Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  With these favorable conditions in place, this tower's central defensive power should reach between four hundred and fifty to six hundred points, even without considering its magical defenses. If the tower's defensive systems were activated at a suitable time, the tower's defensive power could reach a shocking one thousand points.

  Even a Third Grade adept could not harm the tower in the slightest, even without an adept of the same grade hosting the tower!

  More importantly, as a medium-sized tower, it could control environmental changes within a radius of five kilometers. Of course, trying to achieve such a tremendous effect required an immense amount of energy exhaustion from the tower. It would very likely affect the other energy systems of the tower.

  The original Fire Throne was only a small tower. It might have all the required magical facilities within it, but the number of facilities was limited. A fully functional alchemy lab needed to provide basic service to over two dozen adepts and a hundred adept apprentices simultaneously. Yet, any one of the major experiments of a high-grade adept could easily go on for one to two month.

  This situation was not beneficial for the improvement of the clan adepts and the apprentices if it persisted!

  With the appearance of this medium tower, this awkward situation finally changed for the better.

  The wide and spacious apprentice hut allowed the apprentices to no longer be cramped up within their small stone rooms in groups of two or three. The expansion of the tower's space also gave adepts and apprentices more space to move about and conduct their activities.

  The new clan book storage was also replenished with plenty of new books, most of them being new knowledge from other worlds. Of course, high-grade knowledge remained in the grasp of the clan. However, some enlightening basic knowledge and subjects had already been opened to all clan members.

  Being able to obtain rare materials and otherworldly knowledge through the clan that couldn't be found outside, and having the privilege to purchase these items at a discount, was the most attractive part of being a clan adept!

  Why else was it that every single apprentice adept tried their very best to become members of major adept clans? It was because of the welfare and privileges that wandering adepts and apprentices could never hope to get.

  It was important to note that most apprentice adepts didn't have immense talents, nor did most of them come from wealthy and influential noble families. Even the slightest of discounts and privileges could mean less need to undertake risks and less need to participate in dangerous magical creature hunts or ruin explorations.

  As an apprentice, without the protection of powerful magical equipment and the lack of sufficient defensive and offensive magic meant that the outcome of every single adventure rested in the hands of Lady Luck.

  That was why adept clans with good benefits and plentiful resources were able to attract many apprentice adepts continually. And with sufficient apprentices, only then would the adept clans be able to select those with talent and potential for focused development.

  A good adept cultivation system was the key for clans to establish themselves in the World of Adepts!

  The Crimson Clan that Greem had established lacked in this particular aspect.

  One had to admit, Greem's progressive development strategies had a massive impact on the Crimson Clan.

  Looking across the entirety of the Crimson Clan, the only true Second Grade adepts were only Greem and Mary. Individuals like Tigule, who piloted the Goblin Shredder, or Dragon Devourer Oliven, were only outsiders with the strength of Second Grade in the end.

  Meanwhile, Zacha, the blood knights, and the blood elves were only Second Grade servants of Greem and Mary. They could not be considered official adepts of the tower.

  If one were to do a head count, they would find that the Crimson Clan's Second Grade lifeforms had outnumbered the number of First Grade adepts. The clan's future development was facing a dangerous situation of an overdeveloped head and an insufficiently grown base.

  One could responsibly assert that ninety-nine percent of the Crimson Clan's strength rested with Greem and Mary. If anything happened to either of them, the clan's power would experience a destructive collapse.

  Greem had been spending his past few years in endless conquest and slaughter, all for the sake of providing the clan's development with sufficient nutrients. Now that he had the Goblin Plane in one hand and a slowly expanding Lance in the other, with no significant operation planned, it was time for him to turn back and reorganize the clan's developmental frame.

  The Goblin Plane was the first private plane of Greem's conquest. Meryl was currently stationed there, and there was no fear of any major revolt. Due to the lack of the necessary workforce for in-depth excavation, the Crimson Clan had left this plan's improvement to the Goblin Empire's development. The adepts only existed as supreme rulers behind the scenes.

  After the intense quake that had affected the entirety of the Goblin Plane, the goblins had fully realized the massive difference between their power and the adepts' power. Though reluctant, they had no choice but to obediently become the slaves of the adepts and accept the rule of these otherworldly adepts.

  Meanwhile, the most significant yield for the Crimson Clan from the Goblin Plan was its rich ore resources.

  One had to admit, as a low-magic world, the Goblin Plane might be severely lacking in magical creatures and magical resources. However, the plane's metal and ore reserves were shockingly high.

  The Crimson Clan, represented by Meryl, adopted a relatively gentle ruling method over the Goblin Empire. On the one hand, they transported large amounts of adept resources to treat the goblin nobles and indulge them in their luxurious lives, while on the other, they unfairly traded a massive number of metal ores and special alloys with the goblins in exchange for some adept resources.

  The flying ship that had been destroyed in Faen had only been forged with the massive amounts of metal from the Goblin Plane. Judging from the current scale of trade between the Crimson Clan and the goblins, Greem would only need another six months to save enough resources to build a second flying ship.

  Judging from the data from Meryl, the number of resources that the Crimson Clan could obtain from the Goblin Plane on an annual basis was worth as much as five hundred to eight hundred thousand magical crystals.

  Of course, if the Crimson Clan were a bit more brutal and savage, they could easily double their profits from the Goblin Plane. Though if they did that, it would be hard to guarantee the order in the Goblin Plane.

  If the goblins started trouble, the Crimson Clan would have to assign large groups of adepts to suppress and end the revolts. When that happened, the Goblin Plane would become an absolute sinkhole of war, dragging most of the clan's resources and military strength into its pull.

  Given all these factors, such a choice was not a good one. Instead, the ruling order that Meryl had established was the most logical and effortless!

  Meanwhile, Lance was Greem's biggest concern right now.

  The magical resources and dragon resources there were so plentiful that it made him want to cry. But given the Crimson Clan's current strength, they could not devour the plane whole.

  That was why, rather than the clan conquering Lance, it was better to think of it as the clan secretly establishing a forward base in Lance, while covertly hunting down low-grade dragons for profit.

  Of course, the risk of hunting dragons was higher than simply reaping the profits of the Goblin Plane. Moreover, they couldn't kill too many dragons in a short period of time, or it would quickly draw the attention of the dragon lords.

  However, the profits of a single success were immense!

  Take for example the most populous member of Lance– the Second Grade dragons. A live dragon transported to the World of Adepts could easily sell for six hundred to eight hundred thousand magical crystals. If they ran into adepts that desperately needed dragons, then this price could easily double again.

&
nbsp; Moreover, this was just the price of the dragon itself!

  Don't forget, every single one of these dragons was a wealth-hoarding, treasure-collecting millionaire. If the entire nest was cleaned out, just the worldly wealth and treasures would exceed the worth of the dragon itself.

  If appropriately managed, the profits of hunting a Second Grade dragon in Lance would be approximately two million magical crystals. However, half of these resources and wealth would have to be given out to the participating clan adepts. The clan itself could only gain a profit of a million magical crystals.

  Even so, the plane profits of Lance were way higher than the low-magic Goblin Plane!

  More importantly, it was only through Lance that Greem and the other adepts could obtain adept resources that could greatly benefit them. On the other hand, the Goblin Plane could only provide them with low-end metal reserves.

  Chapter 738 White Tower

  In the World of Adepts, the construction of any individual adept's tower would create a massive impact on its surroundings.

  Apart from its environmental effects, the main impact of the tower would be the very concept of the tower's territory.

  The area where the tower's power and influence reached would be the fixed territory that the tower's owner could control and possess.

  This simple concept was almost etched into the soul and consciousness of every single adept, making them uphold it as if it was a belief.

  That was why almost every single branch of the Northern Witches received news of the appearance of an adept's tower in Icewind. Among them, the most shaken were the Coldwinter Witches.

  After all, this vast land used to belong to the Coldwinter Witches. It was only due to some 'indescribable' reasons that passed it into the hands of the Fate Witches. Now, the damned male adept that carried the banner of the Fate Witches actually intended to construct an adept's tower here. It had clearly gone beyond the expectations of the Coldwinter Witches.

  The Coldwinter Witches were also a witch branch that had only reestablished themselves after many difficulties and challenges. Their current branch leader was only Third Grade. As such, though their overall strength might be superior to the Fate Witches, they were still far weaker compared to the other witch branches.

  The Coldwinter Witches had no choice but to admit their new reality after several of their messengers were turned away by Icelady Snowlotus.

  They would forever lose actual power over Icewind and its surrounding territories. From now on, they would have to rely on the Fate Witches' good will any time they wanted to pass through Icewind to enter the Black Forest!

  The adept's tower of Icewind finally opened under the curious but shocked attention of the many witches.

  One had to admit, the activation of the elementium altar of every single adept's tower was always mesmerizing! Even though Greem had already experienced it twice, he couldn't suppress his excited emotions when experiencing it once again. Even his mental consciousness couldn't help but undulate along with the elementium flux of the tower itself.

  When Greem completed the activation of the tower's spirit alone in the control hall of the eleventh floor, several elementium halos appeared at the base of the tower. Then, floor by floor, they lit up the structure of the tower and started moving toward the top of the tower.

  As the defensive magic of the tower belonged to the ice and snow attribute, most of the elementium particles attracted toward it were ice particles. A massive number of ice particles slowly gathered around the outside of the tower, each of them like a minuscule light that couldn't be seen with the naked eye, gradually building up into a miniature blizzard.

  From a distance, the entire tower was hidden in white and blinding snow, making it difficult for anyone to successfully gaze upon its actual appearance.

  That was only after the activation of the tower's elementium altar. There weren't enough elementium energy reserves, causing the blizzard to only manifest within a hundred meters of the tower. With the daily functioning of the tower, the elementium reserves in the energy room at the lowest level would eventually be filled, and this kind of blizzard could easily extend over five kilometers away.

  This way, any foe that held hostile intentions toward the tower would have to endure the blizzard even as they attacked the tower. Moreover, as the owner of the tower, Greem could invest even more elementium energy to strengthen the intensity and radius of the snowstorm in specified areas.

  The price paid for any operations against the tower would always be immense!

  Many Crimson adepts had teleported here from the center of the continent for the tower activation ceremony today. As such, it was extraordinarily lively here as well. Meanwhile, the pseudo-adepts and apprentices of the clan had to spend two to three months traveling through the Black Forest to get here.

  While everyone was gathered around the tower to sense the minute changes in the surrounding elementium particles, the gates of the tower suddenly opened as Greem walked out from within.

  As a Second Grade adept, Greem was undoubtedly at the peak of his life. His looks had been fixed at his current appearance, with both the youth and vigor of a young man and the composure and ableness of a middle-aged man.

  He had yet to go through the first hundred years of his four-hundred-year-long lifespan. There were still plenty of good times for him to enjoy and experience. That was why all the adepts couldn't help but hold their breath for a moment when he emerged from the tower, bathing in the magical halos still coursing through the building.

  "Come on in. From now on, this will be our new home!"

  The Crimson adepts who were present started cheering when they heard Greem's invigorating words.

  After accumulating sufficient power, the Crimson Clan had finally taken its first firm and determined step toward the outside world after accumulating adequate strength!

  All the adepts and apprentices surged into the tower, carrying with them a trace of curiosity and excitement.

  The outside world might be one of ice and snow, but once they crossed that barrier of light, it was a beautiful world as warm as spring.

  In the center of the first floor was a broad and brightly lit magical hall. At the very front of the room was a vast library. One could see the shelves of magical tomes stacked within through the barrier of light. On both sides of the library were clean and neat magical houses.

  The spiral staircase leading to the second floor was located in the corner of the hall.

  The floor of the hall was composed of smooth and shining obsidian. Profound magical pictures and strange runes had even been carved into them. Every time an apprentice stepped on top of the tiles, their magical powers would interact with the energy coursing through the array, activating some phantasmal and beautiful light projections.

  They would be small girls running about barefoot, or a lively fawn prancing about, or a flower fairy dancing in the winds, or small young dragons breathing fire…

  These strange fellows would appear and fade out of existence whenever an adept or apprentice walked through the hall, accompanied by strange sound effects and fantastic lighting.

  For the adepts, these were only the most basic of light and shadow illusions and were barely worth mentioning. However, these illusions were magical power that apprentice adepts dreamt about.

  Beautiful yet phantasmal, ridiculous yet so real.

  Leaving the group of pseudo-adepts and apprentice adepts to explore and get used to the new tower, Greem led the clan adepts onto a short-range teleportation array and instantly arrived at the fifth floor.

  Once everyone had taken their seats in the meeting hall, Greem's passionate gaze swept past each of their faces.

  With the scale that the Crimson Clan had developed, the internal adept force required proper reorganization and distribution. There wasn't much to be done over at Fire Throne. It was even said that the Zhentarim Association had sent over a noble lord to attempt to contest the Crimson Clan for the lands surroundi
ng the tower.

  Greem took the opportunity to move most of the clan's forces over to the north.

  Gargamel and Forest Spirit Eva remained in Fire Throne to manage the day-to-day tasks there, while Meryl was summoned back from the Goblin Plane to manage the daily functions in the new tower here. The matters in the Goblin Plane would be handed over to Medusa Dana instead.

  With such an arrangement, the power structure and veins of the Crimson Clan were slowly fleshed out and expanded.

  At Fire Throne, Gargamel would be the majordomo, aided by Forest Spirit Eva, Emelia, and Manticore Charon. Oliven would be stationed there, while Greem would also spend most of his time training there as well.

  At the new tower in the north, Meryl would be the majordomo, aided by Icelady Snowlotus, Bug Adept Billis, and Wind Adept Deserra. Mary and the bloodkin she led would be stationed here.

  In the Goblin Plane, Medusa Dana would be the majordomo, aided by Goblin Tigule.

  In Lance, Brain Monster Gazlowe would be the majordomo, aided by Dragonborn Zacha.

  First Grade adepts would manage most of the daily tasks in these places. Meanwhile, no specific duties had been assigned to the Second Grades of the clan. They only needed to train and improve their power constantly. This way, the group would be able to call upon them when the clan needed their strength.

  For the first time, the Fate Witches were involved in the management of apprentices within the clan, along with its daily matters, as new members of the clan. Moreover, Alice had specially sent word that a batch of witch apprentices would be sent over to undertake trials here once the new tower had started operating properly.

  From the day the new tower was completed, the joining of the Crimson Clan and the Fate Witches had officially begun!

  "Teacher, the new adept's tower has been constructed, but we can't just keep going on without a name for it, can we? What do you think we should name it?" As the majordomo of the new tower, Meryl was naturally the most concerned over this matter.