Sovereign of the Ashes

In addition to the four Sea Lizard eggs, the tribe also presented Sein with various strange-looking undersea resources.

The Sea Lizard tribe was truly poor. They attempted to contribute what they could, offering seaweeds, oysters, shells, and undersea rocks.

While Sein had indeed expressed his desire to collect some underwater flora or fauna, these items failed to capture Sein’s interest.

After scrutinizing those items for a long time, Sein stored all the “worthless items” in his space ring and compensated the Sea Lizards with three magicoins.

All those worthless items, along with the four Sea Lizard eggs, amounted to a total of seven magicoins.

While Sein’s generosity might not completely alleviate the Sea Lizards’ immediate crisis, they could at least somewhat ease their living conditions.

Before leaving the trench, Sein noticed several injured Sea Lizards being escorted by their kin, exiting the trench and venturing toward the darker, foreboding western waters.

“Where are they going?” Sein asked the Sea Lizard elder, despite already having a hunch.

The Sea Lizard elder, with solemnity in his voice, explained, “The tribe doesn’t have enough food to feed them. They’re heading to Dark Serene Canyon to forage, in hopes of making it through the harsh winter. Should they return to us with the first warmth of next year, they will retain their status as warriors of our tribe.”

This revelation left Sein contemplative.

The Sea Lizards departing from the tribe were all adults and previously injured in the battle.

The likelihood of many of these nearly two thousand Sea Lizards making it back alive next year seemed bleak. This grim reality was reflected in the visible sorrow and reluctance in the eyes of those seeing them off.

In any case, the fate of the Sea Lizard tribe was outside Sein’s concern.

His indifference was borne of necessity, knowing well the perils of weakness among these destitute Sea Lizards.

The recent conflict between the Sea Lizard tribe and Kurt could be interpreted as a harsh method by the tribe to weed out weaker members, ensuring only the young and tough survivors remained.

Should any of the nearly two thousand injured Sea Lizards return from Dark Serene Canyon next year, they would undoubtedly be the elite of their tribe.

Both the Sea Lizard elder and the chief, who harbored intense animosity toward Sein, were among those who had endured and survived the trials of Dark Serene Canyon in the past.

Sein found himself quietly repeating “Dark Serene Canyon”, his curiosity piqued by this mysterious submarine canyon’s name.

The Sea Lizard Elder appeared shrewd, or perhaps he was simply hoping for a brighter future for his descendants, where they could stand strong against stronger beings like Sein.

He pulled out a crescent-shaped black metal piece from his coral cane, revealing to Sein that the cane possessed spatial storage capabilities, a feature not typical of Magus World’s traditional alchemy.

Upon closer inspection, Sein discovered primitive undersea runes etched upon the cane.

Tens of thousands of years ago, the aquatic races of the Magus World had once forged a glorious civilization.

It was possible that during that era, knights and mages were not the dominant forces in the Magus World, given that the ocean’s expanse surpassed that of the land.

Over countless millennia, the ocean had subtly transformed.

The Sea Lizard elder’s coral cane initially did not capture Sein’s keen interest. From an alchemist’s standpoint, he deemed its craftsmanship primitive and crude.

With the same materials, Sein was confident he could craft something superior.

Upon examining the black metal piece handed to him by the Sea Lizard elder, Sein experienced a chilling yet vaguely familiar sensation.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“This was my find from the Dark Serene Canyon five hundred years ago. I figured this should be useful to you. Mages like you are interested in strange things like this, right?” the Sea Lizard elder said.

After scrutinizing the crescent-shaped metal piece for a long time, a satisfied smile finally appeared on Sein’s face as he said, “Looks like my three magicoins were well spent. This is indeed something new to me.”

“The Dark Serene Canyon serves as our border with three other neighboring clans. It’s a gathering place for Sea Specters and the final resting ground of our ancestors. There’s plenty of good stuff there, though only very few managed to return alive with their treasures,” the Sea Lizard elder commented.

The explanation from the Sea Lizard elder helped Sein recognize why the metal piece felt familiar to him.

According to magic tomes in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sea Spectres were undead creatures infesting the oceans. Rather than calling them creatures, they were more like souls, closely related to the soul magic of the Magus World.

The genesis of soul magic was believed to be derived from mages’ studies of souls, both naturally and unnaturally formed.

Sein recalled reading about that in The Mirage’s Almanac of Souls, for which he had paid a substantial amount of Arcane points.

Armed with the “Mirage’s Almanac of Souls” and his adept alchemy skills, Sein was confident that the crescent-shaped metal piece would be of significant value to him.

With this new acquisition safely stored, Sein departed and soared toward the sea’s surface without looking back.

***

By the time Sein returned to the ship, Kurt and the others had largely recuperated from their recent encounter.

There was a palpable sense of mixed feelings toward Sein for his audacious venture deep into the ocean to negotiate directly with the Sea Lizards right after a conflict.

Nonetheless, they could not help but admire his courage.

“Thank you, everyone, for your help in the previous battle. I, Kurt, am a knight who returns a favor. As a token of my appreciation, the fare for this journey will be waived!” Kurt announced to all the passengers on board.

Upon concluding his statement, Kurt promptly returned five magicoins to Sein and also refunded the fares of the other knights and mages who had assisted in the battle.

However, Kurt did not refund the magic initiates who had chosen to stay passive and merely observed the battle from the safety of their cabin.

After the fare refunds, the goateed elder approached Kurt and whispered something to him.

Kurt’s immediate response was a muttered curse under his breath. “Those damn Sea Lizards!”

The earnings of Kurt’s business were not solely dependent on ship fares; a significant portion came from certain cargo stored in the ship’s hold.

Unfortunately, the recent battle with the Sea Lizards had damaged his ship and “compromised” some of this valuable cargo.

Upon review, Kurt realized the earnings of this trip could fall short of covering his expenses.

After all, operating an alchemy ship required at least a Rank One energy crystal as its primary energy source.

He could only hope that he was not making a loss. Then again, partaking in gray-area activities came with inherent risks that he had to shoulder.