Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  According to the research of the more curious busybodies, there were only three adepts among the many Third Grades who had a significant chance of advancing to Fourth Grade.

  Chapter 1019 - Clan Banquet

  Fire Throne.

  An exceptionally luxurious and massive celebratory banquet was being held in the lava hall.

  Hundreds of official adepts belonging to the Crimson Clan were gathered here, all cheer and smiles, toasting and celebrating as they awaited the arrival of the clan higher-ups.

  The first to arrive was naturally Goblin Sage Snorlax, who possessed the most resources and connections within the clan.

  Along with him came the commander of the Brutalblood Army, Drusilla La Salle.

  Upon arrival, they headed straight to a corner of the hall where they found the leader of the magical goblins, Dean Gonga, as well as Princess Vanessa. They quickly engaged in a lively conversation.

  If Second Grade Tigule were also here with them, all five leaders of the Crimson Clan’s goblin faction would be gathered in one place!

  Their discussion mostly revolved around the losses of the goblin faction in the war, how the various goblin merchant groups were to profit from the large-scale reconstruction of buildings in the clan’s territory after the war, and other responses to challenges and opportunities from the outside world.

  That said, privately, most of their attention was still fixed upon the potential rewards from the clan!

  Through their discreet methods, these goblin leaders already knew that Crimson Majordomo Adept Gargamel, the one who worked the hardest during the war, had already been rewarded by the clan leader.

  Bloodline recreation potion and bloodline purification potions of a serpentine adept!

  With these potions, Gargamel would have an eighty percent chance of successfully advancing to Second Grade and converting his bloodline talent into that of a noble serpentine bloodline, regardless of how terrible his innate talent was.

  It was no doubt a rebirth for Gargamel, whose lifespan had almost been exhausted already. It would extend his life by another one to two hundred years. The implications behind this caused the goblin leaders to become incredibly envious. Yet, such a reward was something they could only hope for but never actually obtain.

  After all, Gargamel had worked tirelessly for the Crimson Clan over the past few decades. His contribution was also evident for all to see, a ledger that could not be wiped out by any means. Meanwhile, the other figure of authority in the Crimson Clan, Adept Meryl, was the clan leader’s disciple, to begin with. She had also worked hard and remained ever loyal to her teacher. Thus, she had obtained the powerful bloodline of a fire dragon.

  Naturally, the reason the two of them had been forcefully promoted and strengthened by the clan leader in this manner had much to do with their identities, contributions, and loyalty. Regardless of how envious or jealous the other adepts were, they could only look on helplessly with no means of competing with them.

  In all honesty, it was also tough to construct a healthy, stable, and long-term system of operation around a core adept who could die at any time due to the exhaustion of their lifespan.

  Extending Gargamel and Meryl’s life would effectively bring stability to the core authority of the Crimson Clan.

  Increasing their grades and improving their power prevented the awkward situation of the core adepts only being First Grade while issuing orders to powerful Second and Third Grade fighters. As authority figures of the clan, Second Grade would suffice. If they were forcefully strengthened to Third Grade, it would be an enormous waste of combat power and resources.

  Of course, Greem had not thought so far into the future nor considered the issue so deeply when he decided to promote his subordinates. The hundreds of years of experience and his vision as a ruler allowed him to handle such matters with ease.

  Moreover, the Crimson Clan had been created with his own two hands. He represented uncontested authority within the clan. There was no need to think so intensely about every single one of his decisions. He could do anything he wished to do, and it would not end poorly.

  After all, what determined the might of a clan was its top-tier fighting force. The quantity and quality of low and intermediate-grade adepts were only the garnish on top.

  Even if Greem were to leave the Crimson Clan, he would still be a feared and respected Third Grade legendary fire adept wherever he went. If he wanted to establish a new clan or organization, he would only need to express that desire, and he would easily obtain support exceeding hundreds of years of accumulation for low-grade adepts.

  Meanwhile, if Greem were to leave the Crimson Clan, the clan’s power and status would fall in an instant. Even with two other Third Grades, the group would have trouble reaching its current scale and might.

  The effect of a powerful Third Grade adept was something that could not be matched by multiple adepts of the same grade!

  That was the main reason why Greem was revered with the title of ‘Legendary’ in Zhentarim.

  After spending some time envying Gargamel, the goblins couldn’t help but start reflecting on the currently hidden threats within the goblin faction.

  Much like Gargamel, and with the exception of Princess Vanessa who now possessed the body of a mechanical adept, these goblins all faced the same problem– their short lifespan as goblins.

  On average, the lifespan of a goblin was only half that of humans!

  Even though they had been living in luxury over the past few decades and devoured many rare adept resources, they could not change the limits of their lowly goblin bloodline on a fundamental level.

  Goblin Sage Snorlax was doing a bit better than the others. He now walked the path of adept advancement, and as a First Grade goblin adept, he had a lifespan of over a hundred years. In addition to that, all the magical rituals he had conducted had allowed him to maximize his lifespan. Still, even that had only barely given him one hundred and seventy years to live.

  After all these years of aging, he only had twenty years left.

  Twenty years. It might sound long, but it was a blink of the eye from the perspective of adepts.

  As such, Snorlax had been searching for resources or methods that could fundamentally change his lifespan limit over the past few years. The bloodline recreation potions that had appeared in the clan were undoubtedly the safest and most reliable means of doing so.

  Even though Snorlax prided himself as one of the ‘veterans’ of the Crimson Clan, the difference between him and Greem had only increased throughout the years as Greem continued to improve relentlessly. Snorlax now had great difficulty joining the decision-makers of the clan in their deliberations and meetings. Most of the time, it was incredibly difficult for him even to get an audience with Greem.

  The other goblin leaders were facing a similar situation as Snorlax.

  Commander of the goblin machinist-sorcerer composed Brutalblood Army, Drusilla La Salle, was now forty-eight years old. Converted into human years, he was an elderly man at the ripe age of a hundred years.

  Magical Goblin Leader Dean Gonga was seventy-three years old this year and had far exceeded the lifespan limit of an ordinary goblin. However, no one knew how much longer his magic-infused body would be able to support him.

  Goblin War God Tigule was forty-five years old now. He was almost the youngest among the goblin higher-ups. With his status and position, extending his life for another ten to twenty years would not be a significant problem. However, even if he were to use the best and most costly life extension ceremonies, he would not be able to live for more than another hundred years.

  Consequently, the extension of his life was also a major point of concern for him!

  While the goblin leaders whispered amongst themselves in a corner of the hall, commotion stirred at the entrance.

  The rising star of the Crimson Clan, core adept Meryl, had stepped into the hall surrounded by a group of adepts.

  Having experienced the nou
rishment of her new bloodline and the war over the past few years, Meryl had left her aura of gentle elegance in the past. She now appeared much more dignified and intimidating.

  The dragonskin armor she wore had been treated and tailored with meticulous care. It fit her youthful and fiery figure completely, showing the beauty of her curves and her perfect body. The ferocious and savage aura of the fire dragon’s bloodline had caused her form to become even more explosive and seductive.

  If it wasn’t because of how well they knew her, Snorlax and the other goblins might have even mistaken her for another person.

  When Meryl strode into the lava hall with her chest held high, the temperature within the room very noticeably increased by five degrees.

  It was important to note that this was an underground lava hall over two hundred meters below ground. A fearsome and roiling sea of lava lay right beneath the floorboards where they stood. As the Crimson clan leader was a legendary fire adept, the temperature in the hall was maintained around sixty to seventy degrees Celsius to match the attribute for which the clan was known.

  Ordinary humans could not survive here at all. Even weaker individuals like Snorlax and Gonga could only move about freely in this place with the use of Fire Resistance Pendants and Rings of Cooling.

  Though most of the other adepts didn’t enjoy such a warm environment smelling of sulfur, they were First Grade adepts; enduring such temperatures was still nothing for them.

  Obviously, Meryl’s bloodline was perfectly compatible with the environment here now that she had become a fire dragon adept. The compatibility of her aura had stimulated the fire elementium in the hall, causing it to become more lively and active.

  Snorlax and the others could see faint hints of sweat on the faces of the adepts around Meryl, despite the smiles on their faces. It was clear that they were having trouble enduring the fire energy that Meryl was radiating.

  It was impressive of them to not show any discomfort on their faces despite how unbearable it was.

  With the Crimson Clan’s victory once again, the influence and size of the clan were due for yet another round of explosive growth. At this time, anyone that could obtain the favor of the clan’s leadership would be able to get the best positions and jobs. It would certainly allow them to gain more power and influence quickly.

  As such, no adept was willing to leave Meryl’s side, even though they were already screaming in agony on the inside.

  While everyone was gathered around Meryl and talking to each other, another wave of commotion came from the entrance of the hall. Several Second Grades of the clan started to walk into the room.

  The tall and ferocious Dragonborn Zacha. Tigule, who only reached up to Zacha’s calf. Bug Adept Billis, who was always wrapped in a thick and heavy cloak. The two blood knights, Soros and Windsor. The three blood elves: Isa, Lilia, and Spalla. There was also Split-Brain Gru, who had remained in the clan after the war concluded.

  Their arrival caused the atmosphere of the banquet to become even more lively than before.

  Familiar adepts greeted each other, clinking cups as they toasted drinks. The entire banquet hall was filled with laughter, conversation, and praise for the great clan leader.

  Yet, in this joyous moment, the entrance suddenly fell silent. Everyone turned their heads to look at an adept striding into the hall.

  As they sensed the mysterious and unusual changes that had occurred to the adept, a fire blazed in their hearts, and their eyes gleamed with desire.

  Gargamel.

  Chapter 1020 - Clan Welfare

  Gargamel walked into the hall with the company of Forest Spirit Eva and and Mystique Emelia.

  In all honesty, if it weren’t for the accompaniment of the two women, no one would believe that this middle-aged adept was that famous Crimson Majordomo Gargamel.

  In the past, Gargamel had skin as wrinkled as ancient bark, dark circles around his eyes, a hooked nose, and only a fuzzy ring of hair on his bald head. The first impression he gave off was that he was sinister and sly.

  However, the Gargamel of the present stood straight, without any trace of a hunched back. His skin had also turned smooth and young again, though with a slight shade to it. Tiny jade-green scales that had yet to grow fully could faintly be seen on his skin.

  If Gargamel used to look like an elderly in his twilight years, then he now looked like a handsome, robust, middle-aged adept brimming with life and vigor.

  Everyone could clearly see that apart from the fine scales showing on his face and neck, Gargamel also had a pair of turquoise reptilian pupils in his eyes. A sinister and vicious aura radiated whenever his eyes darted about the room, causing every adept looking at him to feel their hearts tremble ever so slightly.

  Gargamel’s aura was still that of a First Grade.

  However, it had already increased from advanced First Grade to peak First Grade. He was only one step away from Second Grade now. It had only been twelve days since the clan leader rewarded him with the potions, and he had already manifested some of the representational traits of his serpentine bloodline, as well as advance by a minor grade. It was proof that his compatibility with the bloodline was reasonably high.

  Fire Dragon Adept Meryl, another core member of the Crimson Clan, was the first to walk up to Gargamel upon his arrival. The other adepts knew well enough not to approach them at this moment. Instead, they scattered into the surroundings and gave the two core adepts the space to talk amongst themselves.

  However, judging from their slightly twitching ears, they were very concerned about what the two core adepts were discussing.

  “Congratulations, Gargamel. It seems like our clan will soon have yet another Second Grade core fighting force!” Meryl raised her glass and toasted to Gargamel with joy and excitement written on her face.

  Gargamel hastily picked up a glass of wine from a servant’s tray nearby and finished everything in a single gulp. He then smiled and nodded, “Thank you, Lady Meryl, for your concern. My current condition is excellent, but this is all but a gift from our clan leader!”

  “Indeed, indeed. We must work more closely together in the future if we have the opportunity!”

  The two congratulated each other with fake smiles on their faces. The two women accompanying them couldn’t help but roll their eyes over and over again.

  The Crimson Clan had now very clearly split into the two different branches in the Northern Lands and Zhentarim. They were not only located in different places but faced different enemies, different environments, and took different paths of development.

  As part of the Crimson Clan, both of these branches should be aiding and reinforcing each other. However, as the Crimson Clan gradually grew stronger, the competition between the two branches would only become more and more prominent.

  Greem’s original intention was to avoid putting all his eggs in one basket and losing it all in a single fight.

  However, at this point, no one knew if the Crimson Clan’s development henceforth should be centered around the Northern Lands or Zhentarim. Debates on this had already occurred countless times within the clan. Both regions had their advantages and disadvantages, making it difficult to decide which was superior.

  However, with the eruption of war at the Zhentarim branch, they had once again become the focus around which the clan’s authority and resources revolved; it unavoidably stole some of the limelight from the Northern Lands. Moreover, with their victory in the adept war, the Zhentarim branch would be greeting an unprecedented tide of development. In doing so, they would indirectly suppress the growth of the Northern Lands branch to some extent.

  It wasn’t hard to imagine that most of the Crimson Clan’s resources and human resources would be invested in the Ailovis region for the next ten to twenty years. That indirectly strengthened the authority and power in Gargamel’s hands.

  Supposedly, both branches belonged to the same clan, and there should be no reason for hard feelings. However, for the more opport
unistic neutral factions within the clan, investing in Gargamel’s faction at the moment would undoubtedly yield higher returns than Meryl’s faction.

  That was the difference!

  If Meryl and Gargamel had some degree of comradeship between them, all of that insignificant relationship had now become smoke in the past. They were having a lively conversation when they were together, but the competition and contest of ability behind the scenes had never stopped.

  While the two of them were talking, the gates of the adept tower slowly opened. The Third Grade adepts that truly represented the foundation of the Crimson Clan’s power walked out and appeared in front of everyone.

  Naturally, at the very front was Greem, dressed in a large red robe.

  Compared to before, the overwhelming fire aura that Greem radiated was much more contained now. His dark red hair had also returned to its original black. Greem’s tall and muscular body caused him to emanate a suffocating sense of power. Most of the First and Second Grade adepts in the hall had to avert their eyes to ease the pain when they looked upon the translucent barrier of flames around him.

  Now that he was close to peak Third Grade, Greem was like a mobile, humanoid volcano. Though the violent and contained fire energies in his body didn’t erupt furiously, he could still inspire fear in every living thing around him. It was a fear that came from the depths of one’s soul.

  It wasn’t quite fear, nor cowardice. It was merely the instinctual reaction of a weak animal sensing an unknown danger.

  With Greem’s current spiritual pressure and the fire forcefield that lingered around him, any apprentice adept that came within a hundred meters of him would face unpredictable danger. As for mortals? They had best stay as far away as they could if they didn’t have the courage to jump into a sea of lava.

  Even the adepts could not stare at him directly. They could only glance at the translucent flames around Greem out of the corner of their eyes. If they stared at the fire too long, their eyes could be scalded.