Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein had spent less than a week at Black Iron Fortress.

In addition to purchasing numerous alchemy materials and various trinkets that he fancied, Sein’s most significant acquisitions were spare parts for mechas from the Neisse Civilization for Yuri.

As one of the primary beneficiaries of the Neisse Star Domain War, Steel City had plundered a large amount of resources from the Neisse Civilization.

These assets included both material wealth and intellectual property.

The development path of engineers in the Neisse civilization shared many similarities with the mechanics of the Magus World, offering valuable lessons for both.

Yuri’s mecha units had already suffered damage previously. The encounter with a Rank Two black mage had left the Burning Flame Unit battered, with two other standard units nearly reduced to scrap metal.

In Steel City, Sein discovered a broader selection of components than what was available at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Thanks to Sein’s wealth, Yuri saw exceptionally high-quality parts she had only heard about previously.

In the Neisse Civilization, these premium parts were exclusively reserved for mecha units with combat power comparable to that of Rank Two, or even Rank Three creatures.

This disparity highlighted how different world civilizations placed varying values on material items.

A component deemed incredibly valuable in Neisse Civilization could now be purchased for a few magicoins or less in Magus World.

This was not to say that the mechanics of the Magus World were ignorant, but rather that the values of different world civilizations varied.

Furthermore, with the Neisse Civilization on the losing side of the war, their resources could not be considered top-notch.

Except for Yuri, a purebred engineer skilled in utilizing these parts, other mages from the Magus World would likely begin by disassembling these components for research instead of putting them to good use.

”With these parts, I might be able to upgrade the Burning Flame Unit. I’ll be able to repair and upgrade those two standard units that were nearly scrapped too,” Yuri told Sein.

“Well, we’ll be in Steel City’s territory for a while longer. You should have enough time to complete those modifications and repairs before we leave,” Sein replied.

This journey to the Western Archipelago was one Sein wanted to be fully prepared for.

The primary reason for their extended stay in Steel City was to maximize his strength.

This included not only restoring Yuri’s combat capabilities but also enabling Sein to expedite his critical experiments.

***

After leaving the Black Iron Fortress, Sein visited many places in Steel City’s territories with Yuri—Hussas Fortress, Monen Sky City, Mechanical Port of Marino, and Andes Underground Metal City, among others.

These locations were all enriched with the distinctive touch of mechanics in the Steel City. The architecture and urban planning greatly differed from areas along the southern coast and the Viridescent Land where Sein had previously stayed.

The stark contrast in the overall environment and the development systems between elementalists and mechanics was profound.

This shift was even perceptible to the human civilians at the lowest levels of the social hierarchy in Steel City.

Sein was surprised to discover that the education level of the lowest-ranking human civilians in Steel City was significantly higher than in other regions of the Magus World.

Knowledge was monopolized in the Magus World, extending beyond the mages’ grasp of elemental knowledge to include literacy and learning abilities, which were typically restricted to human nobles.

The fact that the vast majority of mages came from the nobility underscored how the prerequisite of literacy alone posed an excessively high barrier.

The hundreds of millions of commoners in the Magus World labored tirelessly all their lives just to merely fill their empty stomachs, and many were unable to write even their own names.

Sein also learned that the average education level among Steel City’s inhabitants was notably higher, primarily due to the targeted allocation of resources and financial investments by the officials of Steel City.

This was an exceptional circumstance in the Magus World.

Steel City also uniquely blurred the lines between commoner and noble classes, unlike other regions.

Sein was uncertain whether this was a good or bad situation.

He struggled to understand what the Steel City’s executives were aiming for but sensed that this deviation might profoundly influence the future trajectory of the entire Magus World.

It seemed that the Steel City executives might be conducting an experiment—a test of bottom-up change—and they were not the only ones watching.

The eyes of the entire Magus World were keenly observing these developments.

***

After exploring various areas within Steel City, Sein finally led Yuri to the heart of Steel City’s territory, an underground city known as Esca.

Constructing cities underground was not exclusive to the black mages of Gloomhaven; the mechanics of Steel City also engaged in this practice, often with even greater skill.

The metallic layers of the underground city exuded futuristic vibes.

The novelty and astonishment that Steel City presented to Sein were immense, prompting a significant shift in his perspective on alchemy.

Alchemy in the Magus World entailed much more than merely crafting magic items; it held a broader significance. This included everything from constructing behemoths like space fortresses and starports to creating items as small as magic rings or necklaces.

During his time in Steel City, Sein did not acquire any deep alchemy knowledge, nor did he receive any notes or legacy from any notable alchemists.

What he experienced was purely a change in perception, which would significantly influence his future growth.

Perhaps influenced by his early years in Mystralora, Sein was rather fond of underground cities.

He planned to stay in this underground metal city known as Esca for two to six months.

After investing a considerable amount of magicoins, Sein rented a medium-sized laboratory equipped with comprehensive facilities in the eastern part of Esca.

Since the former laboratory owner was a Rank Two mage, it was sufficiently equipped for Sein to conduct any necessary experiments at his level.

Sein felt an inexplicable sense of comfort in this city, probably because he was once again back underground.

Here, he could finally sift through the loot he had acquired from the Rank Two black mage and conduct some secret experiments.

***

In the metallic silver laboratory, Sein watched Elisa, the mermaid, lying on the experiment table. His gaze was nearly emotionless.

Her pink fishtail slapped the surface nervously and the milky white shells covering her chest also quivered, betraying her fear.