Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein was interested in bidding on black magic initiates or black squires, but not to dissect them for study or make them work as his assistant.

As a divine tower mage, he lived at the very core of its regulations and did not wish to tarnish his reputation.

Those genuinely interested in these unregistered individuals were likely mages not affiliated with the divine tower or those with a dark disposition.

Sein only intended to gain a deeper understanding of Blackhaven in the Western Archipelago directly from those black magic initiates and black squires.

Until now, his knowledge of Blackhaven was limited to what he had learned from magic tomes and Master Morsidor’s notes.

He knew only that Blackhaven was located in the northern part of the Western Archipelago in the Magus World—a region marked by chaos and sin, beyond the reach of the divine towers and the orders of the knights’ influence.

It was a forbidden zone for all ordinary knights and mages.

The specifics of Blackhaven, including its environment and the survival laws, remained a mystery to Sein.

However, the behaviors of Morsidor and other full-fledged black mages indicated that it was far from a benign place.

The practice of experimenting on magic initiates by full-fledged black mages seemed routine, evident from the sale of these initiates and knights as merchandise.

From another perspective, being sold could also be seen as a fortunate escape for these black magic initiates and black squires from Blackhaven.

Having once been a black magic initiate himself, Sein deeply understood the preciousness of living freely under the sunlight.

At the Imperial Pearl Auction, he observed more than forty magic initiates and squires on display.

He scrutinized the auction list, paying particular attention to certain “auction items”.

Beyond the initiates and squires, Sein also browsed the range of other items that would be featured.

Although the Imperial Pearl Auction was the largest at the Monique Black Market, it was not considered entirely illegal.

Thus, Sein noted that the list did not include any ranked knights or full-fledged mages as merchandise.

However, it was still possible for native creatures with a life level of Rank One and above to be auctioned, though such occurrences were rare.

Over the past few centuries, the Monique Black Market had witnessed only four such occurrences, with the most recent one over 130 years ago.

Decades earlier, the southern coast had launched a siege against black mages, led by the Divine Tower of Dawn.

It was likely that in light of such history, the Monique Black Market was cautious about provoking further controversy.

Despite the absence of more sensitive items like knights and mages, the Imperial Pearl Auction offered an array of valuable items.

To Sein, the auction list seemed like a mountain of gold.

He only realized that his savings of over ten thousand magicoins were relatively modest when he saw an item at the end of the list in the crystal ball.

It was the broken heart core of a peak Rank Three creature, with a starting bid of eleven thousand magicoins.

That was just the starting price. Without knowing the exact value of a Rank Three creature, Sein could not predict how high the bidding might go.

Sein knew that his mentor, Master Lorianne, had a peak RankThree peak Fire-Breathing Dragon King imprisoned in her laboratory.

By comparison, a living Fire-Breathing Dragon King would undoubtedly hold greater value than a mere broken heart core from such a creature!

“Master Lorianne is really rich!” Sein could not help but exclaim.

The peak Rank Three creature’s broken heart core was undoubtedly the auction’s main highlight. However, Sein had no interest in it since he could not utilize such an item at his current stage.

As he browsed through the auction list, he focused on items that were both useful to him and within his financial reach.

Despite the array of enticing items, Sein knew he could not bid on everything that caught his eye.

Hence, he had to make some tough decisions about whether to participate in the bidding for some of the items.

As he continued scanning the list, one particular item caught his interest—a relatively rare pink-tailed mermaid, with a starting bid of three thousand magicoins.

***

The auction moved forward smoothly. In the center of the auction hall below, a yellow-robed mage introduced the first item, which the attendants brought in

It was a red coral imbued with a subtle hydro elemental glow, standing at almost three meters

The coral’s vibrant red hue made it a beautiful decorative item but also a valuable piece of magic artifact. Positioned in a laboratory or a special venue, it could enhance the concentration of the hydro element in the surrounding space.

Aside from that, Sein knew that it could be sliced into smaller pieces to be used as raw materials for alchemy and potion experiments.

The starting bid of the coral was quite high—thirty magicoins, which was a price beyond the reach of ordinary magic initiates.

The items offered at the Imperial Pearl Auction were generally of a certain class, and this coral, with its stunning appearance and practical value, was no exception.

It represented a promising start to the auction, and even Sein was tempted by its appearance.

Indeed, the starting bid for every item on the list was no less than three magicoins. Items like the Oxygen Pearls Sein had acquired from Half-Sharkfolk in a city along the southern coast would not qualify for inclusion in an auction of such caliber.

In the end, the Red Sea Coral fetched forty-three magicoins from a bidder seated in one of the boxes on the third floor— a figure Sein considered slightly high.

Yet, the value of auction items could vary greatly depending on the buyer’s perspective.

From an alchemist’s perspective, Sein valued the coral at thirty-seven magicoins and would have held that as his highest bid.

However, a hydromancer attending the auction might have perceived the value of the coral differently.

Sein did not linger on the coral. His attention shifted to the next item—a magic wand for initiates.

Although it did not quite match the quality of Sein’s Acid Wand from his earlier days, it was close.

With a starting bid of seven magicoins, it was evidently aimed at the magic initiates seated in the hall below.