Sovereign of the Ashes

The identity of HALL-E’s owner was a question that Sein and the others would need to investigate in the future.

For now, however, their attention was on the ancient ruins they had just uncovered.

Under HALL-E’s guidance, Sein and the others moved through the subspace secret realm at remarkable speed.

Beyond the narrow gaps between energy barriers, numerous underground metal passages provided convenient routes of travel.

These passages were clearly better preserved than most other relic structures.

During the exploration, Master Gilbert, relying on his exceptional expertise in mineralogy, excavated and examined several inert crystal veins that branched horizontally from the underground metal passages marked by HALL-E.

“These veins are considerable in scale. They are what we would call rich deposits in industry terms. If the Magus Civilization fully occupies this subspace in the future, we could certainly harvest large quantities of inert crystals. Let us record the coordinates for now. They may prove useful later,” Gilbert said.

Since Gilbert had brought up his area of expertise, Sein could not help but ask, “About that top-grade inert crystal you gave me last time... Do you happen to have any similar ones on hand now?”

He added, “To be honest, the super magic bomb made from that crystal was the main reason we got away from the eight-winged angel and the federal fleets.”

“Hm. That was an exceptionally rare find. There are probably still crystals of that caliber within the Blue Star core, where we first discovered the ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization,” Gilbert replied.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any on hand right now. But...” Gilbert continued, glancing at the surrounding terrain, “I’m certain there must be more within this subspace secret realm.”

“Take this rich deposit before us. If we can dig deep enough to reach its core, we’ll surely find similar crystals. With some luck, we might even uncover specimens that surpass the quality of the one you used before,” he said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

Gilbert’s words drew a quiet sigh from Sein.

Developing an inert crystal vein was no simple undertaking.

It was far more difficult than mining ordinary energy crystals.

The tougher geological formations, the specialized equipment required, and the sheer manpower and resources involved were all beyond what Sein and his group could reasonably manage at present.

Furthermore, the current situation within the subspace secret realm made it impossible for them to remain in one place and mine at a leisurely pace.

The search for top-grade inert crystals had to be put on hold for the time being.

That said, Master Gilbert’s analysis revealed that the inert crystal ore before them was actually a product formed after the precipitation of a composite concentrated energy source.

This meant that the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization of that era must have possessed energy sources far more advanced than inert crystals.

To the beings of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization, inert crystals were likely equivalent to the ordinary energy crystals that were common to Magus World.

So what, exactly, was the higher-grade energy source the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization used back then—particularly among its law-wielding beings?

The Gallant Federation’s advanced energy source was the “Star Core” produced by each planetary plane.

Magus World’s advanced energy sources were far more diverse—divine relics, the hearts of planes, and the concentrated energy essence gathered by divine towers.

If Sein could obtain some of the advanced energy sources once used by the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization, it might be enough to resolve his current needs.

***

Masters Gilbert and Valerie were deeply invested in exploring and studying the mineral veins scattered throughout the subspace.

By contrast, their fellow Rank Four mages, Grethel and Roth, were more drawn to the technologies once used by the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization.

Grethel and Roth were not mechanics, and that put them at a disadvantage when exploring this civilization’s ruins.

Fortunately, Sein could be considered an amateur in the field. After repeated exposure to the technologies of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization, he was gradually able to grasp their underlying principles.

For example, over the past two months, within two newly discovered ruins, Roth had uncovered a pale yellow cannon barrel inside a compartment lined with an unusual metal alloy.

The barrel measured roughly two meters in diameter and stretched nearly fifteen meters in length.

Roth deduced that it was likely a spare cannon from one of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s warships.

Naturally, the complete form of the cannon had been far larger.

According to decoded records left behind by the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization, when its memory metal was activated through a specific process, the cannon could expand to hundreds of meters in diameter and up to a kilometer in length.

In terms of scale, this was roughly comparable to the main cannons mounted on the Magus Civilization’s standard space fortresses.

“It would be great if this artillery technology could be integrated into the Burning Flame Unit. That’s going to be an excellent research topic,” Sein murmured after examining the cannon up close.

In his mind, he could already picture Yuri piloting the Burning Flame Unit, the massive cannon slung over the mecha’s shoulder.

Destructive power rivaling that of a space fortress’s main cannon at full output... The image alone was enough to stir a spark of excitement in Sein’s heart.

Yuri, too, curiously ran her fingers over the relic that had been lost for tens of thousands of years.

Careful preservation had spared the cannon from severe corrosion. When it was freshly excavated, its surface still retained a faint scent of protective oil.

Of course, after so many years, the weapon was undoubtedly no longer functional.

Moreover, the technologies of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization were fundamentally different from those of the Gallant Federation or the mechanical principles of Magus World.

Even if they were able to grasp the core concepts of one another’s technologies, integrating them into existing systems would require at least thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years.

The human and material resources required during such a process would be staggering.

This was precisely why the soul overmages of the Magus Civilization were not overly worried about the Gallant Federation acquiring the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s technologies.

Even if the federation were prepared to devote millennia to assimilating that knowledge, it would ultimately depend on whether the Magus Civilization allowed it.

When weighed against the distant future, the Magus Civilization placed far greater importance on the present.

If one could not win this Clash of Civilizations, then all other talk was meaningless!

In the end, the newly discovered pale yellow cannon was carefully stored by Sein and his group, alongside other artifacts recovered from the ruins.

At first glance, these relics—now devoid of elemental fluctuations—held little immediate value to Sein’s group.

Yet their future potential was immense.

Take the cannon barrel, for example. If Sein brought it back to Magus World and displayed it in Steel City, even Rank Four and above mechanics would come knocking on his door before he knew it.

Some would surely pay a hefty price to secure it from Sein.