Sovereign of the Ashes

“Well done. Your grandmaster has already heard about your performance on this battlefield. It seems the battle reports from White Stella and those around Marvelous Plane were not exaggerated after all.” Bernice said to Sein once the battle had concluded.

“Oh? Has Grandmaster Feylis withdrawn from the frontlines as well?” Sein asked curiously.

“Not yet. The situation on her side is still tense. Your next assignment might be to head straight there as reinforcement,” Bernice replied with a smile.

“I’d be happy to assist our old lady. Even in my current condition, I’m ready to deploy at any moment,” Sein said without hesitation.

Bernice shook her head. “You should rest first. The fighting at the center of the Steel Ruins is fierce, but it has not reached the point where we need to rush in.”

“That forbidden spell you unleashed was impressive. I also practice pyro elemental magic. When might we have a chance to exchange insights privately?” she asked with a smile.

“It’d be my honor to have a discussion with you, Master Bernice. I’m still a novice and would be grateful for your guidance,” Sein answered respectfully.

His excessive deference made Bernice roll her eyes.

If a Rank Five mage like him called himself a novice, did that make Bernice, who was still stuck at Rank Four, utterly incompetent?

Fortunately, Sein’s mentor was not there. Otherwise, she would have puffed out her cheeks like a pufferfish and scolded him on the spot.

“That angel robot of yours also did well in the battle. Where is she now?” Bernice asked.

“When you go to reinforce your grandmaster, bring her along. A Rank Six combatant would greatly ease the pressure on Master Feylis and the others,” she added.

“Got it.” Sein nodded. “Fermera must have already returned to the Ashen Fortress. She doesn’t seem to enjoy noisy environments or being around strangers.”

“I see,” Bernice said, a hint of regret in her voice.

In truth, Fermera’s deployment had drawn covert attention from many figures within the Magus Civilization, with Bernice being only one of them.

The Magus Civilization harbored deep distrust toward the intelligent robot who had defected so suddenly. They feared she might betray them again on the battlefield.

It was only after Fermera fought alongside Sein and nearly annihilated an entire silver fleet from the federation that she was granted permission to participate in battle at the center of the subspace.

As Sein was bidding farewell to Bernice, she suddenly turned and warned him, “By the way, your grandmaster isn’t actually old. The next time you meet her, do not say anything that might make her feel old.”

“Or you will regret it,” she added, chuckling as she covered her mouth.

Sein was taken aback.

He remembered Lorianne mentioning something along the same lines.

Grandmaster Feylis indeed had a remarkably youthful appearance.

She certainly would be upset if she heard him call her an old lady.

He nodded solemnly. “Understood.”

***

Upon returning to the main base for a brief respite, Sein ran into Black Oblivion and his cousins.

Master Gilbert and Valerie had already left this subspace.

Leaving alongside them were Grethel and Roth, both Rank Four mages.

Before their departure, they had contacted Sein.

After all, they had fought side by side for so long. Once back in Magus World, they could still keep in touch and continue exchanging ideas.

This was how connections were built—slowly, over time.

With the Clash of Civilizations underway, Sein’s circle of “friends” continued to grow.

This was a stark contrast to his days as a black magic initiate, when he had only two friends.

Black Oblivion and his cousins had not taken part in the recent battles.

After rejoining the main forces, they sought out White Stella.

According to Black Oblivion, White Stella had suffered serious injuries during the previous fighting outside the subspace and had yet to fully recover.

Although Sein knew the dragonkin possessed rare potions and immortal pills, including Four-Refinement or Five-Refinement Golden Pills, he still politely offered a single Amethyst Potion for Black Oblivion to deliver to White Stella later.

“Aren’t you being a little too stingy? I know you have Golden Apple Potions in your pocket!” Now that he was closer to Sein, Black Oblivion no longer held back and spoke bluntly.

Beneath the Faceless Mask, Sein’s mouth twitched slightly, but he kept his calm.

“I only have a few Golden Apple Potions left myself. Your family is rich enough, I’m sure you have far better things in your pocket.”

“Heh, I was just kidding,” Black Oblivion said. “Relax. My sister’s recovering well. Your Amethyst Potion wouldn’t even help as a supplement, but you can give it to me instead. I’m not picky!”

With that, Black Oblivion grabbed the Amethyst Potion and slipped it into his chest pocket.

Sein watched Black Oblivion’s actions without reacting.

After all, so long as he held the formula for the Black Merlot Civilization’s genetic potion, Sein had ways to make Black Oblivion pay.

Although the Black Merlot Civilization’s genetic fluids could greatly unlock the potential of dragonkin like Black Oblivion, Sein’s research had confirmed that they were also dangerously addictive.

Black Oblivion and his cousins likely came not just to catch up, but also to acquire more genetic potions from Sein to satisfy their cravings.

Sein had already guessed their true intentions, but he remained silent, waiting for Black Oblivion to bring it up himself.

After asking about White Stella’s condition, Sein continued, “Where has Tourmaline been lately? Has she joined this subspace battlefield?”

Black Oblivion glanced around the fortress and absent-mindedly replied, “With things this intense here, there’s no way she would be allowed to come.”

After a brief pause, he continued, “I think she’s still somewhere near Marvelous Plane. That region’s no longer a main warzone, so it’s relatively safe for now.”

Sein nodded in understanding.

***

When Black Oblivion finally left, he did not return the Amethyst Potion. It was fine, though. Sein had made him pay in other ways.

In addition to several rare materials Sein had never seen before, he also drew out a large vial of dragon blood from Black Oblivion.

This was done under the pretext of researching and crafting a gene-development potion perfectly suited to Black Oblivion’s bloodline traits.

That single vial of highly concentrated dragon blood by itself was worth far more than the Amethyst Potion Black Oblivion had taken for free.

And that was not all. From Black Oblivion’s other two cousins, Sein also acquired numerous unique magic ingredients from the Immortal Realm.

Staring at a haul that could nearly fill an entire laboratory, Sein could not help but mumble, “I should just trade with these dragonkin from now on. The profits alone would cover a Rank Five mage’s daily experimental costs.”