Sovereign of the Ashes

Upon entering Weggis Star City, Sein chose not to bring out the Fermera. She was still unrepaired and might attract unnecessary attention.

Only Tourmaline, Aribbean, and a handful of high-performing space pirates accompanied him into the city.

The vast majority of the crew remained confined to their battered ships, kept firmly in place by the magic wards Sein had set.

Even if some of them broke through to the demigod level, there was no way they could escape!

To outsiders, Sein appeared to be a demigod, while Tourmaline gave off the aura of a Rank Three being.

He had no concern about their true strength being exposed.

The Faceless Mask had long concealed Sein’s aura through countless battles and missions.

As for Tourmaline’s aura-restrainingtechnique, it was a unique bloodline ability—one even Sein admired.

As long as they kept their auras suppressed and avoided drawing attention, even a Rank Six being might not be able to see through them.

Sensing the sudden drop in their auras, Aribbean felt no suspicion or contempt. If anything, he became even more submissive and respectful.

“Straighten your back. Stop sticking your butt out. Act natural,” Sein said, glancing at him.

Aribbean quickly complied.

Clearly fascinated by the star city, Tourmaline slipped her arm through Sein’s and eagerly led the way deeper inside.

Toumaline was rich. With her wealth, she could probably buy the entire city and still have more than enough left over.

Acting as their local guide, Aribbean respectfully pointed out where they could purchase goods or enjoy the city’s special services.

With the surge of space-time fluctuations approaching, more and more interstellar merchant fleets had begun arriving in the Vermi Star Domain.

Most of them, however, were small in scale. Their leaders were at best Rank Four beings, and the majority were merely demigods.

Sein did not spot the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce among them, which left him slightly disappointed.

At Aribbean’s suggestion, Sein eventually led Tourmaline to the largest interstellar trading hub in Weggis Star City—the Mimibeau Trading House.

This trading house had a rather unusual name, one apparently tied to the unique culture of the Vermi Star Domain.

According to Aribbean, it was backed by a low-level plane and two “major” interstellar merchant fleets.

If Sein wanted to buy large quantities of mid-grade metals, this was the place to do it.

After entering, Sein went straight to the manager. It was a humanoid creature that looked like an octopus.

The Vermi Star Domain was relatively small, where even demigods were regarded as important figures.

After all, Rank Four deities from other planes rarely mingled with “mortals”.

So when Sein stated his intent, the Mimibeau Trading House immediately treated him as a VIP.

To Sein, the metals he wanted were only mid-grade. But the octopus manager thumped its chest with its tentacles and declared with absolute confidence, “Aside from our Mimibeau Trading House, no other merchants in Weggis Star City can source these goods for you in such a short time!”

“Still, I hope you can give me a month to prepare. The quantity you are asking for is enormous—we will need to travel to other planes to retrieve it,” the manager added respectfully.

Sein knew he was asking for a large amount, but a month was not long. He could afford to wait.

The deposit he paid came in the form of two pearls that Tourmaline casually pulled from her chest pocket.

Each one was nearly worth a demigod-level heart core.

The dense hydro elemental aura radiating from them dazzled the octopus manager. His tentacles even trembled involuntarily as he accepted the payment.

Sein did not actually need Tourmaline to cover the deposit. He still had plenty of Rank Three and demigod-level materials on hand.

But since she insisted, he let her.

“These two Azure Pearls are enough to craft a divine artifact-grade ring, one that could win a smile from Her Highness Chelsea, the most beautiful goddess of the Vermi Star Domain!” the octopus manager exclaimed excitedly.

Seeing his reaction, Sein began to wonder if they were being a little too flashy.

But then again, these were just two pearls comparable to demigod-level heart core...

Even Tourmaline leaned in and whispered, “These are the most ordinary pearls in my shell treasure box.”

“Oh? What else do you have in there?” Sein asked curiously.

Tourmaline immediately clutched her chest protectively. “Not showing you!”[1]

After a pause, and seeing that Sein was not insisting, she added shyly, “Well... I guess I could show you.”

The two pearls Tourmaline paid were worth nearly two-thirds of the total price of the metals—far more than a typical deposit.

The octopus manager could immediately tell he was dealing with wealthy clients.

As the head of the largest merchant in Weggis Star City, he had no intention of swindling them.

One look at the demigod-level attendant trailing behind Sein was enough to tell him these two were anything but ordinary!

They might even be the children of a deity.

With that in mind, his attitude grew even more enthusiastic. “The goods you requested will take some time to arrive in Weggis Star City. In the meantime, would you like to attend the auction hosted by our trading house?”

“This auction is a joint effort between several trading houses in the city, with participation from foreign interstellar chambers of commerce. You will find treasures from across the Vermi Star Domain, as well as rare items from distant star domains,” the octopus manager explained.

“It’s not unusual for divine artifacts to appear—it would be a perfect event for guests of your stature, and for this young lady as well,” he added eagerly.

Sein exchanged a glance with Tourmaline before nodding. “Let’s go take a look then.”

Guided by a female fishfolk summoned by the octopus manager, they headed straight toward the deepest part of the auction house.

Although Aribbean was a demigod, his finances were nowhere near enough to participate in an auction of this level.

Even when he had visited similar venues before, he mostly just browsed or picked up a few lower-tier items.

The auction house itself was located deep underground at the heart of the star city. The massive asteroid that formed the city’s foundation had likely been hollowed out from within.

As they entered, Sein’s Faceless Mask immediately picked up the auras of three Rank Four beings.

These individuals—likely from remote, underdeveloped star domains—had concealed their presence behind shielding runes, but they still could not escape the mask’s detection.

Inside, the auction hall was already lively. It seemed like a featured item was being presented at the moment.

Sein and the others were led to a private box overlooking the main floor. Through the glass, he could clearly see the item displayed on the podium.

What had stirred the crowd was a unique, blue teardrop-shaped gem known as the “Tear God Gem.”

It appeared to be a treasure refined from the tear essence of the so-called Tear God, combined with other special materials.

Once absorbed, it could provide tremendous benefits—even for demigods.

“Tear God?” Sein wondered aloud, unsure whether to laugh or feel puzzled. “There’s actually a deity with such a weird divine ability?”

1. Translator’s Note: Tourmaline clutched her chest—no, not a treasure chest, her actual chest. Is this “shell treasure box” actually her shell bra? So is it “treasure boxes” instead of “treasure box”? Idk, the raws didn’t clarify whether it comes in a pair or not. ☜