Sovereign of the Ashes

Navigating upstream along the river, Sein and Tourmaline made their way to the heart of the Marmett Union Alliance.

Despite traveling by water, Tourmaline’s pace significantly outstripped Sein’s earlier travels along the southern coast.

However, the Marmett Union Alliance’s territory was much bigger than the southern coast, and Sein’s journey had only covered some riverine areas in the eastern part of the alliance.

Nevertheless, this journey proved immensely beneficial for Sein.

His bond with Tourmaline deepened, and he spent much of the trip atop the dragon turtle’s massive back, which was covered in a layer of soil and lush vegetation.

With Tourmaline’s permission, Sein harnessed his magic abilities to construct a simple temporary residence on its back.

Sein could not be certain if it was just his imagination, but despite his mental focus and mana remaining stable, he observed an improvement in his constitution while he spent time on Tourmaline’s back.

Although the enhancements to his constitution were minimal, Sein, who had extensively researched the Verdant Flame Body Tempering technique and closely monitored his constitution growth, was quick to detect this gradual change.

At first, he dismissed the growth as mere coincidence, but two months later, with his constitution still improving, Sein began to seriously address this anomaly.

Initially, he directly questioned Tourmaline about it.

Since it seemed to be the key factor in this phenomenon, Sein assumed it might have some knowledge about it. However, the dragon appeared somewhat perplexed by his sudden question.

Tourmaline had no awareness of its ability to induce passive evolution and growth in others. Then again, Sein was one of the very few creatures to have ever spent an extended period on its back.

Besides, most creatures did not actively pursue passive evolution like Sein.

Although Tourmaline could not provide answers, Sein was undeterred. With little activity along their route, he seized the opportunity to investigate the source of this anomaly.

He set up numerous testing instruments across Tourmaline’s shell, though unfortunately, he had only a limited selection of tools at his disposal.

These were far less powerful and effective than those found in the top levels of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

After more than a month of effort, Sein’s results were quite disappointing.

From the little data he gathered, he hypothesized that Tourmaline, as a large creature with a high life level, might possess a unique life magnetic field.

Although Sein wondered if there was a way to harness this magnetic field to accelerate the passive evolution of other life forms, his limited knowledge and life level prevented him from delving deeper.

If his mentor, Lorianne, had been there, she might have provided a more precise explanation.

Despite over a month of ambiguous findings, Sein continued to benefit from the effects.

Having observed no adverse consequences from Tourmaline’s evolutionary influence, he saw no reason to leave the turtle’s back, especially since Tourmaline had already consented to the construction of a temporary residence there.

That evening, Sein lay down on the grass atop Tourmaline’s back after a fulfilling day of research, basking in the sunset over the Magus World.

The evening sun here in the Marmett Union Alliance differed from the views atop the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Here, the sunset painted the sky with darker, redder hues, lending an aura of majesty to the surroundings.

Sein had once asked Tourmaline about the sunsets at the Western Archipelago.

Tourmaline described them as more orange-yellow, emphasizing how the blend of sea and sky created an atmosphere of comfort, making it easier to drift off to sleep.

“Tourmaline, that Master from the Marmett Union Alliance mentioned that one of your older brothers is in the Sage’s Forest. Which brother is that?” Sein asked, lying comfortably on the giant dragon turtle’s back

Tourmaline emerged from the sea, lifting its head and letting shimmering water trickle down its cheeks.

Gazing northeast with its deep black eyes, it responded in a resonant voice, “It must be Fourth Brother.”

“Oh? Why is it not your eldest or second brother?” Sein asked curiously.

Among Tourmaline’s four older siblings, the eldest and second brothers were known to be the strongest, revered as “Sea Gods” by countless aquatic races in the Boundless South Sea.

While their power might not quite match that of their father, they were believed to be nearly on par, surpassing Sein’s current understanding.

Tourmaline’s response to Sein’s question was both surprising and amusing.

“Because they’re bigger than me, and just this river alone wouldn’t be able to accommodate them. Besides, they don’t really like traveling into inland rivers. Most of the time, they prefer to sleep in the ocean depths,” Tourmaline explained.

Sein could not help but steal a glance at the river banks. The river had been widened to an astonishing width of ten thousand meters by the Marmett Union Alliance.

Not only that, but the alliance had also deepened and widened many other coastal rivers from their original size to accommodate the passage of Tourmaline, which spanned thousands of meters in length.

Sein could not help but wonder just how immense Tourmaline’s two elder brothers were if these rivers could not accommodate them.

In his mind, he pictured beings as massive as space fortresses.

During his time with Tourmaline, Sein had pretty much figured out its life level.

Tourmaline was open and unguarded. Since it sensed no malice from Sein, it never felt the need to conceal its true nature.

Tourmaline disclosed that its life level was probably still at the peak of Rank Three, making it a so-called “demigod” in the Astral Realm.

This was also the reason it still considered itself a “young tortoise”.

According to its third sister during its time in the Western Archipelago, Tourmaline must reach Rank four in its life level to attain adulthood due to its potent bloodline and lineage.

Some creatures might appear ordinary, yet they could eventually attain limits that prove elusive to millions of creatures on ordinary planes by doing nothing.

The Astral Realm was clearly cruel and unfair.

Given that Tourmaline’s aura was more powerful than the burst of power Master Lorianne had displayed during the Viridian Venom Flame World war, Sein speculated that beings with such profound potential and bloodlines could effortlessly confront higher-ranked opponents.

Yet, Sein could not shake the feeling that his perceptions and judgments might be flawed.

As a mere Rank One mage, accurately discerning power disparities between a peak Rank Three and a Rank Four entity was beyond his capabilities.

He acknowledged that relying solely on aura intensity to judge could lead to errors.

While Lorianne had only been promoted to Rank Four a few centuries ago, she was far from weak and could potentially hide her other strengths.