Sovereign of the Ashes

The eastern continent of the Viridian Venom Flame World was covered in pitch-black rocks.

A man clad in a black robe approached from afar, eventually descending into an area filled with makeshift camps.

Among those makeshift camps, stood a modest magic tower with a height surpassing just over ten meters. The gentle elemental glow at its peak served as a deterrent to any pyro elemental creatures considering encroachment.

Upon landing, the man removed his hood, unveiling a handsome face framed with short, blond hair.

Shortly after, three mages emerged from the magic tower and gathered around the black-robed man, who was none other than Sein.

Hoot, hoot!

A distinctive cry pierced the sky as a massive owl with a wingspan of over five meters, alighted from above.

The previously imposing owl then immediately shrunk to an adorable size and gracefully perched itself on Sein’s shoulder.

“Are you heading back to the main base, Sein?” one of the mages asked.

“Yes, the fortress has approved my request to return to the Magus World. I’ll be departing with the next group of mages,” Sein confirmed.

These three mages had been Sein’s companions for the past six months. Two of them hailed from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame and the remaining one from the Divine Tower of Whispering Flame.

Sein’s announcement was met with a mix of envy and other emotions from them. After more than a decade away from the Magus World, homesickness had begun to set in.

The older-looking mage among the three suggested, “Since Sein is going to leave us soon for the Magus World, let’s hold a trade fair today.”

The suggestion was met with unanimous approval from the other two mages.

“I’ll go gather the others,” one of them volunteered.

The camp, situated in the southern highlands of the eastern continent, customarily hosted a trade fair to bid farewell to any mage confirmed to be returning to the Magus World.

Given the introverted nature of most mages and the impracticality of a grand send-off in their current setting, a trade fair addressed everyone’s needs quite fittingly.

Since Sein and his peers were preparing to depart the Viridian Venom Flame World, and the opportunity to acquire pyro-attributed materials at such favorable rates would be scarce in the near future, most participants exhibited remarkable generosity.

At the moment, seventeen mages were present in the camp, excluding those on missions.

Sixteen participated in the trade fair, with the absent mage preoccupied with experiments.

Having spent years in the Viridian Venom Flame World, Sein had much to offer and much to gain.

While not all the mages in the camp were as affluent as Sein, they were still considerably wealthy and possessed valuable goods.

The allure of interplanar wars lay in the significant rewards they offered.

Not only did the divine towers and high-ranking mages manage to amass a wealth of resources, but even mages below Rank Four reaped considerable benefits from the conflict.

The allure of benefits had consistently motivated numerous mages from the Magus Civilization to traverse the vast expanse of star domains and venture into the lesser-known Viridian Venom Flame World.

The atmosphere at Sein’s farewell trade fair was lively, despite the small number of participants.

This was not Sein’s first time participating in such an event. As his final exchange before leaving, he brought out an array of valuable items for trade and spent a considerable amount of magicoins to acquire a bulk of pyro-attributed materials.

Sein’s generosity in trading and purchasing showcased his substantial personal wealth, drawing attention from many fellow mages in the camp.

Even Khan, the sole Rank Two mage present, could not resist taking a second look at Sein.

Considering the rumor that Sein might be the apprentice of the Tower Master of Verdant Spring, the mage from Divine Tower of Verdant Flame was no longer surprised by his affluence.

The items Sein offered for sale were magic artifacts he had crafted during his downtime over the last two years.

His proficiency in alchemy had been gradually improving. Although he had not been able to incorporate the verdant flame magic into magic artifacts, he still made notable progress in this field.

The fact that some of his creations were top-tier among Rank One magic artifacts showed that Sein was not just a big spender but also a great income generator.

His skills in alchemy undoubtedly provided him with a significant revenue stream.

While lucrative, alchemy required substantial investment and carried the risk of financial loss without adequate backing.

Fortunately, the wealth that Sein had amassed could mitigate such risks.

***

Following the trade fair, Sein bid farewell to a few close acquaintances the next day before embarking on his journey back to the space fortress, located at the lava sea of the Viridian Venom Flame World.

The journey from the eastern continent to the space fortress took only a short while.

Half a month later, Sein was back in the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame’s space fortress.

He managed to return sooner than expected since he encountered a war airship on his way back and ended up hitching a ride.

Upon reaching the space fortress, he reunited with his mentor, Lorianne, in her quarters within the upper levels of the space fortress.

“I didn’t expect you to be back so soon. I was prepared to wait another half a month,” Lorianne greeted him with a smile.

Sein explained to his mentor that he had managed to hitch a ride on a passing airship, though the true reason for his early return was homesickness and a keen desire to go back.

“The interstellar teleportation array is in the operation area within the fortress. Holfson is there right now, you can just head over there when you’re ready,” Lorianne said.

“Aren’t you going to return to the Magus World with us, Master Lorianne?” Sein asked curiously.

Lorianne shook her head and replied, “I need to remain in the Viridian Venom Flame World a bit longer to resolve some remaining issues. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take too long. The power of laws in this world hasn’t been kind to me. I’ll return to the Magus World as soon as I’m done with the remaining tasks here.”

“Master Feylis and her other apprentices will probably stay here for a considerable duration though,” she added.

After further conversation, Sein bid Lorianne farewell and proceeded to the operation area, which was located on the middle levels of the space fortress.

When Sein arrived in the area, he coincidentally saw Selphy there too.

Aside from Selphy, he also saw two other Rank One mages that he was familiar with.

Both of them belonged to the Verdant Flame Faction. One of them was Master Andres’ grand apprentice while the other was Master Holfson’s apprentice.

“Hello, Sein!” The two mages called out to Sein.

Despite being older in age, the grand apprentice of Master Andres treated Sein with the respect his seniority warranted.

Sein acknowledged their greetings with a nod, then turned to Selphy.

Before Sein could ask, Selphy smiled and said, “I knew you’d be heading back to the Magus World soon, but I didn’t expect you to show up a week after I started waiting.”