Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  "Blanco, do you want to die?" Ponta scolded unhappily, "Lord Billis might have exterminated the lord-level magical creatures here, but there are still many adept-level magical creatures left. Do you think that our group can survive an encounter against such enemies?"

  "Boss, our luck isn't that bad, is it?" Blanco was a slick youth with a quick mouth on him. He wore leather armor, and two blue stripes ran down beneath the burning iron fist clan-emblem on his chest. That meant he had mastered two transformation forms, leaving only the windhawk form.

  "Who knows if it's bad. Still, if we actually run into an enemy, I'll be the first to stuff you into the magical creature's mouth." Ponta threatened wickedly, but anyone could hear the bantering tone behind his words.

  "Why don't…we find a place to rest first!" Female apprentice Eco gently suggested, "We have been walking in the Black Forest for half a day. It's about time we find a place to rest and gather ourselves."

  Eco and Ponta's relationship had been warming up quickly over the past couple of months. Naturally, Ponta wouldn't ignore the words of the person he liked.

  "Little Locke, hurry up and find a safe and clean place nearby."

  "Understood!"

  The little goblin that had been silently walking in the center of the group immediately took out his eyeball combat machine upon receiving his instructions. He tossed it into the air.

  A metal ball the size of a human head levitated in mid-air, just like that.

  Creak!

  As the dull mechanical gears started to grind, the mysterious patterns on the surface of the machine lit up. A mechanical shutter opened, revealing a single dark-red mechanical eyeball.

  The mechanical eyeball could freely turn and look about, just like a human eye. Moreover, when the ruby shard in the center of the eye started charging energy, it could unleash a powerful scalding ray. That counted as a decent offense as well.

  The little goblin then took out a metal hat of odd design and put it on his head. The top of the cap was fitted with a thought-wave amplifier, allowing him to control the eyeball machine remotely, even if it was several kilometers away. The front of the metal hat was also fitted with a futuristic-looking eyepiece on one side. It allowed everything that the eyeball combat machine 'saw' to be projected to the eyepiece, giving the little goblin a complete grasp of the combat situation around the device.

  Once he had prepared everything, Little Locke gave the order and the machine dove into the nearby woods. It swiftly and agilely wrapped past the dense leaves and thick branches, dodging past the winding vines, and rapidly vanished into the depths of the Black Forest.

  Little Locke held his breath and used all his concentration to control the machine as it quickly traveled through the Black Forest as it rapidly scanned the forest beneath itself.

  Soon, Little Locke let out a breath.

  "Found it…that direction, one and a half kilometers away. There's a somewhat hidden mountain ridge there. There's a water source nearby, and it is quite suited for a camp."

  Ponta nodded in satisfaction.

  This little goblin might not be much in combat, but his pouches were stuffed full of odd magical machinery. Each of them had their own unique ability. In conclusion, he was a decent adventuring companion!

  "Let's go, go, go. We can rest there for an hour before continuing. We must arrive at the clan's Campsite Three before it turns dark." The members of the party couldn't help but let out a soft hurrah at Ponta's orders.

  Their steps immediately became faster and livelier, much like their current mood.

  The so-called clan campsites were just campsites that had been modified out of the dens of the lord-level magical creatures that Lord Billis had exterminated. All apprentice parties adventuring in the Black Forest could head to the nearest clan campsite to seek temporary shelter if they couldn't find a safer and more suitable rest area.

  There were defensive arrays and clean rest sites that the adepts had set up there. It was much better than camping out in the wild and nibbling away at their stale bread rations. Still, the most satisfying part about the campsites was their safety.

  They could light campfires as they liked in the campsites, which allowed them to cook delicious food. Moreover, they also had clean and tidy beds to sleep. What else could they possibly ask for in the Black Forest!

  …………

  The depths of the Black Forest.

  The black-robed Billis stood alone in the cold winds on top of a short cliff, allowing the corners of his robe to billow in the winds.

  When the members of Shadow's Light slowly approached Campsite Three, Billis turned about. His four ghostly green eyes fixated upon a particular spot in the vast forest.

  At this moment, his eye bugs were spread across the Black Forest in a fifty-kilometer radius.

  The apprentice adepts that had entered the Black Forest appeared to be on their own, but everything they were doing was under the strict supervision of Bug Adept Billis.

  The clan had not sent Billis here just to exterminate those foolish magical creature lords, but to 'protect' this new blood of the clan in secret.

  Billis would not participate in the usual training and exploration of the apprentice parties. Even when parties ran into danger, Billis would not need to act, as long as the risk was still within an acceptable range.

  After all, the only way that the apprentices could gain the nutrition they needed for growth was by treading the line between life and death!

  Still, if the parties were to encounter powerful magical creatures that they had no hope of defeating, Billis would secretly act and turn the danger into safety through discreet methods.

  Of course, the clan would never let such a thing be known to the apprentices.

  Bug Adept Billis' mission wasn't just a burdensome one, but one that demanded plenty of attention and finesse as well. If it weren't for his ubiquitous eye bugs and his terrifying number of insects, an ordinary adept would have plenty of trouble undertaking a protection mission like this one! He was basically an undercover babysitter!

  Of course, apart from protecting the apprentices, Billis' responsibilities included the expulsion of those ferocious magical creatures.

  Right now, the incidental discovery of an eye bug allowed Billis to find the tracks of a humanoid magical scorpion. This magical creature that possessed many insectoid traits was the kind that most interested Billis. Billis could always extract plenty of evolution genes beneficial to his improvement from them.

  Billis' green compound eyes flashed as a series of chittering sounds rang out from the dark forest below him. As the leaves of the massive ancient trees rustled, several semi-translucent magical mantises quickly vanished into the forest.

  Chapter 751 Early Morning Routine

  Fire Throne Tower.

  Greem slowly awoke from his deep sleep.

  The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to have the Chip scan his body and confirm his mental state.

  [Beep. Host's Spirit is at 26.3892 points.]

  Greem frowned slightly. He once again felt the mysteriousness and power of magic.

  The Chip's scan was extremely accurate, so much so that it had included four digits past the decimal point. Greem had spent four hours in deep meditation last night as well. However, the value of his Spirit seemed to have been completely locked down by a mysterious force. His daily meditation could not cause it to grow by even a trace.

  Greem also had the Chip do a more comprehensive and in-depth scan on his brain. Sadly, it still couldn't manage to find the key to the magical contract's binding of his Spirit improvement.

  After all, the domain that the Chip had mastery over was only the material world of actual substance. Strange magic such as the magical contract required Greem to personally experience and learn to be able to understand their workings.

  In all honesty, Greem had even initially suspected that the magical contract's seal was caused by mental hypnosis. He had put himself in a suggestive stat
e and had the Chip reverse-hypnotise him.

  Unfortunately, that had failed as well!

  After a period of research, Greem was finally confident that the magical contract was being enforced on his mental consciousness through the mysterious planar laws. As such a power was beyond his current abilities, the seal of the contract was not something that he could analyze and decipher alone.

  Research the planar laws? He could discuss it once his Spirit was high enough to analyze the laws of the material plane's functions!

  It was a hard limit.

  One wasn't qualified to even touch the planar laws before they reached this level. And if he couldn't even touch the planar laws, how was he supposed to research it?!

  Fortunately, with the aid of the Chip, Greem didn't come out empty-handed from this uninvited disaster. At the very least, Greem had unexpectedly gained a vague understanding of the way the planar laws worked through his resistance against the magical contract.

  It couldn't be helped. After all, the planar laws were affecting him personally this time!

  Greem frowned as he pondered and slowly got up from the bed.

  The first thing to do after waking up was naturally to clean up and freshen up.

  However, Greem's natural disposition toward water elementium and natural water had turned into one of disgust ever since he had advanced to become a Second Grade fire adept. Under ordinary circumstances, Greem very rarely showered any more. The only water he would come into contact with was the water he drank to sustain his human body.

  Greem's room was large. Very large.

  Apart from the sizeable, luxurious bed in the dead center of the room, the most eye-catching furniture was the grand and ornate magic mirror in the corner.

  At this moment, Greem stood proudly in front of the magic mirror.

  The multiple blood elf servants who had been waiting there for a long time rushed forward and surrounded him. They started to get to work diligently. Unfastening his soft sleeping robe, taking off his light spider-silk undergarments, brushing his waist-long crimson hair…

  Greem was naked once all the clothes had been taken off.

  The muscles on his body had perfect lines and were very well-defined, and not a single trace of fat could be seen on his body. The ratio of his limbs could only be described as perfect and coordinated. One could even see the pure fire-energy coursing through his body like lava, due to the translucent skin of his dark-red body.

  When paired with his long crimson hair and his intimidating and blazing bright black eyes, Greem's entire being radiated an aura of mystery and wickedness!

  The blood elf servants around him couldn't help but betray thirst and lust in their eyes as their gazes lingered on every single muscle and curve on Greem's perfect body. The masculine aura of their master intoxicated them, just as the overwhelming blood energy in his body drove them mad.

  Greem ripped his fists as a bright red flame emerged from the pores of his skin, instantly turning him into a ferocious and towering humanoid of flames. A short moment later, all the stuff attached to his body, such as dust and dead skin, had vanished without a trace!

  With Greem's current pyromancy skills, the blood elf servants wouldn't be hurt in the slightest, even if they were right next to him. These blood elf servants seemed to have gotten used to this sight. They stepped forward the moment the flames vanished and helped Greem into a brand-new spider-silk undergarment before draping his body in the large red adept's robe that represented the pride of a fire adept.

  Greem merely closed his eyes throughout the entire process. He had been changed without even needed to lift a single finger. As for the little bit of body contact and few touches that these seductresses squeezed in during the process of changing? It couldn't be helped.

  They giggled as they surrounded Greem, their seductive looks revealed for all to see. Their slender fingers regularly brushed across Greem's explosive muscles as they helped him change.

  The giggling didn't cease, and the teasing shoves they gave each other made them all the more enchanting.

  If it weren't for there being so many of them, and Greem's commanding aura keeping them in line, some of the blood elves would probably have thrown themselves into his embrace.

  They had a very clear understanding of the situation after all.

  Since their mistress had been willing to place them at the side of her beloved male adept, her meaning was fairly clear.

  Either way, they would be willing to endure some slight punishment from their mistress Mary if it meant being able to seduce this handsome young male adept into spending one night with them. After all, his muscular body and boiling blood energy were all steps that led toward the evolution that they dreamt about!

  In the past, Greem might not have been able to restrain himself before so many beauties, even with his self-discipline.

  However, with the increase in his power and spiritual will, such superficial seduction could no longer move his well-hidden 'human heart.' There was nothing wrong with intercourse as a means to soothe the body and mind either, though excessive indulgence in such activities was a taboo for those with ambition.

  After probingly teasing for a bit, and still faced with Greem's cold expression, the blood elves had no choice but to step back regretfully.

  A moment later, Greem was calmly eating breakfast in the spacious living room.

  The warm sunlight fell into the room through the narrow yet large window and illuminated Greem. He started to enjoy the medium-rare underground fire dragon ribs slowly. Meanwhile, a First Grade blood elf mage stood by his side. She bowed as she used her pretty voice to give him a report on the clan's recent budget and financial situation, along with the various bits of information that the two adept's towers had gathered.

  Fire Throne was deep underground. Naturally, there couldn't possibly be any sort of warm sunlight. Everything that Greem was currently enjoying was being simulated by the tower using elementium energy.

  The adepts had always been willing to spend on facilitating an excellent state of mind!

  The roast meat on Greem's plate was two kilograms in total. It had been roasted with much care and effort. It was fragrant and golden on the outside, while on the inside, it was soft and tender. A delicious sauce had also been poured over the meat. Greem put on his napkin, sliced a small piece with the silverware, and put it in his mouth. The complex, compound flavor of the gourmet ribs exploded in his mouth.

  The flavor carried the delicacy of the meat itself, enhanced by the taste of the sauce. However, what enchanted Greem the most was the dense fire elementium aura that lingered between his lips.

  One had to mention that a single bite of underground fire dragon ribs that had been cooked in this manner was equal to six minutes of meditation. Moreover, this way of replenishing fire elementium energy had no side-effects or issues with over-consumption. It was the one single way in which all adepts liked to restore their elementium energy!

  However, excellent underground fire dragon specimens hid deep in magma volcanoes. Finding and successfully hunting them was not an easy task. If it weren't for Greem having discovered one or two underground fire dragon packs in the magma tunnel beneath Fire Throne, even he wouldn't dare to be so extravagant as to enjoy such an expensive meal on such a frequent basis. They easily cost over a hundred magical crystals per meal, after all.

  Of course, it wasn't as if there weren't better delicacies in this world!

  At the very least, there was a replacement ingredient that was far superior to the underground fire dragon within the areas that Greem could reach.

  That was…actual fire dragon meat!

  Underground fire dragons were only hybrid dragons, after all. They were merely a branch of the many mixed-blood descendants of the dragon. Of course, the quality of its meat was several times lower when compared to an actual fire dragon.

  Greem hadn't gotten to taste the Second Grade fire dragon from last time. Apart from some materials on the side,
everything else had been devoured by Oliven.

  In all honesty, it was weird. The Second Grade fire dragon was as big as a hill, while Oliven was a petite lady. Greem could hardly even imagine how she had managed to devour an entire Second Grade fire dragon.

  Though Greem had wanted to witness it for himself, Oliven had chased all of them out under the excuse of personal privacy. Moreover, the Firethroat Dragonborn had attacked at that time. Everyone had been busy with the fighting and had thus forgotten about this matter.

  Second Grade fire dragons were difficult to deal with and hard to find as well. However, Lance had plenty of First Grade fire dragons.

  Over the past few days, Greem had set several tasks for Brain Monster Gazlowe. He had him find out the number of First Grade fire dragons in Lance, as well as their homes. Once this information was obtained, all of Greem's future fire dragon meals would be secured with the help of the Crimson Clan's dragonslaying squad!

  Greem scarfed down the food in front of him as he silently listened to the report.

  He didn't respond to most of the information and data, simply having the Chip store it instead. It was only when he heard something that interested him that he would stop eating and have the beautiful blood elf mage explain in more detail.

  And today, Greem ran into a topic that interested him very much!

  Chapter 752 The Truths of The World

  The World of Adepts appeared to be engaged in a war against another powerful plane!

  The source of this information was absolutely reliable.

  That was because it came from the leader of the Fate Witches– Alice.

  Supposedly, Greem should never have had the chance to come into contact with information and power of this level, given his current qualifications and background. If Alice hadn't unreservedly given him this information that the Fate Witches had obtained, Greem wouldn't possibly have known about these 'fights between gods,' even if the outside world had collapsed around him.

  Moreover, the information from Alice also showed that the opponents of the World of Adepts this time appeared to be a tiny branch of the World of Gods– the Orc Pantheon.