One couldn't think too highly of Gazlowe because of his high grade; his actual offensive and defensive powers were extremely weak. Most of his powers were invested in the magic generator furnace and the metal fortress.
One could say that the magic generator furnace was his heart, the fortress was his body, and Gazlowe was no more than a brain monster that coordinated all of that!
Gazlowe had also tried to send those magical machines to chase away the dragons.
Sadly, this was like sending sheep to a tiger's mouth. Gazlowe had sent out a hundred-men army, yet less than ten managed to crawl back. The rest had all been smashed to pieces by these violent lizards!
Ever since then, Gazlowe had no longer dared to send anyone to challenge these dragons. He simply relied on the strong fortress, its endless supply of magical energy, and its magical cannons to forcefully maintain his position.
However, this caused Gazlowe to ultimately fail at executing the operation of excavating Lance that Greem had entrusted to him.
These dragons had also learned to deal with the fortress. They were sturdy and tough, and thus, acted as the leading force in dealing with the fortress. Meanwhile, their subordinate dragonborn and associated troops were stationed nearby, forming a strict perimeter and wholly sealing the metal fortress within it.
In all honesty, Third Grade Brain Monster Gazlowe had always been proud and arrogant.
Even after he became Greem's contracted slave, he still believed that he had only lost due to a moment's carelessness. Deep in his heart, Gazlowe would never admit that this Second Grade male adept was smarter and more capable than himself.
However, the torture he had to endure over the past few months forced Gazlowe to painfully admit that he had no methods to deal with these ruffian dragons. He could only rely on the cannons to keep the dragons out of the fortress.
Gazlowe had no means of dealing with the perimeter and was forced to stay turtled up inside the fortress.
That was why Gazlowe's long tortured soul started to burn with passion when he suddenly saw Greem return once more, especially with such a massive flight of dragons behind him.
For the first time, Gazlowe hoped from the bottom of his heart that this 'weak' adept master of his could come up with a way of chasing these dragons out of his territory as soon as possible.
Greem did not respond to Gazlowe's passionate request. Instead, he turned to look at Arms.
"Lord Arms, what do you think about the situation before us?"
"Kehkehkeh. Brat, does this count as you asking me for help?" The eyes of the Third Grade thunder dragon lit up. He immediately became a sleazy merchant, "You two really extorted quite a lot out of me for this trip back. Now you want me to fight your fights for you for free? Two hundred thousand magical crystals. I won't do it for even a single crystal less."
One had to admit that even the usually proud dragons became extremely stingy and seedy after associating with the adepts for so long.
Greem smiled as an unconcealable teasing expression appeared on his young and handsome face.
"Lord Arms, you've brought so many dragon companions back with you this time. I was wondering where you intend to settle them? It can't be that you intend to squeeze them all into your own territory, can it?"
Arms' face froze for a moment. His smile dissolved and he finally started pondering this troublesome question.
As a Third Grade dragon lord, Arms' land was only three to four hundred kilometers wide. Such a piece of land would be enough for twenty to thirty human lords in the human world. However, it was far, far too small for dragons.
He had suddenly brought eleven dragons back with him this time. It would truly be very cool to show them off with him in the lead and invite the envy of all other dragon lords. However, settling them in his tiny territory didn't seem entirely appropriate. It was too shabby.
Arms couldn't help but narrow his eyes in thought.
Chapter 719 New Collaboration
Lance was the dragon's paradise.
However, the prerequisite was that you had to be of a legitimate dragon bloodline.
Emerald dragons might not be able to compare to the pure golden dragons, but they were already be considered a legitimate bloodline. Unfortunately for the green dragons, they were not of a legitimate bloodline.
It was still possible for such impure dragons to win territory for themselves if they were strong and fierce. However, they would have to endure the rejection and ostracization of the orthodox dragons that prided themselves on their pure bloodlines.
It would be no problem for the emerald dragons who had followed Arms to become dragon lords of their own in Lance. However, if those green dragons tried to set themselves up as dragon lords, they would most definitely be beaten up by neighboring dragons.
It was an unwritten rule in Lance, and even Arms couldn't do anything about it!
It was important to note that Arms had made many promises when recruiting the dragons in Faen. He had described Lance as the perfect paradise for dragons. If he failed to fulfill his obligations, then it was unavoidable that they would feel betrayed and leave his side.
That was why Third Grade Thunder Dragon Arms couldn't help but fall silent after hearing Greem's question.
"My lord, you have already recruited so many men under yourself. Your forces are strong and plentiful, so why not try and expand your lands?" Greem chuckled coldly and maliciously. His intent to incite trouble was clear as day.
Arms knew he was only trying to benefit himself in the chaos, but Greem's suggestion had hit a soft spot indeed. That was why Arms couldn't help but hesitate.
"I only realized after coming here that you dragon lords often have civil wars over the matter of territory as well. The winners obtain the land, and the losers are forced to move away. This is true, isn't it?!" Greem continued to advise.
"But us dragons would never kill each other. Even the losers are allowed to leave with their hoard safely. That is the bottom line we will never allow outsiders to tread upon!" Arms said, dissatisfied and proud.
Obviously, he didn't think very well of the adepts' reputation for pursuing their enemies to their death, including his own kind.
"Of course, of course. I would never force you to go against the spirit of dragons," Greem chuckled, "However, Lord Arms, the next time you intend to chase away a dragon, could you give us notice ahead of time? You desire land and subjects. I want the loser. As long as the loser leaves their territory, whatever happens to them after should have nothing to do with you, right?"
Arms was completely silent. He was once again rendered speechless by the ingenuity and calculating nature of the human adepts.
These human adepts appeared to have no principles or bottom line that they adhered to; they would even tear away at their own kind. It was only natural that they were so much more brutal toward others. However, no matter how Arms pondered over the issue, this seemed to be the only way to solve the problem.
After all, Greem had indeed been a great help in smuggling the eleven dragons from Faen to Lance. Moreover, according to Arms' contract with Alice, he would have to help out Greem for quite a while to completely wipe away his debt.
Arms gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind.
"I will chase away these dragons for you without asking for any compensation. However, from this day forward, you must clear away all dragonborn armies and subordinate forces of any territory that I set my eyes on. I will deal with the dragon lords. If…if there are any unexpected bounties, I…I want half of it."
Greem smiled leisurely.
Arms was being indirect with his words, but Greem understood what he meant.
This bastard clearly wanted to share in the loot, while keeping his hands clean of the blood of his kind.
From now on, Arms would be able to challenge other dragons around him as a dragon lord himself. If his opponent were defeated, Arms would have no choice but to let them leave with their hoard as were the rules of
the dragons. When that happened, it would be the adept's turn to strike and intercept the dragon.
The 'unexpected bounties' he was talking about were probably referring to the personal collections of the defeated dragons!
Though Greem couldn't achieve the full extent of what he wanted, he still agreed wholeheartedly. The dragon and the adept once again signed a new contract of alliance.
Once they completed the contract, the twelve dragons simultaneously charged out of the metal fortress under Arms' command and lunged at the female fire dragon and the six male dragons circling the skies.
In all honesty, seeing a flight of dragons suddenly emerge from the impenetrable metal fortress was a shocking sight for Third Grade Philippa, let alone the other First and Second Grade dragons.
Moreover, these dragons that had abruptly appeared were lunging toward them and attacking their confused allies without any warning.
Arms' dragonflight was superior both in numbers and dragon grades. Consequently, it only took a matter of two to three rounds of exchanges for a dragon on Philippa's side to turn and flee with a cry of agony.
The language of the dragons shook the skies as roars continued without end.
Sadly, regardless of how Philippa cursed and roared, Arms remained silent and wickedly struck at her with his beloved Emerald Dragon Iritina.
Even Philippa, who prided herself for her title as the Star of Apocalypse, couldn't fend off the ferocious attacks of two Third Grade dragons working in unison.
Plenty of dragon blood rained down from the sky along with massive dragon scales.
Philippa, unable to hold off the flanking attacks of the two dragons, finally considered retreat. She beat her tattered red wings and fled toward her territory with all she had. She could no longer spare a thought for the male dragons who were still stubbornly fighting on the battlefield.
Though Arms' dragons had full advantage over the enemy, they didn't strike with lethal force. More accurately, the Dragon Covenant forbade dragons from killing each other. Fighting for a mate or territory was accepted, but slaughtering one of their own was strictly prohibited.
If any dragon were to kill one of their own, the Great Dragon God would punish them, and they would forever become the public enemy of all dragons!
That was why Arms and his dragons had no choice but to watch as these dragons fled, injured and wounded, even with their superior force.
"Gazlowe, send out your eyeball guards. Find out where every single dragon came from and where their territory is. Hmph! They dare come to our base to show off? We will find the opportunity to deal with all of them, one by one." Greem coldly shouted after the two flights of dragons had left.
"As you wish!"
The dragon disaster that had been plaguing him for half a year had finally concluded. Gazlowe was also brimming with fury and anger. With Greem's permission, the stones on a hidden face of the mountain moved aside to reveal a massive entrance. Thirty or forty metallic eyeballs then surged out like a swarm of bees, quickly flying in the direction that the dragons had fled.
At the same time, more engineering robots surged out of the fortress and started repairing the walls and the magic energy cannons. Some of the robots even started harvesting boulders from the nearby mountains and sticking them against the wall.
This way even dragons, with their fantastic sight, would have trouble finding the location of the fortress when flying above.
The metal fortress was now being controlled by Gazlowe to continue mining the metal from beneath the mountain. The energy he needed all came from the magic generator furnace, and there was no need for external input. That made it even harder for anyone to discover the fortress.
After establishing the development plans for Lance, Greem finally entered the portal and returned to Fire Throne after a year of absence.
…………
World of Adepts, Fire Throne.
Greem had just emerged from the portal and immediately ran into Gargamel, who had hastily hurried over to welcome him.
"The prisoners and loot have all been dealt with, I trust?"
"Yes, sir!" Gargamel respectfully replied, "All the loot has been recorded and stored in the warehouse. The slaves have been imprisoned on the second level. That said, seeing that my lord has successfully returned, do you think we should prepare a large welcoming banquet tonight?"
Greem paused for a moment upon hearing this and gave the matter some thought.
He didn't care for such banquets, but with the strengthening and expansion of the clan and its members, such feasts were probably a good thing. After all, this was a significant event for members of the clan to interact and get to know each other!
"Mm, that will do! Plan it at your own discretion! The time will be tonight and make the location be the third level of the tower."
"Understood, my lord. I will go and prepare now!" Gargamel nodded and gave a simple report on the tower's situation before turning to leave.
Greem slowly walked to the fourth level of the tower and, just as expected, he saw Mary lying upon the bed in his room.
He didn't know when, but she had changed into a thin and smooth black silk robe.
The silk robe wasn't very large. The top was barely able to cover Mary's petite and delicate shoulders and exposed her white, slender neck, and her perfect collarbones, as well as the top half of her breasts. The bottom of the robe didn't even go past her knees, revealing Mary's slender and long legs along with her perfect feet.
"What is it? Alice didn't make you stay over at her place?" Mary's pretty and seductive face was arranged in a light smile and filled with unconcealable jealousy, "Have the matters over at Lance been dealt with?"
As Mary's jade white body lightly stretched on the silky smooth bedsheets, even Greem couldn't help but give a big gulp.
"Do you have any plans for celebration then?" Mary continued to ask with an enchanting voice.
She even started rolling about the bed like a young teenage girl. As her movements became more exaggerated, the sides of the robe opened and closed to reveal her two white thighs. Even the extremely arousing area beneath her stomach could vaguely be seen, distracting Greem immensely.
"I originally intended to shower and change before attending the banquet, but I've changed my mind now!"
"Oh…what have you decided to do instead?" Mary stopped rolling around in her curiosity and propped up her body slightly to ask.
Greem looked at the distracting scenery before him and roared, "I've decided, before the banquet, I'll…eat you first!"
Greem lunged forth, and the room was instantly filled with Mary's unrestrained laughter like the ringing of silver bells.
Chapter 720 Clan Banque
t
The welcoming banquet was held on the third level of the tower, just as scheduled.
Almost everyone who could participate in this banquet was one of the first members of the Crimson Clan.
Though neither Clan Head Greem nor Lady Mary was here, the atmosphere in the banquet was just as passionate and lively.
Most of the clan adepts had just returned from another plane. Their purses were full, their pouches were bursting, and their skills had improved by quite a bit. Disregarding everyone else, even the inconspicuous Bug Adept Billis had managed to advance from intermediate First Grade to peak First Grade.
If everything went well, then in another dozen years he might be the second clan adept after Lady Mary to advance to Second Grade.
Second Grade.
If one were frank, this grade was already the stopping point of most adepts' fantasies.
As for Third and Fourth Grade? Without exceptional talent and stunningly lucky encounters, most adepts would never be able to reach such a height even if they were to dedicate their lives towards work and improvement.
The Adept's Handbook provided a very comprehensive summary of the adept's advancement system.
First, anyone who wanted to become an adept needed to have adept tale
nt. They would be able to become an apprentice adept.
The so-called adept talent was actually referring to elementium affinity!
According to statistics from the Adept's Association, in the World of Adepts, the chance of a baby born amongst mortals having elementium affinity was only 1.31%. That meant that only a maximum of thirteen out of a thousand humans could be apprentice adepts with elementium affinity.
Of these thirteen apprentice adepts, half of them would remain as common men due to their inability to master meditation. The remaining half would have to take things one step at a time and slowly advance from beginner apprentice to intermediate apprentice, and from advanced apprentice to pseudo-adept before finally qualifying to attempt advancement to an adept.
According to the data, the success rate of an apprentice adept advancing to an adept was no more than 15%.
However, given any individual apprentice, this success rate could still be increased by various means and resources. That was why some adepts liked to joke that the birth of an apprentice relied on luck, while the creation of an adept relied on accumulation!
It didn't matter how terrible an apprentice's talent might be. As long as the clan was willing to invest the resources in cultivating them, their chances of advancing would be far higher than those without any backing.
That said, the World of Adepts was still a fair world!
Even the fortunate descendants of adepts born with a silver spoon could not raise their success rate to a full 100%, regardless of how many resources had been committed to the effort. In fact, even an 80% success rate was hard to achieve. As such, while having a giant mountain to rely upon could increase the success rate significantly, there was still a 20% chance of failure.
Meanwhile, apprentices who had nothing to rely upon would have the minimum chance of 15% to succeed as long as they became pseudo-adepts.
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