Age of Adepts

Greem had seen plenty of Swamp Giants on the way here.

They were humanoid creatures, wide and bulky, with massive bodies, thick legs, and tentacle-like arms. Their bodies were also covered in many strange, tumor-like growths.

An adolescent Swamp Giant was an average of ten meters tall. Even juvenile Swamp Giants were at least three meters tall.

Yet, Sage Moat was claiming that he was a Swamp Giant. That…was slightly beyond Greem’s comprehension.

It made Greem more certain that Sage Moat was certainly a deviant, even amongst the Swamp Giants.

Only someone with exceptional talent could outshine the rest of the Swamp Giants and become the guide, observer, and Sage of the massive Marsh Wetlands.

Greem fumbled for words for a few seconds before finally nodding, “It seems you must be an exceptional person, even among the Swamp Giants. Otherwise, you couldn’t have reached your current level.”

Even though he was already a Fourth Grade that stood far above most planar creatures, Sage Moat still lived a simple and humble life. Greem could barely see any of the blinding energy radiance given off by high-grade equipment on his body.

There were no energy signatures on the moss robe he was wearing, the staff he was holding, or any planar law flux unique to high-grade items. These were obviously just mundane items. In all honesty, even an ordinary apprentice adept in the World of Adepts would not be so poor!

However, Greem quickly understood the situation.

After all, the creation of any high-grade item required a tremendous amount of alchemical knowledge as support, as well as many forging techniques and methods. This knowledge didn’t come just from the inspiration of one or two geniuses. It was an accumulation of experience over generations.

Meanwhile, the Spirit World had not constructed a centralized system of knowledge and legacy.

Their Sages and powerhouses were scattered across the Spirit World like loose pearls, lacking a single thread that could unite them into a unified force.

If one were being nice, you could call this being free, and if you wanted to be honest, you would say that they were in a state of disunity!

No wonder Moat lived such a simple, crude life even though he was a Fourth Grade.

The two Fourth Grades sat by the campfire, enjoying the stew made out of fire dragon ribs. The rich energy aura in the stew stirred Moat’s appetite as well. He devoured his portion in the blink of an eye.

“What meat is this? The fire aura in it is so dense,” Moat enjoyed his meal tremendously. When he let out a burp, a small burst of fire flared from his mouth. “It’s good…so good! I haven’t had ribs with so much kick in my life!”

“It’s Third Grade fire dragon meat,” Emelia giggled as she continued stirring the metal pot with a ladle. “This is the fire dragon feast that only our clan leader gets to enjoy. If it weren’t for you today, our clan leader wouldn’t have been sharing it with us!”

“Fire dragon meat…and Third Grade!” Moat couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.

Dragons were terrifying creatures that reigned over the skies in the eyes of the Sages.

Moat might be a Fourth Grade, but if he were to challenge a Fourth Grade dragon, he would have no chance of victory. Moat didn’t even have absolute confidence in defeating a Third Grade dragon.

The most important reason for that was the dragons’ ability to fly, as well as their fearsome breath. Having Moat fight against the dragons when they could fly and he couldn’t was a ridiculous proposition.

He couldn’t pursue them or hit them.

Even Moat couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of dragons.

As it goes, when you eat someone’s bread, you owe someone a favor!

Moat hesitated for a brief moment. Finally, he took out some dried mushrooms tied in a string and tossed them into the pot.

“Since you were so generous as to treat me with fire dragon meat, I can’t be holding back either. These are Giant Shiitake Mushrooms unique to the Marsh Wetlands. Their fragrance lingers for a long time and is the best condiment to any dish. Moreover, if you eat these mushrooms for a long time, it will improve your Physique as well!”

“Oh? It’s beneficial to one’s Physique?” Even Greem couldn’t help but be moved when he heard this.

Elementium adepts like himself, whose Physique had reached 32 points, were already a rarity. Trying to improve Physique further at this point was exceedingly difficult.

Of course, if Greem used the body-refining adept’s method of stimulating the body, there would still be room for improvement. However, those methods often came at the cost of Spirit. Greem could not possibly resort to such measures!

Thus, Greem couldn’t help but pick up one of the cooked mushrooms and place it into his mouth when he heard of their wondrous benefit.

The mushroom was fragrant, and its texture was smooth.

While Greem was tasting the mushroom, his Spirit was focused on the Chip’s report.

[Beep. Detecting strange, high-energy material. Edible. Said material’s fragrance contains elements that are capable of asserting beneficial stimulation to cells. Estimates suggest that the host’s Physique will improve slightly after consuming the material. Host will have to consume the material 100 times to improve Physique by 1 point. Resistance to improvement is estimated to be after 210 servings.]

Greem instantly drew in a breath of cold air when he saw the Chip’s analysis.

Didn’t this mean that his Physique could still improve by 2 points if he continued to consume these mushrooms?

The fundamental benefit that 2 points of Physique could bring for a Fourth Grade fire adept like himself was far more than 5 or 6 points for a low-grade adept. If these 2 points of Physique could be provided to Fourth Grade body-refining adepts, it would only bring them more benefit.

If the Crimson Clan got their hands on these mushrooms and sold them in the World of Adepts, it would surely drive the Fourth Grade adepts mad with desire.

After all, at their level, there were simply far too few means by which to improve any of their attributes by 2 points without any drawbacks.

Greem remained silent for a moment. He couldn’t help but speak up, “Sage Moat, will you be willing to trade the spores of these Giant Shiitake Mushrooms? If you are willing, I can trade some knowledge and materials with you.”

“These Giant Shiitake Mushrooms are a special mushroom that I managed to breed. If you want the mushrooms themselves, I’m happy to give you a batch of them. But if you want the spores, then…”

“Then?”

“Then, you will have to help me with something!”

Greem wasn’t surprised at Sage Moat’s suggestion. Instead, he looked calmly at him. “What is it?”

“Several small lakes in the Marsh Wetlands have gone dry mysteriously without any reason over the past few years, reduced to dead, dry mud. Many Fungus Giants, Swamp Lords, and other creatures living in these places have contracted a terrifying blight. Swamp creatures infected by this blight show obvious signs of decay on their bodies. They then go mad and start attacking everything around them.”

Greem listened silently to Moat’s explanation. His eyebrow was raised slightly, as if deep in thought.

“You mean…you want me to investigate the cause of this blight for you?”

“Yes. As long as you can find the source of the blight, I can give you the Giant Shiitake Mushroom spores as a reward. If you can eliminate the source of the blight, I have two more special mushrooms in my possession. One is beneficial to the Spirit, and the other benefits elementium affinity.”

“Hss…” Greem drew in a breath of cold air once more. When he looked at Moat again, it was as if he was looking at a walking treasury.

Even a sunken ship had three pounds of nails in it!

He honestly had never expected that this seemingly poor and broke Sage Moat could have treasures that would move even him.

However, even the best treasures could not get in the way of his central purpose here!

Greem fell silent for a moment before speaking, “Sage Moat, in all honesty, we are here at the Marsh Wetlands for the Primal Water. Before we get our hands on the Primal Water, I don’t wish to branch off into other affairs.”

“Primal Water?” Moat turned and looked at Emelia, before calmly saying, “This little girl didn’t provoke you into coming here, did she? There is indeed Primal Water here in the Marsh Wetlands. It is kept in the holy lands of the magical sporepeople. If you want to obtain the Primal Water, you will unavoidably clash with them!”

“Yes. That is why I want to hear your opinion before I head to the Spore Forest!”

Moat fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally said: “You must have heard the news of the Marsh Wetlands along the way. Over the past few years, there have been drastic changes happening here. The driving force behind the changes is the leader of the magical sporepeople, Fahssn, the lord of the Fungi Giants Kalvax, and several other independent Swamp Lords.

“So, I suggest you accept this request to investigate the blight! With the investigation as an excuse, you can brazenly enter most regions in the Marsh Wetlands without being stopped by the local creatures. If I am not wrong, this calamity that has befallen the Marsh Wetlands is very likely to have something to do with the actions of the magical sporepeople.”

Greem’s eyes gleamed when he heard Moat’s words.

“You mean to say that if the blight does have something to do with the magical sporepeople, you will be willing to act as well?”

“Not just me,” Moat tapped his staff angrily. “I have contacted Mortok, the King of the Hydras and Morses Lightwing, the Leader of the Sporebats. As long as you produce sufficient evidence, I will personally exile those bastards from the Marsh Wetlands!”

It seemed like the calamity of the Marsh Wetlands had caused Moat to become uncharacteristically furious.