Age of Adepts

"You. What did you say? You fell in love... with Alice? Haha...that is way too funny."

The green mist remained unmoving.

Endor’s ugly wrinkled face was completely frozen. Even her muddy eyeballs didn’t move.

On the other hand, Greem was calm and solemn. It was difficult to read his emotions with the serious face he presented.

Nina straightened her body midway through her laughter. She looked around her and finally fixed her gaze upon Greem.

"Did you mean what you said? You weren’t joking..." Nina questioned doubtfully.

Greem nodded without betraying a single emotion. It didn’t seem like a facade at all.

Nina rubbed her head and her eyes. She ground her teeth, but she found herself incapable of saying anything mean.

An adept that would give up everything for love, existing in this day and age? Save your lies to dupe the idiots! You would only find such a person in the novels of ordinary men. In reality...

Nina could have confidently exposed Greem’s ’lies’. However, there was a small voice in her heart that kept whispering to her that this wasn’t impossible.

This conflicting feeling caused her to become increasingly frustrated and annoyed!

A peerless, murderous aura emanated from the green mist.

The existence of Third Grade Sanazar was like a bowl of bone-chilling water. It instantly extinguished any delusions and malignant thoughts that Nina might have had!

"Well, very well." For a moment, even Witch Nina didn’t quite know what to say. She climbed onto her thunder roc with difficulty and left one last provocation as she did so, "Protect your love then. I will see you again."

Having finished speaking, Nina rode the Second Grade magical creature, that harnessed the immense powers of thunder, and took to the skies with a deafening boom of thunder. The roc dashed into the clouds and vanished at the edge of the horizon within moments.

The stunned Endor still wanted to have some words with Greem after Nina’s departure. However, she felt the oppressive aura from within the green mist.

Endor had no choice but to get on her magic broom. She wanted to say something but quickly left after leaving one last sentence, "Alice is still young."

A mild breeze blew through the woods, and the trees waved in the winds.

Only two people remained on the previously crowded cliff.

Greem stood awkwardly on top of the cliff. He silently waited for the last round of questioning.

"Why?" The question finally landed.

"My Lady, how would you choose between five hundred thousand magic crystals and the goodwill of the Witches of Fate?" Greem didn’t dare to run his mouth off when it was Sanazar that stood before him. After all, she had continuously protected him in several past conflicts.

He had no choice. Greem had to come up with a massive lie to silence the Northern Witches. The adepts were pragmatic beings. They would never believe someone’s words if they didn’t have a good reason!

Since the Northern Witches were certain that Greem had ulterior motives in protecting Alice, he had to come up with an explanation worthwhile enough and massive enough to deceive them. Otherwise, they would continue to suspect and doubt the actual motives behind his actions. The excuse of love was both clichéd and hilarious. However, it also happened to be the perfect excuse to shut the Northern Witches up.

You suspect me of having ulterior motives? Well, I indeed have ulterior motives. What I want is Alice herself!

This excuse might be over the top, but it was sufficient to stop any thoughts of negotiation that the witches might have had.

That said, this excuse definitely wouldn’t work with Sanazar!

Greem would not experience a particularly good ending if he dared to claim that love was his reason for protecting Alice. He was sure that the temperamental Sanazar would crush him with a single blow if he said something as ridiculous as that.

To entrench the Sarubo Clan in a conflict because of a non-existent love affair! Anyone would be frustrated at the thought of making enemies in such a random manner.

Greem had no choice but to talk in terms of practical benefits when it came to Sanazar.

Cold and disdainful laughter came from within the mist.

"You can guarantee that Alice will be able to survive the Battle of Fate? Why is it that I have heard rumors of her sacrificing all her powers to advance successfully!? Are you sure a useless fool like her can live to see the throne of Witch of Fate?"

An agreement between Greem and Alice actually limited the information that Sanazar had. They wouldn’t reveal the existence of the mutated spacestone. Alice’s number one trump card should never be leaked until she became the Witch of Fate!

"She can and she will! I guarantee it!" Greem answered firmly.

"On what grounds?"

"On the steel golem that I am crafting for her right at this moment! I will also allow her to use my Infernal Tyrant!"

"Er......"

Sanazar had witnessed Greem’s Infernal Tyrant in action as well. In fact, she wholly approved of its abilities. It was no problem for the Tyrant to take on an elite adept in a one-on-one duel!

If Greem were able to personally tailor a steel golem for Alice, with what skill he has displayed so far, she would be in an extremely advantageous position. The twin threats of the steel golem and the Infernal Tyrant were incomparably fearsome! Even a fool would participate in the Battle of Fate with such might at their side.

Sanazar fell silent once more.

Her voice finally rang out from the mist after an extended period of consideration.

"When you succeed, I want the permanent management rights to the territories of the Witch of Fate. The Sarubo Clan can bear the burden of all the resources you need to craft the steel golem. I can guarantee Alice’s safety as long as she remains in the Sarubo Clan. It is settled then!"

Sanazar didn’t even give Greem a chance to reply. The green mist rose to the skies once she finished speaking, and disappeared from the spot in the blink of an eye.

............

It was Alice and Snorlax that waited for Greem when he finally returned to his dwelling.

The two of them held a set of tarot cards in their hands. It seemed they were entertaining themselves with a card game.

Alice had stuck all sorts of stickers onto Snorlax’s green face. Alice, on the other hand, hadn’t seemed to have lost a single game. In fact, she was still in the mood to eat an apple as she played. A large pile of odd little gadgets was placed right in front of her. Snorlax wore the bitter expression of a constipated man.

"You are back!" Alice leaped off the chair in her excitement. She ran to Greem’s side and lifted her head to ask, "How did the negotiations go?"

Alice’s huge eyes blinked as she asked.

"Don’t you know how to divine? Can’t you see the results without me telling you?" Greem asked curiously.

"Lady Sanazar was present. Her aura was far too powerful. I can’t see through the occurrences around her with my abilities right now." Alice’s small face instantly soured when she talked about this.

"You aren’t afraid of me selling you off?" Greem asked her teasingly.

"Hehehe. I might not be able to divine the exact information I want, but there’s always some vague feedback! I only need to know that it’s good news for me!" Alice immediately went back to her jovial mood.

"I sold you!" Greem couldn’t help but grunt.

"How much did you sell me for? How many magic crystals did they use to buy me? Quick! Tell me..." Alice was suddenly filled with energy.

Behind her, Snorlax trembled as he extended his hands and reached towards the piled up ante on Alice’s side.

"What do you think?"

Alice tilted her head and thought for a bit. She extended three fingers but quickly extended another two.

"Fifty thousand!"

Greem smiled as he shook his head.

"Too much or too little?" Alice closed her palm as she betrayed an expression of anxiety.

"Too little!"

Alice was happy to hear this. She lowered her head and thought for a bit before gritting her teeth and saying, "A hundred thousand! The price couldn’t possibly be any higher! I know how the Northern Witches are. They might be powerful fighters, but they are all idiots when it comes to making money!"

Her tone dripped with contempt.

Greem shook his head as he added, "I have already told Witch Nina of your advancement to an adept!"

"It was Witch Nina that came? She’s one of the more powerful witches amongst the Witches of Deceit!" Alice couldn’t help but mumble, "Then it’s two hundred thousand?"

Greem shook his head still.

Alice’s breath started to become heavy.

She was from the Northern Lands herself. She knew very well what two hundred thousand magic crystals meant to a witch clan.

Don’t even mention an ordinary witch. This amount of money was more than enough to hire a Second-grade witch as a bodyguard.

"Three hundred thousand." Alice had practically squeezed these words out through her teeth.

Even Snorlax had stopped his thieving actions to turn and look at Alice. His eyes spilled over with gleaming magical crystals.

If there were three hundred thousand magical crystals piled right here in this room, it would probably be enough to drown him in crystals, wouldn’t it?! Was Alice worth this much?

Alice felt like her heart would stop beating when Greem shook his head again.

"Four hundred thousand crystals!" Alice screamed at the top of her lungs.

She even had half a mind to sell herself at this moment.

That was four hundred thousand magical crystals after all!

However, Greem shook his head once more and looked at her pitifully. He then spat out a shocking sum.

"Five hundred thousand! And then I rejected them!"

Alice’s breath instantly paused.

The apple she was eating clattered as it fell to the ground and rolled away into the distance.

Snorlax’s mouth opened so widely that it was hard to believe that was how his anatomy was supposed to be. Snorlax pointed his finger at Alice, his face full of shock and disbelief.

"Why didn’t you sell me? Why didn’t you sell me off? Why..." Alice’s eyes overflowed with a thick shroud of confusion and inability to comprehend.

Snorlax nodded intensely at Alice’s question. He had the same doubts.

Greem smiled bitterly and looked at the solemn Alice. He finally spoke, "Because I feel like you can be worth much more than that!"

Greem then turned to leave the room.

Even though it was a cold and practical reason Greem had left her with, Alice couldn’t help but feel her nose twitch. Her tears started to streak down her face without her knowing.

She sobbed as she turned and looked at Snorlax, her only ’relative’.

"My dear Snorlax, would you sell me for five hundred thousand magical crystals?"

Snorlax froze. He frantically nodded then shook his head with all he had. He didn’t even know what he wanted to express in the panic he had fallen into. Snorlax instantly covered his head and stopped moving when he saw Alice extending a hand towards him.

She caressed Snorlax’s head then left the room; her heart crowded with various emotions.

What was it with today? Why was everyone behaving so weird?

Snorlax scratched his head in confusion. He looked around, and in seeing no one present, he quickly shoved all the ante he had lost in the card game back into his storage belt before sneaking away from the room.