Sovereign of the Ashes

With his new magic rod crafted, Sein was ready for his journey to the Western Archipelago.

He had already informed his mentor, Lorianne, so his departure would not come as a surprise.

However, he had not informed Selina and Eileen of his plan because he had no intention of bringing the two women on his travels to the Western Archipelago and other parts of the Magus World.

Selina was a gentle and attentive woman. She had actually noticed Sein’s recent peculiar behavior but never probed him about it.

As Sein’s departure neared, Selina’s anxiety grew. Yet she managed to quell her worries, continuing her routine of preparing meals for Sein and immersing herself in her research.

Although Selina had dedicated time to supporting Sein since his return to the Magus World, both in preparing his meals and assisting in his research, her learning progress over these few years had actually surpassed the growth she achieved in the previous decade.

This could be attributed to the hands-on nature of assisting with Sein’s complex experiments, which was an educational process in itself.

Moreover, beyond these objective factors, there were personal influences, possibly tied to Selina’s psychology and efficiency in learning.

For some reason, her enthusiasm for learning seemed to intensify in Sein’s presence. She would often spend nights in the library to understand every piece of knowledge Sein shared.

Being around Sein made even the most strenuous efforts worthwhile for Selina, with the highlights of her days being the times spent cooking for him and their evenings together.

After a long night spent researching magic, Selina failed to suppress a yawn before the experiment table.

The mental focus of a Quasi Mage allowed Selina to pull an all-nighter frequently.

Instead of taking a short break, she stretched her body and then made her way to the kitchen on the upper floors of the divine tower.

At this hour, Sein was likely also immersed in his experiments.

Despite his instructions to Selina not to assist with experiments during this period, she maintained her routine of preparing a refreshing morning beverage for him.

Before making her way to the kitchen, Selina paused in front of a glass cube with moist soil, tiny fragments of a geo-attribute energy crystal, and several thriving plants inside it.

Among these, two white, plump cabbages snuggled together caught her attention.

Selina had provided a nurturing environment for these cabbages, ensuring they received ample nourishment and even enhancing their growth with medium and low-grade geo-attribute energy crystals.

Apart from the occasional jab from a needle, these two cabbages enjoyed a rather happy life.

Over the past six months, they had contributed a variety of flavors to Sein’s meals.

Resting her chin in her hands, Selina watched the two little creatures sleep. Eventually, the cabbages stirred awake and opened their eyes drowsily.

Upon catching sight of the syringe gleaming coldly beside the cube, the first cabbage to awaken could not help but shudder.

“No, don’t poke me with that needle, meanie!” it squeaked. Before long, its protests were replaced by sobs.

***

As Selina entered the laboratory with a glass of pure white juice, Sein paused his work to accept it.

The juice, with its subtle milky flavor, was proof of Selina’s growing understanding of Sein’s preferences.

Sein had always enjoyed Selina’s culinary efforts, especially when she introduced new dishes from time to time.

The hint of milk in the juice was refreshing, and Sein detected the familiar taste of activation factors.

“You’re still caring for those two plant creatures?” Sein asked in surprise.

“Mhm,” Selina confirmed with a nod.

“I assumed they wouldn’t have survived this long,” Sein admitted, a bit sheepishly.

Selina had been preparing activated foods, causing Sein to think the plant creatures had likely been exhausted.

It would appear that the two plant creatures were either extremely resilient or Selina had been taking great care of them.

Sein was willing to bet that it was the latter.

“In my mentor’s world laboratory, there are many such plant creatures, including a few with higher concentrations of activation factors. I’ll ask my mentor if we can get a few for you to raise. You might have an affinity for the dendro element, on top of pyro and lumen elements,” Sein remarked.

For Selina, any gift from Sein was a treasure to her.

“Thank you, Sein,” Selina replied with a sweet smile.

Sein acknowledged her gratitude with a nod, then passed the remaining half a glass of juice back to her.

Selina did not seem to mind. She finished the leftovers in the glass, then picked up her stuff and tidied up the laboratory before leaving.

Sein was already back working in front of his experiment table.

“Get some rest today. Come to my room tomorrow night,” Sein casually mentioned without looking up before Selina walked out of the laboratory.

Those words immediately caused Selina’s cheeks to flush.

***

After concluding his daily body tempering experiment and research on verdant flame magic, Sein received an invitation from Eileen to visit her residence on the 76th floor of the divine tower through his crystal ball.

This was not Sein’s first visit to Eileen’s quarters. Over the past few years, they had shared numerous wonderful evenings here.

Especially since Lorianne’s return to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring a year ago, Eileen, despite her boldness, lacked the nerve to continue seeking Sein on the top floors of the divine tower.

Therefore, aside from the rare instances when she could not resist seeking him out, it was typically Sein who visited her.

Sein arrived at Eileen’s place on the 76th floor, thinking that it was an invitation to an intimate evening.

Yet, he was taken aback to find Eileen dressed in a long white gown, delicately handling a black evening suit intended for him.

“Berlina is hosting a ball. Let’s attend together,” Eileen said, beckoning Sein closer.