Olivia was furious, but there was no way this battle could continue.
Even if she still had the means to fight, Horner’s arrival had made Greem incredibly wary. Even if Olivia were to guarantee Greem’s safety with her own life and reputation on the line, no one would ever continue fighting while another Fourth Grade adept watched intently.
Thus, this ‘stalemate’ of a battle came to a hasty end.
By the time the two fighters returned to shore, the lake behind them was already marred beyond recognition. It was now a land of death where no living being would dare to set foot. The once emerald-like, crystal clear surface of the lake now burned with flames. Rifts in space also drifted everywhere.
In fact, the boundaries between water and fire were no longer clear.
Many of the flames were still burning on the water, seemingly as if the water itself was their fuel. Meanwhile, the strips of light bleeding out from the spatial rifts drifted in the night wind, waving like pretty silk ribbons.
The battle between the two Fourth Grade adepts had severely affected the planar space near the lake. The laws here had become twisted and changed.
The aftershocks of their battle would affect this place for many years to come. The lake itself and the surrounding areas would be affected by turbulent, shifting laws. This terrifying effect could last for days and even months; no one knew when it would truly end. It all depended on the severity of the distortion of the laws inflicted on this place.
It was said that true Principle Adepts that had passed the threshold of Fourth Grade could cause the planar laws to resonate with every single movement of their body. Even a simple flip of their palm could completely rewrite the laws in a region.
They could raise a volcano in the ocean’s depths, built a castle in the sky thousands of kilometers in the air, and cultivated a garden of eternal spring in an icy land of death.
The principles were their toys and their weapons!
They could use their principle powers to change the planar laws in an area forever, influencing the place for eons to come. Such horrifying might was naturally beyond what a Fourth Grade adept could ever hope to do!
The fundamental reason that all planar worlds strived to expel individuals above Fourth Grade from themselves was that their existence severely affected the functioning of the planar laws. If these individuals were allowed to do as they liked within a plane, it was only a matter of time until the utter collapse of the plane’s system!
However, certain powerful beings among the Fourth Grades, especially those who had a profound grasp of the planar laws, were also subject to such hostility and rejection from the world consciousness. This sense of rejection would reach its peak when they advanced to Fifth Grade. It would even be so strong that they would have no choice but to leave the world that so actively rejected them.
In comparison, the Fourth Grade adepts who led good, comfortable lives in the World of Adepts were often the less talented individuals who had no chance of advancing to Fifth Grade. A real powerhouse would feel the ‘hostility’ of the plane world towards them the moment they advanced to Fourth Grade.
…………
Even though there was no conclusion to the battle at the lake, everyone could see how Olivia had been forced on her back foot.
The Adept of Torture threw a tantrum and rampaged around the area for a while before furiously accepting the outcome.
The three adepts returned to the Blueberry Villa and sat down in a hidden room.
Even though Olivia’s eyes were still filled with anger and denial when she glanced at Greem, she behaved in a much calmer fashion.
At the very least, she was no longer as arrogant and pushy as before. Instead, she treated Greem with a hint more respect, as if he was an equal!
She was a combat adept who had gotten to where she was through sheer power. She had always looked down upon those who summoned creatures to fight for them while they hid in the shadows. In contrast, a straightforward fighter with tremendous power like Greem was more to her taste.
However, even though respect had been established through this fight, a grudge had also formed.
For Olivia, the reputation she had lost in this fight was what she held most dear. She was so annoyed at the intervention because Horner had stopped her before she could use any of her killing moves.
However, she had no idea that it was the same for Greem as well!
The focusing crystal, the Orb of the Fire God, the Watersoul Jade…none of these items could easily be revealed in battle and were hidden aces that Greem had prepared for his deadliest of enemies.
Naturally, he couldn’t use any of these against an Adept of Torture who he could only injure but not kill. Suppressing the enemy in battle was the best result that Greem could hope for.
After all, he was here at the Adept’s Association to solve a problem, not to turn the problem into a dead knot!
“This is…” Greem couldn’t help but ask when the bald adept sat down.
“I am Horner, one of the elders of the Association!” Bald-headed Horner appeared gleeful, seemingly excited to have witnessed Olivia make a fool of herself.
Meanwhile, the Adept of Torture sat on the side with an angry face. You could sense her fury when she glared at the two male adepts.
“With regards to my transaction with Lady Olivia…” Greem was still concerned about this matter.
“The battle has not concluded. Naturally, we cannot proceed with this exchange.” Olivia’s face was so dark you could probably squeeze ink from it. “Unless you beat me, I will never hand over the Lightfire stone!”
Greem’s thick eyebrows stood up straight as his expression turned vicious.
“Don’t be in a hurry…don’t get agitated!” Horner quickly interrupted and tried to ease the tension. “Lord Domhnall had already spoken before I came here. We wish to invite Lord Greem to the Association headquarters for a visit. There are many adepts there who can’t wait to meet you. I believe you won’t reject us, will you?”
Even though Horner spoke humbly, the tone of certainty and insistence in his words made Greem frown.
“I certainly won’t reject the invitation, since Lord Domhnall himself is the one that offered it. However, my main purpose here is to—”
“Haha! Lord Greem. We have plenty of talented individuals in the Adept’s Association, as well as a mountain of resources. Lightfire stones aren’t exactly unique resources either. Are you worried that you will return empty-handed on this trip?” Horner enthusiastically persuaded.
Since Horner was already offering to solve this problem of his, Greem had no reason to reject him any longer.
Moreover, since he was already at the eastern lands–the place known as the ‘Adept’s Paradise’–Greem would be happy to take a look around. Being able to tour the headquarters of the Adept’s Association could help him better understand the true extent of influence of this largest organization in the world!
Greem finally nodded in silence.
“I left my mount back at home due to the hurry I was in. You won’t mind if I borrow your skyship for the trip to headquarters, will you?” Horner was speaking to Olivia this time.
Olivia hesitated for a moment but finally nodded in approval.
She drew a circle with her hands, creating a ball of blue light on her palm. She then whispered a few words into the ball before dispelling it.
“Go, the skyship is prepared. It can leave now!”
A short moment later, a silver skyship took to the air from the Ais Mountains. It adjusted its direction slightly and quickly flew towards the southeast.
What could be waiting for him there at the Adept’s Association? Greem couldn’t help but become somewhat nervous and excited!
Chapter 1241 - The Tower of Observation
Just like the other regions, the Adept’s Association also had vast lands and territories.
However, these lands were not as wealthy or populated as the Central Region.
> Flying high above and looking down, everything on the ground appeared small and fuzzy.
There were still many primal forests within the Association’s territory. Many wild animals lived there. It wasn’t as scary as the Black Forest, but many unpredictable dangers still lurked within.
At this height, the human settlements were the size of a fingernail, scattered haphazardly around several white towers. These towers were tall and slender. From a distance, they look like wooden sticks that had been stuck into the ground. They radiated with enchanting lights of various colors.
While Greem stood at the edge of the ship and observed the earth beneath him, the body-refining adept known as Horner stepped up next to him.
“That’s the North Reach. It’s the coldest region in the Association territories,” Horner pointed at the north and described with a tone of awe.
Greem looked to the north. He could very clearly see the forests turn darker as they stretched towards the north. He could also faintly see mountains and forest coated in white snow in the very distant north.
“To the east, 6,500 kilometers away, is the vicious Blackreef Sea…and to the south, the infamous Black Forest,” Horner calmly said. “Several tens of thousands of years ago, a dozen adepts came here from the Central lands and founded the first human settlement. After all these years of hard work, effort, and fighting, we Association adepts have finally made this land our own. It is the cradle and paradise for all adepts. It is something that each and every one of us in the Adept’s Association will always be proud of!”
Naturally, Greem was well-versed in the history of the Adept Association’s development.
However, when he heard an Association adept repeat this same history with a tone of reverence, Greem could finally understand the difficulty of the Association’s development and all it’d had to do to reach its current form.
“Just take a look for yourself! Every single tower here belongs to the Adept’s Association.” A woman’s voice came from beside. Olivia walked out of the cabin and arrived next to the two of them. “Here, clans are not allowed to build their own adept towers. All adept towers belong solely to the Association. Any adept clan that violates this rule will be exiled from Association territory!”
“On this point alone, the Adept’s Association is completely different from your Zhentarim Association!”
Greem smiled helplessly at Olivia’s criticism.
There were reasons behind every rule and means of survival.
The Central lands were the earliest human territory to be established in the World of Adepts.
The land there was rich, resources were plentiful, and the population of humans was high. In addition to their vast territories, it allowed for the birth of many small, self-sustaining clans. The lack of powerful adepts further meant that even ordinary adept clans could fend off high-grade adepts through the use of adept towers. It made the unification of the Central lands a monumentally difficult task!
For the past tens of thousands of years, Zhentarim had remained a loose box of sand. No one had been able to unite the adept clans and form a concentrated force.
Meanwhile, the three major adept organizations in the west, north, and east were all major organizations that were founded by Central adepts that had migrated to these regions. All of them had to go through tremendous difficulties to get where they were today.
Due to the difficulty of the situation they began with, these individuals were unusually united. They had to rely on the strength of the whole to slowly obtain land from the Black Forest’s terrifying magical creatures.
These difficult trials had tempered their will and power.
In combat power alone, the adepts from the three major organizations were far superior to the Central adepts. That was the main reason why the adepts of the Adept’s Association had always looked down on the Central adepts!
In the recent thousands of years, the territories of the three major organizations had expanded. However, the Central lands alone remained unchanged, with no obvious expansion of any sort.
That alone was proof that the lives of the Central adepts were far too peaceful, so much so that they had completely abandoned the idea of fighting for a better future.
The territory in the Central lands was too vast. As such, it had been divided into three dozen regions of completely different cultures and geography. The Adept’s Association only had one-fifth of the land of the Central lands, and they also split these lands into a dozen different territories. However, the actual authority over these lands was firmly held by the hands of the Association.
Meanwhile, the means by which the Adept’s Association exerted their authority was through the tall, intimidating adept towers!
All the adept towers belonged to the Adept’s Association. Any Association adept or apprentice that chose to roam the lands could freely visit the towers and obtain their required supplies.
It was because of such a generous atmosphere of learning and cultivation that the apprentices and adepts felt such belonging and trust in the Adept’s Association.
While they traveled this vast land in pursuit of their studies, they represented the Adept’s Association and the will of all these towers. At these times, the existence of the adept clans felt incredibly insignificant, so much so that they were more comparable to human nobles than the adepts.
Thus, adepts of the east were Association adepts first, and members of their respective clans, second. Moreover, they only took pride in their status as members of the Adept’s Association. Their clan was no more than their background and where they were born.
At this moment, Greem could only smile bitterly in the face of two proud Association adepts.
After all, when it came to a sense of belonging and pride, Zhentarim would never be able to compare to the Adept’s Association!
…………
Seven days later.
After a long journey crossing tens of thousands of kilometers, the skyship finally arrived at the heart of Association territory–the Izar Province.
The Izar Province was the headquarters of the Adept’s Association. It was also the largest, richest region of the eleven provinces. The population of humans here was incredibly dense, with many settlements bustling with life. They were not as cold or harsh as the other settlements at the borders of Association lands.
The first thing that could be seen when the skyship emerged from the forest were the numerous towers. The adept towers here stood in a circle, surrounding the main settlements of Izar and providing people with a sense of security.
Meanwhile, at the center of the towns and settlements, a particularly sizeable adept tower pierced through the clouds, making everyone who witnessed it feel all the tinier.
The heart of the Adept’s Association, the Tower of Observation!
Even if Greem had never been here personally, he had read descriptions and praises of this Tower of Observation in many books.
It was a palace of magic that gathered the intelligence and techniques of all the adepts.
It was a mysterious tower that carried the dreams and ideals of tens of thousands of adepts.
It was the spine that propped up the very world of the adepts.
The Tower of Observation did not appear at all inferior to the Silver Union’s Castle in the Sky. Instead, it was constantly motivating and inspiring the countless numbers of Association adepts.
Many adepts even spread the rumor that a mysterious door of light existed at the Tower of Observation’s highest floor. Once Association adepts had made it past Fourth Grade, they would reluctantly step through that door and venture to the realms beyond to find new lands and new homes for themselves.
Thus, that door of light was imbued with a veil of mystery and wonder by the many adepts.
It was almost as if any adept that had the luck to walk through that door could successfully advance past Fourth Grade and become one of the revered Great Adepts!
Such rumors were, obviously, not
to be believed. However, when Greem witnessed the tower for himself, his eyes were uncontrollably attracted to the top of the tower hidden above the clouds. He couldn’t help but wonder what that door of light honestly looked like.
Most flying ships could only land near the towers on the outside. None of them could enter the inner region. Only a few ships could make it past the perimeter of towers and fly straight for that magnificent tower at the center.
In response to the confused look that Greem gave him, Horner smiled and explained, “There are no-fly zones close to the headquarters. Ordinary flying ships and mounts are not allowed to fly here. However, Association elders are exempt. We can fly straight to the Tower of Observation, so there’s no hassle of having to switch to a different transport.”
Greem nodded in understanding when he heard this.
The flying ship casually drifted across the sky, past vast stretches of farms, towns, and villages.
Soon, the giant tower approached!
The closer they were, the more Greem could feel the pressure and intimidation emanating from the tower.
Finally, the ship slowly landed about fifteen kilometers away from the Tower of Observation.
A short moment later, the adepts got onto black carriages that drove them towards the tower’s entrance.
Billis rode on the same carriage as Greem.
Billis appeared exceptionally excited and restless at being in a new place.
His body, curled up in his seat, was squirming without stop. He was almost like a child that had just found a new toy.
Billis turned his head and looked at the faint red light all around them. He knew that Greem’s barrier of fire completely protected them. Thus, he felt safe enough to ask, “My Lord, who exactly won between you and that female adept?”
“No one won, and no one lost. Someone intervened before we could reach a conclusion!” Greem casually said.
“Still…you should have an estimate in your mind! Who would’ve won?” Billis’ admiration and respect for Greem had reached unprecedented heights ever since he advanced to Third Grade. That was why he seemed particularly adamant about learning whether Greem had won.
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