Age of Adepts

Negotiations were always long and challenging.

Moreover, the result of negotiations would always end up equal to the difference in power between the two negotiating parties.

One had to admit that Mary’s shocking display of power had indeed given the Crimson Clan greater leverage in this mediation. Even those who believed they had figured out the true depth of the Crimson Clan’s power were now confused and in despair.

Who would’ve thought? Who would’ve expected!?

Not only did the Crimson Clan have their clan leader, the legendary fire adept in possession of two artifacts and with power rivaling an ultra-powerhouse now. Bloody Queen Mary had now demonstrated that she held equally fearsome strength.

The combination of Mary and the Nightmare Castle might not be equal to a true ultra-powerhouse, but as long as they remained where they had their home-field advantage, they could unleash power equivalent to an ultra-powerhouse.

This combination could be considered an ultra-powerhouse that could only be used on the defense!

It also meant that a mere adept clan in the Central Lands possessed two pseudo-ultra-powerhouses. Such absolute power was not just enough to crush the Central Lands’ clans, but also sufficient to make the three major organizations treat them seriously. They would have to truly ponder if they should improve their relationship with the Crimson Clan.

A change in quality could occur when there was sufficient quantity!

When Greem was the only pseudo-ultra-powerhouse of the Crimson Clan, he still did not possess enough influence. The three major organizations had plenty of means to keep him in check using their vast reserves of power and resources.

However, when the Crimson Clan gained another pseudo-ultra-powerhouse, the three major organizations’ numerical advantage became far less obvious. It was no longer practical for them to hope to intimidate the entirety of the Central Lands by sending over an ultra-powerhouse, as they had done in the past.

Curse Adept Cerveris’ defeat last time could be interpreted as an outlier. However, with Mary’s rise to power, those who once looked down upon the Central Lands would have to properly reconsider the consequences of recklessly throwing their weight around now.

Cerveris had not shown himself once since he returned to the Adept’s Association and hid in his room. It was said that the injuries he sustained were severe. There was no way he could remove the foreign laws that had seeped into his body without several years of treatment.

In contrast, Greem had recovered enough to come out of hiding after just a month.

In this regard alone, Greem was superior to Cerveris. He was a genuine powerhouse that no one could underestimate.

There were no more than ten ultra-powerhouses throughout the entirety of the World of Adepts. All of them were split between the three major organizations. In the past, Gaia Clan Leader Mornashen Gaia was the only one who had been able to reach this level in the Central Lands.

Greem and Mary’s sudden appearance would now undoubtedly affect the balance of power in the World of Adepts significantly!

To put it frankly, even if Greem and Mary were utterly penniless now, their status and power as pseudo-ultra-powerhouses would allow them to do almost anything they wanted. The three major organizations could not stop them if they wanted to plant their roots in the Central Lands’ power vacuum and develop.

In the World of Adepts, power was authority, and absolute power was absolute authority!

Even a gigantic organization like the Adept’s Association would not be able to suppress two united ultra-powerhouses.

That was why Tartas and Monari were not the only subdued ones when Mary displayed her ‘true power.’ Kerala, Alfred, and Declan had also been impressed.

Ultra-powerhouses were ultra-powerhouses. Even a pseudo-ultra-powerhouse had the overwhelming power to crush a Fourth Grade adept in combat!

Tartas and Monari, who had come here in ‘sincerity,’ immediately got up and bid farewell to their hosts.

Their outdated information had not only made their trip completely pointless but had also given them quite a scare. They obtained none of the things promised to them in their agreement with Freed. The only thing they could do was bring back terrible news to the senate heads and senate members; it was awful news that no one would like to hear.

As for whether they would be allies or enemies with the Crimson Clan in the future? That was not a matter that could be decided by two ‘humble’ senate members like themselves.

After sending off the two Silver Union senate members, it was once again a closed-door meeting between the allied forces of the Crimson Clan. The three Fourth Grade adepts were now much more humble and gentle in their attitude toward Mary and Greem.

In the past, Mornashen Gaia’s presence meant that Greem would have always been kept in check, no matter how powerful he was. He would require the aid of these three guests of his if he wanted to unify the Central Lands.

That was why Kerala, Alfred, and Declan had yet to put down their pride as Fourth Grade adepts. They always carried themselves and referred to themselves as ‘allies’ of the Crimson Clan.

However, with Mary’s sudden growth in power now, a single Mornashen Gaia could no longer keep them both in check. The balance of power in the Central Lands was leaning far too heavily in their favor. The rise of the Crimson Clan was now unstoppable!

Under such circumstances, the three Fourth Grade adepts were no longer as important as they previously believed themselves to be. If they did not lower themselves slightly, there might no longer be a place for them in the Central Lands of the future.

They might feel hints of sorrow and despair in their hearts, resentful that they had been born in the same era as this prodigious couple. However, more than anything, they were probably rejoicing that they had not made enemies out of the Crimson Clan for their own reasons.

Compared to them, Mirva, Nicolas, Matthew, and the others were probably wallowing in regret now! They could only imagine the despair they would feel when news of Mary’s strength reached their ears.

The three Fourth Grade adepts could easily imagine their reactions without seeing it for themselves.

The clans that the opposing adepts belonged to were also ancient clans that had existed in the Central Lands for thousands of years. They all had various connections and relationships formed over these years, whether on the surface or in the shadows. However, these adepts and their clans might soon be exiled from Zhentarim because of their incorrect judgment. They would be forced to fight for scraps in foreign territories.

Just the thought of this cold reality sent chills down the spine of Kerala and the other two. They were all spooked at the very possibility that they might have been the one to suffer that fate.

Freed had been dealt with, and the Entom Clan exterminated. It was more than enough for an opening move. Once the rebels heard the news of what had happened here, there was no way they would gather together for a last stand.

At their level, everyone viewed their lives as the most important thing above all else, even above their clans.

To ask these Fourth Grade adepts to sacrifice themselves for their clan was an impossible task!

Kerala was almost entirely sure the rebels would panic and fall into helpless despair the moment they heard the Crimson Clan had two ultra-powerhouses.

Either flee or surrender.

There would not be a third option for them!

Gather together to form a resistance?

The fate of the Entom Clan was the bloodiest reality to answer those hopes of theirs.

They might wish to protect the former glory and freedom of their clan. However, if the pursuit of these things meant putting their lives in danger, they would rather suppress their desires and move on.

That…was the true nature of the spineless Fourth Grade adepts of the Central Lands!

…………

The so-called secret meeting was more accurately a show of Mary’s powers.

Once everyone had personally experienced the terrifying power of Mary and the Nightmare Castle, there was no longer any doubt as to the final victor of the struggle for power in the Central Lands.

After a brief discussion of the terms of surrender, Kerala, Alfred, and Declan left on their own, each of them hurrying to the various other Fourth Grade clans.

There was no need for verbal intimidation or threats. All that was needed was a presentation of the bloody reality, and they would naturally what best to choose.

Every one of them was a Central adept. Most of them were acquaintances of hundreds of years and had all sorts of relationships between them. Kerala, Alfred, and Declan would be far more effective as messengers than having the Crimson Fleet pay a visit to the clans one by one.

There were hundreds and thousands of adept clans, with as many as a dozen Fourth Grade clans. If a war were to break out, it would take at least a dozen years to wipe out all the opposition. To unify the Central Lands into a single organization would take decades of work.

That was why Greem leaned toward a peaceful unification, even though he was confident in crushing these stubborn rebels. It was the only way to best preserve the elites and essence of the Central Lands, instead of letting them go to waste in a civil war.

The actual situation was just as Adept Kerala predicted. When the Fourth Grade clans they visited heard that Bloody Queen Mary also possessed the might of a pseudo-ultra-powerhouse, they finally bowed their heads and entered agreements with the Crimson Clan. They would all invest their clan’s resources into the newly founded Horton Magic Academy.

Horton Magic Academy quickly grew in scale, becoming the largest and most famous public academy in the Central Lands.

A powerful faculty, an endless stream of adept resources, a specialized department system, and the backing of ultra-powerhouses- these were all reasons for its success!

Moreover, Greem’s focus was on the promotion of the Horton Magic Academy instead of turning the Crimson clan into the only mega-clan in the Central Lands. In that regard, his terms were very fair towards the various clans.

After all, the doors to Horton Magic Academy were always open to all adepts and apprentices. The talents that came out of the academy were also not required to join the Crimson Clan.

These terms and conditions were fairly beneficial to the smaller clans whose growth had been restricted in the past due to their lack of resources!

Thus, the sense of resistance that the incumbent forces held toward the Crimson Clan slowly faded over time.