Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The new wandering adepts and apprentices that came because of Greem's reputation were only allowed to stay in the tower after having their identities verified. That made it very difficult to recruit enough manpower, but it also suppressed unstable elements to the lowest possible level.

  Given Dana and Charon's performance in Lance, Greem signed an official clan directive upon returning to Fire Throne including their tribesmen and subordinates as members of the tower.

  From now on, the snakefiends and the manticores would be able to enjoy the welfare and privileges of official Crimson Clan members. They were no longer wild magical creatures that would be chased and hunted by the humans.

  Greem brought several of the most powerful clan members with him when he returned from Lance, along with plenty of spoils of war.

  Greem even boldly placed the captured Second Grade dragon in Magma Hall to further spread the name of the upcoming clan establishing banquet. Of course, Greem made sure to complete all the necessary preparations.

  With a fire prison cast by Fire Throne itself, several dozens of anti-magic chains binding the wind dragon, and the constant surveillance of Second Grade Dragonborn Zacha, there was no chance of this wind dragon escaping.

  This way, the first thing that all guests would see upon passing through the long winding tunnels of Fire Cave would be the massive dragon chained to a corner of Magma Hall.

  One had to admit that the eye-catching effect of this tactic was exceptional!

  The wandering adepts that traveled far and wide to join Greem's cause would instantly sense the power and extravagance behind Greem the moment they saw the mighty and wicked wind dragon.

  That was a freaking dragon!

  Moreover, it wasn't a whelp or a drake, but a true adolescent Second Grade Dragon!

  It was important to note that no dragons had existed on the World of Adepts for over a thousand years. The glimpse of a Third Grade dragon during the battle at Fire Throne had made all adept clans take note of Greem's existence.

  Now it was even more so the case. Greem had directly placed a Second Grade dragon before the doors of the tower. The implication behind this was something that only experienced veterans could truly understand.

  Disregarding everything else, just the presence of the dragon alone could draw enough attention and marvel toward Greem!

  When news of Fire Throne auctioning a dragon got out, the number of adepts in Ailovis increased exponentially over the next few days.

  The adepts had plenty of tricks and cards up their sleeves. They quickly figured out the intent of Greem in so hastily hosting an adept's banquet.

  The Crimson Clan!

  Greem, who had made such a name for himself, could finally no longer suppress his ambitions. He intended to establish his adept clan.

  Many adepts across Zhentarim were both surprised–yet not surprised–at this news.

  They weren't surprised that Greem wanted to establish his own clan.

  With his strength and reputation, leaving his original clan to establish his own clan was well within everyone's expectations.

  What surprised people was the timing Greem chose to establish the Crimson Clan.

  Most people estimated that Greem would need at least another thirty years to accumulate sufficient resources and power to establish a clan.

  After all, the so-called adept clan was made of a group of adepts, not a single adept.

  It didn't matter how strong or amazing Greem was. An organization composed of him alone could never be called an adept clan.

  He needed to first gradually accumulate sufficient power, recruit enough subordinates, and then construct a clan structure that could positively develop. Only a force like this could be acknowledged as an adept clan.

  That was why most neighboring adept clans were not optimistic about Greem's odds with how hastily and hurriedly he was committing to this. Still, with the eye-catching auction of the dragon, Greem had successfully attracted enough attendees to his ceremony.

  …………

  The location of the banquet was set within Magma Hall.

  Long wooden tables had been neatly placed together and filled with all sorts of delicacies and wines. Delicate desserts, drinks, and fruits had all been prepared– a perfect show of the host's goodwill and generosity.

  The ones who substituted for maids were snakefiend girls that had been specially selected.

  They had perfect faces and explosive upper-body figures. If one had no inhibitions to their snake hair and bodies, then the snakefiend girls were a very attractive race as well.

  They stood by the side of each table, using the table and the tablecloth to obscure sight of their snake body as they helped every adept to get the food they wanted with a sweet smile on their faces.

  However, the adepts who had an interest in the food and the beauties were still a minority. Most adepts were gathered around the fire prison, holding their wine glasses in hand as they talked about the imprisoned wind dragon with their friends.

  It had been too long since the last appearance of a dragon in the World of Adepts!

  The large adept organizations had enslaved dragons in their hands, but never before had anyone so publicly displayed and auctioned a dragon as Greem had.

  It was a valuable chance, especially for the adepts who were searching for dragon blood, dragon bones, or dragon tendons. In fact, this could be their only chance.

  The Wagenhagen, the Congreve, the Juniper, the Plantagenet, the Bahrain; all of the reputable mid-sized clans and small-sized clans of Zhentarim had sent envoys to observe the ceremony.

  Of course, their real purpose was still the auction that was to happen after the banquet.

  Adept Greem had promised to sell off this Second Grade wind dragon at that auction.

  In all honesty, nothing could satisfy these clan envoys as much as this promise alone!

  If they brought back a Second Grade wind dragon back with them and adequately broke it in, they would instantly have a powerful combat force within their clan. What quicker way was there to increase the power of the clan.

  As for why Greem didn't take this dragon for himself and chose to put it out for auction instead? Everyone had their guesses. The most reliable rumor was that Greem's newly established Crimson Clan lacked the necessary experts in this field. He had trouble taming such a mighty dragon and could only convert it into other useful resources.

  Of course, while this theory wasn't complete, it still got half the reason right.

  The other reason why Greem had so easily sold the wind dragon away was that there was just too many Second Grade minor dragons in Lance. Even if there weren't a hundred Second Grades like Wind Dragon Cherkes, there would at least be eighty or ninety of them.

  The Crimson Clan had established their foothold in Lance. Their Second Grade adept squad had also been formed. They might not be able to provoke a Third Grade dragon, but was it not a simple matter to deal with a Second Grade dragon?

  There were three Second Grade dragon lords living within a ten thousand kilometer radius of the metal fortress alone. Cherkes was no more than the first prey to fall in the Crimson Clan's net, and he would not be the last.

  Finding a way to sell the wind dragon and making a profit was the best course of action.

  This way, the Crimson Clan would obtain a new path to strengthen themselves rapidly, would they not?

  Chapter 596 Clan Member

  The Crimson Clan's banquet appeared shabby in comparison to the establishment banquet of other clans.

  However, the visiting adepts were not shallow individuals either. What they truly wanted to see was the future power of the Crimson Clan. As long as you had a sufficiently hard fist and a powerful adept squad, things like resources would eventually fall into your hands.

  Thus, when the banquet started, and all the core members of the Crimson Clan gathered together and appeared before the guests, the guests were utterly shocked.

  The first to walk out of the
doors of Fire Throne was naturally the founder of the Crimson Clan, Greem.

  As a Second Grade adept, he had especially worn a crimson adept's robe on this occasion, with the Blaze of Destruction in hand. When he silently stood alone in front of the door, the fire energy he radiated clashed with the fire elementium within Magma Hall, causing clusters of magical flames to ignite around him.

  He had tough and well-defined muscles, crimson yet radiant skin, as well as all the strange tattoos covering his chest and his back. Greem might be an elementium adept, but his two-meter height and golden ratio body still gave him a nearly perfect appearance.

  A head full of long crimson hair flowed down behind his back, reaching all the way to his waist. When paired with the crimson light in his black eyes, Greem radiated a wicked aura of mystery and wisdom.

  Disregarding everything else, Greem's appearance alone had moved the hearts of countless female adepts. Flames of desire suddenly burned in the hearts of these female adepts.

  Approximately two to three hundred adepts had come here today from various clans. There were thirty to forty Second Grade adepts among them. They were scattered all across Magma Hall, with every one of them surrounded by a large group of First Grade adepts.

  About seven or eight of these Second Grade adepts were female. Most of them had beautiful faces and dynamite figures. Of course, there were one or two odd individuals with unique appearances and bodies as large as a pig. The bodies of those who could make it to Second Grades would have undergone extensive modification and reconstruction. There wasn't much left about them that was human.

  The First Grade female adepts might not dare to express any desire or lust toward Greem, but this wasn't the case for the Second Grade adepts; their eyes burned like torches. They were filled with greed and lust. Many young and handsome male adepts stood by their sides. They lowered their heads at the sight of Greem, but their eyes flashed with a mad and envious light.

  However, they still knew very well the difference between themselves and Greem. They wouldn't ever dare to cast gazes of enmity upon him. Otherwise, they might invite the anger of the fire adept. When that happened, even their lover would not be able to stop the punishment of a Second Grade adept, no matter how much they were cherished and loved.

  While a slight commotion spread through the crowd of adepts, a red burst of light flashed before the doors of Fire Throne. The crimson-armored and slender Mary walked out of the entrance with elegant steps.

  Those crimson eyes, as crystal clear as rubies themselves. That vague and fearsome cloud of bloody mist that shrouded her body. That deep and massive Spirit that was so concentrated it almost seemed solid.

  Second Grade. This female vampire had also advanced to Second Grade!

  Several adepts who had insider information couldn't help but sigh silently at the sight.

  The Crimson Clan had crippled the Vik Family, and in doing so, had benefited this female vampire. Why else would she have been able to advance to Second Grade so quickly? It was evident that she had climbed up there by stepping upon the mountainous pile of Vik corpses.

  An adept within the crowd with ordinary looks and black robes raised his head wordlessly. The eyes that looked upon Mary and Greem were soaked in an indescribable hatred as if the emotion had been carved into the adept's very bones. However, the adept disguised his feelings very well. Not a single trace of killing intent had radiated beyond his body. Naturally, he would not alarm the two Second Grade adepts on the stage.

  The light door of the tower flashed once more while the adepts were silently evaluating this terrifying female vampire. Dragonborn Zacha walked out of the tower with firm and heavy steps.

  A third Second Grade.

  The expressions of many clan representatives turned solemn.

  A newly established adept clan having three Second Grades was more than enough proof of the unimaginable power that they had accumulated. This much power already placed them above seventy percent of all small-sized clans.

  There was no doubt that the Crimson Clan would be able to rank very highly among the small-sized clan.

  Yet it was no more than a newly established clan right now!

  Before the adepts could continue contemplating the situation, the light door of the adept's tower flashed in succession. Several mysterious witches with unique appearances walked out of the door.

  The one in the lead was a beautiful witch cloaked in purple starry robes.

  Her silky silver hair rested upon her shoulders. Her face was exceptionally gentle and tranquil, while her sharp, bright blue eyes shone like stars, giving off a sense of charm and mystery.

  Behind her stood two unique and powerful witches.

  One was built like the most muscular of men, with a black eyepatch over one eye and a thick wooden staff on her shoulder. It was Sofia. The other was a cold beauty dressed in an ice blue dress and enveloped in a chilling air– Snowlotus.

  Five more witches of various ages followed behind Sofia and Snowlotus. All of them wore solemn expressions and determined looks on their faces. Anyone could tell that they were elites cultivated by a big clan.

  "Alice, it's Alice."

  "The leader of the Witches of the Fate from the Northern Lands."

  "Mm, I've long heard that she has an extremely close relationship with Greem. Who knew she would publicly bring her people along with her to support his cause."

  Cautious chattering rang out amidst the crowd.

  Many adepts with inside information started to tell the others what they knew in vivid detail as if they had seen it all happen, taking the opportunity to show off all the 'secrets' they knew. The majority of the adepts were looking at two adepts in the crowd with expressions of amusement.

  As a representative of the Sarubo Clan, Adept Fügen felt incomparably awkward at this moment.

  It didn't matter whether it was Greem, Mary, or even the current Witch of Fate Alice. These three adepts had all been members of the Sarubo Clan. They might have left the Sarubo Clan, but Adept Fügen felt uncontrollable anger bubbling in his heart when he felt the looks of scorn and ridicule around him.

  If the people that dared to look at him this way were First Grade adepts, Adept Fügen would have no qualms about using his magic to make them regret their decision. However, the only ones that dared to make fun of him in this manner here were all Second Grades. As such, Fügen could do nothing about the intense fury he was feeling.

  In comparison, Adept Keoghan, who had come along with him, was betraying an excellent attitude.

  Keoghan smiled and nodded at everyone who looked at him, as if he hadn't picked up on the contempt in the eyes of the crowd.

  This attitude of turning the other cheek did indeed win him the admiration of several adepts.

  Alice's arrival was clearly beyond everyone's expectations.

  As an important branch of the Northern Witches, the branch of Fate undoubtedly had much nobler status than most other adept clans. To think that Alice was willing to lower her position and come here in support of Greem; the various implications behind her actions invited further consideration and thought.

  Mary rolled her eyes upon seeing Alice arrive. She immediately revealed a broad smile and quickly walked over. She put her hand around Alice's slender waist and pulled the Witch of Fate to her side. It caused Greem to be stunned. He had intended to invite Alice to stand by his side. His right arm hung loosely in the air now.

  This seemingly innocuous act also clearly incited the anger of several of Alice's subordinates.

  The fact that Alice was willing to lower herself and come to celebrate the establishment of the Crimson Clan had already upset several of the Witches of Fate. Now this female vampire actually whisked their leader to her side, as if the Witches of Fate were subordinate to the Crimson Clan! How could this not infuriate the witches?

  However, Alice's image in the hearts of the witches had become more significant and sacred after all these years of management and leadership. That
was why the witches didn't dare throw a tantrum and ruin this banquet without her permission. They could only stifle and suppress their rage.

  Alice was stunning, with an air of nobility and etherealness to her being. When she stood beside the wickedly charming and explosively seductive Mary, it was like two exquisitely blooming flowers of completely different beauty. The sight of their faces alone would shake one's heart and give a sense of immense perfection.

  "Greem lucked out."

  The same thought sprang up in the minds of countless male adept at the same instant.

  Alice might only be First Grade, but her identity made her nobler and more influential than most of the Second Grade adepts present here. The title of Witch of Fate alone was enough to compare with the clan leaders of some of the most powerful clans in the center of the continent.

  Even the clan leaders of the five prominent adept clans of Zhentarim would have to welcome her with the greatest respect and honor if she were to visit the area. Not just any adept clan could endure the fury of the Northern Witches after all!

  Plenty of thoughts were racing through the minds of the crowd, but Alice didn't seem to take note of the situation. She held Mary's arms in one hand and politely yet proudly nodded at the Second Grade adepts beneath the stage in acknowledgment.

  A strange feeling of being wholly seen through suddenly rose in the hearts of all the adepts when Alice's eyes swept through the hall. Even the Second Grade adepts were no exception.

  The expressionless adept in black robes within the cloud felt his heart tremble. He had a feeling that there was something special about the look Alice had cast at him from a distance.

  Could she have seen through his disguise?!

  The expressionless adept shuddered uneasily.

  This place was well within the defensive radius of the tower. A problematic battle was unavoidable if his identity was exposed. Greem, Mary, and the other core members of the Crimson Clan were extremely close to the tower's door of light. They would instantly retreat within the tower if he failed to kill them with the first strike.