Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The hall instantly fell silent upon these words.

  The expressions of the Fourth Grade adepts flickered and changed as they brooded in silence!

  Chapter 1354 - Meeting of the Higher-Ups

  “……”

  “Major clans neighboring the Black Forest are to send out forces and adepts to exterminate magical creatures within your corresponding areas of jurisdiction. No species of magical creature can be allowed to have more than a population of a hundred within five hundred kilometers of the Black Forest’s border. Wild magical creatures of Second Grade and above are to be terminated with extreme prejudice.

  “Post mobile scouts in the key areas to keep a constant eye on changes in the Black Forest.

  “The Bracada and Dagon regions are situated in the south. They are unprotected by any Fourth Grade forces, and the local mid and small clans jointly manage the area. Given their individual powers, they won’t be capable of much more than defense. Notify them to immediately organize a coalition army to exterminate the magical creatures in the Black Forest.

  “As for their lack of high-grade adepts. Adept Matthew, your Bane Clan is the closest to Bracada. You will work with their coalition army and set up camp in the Black Forest there. The Bane Clan does not need to participate in the extermination, but your people will be responsible for hunting down the more powerful high-grade magical creatures. That is fine with you, yes?”

  The silent Matthew thought for a moment after hearing Greem’s question. Once he was sure that this assignment wouldn’t affect him or his clan adversely in any fashion, he nodded and assented.

  “Understood, everything will be done as instructed by Lord Greem!”

  “Mm!” Greem was calm and composed. He continued delegating the duties, “The situation in the Dagon region is a little more complicated. It has to contend with both the Black Forest and the Underground World. Adept Mirva, your Annemdor Academy isn’t all that far from Dagon. Why don’t you be responsible for the defense of Dagon?”

  At this point, all of Mirva’s edge had been worn away by the repeated incidents in recent days. He actually appeared like the elderly man he was. Just judging from his outward appearance, he had already entered the twilight phase of his life. Both his physical body and Spirit were showing signs of decay.

  “Understood. I will contact the clans at Dagon immediately once I return!”

  “Mm!” Having dealt with the south, Greem turned his sights to the clans in the north, “Adept Mila, Adept Ariza, Adept Roderick. The territory of your three clans neighbors the Black Forest. You should have no problem dealing with this magic surge on your own, am I right?”

  The three adepts looked at each other. Finally, it was Ariza, who was dressed like a barbarian, who spoke up first.

  “Our Mansour Clan might run into some problems.”

  “Ooh? Please, elaborate.”

  Ariza, who had an ancient war-ape bloodline, hesitated for a moment.

  He looked around the room before finally gritting his teeth and revealing the true state of his clan’s affairs.

  “The Mansour Clan holds possession of three lesser planes. The two small lesser planes have been fully developed. Security should not be a problem. However, the intermediate plane is my concern. We have only barely managed to establish a foothold there, let alone begin any sort of development. Once this magic surge erupts, most interplanar teleportation will be affected. I am worried that our only forward post there will be removed by the enemy while we are unable to send reinforcements. However, if we of the Mansour Clan were to station too many adepts there to stabilize the situation, we probably won’t have enough forces to deal with the Black Forest.”

  The resources and lesser planes controlled by each clan were classified secrets. They would never reveal them of their own accord if they were not staring down the barrel of such a calamity.

  It had been seven hundred years since Ariza advanced to Fourth Grade. It was entirely ordinary for him to have the coordinates of three lesser planes in his possession. After all, even as ruthless as the Crimson Clan was, they still controlled no more than four lesser planes.

  However, of these four lesser planes, the Goblin Plane and Seawoods Plane were already very developed. Only Lance was still being slowly colonized. Meanwhile, all sorts of rare mineral deposits had already been discovered in the Mountain Plane. Unfortunately, due to its harsh environment, the development wasn’t progressing too quickly.

  They had also exterminated Freed’s Jorma Clan recently and taken their five lesser planes’ coordinates into their own hands. However, due to the change in regime, the established order in these lesser planes had returned to chaos. Reestablishing governance and building up a supply chain of resources again would take at least a few decades.

  Since Ariza had taken the lead, Adept Mila, dressed in a red noblewomen’s dress, also decided to speak up.

  “I will also have problems on my side! I have four lesser planes in my hand, two of which are still unstable. We won’t have any trouble with the routine extermination in the Black Forest still, but we won’t be able to have the forces needed to execute any high-grade magical creatures that appear.”

  Greem nodded. His eyes then landed on the last adept who had yet to say anything, Adept Roderick.

  He was a pretty man dressed like a noble. His face had a very feminine beauty to it. In addition to the eyeliner he had applied to himself, he was a rather androgynous individual.

  “I won’t have any problems. My clan can manage both the lesser planes and the Black Forest. There won’t be any trouble!”

  Greem nodded in satisfaction. He then said, “Since Adept Ariza and Adept Mila have a slight lack in military power, our Crimson Clan will reinforce you with an adequate number of magical machines. The mobile, two thousand-strong magical machine army will be sent to Ariza’s clan to exterminate the magical creatures! On the other side, our Crimson Clan will send out two Third Grades to help Adept Mila. We shouldn’t have any trouble this way!”

  Ariza and Mila both placed a hand on their chests and expressed their gratitude upon hearing this.

  “Now that the matter of the Black Forest is settled, we should talk about the spatial rifts,” Greem looked around at everybody and said solemnly,” The moment the first magic-surge wave hits, all the spatial rifts and voids will open naturally. The planar barrier will no longer be able to stop the spacestorm or otherworldly creatures from entering. As such, every clan must perform a comprehensive and detailed investigation of weak spatial points in their territories. We must then try and reinforce these locations.

  “As for known mega-rifts that form naturally……”

  Upon saying this, every adept, Greem included, couldn’t help but look at Andrew sympathetically. The most famous mega-rift in the Central Lands was located in Ahlden Clan territory.

  That mega-rift was a massive tear measuring a full kilometer in length. Should it open, the Ahlden Clan would be in hot water!

  The mega-rift had not been a source of disaster for the Ahlden Clan in the past couple of thousand years. On the contrary, it was their most significant source of wealth.

  As one of the few spatial weak points in the World of Adepts, crossing through the planar barrier at these mega-rifts cost one-tenth of the energy required in other locations. The Ahlden Clan constructed numerous portals to other well-known worlds at the edge of this mega-rift. They profited greatly from their interplanar trade.

  To be absolutely honest, one out of every two otherworldly slaves in the Central Lands had entered the World of Adepts through this mega-rift.

  However, with the incoming magic surge, this giant treasure box had suddenly turned into a noose around the Ahlden Clan’s neck. Given the fragility of space there, extremely powerful starbeasts could force their way in, let alone smaller magical creatures.

  Starbeasts. They were the natural enemies of all planar creatures!

  They spent their lives in the depths of space, continually end
uring the corrosion of the magic tides, to the extent that they were already immune to ordinary elementium spells. Elementium adepts had no hopes of even injuring them if they did not draw upon the power of laws.

  Moreover, the power system of the starbeasts was entirely different from planar creatures. Consequently, the magic resistance that some adepts were so proud of was utterly useless in negating their attacks.

  The consequence of these two factors was that a single Fourth Grade starbeast could easily defeat four to five human adepts of the same grade. Should a swarm of starbeasts emerge from the mega-rift during the magic surge, the Ahlden Clan would most certainly face destruction!

  “Don’t look at me! If the magic surge comes, my Ahlden Clan is definitely incapable of defending the mega-rift alone! When that happens, the starbeasts won’t just be ravaging my territory, mind you. The entire Central Lands will be affected,” Andrew warned viciously.

  “Hmph! Your Ahlden Clan didn’t think about us when you were making a killing with the mega-rift. Now you want to drag us down when danger’s heading your way?” Adept Declan couldn’t help but grunt unpleasantly.

  “He’s right. Your Ahlden Clan has made so much profit from the mega-rift over the years. It’s about time you take a little of your treasuries to strengthen the seal there,” It was Ashton of the Smalley Clan who spoke up now. His territory was only separated from the Ahlden Clan by one region. They would be affected as well if the starbeasts invaded.

  It was no wonder he was so upset!

  “Don’t worry. We of the Ahlden Clan won’t be shrinking back. I will arrange for the sealing of the mega-rift once I return from this meeting. I will do my best and construct more war towers within this ten-year buffer period. We will surround the mega-rift completely,” Andrew gritted his teeth and made a promise. The topic then turned to a different one. “However, our clan will still be lacking in military power then. I’m afraid I will need your help to fill the war towers constructed then!”

  Everyone’s expression turned at the mention of this.

  It was obvious that Andrew wanted their adepts to risk their lives for the Ahlden Clan’s sake!

  The atmosphere of the room froze and turned cold.

  There were too many regions and clans in the Central Lands. Each clan had its own needs and welfare to take care of. Unifying them in essence and not just name alone was a monumental task!

  If Greem didn’t step forth at this moment, today’s meeting would end on an unpleasant note. Everybody would go back to dealing with things their own way, just like they always had in the past.

  Greem coughed and attracted everyone’s attention. He then started speaking.

  “Andrew, that is your clan’s territory. You must take on most of the responsibility!”

  Andrew’s face turned dark, but he knew that there was no refuting this point. He could only nod and acknowledge the fact.

  “However, we won’t just sit by and watch either. Do what you can with the resources you have. The rest of us will pitch in where you are lacking.

  “When the magic surge arrives, I will have Mary move Nightmare Castle over to help you guard the mega-rift. Furthermore,” Greem turned and looked at Mornashen Gaia, “One of us two must be guarding the mega-rift at all times! What do you think?”

  Mornashen Gaia, leader of the Gaia Clan, hesitated for a moment. He nodded reluctantly!

  Chapter 1355 - Trouble in the Central Lands

  A magic surge was coming!

  What was a magic surge?

  Just half a day after the conclusion of the Crimson Conference, this bewitching term started to spread to every corner of the Central Lands like a plague.

  However, the news did not spread uncontrollably outward. It was contained amongst the adepts.

  The ordinary civilians and haughty nobles were completely ignorant. They lived their busy lives as always, hunting, trading, and farming; they were oblivious to the terrifying calamity that would befall this world.

  The adepts had locked down all information, preventing any cause of panic among the mortals.

  However, when the news spread amongst the adepts, many of them were just as confused.

  What was a magic surge? Where did it come from? What threat did this pose to them? Why did the legendary fire adept who had unified the Central Lands in name summoned everyone to Crimson Wing just to convey this news? Was a magic surge such a terrifying event?

  Endless questions and doubts flooded the minds of most adepts. They could only dive into books and papers, hoping to find information on magic surges in the vast sea of knowledge.

  Once every ten thousand years…an eruption of magic energy…the appearance of spatial rifts…magical creature intrusions…starbeast invasions.

  Numerous shocking words jumped off the pages at the adepts, each one chilling and terrifying to behold. Ten thousand years was simply far too long for them, long enough for history to turn into legend and truth into myth.

  Now, when the world showed them the true face of history once again, every single adept was stunned. Once again, they felt their insignificance against the vastness of the universe.

  Adepts were some of the most elite individuals in this world, enjoying a debaucherous life of luxury and authority. However, they were hardly a splash in the overwhelming river of the multiverse’s history. At the very best, they were only a tiny drop of water that flowed along the river, living their small, perfect little lives.

  They were much like summer insects who could never speak of ice, believing themselves to have understood the world fully after flying to so many gardens and visiting so many patches of grass. They lived carefree lives, enjoying themselves to the fullest and burning up the rest of their lives in a mere summer.

  How could they possibly know what lay beyond the warmth and heat of summer days?

  How could they know that after the chilly autumn winds would come the white-clad world of winter and then spring, where all things came to life?

  Those who could become adepts had a much longer lifespan than mortals. In their eyes, mortals were these summer insects, ignorant to the world’s truth and cruelty.

  Adepts understood the planar worlds and had their sights set on the realms beyond. They had witnessed a greater, larger, and more majestic world beyond the one they resided in. However, just when these adepts had believed themselves to have grasped the world’s pulse, this one unfamiliar term dragged them into a completely foreign domain.

  The adepts might be beings as powerful as gods themselves in the eyes of mortals. However, in the eyes of truly powerful existences, these adepts were as frail as ants. They were so insignificant it wasn’t even worth mentioning them.

  They should not have run into such a universal calamity given their short lifespans that lasted only a few hundred years. For better or worse, they were fortunate enough to personally experience this overwhelming and mysterious magic surge in ten years.

  Yellowed and tattered tomes were dug out of libraries, and pieces of classified secrets from ancient books were uncovered. All the information put together, pieced together, made for a bloody picture!

  Magic surges were horrifying things. The horror of a magic surge was beyond their imagination!

  According to incomplete records that the adepts managed to uncover, the last time the World of Adepts experienced a magic surge was 8,500 years ago. This coming magic surge was about 1,500 years early.

  The last time the magic tides in space turned turbulent, it lasted for a hundred years, causing a dozen waves of magic surges. The damage inflicted on the World of Adepts during that period was unimaginable. The population of the Central Lands was reduced by more than half, and as many as thirty percent of the adepts died in the line of battle.

  Of course, that wasn’t the worst of it!

  According to the ancient records, the Adept’s Association was the one who suffered the most severe casualties.

  A massive spatial rift had appeared there, and a shocking
number of starbeasts had swarmed in. They had ravaged the land, causing the Adept’s Association’s population to shrink by two-thirds and over fifty percent of its adepts to die.

  One had to admit that the magic surge that lasted for a hundred years had profoundly changed the World of Adepts.

  Inkdeep Valley, located in Adept’s Association territory, was said to be the terrifying remnant of a bloody battle between an ultra-powerhouse adept and an intruding starbeast. It had been several thousand years now, and the marks left upon the world had yet to fade.

  That alone was a testament to the ferocity and terror of that fight!

  The mega-rift left in the Ahlden Clan’s territory was also a remnant from the last magic surge. It was a rift that the World of Adepts could not patch up, even now.

  Along with the news of the incoming magic surge came the Crimson Conference’s firm and indisputable instructions.

  Clear out the Black Forest, search for spatial weak points, migrate core population to more stable regions, andincrease construction of war towers.

  It was a preparation guide from the Crimson Clan, and it would serve as the defense strategy for the entire Central Lands in the next ten years!

  When the Central adepts finally digested this news of a magic surge, the region was soon filled with complaints and lamentations.

  It was important to note that every Fourth Grade adept, upon advancement, would declare the most bountiful region available as their clan headquarters. Naturally, such a place would be a safe place, far from the Black Forest and surrounded by other areas.

  Bit by bit, the numerous small and mid-sized clans were forced to the edge of the Central Lands. Without any exception, all of them would face the danger of a stampede from the Black Forest.