Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The arcanists created arcane towers that could traverse the earth and the skies, as well as massive floating cities that could be used as aerial fortresses. All these inventions of theirs were created based on their beliefs and the unique characteristics of their magic system. The massive Arcane Empire was built around this entire practice.

  The Arcane Empire divided every single continent into provinces of different sizes, with a large floating city at the center of every province. Most of these floating cities were constructed above leyline nodes. They could rely on the natural magical tides to attract elementium and thereby create elementium pools with endless energy.

  Floating cities constructing in this manner might be able to float several thousand kilometers above the ground, but they had trouble moving about freely. These cities would lose their energy supply once they left their leyline nodes. They would then have to rely on the energy stored in their energy pools to sustain their flight.

  If the floating city couldn’t reach the next leyline node before it ran out of energy, what awaited it would be a massive calamity!

  It was precisely this immobile characteristic of the floating cities that pushed the arcanists to create the more agile and mobile arcane towers.

  With arcane towers, the arcanists could venture in and out of spacestorms unharmed. They could dive thousands of meters to the depths of the sea to explore ruins or dig deep into the planet’s core in search of resources and treasures. It was thanks to the protection of the arcane tower that arcanists, who were as frail as ordinary people, were able to travel anywhere they liked and do anything they wanted.

  The arcanists even developed the fearsome pseudo-planar fortresses to fulfill their needs for planar warfare. They modified pseudo-planes stretching for dozens of kilometers into an actual fortress of war, outfitting them with a massive arsenal of weapons and using them to blow apart the protective planar barriers of lesser planes.

  Based on all the times that the adepts had crossed swords with the Arcane Empire, even the Eighth Grade Arcane Emperors were themselves barely at the level of a Third Grade adept.

  The arcanists prioritized the research and universalization of arcane knowledge. They rarely spent significant amounts of resources on improving and modifying themselves as the adepts did. Their true powers could only be unleashed with the aid of a series of arcane facilities, including arcane towers, elementium pools, magic pools, and spell pools.

  Strip the arcanists of these things, and they were as fragile as eggshells!

  …………

  Three days later, in the early hours of the morning.

  Greem and his party traveled on a gray road.

  As they had all concealed their appearance and clothes with magic, they looked no different from the planar natives in the eyes of onlookers.

  The road had been packed with fleeing refugees along the way, carrying bags and packages of various sizes with them. They all originated from the southeast and were aimlessly traveling down this long road. No one seemed to know what direction they should be fleeing in.

  As Greem and his party were heading in the completely opposite direction, there many warm-hearted people along the way who tried to persuade them to turn around and avoid marching towards the large capitals and floating cities. It was said that those locations were where the fighting was most intense and where the casualties were the heaviest!

  Greem smiled and rejected the advice, bringing his three companions along the road as they approached their first target.

  The first target designated by the main party was a small city protected by an arcane tower.

  “Since the leader designated you as the party leader, Lord Greem, how do you intend to assign our positions in the upcoming fight?” It had been a boring journey. The Dark Witch, who had been silent throughout it, could no longer resist the urge to speak.

  A sour stench of rot spread through the air the moment she started speaking.

  Upon hearing her mention mission assignments, Adept Mangus and Adept Holly from the Silver Union couldn’t help but lift their heads and look at Greem as well.

  The Dark Witch was called Shani. She was a powerful intermediate Fourth Grade adept.

  Her appearance and figure were excellent, making her an exceptional beauty from the outside. She was also unusually slender and tall. However, she was incredibly cold and arrogant as well, rarely ever interacting with any other member of the party.

  It wasn’t just the male adepts like Greem and Holly. Even Cherisha couldn’t start a conversation with her.

  Adept Holly had inherited the tradition of the Silver Union. He was a powerful golem master himself.

  The magical golem he controlled was an unusual starlight armored suit. It could be remotely controlled or equipped onto his person. It was a golem of surprising power.

  Adept Holly himself was a short adept of only 1.6 or 1.7 meters in height. He appeared to be slightly skinny and frail, with an average appearance and short brown hair.

  Greem and the others were supposedly a party, but there was no actual hierarchical relationship between them. Moreover, everyone’s power was approximately at the same level. As such, apart from the two-headed adept, who had no qualms calling Greem’ leader’, there was unresolved tension from the other two adepts. They were both upset with the title of party leader that had just been given to Greem.

  As such, Dark Witch Shani chose to be the first to create trouble when the looming arcane tower appeared on the horizon!

  “You’ve all seen it as it is. The war hasn’t spread here yet, and the arcane tower only has some of the most basic arcane defenses activated.” Greem brought the others to a clearing by the roadside. They peered silently at the arcane tower through the canopy of the swaying trees.

  “If we are fast enough, we could breach the tower before the arcanists can activate their most potent defenses. Once we are inside, those weaklings will be nothing to us!”

  “You mean for us to…breach the tower by force?” Adept Holly’s face couldn’t help but turn dark at the suggestion.

  He, the golem master, was the only adept of the four of them that was suited for a task like this– to charge and breach enemy lines. If they were to execute the plan according to what Greem had just mentioned, he would probably have to take on the most tiring and challenging part of the work!

  “A forceful breach is not a good idea!” Greem shook his head and said, “This tower is small and not much of a threat to the few of us. However, taking it by force will exhaust us substantially. We still have many targets to attack on this mission. We can’t be wasting our strength in such an inconsequential place!”

  The color in Adept Holly’s face looked better when he heard this.

  “Then why don’t you tell us what we should do?” Dark Witch Shani still had an ice-cold expression on her face.

  “We can create some small trouble in the city, something of the likes of a refugee riot, to draw out the arcanists from the tower to suppress the commotion. This way, we can launch our attacks during the chaos.”

  Everyone lowered their heads and thought for a moment. Though they were still full of doubts and dissatisfaction towards Greem, the strategy he had just suggested was indeed the most suitable plan for their current situation.

  Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

  “There might be arcane facilities monitoring the entire city in the arcane tower. The enemy might very easily detect spillover magical flux in the city; it’s best if we do not use any spells. If anyone has any innate abilities suited for this situation, now would be a good time to use them.” Greem brooded for a moment and patched up some of the potential gaps in their plans.

  “Let me do it!” Adept Mangus couldn’t help but betray a wicked smile, “My sister is more proficient in mind magic. She also has some unique mind powers. We won’t alert the arcanists at all.”

  “Good. Once we enter the city, Mangus, you will be in charge of agitating the refugees and citiz
ens into a riot. It would be best if you could send some of them to surround the arcane tower. Holly, you and Shani lie in ambush near the entrance of the arcane tower and wait for my signal. Charge straight into the arcane tower once you receive my signal. Remember, you absolutely must destroy their elementium pool first!”

  “I understand!”

  “Mm!”

  Those who could stand here in Morrian Plane were all powerful individuals among the adepts who had survived through tens of thousands of bloody wars. They did not require excessively specific plans and strategies for a mission like this. They only needed to know the rough outline of the operation, and they would naturally know what to do.

  “Let’s enter the city, then!”

  Greem lifted his head and smiled. He took one last look at that looming arcane tower. It was then that he drew up his hood, tightened his cloak, and walked out of the clearing into the bustling mass of people as they headed towards the human city in the distance.

  Chapter 1084 - Lure

  Chapter 1084 Lure

  This place was only a small city in another world.

  However, it didn’t appear much different from human cities of the World of Adepts in Greem’s spiritual senses. If one had to pick out something different, it would undoubtedly be the unusual architecture and facilities that were in the style of the arcanists’ society.

  There were wide, smooth roads, orderly shops, civilians in bright and colorful clothes, a clean and beautiful environment, as well as small gardens and parks everywhere.

  Greem had been in dozens of different planes, and even he had to admit that the civilians of the Arcane Empire were the humans with the most privileges and the highest standard of living.

  He couldn’t see a single arcanist in the streets, but the personality and character of the Arcane Empire still manifested everywhere.

  For instance, the tall street lamps were lining the side of the streets.

  Even the most wealthy and extravagant cities of the World of Adepts only used the cheapest of illumination stones as the light source for their street lamps. Yet here in Morrian Plane, an arcane crystal with excellent magical conductivity could be found in each and every lamp.

  Arcane fountains, arcane plazas, arcane gardens, arcane libraries. In front of several stores, Greem even saw ordinary people ordering arcane golems to move cargo.

  Metallic golems cost upwards of over a thousand magical crystals in the World of Adepts. Only adepts would have the ability to own golems like these!

  Though the turmoil of the planar world had unavoidably spread to this city as well, life here was still relatively peaceful and stable compared to the rest of the world. After all, even those ferocious otherworldly monsters would have trouble wreaking havoc in this place while the arcane tower protected them.

  Greem took off his thick traveler’s cloak upon arriving in the city. He removed his hood and revealed his handsome face, smiling and looking around as he mixed in with the crowd.

  The population of this city was fairly small.

  Even with all the refugees that had arrived in the past few months, there were only fifty thousand people in the city.

  Moreover, the city had plenty of refugee shelters that were in perfect condition. There weren’t very many homeless people in the streets at all.; the city was still orderly.

  However, with his pervasive spiritual senses, Greem could sense that the two-headed adept was now taken over by Cherisha and that she had successfully made her way into the shelter where the refugees gathered. Meanwhile, Adept Holly and Witch Shani were hiding in a noble’s mansion just two hundred meters away from the arcane tower. They were staring at its entrance from a distance.

  This arcane tower was sixty meters tall and was divided into nine surface levels and two underground levels. It glowed with a faint arcane radiance. The entire tower shone brilliantly and colorfully, even in the middle of the day.

  Within Greem’s powerful Elementium Sight, the arcane tower also appeared to be connected with all the arcane facilities in the city. Several well-hidden energy circuits connected all the facilities to the tower.

  It seemed like all the arcane facilities in the city were supported by the tower’s elementium pool!

  Such a design and consideration for the common people were no problem during times of peace. However, there was no doubt that these energy circuits would become the arcane tower’s highest security risk when war broke out.

  It seemed like the arcanists had been staying in comfort for far too long. They had forgotten the taste of danger!

  Greem couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh softly.

  …………

  Rian Province, Arcane Tower Four.

  “Tower Master, more and more refugees have been swarming in from the north. Merkin City has reached its capacity. I think…we should send the refugees further north.” The one speaking was the young and capable Riant, one of the three Third Ring arcanists of Arcane Tower Four.

  He was a young man with stiff, brown hair, and he was one of the current masters of this arcane tower.

  According to the basic configuration of the Arcane Empire, a facility like Arcane Tower Four required the presence of at least one Fourth Ring arcanist. However, with the escalation of the war outside the planar barrier, human resources were becoming increasingly scarce. After multiple drafts, only three Third Ring arcanists remained stationed in Arcane Tower Four.

  The invasion of otherworldly creatures that had recently occurred in the south had caused tensions and anxiety to rise here.

  Though the terrifying disaster creatures had yet to invade deeply into the Arcane Empire, the large numbers of refugees fleeing this way had already thrown cities all over the Empire into disarray. Everyone was requesting aid from the leaders of the Empire.

  “Riant, do you think we could organize a large-scale migration with all the chaos in the Empire right now?” The tower master was an old man whose hair had gone white. He had an ancient pair of tortoise-shell glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. The wrinkles on his face piled together as he spoke bitterly and helplessly, “Moreover, we can protect the people from the disaster creatures with the arcane facilities and the arcane tower while they remain in the city. If the migration party runs into those monsters on their journey…”

  He did not continue speaking, but the other arcanists present could easily imagine the scene of carnage that would occur. Their faces turned dark at the very thought of it.

  “Tower master, I’ve discovered abnormal magical fluctuations on the west coast of the continent in my past few days of observing the stars. I’m worried that it might be those otherworldly invaders slipping into the plane. I suggest we send a scouting party to investigate. If the enemy really intends to invade from that location, we can notify Reisin Garden and have the floating city mobilize their forces. At the very least, it would prevent the tragedy of Gallan Province. It could save Rian from being conquered by the enemy and the loss of millions of civilian lives.” It was Arcanist Sors who spoke up now. He was the most proficient at astrology in Arcane Tower Four.

  Everything he said caused the faces of his companions to turn even paler.

  “Gallan Province has already been conquered by the enemy. It is now a battlefield where our arcane golems are fiercely fighting against those otherworldly monsters. If…if what Sors said is true, then I’m afraid our Rian Province will also be in danger now!” The tower master let out a sorrowful sigh.

  “It’s best if we don’t come to conclusions so early. After all, the planar world is in intense turmoil right now. It’s possible that it was just some turbulence from the magical tides. We should send a scouting party to investigate as soon as possible.”

  “Since the two of you think there is a need for that, then we will send Squad Thirteen!”

  “I agree!”

  “I also agree!”

  While the three Third Ring arcanists solemnly discussed the current circumstances surrounding t
he Empire, the arcane crystal on the table before them suddenly glowed red and started flashing.

  An emergency. It was an alert message that occurred when the arcane tower detected an incident.

  The gaze of the old tower master suddenly turned sharp. He pressed the arcane crystal, and the troubled voice of a man came ringing from within.

  “Lord Douglas, Lord Douglas, this isn’t good. It’s terrible. The refugees have revolted!”

  Refugees? Revolted?

  This sentence that came out of nowhere confused the three arcanists completely.

  However, the situation would not be too difficult as long as it wasn’t an invasion by otherworldly creatures.

  The three arcanists were not particularly worried when hearing the report. They contacted the arcanist stationed in the monitoring room and quickly understood the cause-and-effect of everything.

  Perhaps out of fear or an issue with the rations, a violent conflict had broken out between the civilians of the city and the refugees. It had quickly snowballed to the level of a riot.

  The refugees were incredibly furious and were wildly beating people and robbing stores as they marched down the street. It seemed like they were making their way towards the arcane tower.

  “Bastards! These people! Do they not know how much pressure the Arcane Empire is enduring in this war? To think…to think they would choose to come out and cause trouble at this moment!”

  “It seems like we need to respond with harsher methods. Exile them from the city as soon as possible. We cannot have them shake the faith of the civilians and cause even greater panic.”

  “Let me go! I will lead a squad of arcane golems and chase them back to the shelters!”

  “Very well. We will act separately then. We can’t let their chaos spread through the city.”

  The gates to the arcane tower opened under the command of the arcanists. The translucent barrier flickered a few times and slowly vanished. Squads of tall and ferocious arcane golems marched out in an orderly fashion under the command of a dozen arcanists. They immediately walked into the wide arcane plaza in the city.