Sovereign of the Ashes

Lance was a full-fledged mage with an excellent character.

It could be said that almost none of the full-fledged mages teaching the public courses at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had a foul temper.

The gentle demeanor and remarkable patience displayed by Lance completely shifted Sein’s perception of the full-fledged mages in the Magus World.

Of course, Lance’s demeanor could be attributed by his role as an academy mage.

Sein speculated that most mages actively participating in the interplanar wars probably lacked the patience needed to guide a group of inexperienced magic initiates.

The shoulder blade of an extraplanar humanoid creature lay before Sein—a hidden perk of this public course.

Master Lance occasionally distributed body parts of these extraplanar creatures to the initiates for dissection, so they could gain a deeper understanding of these mysterious beings.

“Not all intelligent creatures in the Astral Realm are humanoid. However, being generally more intelligent and closer to us humans in the Magus World, the chances of humanoid creatures joining the Magus Alliance are also slightly higher.

“In contrast, creatures like mud monsters, robusta worms, and flying blade mantises, as highlighted in my previous classes, exhibit extremely low intelligence. This is not an individual but a communal trait.

“Most planes will produce mutated individuals, and as these individuals surpass the life level of Rank One and above, their intelligence undergoes a metamorphosis.

“The limb specimens before you belong to native creatures from a plane known as Kormut. It was one of the planes I visited during my travels. While these creatures from Kormut may share an external resemblance with us humans from the Magus World, internally, the distinctions are significant.

“By dissecting these specimens, you can gain a firsthand understanding of how these creatures differ from us,” Master Lance said as he encouraged the attendees in his classroom to begin their tasks.

Although not a war mage, Master Lance was an avid traveler to other planes.

Based on the impromptu anecdotes shared in class, it was revealed that Lance had traveled to a total of eleven planes in his 441 years of existence.

These planes were all under the control of the Magus Alliance, operating under the absolute governance of the Magus Civilization.

They were accessible to knights and mages from the Magus World upon payment in the form of magicoins or energy crystals.

The stories shared by Lance painted a vivid picture of otherworldly wonders—creatures towering several meters high, peculiar beings inhabiting tree holes and crypts, floating islands in the sky, exotic delicacies and landscapes unseen in the Magus World.

These chronicles sparked the imaginations of the magic initiates, fueling their desire to explore these planes upon becoming full-fledged mages.

Lance served as the lecturer for two courses at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy, namely the “Extraplanar Creature Anatomy” and the “Fundamental Knowledge on the Otherworldly Planes”.

His appointment was a likely result of his profound enthusiasm for exploring the intricacies of the other planes.

While Lance possessed advanced knowledge on the subject, this particular segment required a fee from initiates.

Despite Lance’s expertise, the number of initiates attending his public courses was limited.

Sein speculated that not many would purchase his advanced courses either.

Drawing from his experiences in the Sand World, Sein knew that the otherworldly planes might not be as wonderful as perceived by initiates from the divine tower.

Nevertheless, Sein was genuinely interested in Lance’s advanced knowledge, recognizing its potential value for navigating future interplanar wars or exploring unfamiliar planes.

During the Extraplanar Creature Anatomy class, Master Lance suddenly took notice of Sein’s dissection result.

“Hmm, your name is... Sein, right? This dissection technique of yours is highly unusual and that level of precision is...”

A real diamond never loses its shine.

Sein’s dissection skills had earned him praise from Master Collance during his time at the Black Magic Academy.

It was no surprise that these skills would impress full-fledged mages at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring like Lance.

Sein’s dissection technique could be perfectly described as “professional” and “highly precise”.

Sein had mastered sixty percent of Master Collance’s skill in the art of dissection. It came as no surprise that Collance had contemplated taking Sein as his apprentice back then.

Despite being a full-fledged mage, Lance acknowledged that Sein’s mastery in dissection could be on par, if not potentially surpassing his own.

No one was perfect in this world. Even full-fledged mages were not as omnipotent as perceived by those inexperienced initiates.

Upon discovering Sein’s exceptional dissection skills, Lance paused his lecture and asked, “From which full-fledged master did you learn that dissection technique from?”

Sein responded respectfully, “I acquired this technique from my family, Master Lance.”

Lance chuckled and said, “Ah, no wonder I haven’t come across similar dissection techniques in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring. Your family must belong to a very knowledgeable lineage.”

Seizing the moment, Master Lance openly requested, “I happen to have an extraplanar creature’s skeleton that requires meticulous dissection for my lab collection. Can you assist me with it? Of course, I will issue you appropriate academy merit points and rewards.”

It went without saying that Sein would not refuse a request from a full-fledged mage.

He also happened to harbor a desire to acquire knowledge from Lance. “It would be my honor, Master Lance!” he replied.

The interaction between Lance and Sein caught the attention of some initiates in the classroom.

Fortunately, the number of initiates in the classroom was small, and the intermediate and senior initiates were typically too occupied to engage in gossip.

As a result, Sein managed to keep a low profile in the academy, with only a few initiates taking notice of him.

***

The prized specimen in Lance’s possession was an extraplanar creature with four feathered wings and a lizard-like appearance.

According to Lance, it was a hatchling of a species akin to a drake, boasting a life level comparable to the early stage of Rank One. It was one of the most valuable specimens in his collection.

The fact that Lance sought the assistance of a magic initiate like Sein for specimen-related tasks hinted at his less-than-ideal financial situation.

It remained unknown whether he had spent all the magicoins he earned from teaching at the Divine Tower Academy in otherworldly adventures and the acquisition of rare specimens.