Sovereign of the Ashes

Four months later, Sein found himself at Sea Gazing Harbor.

The harbor was located a little left from the central south of the Magus Continent, away from the southern coast.

After a relentless journey, Sein managed to arrive just in time to board a sea vessel bound west for the Marmett Union Alliance.

Even on an alchemy ship, the journey to his destination, Cannes Sea City within the Marmett Union Alliance, would take at least six months.

Depending on the monsoons and ocean currents, this duration could vary by a month or two.

Navigating the whims of the sea breeze, which were beyond human control, added a layer of unpredictability. The solid foundation of laws in the Magus World ensured that not even Rank Four creatures could significantly influence the climate over a large area.

Sein’s decision to travel by sea vessel to the Marmett Union Alliance was influenced by the geography to the north—Zerzis Range.

It was the most majestic mountain range in the southern region of the Magus Continent, towering into the clouds with peaks rumored to reach beyond a hundred fifty thousand meters above sea level. Specific details about the height were not noted in the magic texts available to Sein.

However, based on the rumors and his own assessment, such a formidable mountain range was clearly not easily traversable by a Rank One creature.

Crossing such a range would likely require the capabilities of at least a Rank Two mage with an elemental body suited to extreme climates.

For a Rank One creature like Sein, detouring around this massive obstacle was the best course of action, as attempting to traverse it would severely delay his journey to the Western Archipelago.

The sea route emerged as the most convenient and quickest alternative.

Regrettably, the Divine Tower of Hurricane at the western edge of the southern coast lacked a spatial passage linked with the Marmett Union Alliance. Otherwise, that could have further expedited his travel.

“It seems like there’s still a significant gap between the major forces in the Magus World. The Magus Civilization can even construct ultra-long-distance interstellar spatial passages reaching far beyond the Neisse Star Domain, so there’s no reason why a passage can’t be established between the Marmett Union Alliance and the southern coast. This isn’t a technical issue, there must be other factors at play,” Sein mused.

From a broader perspective, establishing an interoperable spatial passage between a major force like the Marmett Union Alliance and the southern coast would be beneficial.

Yet, the reasons why the upper echelons of both sides had not advanced such a plan remained unclear to him.

Perhaps entities above Rank Four had more complex considerations to account for.

A deep whistle cut through the air as the ship slowly departed Sea Gazing Harbor.

Aside from navigating the sea, this alchemy ship was also capable of brief aerial flight.

Stretching over fifteen hundred meters in length, this vessel far surpassed Kurt’s worn-out ship.

It was owned by the renowned Guilleman Chamber of Commerce, run by a prestigious magic family known for its extensive trade operations.

Merely calling it a prestigious magic family did not do justice; House Guilleman also boasted knights of considerable strength.

The vessel Sein boarded was protected by a Rank One mage and two Rank One knights.

This ship was just one of many in House Guilleman.

Known for its strong background, House Guilleman had established trade relations with numerous otherwordly planes that were part of the Magus Alliance.

House Guilleman was not alone in facilitating the sea route that linked the Marmett Union Alliance with the southern coast, though it stood out due to its slightly stronger influence and its friendly relations with many divine towers in the southern part of the Marmett Union Alliance’s territory.

Navigating this sea route required more than the resilience of an alchemy ship against waves and storms; well-established relationships across various sectors were crucial, especially given the notable status of the aquatic races in this region of the sea.

Sein noticed the hydro elemental magic arrays inscribed on the ship’s hull to enhance its speed.

Additionally, each wing of the ship was assisted by a quasi-ranked humpback whale, bound by hydro elemental reins and controlled by a four-armed ocean naga riding on it.

These nagas seem to be natives of the nearby waters.

House Guilleman had managed to navigate these waters steadily for many years, reaping substantial profits from the trade between the Marmett Union Alliance and the southern coast, undoubtedly with some involvement from the aquatic race.

Navigating through these considerations, Sein speculated that perhaps the Marmett Union Alliance had never established a stable spatial passage with the southern coast due to existing stable chains of interest and entrenched vested groups.

However, this conjecture might be far-fetched as neither the aquatic races nor the prestigious magic families were likely to significantly influence the decisions of the divine towers—they simply were not qualified to do so.

“Based on the information I gathered about Marmett Union Alliance while I was on the southern coast, it’s a major force that owns thousands of divine towers and has significantly contributed to the development of the Magus Civilization. It’s no surprise that they would ally with the Pyro Secret Society and Steel City to conquer a large world civilization like the Neisse Star Domain. Perhaps the Marmett Union Alliance didn’t even deploy its full strength during the war.”

Sein gazed over the boundless sea and let out a sigh.

***

After Sein’s departure from Sea Gazing Harbor aboard the alchemy ship, a gruesome scene unfolded in the nearby South Sea.

Another alchemy ship, nearly seven hundred meters long, was awash in blood and remnants of flesh.

No living creatures were left aboard and the surrounding sea had turned a deep crimson, but not from the blood of the ship’s passengers.

While there were indeed numerous passengers, the real culprit was a magic epidemic known as the “Black Death Virus”.

The virus was developed by a gifted black mage in the primordial era and was rumored to have once devastated an entire large-sized plane.

The “Black Death Virus” currently spreading was not as potent as the infamous “Black Death Virus” known in the annals of Magus Civilization history.

Its contagion was slightly weaker, and at best, its range of effect extends only a few nautical miles. However, even this reduced potency was sufficient to transform the surrounding sea into a dead zone!

Amidst this ominous and deathly atmosphere, a pitiful howl pierced the air before being silenced by the sound of seawater splashing up to tens of meters into the air.

Soon after, a dark figure emerged from the crimson waters, dragging a young mage by the neck, leaving a long streak of blood across the deck.

Had Sein been present, he might have recognized the lifeless young mage’s attire as that of the Rank Two mage from the basement of the Imperial Pearl Auction!

“Quite impressive. Who do we have here? An heir of some prestigious magic family or the successor of a grand mage, perhaps? I didn’t expect him to use a disposable magic artifact of such caliber,” the black-robed figure muttered, clutching his chest and coughing.

His voice was extremely hoarse.

Ba-bump, ba-bump!

The sound of powerful heartbeats echoed as the black-robed man extracted his own crimson heart, which had been damaged by a third, then nonchalantly retrieved a fresh heart from his space ring and replaced it.

A treasure trove of magic materials and valuable artifacts appeared on the deck, all were gains of the black-robed man from his grisly endeavors.

The Rank Two young mage he had just killed might indeed have been the heir of a prominent magic family, given the wealth he possessed.

Many had also perished on that ship, and their remains could be considered piles of money. Corpses of Rank One or Rank Two knights and mages, especially in Blackhaven, could fetch a considerable sum!

The eerie, hoarse laughter of the black-robed man resonated over the chilling sea breeze, adding to the gloom.

He then snatched the azure-colored crystal necklace from the neck of the deceased Rank Two mage.

As space rippled, a pink-tailed mermaid materialized on the deck.

“Hello again, my little beauty. Seems he hadn’t touched you yet?” he leered, eyeing the mermaid’s pink tail before bursting into a sinister cackle.

“You devil!” the mermaid exclaimed, her face pale with terror yet marked by defiance.

“Devil? Hehehe, those lowly beings are mere subjects to be dissected on my experimental tables. They are merely pathetic creatures adept at winning contracts through emotional manipulation. They have even lost their homeplane. How could you compare them to me, Van Basten, a distinguished Rank Two black mage?!” the black mage retorted.

“Come, we’ll go to Blackhaven. My underground lab has a nice aquatic cell. You’ll like it,” he said with a malevolent grin.