Sovereign of the Ashes

The storage habits of a dragon vastly differed from those of Magus World’s humans. For a mage who was a germophobe, the items regurgitated by this Rank Two dragon might be off-putting.

However, Sein merely frowned but made no complaint.

Dragon Blood Herb was not only an upgrade from Dragon Spittle Herb, but also a rarer magic ingredient with an even more potent aphrodisiac effect.

Yet, Sein’s interest lay elsewhere.

As a Rank One mage with extensive experience across various magic materials, he had learned from a tome that Dragon Blood Herb could be added to dragon blood as a supplementary ingredient to enhance the body tempering process.

In the Magus World, dragon blood was typically used by knights to temper their bodies. Hence, only very few mages knew of this.

Sein had only known about this through his research on relevant material due to his pursuit of the Verdant Flame Body Tempering technique.

Apart from Dragon Blood Herbs, Sein also knew that the dragons produced other even more valuable resources, like Dragon Bone Herbs and Dragon Marrow Flowers.

Unfortunately, those two items were significantly more difficult to acquire as ordinary dragons would not have them in possession.

They could only be found in the “Dragon’s Graveyard” or a dragon’s final resting place. They were rare plants that grew from the essence of a dragon’s remains.

Apart from their occasional appearances in the Byrne Empire, these relatively rare dragon resources seemed to be only obtainable on the west coast of the Magus World, which was home to the formidable Dragon Warlock Clans.

The trade between Sein and the Rank Two dragon, Maybach, was mutually beneficial.

After closing their transaction, Maybach even escorted Sein to the southern end of the Pyro Crystal Range.

“It seems like these dragons were quite cautious and refused to let anyone come close to the valley where they lived,” Sein mused as he watched the Rank Two dragon’s massive silhouette gradually disappear into the dark clouds in the distance.

Their wariness was actually a reflection of their weaker position in the Magus World.

Maybach was indeed a formidable Rank Two dragon, with strength nearing, if not at, the peak of Rank Two.

Yet, even such a powerful being, towering at tens of meters, demonstrated deference toward a Rank One mage like Sein.

In a world governed purely by the survival of the fittest, Maybach’s strength at peak Rank Two could easily allow it to rob Sein without the need for any negotiations.

However, these dragons, with their remarkable intelligence, understood the formidable power of the knights and mages of the Magus World and consequently adhered to the world’s established rules.

This was the reason for their courteous demeanor toward any knight or mage of Rank One or above venturing deep into the Pyro Crystal Range.

Having recently arrived in the Magus World and still adapting to this world, Yuri did not quite grasp the implications of Sein’s remarks.

Sev, perched on Sein’s shoulder, probably understood his remark. It hooted twice, but Sein was not sure if it was responding to him.

From the southern exit of the Pyro Crystal Range, one could actually reach the Lysian Alliance by traveling west.

Sein gazed eastward for a while before ultimately choosing to continue southward instead of stopping by the Lysian Alliance.

Returning to House Grantt held little appeal. With his father likely reporting to the Order of the Steel Fist in the north, only Solon and his family currently remained in the Grantt territory.

Before departing the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sein had sent a magic letter to House Grantt, informing them of his intentions to travel the Magus World.

As a Rank One mage, Sein was expected to detach himself from mundane familial entanglements.

When his ancestors, Julius and Jeremy, participated in an interplanar war spanning several decades, they might return to discover two generations of their family had passed.

As creatures of Rank One and above with a lifespan reaching beyond a thousand years, they existed in a realm distinct from ordinary humans.

At the southern end of the Pyro Crystal Range, there was a black winding river.

Calling it a “river” might not be accurate, as it was not a stream of water but a pungent black slurry, possibly flowing from an underground cave within the mountain range.

Sein recalled reading about it from one of the magic tomes in the divine tower. It was a type of low-grade energy source for some airships but was seldom used as those who could afford such vessels could typically afford to power them with energy crystals.

After crossing this “black river”, the intense heat of the Pyro Crystal Range quickly dissipated, making Sein feel as if he had stepped into an entirely different world.

Initially, they were greeted by the sight of low marshes and green plains.

After flying southward for about a week, the landscape turned into a dense primal forest.

This was not the first time Sein had set foot in the area. He even recalled that this area was known as “Dusken Ridge”.

“Dusken Ridge stretches from east to west, with our current position on its eastern edge. It’s considerably smaller than the Pyro Crystal Range, so its inhabitants are likely less formidable,” Sein mused, gazing over the endless dark green canopy.

When Sein and his companions ventured through Dusken Ridge on their journey to the Lysian Alliance, they followed a middle path that was known to be safer with less dangerous magic beasts.

The path was made by the magic beast overlords of Dusken Ridge for traders and magic initiates.

These high-level magic beast overlords were almost as intelligent as humans.

According to Sein’s magic map, Dusken Ridge might be home to a Rank Two super-ranked magic beast.

In comparison, there could be even more formidable creatures in the Pyro Crystal Ridge, including Rank Three or possibly demigod-level dragons.

Despite this, Maybach, the Rank Two dragon showed Sein, a Rank One mage from Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, considerable respect.

“If we continue traveling all the way south, we will reach Gloomhaven. Sev, do you miss this place? Perhaps we’ll meet a few old friends here,” Sein said.

Sev responded with gentle hoots.

“Yeah, I miss this place too. Let’s go!” Sein said and led them deeper into the forest.