Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The situation was similar for the hippogryph riders. Individuals with excellent archery were selected from amongst the elven archers and allowed to ride upon the hippogryphs that the elves had painstakingly bred. These riders could remain high above the skies and conduct ultra-long-range, air-to-ground attacks against enemies on the surface.

  They faced the same problem as the pegasus knights– a lack of heavy armor protection. Naturally, they were uncontested when facing against the humans, who had no aerial units or anti-air military forces. However, this single weakness of theirs was lethal when dealing with the metal hedgehog that was the flying ship.

  First, they couldn't fly as high as the ship.

  That made them incapable of unleashing their precise archery skills and long-range parabolic shots.

  Second, they couldn't get close to the flying ship.

  With the defense that they possessed, two to three metal bullets were enough to cripple an excellent hippogryph rider. If anything happened to the hippogryph at all, the elven archer that fell from the sky would most certainly die!

  Third, their arrows couldn't do anything to the thick hull of the flying ship.

  According to the measurements of the goblin engineers, the outer hull of the flying ship was already half a meter thick. Attacking a half-meter thick metal board with bow and arrow, and a special alloy that had been created in the goblin alchemical labs at that. Only fools and maniacs would do such a laughable thing!

  It was because of his clear understanding of the enemy and of his troops that Greem wasn't concerned about the enemy's aerial units.

  Of course, the elven aerial army wasn't made up of only 'useless' troops. The specially bred chimeras not only had thick hides; they were also skilled in the magic of three elements. If the elves could gather enough chimeras to lead the charge, there was still a possibility of them breaking through the field of fire and boarding the ship.

  However, when that happened, it would be time for the adepts to act!

  Every elementium adept was a fearsome elementium volcano. When they unleashed all of their powers and recklessly poured their magical tide upon the enemy, the fearsome scene that would ensue was chilling and terrifying to even think about!

  In the end, the only one that could truly threaten the flying ship was actually a 'faux-aerial army'!

  The Druid Conclave.

  As a select group of individuals within the elven kingdom, the Druid Conclave possessed transcendent status and immense power within the nation.

  Even the most junior of druids possessed miraculous nature powers.

  They could cast spells, transform, and even summon forest companions to fight by their side. They were practically the combination of elementium adepts, bloodline adepts, and summoners. They might not be sufficiently focused in any of those aspects, but their overall combat strength was formidable.

  If one had to pick the army within the elven kingdom that was the most likely threat to the flying ship, it would have to be the Druid Conclave formed by large amounts of druids.

  They could transform into wind eagles or Socrates Condors, take to the winds and catch up to the flying ship. Once they boarded the vessel, they could instantly shift into large creatures such as earth maulers, berserk apes, razor boars, and brutelephants.

  This way, they wouldn't lose much ground, even against the defensive magical machines.

  Furthermore, they possessed the ability to rapidly cast spells, summoning rooting nature magic and unleashing powerful offensive nature spells. It was not good news for the magical machines, whose magical resistances were on the weaker side!

  Therefore, if the flying ship were to ever engage in an all-out battle with the elves, the one they most had to prepare against were these annoying druids.

  Chapter 627 Their Respective Ambitions

  The isolated island.

  Massive living spaces existed within the large flying ship. As the owners of this vessel, the adepts naturally took up the best and most comfortable rooms.

  Inside Mary's living area, a unique banquet of blood was merrily carrying on.

  The shimmering blood rippled in the pool at the center of the room as Mary lazily laid against the side of it. Apart from her delicate and pretty face, her long and slender neck, and her perfect collar bones exposed outside of the blood, her white and smooth body was completely submerged under the liquid.

  Strangely enough, the blood in the blood pool was also roiling and churning about, as if there was a fearsome beast stirring up waves within it.

  Mary casually stretched her body and absorbed the pulsating blood energy within the blood to her heart's content. Occasionally, she extended a blindingly white arm and splashed the blood toward herself, allowing the red and sweet blood to slowly drip from her body in the form of beads.

  The plentiful, pure blood energy washed her body, causing her to close her eyes and moan in pleasure every so often. That seductive moan instantly caused the few males within the room to betray awkward expressions.

  The three blood knights each took up a spot of the room of their own. They all had a beautiful elf in their embrace, her clothes half-removed. Their powerful and strong hands were overbearingly wandering all over the elves' slender and frail bodies, but their exposed fangs pierced into the elves' aortas without any hesitation.

  The sound of sucking blood and the unconscious grunt of the weak elves blended together, adding yet another layer of wicked allure to this blood banquet!

  Meanwhile, the old fox Vanlier still kept his appearance as a middle-aged noble. He was crouching by Mary's ear attentively, mumbling as if he was analyzing something.

  "Lead an army independently? Are you mad," Mary suddenly opened her crimson eyes at some point in the conversation. She glared at Vanlier coldly, "This is the Faen plane. There are only the followers of those hacks out there. What could we possibly accomplish with the few of us?"

  "Lady Mary, how has this period of rest and recuperation caused you to become so fearful and cautious," Old fox Vanlier was not afraid at all. Instead, he started to patiently give advice, "Have you forgotten how dominant and glorious you were back in the Knight's Plane? Have you forgotten your recklessness in the bloody fight against Evil Bugs Acteon? We vampires cannot grow through peaceful cultivation. If we want to become stronger, we need to use all the tricks available to us. We need to be reckless."

  '"There seem to be too many gods and god messengers here in Garan. Will we suffer losses if we go for a walk out there?" Mary was someone with an overbearing and forceful personality as well. She couldn't help but be moved when she heard Vanlier mention her glories in the past.

  "Why should we be afraid of losses? The only crucial ones in this room are the five of us. As long as we don't lose any of the five of us, anything else that we get will be pure profit. We couldn't do it on the Goblin's Plane. Those natives all had detestably pungent blood and were utterly unworthy of being food. The dragonborn on Lance, on the other hand, were too powerful. Turning them into blood slaves was challenging. In comparison, the elves of this Garan Continent are the most suitable food for us vampires."

  "Then, if we go out and act independently, will we throw that person's plans into disorder?" Mary still appeared to be somewhat hesitant.

  "My lady, what are you worried about? Can't you see? Lord Greem has come to the southern shore this time because he wants to stir up trouble and draw the elves of the central mountains out. Us going out to start a slaughter will not only not affect Lord Greem, but we would also even be actively taking on a portion of his burden. Lord Greem will certainly be glad!"

  "Really?" Mary's crimson eyes suddenly glowed.

  During this period of time, she had always been by Greem's side. Their relationship had thus unknowingly improved. Her mind instantly started spinning when she heard that she could help her 'lover.'

  "Moreover; Lady Mary, this subordinate will say something he shouldn't be saying," The old fox Vanlier analyzed while hinting at
certain hidden implications, "The clan had proactively entered Faen to help Lady Alice obtain that Staff of Divination. If this goal is accomplished, Lady Alice might have a chance to rise and become a Second Grade Witch of Fate. When that happens, my Lady, your grade superiority will no longer be an advantage on the side of Lord Greem."

  Mary's crimson pupils suddenly shrunk.

  "If, my Lady, you agree, this loyal subject of yours might be able to find a way to have Alice killed in the central mountains."

  "No!"

  Mary's voice suddenly turned cold and chilly. She abruptly stood up in the blood pool and hovered in the air with a single beat of her large bat wings. Large splashes of blood reverberated and rose into the air. Not only did they not fall back to the pool, they even curled and wrapped around Mary's curvaceous body, strangely forming into a crimson armor.

  The old fox Vanlier was blown away by the violent blood powers. He spat out blood in midair and slammed down upon the ground ten steps away, almost completely incapacitated.

  "Vanlier, do not challenge my patience. I might not like that Alice, but I still know what can be done and what should never be done. If Alice enters the central mountains, then Greem is sure to follow. You trying to plan Alice's death would be including Greem within your calculations. Oh, I see. You don't want to live any longer!"

  When the Bloody Queen raged, those within the room were stunned and panicked!

  The three blood knights cast away the beauties in their embrace and kneeled upon the ground, silently waiting for their master's orders. Old Fox Vanlier also forced himself to get up, but he didn't try to defend himself. Instead, he crouched wordlessly upon the ground and waited for his master's judgment.

  Mary's crimson eyes flashed with a glint of anger. They were fixed upon Vanlier. Through the Shackles of Blood and her blood essence, she could clearly sense that Vanlier's suggestion was only in consideration of her. There was no malice in them.

  If it weren't for that, the one blood pulse from earlier would have robbed Vanlier of his life.

  As her subordinate blood slaves, the lives of Vanlier and the three blood knights were completely within Mary's control. Life and death depended on a single thought of hers.

  She swept across the room with chilling eyes. Her sudden anger only started to subside when she saw how obedient and docile Vanlier was being.

  "Rise, all of you!" The coldness in Mary's voice gradually faded, "Remember; from now onwards, apart from my orders, you all have to obey Greem's orders to your death. That is my request and my order as well! With blood as the contract, so it is established!"

  "Understood, all will be as my Lady commands!"

  With the full responses of the blood slaves, a faint crimson halo rippled out from their bodies.

  It was clearly the origin blood contract taking effect!

  "Very good," Mary nodded her head in satisfaction, "You go out and prepare. We will be setting out in an hour. Our target is the Garan Continent!"

  "Understood!"

  …………

  Inside another sinister and terrifying secret room onboard the flying ship.

  Erected within the room was a massive bug's nest. Countless corpses and bones were piled up around the blood-splattered, sticky bug's nest.

  If one were to be brutally honest, apart from some of the higher quality elves being picked out and imprisoned, Bug Adept Billis had requested most of the prisoners from the last battle at the village. They had become the blood ritual sacrifice for this massive bug's nest.

  Sadly, the numbers of these elves were still insufficient. They were incapable of satisfying the needs of the new larvae to continue growing and strengthening. With no other choice left to him, Billis could only pull back the sleeves of his robe and extend his left arm into the bug's nest to be devoured by the larvae.

  Finally, with the loud and wicked hissings of bugs, the larvae were hatched!

  The bug's nest split apart, and several juvenile bugs of a new species emerged from within.

  There were twenty-one of them in total. They were only the size of a wash basin and had flat, long bodies. Their appearance greatly resembled mantises. However, their size was several times that of the mantises in nature. They were also countless times more terrifying than ordinary mantises.

  These were a new species of bug that Bug Adept Billis had successfully modified after much research– the Rippers. They looked like mantises and fought like them as well. However, compared to mantises, their speed and the effect of their slashes were exceptional!

  They were utterly black. The mantis shells appeared to be an onyx color, faintly flashing with a unique metallic sheen. They had two pairs of thin, semi-translucent wings on their backs, one set big and the other small. These gave them incomparably swift speeds. Three pairs of exceedingly sharp arthropod limbs existed beneath their stomachs, allowing them to climb on the ground at very high speeds.

  The terrifying aspect of the Rippers was the pair of scythe-shaped forelimbs at the front of their bodies. These limbs were densely lined with sharp sawtooth edges. When they waved these limbs about in the air, they could even create a series of afterimages, along with the fearsome sound of the air being slashed apart.

  The moment they appeared, these Rippers immediately swarmed toward the only surviving seven sting scorpions and started to attack.

  The two swarms of bugs started a deathly battle in front of Bug Adept Billis.

  Finally, the newly hatched Rippers successfully exterminated the sting scorpions with their absolute numerical advantage and the strange Execute effect of their sharp front limbs. What came next was a banquet and feast to be fought over. The scene was bloody and cruel, but there was a sense that this was merely a matter of course!

  The new bug generals had been born, but sharpening their fangs and jaws would still require more flesh and blood.

  Billis rubbed his bug-like chin with his remaining right arm. He finally made up his mind. It was time to go out into the Garan to make a living of his own!

  His lord was already a powerful Second Grade fire adept. Yet Billis, as his subordinate, was not only incapable of being his right or left arm, but he was even falling behind. At this point, he had even been forced out of the ranks of the first tier fighters.

  Such a reality infuriated and upset Billis and caused him to feel an immense sense of danger.

  If things continued at this rate, he would eventually end up as a bug summoner used exclusively to exhaust the enemy. That was not in line with his original intentions to continue growing stronger.

  Billis made his decision at the moment the new bug army was formed!

  Chapter 628 Might of Moonshade

  The flying ship.

  Inside a secret cabin room.

  Greem and Alice sat across from each other. A palm-sized wooden idol was the only thing placed upon the crude wooden table. At this moment, several red ropes were wrapped around the wooden idol haphazardly, going in every direction.

  These red ropes looked normal as if they were just everyday objects, but the strange magical flux radiating from them had completely sealed the mysterious aura of the wooden idol within it.

  This appeared to be a sort of strange sealing spell!

  However, given that its material was an ordinary red rope, Greem couldn't help but be amazed at the wonders of magic.

  "What's there to be curious about?!" Alice seemed to have picked up on Greem's surprise. She naughtily pursed her lips and smiled, "The materials that ancient adepts used were all trash that they simply picked up from the ground– things like stones and dirt, or even bones and tree sap. The spells they cast could all move the planar laws with the power of laws. They had no need to rely on powerful magical materials to enhance and supplement the effect of their magic like the rookie adepts these days."

  "Er," Greem was speechless, "Why does it feel like I'm also included in those rookie adepts you just mentioned!"

  "You are much better than them!" Alice giggled
and spoke softly, "I still remember back then. If I hadn't been knocked silly by your strange instant-cast spells, I would never have been so unfortunate as to land in your hands."

  Her eyes were full of nostalgia as she spoke!

  Greem rolled his eyes helplessly and grumbled, "Didn't you call me here today to investigate the secrets within the wooden idol? How did things get dragged to the stuff of the past?"

  In truth, the process by which he had defeated Alice back then didn't seem to be all that merry of a thing. There were plenty of tragic memories of being chased around by Alice. Greem felt his whole body shiver and itch at the mention of these events. He wanted nothing more than to scrub these scenes from his memories.

  Alice had become much more mature and reliable after enduring so many trials and such heavy pressure. However, that trace of slyness and mischief engraved within her bones was still there. She couldn't help but go over the old record books with Greem whenever the opportunity presented itself.

  Alice finally let the issue go when she saw Greem's awkward expression. She put on a serious expression and gave a warning.

  "I will be unsealing this idol in a bit. If I make any mistake during this process, I could alert that legendary God of Moonlight."

  Even Greem's face turned solemn upon hearing this.

  Deities. This word was a huge taboo for the adepts.

  There were no deities in the World of Adepts, and no gods were allowed to appear.

  What the adepts worshipped were knowledge, power, and a perpetually calm and wise mind!

  Once a follower knelt before a god, they were actively handing over dominance of their consciousness. From then own, all of their actions and thoughts would have to be measured against the will of the god.

  They would become the extension of the god's will; a carrier, or more simply, a puppet!