Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  Hot and dry deserts, snowy plains, flaming volcanoes, dark and humid swamps; there were all sorts of environments, each tailored with care and finesse. It was evident that the creator had spent a lot on the project and possessed a tremendous understanding of the arcane arts.

  The clan leader’s power had increased yet again!

  Chapter 1024 - The Association’s Open Conspiracy

  Gargamel waited in Fire Throne for two whole days before he was granted an audience with Greem.

  Greem’s entire body was now engulfed in a layer of formless fire as if he was continually burning.

  Even though he was already trying his best to contain the radiating fire energy, the temperature in the meeting room still rose exponentially the moment he entered. If Gargamel were still the First Grade adept from before, he would probably be half-cooked now.

  Even after obtaining the serpentine bloodline, a powerful Physique, and excellent magical resistance, Gargamel still felt extremely uncomfortable in the scorching environment that was nearly as hot as the inside of a volcano. When Greem cast his firm gaze upon Gargamel, green smoke started to rise from Gargamel’s scaled body.

  “I am sorry. My Spirit has been improving a little too quickly lately. My control over the fire energies has decreased correspondingly.” Seeing that his gaze had almost ignited Gargamel’s body, Greem had no choice but to turn his head elsewhere.

  Not a single item made of wood or metal could be seen in the hall now. Even the only set of table and chairs were carved out of extremely heat-resistant obsidian.

  Spirit improving too quickly, energy control decreasing; it was probably the first time Gargamel had heard of such a complaint since he became an adept.

  Adepts would only ever complain about their Spirit developing too slowly. No one has ever complained about their Spirit improving too quickly

  Perhaps this was where their clan leader differed from the rest!

  Gargamel winced at the comment and thought to himself.

  “What significant event has happened in the clan that demands you make a special trip here? I remember everything was peaceful the last time you contacted me!” Greem spoke idly, seemingly having lost all interest in matters unrelated to magic.

  “Lord Clan Leader, it has already been one year since our last communication,” Gargamel said with a weak and bitter smile on his face.

  “It’s been a year? Time is passing quite fast!” Greem mumbled before continuing, “Alright, tell me your purpose in coming here!”

  “Yes, Clan Leader!” Gargamel hesitated for a moment, “Chairman Freed of the Zhentarim Association wishes to see you!”

  “Who? Freed? The Association’s Chairman; why does he want to see me?”

  Gargamel hurriedly bowed and explained, “My lord, the reason we were able to calm the chaos in Ailovis so quickly was due in no small part to Chairman Freed behind the scenes. The reason he expressed his intention to meet you through the Goblin Chamber of Commerce is very likely…”

  “Very likely to be what?”

  “Very likely to force you, my lord, to make a decision.”

  “To choose between Zhentarim and the Northern Lands?”

  “Yes, clan leader. The old fogeys of Zhentarim have always been extremely cautious and on guard from the permeation of influence from the three major forces. The relationship between our Crimson Clan and the Fate Witches is not something that can be concealed either. Therefore…”

  “Therefore, he wants to see me, assess my character, and attempt to pull me into that little circle of theirs?”

  “Yes, my lord. Judging from the information we have currently obtained, this is the only explanation!”

  “Which is to say that all the welfare and benefits they provided us before this was only bait? Once we swallowed the entirety of Ailovis, we would have swallowed the bait. They are certain we won’t be willing to spit out such a large piece of fatty meat, which is why they are pushing us to a decision at this time.” Greem analyzed with a calm tone, but the layer of transparent flames around him was anything but calm.

  The temperature in the room rose even further!

  Gargamel licked his chapped lips and lowered his head in silence.

  He could only offer what information he knew on such matters that could decide the future direction of the clan. The clan leader’s choice was not something he could interfere with.

  The height at which an adept stood would cause them to view the same problem from entirely different angles and perspectives. As such, Gargamel didn’t dare influence the clan leader’s decision with his shallow viewpoints. He would simply have to keep marching forward in the footsteps of the clan leader!

  After fifteen minutes of silence, Greem finally spoke. “Go and give them their reply. I will see Chairman Freed. Let them arrange the location of our meeting. However, the time of the meeting has to be at least half a year in the future. I cannot leave and go to the outside world in my current condition!”

  “Understood!”

  Gargamel acknowledged the order and left without hesitation.

  Once the meeting hall returned to silence, a blurry silhouette of a woman abruptly appeared at Greem’s side.

  “You’ve made up your mind?” Alice’s gentle and peaceful voice came from the form.

  “Mm!”

  “This isn’t bad for us either. The Northern Lands might look peaceful on the surface, but in truth, they are extremely xenophobic. The other witch branches will always hinder the clan’s development here. Zhentarim is much better in this respect. They are not united into a single entity, making it a much better place for a new clan to grow rapidly.”

  “Speaking of that, those old folks aren’t gonna pull any dirty tricks on me, are they?”

  “……” Alice couldn’t help but fall speechless for a moment, “What are you thinking?! Not only are there no downsides to this meeting, but you might also find yourself some unexpected gains. That said, they won’t be so easily obtained. You will have to judge the situation yourself!”

  “Gains?”

  “Alright, stop asking any more. You know how it goes. Divinations are not things that should be revealed, or unpredictable branches will appear along the flow of Fate.”

  Greem nodded silently.

  He had worked with Alice for such a long time now that he did have a decent understanding of Fate as well.

  It was because Alice had told Greem certain things ahead of his trip to Henvic that his journey to other world had been so tumultuous, dangerous, and lethal.

  Fate would always remain unknown and unpredictable!

  Even the Witches of Fate, who were capable of controlling Fate, could not make it proceed precisely along the path they had laid out. Take a wooden bowl covering some cheese, for example. Alice would be able to know exactly how many pieces of cheese were covered by the bowl through Fate Sense. However, if she attempted to influence any individual or thing within that fate according to this defined result, then unexpected changes would happen to what was once certain.

  Perhaps a cat would break in from outside and knock the bowl over. Maybe the cheese would be stolen by a mouse. The temperature could rise, and the cheese would melt. Too many accidents, too many variables, and anything that happened could alter what was once a destined result.

  That was the fundamental reason why most people capable of manipulating Fate chose to remain silent!

  There were often powerful people who laughed at Fate users, calling them useless bystanders with no power to their name. Most of the time, even if they were capable of seeing through and past Fate itself, they would still be trapped by the laws of Fate and fail to do anything.

  It was like playing pokers with God himself on a daily basis. Even if you could win regularly, a single loss would place you in the most damned of hells.

  Wiser individuals chose to be careful with their words, not disrupting the flow of the river of Fate. In doing so, they barely managed to save themselves. Meanwhile, t
hose who were far too lively or confident in their power would eventually receive the backlash of Fate and die, their souls disintegrated and destroyed.

  Greem knew of the dangers behind this as well. As such, he did not force Alice to challenge the laws of Fate, nor did he ever dream of obtaining any benefits through the powers of Fate.

  It was the main reason why Alice’s power remained so strong throughout the years!

  After exchanging a few more words, Alice’s projected silhouette started to fade slowly.

  Greem also returned to the laboratory on the fifth floor in a flicker of fire.

  The massive elementium magical machine stood silently in the corner of the hall, the smooth lines of its body forged of super-alloys gleaming with a dark and ghostly blue.

  After prolonged and repeated repairs, he had finally fixed the damage it received in Henvic. Greem even used some magical memory metals that had just been successfully refined during the repairs.

  The Goblin Research Institute, based in White Tower, had finally managed to produce some decent products after spending a massive amount of Greem’s magical crystals and resources. The magical memory metal was one of these.

  This unique metal, which could only be refined in a laboratory, possessed an unusual memory function. Once it was molded to a particular shape, it would be able to memorize that form. Even if it was penetrated, shattered, shredded, or distorted in battle, the memory metal would be able to restore itself into its original shape, given sufficient energy stimulation.

  With the magical memory metal and the elementium magical machine’s own miniature magic generator furnace, Greem would no longer have to worry about the machine sustaining damage in battle. As long as it had enough time and the generator furnace remained intact, it would be able to recover to its original state with its peak combat prowess.

  When the Goblin Research Institute had revealed this product of theirs, Greem had used his authority as the clan leader to get his hands on the metal and immediately upgraded the elementium magical machine.

  As for the magical golem dragon? By god, should a massive mountain of metal like itself be outfitted entirely with the expensive memory metal, it would burn away the magical crystals of the clan like a madman. Greem only authorized the use of this magical memory metal on some core components of the golem dragon. Otherwise, even if he had an actual mountain of magical crystals, those goblins would have been able to spend it all away.

  With the current manpower and financial situation of the Goblin Research Institute, they could produce around two and a half kilograms of magical memory metal a day. The price of manufacturing was approximately 1,700 magical crystals.

  After ensuring a supply for the clan’s internal use, there were still about ten kilograms available for sale to the public every month. That said, their selling price to the public was counted in grams. Every gram was priced at twenty magical crystals.

  Greem had been hiding in Fire Throne for the past few years, secretly absorbing all those holy light souls. Consequently, his Spirit had been rising rapidly. Even so, it still took him fifteen years to increase his Spirit from 27 points to 29 points. He was only one step away from peak Third Grade now.

  The rapid increase in his Spirit had caused his control over his powers to decrease.

  That was why he had given himself a six-month buffer before the meeting with the Association to stabilize his unstable spiritual condition.

  Chapter 1025 - Intimidation

  Half a year later.

  A small flying ship stopped above Fire Throne for a brief moment before quietly leaving half an hour later.

  Inside the cabin, Greem was engaged in a casual conversation with a middle-aged adept in a white robe.

  The man who came to fetch him was someone familiar to him. It was Laurent, Third Grade adept and leader of the Zhentarim Association’s Disciplinary Corps.

  “Sir Greem, you haven’t been to Kerslin Castle since you became an adept, have you?” Compared to the last time they met, Laurent had a broad smile on his face and was as pleasant as a kindly elder.

  However, Greem knew very well that Laurent’s hands had to be stained with the blood of adepts. He was the leader of the Disciplinary Corps, after all. Naturally, he wouldn’t usually be so friendly and easy to talk to.

  Moreover, their last meeting in Rhein hadn’t exactly been pleasant. His attitude now was likely an attempt to ease the tension between them and to mend their relationship.

  If he was willing to make peace, then Greem was perfectly ready to respond in kind. He also put on a gentle smile.

  “Indeed. I have been so busy after advancing to an adept. It’s either running around searching for knowledge or dashing about looking for resources. Don’t even talk about the three major forces; I haven’t even been to half of Zhentarim’s regions! It’s a real shame.”

  “Then you should take a proper tour around Kerslin Castle when you arrive. They produce some of the best magic wands and magical slaves there. If you don’t mind me, Sir Greem, I can personally accompany you on tour.”

  If Adept Laurent’s attitude before this was mere etiquette, then what he said now was an attempt at currying favor. Greem might not know why Laurent was willing to lower himself as such, but he still had to express sufficient gratitude.

  Perhaps sensing Greem easing up in his attitude, Laurent pressed closer to him and chuckled, “Sir Greem, you are going to be running into some old friends on your trip to Kerslin Castle this time. You had best prepare yourself, I’d say.”

  Having said that, he steered the conversation to lighter grounds and started talking about exciting things happening all over Zhentarim.

  As Greem responded half-heartedly to Adept Laurent and his naturally sociable antics, he silently pondered the words ‘old friends’ inside his head.

  At their level, any adept below Third Grade could no longer be referred to as a friend. Laurent was hinting that he would likely ‘run into’ certain familiar Third Grade adepts at Kerslin Castle.

  Who could it be?

  Greem quickly ran through all the Third Grade adepts he knew in his mind. In the end, the Chip only projected one image.

  A purple mist so dense that it was impossible to see through it.

  It’s her.

  …………

  Kerslin Castle.

  Kerslin Castle was located in the center of Zhentarim. It did not belong to any adept clan or organization and was completely independent neutral ground.

  That was because the headquarters of the Zhentarim Association was located here.

  All land within five hundred square kilometers with Kerslin Castle at its heart was the private property of the Association. It was jointly managed by all fourteen Fourth Grade adepts of Zhentarim. They had their own independent adept squads and adept cultivation system. It could be considered the only joint force of Zhentarim that possessed the right to supervise, enforce, and punish others.

  By the time the flying ship slowly landed on a parking spot near Kerslin Castle, a group of individuals dressed in brightly-colored adept robes was already waiting here.

  Greem walked down the wooden plank in the company of Adept Laurent.

  “Boss, you are finally back, and this must be the famous legendary fire adept, Lord Greem!” It was a muscular and big man that walked forward to greet them. He had a fierce-looking face, a slightly balding head, and a loud voice, giving off the impression that his entire body was brimming with explosive power.

  “Come, come; let me introduce. This is my assistant, Tito. He’s a Third Grade body-refining adept. Tito, this is the Lord Greem that you’ve wanted to meet for so long!” Laurent introduced the two of them with a big smile on his face. For some reason, he pronounced the words ‘Third Grade body-refining adept’ especially hard, as if he was trying to hint at something.

  “Hehehe, we body-refining adepts have a bunch of pent-up grievances over all these years thanks to you, Lord Greem! How about it? Let’s shake hands s
ince it’s the first time we are meeting!” The muscular Tito greeted while extending his massive right hand, but he was chuckling coldly with a malicious expression in his face.

  There was no such etiquette as a handshake amongst the adepts.

  There were all sorts of magic and spells out there. Who knew whether the adept they met would have some sort of ability to trigger curses or poison through bodily contact. As such, most adepts greeted each other by placing their hands on their chests. They very rarely ever made physical contact with one another.

  Obviously, in doing this, Tito was expressing his intent to have a showdown!

  The adepts that gathered around them all had smiles on their faces. It seemed like they were all waiting for the result of their confrontation.

  Greem was slightly surprised. He looked at Tito’s coarse and thick hands that seemed as powerful as an iron vise. His elementium sight could see terrifying amounts of magical energy gathering in his right hand.

  To make an elementium adept like himself face off against a body-refining adept in a show of Strength! It seemed like this was an opening gambit by the opponent to take him down a notch!

  Greem smiled and extended his right hand as if he had no idea what was happening. He gripped Tito’s hand firmly.

  Greem’s base Strength was now at 20 points. In addition to the 5 points provided by Sodden’s Holy Ring and the 2 points from the Fire Throne set, he now had 27 points of Strength. This number might not be enough for him to beat a Third Grade body-refining adept in a fist-fight, but a simple handshake would be no problem.

  Moreover, as a Third Grade fire adept, the fire forcefield shrouding his body was not something that an average person could bear either.

  Thus, when Greem and Tito gripped each other’s hands, their faces instantly turned dark.

  Greem felt like he had put his right hand into a blender. An incomparably violent force quickly crushed Greem’s 27 points of Strength. For the next thirty seconds, this tremendous force was like a continually stirring blender, crushing and devastating Greem’s frail finger bones and flesh in all sorts of different ways.