Age of Adepts

Though there were some hiccups in the process, the result was a satisfactory one.

Snowlotus brought Alice back to the Tower of Fate for rest and recovery after her rescue. Meanwhile, Mary had also recovered after enjoying her feast of blood. Even Arms and Iritina, who did most of the work earlier, were healing rapidly after a series of emergency treatments.

Even though the combined might of everyone present was several times that of a desperate Third Grade dragon, it was still a tense and concerning situation.

However, after this battle, everyone’s attitude was significantly different from before.

Back when Greem was still a Second Grade fire adept, the two Third Grade dragons and the Second Grade Oliven had only maintained a facade of obedience toward him. They did not give their all when working on the tasks delegated to them. The main reason for that being Greem’s lack of power to command these powerful beings from other worlds.

Now that he had successfully become a Third Grade fire adept assisted by a Third Grade female vampire and an elementium magical machine, things were different. More importantly, he had under his command a magical golem dragon that could fight a Fourth Grade dragon to a ‘standstill.’

Under such practical considerations, the wavering loyalties of these individuals were finally consolidated. They started to consider obeying Greem’s orders.

In the end, the only reason Greem had managed to win the loyalty of these powerful individuals was because of his power!

Irrefutable power!

“Oliven, you saw that shadow dragon earlier. How about it? Isn’t it more suitable for you than the water dragon?” Greem turned his head and asked the female assassin.

The mental flux Oliven was radiating started to tremble when she heard Greem’s question.

“Are…you sure that you want to give me this completely untouched shadow dragon? I…I guarantee you that I will successfully advance to Third Grade and even obtain some powerful shadow-related abilities!”

“Then, he is yours!” Greem had always been generous when it came to his subordinates.

Arms and Iritina, who had turned into their human forms and were receiving treatment form the Crimson adepts, both glanced at Oliven in disgust. At this moment, they finally understood the true identity of this assassin dressed in black.

Their racial instincts caused them to hate and resent Oliven’s very existence from the depths of their soul. If it wasn’t out of fear and consideration of Greem, they would probably have reverted to their dragon forms and blasted this dragon devourer with their destructive breaths.

However, even the two dragons couldn’t help but be moved when they saw Greem’s generosity in rewarding Oliven.

“Greem,” Arms hesitated for a moment, before stuttering as he said, “This time…we…seemed to have caught quite a few…dragons ourselves.”

Arms actually blushed when he said the words we, something he had rarely ever done.

It couldn’t be helped. Arms and Iritina had never been too concerned with the significant battles in Lance and had barely contributed to the fights. If Arms and Iritina had given their all during the battle at the Northern Wastelands, not a single one of the five attacking Third Grade dragons would have escaped alive.

That was why Arms felt particularly guilty when ‘negotiating’ with Greem.

The beautiful emerald dragon Iritina hastily shoved her companion aside and stood forward when she saw his pathetic behavior.

“Lord Greem, we wish to ask for a small group of dragons to bolster our ranks. What do you think?”

Greem narrowed his eyes and smiled casually.

“I seem to recall that you already have eight green dragons under you!”

Iritina spoke dejectedly, “They are only green dragons. Their power and bloodline can never compare to pure-blood dragons. Such weak green dragons are often severely discriminated against in Lance!”

Greem smiled. It seemed like bloodline was a very important matter, even amongst the dragons.

Just as Iritina believed that there was no hope for negotiations and betrayed an expression of sadness, Greem suddenly spoke.

“Iritina, if you two suddenly gained a flight of pureblood dragons as your subordinates, you should be able to become great dragon lords, am I right? Especially with the talent you two possess!”

The two dragons trembled, and Arms hurried forward to explain.

“Greem, don’t overthink our intentions! The reason we are asking for those smaller dragons isn’t to establish our own force, but…but because we cannot bear to see them slaughtered while they are at such a young age.”

Iritina’s face had also turned pale white.

“No, no, no,” Greem smiled as he explained, “I think the two of you misunderstood my aims! I’m not worried about you having malicious intentions. I genuinely wish to raise you to the pedestal of a great dragon lord!”

The two dragons were stunned, and they looked at Greem with expressions of disbelief.

Iritina’s breathing became heavy, and her face started to turn red with excitement.

“You…you want to…help us become…great dragon lords?” Arms asked in surprise.

“With your talents and abilities, being stuck here in the World of Adepts will not allow you to unleash your real power. Thus, if the two of you are willing, you are free to recruit subordinates amongst the First and Second Grade dragons caught during this expedition. Any dragon that is willing to submit to you and sign a contract of loyalty may return to Lance with you.”

“I believe, with the original eight dragons and a new batch of pureblood dragon subordinates, the two of you will be entirely qualified to claim the title of great dragon lords amongst the Third Grade dragons, thereby becoming rulers in one region of Lance.”

Both of the dragons held their breaths as they repeated the fresh and boiling phrase of ‘great dragon lord’ with their hearts, over and over. The excitement and confusion in their hearts blended, making it increasingly harder to distinguish between the two emotions.

The Crimson Clan had captured over three dozen dragons this time. They couldn’t make any promises with the more established and developed Second Grade dragons. However, those small First Grade dragons were all fledglings that had just come of age and that had never experienced any danger. They only need to scare them a little before consoling them, and it was very likely to win them to their side.

They probably only needed to walk around them in a circle in their dragon forms, and it would be enough to terrify most of those cowardly dragons into submission.

Arms and Iritina’s hearts were burning so fervently at the thought of the admiration and obedience of so many dragons that they could probably cook an egg already.

“Is this…real?” Arms could barely believe his ears.

He then immediately started hissing in pain as Iritina pinched him on the waist.

“It seems like it’s real!” Iritina finally nodded assuredly.

“I will not only allow you to take away some of the dragons but also…once you claim a territory within Lance for yourselves, you may form an alliance with the Capital of Eternity and our Crimson Clan. You can also spread the news that any dragon lord that submits to us will no longer be victims of the Crimson Clan’s attacks!”

The eyes of the dragons lit up, and they couldn’t help but lower their heads and think about Greem’s suggestion.

There were over ten thousand dragons in Lance.

They were scattered across every corner of the plane. Apart from a small group that sought shelter beneath the massive wings of a mighty high-grade dragon, most of them were free dragons, unbound and unfettered by any obligations.

Even those Fourth Grade dragon leaders commanded no more than one to two hundred direct subordinate dragons.

Being able to gather a dozen dragons around him would already be a massive accomplishment for a Third Grade dragon such as Arms. If…if everything Greem promised him was real, then Arms could already foresee himself properly establishing his claim as a great dragon lord.

A Third Grade great dragon lord whose authority and influence exceeded that of a Fourth Grade dragon.

Arms licked his lips over and over, moved by no more than an immaterial phrase.

“Don’t worry, leave Lance to me! I promise to raise a massive dragon army for you. If those little bastards don’t listen to me, then I’ll bring dragons along with me and beat them up.” Arms patted his chest and made a bold declaration.

Greem’s lips moved slightly, as if he was communicating with someone far away with magic. A short moment later, he turned to Arms and said, “You may go now. I have already spoken with Meryl. You two can go and make those dragons submit now!”

Arms and Iritina could not be bothered with continuing their treatment. They were almost fighting to charge out of the magical hall.

Mary sauntered over to Greem’s side as she watched the two dragons hurry into the distance. She asked curiously, “Why are you being so kind to these two dragons? Be careful they don’t bite back once they’ve grown!”

“Lance isn’t stable at all,” Greem sighed in lamentation, “If the brain monster is allowed to continue growing, then I’m concerned he may backstab us at a crucial moment in the future. As such, making enemies for the Capital of Eternity and giving them a rival is the best way to suppress their ambitions!”

Greem couldn’t help but be worried about this issue.

The Crimson Clan’s foundations were still too weak. Even now, they had only conquered two lesser planes.

The Goblin Plane provided the Crimson Clan with a large number of metal ore reserves and goblins that acted as technicians. It was considered a low-level plane lacking in resources. Meanwhile, Lance was the only resource plane in the Crimson Clan’s grasp. Apart from basic ore materials and flora and fauna resources, their most attractive product was the dragon resources.

One could even claim that the dragon resources of Lance were what had sustained the Crimson Clan’s rapid development today. If this resource site was cut off, the Crimson Clan would immediately run into an awkward situation where they ran out of momentum.

As the clan leader, Greem had no choice but to think ahead and start planning for the future of the clan.

A single tree could not make a forest!

The Crimson Clan still possessed far too few planes.

At the very least, the two lesser planes they currently had were not sufficient to sustain the grand ambitions and magnificent dreams that Greem held in his heart.

Perhaps it was time for another round of expansion for the Crimson Clan!