

  The golden claws were intermediate magical items as well. They were enchanted with three magical abilities: Blood's Bite, Haste, and Armor-Piercing.

  As for the rest of the items.

  Most of them had already been destroyed in the great elementium flames, causing Greem to lose many potential spoils of war! Flandre, who had actively surrendered, had left behind a lot more prizes for Greem compared to Sicha. Just the collection of magical items that Flandre had on him was enough to make Greem's eyes grow wide.

  The short staff Flandre had been holding during the fight wasn't worth much. However, the Empyrean Sapphire embedded atop the weapon was a high-quality product worth up to a thousand magical crystals.

  Ring of Freezing. Intermediate magical item. The owner's water spells would have a freezing effect.

  Empyrean Robe. Intermediate magical item. Enchanted with Wave Shield (Three uses/day). Enchanted with Summon Water Elementium Golem (Adept-level. One use/day). Enchanted with Mirror Image.

  Spirit Locket. Beginner magical item. Helped concentrate Spirit.

  Ring of Quickcast. Beginner magical item. Could save up to one-third of casting time for a specific spell (Three uses/day).

  Ring of Magic Detonation. Beginner magical item. Could enchant a specific spell with Mighty Spellpower (Two uses/day).

  Bloodsucker's Bracelet. Beginner magical item. Could enchant a melee weapon with Vampiric Touch.

  Magic Belt. Beginner magical item. Enchanted with an energy barrier that could reduce the damage of all elementium spells by 12%.

  Ripple Boots. Beginner magical item. Possessed the ability to allow one to walk on water and run on water. (An excellent combination with Acid Pool!)

  There was also a storage ring with tremendous space. A magical crystal card worth twenty thousand magical crystals was stored inside, along with four thousand physical crystals, several magic tomes, a notebook, and plenty of casting materials.

  The most valuable item within was a small vial of Ice Marrow; there were approximately twenty drops of the liquid within. This liquid was a type of unique substance created within the bodies of ice-attribute creatures. Consuming it in large quantities could raise an individuals' magic resistance and innate affinity with water.

  It was probably something Flandre had prepared for his future attempt to advance to Second Grade.

  The Chip quickly estimated the total value of all these items with its rapid processing abilities.

  They were worth approximately sixty to eighty thousand crystals in total!

  That meant Greem had practically obtained half an adept's tower through this battle.

  At least for the moment, Greem no longer needed to worry about the day-to-day functioning of Fire Throne!

  …………

  The Aki Clan's messenger arrived very quickly.

  To Greem's surprise, the messenger was Adept Lamure herself, who had fled without even fighting.

  In all honesty, Greem might have talked with Lamure twice, but this was his first time seeing her in person.

  Lamure was an ordinary-looking female adept with a head of brown hair. A gray adept's robe wrapped her slim figure. Lamure's most noticeable trait was her strange golden eyes.

  There were two pupils stacked upon each other in her golden eyes. Greem felt as if a powerful vortex was hidden in the depths of her eyes when he looked into them. His soul felt like it would sink into them at any time.

  Fortunately, Greem had the protection of Soul Barrier. He could withdraw his Spirit at any time to ensure Lamure didn't make any contact with his soul.

  "You are very cautious and surprising!" Lamure smiled at Greem the moment she met him, "I only thought you would have brought a little trouble upon Flandre. Who knew you were that strong and had such a powerful elementium golem in your possession? Hehe, those old fogeys in the clan must be pissed now."

  "I haven't thanked you for the information you provided, have I?" Greem returned a smile as well, "I would have had trouble taking down both Sicha and Flandre without your information!"

  "Hehe," Lamure suddenly started giggling gleefully, "What is it? Do you think you've got leverage over me now? Do you want to blackmail me into paying you?"

  "Do I not?"

  "Then I regret to tell you that you still don't understand the Aki Clan!" Lamure spoke disdainfully, "You could tell Flandre about all this. See if they would care about what I did."

  "Fine. Let's skip the unnecessary words, shall we?" Greem interrupted her, "What does your Aki Clan plan to offer as the ransom for the two adepts? I hope to hear a satisfying number."

  "With regards to the conflict between our clans, the elders are now holding negotiations. I still don't know the specifics of their agreements at the moment. However, I did bring some benefits for you alone!"

  "Oh?" Greem narrowed his eyes and thought for a while. He understood that that was how the situation was.

  He might have been the one to capture the adepts, as well as the person who had created the chance for this 'agreement' to come about. However, he was not the one who possessed the right to negotiate.
If the enemy wanted to talk, they would go straight to the Sarubo leaders instead of wasting time on a First Grade adept like himself!

  However, as the most prominent person in this conflict, his benefits were guaranteed, regardless of the final results of the negotiations!

  Now it was just a matter of how much sincerity the Aki were willing to display to 'improve' the treatment of the two prisoners!

  Half an hour later, Lamure left the stone tower with a smile on her face.

  Greem also received an additional fifty thousand magical crystal and some advanced healing potions.

  Sicha's wounds were extraordinarily grave and severe. His Physique was only enough to prevent the injuries from growing worse. It was difficult for him to regenerate and recover thoroughly. As such, these advanced healing potions were a kind of a bribe from the Aki Clan to make sure that Adept Sicha didn't end up with permanent injuries that affected him in the future.

  Greem did a rough calculation. Three of these advanced healing potions were enough to help Adept Sicha recover from the burns. The remaining two vials were undoubtedly a bribe meant for him!

  For the next few days, Greem remained stationed in the tower, silently waiting for news from the clan.

  His estimations suggested that the conflict between the Sarubo and the Aki would conclude in less than three days!

  Chapter 451 Relationship

  Feidnan City, Adept's Tower.

  The teleportation array continued to flash with a brilliant light.

  It was only after three minutes that the light started to stabilize and shine blindingly.

  After a while, the light faded, and five figures of varying height appeared in front of the others.

  "Welcome back, Mary!"

  The first to step out and welcome Mary was Adept Keoghan. The two of them had cooperated and worked together back in the knight's plane. Naturally, they had a much closer relationship compared to the other adepts present.

  "Hmph! What is there to welcome? I am here to accept my punishment. Oh right, have the elders decided on my punishment yet?" Mary still wore her crimson armor as she strolled out of the teleporter, complaining as she did so. Three Blood Knights and the old fox Vanlier followed behind her. They immediately fell to the ground and grabbed their heads with their hands as they cried in agony.

  Mary seemed fine initially, but after a few steps, her whole body trembled and she also collapsed to the ground. Clouds of red mist rose from her body, causing the entire room to smell of blood.

  "What an intense planar feedback! It seems you profited from your time in the knight's plane. The few of you; hurry up and help Lady Mary back to her quarters." Adept Keoghan ordered as he assessed the strange knights following behind Mary.

  He could sense that these knights were vampires. They all had Mary's unique magical aura on their bodies. They seemed to be a sort of soul-servant kind of existence. However, it was their power that shocked Keoghan. All three of these knights were almost as powerful as veteran adepts. Only the guy dressed like a noble was slightly weaker, with the strength of a pseudo-adept.

  Adept Keoghan's memory was exceptional. He instantly recognized the identities of the knights– they were all radiant knights from the other plane! All of them were famous Second Grade knights! However, traveling from a lesser plane to a large plane like the World of Adepts had a negative impact on them. Their souls had been suppressed by the world consciousness, causing various degrees of regression in their grade and powers.

  As long as they were provided with sufficient time and resources, it was possible for them to regain their former powers. Of course, they would first have to get used to the planar laws of this world. However, if you considered the difficulty of a Second Grade adept advancing, then you would understand how impractical it would be for Mary to help the Blood Knights to rise to Second Grade again.

  "Get a few more people over here and help those people get to Adept Mary's quarters as well!"

  The apprentices waiting at the side swarmed forward at Keoghan's command. They were about to help Mary and the knights up when the mist of blood seared them as they got near Mary. They cried in pain as they panicked and stumbled away.

  Mary moaned several times as she leaned against the wall and helped herself up.

  "What is with me? Why does my head hurt so much?" Mary's body was still trembling, but her bright red eyes gleamed and stared at Keoghan.

  "This is the usual reaction upon returning from a lesser plane. We call this phenomenon planar feedback! As long as you endure this period of pain, you will find your powers improving at an explosive rate." Adept Keoghan quickly explained.

  Rash people like Mary always acted before thinking. If she felt like something was off, she would most definitely fight before she talked.

  Making an elementium adept like Keoghan fight a wild and ferocious bloodline adept like Mary in a narrow space like the teleportation room was not a good idea!

  Consequently, to avoid Mary misinterpreting the situation, Keoghan explained all information regarding planar feedback as fast as possible.

  Mary held her head in her hands. She closed her eyes to sense for a moment. Mary only released her apprehension once she confirmed that this sudden headache was bringing beneficial to her. She then looked around the room and frowned as she asked, "Where's Greem? Did he not know that I was returning today?"

  Keoghan put on a bitter smile, "He actually didn't know, because he's stationed outside of the headquarters right now. It seems a clan war might break out there!"

  "A clan war?" Mary's eyes gleamed when she heard these two words, "Should we go to your place or my place? Tell me all about this thing."

  Keoghan couldn't help but show a bitter smile when he heard this.

  Anyone else would try his very best to avoid a clan war for fear of becoming the clan's cannon fodder. But not Mary; she was excited.

  "What should we do with your subordinates?"

  "Them? Let them come along!"

  Mary extended a slender hand. A cloud of blood mist emerged around her four subordinates. The next second, they had all turned into small hairy bats. They dove into her armor and disappeared from sight.

  Mary was a vampire and a bloodline adept after all. Her Physique was far better than an ordinary adept. It had been no more than a short moment, yet the effects of her planar feedback had utterly vanished. The aura of power that she radiated had also increased by a significant degree.

  If Greem were here, he would be shocked to find that Mary's bodily attributes had far surpassed his own. In fact, she had already reached the level of an elite adept.

  Two hours later, Mary exited Keoghan's room and swiftly walked down the tower's corridor.

  She turned past two corners and was about to reach her room. Just then, Vanlier's high-pitched voice rang by her ear.

  "Master, that Adept Greem's position in the Sarubo Clan doesn't seem very stable!"

  "Hm? Why would you say so?" Mary seemed unfazed by the news.

  "I'm not sure if you noticed earlier, but Adept Keoghan doesn't seem to want you to meet Adept Greem. He repeatedly emphasized that the situation over there was complicated and it would be inappropriate for you to show up there at this time."

  "Oh."

  Mary had never really cared for these details. She was just about to ask Vanlier another question when she stopped.

  A young, beautiful, and gentle female adept stood in front of her room. The woman nodded at her and smiled.

  "You must be Lady Mary. Nice to meet you; I am Meryl, a disciple of Teacher Greem."

  Teacher Greem? It had only been eleven years, and that guy managed to cultivate an adept-level disciple?

  "You have met Adept Keoghan already, haven't you? A lot of things have occurred in the clan over these years. He might not have had the time to tell you about it all. That's why I'm paying a special visit, in hopes that I can inform you of all the changes."

  Adept Meryl spoke with a casual tone, but Mary,
having slaughtered and fought for a dozen years in the other plane, could still pick up the trace of murderous intent in her voice.

  Mary let Meryl into her room and heard about all the various things that had happened to Greem over the past eleven years.

  Alice had also advanced to adept-level and was even the leader of the Witches of Fate within the Northern Witches.

  Greem had constructed an adept's tower known as Fire Throne at the edge of the Black Forest. He was now amassing strength and influence there.

  Tensions seemed to have built between Greem and the higher-ups. There were signs of conspiracy in the clan war this time.

  Greem was stationed in Gilneas City alone, and the clan refused to reinforce him. It seemed there was more to the situation than how it appeared to be.

  ……

  A thick, murderous intent spilled out of Mary's crimson eyes by the time Meryl finished speaking.

  "I'll hurry to Gilneas City right now. Don't worry; I am much more powerful than before. With me there, your teacher Greem will certainly be unharmed!"

  Mary was a person who believed in action and acted whenever she spoke. She asked for a map from Meryl and immediately flew out of the window of her room without bothering to exit through the doors of the tower. She transformed into her bat form and flapped her wings as she disappeared into the distant horizon.

  Once Feidnan City had vanished from sight, Vanlier braved the whistling winds and climbed to Mary's shoulder with much difficulty.

  "Master, your actions are unwise! They are very likely to draw the suspicions of the clan's leaders."

  "Vanlier, remember. Your duty is to plot and scheme for me, not to obstruct my decisions!"

  Vanlier shrunk his neck in fear after being scolded by his master.

  However, he quickly asked out of curiosity, "Master, what relationship do you have with that Adept Greem fellow? Why would you take such a huge risk to help him?"

  "He's my partner!"

  The coldness of Mary's tone caused Vanlier to stop asking questions. Instead, he silently contemplated the meaning of his master's words.

  This was an entirely new world!