Sovereign of the Ashes

In the pit, Master Gilbert and his colleagues were pointing and gesturing at the outline of a square metal framework.

Rows of magic crystal lamps hung around them, casting a faint blue glow. Directly ahead, several humanoid constructs, each standing dozens of meters tall, were engaged in heavy excavation work.

These alchemy puppets belonged to Master Gilbert and his team.

To Sein’s surprise, the gaunt old Master Gilbert was not only a Rank Four geomancer and mineral crystal researcher, but also an outstanding alchemy puppet craftsman.

At their peak, the alchemy puppets he created could reach demigod-level strength.

Had Master Gilbert chosen to fully pursue this path, and had his puppets not been primarily designed as mining laborers, then with his vast knowledge, crafting puppets capable of matching Rank Four combat power would surely have been within his capabilities.

“Any new discoveries?” Sein asked as he approached Master Gilbert and the others after entering the pit.

Standing closest to the old man was Rank Four mage Valerie, a large, kind-looking elderly woman.

Master Gilbert seemed to share a close rapport with her; whenever Sein encountered them, the two were usually standing side by side.

Lost in thought, Master Gilbert did not respond to Sein’s question. Instead, Master Valerie let out a soft chuckle and replied, “Gilbert believes this mineral vein was originally a small energy crystal reserve left behind by the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization.”

“We have made considerable progress in deciphering the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s script,” Valerie continued with a smile. “This old man is wondering whether clues from this reservoir might help us locate larger resource deposits elsewhere.”

Having known Sein for quite some time, Valerie knew that certain information could be shared with him.

Moreover, back on Blue Star, Gilbert and the others had struck a private deal with Sein—one that had proven highly profitable for both sides.

“So, any real breakthroughs?” Sein pressed.

This time, Valerie shook her head.

“Too much time has passed. Many of the fragments we have uncovered are severely eroded,” she said. “Only in areas where the energy barriers remain intact might we find more complete artifacts and detailed records from the ancient civilization.”

“As Master Howard has said, the truly valuable parts of this ruin likely lie deeper within,” Valerie added with a sigh.

Hearing her words, Sein could not help but sigh as well.

The pace of the Magus Civilization’s exploration of this top-tier civilization hub was far too slow.

Nearly two years had already passed, yet less than three percent of the site had been explored. Completing a full excavation could easily take close to a century.

Moreover, archaeological work often followed a familiar pattern: early progress came quickly, while later stages grew increasingly difficult.

Even a century might not be enough to uncover all the mysteries hidden within the ruins of this top-tier civilization.

Master Howard and his team, the foremost experts in archaeological research, had now been stalled by an energy barrier for three full months.

Sein knew well that Master Howard and his colleagues were currently debating whether to resort to force in order to break through the grid-like barriers spread throughout the core ruins.

If they chose to use brute force, the Magus Civilization’s exploration progress would undoubtedly accelerate dramatically.

However, such an approach also carried serious risks. It could cause irreversible damage to parts of the ruins’ architecture or even to lingering law power.

In extreme cases, it might trigger the collapse of the entire subspace ruin.

As a result, opinions within the Magus Civilization were divided. Some advocated violent exploration, while others firmly opposed it.

Sein personally leaned toward the former. The situation around the Shadowbat Civilization and the Marvelous Plane battlefield was growing increasingly tense. The Gallant Federation could strike at any moment.

Perhaps it was due to the countless dangerous missions he had undertaken since reaching Rank Four, but Sein had learned to trust his instincts, and they were often uncannily accurate.

Such intuition was usually a sign of strong innate talent in astrology.

Sadly, Sein rarely had the time to pursue such studies. There were just too many research topics competing for his attention.

“I’m sure Master Howard and the others have their own concerns. In ruins exploration and ancient civilization research, their experience far surpasses ours,” Sein said calmly. “Let them decide. We only need to focus on our own tasks.”

Valerie nodded in agreement, then returned her attention to studying the mineral deposits within the pit.

Sein stayed for a while longer before finally leaving, carrying with him a small sample of inert crystal ore he had personally excavated.

***

Along the border of Arid Expanse World, vast Gallant Federation fleets poured in, darkening the skies as they arrived through successive jumps from other star domains.

In recent years, Sein had noticed the frontline battlefield growing increasingly tense. The Magus Civilization had been steadily reinforcing this star domain with additional war legions.

But the Gallant Federation was far from idle.

In fact, the federation had committed even greater forces to Arid Expanse World!

The Magus Civilization’s continued reinforcement of Marvelous Plane and the Shadowbat Civilization was largely a response to the Gallant Federation’s movements.

Had the federation not recognized the strategic importance and hidden value of Arid Expanse World, the Magus Civilization would never have bothered to bolster its presence in such a remote star domain.

Doing so would have been no different than signaling to the Gallant Federation that some deeply buried secret lay here.

Unfortunately, many developments in the Astral Realm were beyond anyone’s control, even that of overlord-level beings.

The Magus Civilization likely never imagined that while they were uncovering numerous ruins tied to the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization, the Gallant Federation would stumble upon several ruins of the Black Merlot Civilization.

As a cultivation-based civilization, the Black Merlot Civilization’s ruins held far less appeal for the Gallant Federation than those of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization.

Even so, information extracted by federal archaeologists revealed that tens of millions of years ago, the Black Merlot Civilization had been defeated in a war against the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization!

The ruins of the defeated could never rival the allure of the victor’s legacy. And with the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization being highly advanced technologically, its remnants held immense practical value for the Gallant Federation at this stage.

That was precisely why massive federal fleets continued to reinforce this star domain.

Beyond conventional warships and mobile suit legions, the federation had also dispatched its most specialized archaeological teams, multiple special-operations fleets, and a number of unique talents.

Clad in his black operative attire, Jared Bond had recently distinguished himself during the expedition into the Black Merlot Civilization’s ruins. Now, he was leading his team back into this star domain.

In just over a decade, Bond had advanced from peak Rank Four to Rank Five.

Unlike most newly promoted Rank Five beings, Bond’s aura was restrained yet deep, hinting at a rare opportunity he had encountered within the Black Merlot Civilization ruins.

Now bearing the rank of lieutenant general, Bond also wore a distinctive metal bangle on his wrist.

It was unmistakably a world-class secret treasure.