Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  Thus, Yurga developed this habit of occasionally hiding somewhere in the Fantasy Forest and falling into a deep, deep sleep. In this state, he would no longer respond to the prayers and wishes of his druid followers as well as all other natural creatures.

  As such, this favored druid indirectly became the most tragic god messenger.

  Not only were they often incapable of finding their own god, most of the wishes and prayers they sent out would also vanish like a stone sinking to the bottom of the ocean. There would be no reply at all. However, fortunately, druids were known as the Fantasy Forests' children of nature. They could passively receive nourishment of the soul and replenishment of their magic from the woods itself.

  Moreover, the Fantasy Forest itself seemed to be able to respond to the divine power needs of the druid god messenger. While the god messenger couldn't squander their power like the other god messengers, the forest seemed to respond to every call for power. The effectiveness and might of the divine power provided by the forest were also very highly-ranked, even among all god messengers.

  Even the Moonlight Goddess couldn't help but betray a weak and bitter smile upon hearing that the Heart of the Forest had fallen into his habitual slumber.

  Just as the Moonlight Goddess expected herself to return empty-handed, the seemingly dull Great Druid Fandral replied with a smile, "Lady Meve, there is no need to be worried! Lord Yurga might be asleep, but he gave a direct order before his slumber. We, of the Druid Conclave, are to assist you with all our power. If you have any trouble, the Druid Conclave will be willing to share that burden!"

  "Really?" At this moment, even the Moonlight Goddess was exceptionally overjoyed.

  Nearly forty to fifty percent of druids within the kingdom chose to join the elven army. They made up the mainstay of the casters in the various elite elven armies. Apart from these druids, another ten to twenty percent of druids chose to roam and wander freely across the continent. They led the lives of hermits and rarely participated in worldly matters. As for the remaining thirty to forty percent of druids, they tightly gathered around the druid elder's council. They formed the Druid Conclave, an odd religious armed force.

  And who would have known? These druids that were willing to join the Druid Conclave were all experts in some of their specific specializations; often the cream of the crop. Even the elven kingdom had to occasionally invite masters from the Druid Conclave to serve as instructors for the druids in the army.

  That was why the Druid Conclave of the Emerald Dream was packed full of talented individuals and why it was held in such esteem across Garan.

  After obtaining the affirmation of the Great Druid, the Moonlight Goddess Meve's incarnation became increasingly excited. She immediately dragged Fandral to a side to discuss the matter of exterminating that group of evil adepts.

  Soon, a conclave of druids that numbered as many as two hundred men joined the side of the Moonlight Temple. They started to work in cooperation with the Goddess' believers to look all over for traces of that group of evil witches.

  …………

  At this moment, the ones responsible for all the evil and their badly damaged flying ship had already reached their isolated island, having dragged its wrecked hull all the way across the ocean.

  This place had also just experienced a war and was undergoing the lengthy and challenging process of recovery.

  When Greem brought the witches off of the flying ship, the first thing they saw was a bloody battlefield, ravaged and littered with corpses. The oddly-shaped bodies of the seafolk could be seen everywhere between the jagged black rocks.

  Indeed, they were the corpses of seafolk warriors!

  Disgusting wrinkled skin and fine scales grew all over the bodies of these dead seafolk warriors. The surfaces of their bodies were also covered in a layer of slippery slime.

  They had long, narrow heads and humanoid bodies, but the ends of their four limbs, as well as much of their bodies, were still covered in fish scales. The legs beneath their torsos also seemed to have evolved from some sort of fins. Their legs were limp and soft, without any of the strength and agility of actual land creatures. However, they still managed to prop up their ugly and disgusting bodies.

  Their appearance shared some similarities with the swamp murlocs that Greem had seen in Lance. However, the murlocs had evolved to be a lot more like humans, while these sea warriors still very clearly carried signs of sea creatures upon their bodies.

  Greem flipped over the bodies of a few seafolk warriors and discovered that most of them had died to metal bullets that had pierced their bodies. The bodies of the seafolk were extraordinarily flexible and were protected by the defensive liquid slime. These were the prerequisites that allowed them to take to land.

  Correspondingly, their bodies were excessively soft, and the scales protecting their bodies were overly thin. There was no way they could resist attacks from hard weapons. Ignoring the metal bullets of the magical machines with all the kinetic power behind them, even some small rocks thrown their way could deal decent physical damage to their bodies.

  Greem shook his head and sighed as he regularly investigated the internal structures of the seafolk bodies with the scanning and x-ray vision of the Chip.

  These seafolk were qualified to be warriors with such bodily conditions?

  Their legs were limp, weak, and couldn't run fast. They weren't equipped with any tough armor or weapons. Greem only saw some crude spears made of sharpened coral at the sides of the dead seafolk warriors. Such seafolk warriors could probably only obtain victory through numbers!

  As expected, when Greem stood up and took a look at the seas around the island, he saw plenty of floating corpses and wild sea creatures swimming about to devour the rotting bodies.

  It seemed as if the creatures had been shocked by the massive metallic structure of the flying ship. The chirping and calling from the seas had suddenly stopped. Greem sharp eyes even saw the silhouettes of many seafolk warriors secretly sneaking back to deeper waters.

  For the humans, the skies were a mysterious place that they could not hope to reach. For the Oceanic Empire and the sea creatures, the land was the 'sky' that they could not hope to reach! As for the true sky? It was just like the space beyond the realm. It was a terrifying domain that they didn't even dare to think of.

  The sea nobles or casters might have some tiny trace of greed or desire for land. However, most intelligent sea lifeforms didn't dare have a shred of malicious thought toward the sky! They only had respect for it.

  Thus, there was nothing other than fear and respect that the sea creatures felt for a massive metal mountain that could freely traverse the skies.

  Greem had arranged another magical machine warrior to be stationed upon the island– the Goblin Bomberman. It was also in charge of a small squad of magical machines.

  Greem immediately listened to a more comprehensive situation report from the Goblin Bomberman upon returning to the island.

  After the in-depth description from the Goblin Bomberman, Greem finally found out that the island had been attacked over a dozen times by the seafolk army in the two dozen days they had been away. Their most massive scale assault had even possessed as many as twenty First Grade seafolk powerhouses joining them.

  Of course, these odd yet grotesque seafolk powerhouses were all defeated singlehandedly by the Goblin Bomberman, who had the power of a pseudo-Second Grade. After killing five seafolk powerhouses (including two Second Grades), the remaining seafolk had immediately dispersed and fled. They no longer dared to fight with the Goblin Bomberman on land.

  When the Goblin Bomberman reported to Greem, it also emphasized its evaluation of these seafolk powerhouses. There was only one word it had for them– weak.

  Despite accompanying Greem across two to three planes, the newly promoted Goblin Bomberman might have the fundamental strength of Second Grade, but it was still very much lacking in the soft skills that fully qualified it as a Second Grade. In its eyes
though, these Second Grade powerhouses of Faen couldn't even compare to the First Grade elite adepts of the World of Adepts in terms of individual might.

  The natural frailty of the seafolk turned them into rotten meat that could be easily thrown about and ravaged when they were faced with the terrifying murder machine that was the Goblin Bomberman. Their rusted metal spears and knives shattered beneath the Bomberman's unbreakable metal body. Their weak and powerless water arrows burst into drops of water on the chest of the Bomberman.

  A single Goblin Bomberman had utterly defeated the two dozen seafolk powerhouses. In the end, they had no choice but to turn tail and run after suffering such tremendous losses!

  Chapter 655 Sea Nagas

  Were the seafolk truly that weak?

  Greem was at first confused, but he slowly found the reason behind their weakness after reading through the analysis data from the Chip.

  Seafolk, also known as intelligent marine lifeforms, were a strange but guaranteed occurrence in high-magic worlds.

  If animals and plants that had adapted to the aura of magic could come into existence in an area where magic gathered upon the land, then the number of magical creatures born in the depths of the ocean–broader than any stretch of land–would be even greater.

  Much like what happened on land, governmental systems and ruling hierarchies similar to human societies also developed among magical sea creatures after hundreds of thousands of years of history and competition. Those who could become the rulers of the seafolk had to be an intelligent race with powerful military might and magical power.

  And deep in the depths of Faen's boundless sea, the rulers of the seafolk were a race of powerful Sea Naga.

  In general, the sea nagas were a race of magical humanoid creatures with lower bodies that resembled serpents. Their bodies were also covered in fine fish scales. Female nagas were tall and slender. Their scales were also even more elegant than their male counterparts. They had looks as delicate and perfect as human women, only with a slightly darker skin tone.

  Male nagas had larger frames, stronger bodies, and rough personalities that weren't much unlike wild beasts.

  Female nagas were superior and more compatible than male nagas when it came to intelligence and magical aura. That was why the sea nagas were a classic matriarchal society. Sea priests and casters were roles that were often undertaken by female nagas. Male nagas, on the other hand, filled in as warriors of the lower class.

  As natural rulers of the seafolk, the sea nagas chose to believe in the great God of the Sea– Dions. The nagas built a thousand-meter tall idol of the Sea God in the depths of the Gem Sea. They then built massive sea temples around the icon and constructed a gigantic ocean city, the likes of which land creatures could not imagine.

  The power of the seafolk was universally known.

  However, sadly, their strength was limited to the boundless Gem Sea. All of their various racial weaknesses were thoroughly exposed the moment they stepped on land.

  Most seafolk warriors might have strange gills that allowed them to breathe even after leaving the water, but their unique bodies still required the constant nourishment of seawater. If they were away from water for too long, their muscles would start to shrivel, and their strength would begin to fade. They could then only lie upon the ground and wait silently for death to descend upon them.

  It was this massive flaw that caused the Oceanic Empire, that had over a hundred times more intelligent creatures than the empires on land, to be incapable of charging out of the sea and setting foot upon the land. That was the reason they couldn't wholly conquer this rich and beautiful plane of Faen that was bountiful in resources, population, and territory.

  The seafolk couldn't set foot on land and thus held no goodwill toward the land species'. Under usual circumstances, they wouldn't easily permit human and elven ships to travel across their sacred and beautiful sky.

  The maritime business of Faen had always struggled to become prosperous. The main reason was the seafolk laying claim over the entirety of the Gem Sea, raiding and sinking any large ships that dared to travel within their territory. It didn't matter whether they were warships or merchant ships; everything was sunk!

  That was why both human and elven ships would only travel near the coast, and every one of these ships had to be accompanied by sufficient military force. The slaver ships that moved between the two continents, on the other hand, could only choose to travel via special sea channels where seafolk rarely appeared.

  Even so, one in five human slaver ships still perished at the hands of seafolk patrols on a yearly basis.

  After all, even a frail First Grade sea priest could raise massive waves measuring up to five or six meters when they were at sea. The weak and brittle ships of the humans would be devoured without a trace, without even a chance to retaliate, when they ran into seafolk spellcasters.

  Moreover, due to the limits of their particular environment, almost all seafolk casters were hydromancers.

  Compared to the large variety of element affinities of the land creatures, this was clearly far too uniform and inflexible!

  Of course, there was also one more factor that limited the strength of seafolk powerhouses, which was the severe lack of hard metal armor and weapons.

  Rich metal veins might exist under the sea, but due to the lack of any way to smelt the metal, the seafolk could only opt for the closest alternative. They used crude and rough stone spears, as well as sharpened coral spears. The lack of high-grade defensive equipment also caused the seafolk powerhouses and the agile bodies they were so proud of to be substantially exposed in front of land fighters!

  It was perhaps the root reason why the Goblin Bomberman could slaughter the entire group of seafolk!

  Greem waved away the Goblin Bomberman, shut his eyes, and sat silently in the underground hall that had been dug into the place. He wordlessly contemplated the motive and reason for the sudden attack of the seafolk.

  Third Grade Dark Witch Uzzah, who sat beside him, spoke first after seeing him remain silent for so long.

  "What is there to be worried about?! The seafolk have always been bullies that went after the weak and averted the strong. They love to take everything they can, be it in the World of Adepts or here."

  It was fairly obvious what had happened after the battle in Jintha'Alor, especially after Greem summoned that Third Grade thunder dragon. This snobbish Third Grade Dark Witch had finally started placing Greem in a position where he could talk to her as an equal.

  The most obvious demonstration of this was the position in which everyone was currently sitting in the underground hall.

  Two rows of stone chairs facing each other were currently occupied by male and female adepts of various sizes in the damp and dim stone hall. On the right were the Dark Witches. However, after this brutal battle, the number of Dark Witches had fallen from their initial eleven to the current six.

  Of course, of the five casualties, only one had their soul and body wholly exterminated by the divine moonlight magic. The other four just had their bodies destroyed. Their souls had already returned to the soul energy pool previously set up upon Shadow Island.

  Their revival was estimated to take about a month. Moreover, their revived souls and new shadow bodies needed some time to be broken in. That was why it was very likely that they won't be seen for the first half of the invasion against Garan this time.

  Compared to the Dark Witches, the Fate Witches appeared much frailer!

  They were almost all witches that had only just advanced in the past couple of decades. They might have a limited sense of the veins of Fate and the arrival of danger after mastering the powers of Fate, but their power wasn't enough for them to altogether avoid harm and danger.

  That was why their losses were undoubtedly the most severe of the lot!

  Following the death of one Fate Witch, two more casualties had occurred in the midst of the Fate Witches during the battle of Jintha'Alor. It caused the ini
tially weak Fate branch, whose numbers were already few, to be knocked down to where it started. It was a tragic and sad sight to behold.

  Of the ranks of the Fate Witches, there were only two newly advanced witches left, apart from Alice–the leader–and the deputies, Berserk Witch Sofia and Icelady Snowlotus.

  In comparison, the Crimson adepts were relatively untouched.

  After all, all the magical machines prioritized protecting the closest Crimson adept during the fight. That was perhaps the main reason why there were practically no casualties among the Crimson adepts.

  However, while there were no casualties on the surface, the losses calculated by the Chip caused Greem to frown hard.

  When the adepts counted casualties, they would only count their companions who also shared the same status as adepts. They wouldn't include the losses of their followers, golems, voodoo beasts, or summons. The highest price the Crimson Clan had to pay was in the form of such things.

  Medusa Dana had lost one four-armed snakefiend bodyguard and two ordinary tribesmen.

  Over half of the fiendhounds that Three-Headed Demonhound Unguja had brought with him had died.

  Forty-two Archers were destroyed. Thirty-seven of those were utterly wrecked and could not be repaired. They had to be recycled and processed once again.

  Sixteen Shield Swordsmen were destroyed; all of them were ruined.

  Visible structural damage had been done to the flying ship's space furnace. Repairs were estimated to take a week.

  Eleven of the construction machines working upon the ship had been destroyed and their numbers needed to be replenished as soon as possible.

  Multiple energy leaks had appeared in the energy pipes of the ship. A large batch of construction machines was badly needed for maintenance.

  Large areas of the metal deck were also damaged, and a massive amount of special alloy was needed for repairs.