Sovereign of the Ashes

After returning to Mordoron Island, Sein resumed the familiar routine he had maintained while at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

For the past few years, Sein had been constantly on the move.

His journey had taken him across a significant portion of the Magus World from Viridescent Land.

During that time, he had relied on flying, boats, teleportation arrays, and finally Tourmaline the dragon turtle, to reach Blackhaven in the Western Archipelago.

Although he had stopped in Steel City for a year and a half, that period had been relatively stationary for Sein.

As a more reclusive mage, Sein had not really enjoyed the nomadic lifestyle of the past few years.

He much preferred the peace and quiet of the laboratories in the divine tower, where he could conduct experiments and pursue the mysteries of truths.

To some, such a life might seem dull, perhaps even maddening over time.

Yet, Sein cherished this lifestyle, or rather, he had grown accustomed to it.

While exploring the unknown had its allure, Sein instinctively resisted it.

He appeared strong on the outside but had quietly closed himself off inside.

But when exactly had Sein closed himself off inside?

***

On Mordoron Island, Zorro planned to construct another magic tower for Sein.

Although both were taught by the same mentor and inherited similar knowledge, their individual experiences and conceptual approaches led them to develop distinct styles and directions in alchemy.

Sein specialized in crafting smaller pieces of magic equipment such as magic rods, necklaces, and rings.

His recent masterpieces include the Verdant Flame Heart Rod and the space collar he made for Yuri.

On the other hand, Zorro gradually shifted his focus to producing large magic equipment and robust, practical magic devices.

In addition to equipment production, Zorro had also delved into alchemy architecture.

He possessed several design blueprints for structures like magic towers, along with useful magical array bases.

Some of these blueprints were bequeathed to him by Morsidor, while others were his own creations.

Sein was surprised to discover his senior’s expertise in this area.

The development paths that Sein and Zorro had taken actually reflected their differing life circumstances and personal needs.

Zorro spent considerable time in the resource-poor Blackhaven, which shaped his alchemical approach to be more pragmatic.

With limited materials and surrounded by powerful individuals, Zorro could not afford frequent failures.

Thus, he focused on crafting magic items that, while roughly made, boasted a high success rate and practicality in Blackhaven.

Meanwhile, Sein pursued smaller, more refined magic equipment. Not only were his creations aesthetically superior to Zorro’s, but they also required significantly more resources and effort.

Among Rank One mages, almost none could match Sein’s dedication to alchemy, and even among Rank Two mages, only a few could afford to invest as heavily.

When Zorro proposed building a magic tower for Sein, Faye swiftly rejected the idea before Sein could respond.

“Sein will stay with me while he’s here. It’s been over thirty years since we last saw each other, I have much to catch up on with him,” Faye explained.

Following Faye’s suggestion, Sein agreed and said, “Faye has great potential in attaining Rank One. Staying with her will allow me to assist her as much as possible and help her progress to Rank One.”

Upon hearing Sein’s decision, Zorro glanced between Sein and Faye before nodding understandingly.

“I’m not good at providing guidance... but if you two need anything, just contact me directly. You can always reach me through my crystal ball,” Zorro said.

After offering a few more pieces of advice, Zorro turned and flew back to his magic tower.

With Zorro’s departure, the atmosphere between Sein and Faye noticeably relaxed, likely due to the intimate bond they once shared in the past.

Even though Faye’s current physical condition precluded certain intimacies, it was evident that their relationship extended beyond the typical senior-junior dynamic.

***

Although Sein was temporarily staying in Faye’s magic tower, he expanded another level beneath her tower to serve as his private laboratory.

After all, the scope of Sein’s experiments, along with the required equipment, demanded a substantial amount of space.

As a magic initiate, Faye found some of Sein’s experiments difficult to understand, particularly complex projects like the Verdant Flame Body Tempering experiment and the modification of his Verdant Flame Eye Mask.

The experiments undertaken by mages were indeed “unique” endeavors.

Faye was not as accommodating as Selina, so initially, living together required some adjustments.

However, Sein demonstrated considerable tolerance toward Faye, and over time, she rarely interfered with his experiments, particularly those she did not understand.

Life gradually stabilized for them.

A good mage was a master of time management, adept at allocating precisely the right amount of time to each task.

While staying with Faye, Sein struggled to apply this skill as effectively as usual, yet he continued to make steady progress toward his goals.

Compared to Zorro, Sein proved to be a more effective guide.

His prior experience guiding Selina likely made it easier for him to help Faye navigate her challenges.

It had been only six months since Sein stayed with Faye.

During this time, Faye’s focus and mana levels had improved significantly, reaching about 87 points.

Unfortunately, there was not much change in her constitution. Given her age and fragility, Sein hesitated to perform the Verdant Flame Body Tempering experiment on her.

He would likely have to wait until Faye advanced to Rank One, where her life essence would be further enhanced, before considering such measures.

An 87-point score in focus and mana levels was insufficient for Faye to make the leap to Rank One.

According to standard practice and the data recorded in the divine tower’s library, although a mental focus of 70 points or more could classify someone as a Quasi Mage, one would need to raise their focus to at least 90 points to attempt a breakthrough to Rank One.

Magic initiates with a focus around 95 points generally had a better chance of successfully advancing to Rank One, while those with a focus between 90 and 95 points had a lower success rate.

Attempting to advance to Rank One with a score below 90 points was not just about facing a low success rate; it was akin to gambling with one’s life and future.

During his discussions with Faye, Sein discovered that the last time she attempted to reach Rank One, her focus was at 93 points—barely meeting the threshold.

However, after failing to advance, the dual backlash in her focus and mana levels caused her stats to plummet below 80 points.

It took over a decade for her to recover, slowly climbing back to around 80 points.

Now, in just half a year, she had managed to increase her stats to 87 points, which was a commendable achievement.

If this continued to proceed smoothly, Faye would stand a high chance of becoming a full-fledged mage.