Mage Adam-Chapter 401
William became a full-fledged mage earlier than Elliot, Coristel, and the others.
After reaching the critical threshold, instead of choosing the Trial by War, he directly advanced into a mage and then left the Moldo Tower.
The world of mages was vast.
Following the prescribed path left behind by predecessors, without his own research results or special talents, he was like a transparent person, lost in the immensity of the world.
As an apprentice, he had thought full mages were immensely powerful. But when he himself became a First Circle Mage, he realized he had no sense of presence in the Mage World—he couldn’t find his place.
He even thought about slinking back in disgrace to Madeira Island, and had already wandered in Karachi Port for a month.
Until he saw the recruitment notice of the Duncan Consortium.
He became a low-level manager in one of their industries in Karachi Port, receiving a fixed weekly salary, exchanging it for meager resources to purchase expensive knowledge, struggling to advance himself.
His grand ambitions were rapidly eroded by cruel reality. He thought his whole life would pass like this. But unexpectedly, a turning point came.
“You know the newly promoted Archmage of the Holy Tower, Adam, don’t you?”
“Find him, approach him, show him our goodwill. If you can persuade him, you’ll receive immense resources. I guarantee I can make you an Archmage.”
That was the promise of Duncan, an Eighth Circle Free Archmage.
“This place is called the Academy Continent. What do you think I want to do here?”
Adam’s tone was strange—he hadn’t expected the Free Faction’s probing to be so direct. Did they really think some irrelevant acquaintance could sway him? Or did they think—
“Master, it’s obvious. They don’t take you seriously. They think you’re just a puppet, a mouthpiece. Sending William here is only to declare their stance: that whatever the Council intends to do, it must first pass through their consent, and that they must receive a share of the benefits.” Garfield saw through these political games immediately—he understood the moment William opened his mouth.
William took a deep breath after hearing Adam’s answer, then lifted his head and looked Adam straight in the eyes.
“Adam, you know that’s not what I want to hear.”
He was desperate for merit. If he could uncover Adam’s true purpose, his standing in the Consortium would skyrocket.
Adam felt half amused, half exasperated. He couldn’t understand why William spoke with such entitlement. Losing all interest in further conversation, he summoned Garfield, and pointed at William.
The ten-centimeter-tall Garfield sat cross-legged in the air, arms folded, and said to William:
“Since you asked, you should already know—this is not information you are qualified to know. And you have no right to speak to my master this way. Not even those behind you have that right.”
William froze. The air around him suddenly grew hot, crimson flames erupting from his body. Ignoring Garfield, he pressed on to Adam:
“Adam, don’t be stubborn. You don’t know how powerful the force behind me is. Defy them, and your end will be miserable. Tell me what I want to know—I can help you.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Garfield cut him off mercilessly:
“Don’t delude yourself. You and those behind you aren’t nearly as important as you think.”
The veins on William’s exposed skin bulged as he clenched his fists and shouted:
“Adam, I’m your friend! I—”
Friend?
Since when had the word become so cheap? A person blatantly trying to use him had the audacity to call himself a friend? Adam found it tasteless. With a snap of his fingers, William’s agitated expression instantly calmed. His eyes went blank as he walked out of the room, out of Academy City, and kept going until far outside, where he finally regained his senses. RÀN𝘰𐌱ЁS
After William was dismissed, the Guardian Avril said to Adam:
“For Duncan to be the first who couldn’t hold back—that’s unlike him. Looks like his intelligence network is far more extensive than we thought.”
Adam asked:
“Is the Duncan Consortium strong?”
“Very strong. They’re one of the top mage organizations within the Third Holy Tower’s domain. Duncan himself used to be a senior exploration mage, but after one mission, he left the Holy Tower to become a Free Mage.”
Did he lose the will to resist after seeing the enemy’s strength?
As Adam pondered this, he sent word to the guards below the tower to bring in Mage Victor.
The conversation with Victor was much easier. After seeing William leave in a daze, Victor already understood Adam’s stance. He delivered the olive branch of the Rex Consortium as a mere formality, not even caring whether Adam accepted it. A few brief words, then he left the tower briskly—leaving only an apple on the table.
An apple like the one the Archmage Moldo always kept in hand.
Aisha stepped forward, picked up the apple, and with special magic of the Third Holy Tower checked whether it was harmful. She then handed it to Adam.
“There’s some information inside. Moldo—he’s quite an interesting person.”
Adam took a bite. Instantly, his consciousness entered a grey-white space. Moldo’s silhouette appeared in his mind, speaking at lightning speed:
“You’re in great danger. Within the Six Holy Towers’ domain, all the consortia and Free Mages will constantly probe you. Once they determine you cannot be used by them, they will never allow you to keep growing.”
After some time, Adam destroyed the apple on the material plane and muttered:
“Such a clumsy trick.”
In the following three months, visitors to the tower never ceased. One after another, mages representing consortia and factions arrived—some kind, some forceful, some arrogant and condescending. But regardless of their attitude, their message was always the same:
“Submit to us. Serve our interests. Or you won’t meet a good end.”
Adam found it laughable. He simply had Garfield assume his likeness to deal with them, while he himself focused on completing the initial layout of the Academy Continent.
This round of construction bypassed forces completely under consortium control. The land planning was essentially complete: with Academy City as the center, radiating outward—one city every 500,000 square kilometers, one great city every 10 million. Roads would crisscross the land. Ordinary communicators were distributed free to all mortals within range. After the preliminary census was finished, Adam issued a formal decree—
In every city, at least two basic education academies must be established, staffed entirely by robots as teachers.
The order caused a great uproar. The consortia could not sit idly by. They mobilized mortal representatives under their control, who gathered in Academy City, demanding the right to free teaching.
