Sovereign of the Ashes

The blood of a Rank Three creature was quite valuable to Sein at this stage of his journey.

Having already amassed a significant collection of extraplanar materials, Sein was eager to immerse himself in intensive research within his laboratory to quench his thirst for knowledge.

Unfortunately, the ongoing interplanar war necessitated adherence to orders, leaving little room for personal pursuits.

Following the conclusion of the battle near the Red Molten River, Sein, along with the other mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, quickly regrouped and moved eastward under the guidance of two Rank Three grand mages to support another battle.

“The Magus Civilization isn’t inherently belligerent or evil. Many mages, given the choice and sufficient resources, prefer the solitude of their laboratories to the chaos of battle. Grandmaster mentioned there are special resources in the Viridian Venom Flame World which are particularly beneficial for those in the Verdant Flame faction. I wonder what they could be,” Sein mused to himself while flying with the other mages of his group to their next destination.

Despite being a newly promoted mage, Sein was not in dire need of resources.

After all, he had inherited substantial assets from his previous mentor, Master Morsidor, earned over twenty Rank Two energy crystals, and amassed over two hundred thousand points during the regional academy war.

This financial security meant that he would not face resource shortages until reaching Rank Three.

Sein’s true need lay in exploring the unknown and gaining experiential wisdom.

His current mentor, Master Lorianne, had involved him in the interplanar war for this very reason.

“Once this war mission is over, I’ll request a break to stay in the space fortress. I need to study the Verdant Flame magic and research on these extraplanar materials I have gathered,” Sein thought to himself.

Unlike many of his peers, Sein was not obsessed with the pursuit of wealth and resources, thanks to his current affluence.

He mused that perhaps only if he ever exhausted his funds would he join the fray of interplanar war with fervor.

***

Sein had initially intended to take a break, but the whims of fate and war had other plans for him.

Since the battle at the Red Molten River, he and the other mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had been heading eastward.

They engaged in battles across various locations in the Viridian Venom Flame World, including Scorched Heights, Burning Lake, Fire Cloud Mountains, Scorching Well Ladder, and the Red Sandlands.

This relentless campaign spanned nearly six months, during which Sein amassed an extensive collection of materials. Most of them were materials below Rank One, but he had also collected quite a number of quality materials that were Rank One and above.

“For Pyromancers like us, the Viridian Venom Flame World is a treasure trove among the low-level planes. Such planes are very rare discoveries now, we must seize the opportunity to gather useful magic ingredients and materials,” Jovian’s voice reached Sein and the surrounding mages, eliciting nods of agreement.

Even the mages who were not Pyromancers were also very eager to plunder this low-level plane.

This was largely due to the dominance of Pyromancers within the Magus World, making pyro elemental resources highly sought after and easy to sell.

Even if a direct buyer was not readily available, the divine tower would purchase them at a reasonable rate.

During these six months, Sein finally discovered the special resources that Grandmaster Feylis was referring to during their faction gathering.

Two months ago, a battle took place near the Scorching Well Ladder.

Located at the mouth of an active volcano, the “Scorching Well Ladder” earned its peculiar name due to the unique vertical arrangement of the mountain pass and the level-like distribution of pyro-elemental creatures within it.

In the deepest part, near the lava at the bottom of the volcano, lay a special green slurry known as “Verdant Glaze”.

This green slurry, deemed a Grade B war resource by the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame, was exceptionally valuable, outranking even the regular energy crystal veins typically classified as Grace C war resources.

While the discoverer of such a resource was rewarded handsomely, private mining was prohibited. After all, the Verdant Glaze was more valuable than standard energy crystals.

Amidst the post-battle chaos at the Scorching Well Ladder, Sein managed to collect two vials of Verdant Glaze without breaching the Divine Tower’s regulations.

Only large-scale, unauthorized extraction would have constituted a serious violation of war protocols and warranted punishment from the divine tower.

The divine towers, however, would generally overlook minor resource acquisitions by participating mages during the war.

The acquisition of Verdant Glaze intensified Sein’s desire to return to the main base for a break.

It had been nearly half a year since the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring mages embarked on their combat mission.

Upon communication with the fortress, a number of these mages, including Sein, were granted permission to the base.

Meanwhile, the remaining mages, along with the two Rank Three grand mages and Master Jovian, chose to remain on the Flame Continent, believing they had not yet gathered sufficient war resources.

As Jovian and the remaining mages continued their combat efforts, they used the war airship they had initially arrived in.

Sein and the other mages initially planned to fly back to the main base, but on their way back, they came across a damaged war airship from the Divine Tower of Floating Flame.

Since it was also heading back to the main base for maintenance, Sein and the other mages decided to hitch a ride.

A third of the damaged airship’s surface was severely scorched, serving as a reminder that the Viridian Venom Flame World’s resistance was more formidable than anticipated.

The most intense battles were still unfolding in the most distant location on the Flame Continent.

The region where Sein and his group had fought for nearly six months had already been traversed by the frontline legions.

Nevertheless, more than a third of the mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring sharing the ride with him back to the main base had suffered various degrees of injuries.

The situation for the mages from the Divine Tower of Floating Flame was even more severe, with nearly three hundred wounded aboard their war airship.

Sein was quite fortunate in this regard. His keen sense of danger set him apart from the “newbies” in interplanar wars.

He managed to avoid serious injuries, suffering only minor burns on his arms and back, which were promptly treated and healed with medication.

Sein’s capabilities left Jovian, who had been discreetly monitoring and hoping to assist him, feeling somewhat glum.

“No wonder why this guy could surpass the phenomenal initiates who are known as the Despairers during the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War,” Jovian mused to himself after Sein and the others left their group.[1]

1. Translator’s Note: Those worthy of the Despairer title were like Gade the Heart of Land, who could accumulate an individual score of over 100,000 points. Sein’s final score was over 200,000, which had far exceeded those of Gade and a previous Despairer known as Martinez. ☜