Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  However, these were not enough for them to harm the terrifying flame fiend.

  The beautiful witch, on the other hand, was sitting on the flame fiend's blazing hand as they slowly advanced towards the ritual hall.

  The other adepts quickly started to gather toward the location of the fire adept as if they had sensed his aura. However, the fervent defense Gazlowe's subordinates were putting up was significantly delaying their progress.

  After all, a barely animated magical machine lifeform like Gazlowe watched over the whole thing. The adepts and dragonborn were essentially moving within his body. That was why there was no possibility of remaining undetected. The adepts would have to utterly exterminate the goblin guards of whichever checkpoint they chose to walk past.

  These adepts also clearly lacked the might of a Second Grade fire adept like Greem. As a result, they were being held back by the magical machine squads.

  When the flame fiend that Greem had turned into finally descended upon the ritual hall with the heat of hell itself, a massive magical machine squad was already waiting there.

  They didn't rush forward to fight with Greem. Instead, they retreated to the front of a large glass vat, as if they were protecting its contents.

  Greem's scorching heat radiated to every inch of the room the moment he stepped inside. What surprised Greem was an invisible mental barrier that had sealed off the ritual hall. This barrier had forced his Ring of Fire out of his body.

  This barrier also seemed to be a unique mental consciousness domain.

  The scarlet Ring of Fire around Greem's body clashed with the white mental barrier, neutralizing and attacking each other. The Ring of Fire was superior in terms of strength. When combined with the frightening heat around Greem, it was burning away the mental consciousness without any real resistance.

  However, the opponent's Spirit seemed to be incredibly resilient, and the mental consciousness continued to crash against the Ring of Fire with unrelenting waves. Even though it was weaker than the Ring of Fire, the mental consciousness was ahead when it came to a numerical advantage.

  The two individuals involved in the clash couldn't help but frown when their domains of different attributes clashed. They developed a deep apprehension of each other.

  If it weren't for Gazlowe's mental barrier, Greem could use his Ring of Fire to turn the entire ritual hall into a world of magma and fire. When that happened, everything would be reduced to boiling lava. Whatever plans Gazlowe had in mind would have failed.

  Sadly, while Gazlowe had yet to show himself, his familiar mental consciousness permeated the room.

  Greem lightly placed Alice at his side on the ground. He shared a deep look with her before striding towards the white mental barrier in front of him.

  The intensity of the flames that the mental barrier had to endure increased as Greem closed in.

  Gazlowe's furious grunt suddenly rang out in the underground network.

  "It seems I can't fight against you without a true body," Gazlowe's mental flux flowed into Greem's mind clearly, "If that's the case, then come at me."

  As Gazlowe's mad mental consciousness trembled through the air, the magical machines, goblin chariots, and various magic energy weapons located in front of the glass vat were suddenly taken away from the control of the goblins. They quickly gathered in a single spot.

  Kacha, kacha!

  A series of complicated combinations occurred, and the three dozen magical machines, eight goblin chariots, and many magic energy weapons started to combine in a sequence, not unlike the fictional 'Transformers' back on Earth. They turned into an odd and bloated humanoid figure that slowly stood up.

  Countless black gun barrels and cannon barrels emerged from the bloated body of the machine. All the magic energy weapons started charging at the same moment as blinding white light shone in the room.

  "Dammit."

  Greem could only curse a single time before a flood of energy fireballs and metal bullets devoured his body.

  The brutal energy attack lasted for twenty-six seconds!

  This barbaric attack finally ended when the magic energy weapons on the giant metal monster started to fall apart due to excessive energy output.

  As the white light slowly dimmed, the mighty and terrifying flame fiend appeared in a terrible state before the goblins.

  Greem had managed to summon two Lava Shields to defend himself before the attack had reached him. If one were to include the six Fire Shields and one energy shield that he already had on him, Greem's energy defenses reached a height of seven hundred and twenty-eight points.

  A defense of this level was enough to resist a whole round of attacks from ten First Grade adepts.

  As long as the enemy couldn't break through his defensive spells in a single round of attacks, Greem would be able to mend these defenses while the enemy prepared for the next attack.

  Sadly, this barrage of magic energy weapons had reached an energy intensity of over a thousand points. A single moment of carelessness and Greem's Lava Shields were blasted to pieces. Lava flowed everywhere, and flames splashed all over the room.

  The Fire Shields also shattered into sparks after the destruction of the Lava Shield. Greem's flame fiend's body was riddled with holes. If he hadn't used his fire energies to protect key parts of his body like his heart and head, he would have been reduced to dust by that one round of attacks alone.

  Gazlowe's attack had visibly angered Greem.

  The giant flame fiend let out a furious roar. The lava and molten metal beneath his feet flowed upwards along his leg and mended all of his wounds in a matter of seconds. The flame fiend roared again, and frightening elementium fires surged out of every crack of his body. These fires turned into red streams of flames that shrouded his body.

  When the streams of fire finally stopped, a finely-crafted armor of fire covered Greem's body.

  Magma for a body and ember for an armor!

  Greem roared again and again as a pillar of fire surged outwards and blasted against the body of the giant metal monster.

  The metal monster that had been cobbled together collapsed to the ground under the terrifying stream of flames. It hadn't even lasted seven seconds. The body that had been twisted and merged by an outside force shattered into tens of thousands of components that went rolling to every corner of the hall.

  "Come out, Gazlowe!" Greem strode forward, his blazing face turned towards the glass vat of blood, "Let me see what you have become."

  The stream of fire in his hand swept forward without a single pause and crashed against the towering glass container.

  Even the twenty-centimeter thick tempered glass couldn't endure such terrifying flames. A crisp crack rang out and the entire container shattered.

  A terrifying deluge of blood spilled out from within and clashed with the fire. The strange sight of blood contesting with fire was almost mesmerizing.

  A strange and gigantic lifeform appeared before Greem amidst the crimson mist in the air.

  It was the brain of a lifeform that had been magnified and enlarged a thousand times!

  From a close distance, the white lights running through its uneven and trembling main body that represented mental activity made the brain itself a work of art. A dozen thick and agile brain nerves dangled from the bottom of the brain.

  Greem would never have imagined that the short, sly, and dying goblin would have turned himself into a creature like this if it weren't for sensing Gazlowe's mental flux within.

  Gazlowe's evolution vaguely resembled the otherworldly Mind Flayers, though just in terms of appearance. If it weren't for meeting Gazlowe several times before this, Greem would have suspected that the goblin had wholly turned himself into a Mind Flayer.

  "Gazlowe, if you choose to submit to me, I can give you the right to continue living! Otherwise… " Greem took two steps forward and pressed his Ring of Fire towards the monster.

  However, the massive brain defeded against all of his attacks with a
single white light.

  "Submit to you? Hahaha," Colorful light spilled out of the gigantic brain as if it was thinking, "You should be the one to submit to me!"

  The metal passage around Greem suddenly folded inwards under the guidance of some strange power as mental flux radiated out of the giant brain. Greem would have been crushed into meat paste had he not promptly braced the walls with his magma hands.

  Joyous and satisfied laughter rang out from the giant brain when it saw Greem trapped between the metal walls. It performed all of its communications psychically due to the lack of a vocal organ.

  "Don't you forget, I have completely assimilated the Steel Capital; you are practically standing in my body right now. Do you want to fight with me while in my base? Hahaha!"

  Greem was in a dangerous situation, but there was no trace of fear on his blazing face.

  "Is it done yet, Alice? It's tough trying to hold out here." Greem finally couldn't help but complain.

  Alice?

  It was only now that the giant brain noticed that it hadn't kept track of the female adept during this entire fight.

  The location of the female adept now seemed to be at the space furnace.

  This thing that should never have happened with Gazlowe's evolved and impeccable brain had just happened before his eyes!

  Chapter 530 Operation Rat Extermination

  Gazlowe's brain was operating at high speed.

  Everything that had happened in the past fifteen minutes replayed in his mind like a videotape.

  From the female adept being put on the ground by the fire adept, to her casual stroll past the barrage of energy beams. From her walking past him, making it past the heavily guarded steel door, to where the space furnace was; the entire process was clear and direct. There was nothing out of the ordinary or conspicuous about it.

  However, this was a battlefield where life and death were decided in a single instant!

  How could such a vast oversight occur with Gazlowe's strengthened brain and ubiquitous spiritual sense? How had he let a terrifying female adept walk by him just like that?

  That was something that absolutely should not have happened, yet it had happened just like that!

  Gazlowe still didn't understand why he had ignored an enemy adept in that manner, even after reviewing his memory. Why had he let her walk into such an important place?

  It wasn't invisibility or vision avoidance or incorporeality. After all, any form of spell would cause an unavoidable magic flux, as small as it might be. With Gazlwoe's current Spirit, what kind of spell could be hidden from his spiritual senses?

  After much thought, Gazlowe could only regard it as an innate ability of the witch.

  This witch seemed to possess a strange power that allowed her to become an invisible person of sorts. She could cause both enemies and allies to ignore her existence subconsciously. Much like the natural charm of succubi, and the elvish affinity with nature, it was a kind of innate ability; magic flux would not appear when it was used. Consequently, individuals who were unaware of her talent were very likely to fall prey to it.

  White light immediately surged around the giant brain once he understood the situation. He prepared to instantly teleport to the space furnace and murder this strange witch with the swiftest attack he had. However, just as the giant brain was about to complete his teleportation, a blast of fire beneath his body interrupted him.

  Greem used his Fire Teleportation to break free of the metal corridor's restriction. He appeared near the giant brain and used a large cage of fire to imprison the monster. The Fire Prison only lasted for three seconds before being destroyed an explosion of mental powers. However, he had foiled the giant brain's plan to teleport away.

  The anxious brain furiously brandished his nerves and blasted several mental beams of various colors.

  These mental beams fired with a mere thought of the brain and were hard to avoid. Moreover, they also possessed strange effects, unlike most ordinary spells. Most people would be unable to determine the effects of each beam from their appearance alone without allowing the attack to hit them.

  Some of these mind beams would turn into curse effects much like Weaken. Others would cause direct damage by turning into Soul Whips. There were also some that would open up portals on the ground where they landed, instantly teleporting the enemy in front of them.

  Ever since he had turned into a giant brain, Gazlowe had become a mysterious monster that possessed Third Grade powers. If it weren't for Gazlowe's lack of a powerful body and his unfamiliarity with his new state of existence, Greem would have been hard-pressed to deal with the array of mental powers and reinforcements, even if Greem used every last bit of energy he had.

  More and more portals were opened under Gazlowe's will, and he instantly summoned a goblin army of two hundred individuals into the hall.

  Two hundred goblins might not sound like much. However, if every one of them was equipped with a magical machine or a goblin chariot, these weak goblins would be more than enough to threaten a Second Grade adept like Greem.

  Greem even saw two familiar silhouettes among these goblins.

  Mechanical Adept Sabrina and Goblin God of War Tigule.

  Both of them seemed to have lost control of their bodies. They moved along with the goblins, launching wave after wave of ferocious attacks at Greem. Sabrina, in particular, was not only firing all her weapons but had also summoned the adept-level golem that Greem had given her– the Roaring Monster.

  Greem could only rely on his Fire Teleportation to avoid the barrage from two such formidable opponents. Not to mention he also had to deal with the storm of magic energy weapon attacks from the other goblins. During the downtime between each Fire Teleportation, Greem would cast a large-area fire spell and try his best to whittle down the number of goblins.

  Gazlowe took the opportunity provided by his subordinates delaying Greem and successfully teleported. He transported himself into the underground cave where the space furnace resided.

  Countless researchers in white robes were bustling about the towering metal container inside that massive cave filled with thick metal pipes and wires. They continually checked on all sorts of equipment, adjusting the valves of the tubes and the switches of the cables, keeping a close eye on the energy and pressure balance within the metal structure.

  It was not a battlefield, but the intensity with which they performed their job showed that this was no less of a battle!

  A single, tiny mistake on the frontlines could mean the loss of a soldier's life. Here, in this place, any error by a goblin researcher could cause a pressure imbalance in the space furnace and result in an apocalyptic explosion.

  The explosion of the flying ship's space furnace had been able to result in a disaster that engulfed an area of several dozen kilometers; this space furnace was ten times the size of that one. The resulting catastrophe of this space furnace exploding was something that no one could imagine.

  A slender and pretty figure had mixed in amongst these busy researchers. She looked right and left, occasionally moving toward a researcher to observe their work. She appeared to be quite excited and intrigued.

  The giant cylinder in the middle of the cave was not at all conspicuous regarding appearance. Plenty of pipes of various sizes had been attached to it. These pipes spread all over the ceiling and delved into the stone walls. Who knew where in the Steel Capital these pipes extended?

  The bottom of the cylinder was crudely patched. From a distance, one would only think of this structure as a crude goblin creation. It was hard to relate it to the astounding invention that was the Space Furnace.

  Yet this thing that looked like a broken toy cobbled together by goblin children represented the highest alchemical and engineering achievement of the Goblin Plane. More importantly, it carried with it the hope of the Goblin Plane to cast off their shell as a lower civilization and ascend to a higher level!

  The metal cylinder looked ordinary, but it was entirely
forged from the extremely rare Queyras alloy. This alloy not only possessed surprising malleability and hardness, but it also possessed the magical resistance that the other alloys of the Goblin Plane so dearly lacked.

  It could even make a top ten list for magic resistance when compared to the other magical materials in the World of Adepts. It was invaluable for a small plane!

  What made it even more valuable was its limited production.

  Even with Gazlowe's influence over the Goblin Empire, he had obtained no more than two hundred tons of Queyras ore after scouring the plane. The Queyras ore was the most important raw ingredient for creating Queyras alloy. Forging this space furnace had required a total of thirty tons of Queyras alloy.

  Even if the Goblin Empire dedicated all of their efforts and wealth to the construction of space furnaces of this scale, they could make no more than six or seven of them. If they were still unable to obtain new sources of ore upon exhausting all of their Queyras alloy, then the Goblin Plane's journey of expansion would come to an end.

  Within Gazlowe's faction, classified information like this was privy to only a few goblins. However, Alice had perfectly grasped this information after a couple of rounds around these goblin researchers.

  Just as Alice was wondering how to best maximize their benefits via this space furnace, white light flashed above the hall. A brain the size of a hill appeared out of nowhere.

  Gazlowe's one dozen brain nerves struck at Alice the moment he teleported over. These thick tentacles were one-meter in diameter and whistled through the air, seemingly apathetic to the fates of the goblins around Alice.

  Gazlowe no longer thought of himself as a goblin after his consciousness had wholly revived inside his brain. These familiar goblin researchers, engineers, alchemists, and technicians were no more than loyal slaves in his eyes. If it weren't for the difficulty of finding new slaves to replace them, Gazlowe wouldn't have minded wiping away all traces of these lowly creatures from his body.

  Alice's pretty eyebrows furrowed when she saw the tentacle striking at her. With a single flash of her body, she appeared next to the metal cylinder. The fleshy tendril appeared to be soft and non-threatening. However, it crashed into the metal control platform and smashed it into pieces, crushing the six researchers who had been standing by the platform.