Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein was not knowledgeable about the Verdant Flame magic, unlike many of the apprentices and grand apprentices present at the gathering.

Among them, several, including Master Gregory, a Rank Five mage, were visibly excited.

“Oh? This low-level plane aligns with our Verdant Flame magic? How intriguing. I can’t wait to see what this world is like,” Gregory said with a laugh.

Bernice also showed considerable interest, but her concern was on another aspect of the content revealed by her mentor’s recent remarks.

“If the Viridian Venom Flame World has already turned to our Magus Civilization and expressed their wish to join the Magus Alliance, then won’t the Magus Alliance...” she asked, her brow slightly furrowed as she looked toward Grandmaster Verdant Flame.

“The leading forces in the war against the Neisser civilization this time are the Marmett Union Alliance, the Steel City, and the Pyro Secret Society from our Magus Civilization. I’ve already spoken with the Pyro Secret Society. As long as we can shorten the war to within thirty years, both the Pyro Secret Society and the Magus Alliance will tacitly consent to our actions,” Grandmaster Verdant Flame explained.

Bernice nodded at Grandmaster Verdant Flame’s explanation but then smiled wryly and added, “Completing this within thirty years seems like a very ambitious timeline.”

“We don’t have much time for preparations, correct?” she inquired further.

Grandmaster Verdant Flame nodded and replied, “That’s right. We’ll tentatively schedule the expedition to begin two years from now. Since this operation doesn’t exactly conform to the alliance’s rules, we must act swiftly.”

“The Elemental Gate and the orders of the knights aren’t in a position to directly participate this time, so we’ll have to rely solely on our own forces. Additionally, for the convenience of the expedition, we can use the Pyro Secret Society’s ultra-long-distance interstellar teleportation array that connects to the depths of the Neisse Star Domain. This will also facilitate resource resupply and the reinforcement of enslaved creatures, though at a higher cost,” she added.

A brief silence enveloped the hall following the Grandmaster’s words.

The first to third generation of grand apprentices like Sein, naturally held back from commenting.

Everyone’s attention was on the more senior figures—Gregory, Bernice, and Lorianne, the divine tower masters of Rank Four and above, who were deep in thought.

Gregory was the first to respond. The knight-looking mage seemed to be very interested in the Viridian Venom Flame World.

“The Divine Tower of Whispering Flame can contribute. In two years, I should be able to muster between twenty and thirty thousand full-fledged mages. While lacking the orders of the knights’ support is an issue, I have ample legions of enslaved creatures to serve as cannon fodder,” he stated.

His response brought a satisfied smile to the Grandmaster’s face.

Bernice followed suit and said, “The number of full-fledged mages I can muster isn’t as many as Gregory, at most around ten thousand. As for enslaved creatures, I have only recently conquered a low-level plane with allies, so my reserves are somewhat depleted. I’m afraid I won’t have enough to contribute.”

Despite outlining her difficulties, Master Bernice clearly indicated her willingness to participate in this interplanar invasion.

This left only Lorianne, Sein’s mentor, to voice her stance. Unlike her more experienced seniors, Lorianne was unable to contribute as much.

Having only ascended to Rank Four less than a thousand years ago and established her divine tower just over two centuries prior, she appeared slightly flushed. Naturally, only Sein who stood nearest to her, could discern the subtle shift in Lorianne’s expression.

The other mages present could see Lorianne’s expression to some extent, but not with the same clarity, owing to the powerful auras of those at Rank Four and above.

Despite their efforts to contain their auras, they remained formidable figures to those below Rank Four.

For instance, Sein’s perception of Grandmaster Feylis was akin to a slowly burning verdant flame.

Master Gregory exuded the intensity of a hot, red flame, while Master Bernice, though also enveloped in flames, radiated a fusion of geo and lumen elements.

Master Lorianne, in contrast, typically evoked images of green leaves and vines. Sein did not seem to detect intense fluctuation of pyro elemental energy from her, which was rather peculiar.

The subtle change in Lorianne’s expression did not go unnoticed by her two seniors and her mentor. Being peers for several millennia, they naturally knew her well enough.

Gregory grinned and broke the silence by saying, “If you have any trouble, just say the word, Lorianne. I’m here to help!”

“Considering the fact that you have only established your divine tower for a little over two hundred years, and this is your first time leading an interplanar invasion, it’s only natural for Gregory and I to offer more assistance,” Bernice aptly added.

The remarks from her seniors intensified the blush on Lorianne’s face.

Nevertheless, she composed herself and responded, “The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring should be able to muster over five hundred full-fledged mages for this mission. As for enslaved creatures... I have nearly two hundred thousand plant creatures in my world laboratory ready for deployment.”

Compared to the “grand contributions” promised by her seniors, the offerings from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring indeed seemed a little “modest”.

This was inevitable, given that the divine tower had been established only two hundred years ago, unlike the ancient divine towers that had stood for millennia.

Moreover, Lorianne, as a newly promoted Rank Four mage and tower master, had taken on a significant magicoin loan from the Magus Alliance for the establishment of her divine tower.

As of now, she had yet to devise a feasible plan to repay this substantial debt.

Although the Magus Alliance provided every new divine tower master with a loan at a very low interest rate and with an extended repayment period, a wise mage would still carefully consider the long-term financial commitment and strategic planning.

In recent years, apart from dedicating energy to experimental research, Lorianne had focused intensely on building the infrastructure of her divine tower.

The debt to the Magus Alliance was still outstanding, leaving no surplus funds for an enslaved army.

Furthermore, Lorianne did not possess her own enslaved plane, thus lacking the facilities to raise enslaved creatures.

The upcoming assault on the Viridian Venom Flame World marked Lorianne’s first participation in an interplanar war as a divine tower master.