Age of Adepts

When he showed up at the meeting hall, the ‘guest’ was already waiting there.

It was a woman.

Her face was covered by a black cloth mask, obscuring her facial features.

The black, skin-tight leather suit she wore wrapped her body tightly and emphasized all her curves; it was a pleasing sight to the eyes. She had draped a loose robe over her leather armor to fit her identity as an adept, but there was still no concealing that perfect figure.

“Miss Oliven, how has your time in White Tower been? Why is it that you wanted an audience with me?” Greem said gently with a smile on his face, not at all putting on the airs of a high-grade adept.

Oliven twisted about on the couch in frustration at the sight of this calm and composed adept before her. She tried speaking a few times, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

“Greem…my lord.” Oliven’s face was practically blood red after gritting her teeth and spitting out the word lord.

This strange dragon devourer that was a guest member of the Crimson Clan clearly had too much to say to Greem, with absolutely no idea how to start. It was apparent that she had yet to get used to the difference in status between her and the male adept in front of her.

In the past, she had only joined the Crimson Clan out of greed for easier access to dragon resources. She was Second Grade then, as was the male adept before her. They had been of the same status and level. However, a few decades had passed, and now he had advanced to Third Grade while she was still a Second Grade.

Even though Oliven already had the power of a peak Second Grade, she was still a Second Grade. She had no means of comparing to a Third Grade. For the first time, she felt an indescribable threat and pressure, and it came from this male adept that stood in front of her.

It wasn’t as if he was intentionally assaulting her with his aura. It was simply the result of the forcefield fluctuations of a high-grade adept caused by their tremendously powerful life energy and spiritual intensity.

Oliven only felt a slight bit of discomfort near Greem’s side. Low-grade adepts would probably feel an actual sense of pain as if they were sitting on a cushion of needles. Meanwhile, ordinary apprentice adepts would be at risk of death if they got too close to Greem.

“Oliven, did you come to look for me to be stuck in a daze?” Greem still had a gentle smile on his face, but the impatience in his brows and tone was more than obvious.

Oliven had always kept a certain degree of distance away from the Crimson Clan. Even though she bore the name of a Crimson adept, she had rarely contributed her all to the clan. As such, Greem’s dissatisfaction over her behavior was also showing in his attitude.

If it weren’t out of consideration for their past ‘connection’ and Oliven’s unique profession abilities, Greem wouldn’t even have taken the time to meet her.

Perhaps because she sensed Greem’s impatience, Oliven put on a frustrated and troubled expression, before finally speaking, “Greem…Lord Greem, I wish…I wish to have that Third Grade water dragon.”

As expected, she was here for the water dragon.

Greem could tell that Oliven had reached a bottleneck at peak Second Grade. Any further improvement required unique methods. The adepts could advance by using the knowledge passed down by their ancestors, but dragon devourers had to use the bloodline of the dragons if they wanted to advance.

Demanding that Oliven hunt a Third Grade dragon on her own with her current ability was undoubtedly asking for too much.

That was why Oliven couldn’t help but get excited when she saw the clan take down a Third Grade dragon. That said, suddenly bringing up such a request with her current relationship to the Crimson Clan was a bit too abrupt.

Greem chuckled coldly.

“Oliven, it’s been a few decades since you joined the Crimson Clan. I wonder, what can you offer in exchange for this Third Grade water dragon?”

“Thirty…thirty thousand magical crystals, and…and two thousand contribution points.” Oliven stuttered.

As a Second Grade dragon devourer who had spent a few decades in the clan, this small amount of wealth was more than an indication of her lack of active participation in clan matters.

“Thirty thousand magical crystals and two thousand contribution points. Hehehe, Oliven, do you know the base price of this Third Grade water dragon?” The smile on Greem’s face turned even colder, “Its dragonsoul might have dispersed, but its base price is still well above two million magical crystals. With what little you have…”

Perhaps knowing that her request was too extreme, Oliven gritted her teeth and said, “Lord Greem, I know I have not been performing too well in the past few years. However, if you give me this water dragon and allow me to advance to Third Grade, I promise…I promise to be as obedient as Lady Mary. I will do anything you tell me to!”

“Anything I tell you to?” Greem raised an eyebrow.

“Anything you tell me! “Oliven straightened her slender and tall body once more as she repeated with firm conviction.

Greem chuckled, “You do know that Mary and I have more than an ordinary relationship. Can you do this as well? ”

“I can!” Oliven spoke with iron certainty, “Anything she can do, I can do.”

Greem smiled at the sight of Oliven, offering up her person. He extended a right hand and slowly moved it toward Oliven’s heaving chest, wrapped under the leather suit.

Oliven’s body trembled as she gritted her teeth. However, she did not avoid Greem’s touch and watched in anxiety as the male adept’s hand got closer and closer to her breasts.

Just as the two were about to make contact, Greem had a thought. His hand shifted directions, and he abruptly took off Oliven’s mask, causing her to gasp softly.

What a hideous face was hidden beneath that mask!

A large mouth that went across her entire cheek was opened slightly, revealing the white, sharp fangs within. The teeth were like daggers spread across her jaw, vicious and terrifying.

Where the nose was supposed to be was just smooth flesh, with no sign of a nose.

If the mask were not taken off, Oliven’s eyebrows and face alone would make her an incredible human beauty. However, take away the mask, and the human beauty instantly became a terrifying monster with a face too horrifying to behold.

Such a sight could not faze Greem after so many years of training.

He had dissected plenty of magical creatures and humanoid plants. Every one of them was a monster amongst monsters and a magical creature among magical creatures. They were not only hideous but strange, weird, and possessed bizarre organs and disgusting bodily liquids.

As such, Oliven’s true face only surprised him slightly, rather than scaring him.

Moreover, Greem could very clearly see that Oliven’s appearance as a human had been fairly decent.

However, this unique path of the dragon devourers to improve their abilities had caused some uncontrollable mutation and corruption of her body. These changes could undoubtedly increase her lethality against dragons from all aspects, but it also unavoidably brought her further and further away from her human origins.

It wasn’t just Oliven. Even among the high-grade adepts of the World of Adepts, individuals who retained their human forms were a small minority. Most of the high-grade adepts had all sorts of monstrous and strange appearances.

After all, the body of a human was too weak and frail. The upper limit of power that it could contain and endure was far, far too low. If a high-grade adept were too attached to his human body, then his basic power would be weaker than his companion of the same grade who had undergone changes.

It was a universal truth known in the World of Adepts!

Once Greem was done looking at her face, Oliven put on her black mask once again and covered her inhuman features.

“This is all I can offer you. However, I can sign a soul contract with you. As long as you give me the Third Grade water dragon, I will listen to everything you tell me after I advance to Third Grade!” With her greatest secret exposed, Oliven stopped holding back and seriously offered up her conditions.

Trading a dead Third Grade water dragon for a possible Third Grade dragon devourer; it seemed like a fairly good deal.

However, it would not be acceptable if Oliven continued to behave as she had before, without putting in effort in her contributions!

Greem waved his hand in the air without any hesitation and drew several fire runes of various shapes. These fire runes floated in the air between them, bumping into each other as they wandered about. Finally, they pieced together to form a strange magical contract.

“Take a look at this contract, and sign it if you think it’s fair. Once you’ve signed the contract, I will find you a suitable Third Grade dragon!” Greem said casually.

He was an actual Third Grade adept now. Weaving a magical contract like this with a wave of his hands was a simple matter. This contract might seem simple, but it contained all sorts of magical knowledge he had obtained from other worlds. It had incredible soul-binding abilities. Thus, he did not need to worry about Oliven going against her word after advancing to Third Grade.

Oliven gazed at the contract with anxious feelings. She did not recognize most of the fire runes here. However, wherever her eyes landed, the contents and details of the rune she looked upon would unfold like a book.

There was no need to recognize the runes, nor to decipher them, as the information contained in each one flowed into her mind directly.

The conditions of the contract were just as she had described. The Crimson Clan would provide her with a Third Grade dragon such that she may advance to Third Grade. Upon advancing to Third Grade, she would have to devote herself wholeheartedly to the service of the Crimson Clan for two hundred years.

These conditions sounded harsh, but Oliven was overjoyed.

She had been in the World of Adepts for so many years that she was well-acquainted with how the adepts did things.

There would never again be a second adept clan that would offer her such excellent and lenient conditions.

It caused Oliven to be unbelievably glad. She had already made up her mind to grit her teeth and accept any unreasonable condition that Greem would throw at her.

After all, with her talent, her lifespan would be extended by a minimum of six to seven hundred years upon advancing to Third Grade. Taking out two hundred years from that to work for the Crimson Clan didn’t seem all that unacceptable!

Oliven immediately cut her finger and left her soul brand on the magical contract.