Age of Adepts

Greem temporarily settled in at the Goblin Chamber of Commerce.

Through Tor’s local connections, he started to track down the Adept of Torture covertly.

The Crimson Clan’s Goblin Chamber of Commerce was doing well in the Central Lands. But in Adept’s Association territory, where powerful adepts roamed everywhere, they could only keep a low profile.

Given Tor’s experience, the best he could do was contact Second Grade adepts here. No Association adept more powerful than that would care for an outsider goblin with no substantial background.

In all honesty, if it weren’t for the Crimson Clan emblems that they wore, most of the goblins would face immense danger and discrimination while traveling around the World of Adepts.

However, just as Greem was thinking hard about how to approach that terrifying Adept of Torture, a fancy invitation appeared before him.

“You must be Adept Greem.” A middle-aged adept in a white robe emblazoned with two interlocking silver rings bowed to Greem.

Judging from his aura, he was a Second Grade adept.

“You are?” Greem frowned slightly.

“My name is Leo. I am a subordinate of Lady Olivia. I have come with her orders to hand this invitation to you, sir!”

“Olivia?” Greem narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled as he said, “It seems like your Adept’s Association has been doing a good job when it comes to reconnaissance. You even managed to figure out my purpose in coming here. Tell me, what are you people planning?”

“My lady wishes very much to meet a powerful outsider like yourself. That is why she will be hosting a welcoming banquet at Blueberry Villa. She hopes you would give her the honor of attending that banquet.”

“And the time?”

“Three days from now.”

“I understand. Go back and report to your lady now then! Tell her I will arrive punctually.”

Leo nodded, bowed at Greem once again, and turned to leave.

Greem listened as his footsteps slowly turned softer in the distance. He then tapped the ornate invitation with its red paper and blue lettering. The elegant words instantly started twisting and distorting, finally projecting the face of a pretty adept.

“You must be Greem! I don’t care what purpose you have in mind in visiting me, but we will have to arrange a meeting. Remember; three days from now. I will be waiting for you at Blueberry Villa in the Ais Mountains. Come if you dare!”

A simple sentence, then the projection vanished. The energy aura dissipated without a trace, and all Greem was left with was an ordinary letter.

“Chip, how did it go? Did you manage to capture her soul aura?”

[Beep. A forcefield protected that projection message. Collection of soul aura unsuccessful. However, a portion of her magical flux was observed and is currently being analyzed.

[Beep. Analysis complete.

[Target: Olivia

Gender: Female

Target Grade: Intermediate Fourth Grade

Profession: Elementium Adept (Preliminary Mastery of Gravity Laws)

Innate Abilities: Magnetic Pulse Physique

Basic Attributes: Strength (Unknown) | Agility (Unknown) | Physique (Unknown) | Spirit 42

[Magical Equipment: Unknown

Combat Style: Unknown

Offensive Abilities: Unknown]

……

Greem couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh when he saw all the unknowns in the Chip’s analysis.

The Crimson Clan’s rise to power was still far too recent. Their foundations were weak, and they had practically zero influence anywhere else apart from Zhentarim. It seemed like training a professional intelligence agency within the clan for the purpose of obtaining information on the three major adept organizations would be a necessity.

At the very least, if the Goblin Chamber of Commerce here had been paying some attention, they wouldn’t be reduced to this situation where they had barely any information on Olivia.

Right. It was time to diversify and differentiate the clan’s various factions based on separate missions and purposes!

…………

Three days later.

A strange wind dragon beat its green-white wings and landed in front of a beautiful villa at the foot of a colossal mountain range. A gale ravaged the grass as the dragon slowly landed in a clearing beside a lake.

Greem, dressed in a light robe, stepped off the dragon wing onto the ground. Billis, who was cloaked in black, followed closely behind.

A dozen hawk-like magical mounts already rested upon this clearing. When they sensed the unique intimidating aura of the dragons, they shivered in fright and cowered in a group.

The few female apprentices that had been sent to receive the guest were also intimidated by the overwhelming aura of the Third Grade dragon. They couldn’t help but back away, their faces pale and white.

Greem turned around and waved his hand. The twenty-meter-long wind dragon instantly trembled. Its scales then quickly turned from solid to unusual wind elementium, which was then absorbed by a crystalline elementium core.

The elementium crystal core flew into Greem’s hand after taking in all the wind elementium. The light faded away, and it appeared just like a normal crystal.

“This must be one of the magical golem cores you make yourself, isn’t it, sir? Truly fantastic and much more powerful than the average golem summoning core. I would certainly love to purchase some from you and look into their secrets!” A handsome young adept smiled as he walked towards Greem.

“I’m sorry, you are?” Greem looked at the male adept as the Chip quickly identified several details based on his aura.

Third Grade. An unusual chill emanated from his soul. He should be an elementium adept of the ice attribute!

A single grade of difference meant heaven and earth. It didn’t matter how careful and how secretive you were. There was no way you could hide your secrets in front of a high-grade adept.

“I am Toyn, Lady Olivia’s subordinate. I am here under her orders to greet you. Please follow me! My lady has been waiting for your arrival for a while now.”

Having said that, Adept Toyn bowed and led Greem and Billis towards the entrance of the villa.

They could hear joyful music from the villa before they arrived, mixed with the giggles of women and the clinking of wine glasses.

The villa itself was a sea of joy and cheerfulness.

An ornate fountain flowed at the center of a wide, open-air hall. Jets of water burst out from the bottom of the pool, creating little rainbows as the light shone upon them.

Several small statues also stood to the side. These statues came to life–seemingly coordinated with the music–chasing each other around the fountain in rhythm. A pretty and seductive mermaid leaned against a rock at the center of that pool sang beautiful lyrics with her moving voice.

Long tables had been placed by the pool, serving all sorts of delicacies and drinks.

Adepts in formal dress and smiling nobles with wine glasses in their hands gathered together to talk or surrounded the pool to enjoy the mermaid’s performance. Some of them were even dancing and waltzing around the pool.

At a single glance, Greem discovered that most of the guests were adepts. Even the people who were dressed as nobles radiated some degree of magic. Obviously, those people also had a talent for magic and had only stopped pursuing being an adept for specific reasons.

Most of these people were also Second or Third Grade, exceptionally experienced, and clearly elites.

Greem and Billis passed through a garden under Toyn’s lead. They circled around the banquet and arrived at a somewhat quiet hall.

Adept Olivia, wearing a dinner dress, was waiting there for them calmly.

“My lord, please go in.” Toyn smiled as he said, “As for you, sir. You must be Adept Billis. Why don’t we go to the hall at the front for the moment? There’s a lot of people there who are looking forward to meeting you!”

Billis did not respond to this invitation. It wasn’t until Greem gave a subtle nod that he followed Adept Toyn to the hall at the front.

For some reason, the environment here had become much more peaceful and quiet.

Even though he could still hear the music from the hall, it sounded more distant and almost less real.

This hall was a flower house, filled with all sorts of plants. There were ornamental green vines, berries, and Purplesun flowers. There were also more vicious, carnivorous plants like the human-faced flowers, smiling mushrooms, and Seastench grass. However, even the most terrifying of magical plants could only cower obediently before a Fourth Grade adept.

Adept Olivia lifted her dress as she elegantly walked around with a watering can and watered the plants.

The magical plants waved their thorned branches, shaking off the beads of water like playful dogs.

Olivia was not wearing any shoes. She walked around the dirt with her white, smooth feet.

Tempted by the rich scent of her flesh, some of the magical plants had lost all rationality. They extended their roots and branches silently towards her white, bare feet.

These roots slithered like little serpents, arriving close to her feet under cover of the dirt.

Finally, one of the plants could no longer suppress their desire. The roots lashed forward like a biting snake.

Just a millimeter away from making contact with Olivia’s feet, a shapeless, formless halo pressed down. The roots and their owner were squashed to dirt by that halo as if they had been crushed between two giant rocks. All of its leaves, branches, and roots had been ground into an unrecognizable green paste.

A pungent stench filled the air. All the magical plants retracted their branches and curled up as if bitten by frost. They then started shivering like terrified children.