Sovereign of the Ashes

Aside from unexpectedly recovering an overgod’s peak Rank Six secondary divine relic, Sein also struck a deal with Sethem, who represented the demon clan, for a supply of blood crystals.

Sein already had plenty of blood crystals on hand, but there was no such thing as having too many.

Not only could Sein and the members of the Verdant Flame faction use them, but so could the countless knights and bloodline warlocks of Magus World. Even the martial warriors of the Dawn Empire could benefit from absorbing them.

In the past, top-grade blood crystals like these had been consumed entirely within the demon clan.

The demon kings themselves also greatly enjoyed devouring such concentrated essence of flesh and blood.

Now that Sein had opened a new trade route, however, the demons were willing to part with a limited supply of blood crystals in exchange for high-quality resources of equal value.

“Sethem, did you and the other demon kings never consider trading these top-grade resources with other civilizations before?” Sein could not help but ask.

“Hah! Who would trade with us demons? We’re nothing like those despicable devils who go around tempting others into making deals,” Sethem replied nonchalantly as he stretched lazily in the chair inside Sein’s temporary experimental base.

“Besides, when we demons set our sights on something, we’d rather just take it by force!”

That answer... Hmm, it certainly sounded like something a true demon would say.

Noticing the thoughtful look in Sein’s eyes, Sethem went on to reveal a little-known secret.

“Of course, when there’s some high-grade resource we urgently need, we do conduct a few private trades with the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce. And then there’s also...”

“The black mages, right?” Sein interjected, having already figured out quite a few things.

Sethem burst into hearty laughter but gave no direct answer.

Their conversation had been quite pleasant. The Rank Six demon king understood that a mage’s time was precious and should not be wasted on idle chatter.

Seeing that their business was nearly concluded, Sethem rose from his seat and prepared to leave.

Before he could go, however, Sein called out to him.

After hesitating for two seconds, Sein said, “I may launch an invasion against a rather unusual world in the future. That world could be of great benefit to both you and your clan. When the time comes, I’ll invite you.”

“I’ll definitely be there!” Sethem replied with a chuckle.

He had no idea which world Sein intended to invade, yet he agreed without the slightest hesitation.

By “that world,” Sein was, of course, referring to Faeloria.

Although the Spider Queen already had deep ties to the demons, that did not stop Sein from building connections of his own among them.

Sein nodded at Sethem’s answer. What he did not expect, however, was for the demon king to turn around and invite him over as well.

“Master Sein, if you ever grow bored with your experiments, feel free to stop by my place. I’ll arrange two pairs of succubi and temptresses for you. Since you’ve been tempering your body, handling three to four demigod-level demonesses shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Sethem asked with a grin, raising an eyebrow at him.

His teasing remark caused a trace of embarrassment to flicker across Sein’s face.

The mention of succubi, however, reminded him of the Succubus Queen in Faeloria.

***

After seeing Sethem off, Sein returned to his daily experiments. In truth, this quiet routine would not last much longer.

With the war in the Divine Descendants Star Domain now over, Belphane, Mel, and the others had begun returning one after another.

As one of the Magus Civilization’s representatives in this star domain, Sein would soon have to step forward and deal with numerous matters.

For the time being, however, Marduk’s peak Rank Six secondary divine relic kept him completely engrossed.

By studying and deciphering the profound mysteries hidden within its unique pyro elemental laws, while also conducting an in-depth analysis of Venerable Tianyang’s blood, Sein finally caught a glimpse of the barrier leading to the peak of Rank Five.

This was only a preliminary exploration.

If Sein managed to fully unravel the secrets contained within these materials, his path to Rank Six would likely be all but secured.

Aside from finding a way to advance to the peak of Rank Five, Sein gradually began forming another idea for this precious divine relic.

“Perhaps I can begin crafting a world-class secret treasure of my own.”

Inside the laboratory, Sein glanced at the Faceless Mask and the Magic Cube resting on either side of him before turning his attention to the pyro-attribute divine relic at the center, wrapped in layers of special magic materials.

Given its grade, this divine relic was more than sufficient to serve as the main material for a world-class secret treasure! A low-tier one, of course—the kind typically used by Rank Six or peak Rank Six creatures.

The two world-class secret treasures Sein currently possessed had either been inherited from his predecessors or obtained through special missions and opportunities.

Neither had been crafted by his own hands.

As a seasoned alchemist, Sein had already achieved considerable success in alchemy. He had even branched into mechanical art as a secondary field of study.

Sein believed that only by crafting a world-class secret treasure with his own hands could he truly do justice to the knowledge he had inherited from Master Morsidor and Master Jorces—and prove his own abilities.

In Magus World, an alchemist capable of crafting a world-class secret treasure stood in an entirely different league from one who could only produce ordinary magic artifacts!

As for what kind of artifact he should create, Sein considered the matter for quite some time before finally settling on a magic scepter.

After all, a magic scepter was the primary piece of equipment through which a mage displayed their power, whether on the battlefield or in everyday dealings.

The Faceless Mask and the Magic Cube were certainly powerful, but their functions were somewhat “unconventional” for a traditional elementalist.

The magic scepter Sein currently used was still in good condition. Its finial had been a gift from Gongsun Wudi during his time in the Dawn Empire.

However, this magic scepter naturally could not compare to a world-class one.

Thinking of his Grandmaster Feylis, whose primary weapon was also a world-class magic scepter, Sein could not help but feel a surge of excitement.

With that in mind, he began drafting the “Ashen Scepter Design Notes”, outlining his preliminary plans for crafting a world-class secret treasure of his own.

“Ashen Scepter” was the name Sein had chosen for his new weapon.

Its finial would naturally be formed from Marduk’s secondary divine relic.

As for the shaft and the remaining components, Sein would have to search for suitable materials over the coming years.

It did not matter if opportunities were scarce or time was limited.

As long as he had enough money, those problems could be solved!

The Clash of Civilizations between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation had already reached the point where even overlord-level beings were falling one after another. Materials containing origin essences were being extracted from countless large and medium-sized worlds, while numerous civilizations were being dragged into the conflict, either directly or indirectly.

Would Sein really need to worry about finding resources?

For the shaft, a body part from any peak Rank Six creature would be more than sufficient.

Or, if Sein lowered his standards slightly, he could simply take the spine of an ordinary Rank Six creature from his collection. That would work just fine!

The Insectoids must have plenty of treasures as well. The next time I meet the Empress of Blades, I’ll see whether I can strike a deal with one of her Bladeists.