Chapter 1189 - Am’s Feelings
Chapter 1189 Am’s Feelings
Two Fourth Grades in one clan.
If Alice was considered part of the clan, then it meant that the Crimson Clan was now simultaneously guarded by three Fourth Grades.
This…this situation, the more you thought about it, the more you reflected on it, and the colder the chill you felt in your heart.
For an ordinary adept, the more Fourth Grade adepts that appeared in Zhentarim, the better. This way, Zhentarim would have greater diplomatic weight among the other major organizations. Their status and authority in the World of Adepts would increase.
However, for the veteran Fourth Grade adepts, three Fourth Grade adepts standing on the same side was an evident and fearsome threat!
For a long time, the Zhentarim Association had been a loose coalition of adepts. They were mostly responsible for mediating the relationships between the Fourth Grade organizations. The Zhentarim Association had always lacked the necessary binding power over the Fourth Grade adepts to form a proper authority. The best the Association could do was restrain the Fourth Grade adepts and prevent them from falling into internal civil war and destructive competition.
The main reason for this situation was because the Fourth Grade adepts of Zhentarim were all independent. Even if some of the adepts had a closer relationship, it was mostly at the level of an acquaintance. The closest they would get is an invitation to explore some ancient ruins.
……
These pieces of news were like lingering nightmares for Am. The Crimson Clan was incredibly active. They were always doing something amazing and shocking every so often, constantly keeping them as the talk amongst the adepts.
As a clan adept that had betrayed the Crimson Clan for the Sarubo Clan, Am was naturally very sensitive to such news and information. He paid extra attention to it.
Back when the Crimson Clan was under siege by multiple adept clans, his companions had congratulated him, praising him for his decisive choice to leave a sinking ship.
However, when news of the Crimson Clan’s victory returned, all of them fell silent.
In particular, that fearsome Greem had overwhelmingly defeated Lady Sanazar in a duel. It was a tremendous mental blow for Sanazar, who had gone into hiding in her room ever since she returned from the duel
Finally, when the Crimson Clan rose uncontested and became a Fourth Grade organization, an aura of defeat lingered around Am. Everyone around him criticized him for every action he made.
Am had also secretly gathered information on the Crimson Clan in private.
When he found out that the gentle and shy Meryl had become a fire dragon adept and advanced to peak Second Grade with a great chance of advancing to Third Grade, Am threw a tantrum. He smashed everything inside his room.
Meryl…Meryl.
That girl with freckles and who didn’t even dare raise her voice around her friends had actually achieved so much. And him, the former apprentice of Greem, was no more than an intermediate First Grade adept.
The difference in their power and their statuses. Both of these things stabbed at Am’s heart, even though he had convinced himself that he no longer cared.
Am had shouted and screamed, cried and laughed more than once in his room.
He knew very well that among the five pseudo-adepts that had followed Greem, he and Meryl were the only ones to advance into adepts. Meanwhile, between him and Meryl, he was the one who had fire affinity. He had been the one most likely to inherit Greem’s teachings.
At the very least, if he had followed Greem, he would now be of equal status to Meryl. He would be a powerful adept that most clan leaders would have to greet respectfully!
However, all of this had become no more than fantasy with that one wrong ‘misstep.’
He was now the enemy of the Crimson Clan and a joke of the Sarubo Clan.
It inflicted even more mental pressure and suffering on Am, who already wanted nothing more than to grow stronger.
He had fantasized more than once. If…if he had not betrayed Greem, if he had not been tempted by Adept Fügen to become a spy inside the Crimson Clan, then he would be enjoying glory and respect in the Crimson Clan. He would be enjoying the endless amount of resources and an uncountable mountain of magical crystals.
Disregarding everything else, just his identity as a direct disciple of Greem would have allowed him to become part of the Crimson Clan’s core members. He would have enjoyed status and authority far surpassing that of Meryl.
Even as weak as she was, Meryl had managed to advance to peak Second Grade. With his superior talents, he might even have become Third Grade now, a powerhouse respected and by thousands of adepts.
At the thought of all that glory, all that success, Am felt his heart rage and wail in anger. Every midnight, he would stab his leg furiously with a needle, just to break free of all the disappointment and regret that he felt.
However, he could not show any of this madness and weakness on the outside.
He had his own competitors and enemies in the clan. If he were to express his dissatisfaction with his current environment and the clan, then who knew how the higher-ups would punish him.
When he was dejected, he would take it all out on his female apprentices. In fact, to make sure that they didn’t spread rumors about what he might have said in his sleep, he often used subtle means to ‘deal’ with them.
Ever since then, the female apprentices of the clan feared him like a monster. None of them dared approach him anymore!
Another turn at the corner in front and he would be at the entrance to the knowledge hall. Am could hear some noise from the corridor.
“Big news…big news. Did you hear? Another Fourth Grade adept has appeared in the Crimson Clan.”
“What?”
“How is that possible?”
“You think Fourth Grade adepts are blueberries? You think they just pop up whenever…tch!”
“It’s true. I heard this from the message relay tower of the clan.”
The male apprentice that everyone doubted appeared short and fat. His face was flushed red, trying to defend himself. He waved his hand as he shouted, angry that no one believed him.
However, his shouting did not seem to convince his companions. On the contrary, they stepped back with pale faces and lowered their heads, only glancing behind him out of the corner of their eyes.
The fat apprentice turned around in surprise and saw the pale, sinister face of Adept Am.
“Speak. Who advanced to Fourth Grade?”
Adept Am’s voice was chilling and stern, like a cold breeze from an endless abyss. The apprentice couldn’t help but shiver.
“It’s…it’s the vampire adept…Adept Mary.”
The book that Am was holding tight in his hand fell onto the ground and clattered.