Sovereign of the Ashes

Most of Eileen’s friends were Rank One mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Sein, well aware of the benefits of forming alliances, noted that these full-fledged mages also understood this principle.

As the apprentice of the tower master, Sein held significant influence.

These full-fledged mages, despite having attained the Rank One years ago, were eager to be acquainted with Sein and establish a rapport with him.

Eileen’s popularity within the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was evidently high.

Though Sein had been told they would meet just “a few friends”, he found over ten people at the venue, including a Rank Two mage.

Master Jovian was absent, possibly preoccupied with other matters.

Interestingly, most of Eileen’s friends were female mages, with male mages in the minority.

Sein had previously attended public courses conducted by a few of these mages, which made the initial interaction somewhat awkward.

Their meeting over a casual meal was not enough for Sein to form any immediate alliances.

Furthermore, the past experiences of Master Morsidor served as a cautionary tale for Sein, influencing Sein to maintain a measured level of trust toward these new “friends” or “acquaintances”.

In this world, one must ultimately rely on oneself and not place undue expectations on others.

Though no substantial agreements were signed, Sein and the mages exchanged crystal ball contacts, acknowledging their common bond from the divine tower.

Their paths might not cross during the upcoming interplanar war, but their shared affiliation to the academy made future interactions inevitable.

***

After parting ways with Eileen and her friends, Sein did not head straight back to his quarters.

Instead, he took the opportunity to explore the space fortress, a crucial step in familiarizing himself with the new environment.

His exploration led him to the captive area for the enslaved legion on the lower floors of the fortress.

It was there he encountered Todrick, a senior from the same faction. In fact, they had already become acquainted during the recent faction gathering.

Like Sein, Todrick was a Rank One mage, assigned the task of overseeing roughly ten thousand enslaved creatures.

Within the confines of the vast iron enclosures behind Todrick and beneath his feet, various enslaved creatures were imprisoned.

They varied greatly in form, aura, and strength.

The weakest among them were on par with the weaker intermediate-level magic beasts from the Magus World, but the strongest had achieved the impressive Rank Three life level, making it an extraplanar being far more powerful than Sein.

“This one here, the Armored Rhinoceros King, is a creature of Rank Three life level. It’s the strongest among the enslaved creatures I manage,” Todrick explained, pointing to the massive creature in a solitary enclosure behind him.

“Despite his strength, it’s relatively docile and manageable, unlike some of the Rank Three slaves in other areas who often cause trouble,” he added.

The Armored Rhinoceros King, measuring nearly thirty meters, was an imposing sight with its thick, black scale armor that showcased its remarkable defensive capabilities.

Its body bore numerous scars and wounds, and its broken black horn suggested a history of fierce battles.

Upon noticing the two Rank One mages from the Magus World outside its cell, the creature merely glanced at them before closing its eyes again, resuming its rest.

These magically branded enslaved creatures, with even their souls bound, were commonly used as cannon fodder in the Magus Civilization’s past interplanar wars.

Despite its high life level, the Armored Rhinoceros King was reduced to a mere slave stripped of its dignity in the presence of Sein and other spellcasters from the Magus World.

Such a formidable creature, despite its strength, was potentially destined to be expended in a single interplanar war.

Regarded merely as disposable, it was likely to be forgotten, with no one remembering its existence or story.

The origins of these enslaved creatures were diverse.

Many were captured and conscripted by the Magus Civilization through the conquest and subjugation of numerous planes.

The Magus Civilization directly controlled tens of thousands of these planes, exploiting them not only for various resources needed by knights and mages of the Magus World but also for “biological resources”, a crucial commodity.

Moreover, some enslaved creatures were traded to the Magus World by allied civilizations within the Magus Alliance.

The Astral Realm was not as idyllic as one might imagine—only a few civilizations enjoyed the prosperity known to the knights and mages of the Magus Civilization.

In some cases, creatures of Rank Four and above from certain planes were actively involved in selling members of their own communities, either to fulfill their regular tribute to the Magus Civilization or to acquire magicoins for purchasing their desired items from the Magus Alliance.

Many foreign gods who were part of the Magus Alliance annually contributed legions of high-quality enslaved creatures from their planes to the Magus Civilization.

This practice is not enforced by the Magus World but is a voluntary act by these foreign gods.

The pervasive influence of magicoin, deeply integrated into every aspect of the Magus Alliance, funneled immense resources to the Magus Civilization each year, sustaining this already dominant top-tier civilization.

From a brief conversation with Todrick, Sein learned that the Armored Rhino King was a Rank Three creature from an allied plane, traded to the Magus Civilization as a slave.

“This one is from a lesser-known world known as the Barbarian Rhino plane. It’s capable of speech, but usually exhibits a somewhat dull demeanor,” Todrick commented, patting the iron enclosure engraved with a magic prohibition array.

***

Approximately a month after Sein arrived at the space fortress, the fully prepared space fortress began its gradual departure from the port, venturing deep into the starry sky.

Accompanying the colossal space fortress that Sein was aboard were two smaller ones, floating in the void of the Astral Realm—one to the left and the other to the right.

These fortresses hailed from the Divine Tower of Whispering Flame and the Divine Tower of Floating Flame, each ferrying the legions of their respective towers.

The three space fortresses advanced into the depths of space, with the biggest one leading the way.

After a period of acceleration and spatial jumps, they arrived at a region in the starry sky filled with special azure-blue space-time portals.

Near these portals, Sein observed a large number of space fortresses and war airships from the Magus World navigating through them.

Inside the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame space fortress, there were war airships as well.

During his exploration of the fortress’ interior, Sein had discovered these airships docked at the middle levels, instead of flying outside the fortress like the ones he was seeing right now.

As far as the eye could see, there were more than a dozen space fortresses, with an even greater number of war airships coursing through the azure portals.

Most of these vessels were disappearing into the portals, while a few, bearing the scars of battle, emerged from them.

This space-time portal served as an ultra-long-distance interstellar spatial passage, linking the inner star domains of the Magus World with the Neisse Star Domain.

Passing through this portal would bring Sein and the others to the outskirts of the Neisse Star Domain.

The portal was an extreme application of spatial magic, a product of the Magus Civilization’s alchemy and magitech.

The space fortresses shuttling through these portals were the legions of the Magus Civilization, embarking on their journey to the Neisse Star Domain for battle.

From what Sein had gathered, the war in the Neisse Star Domain was still ongoing.

The Neisse Civilization continued its desperate resistance.

The destination of their current voyage, the Viridian Venom Flame World, sat on the outskirts of the Neisse Star Domain and had once been a servant plane under the Neisse Civilization.

The three space fortresses followed closely behind the other space fortresses as they approached the azure portal.

The massive, pitch-black space fortresses gradually vanished into the azure portal, with a unique spatial ripple undulating across their surfaces.

From his room on the top floor, Sein, despite his accumulated knowledge and experience, found himself unable to fully grasp or explain the intricacies of spatial science that unfolded before him.