Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  That was why he would be the first to reject a proposition to reinforce the Association!

  Adept Germaine hesitated when he heard Andrew’s question. In the end, he gritted his teeth and explained, “I’m not trying to hide anything…it’s just that the situation there is not looking good.

  “Our Association wouldn’t be in such bad straits if there were only those three minor Scourge Lords. The problem is the appearance of a strange creature in the depths of Inkdeep Valley. It’s not very powerful, but it has an unusually fearsome corruption ability. Up to this point, a third of the voodoo beasts we sent to the battlefield has been corrupted into mutated beasts by that creature.”

  “Directly corrupting your voodoo beasts on the battlefield and turning them into mutated beasts?” Greem suddenly interrupted to ask.

  “Yes, my lord! It is because of that monster causing trouble that the situation has turned so terrible. If…if we cannot exterminate this monster within ten days, the Association will probably have to abandon Inkdeep Valley and retreat to headquarters to defend our core territories,” Adept Germaine’s fear was written all over his face. It was obvious that the monster had left a horrifying impression on him.

  “The only ones that could possibly do such a thing are principle creatures,” Greem nodded and said, “Without similar principle powers to push back against it, ordinary creatures will be corrupted incredibly easily. Now I know why Domhnall sent you for me. He must be intending to borrow my principle powers!”

  “Well said, my lord. That is indeed the case!” Adept Germaine no longer concealed the truth now that Greem had managed to figure it out anyway. He nodded and acknowledged Greem’s conjecture, “Lord Domhnall also said that if you, my lord, were willing to help personally, the Association would—”

  Adept Germaine’s voice suddenly vanished at this point as he switched to magical voice transmission. It appeared as if he was promising some generous terms to Greem.

  A short moment later, Adept Germaine returned alone to the Ahlden Clan’s adept tower, leaving Greem, Kanganas, and Andrew beside the mega-rift.

  Kanganas might not be a native of the World of Adepts, but after some studying, he had gained a basic understanding of the Continent of Adepts.

  Upon seeing the Association adept leave, he was the first to ask in a shady voice, “From what I know, your relationship in the Adept’s Association is not very good. I wonder; what exactly did they give you to change your mind? You could keep defending the Central Lands and watch havoc break out in their territories. Wouldn’t that be a better idea?”

  “Origin substance……two-thousand siths of origin substance!” Greem replied calmly.

  “Two-thousand siths of origin substance…hm, quite the generous gift indeed! That said,” A trace of disbelief appeared on Kanganas’ smooth crystalline skull, “If you are claiming that you agreed to help them over some origin substance, then I will be the first to doubt that! They are your enemies. If they were to be severely weakened during this invasion, I am sure that would be more compatible with the Central Lands’ interests!”

  Andrew did not say anything, but judging from his expression, he agreed with the demigod lich’s view.

  The Adept’s Association was simply too powerful- so powerful that they could fight against the rest of the organizations of the Continent of Adepts alone.

  If it were possible to make them suffer losses due to the disaster creature invasion, then the Silver Union, Northern Witches, and the Central Lands would all be happy to see it happen.

  Greem chuckled and said, “If this wasn’t a magic surge, but just an ordinary invasion, I would be happy to watch from the sidelines. However, given that the magic surge is ongoing, it will be challenging to banish the Scourge Lords once they’ve established a foothold in the World of Adepts. As a member of our world, I must naturally obey the call of our planar consciousness and repel the invaders!”

  Greem suddenly changed the tune of the discussion to one of obligation. There was nothing Kanganas or Andrew could say to that. However, judging by how the lich was sneering, he didn’t believe a single word of what Greem had just said!

  Greem wasn’t bothered. He secretly whispered a few words to the lich with magic.

  “Now, that’s right! That’s appropriate for people of our stature. I knew you were planning something behind the scenes…kehkehkeh! Now I can rest easy.” The crimson soulfire in Kanganas’ eye sockets pulsed as he said excitedly, “Leave the task of relaying the information to me. I will make sure to get this news to that ‘esteemed person’ as quickly as possible. Kehkehkeh……”

  Andrew was drawing a blank. He had no idea what the two of them were talking about. However, he was sure that any individual being plotted against by a principle adept and a demigod lich was an unfortunate individual. No, an extremely…horribly…terribly unfortunate individual!

  “Andrew, don’t just stand around. Go tell all the Fourth Grades of the Central Lands to come here for a meeting. Two days is the limit. Anyone who doesn’t arrive in two days will have to bear the consequences!” Greem said nothing more after giving his orders. He shut his eyes and silently started recovering the strength he had lost in the battle earlier.

  At his current level, he would be able to recover by exhausting energy, no matter what damage he sustained. If there were wounds on his body that could not be healed, it would mean that he was nearing his limits.

  The mysterious enemy from earlier had clearly been a powerful principle adept. Compared to him, Greem’s application of the principle powers was akin to that of a toddler. They were not even remotely on the same level.

  If it weren’t for the Chip’s extraordinary calculation abilities, Greem would not have qualified to drag the battle into one of attrition. After the mysterious fight, most of the planar feedback Greem had obtained by repelling the Abyssal invasion had been consumed by planar backlash.

  That said, even though his losses were great, Greem didn’t come out of the battle empty-handed.

  At the very least, he now understood the basic concept of principle battles.

  He still would not be able to defeat the principle adept’s clone if they met again. However, if he combined with his starbeast bloodline, there was the slightest possibility Greem would be able to kill the clone.

  Now, it was just a question of whether that adept would be foolish enough to try the same thing again!

  …………

  The Ahlden Clan tower.

  Adept Germaine was maintaining communication with headquarters through a magical mirror in a room.

  Domhnall’s elderly face appeared in the crystal.

  “How did it go? Did Greem agree to act?”

  “My lord, he has yet to promise anything other than gathering the Fourth Grades of the Central Lands for a discussion,” Adept Germaine looked dejected.

  “Hmph! What’s there to be disappointed about? The fact that he would even react so favorably is already beyond our expectations. Isn’t he gathering the Fourth Grade adepts? You must make contact with all the Fourth Grade adepts before the meeting. Make any promises you must. Do it well, Germaine. I have already authorized the use of all our hidden resource sites for you. Do not hesitate to offer any resources or materials to the Fourth Grade adepts if it means being able to convince any of them.

  “Remember; at any cost, by any means necessary!”

  Chapter 1399 - Secret Discussions

  Chapter 1399 Secret Discussions

  Greem was now the ruler of the Central Lands in name and in truth.

  Every Fourth Grade adept of the Central Lands had gathered at the Ahlden Clan’s adept tower awaiting his audience, just a single day after his order.

  Even Ashton, who had been engaged in a bloody battle on a lesser plane, had hurried over. He had teleported twice through the arrays before arriving at the mega-rift. Thus, it wasn’t hard to see that Greem’s terrifying might had left an indelible impression on the Central Lands’ adepts.
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br />   Everyone had been busy with defending their territories and lesser planes after the magic surge erupted; they hardly had time to have a gathering like this one. Thus, everyone took the opportunity as best they could. The first few adepts who arrived had a small meeting of their own and exchanged what information they had.

  Truly, it was nice being able to enjoy the shade of a big tree!

  The appearance of a powerhouse like Greem in the Central Lands had, to some extent, started to change the commonplace and stubborn perception of Central adepts as weaklings. Greem’s shout toward the world had directly affected the Central Lands’ current political and military situation.

  Greem had managed to beat back the abyssal invasion alone and had sealed the mega-rift once again. He then intimidated the magical creature rulers of Black Forest, causing the more powerful magical creatures to avoid the last few stampedes.

  Even though the stampedes still caused terrible disasters and chaos in the various territories, the situation was much more contained. Without the powerful magical creatures to strengthen their ranks, the stampedes remained as disasters and did not escalate to a calamity level!

  The three regions to the south and the five to the north had all endured stampedes of varying severity. Overall, everything remained within a manageable range.

  This situation was already far better than everyone’s expectations!

  Gradually, the adepts became less opposed to Greem’s dominant position.

  The World of Adepts was a spellcaster civilization that respected power and worshipped those who wielded it. The many Central adepts were too used to being kings of their own hills in the past. They had forgotten the heart that pulsed at the center of the adept civilization.

  In the face of such a dominant and powerful fire adept, they could only adapt and obey. They did not have the power to rebel at all. That much was obvious enough to the adepts after all the blood that Greem had shed.

  The Central Lands had remained the same way for far too long. The political situation was outdated, inflexible, and utterly incompatible with the needs of the current times. This magic surge was both a test for the adepts as well as an excellent opportunity to shuffle the deck.

  The adept clans that could not adapt would slowly decline, while new clans would gain new life from these declining clans’ remains. Meanwhile, the clan that would oversee this change of power would undoubtedly be the most powerful Crimson Clan.

  As Greem forged one miracle after another, won glory after glory, the adepts finally became able to affirm his rule. Naturally, that also meant accepting the dominant status of the Crimson Clan.

  Consequently, with a single order from Greem, they all hurried here without hesitation, despite all the difficulties and conflict that their clans were still engaged in.

  The other clans were doing quite well. Only the two lesser planes under Ashton had run into trouble. The first plane was experiencing rebellion from the local natives, while otherworldly creatures had invaded the second. The two problems gave him a headache, and he had no choice but to hurry over to those planes personally.

  Having received a notification for the meeting while in one of the lesser planes, Ashton could only reluctantly hand over command to his aide, as unwilling as he was. He then returned to the clan with an interplanar teleportation array before using the public teleportation network to reach the Ahlden Clan’s adept tower.

  The bitter battle in the lesser planes, along with the turbulence of long-distance teleportation, gave Ashton a headache when he arrived.

  Fortunately, his formidable Spirit as a Fourth Grade adept allowed him to recover quickly and solemnly march out of the array.

  Adepts of the Ahlden Clan were already waiting here. They bowed and paid their respects to him.

  “Have they all arrived? Kerala as well?” Ashton asked once he had emerged from the teleportation array.

  He was well-acquainted with Kerala. Naturally, she was the first person he wanted to see to ask about this gathering’s purpose.

  “All the Fourth Grade adepts have arrived, my lord. You are the last one!” A middle-aged adept with a sickly yellow face walked over and explained the situation in a soft voice.

  Those bastards…always loved to oppose this and that, yet now they are so quick to scurry over when a meeting is called. Hmph!

  Ashton cursed in his mind and prepared to go look for Adept Kerala.

  Before he could leave the teleportation hall, a handsome young male adept wearing the Adept’s Association’s emblem stopped him in his path.

  “Please wait a moment, Lord Ashton!”

  A Third Grade adept of the Association? Why is such a fellow in Andrew’s tower?

  Ashton stopped in his tracks, several questions in his mind as he coldly evaluated the adept.

  The Adept’s Association had behaved far too oppressively and unreasonably all this while. Their relationship with the Central adepts wasn’t exactly genial.

  “My lord, please give us a moment to talk,” The young adept guided Ashton out of the teleportation hall and down two corridors. They stopped in a quiet corner as the adept finally introduced himself, “My name is Germaine, from the Adept’s Association. Lord Domhnall’s sends his greetings to you!”

  “Domhnall,” Ashton brooded in silence before saying, “What did he send you here for?”

  He knew that Domhnall was one of the most influential decision-makers of the Adept’s Association. His identity was rather unique. In fact, he was quite likely to be the clone of a Great Adept. Ashton naturally knew bits and pieces of this secret.

  “Since my lord has only just arrived, you might not know this. The reason Lord Greem has summoned you all for a meeting is to send reinforcements to the Adept’s Association,” Germaine smiled as he explained.

  “Reinforce the Association? Are you pulling my leg?” Ashton’s eyes opened wide. “The Association is so powerful. What could they possibly need the help of the Central Lands for?”

  Adept Germaine sighed in his mind. He could only softly explain what had happened in Inkdeep Valley, again. In all honesty, he had repeated the same words over a dozen times in just this one day alone.

  Inkdeep Valley…invasion of the disaster creatures…mutated beasts stampede…the collapse of the defensive line……

  A schadenfreude smile appeared on Ashton’s face as he listened to the adept’s explanation. The wars in the two lesser planes had run him ragged for the past few months so much that he had no time to deal with any matters beyond the clan.

  Now, it seemed like the Adept’s Association was having its fair share of trouble.

  For some reason, all the Central adepts had the same smirk on their faces when they heard news of the Adept’s Association predicament. Adept Germaine was already used to it by now!

  “Lord Ashton, the Association badly requires the aid of the Central Lands at this moment. If you could push for reinforcements during the meeting, then the Association will be willing……” At this point, Adept Germaine’s voice turned quiet as he switched to using magical messages to communicate.

  The two of them then started some intense negotiations in seclusion.

  After fifteen minutes, they had yet to come to an agreement. Germaine appeared to be hesitating as if he couldn’t decide on something.

  Ashton’s expression suddenly changed. He seemed to be listening to something. Then, he chuckled and asked, “Have you not decided yet? Kerala has informed me that the meeting is about to begin. Miss this opportunity, and I won’t agree to any of your terms again.”

  “Very well, then it is as you desire!” Adept Germaine gritted his teeth and said, “I will order that thing you want and have it sent to your clan. We will be relying on my lord in the meeting later then!”

  Ashton nodded in satisfaction.

  Ever since the magic surge erupted, this negotiation was the only thing that made him feel any joy or happiness. Though the situation in the lesser planes had yet to be resolved, bein
g able to get his hands on such an item was enough recompense to brighten his mood.

  …………

  The Central adepts met at the mega-rift.

  Greem had created a cloud of fire and kept it hovering in front of his chest, saving everyone the trouble of shouting back and forth.

  Mary and the others had also been summoned back from their demon-hunting mission.

  In just half a month, Mary had captured the marilith and imprisoned it in the Versailles. The high-grade flame fiend was killed by adepts and disassembled into a bunch of materials.

  The surviving quasit managed to flee into the Black Forest. Hunting it was a far more troublesome task now.

  That said, the Central Lands had finally managed to obtain some semblance of peace.

  Once they had secured this mega-rift, the magic surge’s first wave would be over for the Central Lands.

  Though the other Fourth Grade adept clans were still a mess, there were no terrible situations where kingdoms or territories were overrun.

  That was already incredibly fortunate!

  Naturally, at the center of all this and responsible for such an achievement was the legendary fire adept.

  Greem called everyone to come closer. He then looked around and said calmly, “The reason for today’s meeting is to decide on a rather important matter. Andrew, call Germaine over and have him explain the situation again!”

  Soon, Germaine hurried over and described the purpose of his visit in detail, as if he had never discussed the issue with the many adepts.