Sovereign of the Ashes

The sphere of influence of the Divine Tower of Crimson primarily extended across the northern inland regions.

However, to the south of this tower, in the ocean and across numerous islands in the South Sea, lay another major force—the Order of the Land Sword.

It was a renowned order of knights on the southern coast of the Magus World, led by a master rumored to possess Rank Five strength.

The Order of the Land Sword was heavily involved in the black mage extermination operations in the Darwell Region, led by the Divine Tower of Dawn.

Sein recalled that Baldor, a Rank Two knight who had shown him kindness in the underground world, hailed from this order.

The most lasting impression Baldor left on Sein was his shiny bald head and the heavy silver body armor he wore.

Like Sein’s great-grandfather Julius, Baldor was a commoner knight who currently resided in Baldor Dukedom on a remote island in the Boundless South Sea.

As its name suggested, the dukedom was likely named after him, suggesting Baldor might be its founder.

Dukedoms founded by Rank Two knights seldom had populations exceeding three hundred thousand, making them small nations within the Magus World.

Because of this, it was hard to locate which exact island Baldor Dukedom was on.

Sein would have liked to visit Baldor to personally thank the knight for his past assistance, but his schedule was fully packed, forcing him to postpone this plan for now.

He continued his journey westward, traversing the territory governed by the Divine Tower of Crimson.

Established for thousands of years, the Divine Tower of Crimson, though not as prominent as the Divine Tower of Dawn, still ranked above average among those established by Rank Four mages.

It boasted two thriving megacities within its territory, each equipped with floating ports and teleportation arrays.

Opting for efficiency, Sein used a teleportation array to shorten his travel time after trekking tirelessly for some time.

Although the culture and people of the southern coast of Magus World varied slightly, they were generally similar.

Having spent considerable time within the Divine Tower of Dawn’s sphere of influence, Sein felt no need to linger within the Divine Tower of Crimson’s territory.

Of course, another significant reason for Sein’s urgency was a persistent premonition he felt. Yet, he could not identify the exact source of this uneasy feeling.

He regretted not delving into occult arts when he was at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Despite a lack of notable mages in that area, he believed that Master Lorianne’s extensive private library might have numerous useful tomes that could provide valuable insights into the field.

Sein recognized that learning was an endless endeavor.

Despite being a diligent and hardworking Rank One mage, Sein was still constantly reminded of his own insignificance and ignorance.

After spending a considerable sum of magicoins, Sein arrived at the megacity in the western part of the Divine Tower of Crimson’s territory—Suni City.

Stepping out from the teleportation array, he marveled at the convenience of the mana-infused portal behind him.

“The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring should really set up a teleportation array as soon as possible. I wonder if Master Lorianne already has plans for this. The introduction of a teleportation array would surely attract the hedge mages in the surrounding area, which could significantly contribute to the prosperity and development within the divine tower’s sphere of influence,” he mused.

However, he noted, “As far as I know, there don’t seem to be any extremely prosperous megacities around the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, but there are a few human nations with great potential for development.”

After leaving Suni City, Sein continued his journey westward, approaching a vast expanse known as “Maywerson”, the largest primordial magic beast forest he had traversed so far.

The magic map indicated that a powerful Rank Four magic beast king might dwell in this forest, which served as the boundary between the territories of the Divine Tower of Crimson and the Divine Tower of Hurricane.

The Divine Tower of Hurricane would be Sein’s final stop along the southern coast.

His departure from this tower’s territory would signify his exit from the southern coast according to the Magus World map.

Beyond this point, traveling west through the Zerzis Range—the highest mountain range on the southern coast—and several large magic beast forests comparable to Maywerson Forest, Sein would enter the territory of the Marmett Union Alliance.

The Marmett Union Alliance was a major force in the Magus World, located in the heart of the southwestern region of the main continent.

Although Steel City had seen significant development over the past hundred thousand years, it was still not on par with the Marmett Union Alliance.

Even the Pyro Secret Society, to which Grandmaster Feylis belonged, did not compare in magnitude to the Marmett Union Alliance.

The disparity was not only in the quantity and quality of creatures below life Rank Four but extended to those below Rank Seven.

Furthermore, the presence of powerful beings above Rank Seven within the Marmett Union Alliance solidified its position as one of the leading major forces in the Magus World.

***

Maywerson Forest was vast, and its lack of teleportation arrays and even proper roads made navigation challenging.

Consequently, it took Sein nearly two months to traverse the forest and reach the Divine Tower of Hurricane’s territory.

For a mage like Sein, the forest was a veritable treasure trove filled with untapped resources and riches.

Despite his primary goal being to expedite his journey, he did not pass up the opportunity to collect a few unfamiliar magic materials he encountered along the way.

Ranked magic beasts were as intelligent as humans, and since Sein stuck to the established public pathways, he did not come across those creatures.

Sein was actually quite interested in meeting Rank One or Two magic beasts with significant intelligence to trade with. He believed that the residents of this forest likely possessed many valuable items.

However, a persistent sense of crisis, which had begun when he bought the three soul slaves at the Monique Black Market, urged him to avoid any delays.

As he moved further away from the coast, the intensity of his unease lessened slightly.

Shaking off the lingering doubts in his mind, Sein proceeded toward his destination.

Upon entering the Divine Tower of Hurricane’s sphere of influence, he flew toward Majorlet City, which housed a teleportation array.