Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  In all honesty, the majority of Fourth Grade adepts that came to welcome Greem had more deep-seated tensions and conflicts with him. However, at their level, the possibility of a direct confrontation was minimal. Most of their disputes were resolved by way of schemes behind the scenes.

  Greem walked out of the teleportation array, stopping to cough in his hand before smiling and walking towards the crowd.

  The first to greet him was, naturally, Chairman Freed.

  The old fox narrowed his eyes and took a good look at Greem. He couldn’t help but betray surprise on his face.

  “Good work, Elder Greem!”

  Greem covered his mouth and coughed a few more times. It took him a while to catch his breath. He then put on a bitter smile and said, “I was caught unaware by the enemy, and my soul’s been injured slightly. It seems like I will have to find somewhere peaceful and quiet to recover. It might take me a hundred years before I’ve recovered.”

  He coughed violently after saying that.

  Chairman Freed and the other elders exchanged looks. He then smiled and continued, “Elder Greem, your sacrifices this time were for the sake of the Association. Naturally, the Association won’t abandon you in your time of need. Here is the compensation that the Association is giving you after our discussion. I hope Elder Greem can forget all of our past misgivings and become a true member of the Association.”

  Greem took a look around him and accepted the storage ring that Chairman Freed had passed to him. He greeted the rest of the adepts before using the teleportation array behind him to return to Fire Throne.

  Once Greem’s frail and weak figure had vanished in the array, the other adepts put away their smiles and put on solemn and stern expressions.

  “How was it? Is it true that he is injured?” Chairman Freed was the one who asked the question.

  “We have verified the news from Exodar Camp. Greem was attacked by the self-destruction of a Fourth Grade adept from the Adept’s Association while they were returning. It was apparently an incredibly dangerous situation,” Vice-Chairman Mirva replied.

  “The Adept’s Association? There might be trouble now,” Adept Kerala mumbled to herself.

  The Adept’s Association was one of the three major adept forces of the World of Adepts. Now, one of their personnel had died on the way home without any proper reason. Even though it was a self-destruct initiated by the adept themselves, the Adept’s Association would certainly not accept that truth. An investigation was almost certain. It might even affect the ‘harmony’ between Zhentarim and the Adept’s Association.

  This matter concerned Fourth Grade adepts and was not a trivial or trifling issue!

  “That’s not the only problem!” Vice-Chairman Mirva sighed again. “I heard that the Dark Witch in their party also died in the other world. It might have something to do with Greem as well. I’m worried that the Northern Witches might start stirring trouble on their end as well.”

  The Northern Witches.

  All the adepts frowned at the mention of that infamous name. They couldn’t help but display bitter smiles.

  They had believed that recruiting the legendary fire adept to the Association would make him a scapegoat for them all. Now, it seems like they were the ones that were going to be the scapegoats that had to manage all the risks and troubles he was bringing with him!

  Why didn’t that damned fire adept just die in that other world? If he had just died, none of these problems and troubles would even exist. It would have been so much easier!

  Everyone daydreamed in silence, frowning or sighing in frustration.

  “Alright, alright. Did none of you hear my question?” Chairman Freed had a deeper frown than any of them. “What I asked was whether he was actually injured?”

  “He should be truly injured,” Adept Kerala nodded and replied. “I can sense that the damage to his Spirit is fairly severe. The only question is whether his soul itself has been injured. If it has been damaged, his advancement in the future will be……”

  Adept Kerala did not finish her sentence, but everyone knew what she meant.

  What was most important for an adept?

  The soul, the soul, and the soul.

  The physical body could be modified, improved, and even turned into energy. These changes each had their benefits and problems, but they would not stop an adept’s advancement to a higher grade.

  Only the soul origin was something that the adepts could never ever touch!

  Any changes to the soul would bring about unpredictable and irreversible effects to the adept.

  Should the adept damage his soul origin in battle, his foundations for advancement in the future would be affected. Should he fail to mend these wounds, he would not even be able to improve his powers by even a tiny bit.

  “He’s hurt his soul origin!” Elder Mornashen Gaia of the Gold Clan was the one to speak up this time. His three-meter-tall physique stood out above the rest, and his light golden skin radiated a powerful energy aura. “I can sense the weakness of his soul. It is not a facade. Given his injuries, a hundred years of solitude is a very optimistic way to put it! In my opinion, he won’t be able to heal his wounds without another two or three hundred years. During these two to three hundred years, he…will probably have trouble even maintaining his power as a beginner Fourth Grade.”

  The other adepts did not have any objections to Gaia’s opinion.

  After all, among all the Fourth Grade adepts of Central Zhentarim, Mornashen Gaia was undoubtedly one of the most powerful of them all. His clan possessed a trace of the powerful bloodline of the ancient titans. When he transformed into the Gold Titan, he could unleash incomparable might with every action he took.

  In terms of combat power alone, Mornashen Gaia was the most powerful adept among all Association adepts!

  Even the sly and cunning Chairman Freed could not compare to him in that regard.

  As such, everyone believed firmly in his judgment.

  “It’s good that he’s injured…very good.” A smile finally appeared on Elder Nicolas’ face. “This way, we of Zhentarim can still relax for a few years. Otherwise, had the legendary adept returned entirely victorious, he would probably start some incredible trouble in Zhentarim!”

  Elder Nicolas and Elder Matthew looked at each other, much more relaxed than before.

  It couldn’t be helped. The two of them had been the ones causing all the trouble for the legendary fire adept before Greem’s rise to power. Be it the invasion of the five clans or the declaration of war from the Fabres Clan, there were always signs of their shadows working behind the scenes.

  They had never truly perceived the fire adept or his Crimson Clan as a threat prior to this. However, with Greem’s gradual improvements, both of them started to feel the immense pressure weighing down on them.

  Should Greem successfully rise to power in Zhentarim, it wasn’t hard to imagine where his spear would turn. Surely, he would deal with all the people with whom he had ‘grudges’ and ‘disagreements.’ If that happened, the two of them would most likely be pushed to the frontline of the conflict against the fire adept.

  That was something that neither of them ever hoped to happen!

  They had already heard that the adept faction had sent out a total of sixteen adepts to that foreign plane. Yet, only ten–no, nine–of them had successfully returned. It was a death rate of over fifty percent. That must mean that the survivors were all elites and powerful fighters amongst Fourth Grades.

  They had no confidence in defeating this powerful fire adept who had survived the trials of blood and fire, life and death!

  …………

  Greem’s return instantly invigorated the entire Crimson Clan.

  The Crimson Clan had gone into a period of low-profile waiting during Greem’s departure.

  It had indeed been a very, very short time since the rise of the Crimson Clan, after all. So quick, that they had yet to construct an effective and efficient system of cul
tivating adepts. Most of the new generation adepts were still stuck at First Grade. Those who had managed to make it to Second Grade could be counted with two hands.

  The only ones that could prop up the Crimson Clan were still the veteran core adepts that had been following Greem all along.

  When news of Greem’s return to the clan reached the people, all the core adepts put away their work and returned to the clan headquarters regardless of where they were or what they were working on. They awaited an audience with the clan leader.

  Pinecone City.

  With the rise of the Crimson Clan, the tiny Pinecone Town had expanded over and over again. Its population and the scale of its trade was almost comparable to a large city now.

  The clan had also moved most of its core operations to the Crimson Wing. Fire Throne and the surrounding five kilometers were now Greem’s private abode and shelter. Ordinarily, without an audience from Greem, anyone that entered this area would be faced with attacks from terrifying fire creatures and powerful magical machines.

  For a moment, Fire Throne, which had been sealed for over twenty years, was once again open to the public. A giant pillar of flame stood stall in the depths of the primal forest, once again displaying its overwhelming might and power.

  The number of Crimson leaders gathered at Pinecone City increased by the day. Amongst them were:

  Majordomo of the clan headquarters, Adept Gargamel.

  Manager of the northern branch, Adept Meryl.

  Knight Leader of the vampires, Soros.

  Blood-elf Leader of the vampires, Isa.

  Manager of the Capital of Eternity in Lance, Split-Brain Sock.

  Chairman of the Goblin General Chamber of Commerce, Snorlax.

  Commander of the Brutalblood Army, Drusilla.

  Leader of the magical goblins and Dean of the Goblin Research Institute, Gonga.

  Head of the assassins, Bug Adept Billis.

  Stationed adept of the Goblin Plane, Adept Deserra.

  There were also several core members of the clan: Dragonborn Zacha, Goblin Shredder Tigule, Medusa Dana, Manticore Charon, and many others.

  When all these members had arrived, Fire Throne was finally opened for them!

  Chapter 1142 - Crimson Conference

  The leaders of the Crimson Clan got onto a small flying ship and traveled through one hundred kilometers of forest.

  They passed through the winding tunnels of Fire Cave and entered Magma Hall, where they finally arrived at Fire Throne. It was guarded by large numbers of fire creatures and high-grade magical machines.

  Greem met them in the magical hall on the second level of the tower.

  The massive hall was about ten thousand square meters in size, with a large obsidian long table in the center. Intricate stone chairs were arranged on each side of the table. At one end were three tall seats, arranged in a triangle. Naturally, seated at the very front was the mysterious legendary fire adept who had forged this Crimson Clan with his own two hands– Lord Greem.

  Two equally tall chairs were arranged behind him to his left and right.

  Seated on the left was Bloody Queen Lady Mary, who held the most authority of the clan. Sitting on the right was Lady Alice, the mysterious leader of the Fate Witches, who was rarely seen by the rest of the clan members.

  The three of them were undoubtedly the true heart of the Crimson Clan!

  It had been a long time since they had met. The clan members first bowed before the three leaders of the clan before carefully taking their respective seats. Their eyes were all stealing glances at this mysterious yet powerful clan leader.

  Greem was wearing a bright-red robe today. Plenty of magical runes and patterns glowed on his intricate and extravagant gown as the radiant aura of fire danced around it. His entire body was covered by the loose cloth, revealing only his slightly pale face.

  Greem was a handsome man. His black hair had been tied up with an intricate band. His eyes were deep, and his nose was tall. His thin lips were pressed together tightly, a trace of coldness at the corners of his mouth.

  After the countless trials of blood and fire, all the childishness and immaturity had been washed away from him. The only thing left was a mysterious, contained aura of wisdom and power.

  However, Greem’s face was oddly pale today. It was different from his usual appearance when his skin was filled with vigor and the overwhelming aura of life. He looked like someone who had only just recovered from a terrible sickness.

  The clan members couldn’t help but start asking questions in their minds when they saw this.

  Could the rumors that the clan leader had returned with grievous injuries be true?

  Greem put his fist over his mouth and coughed softly when he saw that everyone was seated. He then lifted his head and looked at his subordinates. His gaze finally landed on Gargamel, who was seated in the first position to the left of the table.

  “Now that everyone is here…Gargamel, you shall begin with a report on the clan headquarters for the past few years!”

  “Understood!” Gargamel hurriedly stood up and bowed. With a nod of acknowledgment from Greem, he took out a stack of thick checkbooks and started reading their contents.

  “At the moment, the clan only has direct control of Ailovis in Zhentarim. The other regions we indirectly control through subordinate clans and organizations include the Crimson Cloud Mesa, the Silent Pastures, Crow’s Ravine, Hunter’s Shore, Mena Lake, and several others.

  “The Crimson Dynasty’s territories have expanded another one hundred and fifty kilometers to the northwest and are now bordering the outer territories of the Dener Clan. The Third Magical Machine Army has marched north and is two hundred kilometers deep in the Black Forest. They are currently establishing a forward base there. Given the information last relayed to us, the attacks and assaults organized by the magical creature lords have intensified. A war is expected to break out soon. The commander has already requested reinforcements from high-grade adepts from the clan headquarters.

  “Ailovis is now completely controlled by the clan. At the moment, we have 7 First Class resource sites, 22 Second Class resource sites, and 106 Third Class resource sites.

  “There are now 97 adepts in the clan headquarters: 5 are Third Grade, 26 are Second Grade, and 66 of whom are First Grade.

  “As for the clan’s resource income, we have had total revenue of 2,179,780 magical crystals, and expenditure of 1,463,600 magical crystals. The specific list of resources is as such……”

  One by one, category by category, item by item; Gargamel listed all the clan matters of concern to the people at the meeting in a simple and straightforward fashion. However, he did not announce the more comprehensive details.

  After all, these details involved many core affairs of the Crimson Clan and could only be addressed in a personal meeting with the leaders!

  It was Fire Dragon Adept Meryl’s turn to report after Gargamel. She was the leader of the northern branch, after all.

  The Crimson Clan’s development in the Northern Lands was not going too well. They were seemingly being oppressed and bullied by the various witch factions. The clans who were most obviously doing so were the Dark Witches and the Deceit Witches.

  That made it very difficult for the Crimson Clan to extend their influence anywhere out of Icewind!

  However, since White Tower bordered the Black Forest, there was plenty of land and an abundance of resources. Even if they were forced to stay within their territory, the clan could still secure a considerable amount of resource income from the area.

  Apart from the direct territories in the World of Adepts, the Crimson Clan also possessed two lesser planes of great wealth and resources. Wind Adept Deserra and Split-Brain Sock, who represented the Goblin Plane and Lance respectively, also gave a simple report of the situations in their domains.

  During the time Greem had been gone, the magical alloy stockpile in the Goblin Plane had reached 670,000 tons in weight. It was more than en
ough alloy to manufacture another twenty to thirty thousand magical machines, twelve Motherships, or two magical golem dragons.

  However, Greem’s stockpile of Queyras alloy was almost entirely exhausted. These alloys and metals could only be stored for future use until he got his hands on more Queyras alloy.

  Meanwhile, with the Third Grade brain monster being the master of the Capital of Eternity in Lance, the base was a city of steel that would never fall to enemy assaults.

  The dragon lords had already suffered enough from their attempts at invasion, but could not defeat all the magical machines. As such, they chose to distance themselves from the invaders as much as possible.

  Many of the dragon lords migrated further away, forming small alliances along the way. That made it difficult for the Crimson Clan’s hunting parties to find any prey and reduced their profits significantly.

  However, over the past two decades, the Capital of Eternity still managed to hunt eleven dragons, five of which were sold, and six that were still imprisoned in Crimson Wing awaiting magical modification or taming.

  Once these ‘leaders’ of the various branches were done with their reports, it was the subordinate force’s turn to report.

  Gonga, leader of the magical goblins and Dean of the Goblin Research Institute, was the most excited. He practically shouted out the three most important pieces of news he had.

  Firstly, the Goblin Research Institute had succeeded in inventing a true magic energy amplifier.

  This device had been the most significant roadblock holding back the Crimson Clan from constructing the Thunder God Titan.

  The so-called magic energy amplifier was simply a magic-mechanical version of an elementium energy resonator. It could allow the elementium energy flowing in the magical machine to form resonance with wandering elementium in the surroundings. In doing so, it could amplify the effect of magic energy attacks.

  The success of the Goblin Research Institute had much to do with the focusing crystal that Greem discovered prior to this. However, Gonga revealed that this success had only been verified in the laboratories. It would take a long period of experimentation and refinement before it could be perfected and applied to the Sixth Grade Thunder God Titan.