Sovereign of the Ashes

Upon waking, Sein was startled to find himself sandwiched between two attractive women, one on each side.

Although their attire suggested nothing untoward had occurred the previous night, Sein’s hands had somehow found their way to rest on each of their soft mounds.

Marlena had gone off somewhere, so there were only the three of them in the tent.

Sein carefully withdrew his hands and straightened his disheveled robe. He then cast a simple yet practical spell on himself—Cleanse.

It had become one of his most frequently used spells since his arrival in the Sand World.

With no knowledge of hydro magic, “Cleanse” was the only spell he could use to keep himself clean.

As Sein got up, Faye and Leena were also roused from their slumber.

The moment Sein stood up, Leena opened her eyes and rose to her feet too. Faye, however, was reluctant to get up.

In the harsh Sand World, everyone had their responsibilities.

To avoid being stranded in this foreign plane indefinitely, these magic initiates needed to swiftly fulfill the tasks assigned by the full-fledged black mages.

“The vice dean and the others are primarily relying on senior initiates and Quasi Mages to carry out the mission. After all, intermediate and junior initiates who have come over can only serve as cannon fodder,” Faye commented.

“The set up of the coordinate generators in both camps is about seventy percent complete. It should take another two months to finish,” she added as she changed into fresh clothes.

“What exactly is the purpose of the elemental beads we each received?” Sein asked curiously.

“Elemental beads are the primary energy source for the coordinate generators. Quasi Mages brought thirty each, and senior initiates brought ten,” Faye replied.

Sein frowned and asked, “Why do intermediate initiates receive only one?”

“It’s probably because they don’t trust you guys. The two coordinate generators require over a hundred and fifty elemental beads each. To avoid any mishaps, they did not entrust all the elemental beads to a single Quasi Mage. Instead, they distributed them among the senior initiates and Quasi Mages,” Faye explained.

Faye had gleaned this information over the past few months through indirect sources, including Zorro, other Quasi Mages and her own educated guesses.

While her insights were mere guesses, they turned out to be close to the truth.

Faye might not have been a hard worker in terms of learning magic, but she was undoubtedly a clever one.

Sein remembered the dozen or so elemental beads he had in his space ring. As he retrieved them, Faye quickly grasped his hand and whispered, “Put them away.”

Faye went on to explain further, “While there isn’t precise information, Zorro mentioned that these elemental beads may hold the key to our return to the Magus World. If the construction of the coordinate generator fails, we’ll have no choice but to rely on the full-fledged black mages on the other side of the space-time rift to bring us back.

“To assist them in locating us more accurately, these elemental beads will serve as guides. Ten elemental beads are just enough for the full-fledged black mages to locate us, but the more we have, the easier they could locate us.”

For this reason, the black magic initiates in the camp had taken the initiative to accumulate additional elemental beads beyond the required amount to be used for setting up the coordinate generators.

None of them would place all their hopes in others or a single device.

Unless they shared bonds like Sein and Leena, black mages typically went their separate ways when a crisis arose.

Faye then added with a chuckle, “Leena and I have just collected enough for ourselves. We were planning on helping you gather yours, but it seems you’ve already taken care of it and even have some to spare.”

“Yeah, something happened on my way here. I received some from other initiates,” Sein replied with a nod.

He remembered Marlon and Stenson, the couple who had arrived in the camp at the same time as he did yesterday.

While Sein had gone with Faye to find Zorro right away, the other two had gone to settle down elsewhere.

Once Faye was ready, Sein and his group set out to find Zorro.

During the journey, Sein mainly conversed with Faye, but a significant part of his attention was on Leena, who remained silent.

He suspected that Leena was doing the same.

By the time they reached Zorro, he had already completed the modifications on Sein’s crystal ball.

The communication range of the crystal ball had been reduced to only a third of its original capacity.

Nevertheless, it was sufficient to cover the camp’s perimeter and maintain tenuous communication between the two camps.

Sein brought up a question that had been on his mind. “Zorro, is there a chance of failure in setting up the coordinate generators?”

Senior initiates and Quasi Mages were among the first to become aware of the camp’s situation.

Recent incidents, such as the senior initiate blocking others outside the camp to demand elemental beads, as well as Faye’s reaction that morning, had raised some concerns for Sein.

In response, Zorro cast a cautious glance outside the tent to ensure no eavesdroppers were nearby before replying in a hushed tone, “There is indeed a chance of failure. The estimated success rate is around sixty percent.”

Zorro explained further, “The shifting quicksand environment of this world constantly alters the coordinates of the two camps, making it challenging for us to set up the coordinate generators. While we send initiates out daily to survey and collect data, this effort only has a limited effect.

“Whether the coordinate generators, when successfully activated, will create a passage allowing a full-fledged mage to pass between the two worlds depends not only on our efforts and some luck but also primarily on our mentor and the vice deans on the other side of the space-time rift.”

“The vice dean and the others must have had specific intentions and goals when investing heavily in sending us here. Therefore, there’s no need to be overly pessimistic. The final passage should be feasible. Collecting elemental beads is just a precautionary and alternate plan for us,” Zorro reassured.

His comforting words helped dispel the lingering doubts in Sein’s mind.

However, Sein did not mention the black key that Master Morsidor had left for him. According to his mentor, it was a backup plan specially reserved for Sein in case the coordinate generators failed.

Master Morsidor had probably done that out of concern that the other full-fledged black mages might prioritize senior initiates and Quasi Mages during rescue operations, potentially overlooking intermediate initiates like Sein.