Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 1727: Information Exchange

Reuniting with old friends brought Sein genuine joy.

Aside from Selphy, several other junior members of the Verdant Flame Faction were also present at Gregory’s fortress. Some were familiar to Sein, others less so.

The younger generation of the Verdant Flame Faction continued to grow and develop.

Aside from a handful of people like Sein, who had not taken on apprentices, most Rank Three grand mages now had numerous apprentices and grand apprentices under their wing.

As the host, Gregory appeared today wrapped in layers of white bandages. From a distance, he looked like a mummy.

Despite his severe injuries, Gregory seemed to be in high spirits.

The visit from Lorianne and the other juniors, in particular, clearly lifted his mood.

He even joked to Sein, “We both took a hit from the Gallant Federation’s apocalyptical weapon, yet you look far better off than me. Has your body-tempering level already surpassed mine?”

In truth, when it came to body tempering, Sein still lagged far behind Gregory, who possessed tens of thousands of years of accumulated experience.

His survival without catastrophic injury from the apocalyptic weapon was partly due to the assistance of the overlord-level psychic named Moraia, and partly to Fermera’s self-sacrificing protection.

Naturally, there was no need to explain these details to Gregory.

“I was also badly wounded in the previous battle, Master Gregory. As you can see, I’m still being plagued by a strange fluorescent radiation force.” As he spoke, Sein rolled up his sleeve and pointed to the peculiar yellow-green glow radiating from underneath his skin.

The unfamiliar foreign law power drew curious looks from several lower-ranking mages of the Verdant Flame Faction present.

Lorianne also noticed the scars on his arm and seemed concerned.

However, when Sein looked toward her, Lorianne quickly averted her gaze and instead reminded Gregory to take it easy

Indeed, judging by the severity of their injuries, Gregory’s wounds were far more serious than Sein’s. This battle had nearly cost him half his life.

With Feylis absent from this gathering, Sein and Bernice naturally became the center of attention.

As a rising star with Rank Five strength and rumored to have slain a Rank Six Apocalypse World creature, Sein inevitably drew admiring gazes.

At the previous faction gathering, Aelid had eagerly recounted his battles against Rank Four extraplanar creatures to his juniors.

Now, however, despite the attention directed at him, Sein did not recount his confrontation with the Rank Six Apocalypse World creature.

These lower-ranking mages could not possibly comprehend the power of laws or the stat buffs granted by the divine domain of a Rank Six extraplanar deity.

Toward all members of the Verdant Flame Faction, Sein maintained a composed demeanor and steady smile.

It was this very low profile that made him seem even more mysterious in the eyes of others.

As for Bernice, she naturally drew a great deal of attention thanks to her gift for speaking.

Although she had not participated directly in combat recently, she seemed well informed about developments across the subspace battlefield.

The battle involving the Rank Six creature that Sein himself had not explained was instead retold in several different versions through Bernice’s narration.

It was also through Bernice that the others learned that Sein had now made a Rank Six angel his ally.

A Rank Six ally! The Grandmaster was only a Rank Six mage herself!

Aelid, dressed in his crimson robe, now looked at Sein in disbelief.

Once fiercely eager to prove himself, he had become noticeably restrained and silent.

For Aelid, this change might actually prove beneficial.

It was precisely Sein’s low-profile conduct and his diligent attitude toward completing assigned missions that had earned him favorable impressions among Magus World’s Rank Five and Rank Six mages who had entrusted him with combat tasks over the years.

After visiting Gregory and socializing with the other members of the Verdant Flame Faction, Lorianne then took Sein to pay a visit to Feylis.

Lorianne enjoyed exceptional popularity within the Verdant Flame Faction. The way Feylis, Gregory, Bernice, and many seniors doted on her spoke volumes about her standing.

Relationships were built on mutual emotional investment.

When Lorianne personally brewed potions for Gregory and used dendro magic to massage and heal Feylis’ severe injuries, she naturally received the care and concern of everyone present.

It was here, at Grandmaster Feylis’ side, that Sein happened to overhear two major developments unfolding on the major fronts.

The first was that the resistance forces of the Grand Eye Demon World had been completely wiped out. The Magus Civilization had reclaimed the entire star domain.

Its Rank Seven overlord known as the Evileye Tyrant Monarch was being relentlessly hunted by Hela of Titan World. It was only a matter of time before it fell.

As for the Eye Demon legions and the Gallant Federation forces stationed within the Grand Eye Demon World Star Domain, they had been annihilated.

Cut off geographically from the Gallant Federation, the Grand Eye Demon World had found itself completely encircled by the Magus Civilization’s massive legions, trapped with no path of retreat.

This was the price they paid for betraying the Magus Civilization!

The second major development came from deep within the Gallant Federation’s own home star domain.

The Magus Civilization’s forces had launched another decisive offensive, achieving a sweeping victory. They now held firm control over more than a thousand federal life planets and mineral planets.

This decisive victory had been achieved through the combined efforts of several powers, including Magus World and the Alveroth Empire, along with a few large-sized member planes of the Magus Alliance.

According to Feylis, the black mages of the Western Archipelago had also played a pivotal role in this triumph.

For Sein, this news likely meant he would soon be reunited with Leena once she returned from the frontlines.

Though separated by different star domains and battlefields, Sein and Leena had never stopped thinking of one another.

After discussing the major developments on the major fronts, Feylis’s mood improved noticeably, perhaps influenced by Lorianne’s attentive care. She gradually relaxed and mentioned a recent “minor incident” that had occurred on the subspace battlefield.

She had been approached by the Gallant Federation.

The federation had dispatched a four-star general who contacted Feylis via video conference, proposing an information exchange with the Magus Civilization she represented.

“An information exchange?” Sein exclaimed in surprise.

What could the Magus Civilization possibly exchange with the Gallant Federation? Both sides were locked in a struggle to destroy one another.

Was there any room for negotiation?

Even if talks were conceivable, now was absolutely not the time!

The moment for the two civilizations to sit down and negotiate was still far in the future.

“Come to think of it, this matter actually has something to do with you,” Feylis said, glancing at Sein standing nearby.

“The Gallant Federation legions on this subspace battlefield are certainly not here to negotiate peace with us. The so-called information exchange they proposed is simply a trade. They are offering the secrets they uncovered about the Black Merlot Civilization in exchange for our technological intelligence on the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization.

“According to that four-star general, this proposal has already been approved by Marshal Rommel of the federation,” she added.

A considerable portion of the Magus Civilization’s intelligence on the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization had been obtained by Sein and his team at the Grandlight Tech Center.

That was why Feylis said this matter was indeed related to Sein.

By now, the Grandlight Tech Center lay in ruins, still serving as a battlefield for two overlord-tier beings.

It seemed the Gallant Federation had truly exhausted every other avenue for acquiring useful intelligence, forcing them to consider the unprecedented step of exchanging information with the Magus Civilization.

But in the midst of an ongoing war, could such a technological exchange between enemies really be feasible?