Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein was perplexed by the concept of “youth” among the giant tortoises.

He found it difficult to call a nearly five-thousand-year-old tortoise, with a shell spanning nearly a kilometer wide, a “baby tortoise”.

In the Magus World, dragons matured within about a thousand years, evolving into beings of Rank Two or higher.

It seemed like tortoises had a longer growth cycle compared to dragons...

If they were already so formidable in their youth, Sein could hardly imagine how terrifying they would become upon reaching adulthood.

Sein was unsure how much longer it would take for the tortoise to reach maturity, but he was deeply curious about its “father”, “eldest brother”, and “second brother”.

They seemed to be a formidable and thriving giant tortoise family.

Considering the pure draconic aura emanating from Tourmaline, it might be more apt to refer to them as the “dragon turtle family”[1].

Sein pondered whether the title “Sea God” was self-assigned by powerful beings within the Magus World or merely a label given to the giant tortoise family by ignorant aquatic races.

He was inclined to believe the latter.

In the Magus World and even across the vast Astral Realm, only the mages of the Magus Civilization dismissed the notion of gods, viewing them merely as higher forms of life.

Only the foolish and ignorant low-level creatures would refer to phenomena beyond their understanding as “divine miracles”, or label exceptionally powerful beings as “gods”.

Therefore, Sein, a true mage, felt deep contempt when he heard even the superior aquatic races of the Magus World, like mermaids, casually using the word “god”.

Both Tourmaline and Sein showed little interest in the little mermaid.

Sein briefly glanced at the milky-white shells covering the pink-tailed mermaid’s chest before turning his attention back to sorting through his other spoils.

The Rank Two black mage had quite some good stuff among his possessions. Sein discovered several pieces of spatial equipment, each brimming with contents.

Using his formidable mental focus, Sein cracked the seal on one of the space rings. He went through the content, and then quickly put it away.

Much of the wealth amassed by the Rank Two black mage consisted of “illicit goods”—items not meant for the public eye.

Within the ring Sein just accessed, he discovered the severed head of the Rank One mage named Thatch.

Alongside Thatch’s head, the ring also contained various magic materials, some of which Sein could identify, while others remained a mystery.

Many of these materials were stained by blood, the origins of which Sein preferred not to dwell on.

Sein suspected that the contents of each piece of spatial equipment were acquired through similar grim methods.

Among these retrieved spatial equipment, two pieces—a bangle and a gauntlet—remained inaccessible to Sein at the moment.

These items potentially held the most prized possessions of the Rank Two black mage and would remain shruded in mystery until Sein could find the time to unlock them with the help of precise alchemical instruments in his laboratory.

After securing the spatial equipment, Sein proceeded to remove the black mage’s tattered robe and the White Bone Magic Rod he clutched tightly even in death.

Both items were of exceptional quality. Although the robe was extremely damaged, the magic rod remained remarkably intact.

Lastly, Sein turned his attention to the corpse of the Rank Two black mage, which was a rarity in itself.

While such a find would usually be disregarded by ordinary mages, the corpse of a Rank Two mage could surely fetch a handsome price in Blackhaven.

However, Sein hesitated.

Collecting the corpse of a mage from the same plane was against the rules of the divine towers, posing significant risks if discovered—even if it was the corpse of a black mage.

The mermaid, who was daydreaming earlier, seemed to have noticed Sein’s dilemma and turned around.

She frowned upon seeing the black mage’s corpse, then remarked, “This black mage must have been a notorious criminal on the Magus Continent. He must have had a way to conceal his presence to successfully evade capture by the divine towers and orders of the knights.”

“The corpse of a black mage like him would likely yield considerable rewards from the Magus Alliance if brought to the divine towers or orders of the knights in the region. Aren’t you interested in them?” the mermaid asked.

“Yes, of course I am!” Sein responded quickly, realizing he had overlooked this possibility.

After clearing the battlefield of all spoils, including the corpse of the Rank Two black mage, Sein heaved a sigh.

The mermaid’s remarks had shifted his perception of her somewhat.

Noticing her gaze, Sein asked, “Is there anything else you need?”

The mermaid bit her lip and asked, “Are you knowledgeable in soul magic? Could you help me remove the soul bond placed on me by that despicable black mage?”

Just like Yuri, the mermaid had a similar soul seal on her forehead.

It was a clear sign her soul was still under the influence of the black mage’s control, even though he was already dead.

Considering the Rank Two black mage’s strength, it was likely that the soul magic he used on her was quite advanced.

“While I do have some knowledge of soul magic, I’m not sure I can assist you. The type used by that black mage isn’t familiar to me,” Sein replied.

“Aren’t mages like you keen on research? Can’t you study his methods?” the mermaid asked, swishing her pink tail desperately.

Sein frowned and reflexively asked, “Why should I help you?”

His question immediately caused the mermaid’s face to turn pale, but she quickly recovered thanks to her quick thinking.

She sneered coldly and said, “I remember you from that underground black market. You bought a few magic initiates and squires, didn’t you? Did you kill them to silence them?”

Her cold sneer caused Sein’s expression to darken. Before he could respond, the mermaid swiftly shifted her approach.

“I’ll keep your secret safe and even tell you how that black mage managed to track you down. All I ask in return is your help in freeing my soul. Fair?”

“Isn’t that how your kind prefer to operate—on the principle of equivalent exchange?” she added, skimming the water’s surface with her hand.

1. Translator’s Note: Tourmaline is a dragon turtle, but it bears a close resemblance to tortoise rather than turtle since Chinese dragon turtles have claws rather than flippers ☜