Sovereign of the Ashes

Old Peyton’s private laboratory was hidden away in the basement of a residential block within the factory.

It seemed that this place had originally been used as a storage warehouse for materials, but at some point, Peyton had converted it into his personal workshop.

Much like his lifestyle, Old Peyton’s laboratory was incredibly messy.

The air reeked of motor oil, and Sein could not help but wonder—could the old man even live to see three thousand?

Long-term exposure to such an environment, combined with the erosive effects of heavy metals on the body, would inevitably take its toll on even a Rank Two mage.

The reason Peyton had been swayed by Sein’s ten thousand magicoins was simple—he desperately needed the money.

In this world, money could buy almost everything.

With enough wealth, even life could be prolonged.

As Sein suspected, Old Peyton’s health was in poor shape.

If the theoretical lifespan of a Rank Two mage was three thousand years, then Peyton was already pushing the limits at over 2,500.

His harsh working conditions, combined with his lack of self-care and general disregard for hygiene, had cost him all his hair and left his body deteriorating faster than it should.

The truth was, the old man was already 2,671 years old this year.

The only reason he had managed to survive this long was his heavy reliance on life-extending potions and rare herbs, which he bought in bulk.

Among mages of the same rank, alchemists were some of the wealthiest in the Magus World.

Even after deducting expenses, the job Peyton took from Sein would net him around seven thousand magicoins.

No other Rank Two mage could earn so much so easily, not even by joining an interplanar war.

Peyton’s livelihood depended on his talent.

If he were willing to sacrifice everything for longevity, he could always alter his life form and become a Lich.

That path would grant him ten thousand years of existence, yet few were willing to take it.

Changing one’s life form was no simple process.

Beyond the risk of failure, another major deterrent was that becoming a Lich would convert all of a mage’s elemental power into necromantic energy.

Necromancers were never a dominant force in Magus World; the vast majority of spellcasters were Elementalists.

Old Peyton was a Pyromancer. If he were ever converted into a Lich, he would lose his pure pyro elemental power.

Even if he were able to wield necromantic abilities like Netherflame, his alchemy craft would undoubtedly suffer a major decline.

Sein was not sure if there was some sort of unspoken rule in the Magus World, but he had yet to meet a single Lich since arriving in Sky City.

Those who came to this city were all humans.

With smoke rising from the Redbud Cigar clenched between his lips, Old Peyton got to work as soon as they entered the underground laboratory.

Smoking strong cigars certainly was not doing his failing health any favors, but the old man did not seem to care. Some bad habits were simply impossible to break.

Perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that Peyton had no children or apprentices.

If he had close relatives or an apprentice, maybe they would have looked out for him—or at least tried.

Old Peyton lived for himself. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, however he pleased.

While the old man worked, Sein was not about to let this opportunity go to waste.

He had already gained some experience in merging mecha technology with magitech alchemy, but observing a true alchemy expert in action was a chance for him to learn.

Fortunately, since the old man had no apprentice, Peyton seemed unbothered by Sein’s attempts to “steal” his techniques.

After all, he could not take his alchemy skills to the grave.

Aside from uploading them to Arcane Light as a contribution to Magus Civilization, passing them on to sharp-witted initiates like Sein was not exactly a bad thing.

Peyton’s modifications to the mecha were pretty impressive.

Sein could tell the old man was not particularly familiar with Neisse Civilization’s mecha engineering, yet that did not stop him from upgrading Yuri’s mecha in his own way.

Clink, clink, clank, clank!

As sparks flew, Peyton, feeling satisfied with Sein’s generous payment, occasionally shared bits of his knowledge while working on the upgrade.

“The energy weapons of technological civilizations have greater destructive power but poorer stability compared to our Magus World’s magic artifacts. Yet, they’re easier to activate.

“I see you’ve added a small energy converter, one suitable for a space fortress, to this slave girl’s mecha. Not a bad idea but you’re still too reserved. Why didn’t you push the limits a little more?

“I’ve installed four elemental thrusters from a war airship onto the back of this red mecha and replaced its energy core with standard crystal used in a prism fort. The power output will be even higher now!” Old Peyton explained, slapping the metal surface of the Burning Flame Unit.

Beads of cold sweat formed on Sein’s forehead as he asked, “But won’t that increase the risk factor during combat?”

Old Peyton shot him a sideways glance and asked, “Are the interplanar wars you fought in dangerous?”

Sein nodded.

“Then it’s not a problem! There’s no such thing as absolute safety. Isn’t she your slave? Maximizing her combat potential should be your priority.”

Peyton’s eyes flicked between Sein and Yuri, a teasing glint in them. “Unless that’s not the case...”

Yuri’s face flushed red.

Sein, however, was thick-skinned as ever and remained completely unfazed.

Peyton was not a particularly nosy person. After teasing Sein, he waved it off and said, “The things produced by those technological civilizations... I’ve studied them more times than I can count.”

“Sure, they can manufacture combat units comparable to Rank Two or even Rank Three beings, but the physical fragility of their civilization’s creatures is an undeniable flaw. Can a bunch of Rank One creatures wielding Rank Two or Rank Three power through technology truly be considered true Rank Two or Rank Three beings?” he asked.

With a chuckle, he continued, “On the battlefield, all it takes is one well-placed hit. Even a basic Rank One spell could render a Rank Three mecha completely useless if it struck its energy system or another critical component. But our Magus World’s Rank Three mages? Even without their magic shields, a mere Rank One attack wouldn’t come close to killing them.”

Peyton patted the Burning Flame Unit again and said, “One of the greatest flaws of technological civilization’s mechas is their instability. I’ll reinforce the key components of this mecha for you.”

Then with a sharp look, the old man added, “But if you want absolute safety... then don’t send her onto the battlefield in the first place.”