Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  A large-scale selection of arcane apprentices arrived just like this.

  The deadline for selecting the apprentices had not approached yet. In the meantime, floating cities all over the world sent out compulsory orders to their subordinate regions to send their most excellent apprentices for the selection to come.

  Large groups of talented children were chosen and sent to the floating cities. It allowed the cities to become vibrant with life again, even in the face of war and danger.

  The Empire was retreating; that news was no longer a secret. Instead, it had become a fiercely debated topic amongst arcanists and apprentices.

  Most arcanists were on the list of retreating personnel, but the number of apprentices was significantly smaller.

  As the arcane center of the Rian Province on the Kentos Continent, Reisin Garden was home to over thirty thousand arcane apprentices. In addition to the newly arriving apprentices, the number was pushing fifty thousand.

  However, the information leaked from above showed that the Arcane Empire could only take on a maximum of four thousand apprentices from Reisin Garden.

  After all, the entirety of the Arcane Empire spanned seven continents, over twenty provinces, and seventy-six floating cities. Even if every floating city were to select four thousand apprentices, that would make for a massive total of three hundred thousand apprentices.

  Moreover, apart from the future generation, each floating city still had to bring with them a large number of arcanists, arcane equipment, facilities, resources, materials, and rations.

  In all honesty, the Arcane Empire had to grit their teeth and abandon the arcanists with no future potential for development to put together this quota of four thousand apprentices.

  However, those at the bottom of society would never be able to understand the painstaking lengths that their leaders had gone to in planning all this. They could only stubbornly compare the numbers.

  Fifty thousand against four thousand.

  The difference in number was so vast!

  If these units were the number of gold coins, it would be enough of a difference to shock a person. However, when these units were human lives, the value was so incredibly large that it was inestimable.

  These days, everyone in Reisin Graden was in a state of panic. All the arcanists were busy with the logistics of transferring and moving resources, resulting in most arcane organizations and facilities being put on hold. The confused arcane apprentices either asked about the list of retreating personnel or–knowing well enough that they had no chance of making the list–silently packed their baggage and returned home.

  Even though they had no means of knowing how the war was progressing on the frontlines, or what the higher-ups’ plans were, they could all see with their own eyes the direness of the Empire’s circumstances.

  There had already been six or seven terrifying cases of floating cities being attacked by invaders within the Arcane Empire. Even though most of the attacks were repelled and the enemies defeated, two of the floating cities had fallen in battle. They crashed from the skies amidst the howling of tens of thousands of lives.

  Floating city crashing. Such incidents had rarely occurred in the ten thousand-year history of the Arcane Empire. As such, the confidence of the citizens was greatly shaken.

  The floating cities were no longer eternal gardens in the sky. They were no longer the absolute safe harbor that they had always been in the hearts of all citizens of the Arcane Empire. News from all over the world also indicated that large cities and floating cities were often the final targets of the invading monsters.

  As the sun set on the Arcane Empire, staying within a floating city no longer provided any sense of safety. Instead, it only inspired more worry and concern.

  Several clans of arcanists who did not qualify for the retreat found a different path forward. They forged new shelters in the most remote and hidden locations on each continent, preparing themselves for the apocalypse that was to come.

  Even the arcane apprentices that did not make the list were in a hurry to return home. They wanted to obtain the best location in these safe shelters for themselves and their families as soon as possible. These apprentices were also trying their best to recruit unassociated high-grade apprentices to strengthen the clan they were joining and to obtain a greater voice in these shelters.

  As a beauty who was known as an advanced apprentice in both alchemy and golem creation, Lucia naturally found herself the recipient of many offers. Unfortunately, Lucia was not moved by any of these offers. She rejected everyone firmly and lived life as she always had, spending her days busy in the arcane laboratories, the libraries, and the academy.

  On this day, Lucia walked down the familiar white path with a stack of arcane tomes in her arms. Several apprentices walked past her in a hurry. There were no longer any smiles on anyone’s faces. There were no young forms to be seen on the soft beaches or the beautiful fountains. The entire floating city had been engulfed in a downcast atmosphere of pain and despair.

  Lucia walked forward silently with her head bent down.

  It wasn’t until a familiar sleeve appeared in her vision, along with a pair of fine arcane boots, that she stopped in her tracks. She looked up in surprise.

  In front of her was the handsome young apprentice, Soren.

  His forehead was locked into a frown, and his face was pale as if he was being mentally tortured by something.

  “Soren, you…haven’t left?” Lucia clasped her mouth in shock.

  Soren’s looked at Lucia’s bright and pretty eyes. He opened his dry mouth several times before finally speaking.

  “My grandfather has decided to retreat today.”

  “Congratulations! I am happy for you.” A sincere smile appeared on Lucia’s face.

  Soren looked at Lucia’s face carefully, pain in his eyes. He could not find the slightest facade or mockery in her smile.

  “My grandfather is calling me to leave already. I just want to ask you one last time. You…are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”

  Lucia slowly stopped smiling and shook her head solemnly.

  “Lucia, I…I take back what I said before. I won’t use this quota to force you to do anything. You…you will be free. Come with me. I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. I just want you to come with me. Is that okay?” Soren said with much difficulty. His face was twisted in pain. It was obvious that it had taken tremendous resolution to arrive at this decision.

  Lucia was stunned for a second. She then smiled beautifully.

  She took a step forward, caressed Soren’s face, and willingly offered her first kiss.

  Just as Soren was overwhelmed with joy and tried to embrace her, Lucia took a firm step back and escaped his arms.

  “Leave, Soren!” Lucia’s little face was blushing from the kiss. It was an enchanting sight, “This kiss will be my farewell gift. We might not be able to see each other ever again, so…I hope you leave without any lingering attachments. I hope you continue to work hard for the future of the Empire and the legacy of the arcane civilization!”

  “No…Lucia, I…I can’t leave you here!” Soren clearly couldn’t accept the reality before him, having fallen from a mountain of bliss to the depths of the abyss. Even his voice was hoarse.

  “I won’t leave!” The embarrassment faded from Lucia’s face as her eyes took on an unusual and sacred light, “My life belongs to the arcane! Even if death is staring at me the very next moment, I will not stop moving forward. That was my oath when I chose to become an arcane apprentice. It is also my lifelong pursuit. Even without this calamity, we were destined not to be together! I hope you can understand me.”

  Soren’s expression was pained and sorrowful.

  After a long pause, he finally stepped aside.

  Lucia stared at him deeply and hurried back on her way.

  Tears rolled down Soren’s cheek as he watched that beautiful yet determined figure disappear into the distance. It
felt like a thousand knives in his heart.

  An old arcanist had appeared beside Soren some time ago. He silently looked in the direction Lucia had disappeared, unconcealable loneliness and agony in his gaze.

  “She is a good girl. Unfortunately, she does not belong to you!” The old man said casually in a melancholy tone, “If I had no attachments like her, I might have made the same choice. Sadly…”

  The old man lowered his head and brooded in silence for a moment. Once he had recovered from his emotions, he lifted his head once again.

  “Let’s go, Soren! There is no more hope here. The task of rebuilding a new Arcane Empire in a different world is not an easy one either. Your future does not lie here, but far away elsewhere. The glory of the arcane, the honor of the family. We are old now. You will have to be the one to pass on and carry forward this legacy of ours. So, get your spirits together and grit your teeth. Live strong, for the Arcane Empire, for the Jonas household.”

  Soren’s body trembled slightly.

  After a long pause, he finally wiped away his tears. He turned towards his grandfather and nodded, “I understand. Let’s go, granddad.”

  Then, the two of them vanished in a flash of white light.

  Chapter 1111 - Invading the Floating City

  The most significant change after the Scourge Lord and the adepts joined forces was the acceleration of their advance.

  According to certain sources, the World of Gods, the World of Abyss, the Gold Titans, the Star Alliance, and several other powerful factions had breached Morrian Plane now. Every additional day spent in Morrian was a tremendous risk.

  They certainly wouldn’t be the only ones to have set their sights on a large and bountiful target like the floating city. Moreover, attacking Reisin Garden was the most critical mission among those handed down by the main party.

  Seven days after forming an alliance with Illhoof, Greem’s party arrived at the floating city.

  It was quite different now compared to its normal state.

  There were far fewer of those looming arcane towers. Even the security towers that were necessary for defense had been cut down by a significant amount.

  Countless refugees from all over the world had gathered below the colossal floating city in the golden plains. The refugees were trying their best to get onto floating discs, which would bring them into the safety of the floating city’s walls.

  Large groups of arcanists and arcane apprentices were shouting, giving commands to large arcane golems to maintain the order here. There were also long lines of carriages in this crowd, transporting badly needed materials and resources to the floating city.

  While Greem, Holly, and Cherisha climbed onto a hill and watched from a distance, the vast horde mutated beasts swarmed past the hill and down the plains.

  The crowd gathered below the floating city was instantly thrown into a panic.

  Countless civilians screamed in terror as they desperately scattered in every direction. The frightened horses started to thrash about in the crowd, sowing even more chaos.

  Several floating discs that were loading resources and civilians hastily took to the air, shaking as they flew towards the floating city. There were still many people holding onto the edges of the floating discs, screaming and crying for help.

  Finally, when the floating discs were high in the air, the people on the edges ran out of strength. They screamed in terror as they fell from the sky.

  The arcanists and apprentices who remained on the ground to maintain order had nowhere to run now. They could only command the arcane golems to form a circle, protecting themselves and some of the refugee civilians.

  From his vantage point, Greem could clearly see that the natives were like a nest of ants whose home had just been torn apart. Meanwhile, a black tide quickly approached them.

  There were all sorts of creatures among the mutated beats, each one more ferocious and violent than the previous one.

  A clear line of blood was drawn on the battlefield the instant the two parties came into contact with each other.

  It was right beneath the floating city. Consequently, the number of apprentices who had mastered basic arcane magic was drastically higher in number compared to the neighboring regions. A rain of energy balls fell from the sky and into the army of mutated beasts, dismembering countless creatures and sending flesh into the air.

  However, this number of elementium attacks could never stop the assault of the mutated beast horde.

  They were like tiny bubbles that appeared on top of massive waves. Before the crowd could even cheer in celebration, the vicious beasts had surged into their midst, teaching these arcane rookies a proper lesson with their savage bites and sharp claws.

  Creaaak!

  Several three-meter-tall arcane golems strode ahead with heavy steps. They parted the crowd and appeared in front of the mutated beasts. These golems were not metal constructs made of many tiny components. Instead, they were animated arcane creations.

  There weren’t very many metal parts on them. Their entire bodies were composed of surges of arcane energy, and there were only a few thin metal rings in some key locations. These rings were what restrained the arcane power and gave them their humanoid form.

  This structure gave the arcane golems greatly reduced physical offense and defense compared to other golems. However, it also bestowed them with the ability to cast spells.

  As they marched forward, they raised their arms and fired energy bolts of eighty to ninety points of power. Attacks of this intensity were about equal to that of a First Grade adept, but they were far more rapid. The arcane golems could fire an energy bolt every two seconds.

  Faced with these ignorant arcane golems, the pack leaders among the mutated beasts instantly went berserk. They endured the energy bolts and charged into the crowd, where they went wild with their attacks.

  This group of two dozen arcane golems was torn apart in less than five minutes.

  The arcanists quickly rose into the air when they saw the situation turn south. They wanted to escape to the floating city before the mutated beasts could surround them.

  Unfortunately, they were a little too slow!

  There were large groups of flying creatures among the mutated beasts. They either had insect wings or bird wings. Either way, they beat their wings and quickly surrounded the arcanists when they saw them trying to escape.

  Several brilliant flashes of arcane light flickered, and a dozen of these beasts crashed to the ground. However, the arcanists could not break through the encirclement either. In the end, their shields were broken, and they were torn to pieces as the mutated beasts fought amongst themselves for their flesh. Only tattered remains were left behind.

  It wasn’t until now that the floating city finally reacted.

  A dozen security towers circled the clouds and descended rapidly, unleashing a terrifying torrent of arcane power at the areas where the beasts were most concentrated.

  Naturally, the mutated beasts were not going to take this lying down. Large packs of flying monsters took to the air, quickly engaging with the security towers.

  Individually, the arcanists might be incredibly frail and lacked the ability to confront the mutated beasts in person. However, once they were in their security towers and supported by a whole host of arcane facilities, their power would be amplified by over ten times.

  These dozen security towers weren’t managed by many high-grade adepts, but their firm structures and plentiful arcane energy allowed them to fight the mutated beasts to a standstill. It was an intense battle.

  For a moment, all sorts of arcane beams swept across the horizon, and corpses fell like raindrops.

  Illhoof, who was hiding among the beasts, might not care for the deaths of his minions, but he could not let their sacrifice go to vain.

  While the security towers were fearlessly slaughtering the beasts, the earth quaked, and the ground split. Three dozen-meter-tall stone golems emerged from below.

 
These stone golems raised their heads and arms immediately. A massive boulder appeared between their palms. They waved their arms, and the boulders howled as they flew across the air at the security towers.

  One of the security towers did not dodge in time and was hit by three boulders at once. It immediately faltered and crashed from the sky.

  The moment it landed on the ground, the mutated beasts that had been on the receiving end of the bombardment roared and swarmed forward, quickly drowning it in a tide of monsters.

  That seemingly provoked the other security towers. Four of them descended and started attacking the hill of mutated beasts in an attempt to save their companion. Meanwhile, the rest of them unleashed quick lightning chains at the three stone golems.

  These three golems were all at the peak of Second Grade. Naturally, they were not so easily destroyed by chain lightning. The stone on the surface of their bodies was scorched black by the lightning, and pieces of it had come crumbling off. However, a yellow elementium halo flickered around them as a large amount of earth elementium flowed from their feet to the damaged parts. The earth elementium quickly solidified into new stone.

  Thus, the three stone-golems were able to survive the attacks of the security towers.

  The security towers’ actions became more frantic at the sight of this. They stopped in midair, contacted the floating city, and commenced channeling the power of actual arcane towers to attack the golems.

  Obviously, Illhoof would never let such a good opportunity pass him by.

  He suddenly emerged from the ground below the security tower. Illhoof lifted his head and roared as a giant yellow halo engulfed the four towers.

  Halo of Gravity!

  A Halo of Gravity released by a Fourth Grade Minor Scourge Lord!

  The four security towers immediately started shaking and descending towards the ground.

  The arcanists inside these towers hastily directed even more energy to the floating ring at the base of the tower. In doing so, they barely managed to resist the pull of gravity and remain flying in the air.