Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  Goblin Golem Dragons. One could tell from the designs and functions denominated on the blueprints that these were meant to be powerful magical machines designed for land combat. Their appearance seemed to be imitating those of hydras. The golems would be equipped with goblin mortars, goblin dragon lances, goblin cannons, and all sorts of terrifying magic energy weapons.

  Siege was undoubtedly its only strength!

  The two designs were still barely well-thought out enough for Greem to imagine their abilities. However, the Dimensional Ripper and Thunder God Titan were much closer to pointless fantasy.

  According to Gazlowe's thoughts, the Dimensional Ripper would be a particular sort of anti-space furnace.

  It couldn't absorb energy for space, but it could use the energy stored within itself to rip apart the space in plane worlds and create terrifying spatial vortices.

  The spatial vortex created by the explosion of the space furnace this time was only about ten meters in diameter. However, its existence had already caused indescribable damage to the geography within a fifty-kilometer radius. The environment within a five hundred kilometer radius was also severely affected.

  However, the Dimensional Ripper that Gazlowe envisioned could easily create a spatial vortex that was a kilometer in diameter.

  If such a massive spatial vortex were allowed to appear inside a plane, the very foundation of that plane world would be shaken!

  That was why Gazlowe wouldn't even need to call his concept a Dimensional Ripper if it actually worked. It would be much more accurate to call it the Plane Ripper.

  Just think of it. Send a suicide soldier into the enemy's plane world and detonate a Dimensional Ripper- no, 'Plane Ripper,' right in there. The outcome of it would be astounding.

  On the other hand, the Thunder God Titan was meant to be a mighty and terrifying magical machine that rivaled the Fourth Grade in Gazlowe's mind. It had a towering humanoid body and impenetrable metal shell. It would have a perpetual source of magical energy and wield ferocious and violent lightning storms.

  Of course, the greatest obstacle to Gazlowe having all this was the miniaturization and functionality of the space furnace. After all, all magical machines needed a perpetual source of magical energy if they wanted to engage in sustained combat. The current version of the space furnace was too crude and rough for that purpose.

  That was why the foundation for all large magical machines would have to be a magic energy furnace!

  Greem flipped to the end and looked at the half-complete blueprints of a magic energy furnace. Blue light flashed in the depths of his eyes.

  The Chip could only store the data in its information library with such a short glimpse. It didn't have enough time to evaluate and make calculations based on the content. However, just by instinct, Greem could tell that Gazlowe was walking on the right path; as expected of the top goblin engineer and inventor of the Goblin Empire.

  If he just had one or two hundred more years, all of these wild delusions and fantasies might slowly become a reality.

  However, with the average lifespan of goblins, would Gazlowe have that much time on his hands?

  Even Greem felt moved by the blueprints. He couldn't help but start wondering if Gazlowe's recent activities were related to the fact that he was about to die.

  "Human Adept. As per our agreement, I will take all of this information with me." Tigule could feel his heart rise to his throat when he saw Greem staring at the blueprints. He quickly reminded the adept of their deal.

  He might possess a deep hatred for the two adepts before him, but it was far more important for him to complete the task that her Highness the Princess had given to him.

  "Oh, you meant those registers." Greem came back to the present and started flipping through the registers by the blueprints. As expected, lots of goblin names were written on it, along with trade records that took place in various places and times.

  Greem intentionally kept count and found that the significant last name of Anderme showed up often.

  It seemed this was the critical information that the goblin royalty so badly wanted!

  The other register contained the records and staff roster of a goblin financial group known as Risk Investment Company. The names listed at the front all had impressive titles like Mayor, Commander, and General attached to them.

  Greem casually assessed the thickness of the register. All of the members of the Risk Investment Company were probably recorded in this book!

  "According to our previous agreement, you can only take these registers away with you!" Greem smiled coldly as he said, "These blueprints will be my spoils!"

  Chapter 516 Goblin Royalty

  Tigule's bargaining chips were insufficient in front of the forceful Greem.

  Even though the value of the plane world coordinates in his hands were worth way more than the list of some no-good rebels, Tigule had no room for negotiation.

  In fact, Tigule was thinking about whether he would be able to safely retreat after he completed the trade,and how he should proceed with the completion of the deal.

  While Greem and Tigule engaged in a period of silence, the ship wreckage floating in the strip of lights finally went to its eternal rest.

  The spatial vortex was only two meters in diameter, while the flying ship was a massive object that spanned three hundred meters. When the two came into contact with each other, the small hill of a vessel vanished instantly without a trace as if a giant, invisible beast had swallowed it.

  On the other hand, the spatial vortex remained as peaceful as before, even after devouring such a huge object. It was almost as if nothing had happened.

  The spots of planar law faults were gradually shrinking under the effects of the plane's regenerative power. The area where the lights reached had been pushed back to less than two and a half kilometers around the vortex. Judging from what was happening, the speed at which space regenerated would only grow faster.

  "If you agree to this trade, then let us go through with it!" Tigule didn't wish to delay any longer. He had no choice but to put forth his request to complete the trade politely.

  At this moment, Tigule would rather have left with the metal ball in his hands. However, he had no means of resistance against the two opportunistic adepts before him, especially without his magical machine.

  "You don't need to worry about what happens after the trade. We are adepts. Proud and respectable adepts. We are the zealots of knowledge and the defenders of fair trade. We will uphold our deal as long as you didn't lie to me!" A strange smile surfaced on Greem's face, "Moreover, as a token of our friendship to that Princess Vanessa of yours, I can let you take with you one blueprint at no additional cost. This is a powerful magical machine that possesses the power of Fourth Grade!"

  "Fourth Grade? Magical machine?" Tigule almost shouted out loud.

  The Second Grade magical machine he piloted was already a rare existence in the current world of the goblins. If they could truly create a Fourth Grade magical machine, would the Goblin Plane still be afraid of any opponents to come?

  Why would the adepts who were intruding on their plane be so nice?

  Countless questions and alarms went off in Tigule's head. He stashed the register of rebels, the name list of Gazlowe's subordinate forces, and the engineering blueprint for Thunder God Titan before carefully passing the metal ball to Greem.

  Greem calmly assessed the ball as a notification from the Chip rang out in his mind.

  [Discovered one set of plane world coordinates. Direct into the data library?]

  "Yes!"

  As Greem gave his affirmation, a long beam of data composed of many strange lines and goblin letters flowed into Greem's mind. It was evident that the way goblins stored world coordinates was different from how they did it in the World of Adepts. It involved some methods unique to the mechanical civilization.

  The Chip gave an initial estimate of 10 hours, 27 minutes, and 29 seconds to decipher the world coordinates.
Even though Greem still knew nothing about this foreign plane, the information he had now allowed him to confirm the legitimacy and integrity of the world coordinates.

  "Very well, you may leave now." Greem looked at the anxious Tigule and laughed softly, "Remember to pass my words to Princess Vanessa. I am very interested in meeting the goblin royal family. Since Gazlowe cut off his cooperation with us, baited us here, and tried to kill us, we naturally want to see him fall.”

  Tigule's face instantly flushed white!

  Ever since the leaping improvements in magic energy research, the goblin royal family had been reduced to the conservative and backward faction of the Goblin Empire. On the other hand, Gazlowe, who stood at the very forefront of magic energy research, became the well-liked representative of the progressive faction. He had become the 'Father of Magic Energy.'

  The Risk Investment Company that Gazlowe founded had also successfully become an influential force in the Goblin Empire that could rival the goblin royalty themselves.

  With no choice left for them, the goblin royal family had to confer the title of Prince upon Gazlowe to appease his ambitious and forceful actions. It had been the first time such a claim had been bestowed upon a person outside of the royal bloodline. Many goblins privately gossiped that the goblin royal family should give Princess Vanessa's hand in marriage to Gazlowe. She was the most popular of the heirs to the Empire and would be the most suited to tie the knot between the royal family and the most powerful goblin on the plane.

  As for the one tiny flaw of Gazlowe being a ninety-six-year-old elderly man, and Princess Vanessa being an eleven-year-old young girl– it was not a problem at all in the eyes of the passionate goblins.

  Gossip like this was undoubtedly the greatest humiliation and challenge to the goblin royal family!

  After all, given the traditions of the royal family's heirs, Princess Vanessa possessed the most influence among the three heirs. Any schemes that targeted her would result in anger and backlash from the defenders of the royal orthodoxy.

  The Goblin Empire was currently split between the Risk Investment Company, led by Gazlowe, and the goblin royal family. Their conflict had already bubbled to the surface and was quickly intensifying. If these reckless adepts also got involved in the internal conflicts of the goblins, the division of the Goblin Empire into two separate states would become a very likely outcome!

  The pale Tigule nodded without a word and turned to leave with the vital information in his hands.

  Once the goblin was entirely out of sight, Sabrina asked quizzically, "We are letting him take the blueprints for the Thunder God Titan just like that? That's a terrifying magical machine with the power of Fourth Grade!"

  "It's just a blueprint," Sabrina might not understand, but Greem knew the truth, "The opponent might want to forge a Thunder God Titan, but the metal resources in the Goblin Plane will not allow for that to happen. Even if they sent slaves to dig up every last bit of rare metal in this plane, it would not be enough. Also, the core component for creating the Thunder God Titan–the magic generator furnace–is a problem that they have no solution for. That's why the blueprint is no more than a useless piece of paper in their hands."

  "Not to mention that if they foolishly try to invest all of the plane's resources into the construction of the Thunder God, the resistance against us will proportionally weaken. Am I right?" Sabrina quickly understood Greem's idea by following his train of thought.

  "The goblins aren't that stupid. They won't so easily put all their eggs in one basket in that manner. The blueprint is more of a lure. I want to use it to bait out the royal family standing behind that goblin princess."

  "Then you intend to walk the tightrope between Gazlowe and the goblin royal family?"

  "There's no choice. We can't forcibly crush the enemy with what military might we have now. That's why it's necessary for us to resort to more flexible tactics. We should try and contact both factions if we have the time. With this battle as a reference, I'm sure no idiot will still be doubting our power. This way, we will have the chance to balance the strength of the two factions and find an opportunity in it."

  …………

  Five days later.

  Vanessa propped her head up with her hand after sending away the Minister of State and the Military Minister. She was exhausted. She leaned back behind the broad oak table and stared into the blank air.

  As a rare goblin beauty of the Anderme Royal Family, Vanessa's beauty and intelligence were unrivaled throughout the Goblin Empire. Otherwise, Gazlowe would never have taken such huge risks to have his subordinate forces prompt her into a marriage.

  The old king was elderly and confined to his bed; he lacked the ability to manage the sprawling empire. Vanessa's two younger brothers were still growing and were not up to the arduous task of maintaining the empire. Thus, Princess Vanessa could only take up the scepter and run the kingdom in her father's place while silently waiting for her brothers to grow up.

  According to the traditions of the royal family, the highest ruler of the Goblin Empire had to be a male heir. It was only when all the male heirs were dead that Vanessa could inherit the throne as the eldest princess.

  That was why Prince Gazlowe's desire for Vanessa contained a larger and more nefarious ambition.

  Once Vanessa married Gazlowe, and her two brothers died in accidents, Gazlowe would share the right to rule over the Empire with Vanessa as her husband. That perfectly conformed to the traditions of the goblins and would not result in a backlash from the conservative goblins and local plutocrats.

  It was because they realized this that the royal family had become even stricter with the limitations they placed on Gazlowe.

  The various clashes and tensions between the two parties grew ever more severe than before. It was almost at the point where cold steel would be bared.

  The registries that Royal Scout Tigule had brought back at great risk made Vanessa's head hurt. She had thought that she would be able to get rid of the bad apples, and Gazlowe's subordinates forces within the royal family, when she got ahold of the list. However, she only received a more disappointing result after consulting with many of her ministers and officers.

  One couldn't help but acknowledge that the financial group that Gazlowe had personally raised to such heights was already so massive that it was impossible to deal with!

  If they eradicated the entirety of the group, the foundations of the royal family's rule would also be shaken.

  The continuous war that would follow would hasten the collapse of the Empire. Such a thing would only benefit those evil intruding adepts.

  However, the news that Vanessa received from several subtle means made her feel uneasy.

  The evil adepts from that fearsome World of Adepts had been intentionally brought into the Goblin Plane by Prince Gazlowe. Even though she didn't know what Gazlowe's motives were, such actions had already placed the Goblin Plane in a perilous position.

  If the world coordinates of the Goblin Plane were leaked, the swarm of adepts they would attract would cause the goblins to lose their grip over their own plane. They would fall from their proud identity as the owners of the world, to prisoners and slaves.

  That was an outcome that could not be accepted!

  Chapter 517 The Plague Breaks Out

  Because Vanessa understood very well the strength of the adepts, she could never forgive the wicked enemy that had brought them to their plane!

  If not for the fact that the forces she had at hand were insufficient to eradicate the enemy faction, Vanessa had a mind to thrust a sword into that crook's heart personally. He was simply too wicked. He would drag the entire plane into such a terrifying and destructive storm just to fulfill his own desires.

  A person like this should be sliced into tens of thousands of pieces.

  Vanessa cursed as she pushed aside the wooden door. She arrived at a small balcony outside her room.

  This place was a metallic castle in the style of
the goblins.

  The layout of the building was no different from a human castle, but the construction materials were utterly different. Human castles mostly used wood, earth, and stone in their construction. Goblin castles, on the other hand, used large numbers of metal components, occasionally supported by wood. Even wooden walls would have to be reinforced with a layer of hardened metal plates to increase their sturdiness.

  That was why the Royal Castle of the Anderme Royalty looked like an iron castle forged from pure metal from a distance. It reflected a light unique to alloy metals.

  As the goblins were diminutive in size, their buildings also tended to be short, small, and study. The goblin architects also fully utilized that creative, divergent thinking of theirs to create structures in all kinds of strange shapes.

  Look no further than the roofs of goblin buildings. There were thousands of different designs.

  There were round mushroom roofs, pointed rocket roofs, and slim thunder-rod-style roofs. There were even odd roofs in the shape of a goblin's face.

  That was why it was impossible to find two completely identical structures inside the castle.

  As the goblins promoted frugality and thriftiness, the space left for pedestrians to walk between the buildings was extremely narrow. All sorts of wires, levers, and winches sprawled over and between the buildings. Metal doors, drawbridges, and carts running on tracks could be seen all over the place.

  Most of the buildings were also still using steam power. As such, black smoke continuously emerged from tall metal chimneys above them. On the streets, goblins arrogantly traveled on hawkstriders, golem beasts, and automated robots.

  Far in the distance, several goblin merchant groups had arrived at the edge of the castle. The green goblin managing the group was waving his whip and commanding the slaves to move the merchandise down from the large bodies of the Kodo Beasts.