Sovereign of the Ashes

Both Lorianne and Feylis cared deeply for Sein, yet they shared an interesting trait: neither ever bragged about how much they had done for him.

Instead, they always spoke to him about how much others had done for him.

For example, Lorianne often told him how hard his grandmaster had worked to rescue him, and how many favors she had owed others just to track him down.

And now, when meeting with him, Feylis did not rush to hear his report. She instead encouraged him to spend more time with his mentor, reminding him of how much Lorianne had invested in nurturing him.

This warmth within his faction moved Sein deeply.

Truthfully, every elder in the Verdant Flame Faction had treated him well.

Gregory had once gifted him a Verdant Flame Crystal for the tip of his magic rod, while Bernice had even brought her close friend Berecca to join Sein’s first interplanar war.

With a faction this strong and close-knit, how could Sein not think of these people the moment there were benefits to share?

After promising Feylis that he would spend more time with Lorianne in the coming days, Sein finally mentioned the true purpose of his visit.

“The Shadowbat Civilization, Planet Aquaria, Marvelous Plane, and the mysterious Voltara World are all potential allies of immense value.

“While traveling through a star domain called the Chaos Sea, I learned that the Gallant Federation has already secured the allegiance of the Arid Expanse World and seems to be seeking an alliance with Aquaria as well.

“Although I’m not aware of the Magus Civilization’s full strategic direction, I propose that our faction proactively volunteer to deploy near the Shadowbat Civilization and take part in the conflicts against the Gallant Federation in both the Golden Rock Worlds and Arid Expanse World.

“Securing medium-sized worlds like the Shadowbat Civilization would greatly strengthen our position.

“Earlier, Darian Wraith of the Shadowbat Civilization and Orric of Planet Aquaria met with Master Fathis. But the results were disappointing—they barely received any concrete promises from her.

“If our Verdant Flame Faction steps forward to take charge of this battlefield, it would benefit both the overall progress of the war and our faction’s contribution to the broader Clash of Civilizations,” Sein said.

Sein shared a great deal with Feylis—not only his strategic ideas, but also his observations from years spent roaming the alien star domains.

Based on what he had seen, the four planar civilizations he mentioned, along with the Chaos Sea Star Domain, the Hundred Flowers Worlds, and the Houllier Star Domain they later traversed, all had immense potential for future alliances.

Furthermore, the region surrounding the Shadowbat Civilization seemed to be dotted with numerous smaller worlds and micro-planes as well.

If the Magus Civilization hoped to establish a foothold in that star domain, their best move would be to recruit the Shadowbat Civilization first.

The Shadowbat natives had always upheld the concept of order, giving them a strong reputation and considerable prestige among the many civilizations in that region.

They were, after all, far more respected by the surrounding planar civilizations than the more powerful Arid Expanse World.

“The cost of winning over a world like the Shadowbat Civilization will come back to us doubled!” Sein said with unwavering confidence.

Throughout Sein’s explanation, Feylis listened quietly.

Even after he finished laying out all his points, she did not respond immediately. Instead, she remained silent for a long moment, deep in thought.

At last, Feylis smiled proudly. “I expected no less from the youngest and most outstanding member of my Verdant Flame Faction. It seems your early ascension to Rank Five is far more than just a stroke of luck.”

She went on, “I agree with the ideas you have presented, and I acknowledge the immense strategic value of the area around the Shadowbat Civilization. However, mobilizing our faction to commit to this battlefield, as you suggest, is not a simple matter.”

“Why is that so?” Sein asked at once.

Feylis glanced at him and replied, “Because our Verdant Flame Faction has been assigned a new mission.”

“Huh? What mission?” Sein pressed.

“Do you remember Wild Gorilla World?” Feylis asked.

When Sein nodded, she continued, “Wild Gorilla World was a medium-sized star domain our faction had captured in the past. Now it’s one of the frontlines against the Gallant Federation, and it has been locked in brutal conflict these past few years.”

“Nearly one-third of the planes surrounding Wild Gorilla World have already fallen. The Magus Civilization intends to send me there to assist,” the Rank Six mage explained.

Since Sein was her grand apprentice, she saw no reason to hide this from him.

There was every possibility that in a few decades, or even a century or two, the Divine Tower of Ashes legion would receive orders to head to the Wild Gorilla World battlefield as well.

Hearing this, Sein could not conceal his surprise.

The Magus Civilization was not dominant on every front in its war against the Gallant Federation.

If it were, the Gallant Federation might as well give up the fight, accept total defeat, and surrender outright.

Among the frontlines against the Gallant Federation, the Magus Civilization was at a disadvantage in nearly one-third of the battlefields.

This ratio more or less reflected the current balance of power between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation.

Among those strained sectors, the Wild Gorilla World battlefield was one of the most critical.

Although no overlord-level beings had appeared there yet, several Rank Six powerhouses had already entered the battlefield, and both sides had even suffered Rank Six casualties.

The Magus Alliance decided to dispatch Feylis in the hope that adding a powerful Rank Six mage like her would stabilize the situation in that region.

Given Feylis’s considerable personal investments in Wild Gorilla World, sending her there was also a reasonable strategic move.

What Sein did not know was that Feylis’s body-tempering had granted her combat strength on par with peak Rank Six beings.

The Magus Civilization had clearly sent her to Wild Gorilla World to have her put out the fire there.

After silently considering everything for a long moment, Sein finally voiced his thoughts.

“Since the situation around Wild Gorilla World is so chaotic, why not open new fronts in star domains where we actually have the advantage? I don’t think the Wild Gorilla World front is a good fit for us. Compared to that, the battlefields around the Shadowbat Civilization are far more suited to the Verdant Flame Faction.”

“At the very least, I believe our presence there would make more sense than Master Fathis’ since I’m familiar with that region, and have already built strong relations with many beings in that star domain,” he added.

Seeking benefit and avoiding harm was human nature.

For a moment, Sein worried that his grandmaster might be the type to follow the Magus Civilization’s orders blindly, without question.

Based on her tone, it seemed the Magus Civilization’s leadership had not yet formally issued this deployment as an order. They had merely given her a heads-up so she could mentally prepare herself.

In this case, requesting a change of battlefield might actually be possible.

Sein waited anxiously for Feylis’ decision. Her brow deepened into a thoughtful furrow as she silently weighed the pros, the cons, and the deeper implications.

After a long pause, Feylis did not respond to Sein immediately. Instead, she suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.

“You mentioned earlier that significant deposits of inert crystal veins were found around Blue Star?”

Sein was taken aback by the question for a moment, then replied quickly, “Yes.”

“Give me your research findings on those inert crystals,” Feylis said. “And if possible, hand over a few Gray Quartz specimens as well.”

“Understood.”

Though unsure of his grandmaster’s intentions, Sein immediately produced every research report he had compiled on the Gray Quartz, along with several samples from his collection.

Among them was a Gray Quartz essence—a parting gift from Blue Star’s council chairman. This particular piece contained a far higher concentration of inert energy than the others.

Feylis examined the inert crystal with interest before a flicker of verdant flame flared to life between her fingers.

Under the heat of a Rank Six flame, the Gray Quartz essence began to melt. But even then, it did so painfully slowly.

And as it burned, an odd, indescribable energy drifted out from the melting crystal.

Sein watched the scene with quiet surprise.

He had tried melting Gray Quartz before. Ordinary samples could be ignited and gradually melted with his Ashen Flame after his breakthrough.

But the Gray Quartz essence was on a completely different level. Its inert properties were astonishingly strong.

“It’s indeed the inert crystal documented in the records,” Feylis commented with a nod.

Then she asked, “Tell me: aside from Blue Star, do veins of inert crystals also exist in the nearby star domains, such as the regions around the Shadowbat Civilization?”

Faced with the question, Sein thought for a moment before answering, “Honestly, I haven’t investigated that. Because I needed to hurry back to the Magus Civilization, I didn’t explore the areas near the Shadowbat Civilization or Planet Aquaria.”

“However, I did notice that the star domain surrounding Blue Star has a vast region with no complete planes. Most of the planes there seem to be lumen or pyro-attribute worlds. Could that be related?” Sein asked.

This time, Feylis did not respond. The Rank Six mage tapped her fingers lightly against the corner of the table as she sank into deep thought.

The top floor of the fortress slowly grew quiet.