Sovereign of the Ashes

In the heart of Black Iron Fortress, there was an alchemy store known as the Mechanic’s Hammer. Here, Sein saw one-seater flight pods in the shape of an egg.

Priced at five hundred magicoins each, these pods came with a maintenance plan.

Although the cost of these flight pods might seem steep, it was reasonably priced.

Most full-fledged mages could afford one after saving up for some time or after participating in an interplanar war.

However, in the Magus World, only a few mages who were not mechanics utilized these gear-operated alchemy creations.

Even mechanics rarely purchase the pods directly from the shop. Instead, they would buy the raw components at significantly lower prices and assemble the pods themselves.

This approach not only reduced the cost to about two hundred magicoins but also allowed for customization based on personal preferences and specific needs.

Sein surveyed the array of one-seater flight pods lined up in front of him at the Mechanic’s Hammer, stroking his chin with great interest.

The store was staffed by magic initiates. One with dark blond hair had already started making his way toward Sein.

Despite still being an initiate, they likely possessed deeper understanding and insights into the mechanical principles than Sein himself.

The initiate with dark blond hair approached Sein, then bowed to him respectfully before eloquently introducing GH230, the one-seater flight pod that was the current bestseller at the Mechanic’s Hammer Alchemy Shop.

Naming alchemy products with a mix of alphabets and numbers was a common practice among the mechanics in the Magus World.

It was a tradition likely inspired by the other technological civilizations in the Magus Alliance.

The Magus Alliance was a global association led by the Magus Civilization, with participation from countless planes. The diversity of civilizations and species within the alliance was remarkably vast.

Numerous technological civilizations within the Magus Alliance showed promising development.

Among them, the Norman Federation stood out as the most influential and powerful. It was a large world civilization whose overall strength rivaled that of the Undead and Beastmen Worlds.

The Steel City in the Magus World maintained close communications with the Norman Federation throughout the year.

Mages in Magus World were keen learners, always eager to assimilate beneficial knowledge and elements into their practices.

Looking at the rows of one-seater flight pods, Sein listened to the initiate’s sales pitch but refrained from making an immediate purchase.

The specs for these flight pods in Steel City were varied.

The initiate proudly pointed out that these particular pods were the masterwork of Dogen, a Rank Three mechanic.

Sein never rushed his purchases. He would always compare prices between three shops before making a decision.

Besides, he had plenty of time to explore Steel City and was more intent on indulging his curiosity than making a purchase right now.

While there was nothing wrong with Sein’s prudent approach to shopping, it proved somewhat frustrating for Willy, the intermediate magic apprentice tasked with assisting him.

Mechanic’s Hammer was the largest store in Black Iron Fortress, offering much more than just one-seater flight pods.

After spending a long time browsing the flight pods and listening to Willy’s detailed explanations, Sein moved on to another part of the store.

He was now standing before a collection of disposable alchemy items crafted by Steel City’s mechanists.

As a full-fledged mage and the store’s policy, which required initiates to attend to customers diligently, Willy could not simply walk away despite Sein’s lack of intent to purchase anything.

Therefore, the plump initiate with dark blond hair could only clear his already dry throat and continue to accompany Sein around the store, tirelessly explaining all the goods on offer.

One small consolation for the young initiate was that Sein always had Yuri, a striking engineer, by his side.

Magic initiates were generally younger and showed more interest in the opposite gender compared to full-fledged mages who had lived for over a century.

While sneakily stealing glances at the silent female engineer, the plump initiate diligently fulfilled his role as the salesperson of Mechanic’s Hammer.

Sadly, stealing glances was all he could do as it was Sein who truly captured Yuri’s attention.

After spending half a day in Mechanic’s Hammer, Sein had thoroughly explored the huge store.

Contrary to what Willy had expected, Sein did not leave empty-handed.

With a smile on his face, Sein flicked a magicoin toward Willy.

Despite being a plump boy, Willy had quick reflexes. He caught the coin Sein tossed in his direction and his face immediately lit up with excitement.

“We mages adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange. This magicoin is for your service in explaining these mechanical creations today,” Sein explained.

“Let’s head back to the raw materials section we passed earlier. I need to pick up a few things,” he added.

“Yes, Master!” Willy replied, his enthusiasm markedly higher.

Having worked at Mechanic’s Hammer for only two months, Willy had earned only one magicoin.

Hence, the tip from Sein he received this afternoon alone was equivalent to his two monthly paychecks.

The black-robed mage might appear unassuming, but in Willy’s heart, he had secretly marked Sein as a “major client”.

Whenever such a customer made a purchase in the store, initiates like Willy would earn a commission.

***

Sein’s visit to the Mechanic’s Hammer store did not result in a big purchase; he merely bought some basic raw materials and spent no more than ten magicoins.

Still, this was a considerable sum, and the glowing expression on the young initiate’s face was enough to convey his excitement.

Before Sein concluded his shopping trip, he turned to the initiate and asked, “Do you sell any parts for mecha units from the Neisse Civilization here?”

The question took Willy by surprise, leaving him momentarily dumbfounded.

He then furrowed his brow in deep thought, as if trying to recall where he had heard of the terms “Neisse Civilization” and “mecha”.

After a brief pause, he finally remembered.

He leaned in toward Sein and whispered, “We don’t have any here, but there might be some in the market north of Black Iron Fortress. You could check there, Master.”

Sein nodded and then exited the store.