Sovereign of the Ashes

The day Sein decided to depart from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring for his journey came as a surprise to everyone.

He had not told others about his plan and maintained the same routine until the very end, even spending his last evening with Selina and the evening before with Eileen.

Despite never sharing his travel plans with Selina or others, Selina had an exceptionally lavish meal ready for him by the time he finished packing up his stuff

Sein was not even sure if this would be the last time he would get to enjoy Selina’s meal.

After all, his journey was not going to be a short escapade of a few months or years. It would stretch over a decade at least, or perhaps even several decades.

The Magus World’s vastness meant that traversing even half of it as a Rank One mage was no small feat, especially considering the distance of the Western Archipelago from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

The journey would lead Sein across countless forces, special areas, and two vast seas—the South Sea and the West Sea.

Selina was an above-average Quasi Mage, but this did not guarantee her advancement to Rank One.

If Selina failed to advance to Rank One, her lifespan as a magic initiate would only be about a hundred years, markedly shorter than Sein’s potential lifespan of nearly a thousand years.

This harsh reality likely dawned on Selina as she spent half a day preparing a lavish feast for Sein while shedding tears at the thought of their farewell.

Selina was too gentle. She lacked firm resolve and confidence.

Sein recalled a friend he met during his time as a magic initiate—Anna Jonnes, who had rushed her first attempt to become a full-fledged mage and ended up failing.

Yet, Sein could see that Anna was not disheartened by failure. Instead, she prepared diligently for her second attempt.

Anna was likely to attempt another breakthrough within the next two years.

Considering her exceptional talent and performance during her days as a magic initiate, as well as the resources and support from her family, her chances of advancing to Rank One were estimated to be around eighty percent.

Noticing the tears in Selina’s eyes, Sein paused and set his utensils aside, choosing instead to sit beside her and wrap an arm around her shoulders.

“Please look after the lab while I’m away,” Sein said.

Upon hearing Sein’s request, Selina hastily wiped her tears away and nodded.

Entrusting the care of his laboratory to Selina was not only a sign of Sein’s trust in her but also an invitation for Selina to freely utilize any of the equipment and tools in there.

Sein let out a soft sigh before saying, “I hope to return and find you’ve reached Rank One.”

His words momentarily stunned Selina.

In all these years, Sein had never demanded anything of Selina.

Even while teaching her elemental knowledge and guiding her through alchemy experiments, Sein regarded Selina with patience and encouragement, never reprimanding her for any mistakes.

As a result, this allowed Selina to live comfortably during her time with Sein.

Now, confronted with Sein’s first explicit “request” or “expectation”, Selina was momentarily taken aback, then nodded firmly in response.

Her response brought a gentle smile to Sein’s face.

In a gentle voice, Sein said, “All right, let’s eat.”

***

Sein’s departure from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring went virtually unnoticed.

This was largely due to Sein’s reserved nature. Despite knowing quite a few mages within the divine tower over the years, he did not organize any special banquets before embarking on his travels, unlike what other mages might have done.

Unlike Selina, who understood and accepted his departure, Eileen expressed all her dissatisfaction.

If Sein had informed her sooner about it, she would have most likely joined him on his journey.

Even so, she also sensed that Sein, whom she found somewhat enigmatic, preferred to travel alone even if he did not express it.

Furthermore, Eileen was bound by a decades-long contract with the divine tower, preventing her from leaving for extended periods without prior notice.

Sein, on the other hand, being the apprentice of the tower master, had all necessary arrangements made well in advance.

His contract with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was more flexible compared to the other mages, given his status as a senior initiate when he joined.

Aside from Selina and Eileen, Master Lorianne also quietly saw Sein off.

From her vantage point atop the divine tower, she watched Sein’s figure vanish into the southern horizon.

Lorianne had imparted to Sein all the wisdom and guidance she could, including giving him a batch of Viridescent Seeds for life preservation.

Among these seeds, Sein possessed over a hundred of them. Yet, he had not utilized the most valuable among them—a singular, milky-white seed.

It was a rarity produced by Lorianne’s own world laboratory.

Only two of these extraordinary seeds had been cultivated after years of effort. The fact that one of them was bestowed upon Sein showed the depth of her care for her apprentice.

With Sein’s maturity and such a powerful trump card up his sleeve, Lorianne had no reason to be concerned for Sein’s safety. She was merely curious about when he would return.

Besides, he was only traveling in the Magus World. What kind of dangers could he potentially find himself in?

“The thriving and illustrious Magus World awaits your exploration. I look forward to the surprises you’ll bring back. Well, it’s time for me to resume my experiment,” Lorianne mused quietly, then turned around and returned to her laboratory.

***

Although Sein left the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring alone, he was not truly alone on his journey.

Sev had already come out of its space piccolo long ago. As Sein departed from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sev embraced its nature. As a bird, the sky was its boundless stage to soar.

While the divine tower offered an enriching environment for a mage like Sein, it felt confining and dull to a magic beast like Sev.

Over the years, Sein had cultivated friendships with many mages within the tower, but Sev’’s social circle remained limited.

Apart from observing Sein’s living specimens or playfully interacting with Selina’s activator fairies, Sev spent most of its time looking for a quiet spot to rest.

Interestingly, Sev found an unlikely friendship with Grimm’s soul parrot.

Sein was not sure whether it was the monotony of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring that spurred this bond between two distinctly different birds.