Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  Snowlotus had already run over, placing Alice in her embrace as she fed her bottle after bottle of life potions.

  Meanwhile, the little fairy anxiously circled in the air.

  Though Mary had only moved for three short seconds, she had used her hypersensitive state, causing her Spirit condition to be in an even worse state than Alice. If it weren’t for her blood subordinates quickly feeding her their own blood, she would probably have fallen unconscious on the spot.

  Chapter 938 - Great Dragon Lord

  Though there were some hiccups in the process, the result was a satisfactory one.

  Snowlotus brought Alice back to the Tower of Fate for rest and recovery after her rescue. Meanwhile, Mary had also recovered after enjoying her feast of blood. Even Arms and Iritina, who did most of the work earlier, were healing rapidly after a series of emergency treatments.

  Even though the combined might of everyone present was several times that of a desperate Third Grade dragon, it was still a tense and concerning situation.

  However, after this battle, everyone’s attitude was significantly different from before.

  Back when Greem was still a Second Grade fire adept, the two Third Grade dragons and the Second Grade Oliven had only maintained a facade of obedience toward him. They did not give their all when working on the tasks delegated to them. The main reason for that being Greem’s lack of power to command these powerful beings from other worlds.

  Now that he had successfully become a Third Grade fire adept assisted by a Third Grade female vampire and an elementium magical machine, things were different. More importantly, he had under his command a magical golem dragon that could fight a Fourth Grade dragon to a ‘standstill.’

  Under such practical considerations, the wavering loyalties of these individuals were finally consolidated. They started to consider obeying Greem’s orders.

  In the end, the only reason Greem had managed to win the loyalty of these powerful individuals was because of his power!

  Irrefutable power!

  “Oliven, you saw that shadow dragon earlier. How about it? Isn’t it more suitable for you than the water dragon?” Greem turned his head and asked the female assassin.

  The mental flux Oliven was radiating started to tremble when she heard Greem’s question.

  “Are…you sure that you want to give me this completely untouched shadow dragon? I…I guarantee you that I will successfully advance to Third Grade and even obtain some powerful shadow-related abilities!”

  “Then, he is yours!” Greem had always been generous when it came to his subordinates.

  Arms and Iritina, who had turned into their human forms and were receiving treatment form the Crimson adepts, both glanced at Oliven in disgust. At this moment, they finally understood the true identity of this assassin dressed in black.

  Their racial instincts caused them to hate and resent Oliven’s very existence from the depths of their soul. If it wasn’t out of fear and consideration of Greem, they would probably have reverted to their dragon forms and blasted this dragon devourer with their destructive breaths.

  However, even the two dragons couldn’t help but be moved when they saw Greem’s generosity in rewarding Oliven.

  “Greem,” Arms hesitated for a moment, before stuttering as he said, “This time…we…seemed to have caught quite a few…dragons ourselves.”

  Arms actually blushed when he said the words we, something he had rarely ever done.

  It couldn’t be helped. Arms and Iritina had never been too concerned with the significant battles in Lance and had barely contributed to the fights. If Arms and Iritina had given their all during the battle at the Northern Wastelands, not a single one of the five attacking Third Grade dragons would have escaped alive.

  That was why Arms felt particularly guilty when ‘negotiating’ with Greem.

  The beautiful emerald dragon Iritina hastily shoved her companion aside and stood forward when she saw his pathetic behavior.

  “Lord Greem, we wish to ask for a small group of dragons to bolster our ranks. What do you think?”

  Greem narrowed his eyes and smiled casually.

  “I seem to recall that you already have eight green dragons under you!”

  Iritina spoke dejectedly, “They are only green dragons. Their power and bloodline can never compare to pure-blood dragons. Such weak green dragons are often severely discriminated against in Lance!”

  Greem smiled. It seemed like bloodline was a very important matter, even amongst the dragons.

  Just as Iritina believed that there was no hope for negotiations and betrayed an expression of sadness, Greem suddenly spoke.

  “Iritina, if you two suddenly gained a flight of pureblood dragons as your subordinates, you should be able to become great dragon lords, am I right? Especially with the talent you two possess!”

  The two dragons trembled, and Arms hurried forward to explain.

  “Greem, don’t overthink our intentions! The reason we are asking for those smaller dragons isn’t to establish our own force, but…but because we cannot bear to see them slaughtered while they are at such a young age.”

  Iritina’s face had also turned pale white.

  “No, no, no,” Greem smiled as he explained, “I think the two of you misunderstood my aims! I’m not worried about you having malicious intentions. I genuinely wish to raise you to the pedestal of a great dragon lord!”

  The two dragons were stunned, and they looked at Greem with expressions of disbelief.

  Iritina’s breathing became heavy, and her face started to turn red with excitement.

  “You…you want to…help us become…great dragon lords?” Arms asked in surprise.

  “With your talents and abilities, being stuck here in the World of Adepts will not allow you to unleash your real power. Thus, if the two of you are willing, you are free to recruit subordinates amongst the First and Second Grade dragons caught during this expedition. Any dragon that is willing to submit to you and sign a contract of loyalty may return to Lance with you.”

  “I believe, with the original eight dragons and a new batch of pureblood dragon subordinates, the two of you will be entirely qualified to claim the title of great dragon lords amongst the Third Grade dragons, thereby becoming rulers in one region of Lance.”

  Both of the dragons held their breaths as they repeated the fresh and boiling phrase of ‘great dragon lord’ with their hearts, over and over. The excitement and confusion in their hearts blended, making it increasingly harder to distinguish between the two emotions.

  The Crimson Clan had captured over three dozen dragons this time. They couldn’t make any promises with the more established and developed Second Grade dragons. However, those small First Grade dragons were all fledglings that had just come of age and that had never experienced any danger. They only need to scare them a little before consoling them, and it was very likely to win them to their side.

  They probably only needed to walk around them in a circle in their dragon forms, and it would be enough to terrify most of those cowardly dragons into submission.

  Arms and Iritina’s hearts were burning so fervently at the thought of the admiration and obedience of so many dragons that they could probably cook an egg already.

  “Is this…real?” Arms could barely believe his ears.

  He then immediately started hissing in pain as Iritina pinched him on the waist.

  “It seems like it’s real!” Iritina finally nodded assuredly.

  “I will not only allow you to take away some of the dragons but also…once you claim a territory within Lance for yourselves, you may form an alliance with the Capital of Eternity and our Crimson Clan. You can also spread the news that any dragon lord that submits to us will no longer be victims of the Crimson Clan’s attacks!”

  The eyes of the dragons lit up, and they couldn’t help but lower their heads and think about Greem’s suggestion.

  There were over ten thousand dragons in Lance.

>   They were scattered across every corner of the plane. Apart from a small group that sought shelter beneath the massive wings of a mighty high-grade dragon, most of them were free dragons, unbound and unfettered by any obligations.

  Even those Fourth Grade dragon leaders commanded no more than one to two hundred direct subordinate dragons.

  Being able to gather a dozen dragons around him would already be a massive accomplishment for a Third Grade dragon such as Arms. If…if everything Greem promised him was real, then Arms could already foresee himself properly establishing his claim as a great dragon lord.

  A Third Grade great dragon lord whose authority and influence exceeded that of a Fourth Grade dragon.

  Arms licked his lips over and over, moved by no more than an immaterial phrase.

  “Don’t worry, leave Lance to me! I promise to raise a massive dragon army for you. If those little bastards don’t listen to me, then I’ll bring dragons along with me and beat them up.” Arms patted his chest and made a bold declaration.

  Greem’s lips moved slightly, as if he was communicating with someone far away with magic. A short moment later, he turned to Arms and said, “You may go now. I have already spoken with Meryl. You two can go and make those dragons submit now!”

  Arms and Iritina could not be bothered with continuing their treatment. They were almost fighting to charge out of the magical hall.

  Mary sauntered over to Greem’s side as she watched the two dragons hurry into the distance. She asked curiously, “Why are you being so kind to these two dragons? Be careful they don’t bite back once they’ve grown!”

  “Lance isn’t stable at all,” Greem sighed in lamentation, “If the brain monster is allowed to continue growing, then I’m concerned he may backstab us at a crucial moment in the future. As such, making enemies for the Capital of Eternity and giving them a rival is the best way to suppress their ambitions!”

  Greem couldn’t help but be worried about this issue.

  The Crimson Clan’s foundations were still too weak. Even now, they had only conquered two lesser planes.

  The Goblin Plane provided the Crimson Clan with a large number of metal ore reserves and goblins that acted as technicians. It was considered a low-level plane lacking in resources. Meanwhile, Lance was the only resource plane in the Crimson Clan’s grasp. Apart from basic ore materials and flora and fauna resources, their most attractive product was the dragon resources.

  One could even claim that the dragon resources of Lance were what had sustained the Crimson Clan’s rapid development today. If this resource site was cut off, the Crimson Clan would immediately run into an awkward situation where they ran out of momentum.

  As the clan leader, Greem had no choice but to think ahead and start planning for the future of the clan.

  A single tree could not make a forest!

  The Crimson Clan still possessed far too few planes.

  At the very least, the two lesser planes they currently had were not sufficient to sustain the grand ambitions and magnificent dreams that Greem held in his heart.

  Perhaps it was time for another round of expansion for the Crimson Clan!

  Chapter 939 - Black Wing Association

  In the end, as many as seventeen dragons chose to submit and follow after Arms.

  There were two Second Grade dragons and fifteen First Grade dragons.

  These dragons had lost a war and were abducted to the World of Adepts by the Adepts; they had already prepared themselves for death. The psychological impact of a dragon suddenly appearing and telling them they could return to Lance was immense.

  It wasn’t just the inexperienced young dragons. Even the four Second Grade dragons couldn’t help but be moved at the offer and struggled immensely with their decision.

  The first few dragons to surrender all followed behind Arms dejectedly after signing a contract and being released. It was apparent that their spirits had been completely broken. However, after Arms leaned by their ears and whispered, they immediately became much more excited and started to burn with will and determination once again.

  A few of the captive dragons that were closer could clearly hear their conversation. The damned evil thunder dragon was actually encouraging the young dragons to immediately head to the lairs of the captured or dead dragons upon returning to Lance. They would most definitely make an unbelievable profit as long as they acted fast enough.

  The other captive dragons immediately started roaring and creating a commotion.

  The very thought of them being torn up for their tendons, skinned for their hides, cut up for their bones, and sliced for their scales; every single part of them turned into materials for the adepts’ rituals and experiments. That very thought caused the dragons to mourn in tragedy.

  The other dragons hesitated even more when they saw the first few dragons released from captivity and eager to return to Lance. A few initially stubborn dragons became resentful at the thought of their hoard being taken by these cowardly bastards after their tragic death in another plane!

  After thinking the offer over, they finally surrendered, reluctantly.

  …………

  Lance, the Capital of Eternity.

  The spatial flux radiating from the teleportation tower had yet to settle down before several muscular and massive dragons flew out of the teleportation hall. These giant creatures started to circle in the sky.

  The steel capital that had still been calm and orderly the previous moment immediately broke out into chaos the very next. All the planar natives that sought shelter in the Capital of Eternity hid within the buildings of steel as they looked at the dragons with looks of terror.

  The massive tower of the Capital of Eternity immediately shut all exits and entrances. Black gun barrels reached out and started to charge energy as fast as they could.

  Just as a battle was about to break out, a Third Grade thunder dragon with bright blue scales and a jade-green emerald dragon appeared in the skies.

  “Lord Gazlowe, please do not open fire! These are all my subordinates. They can be considered a vassal dragon army of the Crimson Clan now.”

  An entrance in the center of the tower opened up, and the three-meter tall Gru walked out onto a wide platform under the protection of a group of magical machine warriors. He lifted his head, looked at the dragons flying in the air, and roared with his squid-like brain.

  “Arms, what are you playing at? What dragon army are you speaking of? Why have I never heard of this?”

  “Gru, you have no authority to question this matter. Go tell your main brain that from now on, I, Arms, am one of the most powerful great dragon lords of Lance. Have your magical machine warriors observe. Do not disturb or harass any of my subordinates. From now on, any dragon that wears the Crimson Clan emblem is one of ours. None of your subordinates or you are allowed to take a single step into their territory!”

  Having finished roaring, Arms beat his blue wings, leading the dragons into the sky and flying toward their temporary territory in the southwest.

  The furious and angry Gru was left on the spot alone.

  Once the dragonflight had left, Gru cursed and returned to the tower of steel. He got onto a floating metal disc and quickly arrived at the metal hall where his Third Grade main brain resided.

  Though the Third Grade brain monster was hidden in this well-guarded metal hall, he had a perfect grasp of everything happening in the Capital of Eternity. As such, Gru was immediately reprimanded upon stepping inside.

  “You had best treat Arms with a more friendly attitude in the future. Can’t you tell? They have already grown their wings. He is willingly becoming a nail of that male adept, hammered into our plane of Lance.”

  “Hmph! There’s no way we could win such a spineless dragon to our side. Why don’t we find a suitable opportunity and secretly kill him!” Gru was still roaring resentfully.

  “Killing a Third Grade thunder dragon?” The massive, hill-sized brain floating in the giant glass vat wa
s clearly a bit bigger than before, “Unless you can get the Third Grade thunder dragon into this tower where I can personally suppress his Spirit, while you lead the magical machine warriors to snap off all his fangs and claws, it will be difficult. With our current reserve of military power, defeating him is easy, but killing him is near impossible.”

  “Why…why?” Gru was still howling, “Why can that male adept start a war against the dragonflight? Why can he fend off a Fourth Grade dragon, while we can only hide within this city of steel and extend our influence to the dragon territories around us at a snail’s pace? What do we lack compared to him?”

  Gazlowe fell silent.

  After a long pause, he finally spoke once again, his tone heavy and dull.

  “It doesn’t matter how many magical machine warriors we build, for there are only a group of warriors! What we lack is a general that can hold his own and a mighty fighter that can dominate the battlefield. Without a general and a powerful fighter, we can only remain on the defense, with no means of going on the offensive. That is, perhaps, our most significant flaw!”

  Gru also fell silent.

  He, who had stepped on the battlefield multiple times, knew the situation very well. Though he had participated in most of the planar wars in Lance, he had always been hiding within the army, heavily protected by a large group of magical machines and Crimson adepts. In the end, he was, at best, an auxiliary force.

  His auxiliary powers were not sufficient to deal with a high-grade battlefield if the army was lacking in sturdy meat shields and fire cannons like Greem, the elementium magical machine, and the magical golem dragon.

  As such, the Capital of Eternity could only start skirmishes when divorced from the power of the high-grade Crimson adepts, making some small profit off of the First and Second Grade dragons. Gru had no other method of dealing with a Third Grade dragon apart from holding his position and waiting for reinforcements.

  “Big guy, maybe it is time for us to push forward with Project Titan!”

  “Project Titan? Hmph! Do we have the ultra-large magic generator furnace required to activate the Iron Titan? Throughout the entire Capital of Eternity, this ultra magic generator furnace that I am attached to is the only thing that can barely activate the Iron Titan. If the Titan were to fight at full-force, it would be able to suck me dry within minutes.”