Sovereign of the Ashes

When apprentices asked questions, it fell to the mentor to find ways to answer them.

Although Lorianne was now a Rank Four mage, it did not change the fact that she was still the apprentice of Feylis, a Rank Six mage.

The source of Feylis’ headache was not that Lorianne asked her difficult questions.

Rather, it was that Lorianne often failed to grasp her explanations...

The fundamentals of verdant flame magic were not inherently complex, yet Feylis, as a Rank Six mage, could not limit herself to merely superficial explanations of the element.

If the transformation for Rank Three mages focused on the qualitative change in elemental energy, then for Rank Four and above, it shifted toward more complex applications, involving the manipulation of laws.

When Feylis discussed the intricacies of verdant flame with Lorianne, her explanations naturally incorporated these complex laws.

Lorianne was well-versed in the power of laws—she had already achieved notable accomplishments in the fields of dendrology and lifeology.

However, the laws of verdant flame were another matter.

The crux of the problem was Feylis’ teaching method—she struggled to simplify the complexities of verdant flame laws, which overwhelmed Lorianne.

Too embarrassed to admit her current difficulty, Lorianne could not tell Feylis that she was only interested in the basic elemental applications of verdant flame, rather than the deeper mysteries involving the power of laws.

She wished to understand how to apply elementalized verdant flame at Rank Two and how it should evolve qualitatively upon reaching Rank Three.

This situation led to struggles and discomfort during their knowledge exchange sessions, which were significantly more strained than the brief and more relaxed session between Sein and Lorianne earlier that morning in the laboratory.

The question and answer session was proving torturous for both, though it was less so for Lorianne as the learner.

Whenever she was confused, she simply blinked—a signal Feylis had learned to recognize over the years.

Consequently, Feylis realized she needed to adopt a new approach to effectively convey her knowledge, bearing the brunt of the challenge in their exchanges.

In the end, the Rank Six mage finally reached her limit. She waved her hand and stopped this questions and answers session.

“I suddenly remembered I have an experiment to finish and I need to attend to it as soon as possible,” Feylis declared.

“Umm... It will take a considerable amount of time to finish, so don’t come and bother me. If you really need assistance, go find your seniors,” she stated bluntly.

Lorianne could clearly perceive her mentor’s impatience.

Many Rank Six mages in the Magus World knew that Feylis had a short temper, possibly influenced by her deep involvement with verdant flame magic.

Even Feylis’ other apprentices—Gregory the Whispering Flame and Bernice, who constructed the “Divine Tower of Floating Flame”—were also known for their ruthlessness among their peers.

In contrast, Lorianne, the youngest of Feylis’ apprentices, did not share the hot temper of her mentor or seniors.

She had always maintained a gentle and serene demeanor, reminiscent of a daughter from a humble family.

It was no surprise that everyone in the Verdant Flame Faction doted on her—she was like a refreshing spring amidst a fiery blaze.

Even when she was just a Rank Two mage, her seniors enjoyed playfully pinching her cheeks or teasing her to unwind after their intense experiments.

Lorianne remained unaffected by her mentor’s impatience.

Despite occasionally adopting an air of maturity in front of Sein, Lorianne was generally good-natured.

No one had really seen her engaged in fights or arguments, and she had never made any enemies within the Magus World either.

Even the surrounding divine towers and orders of the knights were often inclined to grant her favors.

Choosing not to continue torturing her mentor with her questions on the verdant flame magic, Lorianne shifted the conversation to another issue.

“That apprentice of mine has recently gotten himself into trouble with the law enforcement knights from the Order of the Dark Sword, who claim to have evidence of Sein’s collusion with black mages. I’ve already made a formal statement on the matter, but it seems they have no intention of dropping the issue,” Lorianne explained respectfully.

“Oh? Your apprentice? The one who brought White Stella to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring? I heard her younger sister is still hanging around your place?”

Despite “having an urgent experiment to complete”, Feylis turned to Lorianne with keen interest upon hearing her words.

“Yes, she’s a demigod-level dragon turtle. She’s still here and seems to be quite close with Sein,” Lorianne replied.

Feylis nodded approvingly. “This dragon family has long-standing ties with the Magus World. Their direct elders are overlords, commanding significant respect within our realm.”

“They also have deep connections with the Guardians of the Four Seasons and the previous generation of our Magus Civilization’s guardians. Nearly every force in Magus World yearns to befriend them. Hosting this demigod-level dragon turtle at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring is more valuable than possessing ten million magicoins,” Feylis explained.

As a Rank Six mage with over a hundred thousand years of life, Feylis possessed a deep knowledge of the hidden secrets and ancient history of the Magus World.

The arrival of this dragon turtle and her family had brought Sein, a mere Rank Two mage, to Feylis’ attention.

Previously, Feylis only remembered Sein because he was Lorianne’s apprentice and his “little achievement” of securing first place in the regional academy war.

Now, with Sein becoming a link to Tourmaline’s family, Feylis felt compelled to officially acknowledge him.

Historically, Feylis had no connections with White Stella and her family; her primary affiliations were with the Pyro Secret Society.

However, there was much to gain by engaging with this dragon turtle family, particularly since Feylis had caught wind of certain rumors circulating over the last decade.

The next Magus Alliance Conference, scheduled for a few thousand years from now, was expected to see a significant proposal from the Gallant Federation.

At her rank, Feylis was among the strongest in the Magus World under the overlords. Hence, she was qualified to know the overarching trends of the Magus Civilization.

While Feylis might not directly influence the overall course of Magus World’s development, she certainly possessed broader perspectives than Lorianne and the others and was privy to sensitive information.

A change, unprecedented in over a hundred thousand years, might occur in ten thousand years.

This would not just be a minor shift; it could represent a pivotal moment in the history of the Magus Civilization, primarily because Magus World had not yet fully engaged its entire civilization against other top-tier civilizations.

The fact that the Gallant Federation had attained top-tier civilization status was still a closely guarded secret within the Magus Alliance, not yet disclosed to the entire alliance.

During her early years, Feylis had spent time in the Gallant Federation as a representative of the Magus Civilization.

More recently, over the last ten thousand years, she visited the Rosen Dynasty, a large world civilization that had been defeated by the Gallant Federation.

The Rosen Dynasty was no ordinary large plane; it was far more powerful than the Neisse Civilization, boasting at least five overlords.

The fact that such a formidable civilization was annexed by the Gallant Federation raised serious questions about the extent of the federation’s might.

The Gallant Federation’s annexation of the Rose Dynasty Civilization was an unexpected all-out military occupation, and during the war, they demonstrated a level of power that exceeded even a typical overlord during the conflict.

Conversely, the Magus Civilization’s assault on the Neisse Star Domain was merely a collaborative effort by three of its forces, without mobilizing the full strength of the Magus Civilization.

Initially, these forces treated the conquest casually, intending to only incorporate Neisse as a subordinate ally.

It was only upon facing resistance that they resolved to annihilate the Neisse Civilization.

In terms of sheer strength, the Magus World was far more powerful than the Gallant Federation.

However, the vastness of the star domain controlled by Magus World, combined with the Gallant Federation’s rapid action against the Rosen Dynasty, contributed to Magus World’s delayed response to the conflict.

Under normal circumstances, the Magus World would not have passively watched the Rosen Dynasty be overrun by the Gallant Federation without intervening.

The stability of the surrounding star domains was at risk; after all, a single mountain could not house two tigers.

When two top-tier civilizations converge, could harmonious development without conflict even be possible?

Of course, the Magus World did not completely ignore the destruction of the Rosen Dynasty.

Unbeknownst to the general populace, the major forces of the Magus World had already dispatched numerous war legions to the border with the Gallant Federation well before the conflict escalated.

Although no direct combat had ensued yet, there was no doubt that a standoff was already underway.

The Magus World had also recently severed its ties with the Gallant Federation.

Previously, starships from the Gallant Federation were common sights in the Magus Civilization’s territory, as this technological civilization frequently engaged in commercial trade with neighboring star domains.

However, those starships had become a rare sight now.

The destruction of the Rosen Dynasty Civilization had brought the relationship between the two top civilizations to a breaking point, reminiscent of an old grudge festering toward its lethal climax.

What else could the current standoff and severance of ties indicate, if not the imminent onset of war?

That was what Feylis had heard.

Moreover, Feylis also found out that the Rosen Dynasty Civilization’s forces had not been completely annihilated.

Under the protection of the Magus World Army, the Rosen Dynasty still retained a spark of its former strength, rivaling that of an overlord. These forces had retreated to a secure area within the Magus Civilization’s territory.

Feylis was able to hold such extensive knowledge due to her recent prolonged stay in the Neisse Star Domain.

Among the top powers of Magus World, Steel City interacted most with the Rosen Dynasty Civilization.

It seemed that those mechanics were particularly interested in a specific technology from the Rosen Dynasty.