Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  That was why after the prisoners and spoils taken from Faen had been distributed by Icelady Snowlotus and Berserk Witch Sofia, Alice walked to the cold and deserted astrology platform alone.

  Here, in this lonely and quiet world of solitude, Alice hugged her knees and sat in the corner of the hall. She looked at the starry sky above, two streaks of tears silently flowing down her cheeks.

  It was only now that she could be herself, without any reservations, and cry all she wanted for her dead Granny Endor.

  Chapter 722 The Rise of the Crimson Clan

  The return of the clan's main force bolstered the morale of the Crimson Clan.

  Some time ago, the clan had almost sealed off the Fire Cave that led to Fire Throne in order to prevent the tower from being invaded by enemies while it was relatively undefended.

  Of course, no such problems existed now.

  Fire Throne, Magma Hall, and Fire Cave were once again open to the public. The mercenaries, adventurers, and apprentices that had been waiting all along had surged into the underground adept's tower, turning it into a lively place once again.

  Moreover, any of the outsiders that entered Fire Throne immediately discovered some things that were compeletely different from before.

  First, the tower's defense system had become even stricter.

  In the past, Fire Throne's security and patrolling tasks had always been managed by the manticores and the security arrays due to a lack of sufficient voodoo beasts. Now, these menial and tiresome jobs were left to some odd magical machines.

  Unlike the usual metallic golems that other towers had, these magical machines had clear signs of otherworldly styles and designs. The energy circulation and combat systems were also radically different from the golem constructs of the World of Adepts.

  Either way, these new forces meant that Fire Throne's strength had increased.

  Second, a new batch of nature treasures had started to appear in the markets of Fire Throne.

  Be it thousand-year treehearts, unicorn horns, or even large stocks of enchanted longswords, elven longbows, and nature staffs, the items all suggested something more to what had happened to the clan. The marks of a massive otherworldly civilization could be seen in these treasures.

  Such a large number of alien treasures and weapons appearing in Fire Throne could only mean that the Crimson Clan had successfully conquered another plane again. Moreover, that plane was home to plenty of nature creatures.

  Some more conniving individuals spread this information to the outside, instantly drawing the attention of the few adept clans around the area.

  It was clear from the items that Fire Throne was showing to the outside world that the Crimson Clan had, at the very least, successfully conquered two to three otherworldly planes with completely different power systems. More importantly, their losses didn't seem to be too immense. At the very least, the known members of the Crimson Clan were all still present; there was no obvious thinning of their numbers.

  That was actually the one thing the other clans couldn't understand!

  Any adept clan that has tried a planar invasion would understand the difficulty of such a task.

  Trying to devour an entire plane with the strength of a mere adept clan was extremely difficult. A dozen adepts sent over to another plane would have trouble establishing a firm outpost, let alone conquering an entire plane.

  One simple mistake and you could be surrounded by the plane natives and exterminated.

  On the surface, this so-called Crimson Clan only had seven or eight adepts of various grades. Moreover, most of them were First Grade adepts. What techniques had they relied on to obtain these victories, one after another?

  Luck? Weak enemies? Powerful allies?

  It was these questions that caused neighboring adept clans to turn their attention to this newly established Crimson Clan.

  It still wasn't much of a fuss until all the adept clans attempted to investigate the Crimson Clan's strength!

  No one when it had happened, but the weak Crimson Clan in their minds actually already possessed nine Second Grades.

  Crimson Clan Leader Greem was a Second Grade fire adept, Bloody Queen Adept Mary was a vampire adept, Dragonborn Zacha a Second Grade magical warrior, and Goblin Tigule could pilot the Second Grade Goblin Shredder. Apart from these individuals, there were also two Second Grade Blood Knights and three Second Grade Blood Elves in the Crimson Clan.

  These odd magical creatures might not have been able compare to orthodox Second Grade adepts. But when combined, their forces were still a terrifying one to watch out for.

  Compared to the Second Grades, the number of First Grades in the Crimson Clan seemed very low.

  There were: Earth Adept Meryl (Intermediate First Grade), Bug Adept Billis (Peak First Grade), Wind Adept Deserra (Beginner First Grade), Medusa Dana (Advanced First Grade), Manticore Charon (Advanced First Grade), Potions Master Gargamel (Intermediate First Grade), Forest Spirit Eva (Intermediate First Grade), Nature Adept Emelia (Beginner First Grade), Goblin Snorlax (Beginner First Grade), Old Fox Vanlier (Intermediate First Grade) and six Blood Elves (Beginner First Grade).

  In any other adept clan, the First Grade adepts were the most numerous since they were the fundamental fighting force. On the other hand, the number of Second Grade adepts, who functioned as the critical fighting force, was the lowest.

  However, this principle of most clans' development didn't seem to hold true for the Crimson Clan.

  The number of Second Grades in the Crimson Clan showed signs of overtaking that of the First Grade members. This…this was almost unbelievable!

  Moreover, most adept clans had to try their utmost to expand their territories. They used their tower, resource sites,castles, and other facilities to act as nexuses to control even more land and population. It was the only way to discover more apprentices with adept talents and establish a proper and organized system of cultivating adepts.

  However, the Crimson Clan was a misfit in that manner. Not only was their clan headquarters located inside the Black Forest, there was also no population or land around them for them to control. Even the clan adepts behaved like hermits, rarely ever leaving the small tower buried deep underground.

  This caused the Crimson Clan to appear out of place alongside the other adept clans. They were like carriages on completely parallel lines. Both parties would have had nothing to do with each other if it weren't for the other clans deliberately trying to find out more about the Crimson Clan.

  However, with the increase of the clan's strength, there was no longer a need for them to maintain their previous mystique.

  The development of the clan and the improvement of the adepts could not be separated from resources and knowledge. Relying solely on one's own clan to passively gather these things would undoubtedly be a very slow process. It would also affect the rate of improvement for the clan adepts.

  That was why, with Greem's approval, most of the nature treasures, weapons, and a group of the forest elves were put on auction at Fire Throne. With Snorlax as the host, they successfully attracted many clan representatives and slave merchants around Zhentarim, allowing the strength of the clan to slowly but surely increase.

  Fire Throne was no longer that rural place lacking in resources and materials. Instead, it had become a well-visited hub of Ailovis in the central lands.

  With Fire Throne at the forefront, the land between it and Pinecone Town became 'familiar land.'

  The small forest paths gradually became large, clear roads. The forest beasts and magical creatures that lived in these areas were all exterminated by visiting monster hunters and adventurers. As a result, several small settlements started to appear and develop into human towns.

  The Black Forest was slowly pushed back toward the north, returning the area around Fire Throne, and a hundred kilometers to the south of the tower, to the humans.

  However, according to the agreement between Greem and the Zhentarim Association, this newly e
xcavated land would all belong to the Association. It would be managed and ruled over by individuals sent by the Association.

  The adepts of the Crimson Clan might have been upset by this, but they were intimidated by the name of the Zhentarim Association, so no one dared to step forth and complain.

  …………

  It was deep in the winter.

  A delicate and luxurious noble's carriage slowly cruised along the forest road.

  The last trace of sunlight vanished under the dark sea of trees over the distant horizon, causing the road to turn dark and sinister.

  Even though the large carnivorous beasts in the nearby woods had mostly been driven away, it was still dangerous to travel through here alone at night.

  Willems pulled apart the curtains of the carriage and gazed into the deep and sprawling forest as he fell into deep thought.

  The cold night breeze entered the carriage along the road, chilling him to his bones and causing him to shiver.

  Willems tugged on the delicate noble's cape he wore and covered the equally fancy armor beneath it. As the eldest son of the Andorras, he was a noble with the title of Baron. He had also learned the ways of horsemanship and horseback fighting with knights and wasn't simply an entitled and weak noble.

  It was at this moment that a desolate and drawn-out wolf's howl rang out from the depths of the forest, instantly throwing Willems into a panic.

  "Jem, can we reach Fire Throne by tonight?" Finally, the long and lonely trip made him ask this childish question to the butler and coachman that had followed him all these years.

  "My Lord, I'm afraid we can't reach it tonight!" Coachman Jem blew out a breath of warm air from his mouth to warm his hands as he said, "There's still over twenty kilometers of mountain road from here to Fire Throne. We will probably have to stop and stay over at Goathorn Village."

  "Goathorn Village." Just the lowly and crude name alone informed Willems of how shabby the place was. It probably had no facilities and only consisted of rundown straw houses.

  That meant no warm and comfortable guest rooms, no delicious bread or warm soup, and definitely no beautiful ladies that could uplift his spirits. Willems became irritated, once again uncertain of the mission he bore upon his shoulders.

  The man sighed helplessly and let go of the curtains, blocking out the cool air from the outside.

  Once Willems' mood had recovered, he took out the ancient and elegant magical parchment and unrolled it.

  The delicate lines of words written on the parchment with magical ink appeared before his eyes.

  "……hereby appoints the eldest son of the Andorra family, Baron Willems, to proceed to XXX and take charge of all the land, produce, and population there. He is to be the undisputed ruler."

  At the end of the parchment, the unique magical seal of the Zhentarim Association could be seen, along with the magical brand of two of its elders.

  There was a new lord for this place!

  Chapter 723 Crimson Majordomo

  Fire Throne, Third Level.

  Inside a magical room, Crimson Majordomo Gargamel solemnly listened to the reports of his subordinates. The cute and pretty teenage Adept Emelia sat by his side, toying with a delicate nature pendant in her boredom.

  The five subordinates were all dressed like mercenaries or adventurers. It was clear that they were outside forces that had served the Crimson Clan. A sinister person wrapped in black robes was also standing in a corner of the room where the light couldn't reach them. The person remained as silent as a piece of wood.

  "…he is the eldest son of the Andorra family and is first in succession…"

  "...the Association elders summoned him before he left, but we have no idea as to the matter of their discussion…"

  "…two clan adepts came along with him. Both of them are only First Grade…"

  "…it's said that he has a lord's proof of identification with him given by the Association…"

  "…he is hurrying to Fire Throne now. It's likely that he will be staying over in Goathorn Village tonight…"

  The subordinates voiced, one by one, all of the information concerning the new lord assigned by the Association to serve in this area.

  As the human settlements started to form, the honeymoon between Fire Throne and the Zhentarim Association officially ended. For a very long period henceforth, the Zhentarim Association would choose to pressure Fire Throne and force them to join the Association as one of its obedient members.

  Obviously, this utterly went against the foundations of development decided by Greem!

  Of course, public incidents to provoke the Crimson Clan were unlikely to happen. However, if the new lord remained hostile toward Fire Throne upon taking his assignment, then the supply and trade of the Crimson Clan would be significantly affected.

  It was probably one of the strategies of the Zhentarim Association.

  If the Association didn't assign a suitable ruler in time, then the Crimson Clan would be able to use the advantage of their tower to expand their influence to every individual within the Ailovis area.

  From then on, any human or magical creature that wanted to settle in this place would be at the behest of the Crimson Clan. They would not be able to establish a position for themselves here without the agreement of the Crimson Clan.

  However, once the ruler appointed by the Association arrived in Ailovis, the Crimson Clan would have no choice but to limit their influence to an area of five kilometers around the tower, as per the magical agreement they had signed. That would undoubtedly cause the clan to lose all the resources of the forest in the two hundred kilometer stretch north of the tower.

  Through the constant 'purification' by the adept's tower, this part of the Black Forest was no longer a place that terrorized humans. It was a tamed land that was most suited for excavation and development. Letting such a ripe piece of bounty slip past their fingers would be an immense loss to the Crimson Clan.

  Moreover, Fire Throne was located deep inside the Black Forest. If the ruler arrived, the territory next to the clan would not belong to them, but to a human noble that had deeply hostile intentions against them.

  That…would undoubtedly put the clan in a difficult situation!

  Guarding the Crimson Clan's only passage to the outside world with a human noble; that was how the Association intended to slowly torture and wear down this newly founded adept clan. If the Crimson Clan couldn't resist the urge to retaliate, then the Zhentarim Association,–who were hiding behind the scenes–would step forth and stir trouble by acting as mediators in the conflict.

  Of course, regardless of how the Association settled the conflict, the conclusion would not be beneficial to the Crimson Clan.

  At any rate, there were plenty of human nobles. The Crimson Clan could kill as many as they wanted to. Once they were done killing, the Crimson Clan would have to pay an unimaginably steep price for their actions!

  That was why this new lord bore a tragic fate upon his shoulders as an obstacle that the Association had sent to harass the Crimson Clan. He was fated to win benefits for the Zhentarim Association that they couldn't otherwise obtain through ordinary means, but only at the cost of his own life.

  As such, the Crimson Clan that had obtained information ahead of time was immediately filled with hostility and loathing for the arrival of this new lord.

  However, this poor fellow was only bait that the Association had merely cast out. Killing him would give the Zhentarim Association the perfect entry point to meddle in the affairs of Ailovis. It would be detrimental for the long-term development of the Crimson Clan to allow the Association to extend their hands into this area.

  That was why Gargamel, as the majordomo of the Crimson Clan, had to treat this issue very seriously, even if he was only an ordinary noble.

  "Father, if you don't like that human lord, I can just kill him for you. Why do you need to get upset over this?" Emelia, who was sitting by his side, asked confusedly. The girl looked to be only fi
fteen or sixteen, but there was no weight or nervousness to her voice when she talked about murder, almost as if it was something as casual as afternoon tea.

  "We can't just kill him!" Gargamel sighed helplessly, "He might not be at all important, but the Andorra family he belongs to is a subordinate force to one of the five great adept clans of Zhentarim– the Braibant Clan. If the Braibant decide to pursue the cause of his death, they will have an excuse to extend their influence into the territory of our Crimson Clan."

  "Then let's just make some trouble for him and make it impossible for him to establish himself here," Emelia said in disdain, "Those human nobles are all lazy and indulgent people. The environment here is terrible. Let's see how long he can last here."

  Gargamel was in full agreement with her daughter's suggestion.

  The adepts knew very well what the human nobles were like. It was mere fantasy to expect them to work and raise a town out of nothing alongside the poor villagers.

  After thousands of years of reinforcing these classes, the rule of the adepts was not something that civilians with no supernatural powers could rebel against. As the dogs and servants of the adepts, these human nobles became superior beings, enjoying extravagant lives that the ordinary person couldn't possibly imagine.

  This Baron Willems, as the first in line for succession in his family, had been sent to a place like this. One couldn't help but suspect that he had been tossed out like a pawn to be a sacrificial piece in the internal conflict of his family.

  The presence of the two clan adepts beside him further confirmed this suspicion of Gargamel's.

  With the protection of the adepts, Willems could not die from accidents or at the hands of magical beasts. The only one in the entirety of Ailovis who had the power to kill him while he was under the protection of two adepts was the Crimson Clan.

  They couldn't kill him, but they couldn't allow him to do as he wanted either, as that would restrict the actual influence of the Crimson Clan. Gargamel frowned before a sinister smile appeared on his face.