Sovereign of the Ashes

Standing atop the deck, Sein’s face was visibly pale beneath his black hood.

Moments earlier, their small alchemy ship had daringly navigated through the eye of a storm.

The formidable might of the Magus World’s sea had given Sein a vivid lesson in both grandeur and terror.

Without precise navigation and exceptionally quick reflexes, Sein doubted they could have survived such a fearsome storm head-on.

Such a feat was impossible for a Rank Three or even a demigod-level being!

The storm’s force was powerful enough to twist a steel structure over a hundred meters in diameter into a corkscrew.

Furthermore, there were many visible and hidden whirlpools in the sea, capable of dragging any land-dwellers into depths exceeding ten thousand feet.

This was the first time Sein had truly experienced the might of a vast sea since coming to the southern coast.

If the sea of molten lava in the Viridian Venom Flame World were likened to a gentle lamb, then the Boundless South Sea of the Magus World was a slumbering dragon.

It was a dragon that bore no ill will, but a mere yawn from it could spell the end for countless lives.

In the Magus World, billions of beings were but a drop in the ocean. After all, the combined populations of the human nations in the Viridescent Land already exceeded ten billion.

On top of that, the Virididescent Land was only a lesser territory governed by a relatively modest divine tower.

“This species of fish is rather fascinating.”

Although color had not returned to Sein’s face, he crouched on the deck with keen interest, watching some thumb-sized silver fish jumping in the sea.

The storm they had just navigated could pulverize any large creature, yet these slender, thumb-sized silver fish seemed to traverse it with ease, showcasing the marvels of nature and evolutionary biology.

Sein retrieved a transparent test tube and collected several energetic silver fish.

In the sunlight, a distinct bloodline could be seen beneath their luminous silver scales.

The sailor approached Sein and shared, “These are Silverdrake Fish, rumored to carry a strain of dragon blood in them. The largest I’ve seen was palm-sized, found only in the storm’s eye.”

“I’ve also heard tales of a Rank Two mage who collected a huge amount of Silverdrake Fish, in an attempt to extract enough dragon blood from them. I’m not sure whether these rumors are true though,” he added.

Kurt had taken off his white shirt, revealing the muscular physique that was previously hidden beneath it.

When they crossed the storm, the Rank One knight leaped atop the ship and adjusted the sails with sheer strength. Combined with the ship’s alchemy propulsion, they were able to escape from danger.

Streaks of blood, left by the storm’s fury and partially cleaned by the rain, were visible on Kurt’s chest, serving as evidence of the hard-earned livelihood that Kurt and the elder were carving out in the Boundless South Sea.

Although Sein could briefly masquerade as a black mage, the passage of years spent as a mage registered with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had significantly distanced him from the ways of a black mage.

Anyone with keen observation could tell that he was not malevolent.

When Kurt was busy adjusting the sails on the masts during their passage through the storm’s eye, Kurt caught a glimpse of Sein conjuring a magic shield to protect the weaker-looking lady in his company.

A true black mage would have never bothered with the fate of a mere soul slave.

Rather than being sincerely concerned for Yuri’s well-being, Sein simply did not want the engineer, whom he had acquired through considerable effort, to perish in an accident.

Kurt’s initiative to start a conversation with Sein was an attempt to make friends.

At this moment, only five Rank One mages and a knight were left on the ship.

Aside from Kurt, the bearded elder, and Sein, the two other passengers remained secluded in their cabins.

Since Sein was on the deck and did not exude the aloofness typical of a black mage, Kurt decided to strike up a conversation with him.

Sein cast a glance at Kurt. After a brief moment of silence, he replied, “Those rumors you heard are probably true. There’s indeed a trace of dragon blood in these Silverdrake Fish.”

Kurt’s eyes immediately lit up with curiosity as he asked, “Oh, how did find out, Master?”

Sein’s lips curled into a cold smile before replying, “Because I’ve seen real pure-blooded dragons.”

His frosty smile and reply sent a shiver down Kurt’s spine, causing the words about to escape his mouth to retreat down his throat.

Sein probably read Kurt’s mind. His smile morphed into one of mockery as he continued, “I suggest you abandon the idea of hunting Silverdrake Fish in the hope of collecting dragon blood, much like that Rank Two mage. You could spend a century on such a task and not gather even a gallon of it.”

“If you’re really interested in dragon blood, you might as well explore the storm’s eye. Given the presence of Silverdrake Fish with traces of dragon blood there, it’s plausible that other sea creatures with a richer concentration of dragon blood might also be found,” he suggested.

Kurt shook his head at Sein’s suggestion.

The idea seemed ludicrous to him. Even for a Rank One knight, the notion of braving the storm-ridden seas for dragon blood was tantamount to courting death out of sheer boredom.

Though they were not speaking very loudly, their exchange could be overheard by any keen listener.

A chuckle was heard from the second floor above the deck, where a man dressed in brown mage robes made his appearance.

He fixed his gaze on Sein and remarked, “It seems like you possess considerable knowledge about the dragons.”

However, Sein was not inclined to engage in conversation with unfamiliar faces.

His knowledge of dragons came from extensive research in both the divine tower library and the private collection of his mentor after receiving dragon blood as a gift from her.

Besides, Sein preferred not to delve into scholarly exchanges with unknown mages in such a setting.

The mage’s attempt to engage Sein was met with indifference, leaving him in a slightly awkward position.

Before the conversation could proceed further, Kurt erupted in anger.

“Where the hell did sea creatures come from? How dare they stand in our way!”

His shout was followed by several thick pillars of water rising from the sea, forming a loose barrier around their modestly sized ship.

A distinct metallic buzzing from the ship’s detection system came from the bridge, alerting Kurt of the sea creatures lurking nearby.

Sure enough, as the water pillars surged, peculiar sea creatures with lizard-like heads and fish-like tails emerged from the depths.

Clutching rusted halberds, these creatures looked less like formidable ocean raiders and more like beggars.