Sovereign of the Ashes

The star domains surrounding the Vermi Star Domain were regions where space-time fluctuations occurred frequently.

Sein guessed this was due to the relatively weak spatial barriers in the area.

That was what made it possible for him and the others to arrive here through a relatively stable portal.

The space-time fluctuation zone Aribbean mentioned was a special area where space-time forces appeared even more often.

Where these forces converged, they formed a dangerous region governed by its own laws—a forbidden zone that lower-ranking creatures could not easily approach.

According to Aribbean, this space-time fluctuation zone had existed for a long time.

It had been there since at least when he broke through to Rank Two and began making a living in the surrounding star domains.

Over the years, the local creatures had gradually learned the nature of that space-time fluctuation zone.

As long as they followed certain routes and did not stray too deep into the zone, it was generally safe to pass through.

They also had to avoid periods when space-time tides surged.

“How often do they happen?” Sein asked.

Sein himself had not studied space-time laws in depth, but that did not stop his curiosity.

“On average, once every five or six hundred years. There’s no fixed cycle. At its shortest, it might happen every four hundred years or so,” Aribbean replied.

“It has been nearly five hundred years since the last eruption, so logically, another one should be due soon. I brought my men to that star domain earlier because I sensed unusual fluctuations. I thought something valuable might appear,” he added cautiously.

This demigod-level space pirate was not particularly strong and tended to be timid, but he made up for it with obedience and good sense.

Whenever Sein asked something, he answered honestly without holding anything back.

Having a local lackey like him definitely saved Sein a lot of trouble.

Sein nodded, then glanced around before leaping out of the ship.

The space-time fluctuation zone, which most lower life forms avoided, was not especially dangerous for him.

As long as he did not get too close during a space-time tidal surge, he would be fine.

After all, he had just survived a space-time turbulence—this relatively stable zone was nothing in comparison.

Aribbean, who had been treating Sein with the utmost respect, could not help but grow anxious at the sight. “Your Divinity, please be careful—”

Before he could even finish, Sein had already vanished from view.

Sein did not head into the deepest parts of the space-time fluctuation zone. He was still not fully recovered yet, so a quick look around the outer edges was enough.

Aribbean had not been lying. Because of the constant space-time tides in this region, remnants from distant star domains often drifted here.

Sein did not spot any living creatures for the moment, but he did collect quite a few rare ores and unusual materials that clearly did not originate from this star domain.

After wandering for a while and getting a rough understanding of the surrounding spatial energies, Sein returned to the ship.

When he came back with layers of magic shields around him, the space pirates were immediately convinced that he was a true god.

“You did well. Here, take this as a reward.” Sein tossed a red agate to Aribbean.

The agate, still faintly radiating spacetime particles, was roughly equivalent in value to a Rank Three energy crystal.

For space pirates who often struggled just to get by, this was a respectable gain.

It was one of the materials Sein had just picked up from the fluctuation zone.

Stuff like this was actually quite rare there.

The only reason Sein had managed to gather so many decent materials so quickly was thanks to the Faceless Mask.

Anyone else would not have had nearly the same luck.

In the surrounding star domains, groups like Aribbean’s were not uncommon. Many low to mid-tier beings scraped out a living like this.

Most of the time, they would head into safer areas when space-time activity peaked, hoping to make a quick profit. That was when the best loot tended to appear.

During calmer periods, even Rank Four beings were not willing to go too deep into these zones.

The risk simply was not worth the reward. Law-wielding powerhouses had no interest in the low-grade materials found here either.

Through Aribbean, Sein learned that there were roughly a dozen law-wielding beings across the nearby star domains.

Aribbean did not know who the strongest among them was, but he suspected it might be the God of Portent from Randuin Plane.

There was more than one space-time fluctuation zone. Together, they formed something like a ring encircling the entire Vermi Star Domain.

Only a few hidden passages connected the inside to the outside.

The specialized interstellar trading groups that came to do business in the Vermi Star Domain relied on these routes to travel in and out.

Because of this, the Vermi Star Domain remained relatively isolated, and very few beings attempted to leave.

After making a circuit around the outer edge of the space-time fluctuation zone and returning, Sein headed into the makeshift lab he had hastily set up and let out a quiet sigh.

“We can’t establish contact with Magus World, and we can’t even determine our own coordinates. It’s probably related to the frequent space-time fluctuations in this star domain.”

“These anomalous fluctuations are interfering with my attempts to check our position through the Divine Tower of Ashes,” he concluded.

Because of this, leaving the star domain as soon as possible became a priority for both Sein and Tourmaline.

Only after getting out would they know whether they could reconnect with the Magus Civilization.

Still, before leaving, Sein decided it would be safer to gather the materials needed to repair Fermera.

The strongest beings in this star domain were only Rank Five creatures from low-level planes, and there were not many law-wielders around.

Even if something unexpected happened, Sein and Tourmaline should still be able to handle it.

As for what lay beyond this place, that was another matter entirely.

Only once Fermera was fully repaired would Sein feel confident dealing with whatever dangers might come.

Still, he liked to think his luck was not so bad that he would run into an overlord.

***

The busiest place in the Vermi Star Domain was Weggis Star City.

It was a unique city floating in space, jointly funded by three low-level planes.

From the look of it, the entire city had been built out of a modified medium-sized asteroid.

Since it drifted in open space, only beings of at least Rank One could enter.

Sein had seen the grandeur of the Magus Civilization’s starports and star cities long ago.

Compared to those, Weggis Star City felt more like a rustic, backwater fortress.

Even so, this small interstellar city still managed to surprise him in a few ways.

For one, despite its size, it had three dedicated interstellar ports for docking merchant ships arriving from distant regions.

For another, even space pirates like Aribbean and his crew were allowed entry.

Sein’s ship eventually docked at one of these ports.

“Over here in the Vermi Star Domain, everything comes down to money. I haven’t pulled off any big jobs in recent years, so as long as we pay the fee, we can get in,” Aribbean explained, scratching his head awkwardly.