Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  Greem knew very well what was happening.

  Under the management of Meryl and Gargamel, Fire Throne hosted a grand banquet to welcome Adept Keoghan. They were also using this banquet to provide the apprentices that had been stationed in the tower a chance to interact and meet the newcomer apprentices.

  After all, for a long time hence, Fire Throne would be the place where they lived, studied, and trained.

  The current members of Fire Throne included three adepts– Greem, Meryl, and Gargamel (Eva and Mary were yet to be included). There were also five pseudo-adepts, eleven advanced apprentices, thirty-four intermediate apprentices, and many more beginner apprentices.

  A tiny faction belonging to Greem had silently appeared in the center of the continent just like that!

  Chapter 467 Rune of Explosion

  Adept Keoghan's arrival was an unexpected surprise to Greem.

  After such a long time here in the Black Forest, a large batch of magical beasts had started piling up in the warehouse. Some of them were even adept-level magical creatures.

  Killing them and harvesting their organs was the less profitable way to go about maximizing their value. Taming them would undoubtedly have been the method that would yield the most benefit. However, the Fire Throne hadn't been able to find a sufficiently powerful tamer despite a long time searching; they had no choice but to put the idea to rest.

  Consequently, after multiple estimates, turning these magical beasts into loyal voodoo beasts was best suited to benefit the tower.

  That was why Greem took the opportunity and persuaded Adept Keoghan after he arrived to stay and help him deal with the magical creatures in the Fire Throne.

  There was the corpse of an elite-level giant berserk gelada, a wyvern king, a flaming tiger, seven razor boars, and twenty-three berserk geladas.

  From this, one could see the importance of a leader-class monster in a tribe!

  Once the giant berserk gelada had died, all of its subordinate berserk geladas lost their only protection. They became easy targets for the magical creatures and tower apprentices to hunt down.

  It could honestly be said that nearly half of the berserk gelada tribe had fallen into Greem's hands. The rest either fled far away or became the food of other magical creatures.

  There were no such things as firm friendship and alliance in the Black Forest!

  Even the Wyvern King had to pretend to be buddies with the giant berserk gelada when it was still alive. However, the moment the giant berserk gelada died, these strong wyverns were the first to descend upon the geladas.

  Adept Keoghan was wildly surprised by the fact that Greem could take out so many live magical creatures at once. Apart from sending that first batch of seven Second Grade elementium cores, Keoghan had also come here with the intention of helping the clan mend their relationship with Grem.

  That was why Keoghan agreed to Greem's tiny request without even thinking. However, Keoghan wished for Greem to pay him in elementium golems for the creation of these voodoo beasts.

  Naturally, Greem happily agreed to this condition.

  Greem had also come into contact with some voodoo beasts back in the Knight's Plane.

  In simpler terms, a so-called voodoo beast was a wild beast that had been modified with magic.

  The adepts used unusual methods to wipe away the beast's memory and part of their intelligence. They then planted a control rune into the creature and made them bend to their every will and whim. An adept only needed to give a single order during a battle to trigger the native ferocity of the voodoo beasts, causing the animals to attack the enemy without any fear of death.

  A beginner voodoo-beast master could only handle ordinary woodland creatures. Keoghan, on the other hand, was an intermediate voodoo-beast master. He was qualified to handle adept-level magical creatures. That was why Greem couldn't convert these magical creatures into active combat power despite having them in his possession for a long time. The main reason was that the process of wiping away a magical creature's memory and implanting a control rune was far too complicated. A slight mistake would cause the voodoo beast's power to excessively degrade.

  In fact, if a voodoo beast master's technique were insufficient, the modified voodoo beast would even lose most of its combat instinct. It would turn into an idiot that only knew how to rush forward. An excellent voodoo-beast master would be able to preserve a magical creature's original combat techniques to the fullest extent. They were even sometimes able to allow the magical creature to regain its intelligence.

  Adept Keoghan cast a spell to check the magical creatures. The giant berserk gelada had great bodily attributes from the start. It was a powerful elite-level magical creature itself. Consequently, there was a chance Keoghan could modify it into an adept-level voodoo beast. The other magical creatures, on the other hand, could probably only be turned into pseudo-adept-level voodoo beasts due to their inferior quality.

  Those razor boars were even worse. They would likely only retain advanced apprentice-level powers after modification.

  Greem had already predicted Keoghan's estimations and left the job to Keoghan's discretion. Greem finally narrowed his eyes and started thinking while Keoghan went into the voodoo beast modification lab with the magical creatures.

  It was only now that Greem truly understood the value of the elite-level golems he would provide the clan.

  An elite-level magical creature leader would lose that much combat prowess after voodoo beast modification. They would even fall from elite-level to the ranks of an ordinary adept. Other magical creatures would fall below adept-level.

  If Greem exchanged all of these magical creatures for elementium cores, he could guarantee that he could convert them into adept-level combat forces. The reason behind this was the auxiliary effect of the Chip.

  With the detailed modifications and designs of the Chip, along with its auxiliary functions, Greem could exploit an elementium core's power to its fullest extent. He could transform them into perfect golem cores with the smallest rate of energy loss. Adept Keoghan didn't have the conveniences he had. Keoghan had to rely on his natural skills and unique techniques to compensate.

  That explained why the clan placed so much importance on his ability to produce elite-level golems.

  However, through comparison to Adept Keoghan, Greem instantly understood that he could not be as honest with his skills when he was creating these golems. He would have to tone down his skills most of the time. He couldn't develop golems that were too perfect, or it would be very likely that he'd attract even more attention from the clan.

  Greem opened the wooden box that Keoghan had given him once he returned to his room.

  Radiant elementium aura immediately started to gather towards the wooden box. The brilliant lights made it hard for Greem to open his eyes.

  Seven elementium cores lay neatly inside the box.

  Without the restriction of the magical arrays on the box, the corresponding elementium particles surged and gathered around the elementium cores, continuously merging with the crystals. The elementium cores themselves possessed a trace of the aura of the planar laws, which was why the elementium particles were still attracted to them even after their owners were dead.

  That was why Greem could currently seeing the Second Grade elementium cores flashing in the mist-like concentration of elementium as if they were taking deep and slow breaths. The rhythmic pulse of the elementium formed ripples around the elementium cores, causing layers of elementium halos to gather around the increasingly radiant crystals and making them appear all the more dazzling.

  The crystals resembled the nucleus of a star, radiating a celestial brilliance as they continued to release spots of light that dispersed into the air. All of this made the elementium cores look like something out of a dream while still containing fantastically profound truths within them.

  Greem extended a hand and lightly caressed an elementium core. When his slender fingers touched it, the fire elementi
um within him clashed with the elementium aura inside the core. Ripples spread out throughout his mental space.

  Three wind elementium cores, two fire elementium cores, one dark elementium core, and one earth elementium core.

  Different elementium cores would provide Greem with entirely different experiences. An in-depth analysis of the elementium composition of these cores would help Greem better understand the difference between Second Grade creatures and lower lifeforms.

  It was important to note that the consciousness core that adepts formed during their advancement was largely in reference to the tangible elementium cores residing in the bodies of magical creatures. Consequently, extended periods of contact with multiple Second Grade elementium cores would greatly help Greem over time.

  However, Greem's doubts increased the longer he came into contact with these Second Grade cores.

  The owners of these cores had already died. Their mental consciousness had also dispersed to the winds. What was it that the crystal cores were relying upon to maintain the power of the planar laws within them?

  Could the power of laws break free from the bounds of mental consciousness and solidify in the form of a material substance?

  What was the true nature of laws? Where did their powers come from?

  Greem's thoughts drifted as he caressed these beautiful crystal cores. His desire and expectations for the truths of the world hiding under all these layers intensified.

  Magic, witchcraft; in the end, when taken apart, it was witchery and craft!

  At the simplest level of explanation, witchery was the practice of magic. It represented the supernatural, the chaotic, and the unknown. Craft, on the other hand, expressed the known techniques and the determined laws. Both complemented each other and required the other. You couldn't be missing either one!

  Witchery represented the ancient adepts' desire to pursue truth in chaos. Witchery was also the incarnation totem by which they existed. The adepts of today mostly only pursued the craft. They were the kind of crafts and techniques that could provide them with power and strength.

  Greem, on the other hand, was trying to find a balance between witchery and craft. In doing so, he would be able to see the truth of the world, while also possessing the ability to defend himself and not fall on the path of pursuing the truth.

  Of course, this might have been extremely greedy. However, if Greem was already this far down the road, what difference would a little greed make?!

  The Chip's voice suddenly rang out in Greem's mind as he was caressing the elementium cores and fantasizing about the future.

  [Beep. Successfully deciphered variant fire elementium rune. Requesting instructions from host. Relay information?]

  What? The variant fire rune has been deciphered? Why did it take only take half the time estimated?

  All sorts of doubts popped up in his mind. Greem had the Chip send over the information.

  A slight stinging pain appeared in his mind. Greem then felt nearly half of all his Spirit evaporate in an instant. It was only then that he barely managed to take in that unimaginably complex and terrifying stream of data.

  Strangely enough, even though Greem received a stream of data that had undergone several layers of analysis and deciphering, it formed into a strange rune when it gathered in his mind. It was a rune in his mental space that was burning with a crimson fire.

  Crimson fire?

  What the flying heck was this?

  Why did it give him a feeling of extreme danger?

  Even though it was clearly fire, Greem felt like his brain would quickly explode whenever he extended his Spirit within.

  Strange, powerful, and dangerous.

  Greem tolerated the discomfort and contacted this strange variant fire rune with his Spirit. He finally understood its effect.

  Rune of Explosion!

  It was actually a Rune of Explosion!

  When Greem's Spirit sunk into the rune, he had a vague feeling. If he managed to master this rune fully, then all of his future fire spells would probably be able to… explode!

  Chapter 468 Renowned Signature

  Greem fell into the busiest period of his life over the following days.

  The Spirit that had withered from tempering required long periods of meditation to recover.

  His mental space required nurturing from the continuous quakes.

  The Chip might have thoroughly analyzed the variant fire elementium rune, but he still needed to continue experimenting to turn the rune into part of his strength.

  The large numbers of Second Grade elementium cores also had to be assessed and have data models constructed on them.

  The strange changes happening to Billis also needed to be recorded and processed.

  The order of the Fire Throne's rule was in need of further specification.

  He couldn't ignore the training of the tower apprentices either.

  ……

  The always lonesome Greem had never thought it would be this troublesome to manage a fully functional faction. He had never expected the internal affairs to be so numerous and annoying. If it weren't for Meryl and Gargamel, then he alone would never have been able to get Fire Throne functioning properly.

  It was only now that he truly understood why so many high-grade adepts would rather stay within their clans than come out and establish a new organization of their own.

  It was this difficult and torturous to establish a new organization!

  The number of adepts in the adept's tower was not sufficient. That was why even Greem had to start taking on classes for advanced spell techniques under Meryl's strong insistence. Fortunately, he only needed to teach classes four days a month. Otherwise, Greem wouldn't have been able to resist the urge to chase the apprentices away.

  He was like a wound-up top, never having a moment's rest. He weaved between different magical labs all day long, conducting seven or eight magical experiments simultaneously. Even during the occasional instance where he had free time, he also needed to make preparations for the magical golem crafting process that was about to begin.

  The only time he might have been able to relax during a day was when he had utterly exhausted his Spirit and closed his eyes to meditate.

  According to the Chip's calculations, his mental space hadn't settled down since he had started tempering his Spirit. It was in a perpetual riot. However, in exchange, his meditation efficiency had increased by a large margin as compared to before. It was clear evidence that the Spirit tempering process he had tailored to his needs honestly had the effect of improving his innate potential.

  The Goblin Snorlax had also successfully transferred his goblin shop into Fire Throne. He was now the largest arcane merchant within the tower. The goblin machinery he sold had become fresh new products that the apprentices were willing to try out. That was because they were cheap, easy to use, and had strange new effects that were not often seen in regular spells.

  If you wanted to bait a foolish ogre into an ambush from a distance, the Mechanical Chicken was a decent choice. The apprentices often didn't have enough magic power, and an Alchemical Bomb allowed them to retain offensive strength even when they ran out of magic. When the party was escaping from a terrifying magical creature, Rocket Boots might be able to save your life. When prey hid in a dark cave and refused to come out, an Explosive Chicken might be able to change its mind.

  These mechanical creations from another world always have all sorts of problems. For example, the mechanical chickens could have faulty settings and lead the ogre to its user. Maybe only two alchemical bombs out of three that were thrown would explode, or the rocket boots would throw you into the embrace of a massive tree trunk. But still, it didn't matter how you put it; when you had an additional option, life would always have a bit more surprise and shock to it!

  Greem also took the opportunity of his golems' fame and started trying putting up golems for sale in Snorlax's goblin shop.

  The first batch of golems was almost all a
t the pseudo-adept level. There were golems of practically every attribute: earth, fire, water, and wind. There were only ten of them, and he set each of their prices at a stunning eleven-hundred magical crystals.

  Based on Greem's analysis beforehand, this price should be slightly too high.

  After all, an ordinary apprentice adept only got paid around twenty to thirty magical crystals for every mission they completed. Even those dangerous missions often didn't reward more than a hundred magical crystals. On the other hand, adepts would not think anything of pseudo-adept level golems. Adepts wouldn't buy them, and apprentices couldn't afford them. That was why Greem expected sales to be a problematic issue.

  However, Greem still underestimated the passion of apprentices towards the strengthening of their abilities.

  If those advanced apprentices could bring a pseudo-adept level helper along with them when they went on errands, they would be able to go unchallenged as long as they didn't run into real adepts or the skilled individuals among the pseudo-adepts.

  That was like a blessing from heaven for mediocre advanced apprentices.

  An apprentice alone might not be able to afford a golem, but two to three apprentices taking out all of their money could put together the 'unimaginable' sum of eleven-hundred magical crystals.

  Thus, many apprentice parties that hunted in the Black Forest started using magic golems in their fights. The favorites of the apprentices among all the elementium golems were undoubtedly the stone golems and the stone serpents. With these monsters in their team, those tough and ferocious beasts and magical creatures could no longer disperse their formation.

  Many elaborate plans and strategies could be executed to their fullest extent with such powerful meat shields!

  Those magical creatures that needed to be delayed by tanks with their lives could now easily be taken on by a single stone golem. The casualty rates in the parties fell tremendously and the downtime where new recruits were hired also shortened drastically. Party members were almost always a fixed roster and their synergy improved at an exponential rate.