Sovereign of the Ashes

The shared experiences during their initiate years seemed to dissolve many of the barriers between Sein and the powerful Rank Five mage.

While most of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s registered mages were unable to accept that their tower master had opened fire on his own legions, Sein harbored no such reservations.

On the contrary, he found himself aligned with the tower master’s pragmatic approach.

This mutual understanding allowed their conversation to flow with surprising ease.

As they spoke, Sein’s gaze subtly wandered, taking in the details of the main control room.

The main control room of a space fortress was far more than a mere operational hub.

For instance, the one in Lorianne’s space fortress boasted multiple lounges and fully equipped laboratories.

The Tower Master of Dark Flame’s fortress was just as multifunctional too.

In addition to the workstations for the ten or so mages present, the area where Dark Flame received Sein seemed to function as a temporary laboratory and collection room.

Sein’s gaze landed on a silver heart encased in a shimmering glow, bound tightly by countless colorful elemental threads at the center of this laboratory.

This heart was no stranger to Sein. He knew it was the heart of the fallen Rank Four Moknu High Priest.

As the critical medium used in the High Priest’s attempt to ensnare the Tower Master of Dark Flame, the value of this silver heart rivaled that of a complete Rank Four divine relic.

Not only did it harbor the essence and will of the high priest, but it also contained traces of prohibition laws, making it an extraordinary artifact with immense research potential!

Apart from the silver heart, Sein’s attention was drawn to the preserved half-corpse of a miniature Guran Green Lizard displayed on the opposite wall.

Without a doubt, this was the remains of the Rank Four Guran Lizard God of Gumo Plane.

After the Lizard God fell, its body had measured nearly a thousand meters. Yet, the specimen in front of him had been carefully compressed and preserved.

Judging by the detail and quality of the preservation, it was evident that the tower master’s skills in creating specimens far surpassed Sein’s own.

Gumo Plane was home to three native gods. With two of them already reduced to specimens in the tower master’s laboratory, it seemed unlikely the third would escape the same fate.

Rumors circulating on the Gumo Plane battlefield claimed that the last of the three—the Goul Groundworm King—had been captured alive by the Tower Master of Dark Flame.

Sein did not see the Groundworm King in the laboratory, but the orderly withdrawal of the Magus Civilization Army from Gumo Plane made one thing clear: the Tower Master of Dark Flame had already dealt with the last native god.

The calm and relaxed expression on the Rank Five mage’s face was unmistakably the mark of a true victor!

Sein’s gaze flickered toward the silver heart and the remnants of the god’s body displayed in the laboratory, a hint of envy gleaming in his eyes.

He could not help but wonder when he would possess a god-level specimen of his own.

Though he held the broken tree heart gifted by the Verdant Wilderness God, its value to him was limited.

Sein was not a Dendromancer, so the research potential of the tree heart paled in comparison to the silver heart and the remains of the Guran Lizard God before him.

Neither Sein nor Dark Flame was particularly sociable by nature. Under ordinary circumstances, their meeting would have been brief.

Dark Flame, however, was intrigued by the young Magus World talent who had inadvertently saved his life.

To his surprise, the meeting exceeded his expectations.

It had been years since Master Dark Flame had spoken candidly with anyone.

Within the Divine Tower of Dark Flame Academy, the mages treated him with an unwavering mix of reverence and fear. Sein, by contrast, interacted with him naturally.

This composure came naturally to Sein.

As Lorianne’s apprentice, he had grown accustomed to the presence of Rank Four and higher beings. Even his good friend, Tourmaline, had recently ascended to Rank Four.

Compared to the lower-ranking mages of the Magus World, Sein was far less intimidated by Rank Four and higher beings.

More importantly, Sein did not find Dark Flame’s aura or his actions during the war repulsive due to his own past as a fellow black magic initiate.

Master Dark Flame recognized this dynamic as well. After observing Sein for a moment, the Rank Five mage broke the silence with an unexpected proposal.

“Sein, right? Are you interested in joining the Divine Tower of Dark Flame? I can offer you the position of a dean.”

The offer was startling.

In the Magus World, becoming the dean of a divine tower academy was no small honor.

Usually, such a role was reserved for Rank Three grand mages at minimum. While this was not an official rule, it was a widely accepted standard.

Ordinary Rank Three grand mages rarely qualified; those that did were invariably figures with exceptional achievements in a certain field.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s former dean, Archimedes, served as a notable example.

His exceptional talent in internal management proved more beneficial to the development of the divine tower than the abilities of other demigod-level mages.

Even so, many of the divine towers that had stood for tens of thousands of years were led by deans who were demigod-level mages.

The Tower Master of Dark Flame had always been a formidable existence known for his unorthodox ways.

He was likely the only person in the entire Magus World to appoint a Rank Two mage as the dean of his divine tower academy.

With his strength and resources, the Tower Master of Dark Flame could easily hire a Rank Three or even demigod-level mage as dean.

It remained unclear why he would choose to recruit Sein for such a prestigious role.

Yet, there was no denying the immense benefits this position could bring to Sein’s personal resume and future development.

The first was the opportunity to build valuable connections.

Master Archimedes had been widely respected in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, with numerous apprentices and grand-apprentices under his guidance, thanks in large part to the many responsibilities he undertook as a dean at divine tower academy throughout his career.

There were countless Rank Four powerhouses, like Lorianne, who owed Master Archimedes significant favors.

Though Archimedes was just an ordinary Rank Three grand mage, his hidden influence was formidable. If he ever fully leveraged his power, he could easily overshadow many of the newly promoted Rank Four mages.

One of his apprentices had successfully established a divine tower in the Magus World and achieved remarkable success, largely thanks to the backing and guidance of Master Archimedes.

If Sein ever hoped to build a divine tower of his own, he would need a core group of loyal mages to join and support the endeavor, especially in its initial stages.

But where would these loyal mages come from?

Certainly, he could not expect his mentor to simply provide them. That was simply out of the question!

During his tenure as the dean at the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, Sein would be able to focus on identifying and cultivating a group of exceptional young mages, particularly initiates who had yet to realize their full potential.

In today’s world, nothing was more important than talent!

Generations of initiates formed the most solid and powerful foundation for the future growth of the Magus Civilization.

Every strong grand mage once began their journey as a young initiate.

If Sein dedicated significant effort to cultivating these young magic initiates now, he would reap the benefits when he eventually established his own divine tower.

At that point, the reputation of being a “dean” would make it far easier to attract a loyal following of capable mages.

In fact, many of Magus World’s finest and most powerful demigod-level mages had intentionally served as deans in divine tower academies before being promoted to Rank Four.

Even Lorianne had assisted her seniors in managing their divine towers before reaching Rank Four.

Her mentor had also later recommended her to another Rank Six mage’s divine tower, where she took on the role of dean.

Without the foundational experience gained as a divine tower academy’s dean, who would dare to take on a loan worth tens of millions of magicoins to establish their own divine tower?

They might even find themselves at a loss when faced with the demands of operating and maintaining a divine tower, or even promoting its growth and development.