Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  It was the bountiful reward that her legendary teacher, the Crimson Clan leader, had bestowed upon her for her years of service!

  Of course, Greem also took this opportunity to gather the bloodline modification data he wanted successfully.

  …………

  World of Adepts, White Tower.

  The light from the teleportation started to fade slowly. Meryl opened her eyes with a bright smile on her face.

  The benefits brought to her by bloodline modification were simply too many. Even the dizziness from teleportation was much shorter now.

  Meryl had intentionally picked the public teleportation array at he plaza outside White Tower as her destination this time.

  Thus, as she casually walked out, the clan adept stationed at the edge of the array hurriedly and confusedly bowed in greeting. The adepts and apprentices walking by the teleportation plaza also stopped in their tracks in dumbfoundedness. They made way for her and respectfully gave their greetings.

  It had already been half a year since they had last heard of Adept Meryl.

  White Tower claimed that Adept Meryl was conducting a major magical experiment and, thus, was temporarily not receiving any outsiders. Witch Snowlotus from the Fate Witches had also replaced her in authority.

  The adepts and apprentices living at White Tower felt this small change most profoundly and most sensitively. However, the higher-ups of the Crimson Clan remained silent throughout. As such, no adept dared to question the whereabouts of Meryl.

  The apprentices might not be too shocked at suddenly seeing Adept Meryl once again, but the clan adepts were all stunned in befuddlement. They could hardly believe their own eyes or spiritual senses.

  The elementium aura and mental flux of every adept were unique and possessed their own frequency and wavelength.

  However, the Adept Meryl before them, though the very same person, had undergone a complete change in elementium aura and mental flux. Moreover, after just six months, Adept Meryl’s figure had changed tremendously. She was now taller and had seemingly stronger muscles.

  Meryl used to only be one hundred and seventy centimeters in the past, but she was now nearly two entire meters!

  Her previously light blue eyes had also turned dark red, with the light of fire faintly glimmering at the fringes.

  Every time the adepts locked eyes with her, they would feel their eyeballs sting with pain as if they had been slightly burned. The adept apprentices didn’t even dare to stare directly at this once gentle female adept. Otherwise, their eyes would most surely water and hurt so much that they would not be able to open them.

  What moved everyone the most was that vague spiritual pressure that hung faintly around Meryl. It caused the heart of every person around her to beat erratically and uncontrollably.

  The apprentices were not experienced or well-versed. They had no idea what this effect was. However, the Crimson adepts had a very clear idea of what it was.

  Dragon’s aura of might!

  A weakened version of a dragon’s aura!

  Since when did Meryl possess spiritual pressure that could imitate a dragon’s aura? It was unthinkable!

  Meryl casually walked into White Tower amid the little storm she had personally started. She then took one of the flying discs and flew toward the higher levels of the tower.

  News of her return quickly spread through the tower. Of course, this included Snowlotus who was sitting on the hall of the seventh floor and Vanlier, who was standing by her side to help her.

  Snowlotus waved away the water mirror in front of her as a cold smile appeared on her white and pretty face.

  “Your old master’s flexing her power to me! It seems like her bloodline modification at her teacher’s place went very well.”

  Vanlier still had a fawning smile on his face, but he gave no quarter with his words.

  “I will only ever have one master– Lady Mary herself!”

  Snowlotus was stunned for a moment. She knew that she had made an indiscreet remark.

  Lady Mary was indeed one of the strongest individuals in the Crimson Clan. Apart from her own terrifying Third Grade power, she possessed a large group of Second Grade vampires under to her. Though Snowlotus and the Fate Witches were not under the governance of the Crimson Clan, she still had to maintain respect in words and attitude toward an influential individual like that.

  It was a rule of the adepts that all low-grade adepts must obey. Otherwise, a high-grade adept would have more than enough excuse to punish her and teach a lesson.

  Though Snowlotus was not interested in authority over White Tower, or even the internal matters of the Crimson Clan, she still couldn’t be composed at seeing the changes that had occurred to Meryl.

  The increase in strength of any party in the tight collaboration of the Crimson Clan and the Fate Witches would cause the barely maintained power balance to tilt in one’s favor.

  The simultaneous advancement of Greem and Mary to Third Grade had already significantly impacted the Fate Witches. If a few more powerhouses appeared within the lower level adepts of the Crimson Clan, it would become increasingly harder to maintain the balance between their two forces.

  As such, Icelady Snowlotus felt no joy upon seeing Meryl’s triumphant return. Instead, she felt a deep sense of defeat and danger deep in her heart.

  Compared to the Crimson adepts, the Fate Witches were improving far, far too slowly.

  Chapter 918 - Bloodline Modification Package

  Meryl had successfully returned with a massive increase to her power!

  News quickly spread throughout White Tower and its surroundings like an infectious plague.

  White Tower was now no longer the old, isolated adept’s tower. Its entire territory included White Tower, Doverand City, Moussent City, and three towns. Its area covered over three hundred kilometers and as many as twenty thousand subjects were living here.

  However, the number of these civilians was a little inflated. Nearly five thousand of them were goblins from the Goblin Plane.

  The fact that they could purchase a ticket to teleport from the Goblin Plane to the World of Adepts was a testament to the power or background of these goblins. They were either wealthy individuals, regional managers of some merchant group, or talented geniuses that had made tremendous contributions in the City of Machines to receive recommendations.

  Regardless of what their background was, their arrival had immensely furthered the livelihood and financial prosperity of White Tower and its surroundings.

  It indirectly allowed for more White Tower civilians to obtain income and a livelihood in the area.

  Unlike the civilians, who were more concerned with the stability of authority of White Tower, the adepts that lived in White Tower were more interested in the reason behind Meryl’s sudden increase in power.

  No one here was an idiot. The obvious signs of bloodline modification on Meryl could not be concealed from the eyes of the public.

  Rumors began to spread that the Crimson Clan had mastered a safe and comprehensive bloodline modification technique.

  Though Zhentarim maintained their high-suppression attitude toward the research of bloodlines, the study of all adepts privately involved some degree of bloodline research. Thus, the leaders of Zhentarim turned a blind eye to the situation. As long as no widespread bloodline mutation that affected worldly kingdoms arose, they couldn’t be bothered to investigate every rumor and punish those responsible.

  Moreover, adept clans and organizations with actual power also had their own unique bloodline modification research projects. Though adepts that had undergone bloodline modification or synthesis would lose a portion of their development potential, it was a decent means by which to increase the power of a clan rapidly.

  Those who had an excellent adept talent and the confidence to grow stronger slowly were a minority, after all. Most among the adepts were intermediate and low-grade adepts with ordinary talent and could only ever hope to remain at the level
of First and Second Grade.

  Even advancing to First Grade was already remarkably fortunate for them. A single step upward was dangerous and painful. Who among these people would care if their development potential was cut off if there was a shortcut that allowed them to successfully advance to Second Grade and extend their lives by a few more hundred years?

  Truthfully, Greem’s path of advancement had been too easy. It had caused him to gain a completely incorrect understanding of the difficulty of advancement for most adepts. He had no idea how attractive even an imperfect bloodline modification was to low-grade adepts who desired nothing but more power and more authority!

  For an adept that had been stuck at First Grade for two hundred years and had already reached the limit of their lifespan, any hope of advancement was something they would never be willing to give up on. They couldn’t care less about all the adverse effects, be they bloodline backlash or the exhaustion of their potential.

  It was evident from the first adept that Greem had known– Adept Anderson.

  For the sake of advancement and improvement, Anderson had resorted to using a blood sacrifice, which was a method with severe side-effects. It was a testament to how insane Anderson had gone for the sake of advancement!

  That was why an uproar started amongst the Crimson adepts when rumors of the clan possessing the technique and means to modify bloodlines spread. Those who believed they could not advance with their own abilities immediately gained new hope. They started to ask within the clan about content related to bloodline research.

  As the first subject, Meryl instantly became the center of attention.

  Her every move and action was noted and observed by interested parties. Through this, they hoped to deduce the degree to which the clan’s bloodline research had progressed.

  One had to say that Meryl’s bloodline modification was hugely successful!

  The potent fire dragon aura continued to nourish and strengthen her body and bloodline, allowing her attributes to keep increasing. Even though she had not been involved in any form of body refinement, Meryl had turned from a weak female adept to an individual with a body as strong as any other First Grade body-refining adept.

  Many professional body-refining adepts could not reach the level of her body in terms of Strength and Physique alone.

  That undoubtedly caused the body-refining adepts to be embarrassed and furious at themselves!

  After a long period of observation, the Crimson adepts finally confirmed that Meryl had assimilated a fire dragon’s bloodline. Moreover, judging from the amount of power she had obtained, the power of this fire dragon was not lower than Second Grade. That meant Meryl only required one or two decades of accumulation before she would have a chance of successfully advancing to Second Grade.

  It was the greatest stimulation to most adepts.

  Finally, as this trend started to spread throughout the clan, it reached the ears of Greem, who had isolated himself in his room.

  The bloodline modification that had such serious side-effects had such a vast market amongst low-grade adepts? In all honesty, Greem could barely believe his ears when he first heard this.

  The side-effects were severe, you know? Well, it seemed like they really didn’t mind!

  The difference in status between First Grade and Second Grade adepts was massive, much like the difference between heaven and earth. Not to mention that advancement also meant an extension of one’s lifespan. Most First Grade adepts would cast their only hope upon bloodline modification after all of their efforts had failed.

  However, even the simplest of bloodline modifications was not cheap. A bloodline modification that could increase an adept’s grade was shockingly expensive. Thus, low-grade adepts with empty wallets were more willing to obtain the investment of clan resources through signing contracts of servitude, all in order to complete their bloodline modification.

  The undercurrents surging through the clan moved Greem slightly. He started to contact Meryl and Gargamel frequently to discuss this matter.

  Meryl had no more concerns biting at her back now. She could comfortably sit on her position as the majordomo of White Tower while not neglecting the increase in her own power. Meanwhile, Gargamel, who was in the same position as her, could only glance at Greem with puppy eyes and sigh in frustration.

  Gargamel was over two hundred years old now. Both his body and his magic were showing obvious signs of weakening from age. If it weren’t for his service to Greem that allowed him to accumulate enough resources to host the lowest-level life extension ceremony for fifty years of lifespan, he would already be dead.

  Even so, Gargamel’s current power was only advanced First Grade. It was still immensely far away from the peak of First Grade. There was nearly no chance for him to advance to Second Grade before his lifespan was exhausted.

  That was why Gargamel’s desire for bloodline modification was stronger and more urgent compared to Meryl!

  Truthfully, Greem did not intend to conduct the bloodline modification operation he had used on Meryl on a widespread basis. After all, bloodline modification required the bloodline origin of a powerful creature and a carefully raised Sourcestealer. Both of these were scarce resources, and the cost required for them was terrifyingly high.

  If it weren’t for the sake of gathering some necessary data for his own bloodline modification, Greem would not have been so extravagant in his projects.

  However, the reaction within the clan indirectly reminded him that it was possible to attempt some more efficient, low-cost bloodline research with the help of the Chip. At any rate, those low-grade adepts were only pursuing an advancement to the next grade and a few hundred more years to live. Greem had no need to waste something as precious as a Third Grade dragon on them.

  It was better to find a Second Grade magical creature that was easy to raise, and that could reproduce very quickly.

  Whether those adepts would be able to obtain powerful auxiliary abilities through such a bloodline modification was not within Greem’s realm of consideration!

  Either way, the cost of the operation would have to be cut down as much as possible. The cheaper it was, and the easier it was to raise the magical creatures, the better.

  However, it was only reasonable to improve the bloodline quality of individuals such as Gargamel, who had made tremendous contributions to the clan.

  With this in mind, Greem split the bloodline modifications into three different tiers– low, intermediate, and advanced. He then had the Chip conduct a filter and search for bloodline origins, as well as propose a plausible method of modification. Meanwhile, Greem instructed Gargamel and Meryl to come up with changes to the clan adept contribution system to allow adepts within the clan to exchange their contribution points for a bloodline modification service.

  The Crimson Clan had established a comprehensive contribution point system over the past hundred years. They had invested plenty of precious resources into this system: elementium golems, metal golems, magic essence, diluted life stock solution, and many other goblin alchemical products.

  The adepts of the Crimson Clan could obtain magical crystals and contribution points by accepting clan missions, then exchange for valuable resources within the clan at a lower cost than the market rate. There were even many wandering adepts who were willing to join the Crimson Clan to obtain elementium golems and metal golems in order to resell them and make a profit off of that.

  After all, the golems of the Crimson Clan were fairly well known in Zhentarim!

  Now, with the appearance of the bloodline modification package, a tsunami-like uproar immediately blew up within the clan. The value of the clan contributions points quickly skyrocketed as the adepts fought over them.

  After all, the contribution points of the clan could be traded!

  Many true veterans of the clan reserved the top-class package the moment the modification project came online. That included senior members such as Snorlax, Tigule, and Gargamel.

/>   In particular, Gargamel and Snorlax were facing a harsh predicament. They didn’t have much of their lifespan left!

  It would have been alright if they had never tasted power in the past. They could lie down in the mud, shut their eyes, and their lives would be over. However, the two of them had already deeply indulged in power and authority. It was only now that they realized the value and preciousness of life.

  That was why they had to choose the best bloodline package for themselves, even at the cost of everything else.

  Thus, some things that had still been brewing in Greem’s mind and was far from fruition had already become the most sought-after resource within the clan!

  Chapter 919 - Adept Expedition

  The introduction of the bloodline package instantly created a massive uproar within the Crimson Clan.

  The package was split into three tiers– low, intermediate, and advanced.

  Low-tier bloodline packages would only assimilate the bloodline of monsters and magical creatures, allowing the modified adept to possess some degree of unusual magic. Moreover, only intermediate and advanced tier packages could improve an adept’s power and let those who had reached a dead-end a chance to reach for the next grade.

  The price of these packages matched their value– so despairingly high!

  Even the lowest tier of bloodline packages required a minimum of twenty thousand contribution points, while the most sought-after intermediate-tier packages required fifty thousand contribution points.

  However, on the clan’s mission list, the contribution points obtained by a First Grade adept through being stationed at an outpost or resource site only clocked in at three hundred points a year. The daily clan activities such as patrolling, hunting, potion brewing, or crafting only usually awarded a hundred points or so.

  As such, the only way for most clan adepts to accumulate sufficient contribution points before the end of their lives was probably war.