Sovereign of the Ashes

After half a day had passed since Sein awoke, he summoned the willpower to stand and climbed out of the rock shelter.

He had remained there for an additional half day primarily for his stamina to recover. While waiting, he also meditated to replenish his mana and focus..

For initiates like Sein, magic was their ultimate source of power.

Although he felt somewhat depleted at this point, he was confident in his ability to cast two more spells.

Besides, his Acid Wand had also been recharged and was ready for use.

Barring any unforeseen misfortunes, such as encountering another high-level magical beast on the short journey back to the city, Sein believed he could handle any other challenges that might arise.

Upon leaving the rock shelter, Sein immediately retraced his steps to the main road leading back to Mystralora City.

All traces of his previous encounter had been erased, including the lifeless body of the underdwarf and some of the spoils he had discarded.

Even the faint traces of blood had dissipated into the stale underground air.

The Underworld had its own unique rules and scavengers, which explained the necessity of Sein’s hasty departure from the scene earlier despite his paralyzing injuries.

With no inclination to dally, Sein swiftly made his way toward Mystralora City.

Due to the fact that he was traveling at full speed, only half a day had passed when Sein caught sight of the city walls and other recognizable landmarks of Mystralora City.

Although the feelings Mystralora City typically evoked among black magic initiates were cold and somber, Sein always experienced a sense of peace and familiarity upon returning to the city after completing a quest.

Despite his current status as an intermediate initiate, Sein still entered Mystralora City through the same special passageway as always.

Perhaps because he had recently survived an attack by an underdwarf and had nearly met his end, he now gazed at the underground demihumans waiting in line on the main road to enter and exit the city with undisguised distaste and rejection.

Unlike the last time he walked through the special passage, the intermediate and junior initiates near the city gates wisely held their tongues as Sein passed through.

Sein was in a pretty sorry state at the moment. Not only was his magic robe tattered and torn, he bore several scars on his body, and his face had a sickly pallor.

He took care to conceal the fresh wound on his neck with his magic robe though.

After throwing a glance at the other initiates, Sein entered the city.

***

“What happened to you? How did you get yourself into this sorry state? You told me you’d be back within five days, and now it’s been seven. Leena even dropped by yesterday, asking about your whereabouts.”

As soon as Sein entered the shop, Bousse rushed out from behind the counter to assess Sein’s injuries.

Seven days had passed, this meant Sein had spent three days unconscious in that rock shelter.

It was no surprise that he felt utterly drained upon waking.

Sein, fatigued and weary, gave only a brief account of the perilous encounter on his quest.

While the grimmer details were glossed over, Bousse could still grasp the gravity of the threat that Sein had faced.

“See? I’ve told you to stick to the simpler patrol quests. With a full-fledged black mage looking out for you, there’s no need to go chasing after trouble,” Bousse chided.

Their paths differed and so did their ideals. Sein did not respond to him but instead urged, “Hurry up and assess the value of my haul this time. I’m in a hurry to return to the academy and submit my quest.”

As expected, Sein’s words prompted Bousse to shift his focus.

Money had a way of piquing Bousse’s interest like nothing else.

After assisting Sein in unloading the items, Bousse delved into the task of evaluating his goods.

Sein’s initial haul from Griseo Valley had shrunk by at least thirty percent by the time he returned to Mystralora City.

Fortunately, the Green Plume Claws were all in pairs. He still had more than thirty of them after the count, more than enough to turn in for his quest.

As for the beaks, Sein suffered only a minor loss, missing just two. After selling most of them to Bousse, Sein reserved seven for his own use.

The real gems of his haul were no doubt the three Green Plume Eggs.

Bousse’s explanation shed light on the fact that while there were no black mages in the city raising such magic creatures, some of the larger demihuman tribes had actually devised methods to domesticate these creatures.

The three Green Plume Eggs in Sein’s possession were definitely top quality goods that could potentially spark fierce competition among the demihuman tribes.

If Bousse were to handle the negotiation, each of these three Green Plume Eggs could potentially fetch as much as a hundred autrum.

A conflicted look crossed Sein’s face after listening to Bousse.

Just moments ago, he harbored nothing but intense resentment toward the underground demihumans, but now, he was contemplating the prospect of financial gain in their dealings.

However, Sein’s inner conflict was short-lived. He was, after all, a money-oriented man.

Moreover, the underdwarf who attacked Sein might not have hailed from the demihuman tribes that might potentially purchase the three Green Plume Eggs.

It was entirely plausible that, as these demihuman tribes grew in strength, they might assist Sein in vanquishing the underdwarf’s tribe.

In the Underworld, racial conflicts were common.

While humans in Mystralora City enjoyed the protection of black mages, demihumans and dark creatures native to the Underworld constantly sought to conquer and annex.

After some calculations, Bousse valued Sein’s goods at a high price of nearly five hundred autrum, which doubled Sein’s initial expectations.

The immense value of the three Green Plume Eggs left Sein astounded.

Clearly, the demihuman tribes aimed to acquire these eggs not only for raising Green Plumes but also to breed more Green Plumes as mounts and harvest more eggs in the future.

The demihumans residing near Mystralora City were generally shorter in stature.

Although adult Green Plumes were not suitable as mounts for humans, they were just right for those demihumans.

Due to the considerable sum involved, Bousse was unable to provide full payment immediately.

He promised to pay Sein once he had sold the merchandise.

Despite Bousse’s offer of a partial advance payment, Sein declined and promptly prepared to return to the academy to turn in his quest.

As he prepared to leave the store, Bousse called out to him.

“Hey, catch! It’s a gift from me. Get well soon!”

Bousse tossed a small red vial toward Sein, who immediately recognized it as a basic healing potion crafted by Marie.

With a grateful wave to Bousse, Sein hastily made his way back to the academy.